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

26 February to 4 March 2007

MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY

"Algorithms and Logics for Software Analysis," Swarat Chaudhuri, University of Pennsylvania, 10:00 a.m., 113 Information Sciences and Technologies Building (Cybertorium), Department of Computer Science and Engineering (865-9505).

"Nanotechnology in Action: Status Report on the Third Penn State MRSEC/Franklin Institute Museum Show," Ronald D. Redwing, Penn State, 12:00 noon, S-5 Osmond Laboratory, Center for Nanoscale Science/MRSEC (863-0007).

CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER:
"Application and Improvement of the Protein-Chip Technology," Heng Zhu, Johns Hopkins University, 12:10 p.m., 108 Wartik Laboratory, host: Yinong Yang, Intercollege Graduate Program in Plant Biology and Department of Plant Pathology (863-3892).

"Synthetic Telomerase Inhibitors as Cancer Therapeutics," Runzhi Wu, Penn State, 2:30 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: Blake Peterson, Department of Chemistry (865-2969).

(title to be announced), Pilhwa Lee, New York University, 3:30 p.m., 216 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Direct Methods of Optimal Control for Space-Trajectory Optimization," Robert Melton, Penn State, 3:35 p.m., 203 Sackett Building, host: Lyle N. Long, Department of Aerospace Engineering (865-1172 or www.ics.psu.edu/springsem.html).

"Priming the Microbial Pump: Enhanced Soil-Organic-Matter Decomposition at Elevated Carbon Dioxide (CO2)," Patrick Megonigal, Smithsonian Institution, 3:35 p.m., 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology (865-5557).

"Astrophysical Constraints on Lorentz Violation," Ted Jacobson, University of Maryland, 4:00 p.m., 320 Whitmore Laboratory, Institute for Gravitational Physics and Geometry (863-9605 or www.gravity.psu.edu).

"The Molecular Mechanism of the Hypoxic Response in Humans," Christopher Schofield, University of Oxford (United Kingdom), 4:00 p.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Carsten Krebs, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (865-6089).

TUESDAY, 27 FEBRUARY

"Small RNAs at Work: Therapeutic siRNAs and Gene-Regulatory miRNAs," James G. Patton (department-head candidate), Vanderbilt University, 11:15 a.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Frank Pugh, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (863-8252).

"Atom Lasers: Mean-Field Effects and Beam Propagation," Jean-Felix Riou, Penn State, 3:30 p.m., 339 Davey Laboratory, host: David Weiss, Department of Physics (865-7533).

"Principal Results and Methods in Non-Uniform Hyperbolicity: Part Three," Yakov Pesin, Penn State, 3:30 p.m., 216 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"High Rates of Molecular Evolution Tied to Sex, Competition, and Immortality in the Sea," Michael Hellberg, Louisiana State University, 4:00 p.m. (refreshments at 3:45 p.m.), 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Iliana Baums, Department of Biology (867-0491).

"Quantitative Analysis of the Mechanical Properties of Fibrin Fibers at the Single-Molecule Level: A Review," Michael Proia, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: John Golbeck, Department of Chemistry (865-1163).

"The Global Sullivan Principles and the Alliance for Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Development in Africa (AESEDA): Partnering to Harness Georesources for Sustainable Livelihoods in Africa," James Stewart, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 110 Henderson Building (Living Center), The Alliance for Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Development in Africa (865-0333).

WEDNESDAY, 28 FEBRUARY

"An Investigation of the Molecular and Cellular Substrates of Anxiety and Depression-Like Disorders," J. Clint Earnheart, Penn State, 9:00 a.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Bernhard Luscher, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (865-5549).

"Telltale Orange: Orange Mutants of Green-Sulfur Bacterium C. tepidum Light the Path of Bacteriochlorophyll-C Biosynthesis," Aline Gomez Maqueo Chew, Penn State, 9:00 a.m., 8 Mueller Laboratory, host: Donald Bryant, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (865-1992).

"Algorithm Composition Using Domain-Specific Libraries and Program Decomposition for Thread-Level Speculation," Troy Johnson, Purdue University, 10:00 a.m., 113 Information Sciences and Technologies Building (Cybertorium), Department of Computer Science and Engineering (865-9505).

"Homeland: Four Portraits of Native-American Action" (video), 12:15 p.m., 105 Deike Building, Earth and Mineral Sciences Library (863-7073).

"Understanding the Transition From Dilute Partons to Color-Glass Condensate," Jianwei Qiu, Iowa State University, 2:30 p.m., 339 Davey Laboratory, host: Mark Strickman, Department of Physics (865-7533).

"Multivariate Positive Definite Functions on Spheres," Oleg Musin, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia), 3:35 p.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Neuroscience/Neural Engineering 2007: A Possible Mechanism for the Efficacy of Subthalamic-Nucleus Deep-Brain Stimulation," Jonathan Rubin, University of Pittsburgh, 4:00 p.m., 108 Wartik Laboratory, host: Steven Schiff, Department of Neurosurgery + Department of Engineering Sciences and Mechanics + Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences + Eberly College of Science + College of Liberal Arts + College of Health and Human Development + Department of Biology + Department of Chemistry + Department of Physics + Department of Psychology + Department of Biobehavioral Health + Department of Kinesiology + Department of Nutrition (863-4210 or 321-4884).

"Prospects for Charged-Particle Astronomy with the Pierre Auger Cosmic-Ray Observatory," Paul Sommers, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 538 Davey Laboratory, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics (865-0418).

"Quasigeodesic Flows on 3-Manifolds," Danny Calegari, California Institute of Technology, 4:00 p.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

THURSDAY, 1 MARCH

"A New Result on Generators for Finite Fields," Sophie Huczynska, University of St. Andrews (United Kingdom), 11:15 a.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Genome-Wide Transcriptional Dependence on Conserved Regions of the Modifier-of-Transcription 1 (Mot1)," Bryan Venters, Penn State, 11:15 a.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Frank Pugh, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (863-8252).

"Implications of Climate Variability for Groundwater Resources and Waste Disposal in Semiarid Regions: A Look at Ecological Controls from Annual to Millennial Timescales," Bridget Scanlon, University of Texas and Geological Society of America, 4:00 p.m., 22 Deike Building, Department of Geosciences (865-2622).

"Nuclear, Neutrino, and Gravity-Wave Physics Through the Study of Neutron Stars," Madappa Prakash, Ohio University, 4:00 p.m., 117 Osmond Laboratory, host: Mark Strikman, Department of Physics (865-7533).

"Shrinkwrapping and the Classification of Kleinian Groups (joint with D. Gabai)," Danny Calegari, California Institute of Technology, 4:00 p.m., 114 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

FRIDAY, 2 MARCH

"Incremental Pattern Discovery on Stream, Graphs, and Tensors," Jimeng Sun, Carnegie Mellon University, 10:00 a.m., 113 Information Sciences and Technologies Building (Cybertorium), Department of Computer Science and Engineering (865-9505).

"Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Regulation of Transgenics," Sharlene Matten, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 11:00 a.m., 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, Department of Entomology (865-1895).

"Just How Fine is Loop-Quantum Cosmology?" Alejandro Corichi, Universidad Nacional Autonoma (Mexico), 11:00 a.m., 320 Whitmore Laboratory, Institute for Gravitational Physics and Geometry (863-9605 or www.gravity.psu.edu).

"Cardioprotection in the Female Heart: A Role for Estrogen-Receptor Alpha and Protein-Kinace-C Epsilon," Jennifer Novotny, Penn State, 11:15 a.m., 127 Noll Laboratory, Noll Physiological Research Center (865-3453).

"Predicting Phytotoxicity of Bentgrass Putting Greens from Foliar-Fertilizer Applications," Ingrid Hersh, Penn State, 12:20 p.m., 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences (865-6541).

"Noncommutative Harmonic Analysis and the Baum-Connes Conjecture," Robert Yuncken, University of Muenster (Germany), 2:30 p.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

ADDED AFTER EMAIL DISTRIBUTION:
"What the Nose Knows: Patterns of Paranasal Pneumatization in Hominoid Evolution," Steven Ward, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Pharmacy, 3:00 p.m., 107 Carpenter Building, Department of Anthropology (865-2509).

"The Math Life" (video), 3:30 p.m., 211 Davey Laboratory, Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library (865-7617 or www.libraries.psu.edu/pams/filmseries.html).

"Quantitative and Visual-Map Comparisons for Geographic Model Validation," R. Gill Pontious, Clark University, 4:00 p.m., 22 Deike Building, Department of Geography (865-3433).

SATURDAY, 3 MARCH and SUNDAY, 4 MARCH

(none)

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

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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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NOTICE: PRESS RELEASES AVAILABLE
Press releases occasionally are written for some of the lectures sponsored by the Eberly College of Science. If you would like to receive copies of these press releases in the future, send a note to Barbara K. Kennedy at SCIENCE@PSU.EDU. Your e-mail address will be added to a distribution list.

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Penn State is an affirmative action, equal opportunity university. Penn State encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the office in charge of the seminar in advance of your attendance. U.Ed. SCI 07-91

This issue of SCIENCE SEMINARS was produced by Leta A. Krumrine and Kristen Devlin.