PURDUE NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEEK OF APRIL 16-21
This digest contains summaries of the following stories from Purdue News
Service and Agricultural Communication Service. All these stories, and more,
are available on the World Wide Web at
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html3month/3month.html
(Instructions for retrieving stories and photographs via the Internet are at
the end of this document.)
1. Kiss and sell: Profs write economic 'Love Story'
2. Purdue considers Entomology Hall renovation, expansion
3. Purdue submits plan to halt brain drain, create jobs
4. Purdue researcher solves sorghum mystery
5. Oat and wheat group wins Purdue Agriculture Team Award
6. New Convos director announces first season
7. Bust dedication honors Purdue Bands legend Paul Spotts Emrick
8. Purdue's 'Concerto Gala' features two works with German ties
9. Purdue Notebook
10. Fiber optic start-up speeds up Internet
11. Management education has seen the future, and it's wireless
12. Conference to tackle 'weighty' issues
13. Purdue calendar
14. Agriculture calendar
15. Best Bets for Journalists
16. National Lifestyles, Education & Careers Package
17. Inside Purdue and Perspective
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RESEARCH NEWS AND SPECIAL REPORTS
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1. Kiss and sell: Profs write economic 'Love Story'
Students in a Purdue economics course are learning about dollars and cents
in a language they understand: the language of love. A textbook written by
three Purdue professors borrows a page from dime store romance novels to
teach basic economic principles. The book, ''Life, Love and Economics,''
follows two college graduates and the economic decisions they make as they
meet, marry, take jobs and raise children. The nearly 300-page book is being
used in entry-level macroeconomics classes. ''There are a lot of good
economics texts. The trouble is, students don't like them,'' says Robert
Taylor professor of agricultural economics, one of the authors.
(JOURNALISTS: Review copies of ''Life, Love and Economics'' are available
from Steve Leer at Purdue Agricultural Communication Service, (765)
494-8415; [EMAIL PROTECTED] The ISBN number is 0536603383.)
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GENERAL INTEREST NEWS
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2. Purdue considers Entomology Hall renovation, expansion
Purdue officials are considering a renovation and expansion plan for
Entomology Hall that would restore the 99-year-old building to full
operation, bring accessibility and safety features up to current standards,
and increase its square footage by more than 70 percent, while preserving
the structure's unique architecture. Thomas R. Schmenk, director of
facilities planning and construction, said the plan, developed by Schmidt
Associates, an Indianapolis architectural/engineering firm, would give a new
lease on life to Purdue's second-oldest existing building, as well as adding
valuable new space for the School of Agriculture.
3. Purdue submits plan to halt brain drain, create jobs
Purdue is proposing a statewide partnership to create high-tech business
incubators across Indiana. The Purdue Research Park's high-tech incubator
system would serve as a model for these centers, providing leadership and
service and helping to speed up the commercialization of research and the
development of new small businesses. ''Both Purdue University and state
officials recognize the need for an important shift in Indiana's economy,''
said Don Gentry, dean of Purdue's School of Technology and special assistant
to the president for economic development. Purdue's plan to promote the
creation of high-skill, high-wage jobs is based on recommendations recently
handed down by the Indiana General Assembly's Legislative Interim Study
Committee on Economic Development Issues. The state report calls for the
state to create and provide start-up costs for five regional technology
centers each biennium.
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AGRICULTURAL NEWS
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4. Purdue researcher solves sorghum mystery
Sorghum equals or exceeds many other cereal grains in essential proteins.
Unfortunately, too many of the nutrients pass through the body unabsorbed,
and a Purdue food science professor has discovered why. Bruce Hamaker won
the 2000 Purdue Agricultural Research Award for his research, which could
lead to sorghum crops with greater dietary benefits. Sorghum is commonly
used as animal feed in the United States, but it more often is consumed by
people in other parts of the world. Studies have shown that humans digest
only 46 percent of the sorghum they consume, compared with 81 percent of the
protein in wheat and 73 percent in corn. (Photo available.)
5. Oat and wheat group wins Purdue Agriculture Team Award
The Purdue Small Grains Team, at the forefront of wheat and oat breeding for
50 years, has earned the Purdue Agriculture Team Award for 2000. The award
carries a prize of $10,000 to help further research. Team members will
receive the award at a ceremony at 2 p.m. Friday, May 5, in Room 116 of
Whistler Hall. Team members are Herbert Ohm, team leader and professor of
agronomy; Joseph Anderson, adjunct assistant professor of agronomy; Stephen
Goodwin, adjunct assistant professor of botany and plant pathology; Don
Huber, professor of plant pathology; Keith Perry, assistant professor of
virology; Roger Ratcliffe, adjunct assistant professor of entomology;
Gregory Shaner, professor of botany and plant pathology; Jeffrey Stuart,
associate professor of entomology; and Christie Williams, adjunct assistant
professor of entomology.
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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ITEMS
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6. New Convos director announces first season
Purdue Convocations today (Friday, 4/21) announced a 2000-2001 season that
includes more shows and extra performances. ''Along with everyone at
Convocations, I couldn't be more pleased to show off the first new season
since my appointment,'' said Todd Wetzel, who became director of Convos in
October. ''If you sense an infusion of energy and excitement throughout the
performances we've chosen, you won't be alone. We're bringing an incredibly
varied group of artists to the Greater Lafayette community in the coming
year.'' New this season: A new Family Adventures Series featuring three
shows targeted at families with young children; two performances, instead of
one, of two of the Broadway shows; six performances, instead of five, in the
Lively Arts Package and the Loeb Music Collection; and weeknight
performances at 7:30 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. (Black-and-white photo of the
Royal Winnipeg Ballet dancing ''Dracula'' is available)
7. Bust dedication honors Purdue Bands legend Paul Spotts Emrick
All over the globe, people know the Purdue ''All-American'' Marching Band
for the World's Largest Drum and for its Block P formation. But, as
sometimes happens with larger-than-life traditions, it's difficult, even for
Purdue fans, to pinpoint just how or where they got started. To help remedy
that situation, Purdue Bands plans to unveil a larger-than-life-size bust of
Paul Spotts Emrick, who during 49 years as the marching band's director was
responsible for many of the richest traditions associated with it. The
public is invited to attend the Gala Week unveiling and dedication ceremony
at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 29, on the plaza outside the bands' entrance to
Elliott Hall of Music.
8. Purdue's 'Concerto Gala' features two works with German ties
One 18th century German composer, one contemporary composer influenced by
German novelist Hermann Hesse, and two high-powered soloists add up to a
Concerto Gala on Sunday, April 30, when the Purdue Symphony Orchestra and
Purdue Symphonic Band perform. The gala, set for 2:30 p.m. at the Long
Center for the Performing Arts, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette, concludes the
performance season for Purdue University Bands. Admission is free. Purdue
violinist Abraham Huang, Purdue Bands' 2000 Concerto Competition winner,
will be featured in the first movement of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E
minor with the Purdue Symphony Orchestra. Kent Leslie, principal hornist
with the Lafayette Symphony, will get the spotlight in James Beckel's ''The
Glass Bead Game'' with the Purdue Symphonic Band.
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NEWS ABOUT PURDUE PEOPLE
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9. Purdue Notebook
-- Jillian Buriak awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship
-- Carol A. Clayson and Xianfan Xu receive Young Investigator Awards from
the Office of Naval Research
-- Schools of Engineering honors 10 grads as Distinguished Engineering
Alumni: Juan Ernesto de Bedout, Roger J. Feulner, Antonio Horvath-Kiss,
Linda L. Huff, Michael T. Kennedy, Alan F. Kessler, William C. Lindsey, Bala
S. Manian, Eivald M.Q. Roren, and William W. Shropshire Jr.
-- School of Education presents Distinguished Education Alumni Awards to
Marylu McEwen, William R. Fellmy, Robert S. Foerster, Russell L. Nichols and
Amy D. Sturgeon
-- Black Cultural Center will be open Saturday, April 29, from noon to 6
p.m. for students preparing for final exams
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MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
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10. Fiber optic start-up speeds up Internet
Using patented technology developed at Purdue, a Midwestern, high-tech
venture is manufacturing a new kind of high-performance fiber optic detector
that will allow for increased speed and capacity on the Internet. OptoLynx
Inc., a privately held semiconductor company based in the Purdue Research
Park, announced that its line of detectors will be available for purchase by
mid-May. OptoLynx uses proprietary technology to produce fast,
high-performance fiber optical light detectors with four to 10 times the
capacity of conventional detectors. The company's detectors are designed for
data stream speed. The company's initial product is an 850 nanometer glass
optical fiber detector that picks up and relays incoming fiber optic
information 50,000 times faster than an average home computer modem and 10
to 25 times faster than a Fast Ethernet connection.
11. Management education has seen the future, and it's wireless
Jerry Brower once dreamed of performing advanced computer networking
operations on his laptop computer while lounging in the spring sun on the
lawn of the Memorial Union. The Purdue computer science major was a bit
ahead of his time, the Internet and the available wireless computing
technology available in the late 1980s. But now -- as a network
administrator for the Krannert School of Management -- he's making it
possible for today's graduate students to go wireless. A network card that
costs $160 gives Krannert students wireless access to the Purdue networks
and the Internet via their laptops.
12. Conference to tackle 'weighty' issues
Purdue's Department of Foods and Nutrition will hold a one-day conference on
obesity and other weight-related issues next month. ''Weight-y Issues:
Obesity and Body Image - Practical Discussions'' will be from 8 a.m. to 4
p.m. Friday, May 12, in Room 218, Stewart Center. Registration is $75 and
includes all supporting materials and lunch. Speakers will explore the
rising obesity rates in the United States; assessment, risk and prevention
of excessive body weight; the increasing prevalence of eating disorders;
calcium as a factor in weight management; and other issues of interest to
dietitians, educators, physicians and other health professionals.
13. Purdue calendar
This calendar lists entertainment events, lectures, exhibits and meetings
involving Purdue people during the next four weeks. An interactive, online
calendar of Purdue events is at http://www.purdue.edu/calendar/
14. Agriculture calendar
This calendar lists Purdue Agriculture events during the next four weeks.
15. Best Bets for Journalists
-- Humor in health care
-- Three-time Indy 500 winner guest at Grand Prix
''Best Bets'' also has details about an awards ceremony April 24 for
students who created innovative products from soybeans; a ''Grand Slam
Battle of the Bands'' and an evening of games and contests on the front lawn
of Memorial Union on April 28; a free natural foods dinner for students; a
''Chemistry Funfest'' April 26; Grand Prix bed race qualifications on April
26; Gala Week activities for alumni; dedication of a plaque on April 29
honoring Purdue's first black engineering graduate (Class of 1894); and a
May Day celebration on April 29 by the Pagan Academic Network.
16. National Lifestyles, Education & Careers Package
These stories were distributed nationally and internationally this week to
about 1,000 writers, reporters, editors and other interested parties. A Web
site with links to all the stories and photos in this package is at this
URL:
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/paks/lifestyles.digest.0004.html
1. Kiss and sell: Profs write economic 'Love Story'
2. Prescription for pharmacist: A change in dosage (Photo available)
3. Quality of herbal remedies often is guesswork, expert says
4. Lifestyles, education and careers briefs
-- Parents should use ''time-out'' judiciously
-- Civil engineers pave way to the future
5. Fitness experts
17. Inside Purdue and Perspective
Check the online versions of Inside Purdue, the faculty/staff newspaper, and
Perspective, a quarterly publication for alumni, parents of students,
faculty and staff, for other news about Purdue, at
http://www.purdue.edu/PER/Periodicals.html.
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