Lectures
Penn State Intercom......September 12, 2002

Lecture series looks at
'The New Cosmology'

Michael S. Turner, the Bruce V. and Diana M. Rauner distinguished service professor and chair of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago, will present the 2002 Russell Marker Lectures in Astronomy and Astrophysics Sept. 16 to 18 on the University Park campus.

The three-lecture series, titled "The New Cosmology," is sponsored by the Eberly College of Science and is open to the public.

The lectures include: "How the Universe Began" at 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16, in 102 Thomas Building; "The Dark Side of the Universe: Dark Matter and Dark Energy" at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, in 135 Reber Building; and "Cosmic Inflation: The Dynamite Behind the Big Bang?" at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, in 360 Willard Building.

Sallie Mae vice chairman
is next Forum speaker

Al Lord, vice chairman and chief executive officer of Sallie Mae, will deliver the Penn State Forum lecture at noon Friday, Sept. 27, at The Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.

The topic of his presentation is "The CEO Challenge Post-Enron."

In 1997, Lord was elected vice chairman and chief executive officer of SLM Corp., commonly known as Sallie Mae, the nation's leading source of funding and servicing support for education loans.

Lord is a 1967 graduate of the University.

The Penn State Forum is a lunchtime speaker series offered by the Faculty Staff Club and is sponsored in part by the Penn State Bookstore. It is open to the public.

Tickets are $10 for members and $12 for non-members and include lunch. Reservations can be made by mail or by stopping by the Faculty Staff Club office at 103 HUB-Robeson Center.

Tickets will be on sale at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by the speech and a question-and-answer session at noon.

For information, call (814) 865-7590.

Internet2 virtual briefing
set for Sept. 13

An Internet2 Virtual Briefing, titled "New Networks, Old Economy," will be broadcast from 1 to 2:20 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13. Various netcasting options and a detailed agenda can be found on the Web at http://www.internet2.edu/activities/html/briefings.html. Real streaming also is provided for view-only participation.

Moderator for the briefing will be Steve Corbató, director of Backbone Network Infrastructure for Internet2. Speakers include: Erv Blythe, vice president for Information Systems, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Stephanie Copeland, vice president for Pricing and Offer Management, Qwest Communications; Christopher Peabody, director, network and computing services at Georgetown University; and Tom West, president and chief executive officer of the Corporation for Education Initiatives in California.

Presenters will discuss approaches for building advanced networks in a telecommunications environment that some believe is reverting to the models of the "Old Economy."

The speakers will bring their various perspectives to an exploration of the fundamental changes in the telecom industry since the end of the "Internet boom" and will consider how the higher-education community should respond.

Artist to discuss
his work during library talk

The University Libraries and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book will hold a conversation with artist James Thurman from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, in 201-B Pattee Library on the University Park campus. Thurman will discuss his work and his exhibit "Bookworks," on display in the center's office through Dec. 13.

Thurman, assistant professor in the 3D Foundations Program and associate to the director in the School of Visual Arts, College of Arts and Architecture, will discuss formal processes as well as explore ideas of usefulness and function and concepts of creation and destruction.

To see his work, go to http://www.libraries.psu.edu/pubinfo/news/Thurman_902.html on the Web.

Seminar to examine
children's development

Sharon Landesman Ramey, the Susan H. Mayer professor of child and family studies and director of The Georgetown Center on Health and Education at Georgetown University, will speak on "Intensive Interventions to Enhance Children's Development: Behavioral and Biological Evidence" from 4 to 5 p.m. Sept. 25 in the Living Center, 110 Henderson Building on the University Park campus.

The seminar is sponsored by the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development.

For more information, contact Celene Domtrovich at cxd130@psu.edu or (814) 865-2616.

Colloquium topic is
'No Child Left Behind?'

Timothy Smeeding from Syracuse University will deliver the Population Research Institute Colloquium from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 17 in 406 Oswald Tower on the University Park campus. Smeeding will speak on the topic, "No Child Left Behind?"

Maxwell is professor of public policy, professor of economics and public administration, director of the Center for Policy Research and overall project director and president of the Luxembourg Income Study at Syracuse University.

Lecture tours problematic soils

Martin Rabenhorst, professor of soil science at the University of Maryland, will present "How Wet Can A Soil Be? A Wading Tour Through Problematic Soils and Obscured Landscape" from 3:35 to 4:25 p.m. Sept. 13 in 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building on the University Park campus. Host for the lecture is the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. For information, call (814) 863-1601.

Comparative Literature Luncheon

The Comparative Literature Luncheon, a weekly informal lunchtime gathering of students, faculty, and other members of the University community, has announced the next speaker in this semester's series. Catherine Bertho-Lavenir, professor of contemporary history, Universite Clermont-Ferrand, France will speak Monday, Sept. 16 on "French Cultural Elites and the New Media, 1920-1970."

The events are free and begin with lunch from 12:15 p.m. to 12:40 p.m. in 102 Kern Building on the University Park campus. Participants may bring their own lunch or buy something in Kern Cafeteria. Coffee and tea are provided. The speaker will begin at about 12:40 p.m.

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