Science Seminars 13 to 19 March 2006

MONDAY, 13 MARCH

"Theoretical Challenges in the Design of Advertisement Auctions," Mohammad Mahdian, Microsoft Research, 10:00 a.m., 333 Information Sciences and Technology Building, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (865-9505).

(Partial Differential Equations and Numerical Methods seminar title to be announced), Hennie Poulisse, The Shell Group, 11:15 a.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Practice Talks for Site Visit," Interdisciplinary Research Groups, Penn State, 12:00 noon, S-5 Osmond Laboratory, Center for Nanoscale Science/MRSEC and Department of Physics (863-8999).

"Phylogenomic Investigations of Gene and Genome Evolution in the Angiosperms," Jim Leebens-Mack, Penn State, 12:20 p.m., 106 Wartik Laboratory, host: Dan Cosgrove, Intercollege Graduate Program in Plant Physiology (863-3892).

"Assessing Evolutionary Rates in an Ecological Time Scale: Copepodology for the Ornithologist Revisited," Nelson Hairston, Cornell University, 1:25 p.m., 100 Life Sciences Building (Berg Auditorium), Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology (865-5557).

"A New Perspective on the Extraordinarily Special Nature of the Big Bang," Roger Penrose, University of Oxford (United Kingdom) and Penn State, 3:00 p.m., 318 Osmond Laboratory, Institute for Gravitational Physics and Geometry (863-9605 or www.gravity.psu.edu).

"Quantum Monte Carlo Method," James Anderson, Penn State, 3:35 p.m., 158 Willard Building, Institute for Computational Science (865-1172 or www.ics.psu.edu/springsem.html ).

"Alternative Respiration in Bean Under Phosphorous Stress," Johannes Postma, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 108 Tyson Building, Department of Horticulture (865-2571).

"Three-Dimensional Electron Microscopy of Biological Macromolecules: The Structure-Function Relationship Approached by Hybrid Methods," Sacha De Carlo, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of California, 4:00 p.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: B. Tracy Nixon, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (865-3072).

(title to be announced), Bart-Gerard Dejonghe, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., S-209 Henderson Building, Graduate Program in Nutrition (865-3448).

TUESDAY, 14 MARCH

"Evidence for Composition and Size-Dependent Cluster Stabilities in Binary Clusters," Peter Lievens, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), 12:30 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: A. W. Castleman, Department of Chemistry (865-7242).

"Evolutionary Rules for Specifying Protein Folding and Function," Rama Ranganathan, University of Texas, 4:00 p.m.,102 Chemistry Building, hosts: Sharon Hammes-Schiffer and Stephen Benkovic, Department of Chemistry (865-6553).

"Small RNA-Directed Pathways in Plants," James C. Carrington, Oregon State University, 4:00 p.m., 100 Life Sciences Building (Berg Auditorium) (with videoconferencing to Lecture Room D at College of Medicine), Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences (863-3650).

(title to be announced), Hubert Barnes, David Gold, and Arthur Rose, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 22 Deike Building, Department of Geosciences (865-2622).

WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH

"Engineering Novel Medical Aerosols," Jennifer Fiegel, Harvard University, 10:00 a.m., 111 Wartik Laboratory, host: James Ultman, Department of Chemical Engineering (863-4802).

"Global Optimization of Multivariate-Polynomial Functions with Applications in Sensor Network, Linear System, and Combinatorial Problems," Jiawang Nie, University of California, 10:00 a.m., 333 Information Sciences and Technology Building, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (865-9505).

"Recent Research on the Influence of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation on Hurricanes," Michael Mann, Penn State, 11:30 a.m., 541 Deike Building, Earth System Science Center (865-0478).

"Good Eats: Optimal Nutrition at Any Age," Kris Clark, Penn State, 12:00 noon, Penn State Downtown Theatre Center (127 S. Allen Street), Office of the Vice President for Research (865-3477 or www.rps.psu.edu/unplugged ).

"From Sea to Summit: A Journey Through the Watershed" (video), 12:15 p.m., 105 Deike Building, Earth and Mineral Sciences Library (863-7073).

"Cosmic Neutrino Spectroscopy and the Early Universe," Olga Mena, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, 2:30 p.m., 339 Davey Laboratory, host: Irina Mocioiu, Department of Physics (865-3721).

"The Use of Nanotechnology for Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer," Piotr Grodzinski, National Institutes of Health, 3:35 p.m., 114 Earth and Engineering Sciences Building, host: Melik Demirel, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics + Materials Research Institute (863-2270).

"Monitoring the X-ray-Source Population of the Galaxy M31," Ben Williams, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 538 Davey Laboratory, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics (865-0418).

THURSDAY, 16 MARCH

"Effects of Polyprotein Processing on the Poliovirus Life Cycle," Hyung Suk Oh, Penn State, 11:15 a.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Craig Cameron, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (865-3072).

"Cosmology, Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), and the Fabric of Space," James Bjorken, Stanford University, 4:00 p.m., 119 Osmond Labortory, host: Martin Bojowald, Department of Physics (865-7978).

(title to be announced), Jose Fuentes, University of Virginia, 4:00 p.m., 112 Walker Building, Department of Meteorology (863-8566).

FRIDAY, 17 MARCH

"Cold Stress: Myths and Misconceptions," Peter Tikuisis, Defence Research and Development Agency (Canada), 11:15 a.m., 127 Noll Lab, Noll Physiological Research Center (865-3453).

"Alteration of Allelic Pigmentation Patterns in Maize through Transposon-Mediated Mutagenesis of Pericarp Color1," Michael Robbins, Penn State, 12:20 p.m., 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, host: Department of Crop and Soil Sciences (863-1601).

"The Chemistry of Gas-Phase Actinide and Lanthanide Ions" by Grant Johnson and "Dynamics of Electron Localization and Solvation at Interfaces" by Ujjwal Gupta, Penn State, 2:30 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: A. W. Castleman, Department of Chemistry (865-7242).

(Applied and Computational Mathematics seminar title to be announced), Vladimir Zakharov, University of Arizona, 3:30 p.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"The Day After Tomorrow: Perceptions of Climate Change and Other Risks in the Sahel," Petra Tschakert, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 22 Deike Building, Department of Geography (865-3433).

SATURDAY, 18 MARCH and SUNDAY, 19 MARCH

(none)

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Additions or cancellations will be noted on weekly Science Seminar listings on the Web.

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