There are no definitive findings that Marcellus Shale drilling activity has affected crime rates in Pennsylvania, but more study is needed, according to a preliminary report conducted recently by the Justice Center for Research at Penn State. The report was produced in response to public concerns that crime rates may be on the rise in areas experiencing drilling-related population growth. (more)
At 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 20, Nancy Condee, associate professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh, will present "Strategic Amnesia: Postcolonial Studies and the Second World," in Room 102 of the Kern Building on Penn State's University Park campus. (more)
For students wanting to dig up a worthwhile educational experience this summer, the Penn State Department of Anthropology is offering the 2012 Archaeological Field School from May 21 to June 29 in Huntingdon, Pa. The deadline for applications to attend the field school is Feb. 20. (more)
At 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, German Campos-Munoz, graduate student in the Department of Comparative Literature will present "Parallel Lives: Bolivar and the Classical Poetics of the Revolution," in room 102 of the Kern Building on Penn State's University Park campus. (more)
Bryan L. McDonald, assistant professor of science, technology and society at Penn State, will present "The Ethics of Food Security" at 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, in the Foster Auditorium at Paterno Library on the University Park campus. This lecture is free and open to the public. (more)
Gonzalo Rubio, associate professor of classics and ancient Mediterranean studies and history and religious studies at Penn State, has been awarded a 2012 National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to conduct research about the earliest literary compositions in any Semitic language, a language family that includes Hebrew, Arabic and Aramaic. The College of the Liberal Arts faculty member will pursue a detailed study, editions and translations of the earliest literary writings in Semitic languages, found on cuneiform clay tablets from Ancient Syria and Mesopotamia. The NEH Fellowship is widely recognized as one of the highest honors for scholars in the humanities. (more)
At 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 6, Vincent Bruyere, assistant professor of French and Francophone studies, will present "Literary History in the Posthistorical University: The Division of Francophone Studies," in room 102 of the Kern Building on Penn State's University Park campus. (more)
Attending a financially poor school may have more of an effect on unhealthy adolescent weight than family poverty, according to Penn State sociologists. Poor schools even influence how parental education protects kids from becoming overweight. "It was once thought that family income was the main factor when we talk about the research on adolescent weight," said Molly Martin, assistant professor of sociology and demography. "That's not true. The environments the children live in play a key role in weight problems among adolescents." (more)
The Center for Democratic Deliberation in Penn State's College of the Liberal Arts is seeking nominations for the second annual Nancy and Joseph Birkle Student Engagement Award. The award is given to recognize outstanding graduate or undergraduate students enrolled in the College of the Liberal Arts "who have made significant contributions to public deliberation and debate by 'speaking out' about important political or social issues, or by promoting more informed or productive public deliberation on the Penn State campus, in the State College community, or in the nation and world beyond." (more)
A religious studies scholar and pioneer in the study of American Buddhism reflects in his newest book on a more than four-decade career that included controversies and insights that changed the field of Buddhist studies. Charles Prebish said he chose to write his memoir, "An American Buddhist Life: Memoirs of a Modern Dharma Pioneer," (The Sumeru Press, 2011), to highlight the personalities of the people and scholars he met during his career. "People in Buddhist studies typically don't write memoirs, so there's no reflection on the great people in the field," said Prebish. "I thought, why not go ahead and write it because the stories are so good." (more)
