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

3 to 9 April 2006

MONDAY, 3 APRIL

(title to be announced), Tong Li, University of Iowa, 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).

"Biochemical Study of the Role of the S-Locus-F-Box Protein in S-RNase-Mediated Self-Incompatibility," Zhihua Hua, Penn State, 12:20 p.m., 106 Wartik Laboratory, host: Teh-Hui Kao, Intercollege Graduate Program in Plant Physiology (863-3892).

"Phenological Responses to Climate Change Across Spatial and Organizational Scales," Eric Post, Penn State, 1:25 p.m., 100 Life Sciences Building (Berg Auditorium), Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology (865-5557).

"Synthetic Analogs of Non-Heme Iron Enzymes," Zach Biddle, Penn State, 1:30 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: Blake Peterson, Department of Chemistry (865-2969).

"Nucleoside-Prodrug Strategy: Chemistry and Biology," Robert Feltz, Penn State, 2:30 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: Blake Peterson, Department of Chemistry (865-2969).

"Probabilities in the Landscape," Alex Vilenkin, Tufts University, 3:00 p.m., 318 Osmond Laboratory, Institute for Gravitational Physics and Geometry (863-9605 or www.gravity.psu.edu).

"Ab-Initio Molecular Dynamics," Jorge Sofo, Penn State, 3:35 p.m., 158 Willard Building, Institute for Computational Science (865-1172 or www.ics.psu.edu/springsem.html).

"A Thermodynamic Formalism for Noncontinuous Potentials," Anna Mummert, Penn State, 3:35 p.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Evaluation of Abies and Tsuga Tree Species for Use in Pennsylvania Landscapes," Benjamin Hoover, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 108 Tyson Building, Department of Horticulture (865-2571).

"Structure and Function of Mammalian Mitochondrial Ribosomes," Rajendra Agrawal, New York State Department of Health, 4:00 p.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Emine Koc, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (865-3072).

"DNA: A Science, a Tool, a New Life," Debbie Smith, H-E-A-R-T (Hope Exists After Rape Trauma) Inc., 6:00 p.m., 107 Hetzel Union Building (HUB Auditorium), Forensic Science Major and Center for Women Students (863-6758).

"How Infectious is HIV/AIDS?" (Marker lecture #1 of 4), James Yorke, University of Maryland, 8:00 p.m., 114 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

TUESDAY, 4 APRIL

"Effect of Polymorphisms in Cytochrome P450s on Pharmocokinetics (PK) in the Sprague-Dawley Rat," Edward Carlini, Merck Research Laboratories, 11:15 a.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Greg Keil, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (865-3072).

"Synaptogenesis and Plasticity of Newborn Neurons in the Adult Brain," Hongjun Song, Johns Hopkins University, 2:45 p.m. (refreshments at 2:30 p.m.), 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Gong Chen, Department of Biology (865-2488).

"Mystery of the Two-Dimensional Metallic Ground State," Jongsoo Yoon, University of Virginia, 3:30 p.m., 339 Davey Laboratory, host: Moses Chan, Department of Physics (863-2622).

"Climate Change During the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum: A View From the Arctic," Mark Pagani, Yale University, 4:00 p.m., 22 Deike Building, Department of Geosciences (865-2622).

"Vectorial Protein Folding During Nascent-Chain Synthesis and/or Secretion," Patricia Clark, University of Notre Dame, 4:00 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: Erin Sheets, Department of Chemistry (863-0044).

"Describing the Exponential Growth of the HIV Epidemic" (Marker lecture #2 of 4), James Yorke, University of Maryland, 4:30 p.m., 114 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

WEDNESDAY, 5 APRIL

"Communicating Plants: Ecological Consequences of Induced Responses to Herbivory," Andre Kessler, Cornell University, 11:00 a.m., 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, Center of Excellence in Chemical Ecology and Department of Entomology (863-0844 or 865-1895).

"Future Fuel? On the Road to a Hydrogen Economy," Bruce Logan, 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).

"Weathering, Mass Wasting, and Erosion" (video), 12:15 p.m., 105 Deike Building, Earth and Mineral Sciences Library (863-7073).

"Heavy-Ion Physics at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)," Gerd Kunde, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2:30 p.m., 339 Davey Laboratory, host: Mark Strikman, Department of Physics (865-7382).

"Light-Driven Nanomotors and Nanoswitches," Yogesh Singh, Penn State, 2:30 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: Anne Andrews, Department of Chemistry (865-2970).

"Between Measure-Preserving and Amenable Actions: The Dynamics of Non-Amenable Groups," Amos Nevo, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Israel) and Institute for Advanced Study, 3:35 p.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Probing the Nature of Dark Matter via Gravitational Lensing," Priyamvada Natarajan, Yale University, 4:00 p.m., 538 Davey Laboratory, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics (865-0418).

"Evolution: Each Individual is an Experiment, a Chronicle of Random Mutations in Our DNA," (Marker lecture #3 of 4), James Yorke, University of Maryland, 4:30 p.m., 114 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

THURSDAY, 6 APRIL

"Enhancing Protein Secretion: The Old, the New, and the Unexpected," Kelvin Lee, Cornell University, 10:00 a.m., 111 Wartik Laboratory, host: Costas Maranas, Department of Chemical Engineering (863-9958).

"Hilbert's Tenth Problem for Function Fields Over P-Adic Fields," Kirsten Eisentraeger, University of Michigan, 11:15 a.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Ligand Activation of the Peroxisome-Proliferator-Activated Receptor Beta/Delta
(PPARb/d) Inhibits Colon Carcinogenesis," Holly Marin, Penn State, 11:15 a.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Jeffrey Peters, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (865-3072).

"New Ways of Thinking about Polymers and Protein," David Tirrell, California Institute of Technology, 11:15 a.m., 26 Hosler Building, Department of Materials Science and Engineering (865-4992).

"Co-opting Nature's Machineries for Chemical Synthesis and Discovery," Virginia Cornish, Columbia University, 12:30 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: Blake Peterson, Department of Chemistry (865-2969).

"Ergodic Theory and Lattice Points," Amos Nevo, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Israel) and Institute for Advanced Study, 3:30 p.m., 114 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Characterization of Cost Structures, Perceived Value, and Optimization Issues in Small-Domain Estimation," John Eltinge, U.S. Department of Labor, 4:00 p.m., 201 Thomas Building, Department of Statistics (865-1348).

"Laser-Cooled Atomic Clocks," Kurt Gibble, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 119 Osmond Laboratory, host: Milton Cole, Department of Physics (863-0165).

"The Effects of Local and Regional Circulations on Air Pollutants in the Mid-Atlantic Region," Richard D. Clark, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, 4:00 p.m., 112 Walker Building, Department of Meteorology (863-8566).

"The Challenge to Better Determine the DNA of the Varieties of Species" (Marker lecture #4 of 4), James Yorke, University of Maryland, 4:30 p.m., 114 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

FRIDAY, 7 APRIL

"Flake-Filled Barrier Membranes," Edward Cussler, University of Minnesota, 10:00 a.m., 108 Wartik Laboratory, host: Andrew Zydney, Department of Chemical Engineering (865-2574).

"Insect Herbivores and Terrestrial-Ecosystem Processes: Do the Little Things Really Run the World?" Chris Frost, Penn State, 11:00 a.m., 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, Department of Entomology (865-1895).

"Research-in-Progress Presentations," Lindsay Baker and Kelly Dougherty, Penn State, 11:15 a.m., 127 Noll Lab, Noll Physiological Research Center (865-3453).

"Chop Height, Plant Population, and Hybrid Effects on Corn-Forage Yield, Quality, and Economic Returns," Jonathan Campbell, Penn State, 12:20 p.m., 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences (863-1601).

"The Hen as a Model for Human Ovarian Cancer," Pat Johnson, Cornell University, 12:20 p.m., 324 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, host: Robert G. Elkin, Department of Poultry Science (865-3411 or rge3@psu.edu).

"Applications of Terahertz (THz) Spectroscopy" by Patrick Roach and "Prospects of an Ethanol Economy" by Patrick O'Connor, Penn State, 2:30 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, hosts: Will Castleman and James Anderson, Department of Chemistry (865-7242 and 865-3933).

"From Here to Infinity: How Will the Universe Die?" (video), 3:30 p.m., 211 Davey Laboratory, Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library (865-7617 or www.libraries.psu.edu/pams/filmseries.html).

(title to be announced), Benedetto Piccoli, Italian National Research Center (Italy), 3:30 p.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

(title to be announced), Mulugeta Dugda, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 202 Research West Building, Department of Geosciences (865-7965).

"Women in Service: The Political Economy of Relief in Gujarat, India," Anu Sabhlok, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 22 Deike Building, Department of Geography (865-3433).

SATURDAY, 8 APRIL and SUNDAY, 26 MARCH

(none)

 

**********

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

**********

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.

Reporters for Science Seminars and the areas they cover are as follows: [agriculture: Kay Moore] [agronomy: Madeline Laubach] [anthropology: Alan Walker] [astronomy and astrophysics: SherryDawn Jackson and Christine Selders] [biochemistry and molecular biology: Tamara Housel] [biology: Paula Farwell and Stephanie Gookin] [gravitational physics and geometry: Randi Neshteruk] [ceramic science and engineering: April Benson] [chemical engineering: Sandra Brown and Kathy Peters] [chemistry: Clare Eckley] [computer science and engineering: Beth Kennedy and Karen Alise Corl] [earth and mineral sciences: Debra Lambert] [energy: Kelly Jo Rhoades] [entomology: Thelma Brodzina] [life sciences: Janice Kennedy] [mathematics: Flossie Dunlop] [nutrition: Judy Jones] [physics: Cheryl Wagner] [physiology: Jenny Edwards] [plant physiology: Janice Kennedy] [poultry science: Linda Houtz] [Vice President for Research: Emily Rowlands] [science, technology, and society: Karen Snare] [statistics: Bonnie Cain] [veterinary science: Loretta Muchinsky].

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.

This publication is available in alternative media on request.

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 06-111

This issue of SCIENCE SEMINARS was produced by Barbara K. Kennedy and Kristen Devlin.