Still Life

With four guide ropes attached to it, the east-side clock face is raised into position. While it didn't seem that windy on the ground on Saturday, Jan. 28, winds higher up were strong, requiring extra guidance to bring the clock face safely to the Old Main bell tower.

Old Main clock faces installed

Ben White of New Vibrations Audio and Video works on a ledge of the Old Main bell tower, to remove the speakers from the old chime system. The company installed a new carillon system today (Jan. 27) that will play a digital recording made of the original Old Main bell that now sits adjacent to Old Main and other bells of comparable sizes.

New carillon, restored clocks being installed

The funeral procession for Joe Paterno made its way past Beaver Stadium and down Porter Road as crowds applauded on Jan. 25. Thousands lined the procession route through the University Park campus and downtown State College to bid a last farewell to Joe Paterno.

Joe Paterno's funeral procession

Coach Joe Paterno was on the field for the first half of the Nittany Lions' football game. Penn State beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 13-3 on Oct. 8, 2011, in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Beaver Stadium.

Joe Paterno through the years

Katie Knobloch and Andrew Adamietz, members of the a capella group Blue in the Face, shared a candle at the vigil held Sunday, Jan. 22, to mourn the death of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who passed away earlier in the day. Several thousand members of the Penn State and State College community came out to the Old Main lawn on Penn State's University Park campus for the vigil.

Thousands mourn Paterno's passing

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Scientist receives lifetime achievement award in behavior genetics

Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Credit: David Blizard

David A. Blizard, senior research associate in Penn State’s Department of Biobehavioral Health, was presented the Dobzhansky Memorial Award from the Behavior Genetics Association at its 39th Annual Meeting held in Minneapolis, Minn., in June. The award, known to the international association as the "Doby," is awarded to a member for a lifetime of outstanding scholarship and achievement in behavioral genetic analysis.

Blizard’s research has focused on the relation between behavior, genes and physiology. He has contributed to the mapping of mouse genes, specifically those involved in preference for sweet tastes and aversion to bitter tastes. He is currently working on a project that is examining the genetic basis of emotionality (the level of fearfulness in a new situation) and its relationship to irritable bowel syndrome.

“It is very rewarding and gratifying to be recognized by one’s peers because it is to this field that I have committed myself to for most of my career,” Blizard said. “It also provides an important encouragement to persevere, understanding that one’s work has been appreciated. The scientific field has grown in many different ways during that time and the Behavior Genetics Association has played an important part in that growth.”

Blizard has been a member of the Behavior Genetics Association for more than 35 years, serving as president of the association and associate editor for the association’s journal, Behavior Genetics.

In 1999, Blizard was named senior fellow, Japan Society, University of Tsukuba. He received his doctorate in physiological psychology from the University of Wales in 1968 and worked formerly at Wake Forest University, New York University and Rockefeller University.

Blizard is the third Penn State faculty member to receive the prestigious Dobzhansky honor. Former recipients of the award include Gerald E. McClearn, professor of biobehavioral health and Robert Plomin, who was a professor of human development and family studies at Penn State for nine years. All three conducted their research within the the Center for Developmental and Health Genetics.

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