David Walker returned from military service in Iraq with countless memories and experiences - the kind that would stay with him for a lifetime. Fighting in a war is not something one easily talks about. In fact, some never do. But Walker was open to reflecting on his experience. He just needed the right outlet.
Walker, 27, found that outlet through a unique course at Penn State. The recent biochemistry and molecular biology graduate enrolled in English 497: Narrative, Oral History and New Media Technologies in the spring of 2009. The goal of the course was to help returning veterans become filmmakers by creating short documentaries about the experiences of the Iraq War. Dubbed "Back from Iraq: The Veterans' Stories Project," these films, along with student interviews, class footage, and course materials, are now available at http://wpsu.org/backfromiraq online. (more)
Shaver's Creek Environmental Center will host its annual Children's Halloween Trail and Festival on Saturday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Oct. 25. The Halloween trail is a nonscary, enchanting event tailor-made for children ages 4 to 10. On the trail, scarecrow-costumed tour guides will lead children to five different educationally designed stations facilitated by Penn State students. Tours run every 10 minutes, beginning each day at 11 a.m., with the last tour leaving at 3:30 p.m. (more)
The discussion about adequate health care has dominated the news recently. From town hall meetings to debates, health care reform is on the minds of Americans. But what is the future of the current system? Chris Calkins, director of outreach health initiatives at Penn State Outreach, will sort out the fact from the fiction on the next episode of "Conversations from Penn State."
The show will air on the Big Ten Network at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23. The show also will air on WPSU-TV at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22. After this show, join Calkins on the Conversations Web site for a live chat and view the show at http://conversations.psu.edu/ online. (more)
Most areas of the United States are dealing with widespread influenza activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More people are expected to seek professional treatment this year than in years past and new strains of the flu virus are affecting younger people, which have parents and employers worried about how to handle the situation. Penn State President Graham Spanier and his guests, Thomas Terndrup and Betsy Hunt, will talk about prevention and treatment for the flu virus as well as response strategies for organizations and businesses on the upcoming edition of "To The Best Of My Knowledge" at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, on WPSU-TV and WPSU-FM. (more)
In years past, weather events caused a delay in the start of activities and classes at University Park campus. When a delay is announced at University Park, employees who perform nonessential services are to report at the announced time. Classes and activities that begin before the announced time are canceled. Those classes or activities beginning at or after the announced delay time will be held as originally scheduled. For example, a two-hour delay until 10 a.m. due to snow or ice would mean that all classes that begin before 10 a.m. are canceled and will not be held. Classes beginning at 10 a.m. or after, will continue on their regular schedule. Inclement weather is likely any time now through March. When it does strike, the Penn State community should check WPSU-FM and Penn State Live -- the official sources for weather-related delay or cancellation advisories at Penn State's University Park campus. In addition, advisories will be sent directly to cell phones via PSUTXT. To subscribe, visit http://live.psu.edu/psutxt online. (more)
"Penn State: Access Granted" returns for its second season on WPSU-TV. The program is every viewer's inside ticket to Penn State Athletics. The premiere episode features segments about the defending back-to-back national champion women's volleyball program, the defending Big Ten champion field hockey team, and a one-on-one interview between soccer players from both the men's and women's teams. This episode also includes baseball head coach Robbie Wine and looks at the tailgating tradition on football weekends in Happy Valley. The show made its debut nationally on the Big Ten Network on Monday, Oct. 5. The October edition of "Penn State: Access Granted" will re-air throughout the month. Check local listings for dates and times. (more)
Penn State Public Broadcasting is honoring the life of State College Mayor Bill Welch with an hour-long television special. WPSU will air a video tribute, produced by Dorn Hetzel, associate head of the department of film-video and media studies in Penn State's College of Communications. The video was originally shown during Welch's public memorial service, held at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in mid-September. For the WPSU broadcast, additional interviews, and a new musical score by Arthur Goldstein have been added to the video tribute. The broadcast will begin at 10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, and will be followed by the re-broadcast of an episode of "Pennsylvania Inside Out" that featured Welch and his daughter. (more)
WPSU, Penn State's public broadcasting station, announced Monday (Sept. 28) that it has earned two 2009 Mid-Atlantic Emmy awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for shows "Making the Blue Band" and "Cook Like a Chef." These regional awards recognize local productions for excellence in television programming. (more)
"Different people will give you different answers to that question,"
said Baruch Halpern, professor of ancient history and religious
studies. "The Ark is a regular feature in the Old Testament, making
several appearances in the first five books of the Bible. There are
many consistent references to the Ark, and when you add it all up, it
seems like the Ark was a real article." (more)
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States (excluding skin cancers) and is second only to lung cancer as a contributor to cancer deaths in American men. In 2009, it is estimated that 192,280 new cases will be diagnosed and more than 27,000 men will die of prostate cancer. The lifetime probability of developing prostate cancer is one in six for American men. Current treatment alternatives for clinically localized prostate cancer include removal of the prostate gland (surgery), radiation to the cancerous prostate (external beam or radioactive seed implants), active surveillance, or other treatments (hormonal or cryotherapy). Robotic surgery represents the next potential iteration for advances in minimally invasive surgery, according to this week's edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. (more)
