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

4 to 10 December 2006

MONDAY, 4 DECEMBER

"Proteomic Study of Arabidopsis Guard Cells," Zhixin Zhao, Penn State, 12:10 p.m., 108 Wartik Laboratory, hosts: Daniel Cosgrove and Sarah Assmann, Intercollege Graduate Program in Plant Biology (863-3892).

"Making the Most of a Bad Situation: Male-Biased Sex-Ratio Distortion in a Vertically Infected Host," Sandra Lass, Penn State, 1:25 p.m., 118 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building (865-5557).

"Microwave-Initiated Polymerization," Mark Hindenlang, Penn State, 2:30 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: Harry Allcock, Department of Chemistry (865-3527).

"Integrative Management of Cucurbits Diseases," Ermita Hernandez-Heredia, Penn State, 3:30 p.m., 112 Buckhout Laboratory, Department of Plant Pathology (865-3761).

"The Image Processing is a Cool Application," Jesse Barlow, Penn State, 3:30 p.m., 216 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Keeping Time with MicroRNAs in C. elegans," Ann E. Rougvie, University of Minnesota, 4:00 p.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Wendy Hanna-Rose, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (865-7904).

"The Effect of Dietary Intake and the Time Spent Watching TV on the Body-Weight Status of Medically Under-Served Children Between the Ages of Two and Eleven Years Old," Sibylle Kranz, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., S-205 Henderson Building, Graduate Program in Nutrition (865-3448).

TUESDAY, 5 DECEMBER

"Role of Chromatin Structure in Promoter-Proximal Pausing," Bhavana Achary, Penn State, 11:15 a.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: David Gilmour, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (863-8905).

"Commerce and Sociability in Small-Town America: Insights from Historical Geographic Information Systems" (Mitchell lecture), Deryck Holdsworth, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 10 Deike Building, Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering (865-3437).

"Epigenetic Targeting of TGF-Tumor-Suppressor Activity," Michael Brattain, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, 4:00 p.m., Lecture Room D at College of Medicine (with videoconferencing to 100 Life Sciences Building -- Berg Auditorium), Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences (865-1626).

"Patterning of Cerebellar Folia, Parasagittal Compartments, and Circuits by Sonic Hedgehog and the Engrailed Genes," Alexandra Joyner, New York University, 4:00 p.m. (refreshments at 3:45 p.m.), 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Aimin Liu, Department of Biology (865-7043).

(title to be announced), Alan Walker, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 22 Deike Building, Department of Geosciences (865-2622).

WEDNESDAY, 6 DECEMBER

"Sea-Level, Meltwater Pulses, the Overturning Circulation, and Climate" (videoconference), Eelco Rohling, University of Southampton and Natural Environment Research Council (United Kingdom), 12:00 noon, 240 Deike Building, Office of the Dean of the Graduate School and Worldwide Universities Network (863-1274).

"Hunt for the Supertwister" (video), 12:15 p.m., 105 Deike Building, Earth and Mineral Sciences Library (863-7073).

"Glycopolymers for Cellular Drug Delivery and Imaging," Theresa Reineke, University of Cincinnati, 2:30 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: Chris Keating, Department of Chemistry (863-7832).

"Teaching Science and Religion: Advice from Students in Science, Technology, and Society (STS)/Philosophy 435," panel discussion, 3:00 p.m., 301 Steidle Building, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences + Rock Ethics Institute + Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence + Science, Technology, and Society Program (863-2599).

(title to be announced), Peter Balint, Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Hungary), 3:35 p.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Chemoprevention with Selenium: If So, How?" Alan Diamond, University of Illinois, 4:00 p.m., 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, host: Sandeep Prabhu (863-8976 or email: ksp4@psu.edu).

"Observing Habitable Worlds Near and Far," Margaret Turnbull, Space Telescope Science Institute, 4:00 p.m., 538 Davey Laboratory, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics (865-0418).

"Total Rigidity of Polynomial Foliations," Yulij Ilyashenko, Cornell University + Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia) + Independent University of Moscow (Russia), 4:40 p.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

THURSDAY, 7 DECEMBER

"Geometric Structure in the Representation Theory of Reductive P-adic Groups," Paul Baum, Penn State, 11:15 a.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Human-Respiratory-Syncytial-Virus (RSV) Nonstructural Proteins NS1 and NS2 Antagonize Interferon Response Through the RIG-I-Gene-Mediated Pathway," Zhenhua Ling, Penn State, 11:15 a.m., 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Michael Teng, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (865-4347).

"The Mesozoic Climate History: What Can Be Learned from Coupled Geochemical-Climate Modelling?" Yves Godderis, Laboratoire des Mécanismes et Transferts en Géologie (France), 12:00 noon, 541 Deike Building, Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (863-7091).

"On the Air with Joseph Priestley," Roy Olofson: Penn State + James J. Bohning: Lehigh University + Robert Minard: Penn State + Ronald Blatchley: Visiting Scientist, 12:25 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: Roy Olofson, Department of Chemistry (865-7761).

"Archean Greenhouse Gas: Carbon Dioxide (CO2) or Methane (CH4)?" Jacob Haqq-Mistra and Efem Altinok, Penn State, 2:00 p.m., 240 Deike Building, Penn State Astrobiology Research Center (865-4074).

"Computational Symmetry," Yanxi Liu, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 114 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Linking Animals and Ecosystem Function: Behavioral Traits, Selective Harvesting, and Introduced Species," Brad Taylor (faculty candidate), Dartmouth College, 4:00 p.m. (refreshments at 3:45 p.m.), 101 Althouse Laboratory, host: Kat Shea, Department of Biology (865-7910).

UPDATED AFTER EMAIL DISTRIBUTION:
"Neuroscience 2006: Traces of Memory in Drosophila," Ron Davis, Baylor College of Medicine, 4:00 p.m., 108 Wartik Laboratory, host: Kyung-An Han, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences (863-2753).

FRIDAY, 8 DECEMBER

"Towards an Ashtekar Formalism in Eight and Twelve Dimensions and Beyond," Antonio Nieto, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa (Mexico), 9:45 a.m., 320 Whitmore Laboratory, Institute for Gravitational Physics and Geometry (863-9605 or www.gravity.psu.edu).

"Frobenius-Schur Indicators and Exponents," Richard Ng, Iowa State University, 10:00 a.m., (location to be announced), Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

(title to be announced), Derek Schreihofer, Medical College of Georgia, 11:15 a.m., 127 Noll Laboratory, Noll Physiological Research Center (865-3453).

"Evaluating Baseball-Field Playing Quality," James Brosnan, Penn State, 12:20 p.m., 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences (863-1601).

"Structure Determination of Nanocrystals, Fibrils, and Membrane Proteins by Magic-Angle-Spinning Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)," Chad M. Rienstra, University of Illinois, 2:30 p.m., 102 Chemistry Building, host: Karl Mueller, Department of Chemistry (863-8674).

"Support of the Plancherel Measure: Part Two," Nigel Higson, Penn State, 2:30 p.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Project Poltergeist: The Mystery of Neutrinos" (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), Gareth McKinley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 3:35 p.m., 106 McAllister Building, Department of Mathematics (865-7527).

"Dirty Crystal Balls: Sources of Uncertainty Underlying Projections of Climate-Change Effects on Human-Dominated Systems," Bill Easterling, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 112 Walker Building, Department of Geography (865-3433).

"The Use of Conjugated Polyamidoamine Dendrimers as Anti-Cancer Agents," Caleb Strepka, Penn State, 4:00 p.m., 301-A Chemistry Building, host: Karl Mueller, Department of Chemistry (863-8674).

SATURDAY, 9 DECEMBER

"Watching Scientists Watching Nature" (Johnson lecture), Dennis Overbye, New York Times, 11:00 a.m., 101 Thomas Building, Eberly College of Science (863-0901, email: science@psu.edu, or www.science.psu.edu/alert/Johnson2006.htm).

SUNDAY, 10 DECEMBER

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