Moses Chan, an Evan Pugh Professor of Physics at Penn State, testified before the U.S. Senate on whether the sell-off of the nation's helium reserve has an adverse effect on the nation's scientific, technical, biomedical and national-security users of helium. Chan, a member of the National Academy of Sciences / National Research Council (NAS/NRC) Committee on Understanding the Impact of Selling the Helium Reserve, gave his testimony to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on May 10. (more)
A Penn State Extension water specialist told a House committee on Jan. 10 that research has shown that about 40 percent of all water wells in the state fail to meet at least one safe-drinking-water standard. Bryan Swistock, senior water resources extension associate at Penn State, testified before the House Consumer Affairs Committee in a hearing on House Bill 1855, which would create standards for water-well construction. Pennsylvania is currently one of just a few states that do not have statewide requirements for the construction of private water wells. (more)
John Liechty, professor of marketing and statistics at the Penn State Smeal College of Business and director of the Center for the Study of Global Financial Stability, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, on July 14 regarding oversight of the newly created federal Office of Financial Research (OFR). The OFR, which is Liechty's brainchild, was formed last year to begin collecting data on the financial system to allow the government to effectively monitor its stability and ward off potential threats. (more)
Fariborz Ghadar, director of the Center for Global Business Studies at Penn State's Smeal College of Business, testified before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, regarding the implications of U.S. policies on Iran, on Feb. 3. Ghadar cautioned against broad U.S. sanctions against Iran and recommended a more nuanced approach that takes aim at entities of Iran's Revolutionary Guard "while promoting information flows and economic activities with the private sector." This strategy, Ghadar said, will protect the Iranian public while targeting paramilitary interests. (more)
A faculty member at Penn State's Smeal College of Business testified before the U.S. Senate regarding pension funding during recessions. Ron Gebhardtsbauer, faculty-in-charge of Smeal's Actuarial Science Program, testified Thursday (Oct. 29) before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). Gebhardtsbauer suggested ways to fix the funding issues being experienced by defined benefit retirement plans and offer long-term solutions to make U.S. pension programs viable for years to come. (more)
A congressional health care caucus heard how Penn State University and the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center are transforming the delivery of health care through health information technology, highlighting delivery of emergency care through innovative use of health care information systems and patient flow engineering. Chris DeFlitch, the Medical Center's chief medical information officer and vice chair for emergency medicine, presented Sept. 15 as part of a congressional panel coordinated by the American Society for Quality (ASQ). The forum took place before the 21st Century Health Care Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressmen Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) co-chair the caucus. (more)
John S. Nichols, professor and associate dean for graduate studies and research in the College of Communications, testified June 17 before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight, chaired by Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.), regarding TV Marti, the television network created by the U.S. government in 1990 to provide programming to Cuba. Read the full story for a complete transcript of his testimony. (more)
Rob Frieden, the Pioneers Chair and professor of telecommunications and law in the College of Communications, appeared June 17 before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which is chaired by Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.). As part of his testimony, Frieden will address the practice of wireless carriers and their agents combining the sale of handsets and service agreements. He will compare that business model to government's regulation of wired telephones and televisions, where consumers may purchase the particular hardware (a telephone or television) without being tied to a specific service agreement or provider. Read the full story for a complete transcript of his testimony. (more)
Two Penn State faculty members testified before separate Capitol Hill committees on Wednesday, June 17, with one addressing a Senate group about wireless service and the other testifying before a U.S. House of Representatives committee about TV Marti. (more)
Anna M. Griswold, Penn State's assistant vice president for Undergraduate Education and executive director of the Office of Student Aid, testified this morning (May 21) in Washington, D.C., before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor. Her testimony focused on Penn State's switch to the Federal Direct Loan Program in March 2008, her assessment of the University's student aid operations since that time, and her expert opinion regarding the feasibility of a similar changeover at other colleges and universities. (more)
