Science Seminars is a weekly list of science-related seminars sponsored by colleges, research institutes, and other organizations throughout Penn State. Science Seminars is published by the Penn State Eberly College of Science as a service to Penn State and its surrounding communities

Science Seminars

10 to 16 November 2003

 

MONDAY, 10 NOVEMBER

"Advances in Polymeric Materials: From Composites to Nanofilaments," Bin Gu, Penn State, 11:15 a.m., S-5 Osmond Laboratory, Department of Chemistry (863-7058).

"Artificial Light and String Condensation in Systems of Screened Dipoles," Xiao-Gang Wen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 12:00 noon, 339 Davey Laboratory, host: Moses Chan, Department of Physics (863-0007).

"The Plant Extracellular Matrix," Maureen McCann, Purdue University, 12:20 p.m., 111 Wartik Laboratory, host: Daniel Cosgrove, Intercollege Graduate Program in Plant Physiology (863-3892).

"Quantum Fluctuations of Gravity," Larry Ford, Tufts University, 3:00 p.m., 318 Osmond Laboratory, Center for Gravitational Physics and Geometry + Center for Gravitational Wave Physics (863-9605).

"Equivariant Euler Operators and Euler Characteristics," Jonathan Rosenberg, University of Maryland, 3:35 p.m., 104 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"The Screening Procedure for a Drough-Tolerant Tomato" by Greg Hargrave and "Plants on the Roof: An Introduction to Rooftop Greening" by Christine Thuring, Penn State, 3:50 p.m., 111 Tyson Building, Department of Horticulture (863-3371).

"A Transposition Repressor That Acts Like a Prior-Like Sensor of Cell Physiology," Hiroshi Nakai, Georgetown University, 4:00 p.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Kenneth Keiler, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (865-3072).

"The Emerging Tospoviruses: The Genetics of Change and Adaptation" (40th-Anniversary seminar), James W. Moyer, North Carolina State University, 4:00 p.m., 112 Buckhout Laboratory, Department of Plant Pathology (865-3761).

 

TUESDAY, 11 NOVEMBER

"Kappa-Scattered and Kappa-Dense Orders," Katherine Thompson, Carnegie Mellon University, 2:30 p.m., 324 Sackett Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Quantum Order, Quantum Spin Liquids, and High-Transition-Temperature Superconductors," Xiao-Gang Wen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 3:30 p.m., 339 Davey Laboratory, host: Moses Chan, Department of Physics (863-0007).

"Life in the Hollow of a Microtubule: Crowding and Cooperation in the Smallest Cytoplasmic Compartment," Deborah Fygenson, University of California, 4:00 p.m., S-5 Osmond Laboratory, host: Paul Weiss, Department of Chemistry (865-3693).

"The Growth of Tibet and Regional Climate Change: From the Mantle to the Monsoon," Peter Molar, University of Colorado, 4:00 p.m., 22 Deike Building, Department of Geosciences (865-2622).

"Xylogenesis: Building Up to a Dead End," Maureen McCann, Purdue University, 4:00 p.m. (refreshments at 3:45 p.m.), 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Dan Cosgrove, Department of Biology (863-0278).

"Antigen-Processing Mechanisms in Dendritic Cells," Peter Cresswell, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Yale University, 4:15 p.m., 108 Wartik Laboratory (video conferenced from College of Medicine), Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences (717-531-8982 or 863-3650).

 

WEDNESDAY, 12 NOVEMBER

"The Case of the Compatible Crayfish," Charles Rabeni, University of Missouri, 11:15 a.m., 107 Wartik Laboratory, Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology (865-5557).

"Climate Sensitivity: Uncertainty and Learning" (video seminar), Michael Schlesinger, University of Illinois, 12:00 noon, 541 Deike Building, Department of Geosciences (863-1274).

"Ethanol: Economic and Policy Tradeoffs" (video), 12:15 p.m., 105 Deike Building, Earth and Mineral Sciences Library (863-7073).

"A Hitchhiker's Guide to Online Teaching: Observations from the Meteo-101 Virtual Classroom" (Mitchell lecture), David Babb and Lee Grenci, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 112 Walker Building, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (865-6546).

"Control of Cell Growth by the Insulin-Like-Growth-Factor (IGF) Axis," Renato Baserga, Thomas Jefferson University, 4:00 p.m., 108 Wartik Laboratory (video conferenced from College of Medicine), host: Henry Donahue, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology + Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences (717-531-8982).

"Mechanism of Viral-RNA-Dependent RNA Synthesis," C. Cheng Kao, Texas A&M University, 4:00 p.m., 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, host: Biao He, Department of Veterinary Science (863-8533).

"The Crab Nebula: The Gift that Keeps on Giving," Jeff Hester, Arizona State University, 4:00 p.m., 541 Davey Laboratory, host: Koji Mori, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics (865-0419).

 

THURSDAY, 13 NOVEMBER

"An Algebraic-Parallel-Computing Scheme and a Combinatoric Formula," Sun Tae Soh, Myongji University (Korea), 11:15 a.m., 325 Sackett Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Dissecting the Shewanella oneidensis Strain MR-1, a Metal-Ion-Reducing Bacteria," Shane Ruebush, Penn State, 11:15 a.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Ming Tien, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (865-3072).

"Functional Studies of AtRAD51 and AtXRCC3: Two Genes Required for Meiosis in Arabidopsis," Wuxing Li, Penn State, 11:45 a.m. (refreshments at 11:30 a.m.), 317 Mueller Laboratory, Intercollege Program in Genetics (865-6903, lee11@psu.edu, www.genetics.psu.edu/Seminars/Colloquium.htm).

"The Impossible Takes a Little Longer," Dudley Herschbach, Harvard University, 12:15 p.m., S-5 Osmond Laboratory, host: Joseph Keiser, Department of Chemistry (863-3209).

"Influence of Additives on the Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior of Silicon-Nitrade Ceramics: Experimental Observations and Mechanisms," Paul Becher, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1:15 p.m., 26 Hosler Building, Department of Materials Science and Engineering (865-4992).

"Two Superconductors in One Material: A Case of Magnesium DiBoride," Qi Li, Penn State, 3:50 p.m., 117 Osmond Laboratory, Department of Physics (865-7534).

"Alternative Procedures to Discriminate Nonnested-Multivariate-Linear-Regression Models," Basilio de Braganca Pereira, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), 4:00 p.m., 102 Thomas Building, Department of Statistics (865-1348).

"Limited by Linear Thinking? Try Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) Instead," Robert Crane, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 112 Walker Building, Department of Meteorology (863-8566).

"Unified Indexing of Spatial Data and Authorizations," Vijay Atluri, Rutgers University, 4:00 p.m., 201 Thomas Building, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (865-9505).

"Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women," Virginia Valian, City University of New York, 4:00 p.m., 117 Hetzel Union Building (HUB) Auditorium, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (865-6546).

"Revisiting the Reservoir Engineering School for Coalbed-Methane Applications," Turgay Ertekin, Penn State, 4:15 p.m., 22 Deike Building, Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering (865-3437).

 

FRIDAY, 14 NOVEMBER

"Two-Dimensional Models in Loop Quantum Gravity," Martin Bojowald, Albert Einstein Institute (Germany), 11:00 a.m., 318 Osmond Laboratory, Center for Gravitational Physics and Geometry + Center for Gravitational Wave Physics (863-9605).

"Nitric-Oxide-Releasing Sol-Gels: Toward Improved in-Vivo Biosensors," Mark Schoenfisch, University of North Carolina, 11:15 a.m., S-5 Osmond Laboratory, host: Mary Beth Williams, Department of Chemistry (865-8859).

"Semiochemicals and Speciation in Maggots and Moths," Wendell Roelofs, Cornell University, 11:15 a.m., 118 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, host: Tom Baker, Department of Entomology (865-1895).

"Electronic-Structure Calculations for Weak Molecular Interactions" by Thomas Larrabee and "Protein Conformational Searching: The Entropy-Sampling-Monte-Carlo Algorithm" by Jonathan Skone, Penn State, 2:30 p.m., S-5 Osmond Laboratory, Department of Chemistry (863-9791 or 865-6443).

"Phyto-Engineering Approaches to Environmental Problems," Dick Lee, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, 3:25 p.m., 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences (863-1615).

"Remarkable Dynamics of an Overcompensatory-Leslie-Population Model," Howie Weiss, Penn State, 3:30 p.m., 102 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

The Algebraic-Index Theorem (After Nest and Tsygan): Part II," Nigel Higson, Penn State, 3:35 p.m., 104 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"'Grrr' in Ghrelin? Ghrelin's Role in Maintaining Energy Balance and Controlling the Weight Set Point in Normal-Weight Young Women," Heather McConnell, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 127 Noll Laboratory, Noll Physiological Research Center (865-3453).

 

SATURDAY, 15 NOVEMBER and SUNDAY, 16 NOVEMBER

(none)

 

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Additions or cancellations will be noted on weekly Science Seminar listings on this Web page and on the Penn State Web Events calendar at:
< http://www.events.psu.edu/cgi-bin/cal/webevent.cgi?cmd=opencal&cal=cal250& >

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Science Seminars is a weekly list of science-related seminars sponsored by colleges, research institutes, and other organizations throughout Penn State. Science Seminars is published by the Penn State Eberly College of Science as a service to Penn State and its surrounding communities. Click here for additional information about Science Seminars, or for instruction on how to SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE.

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This issue of SCIENCE SEMINARS was produced by Barbara K. Kennedy and Leta A. Krumrine.