The Office of Physical Plant (OPP) at Penn State's University Park campus has declared a Midnight Clear for tonight (Feb. 21). As a result, parking will be restricted in surface parking lots from midnight to 7 a.m. on Feb. 22, with some exceptions. According to weather reports, between 2 and 4 inches of snow are expected to accumulate overnight. (more)
Robin Becker, the 2010-11 Penn State laureate and professor of English and women's studies at the University, is sharing several of her poems via video during the 2010-11 academic year, aiming to engage people "in the deep pleasures of poetry -- language crafted and shaped from words, the 'ordinary' material we all use every day," to explore how and why poems move us. "The Poet's Perspective" is a weekly poetry video series scheduled to appear during the fall 2010 and spring 2011 semesters on Penn State Live and in Penn State Newswires. Prior to each poem, Becker offers her thoughts about what inspired her to write the piece, then poses a question to consider. In the text and video link of "Venetian," Becker uses unsettling imagery from a vacation scene to foreshadow an unraveling relationship. (more)
"Stuttering is a neurophysiological problem, not a psychological
problem, but what causes it is still a mystery," explained Gordon
Blood, professor of communication sciences and disorders at Penn State. (more)
Penn State College of Medicine is offering a new integrated biomedical sciences graduate degree program with a unique focus on basic and translational research in the areas of human health, disease, and therapeutics. The Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program is accepting applications from students for fall 2011. This graduate program offers students an education leading to the doctoral degree. (more)
Often portrayed as pawns of male-dominated terrorist organizations, female terrorists are actually motivated by more complicated and diverse reasons, according to a Penn State researcher. "It's true that some women are coerced, but the truth is that motivations vary from terrorist group to terrorist group," said Mia Bloom, fellow, International Center for the Study of Terrorism. "For example, of the women in the provincial Irish Republican Army group that I talked to, not one was coerced; they were enthusiastic about their roles." (more)
Nanotechnology may open a new door on the treatment of liver cancer, according to a team of Penn State College of Medicine researchers. They used molecular-sized bubbles filled with chemotherapy drugs to prevent cell growth and initiate cell death in test tubes and mice. Researchers evaluated the use of molecular-sized bubbles filled with C6-ceramide, called cerasomes, as an anti-cancer agent. Ceramide is a lipid molecule naturally present in the cell's plasma membrane and controls cell functions, including cell aging, or senescence. (more)
Variations in skin color provide one of the best examples of evolution by natural selection acting on the human body and should be used to teach evolution in schools, according to a Penn State anthropologist. (more)
The production of inexpensive hydrogen for automotive or jet fuel may be possible by mimicking photosynthesis, according to a Penn State materials chemist, but a number of problems need to be solved first. "We are focused on the hardest way to make fuel," said Thomas Mallouk, Evan Pugh professor of materials chemistry and physics. "We are creating an artificial system that mimics photosynthesis, but it will be practical only when it is as cheap as gasoline or jet fuel." (more)
How is the idea of a sports team's brand -- its distinct identity -- different from the brand of a Fortune 500 company or a consumer product ... or is it? Experts John Gerzema, James Cockerille and Victoria Vitarelli join host Graham Spanier, president of Penn State, to discuss the complexities of sports team branding on the next edition of "Expert Opinion with Graham Spanier." The show debuts Feb. 28 at noon Eastern time on the Big Ten Network. (more)
