PURDUE NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEEK OF SEPT. 11-15 This digest contains summaries of the following stories from Purdue News Service and Agricultural Communication Service. All these stories, and more, are available on the World Wide Web at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html3month/3month.html (Instructions for retrieving stories and photographs via the Internet are at the end of this document.) 1. Plant's PICKLE gene may hold clue to cancer 2. Purdue receives grant to encourage interest in math and science 3. Jischke appoints panel to look for new provost 4. President Jischke salutes Purdue staff and faculty donors 5. Amelia Earhart Scholarship revival benefits Purdue students 6. 'Hidden hunger' threatens many crops, researcher says 7. Hog feed additive creates leaner pork 8. If you feed hogs Paylean, feed more lysine, scientists say 9. Purdue Extension presentations turn deer harvest into feast 10. Conference on alternative septic systems to be held in Kokomo 11. Purdue Notebook 12. BCC presents play that explores intra-racial issues 13. Purdue Theatre's Mainstage season opens with a love story 14. Toni Morrison to lecture at Purdue 15. Purdue Theatre helps high-school students get into the act 16. Wind Quintet with Jon Nakamatsu to perform at Purdue 17. National equality leader to speak at Purdue 18. October workshop highlights Purdue's IT resources 19. Purdue halts work on water tower until next summer 20. Purdue police investigate report of sexual assault 21. Police arrest student for marijuana possession 22. Purdue calendar 23. Best Bets for Journalists 24. National Agriculture Package 25. Inside Purdue and Perspective ------------------------------------- RESEARCH NEWS AND SPECIAL REPORTS ------------------------------------- 1. PLANT'S PICKLE GENE MAY HOLD CLUE TO CANCER Purdue University biochemist Joe Ogas set out to determine why pickle-shaped swellings developed on some laboratory plant roots. Instead, he stumbled upon a biochemical on/off switch that could help researchers better understand cancer and, at the same time, develop new oil crops. Because the basic biochemistry behind cell development is similar in both plants and animals, Ogas' ''PICKLE gene'' may help human health researchers understand and fight cancer, a disease in which cellular developmental controls go awry. Ogas's work was published in a November 1999 article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ------------------------ GENERAL INTEREST NEWS ------------------------ 2. PURDUE RECEIVES GRANT TO ENCOURAGE INTEREST IN MATH AND SCIENCE A grant from the Lucent Technologies Foundation K-16 Grants Program will help the Purdue School of Education give educators the right tools to teach math and science to middle-school students. The $438,000 grant will fund ''Case Studies for Kids,'' enabling the university to develop a downloadable digital library of problem-solving activities for middle-school students. These activities are very similar to the real-life situations used in future-oriented graduate programs at Purdue fields ranging from aeronautical engineering and business management to agricultural sciences. The grant was one of 11 awarded by Lucent from 66 proposals this year. The gifts total more than $3.6 million. 3. JISCHKE APPOINTS PANEL TO LOOK FOR NEW PROVOST Purdue President Martin C. Jischke Monday (9/11) told the University Senate that he has appointed a committee to search for a new provost. The provost will succeed Robert L. Ringel, executive vice president for academic affairs since 1991, who announced last semester his wish to return to full-time faculty status by the end of the year. ''The position of provost is absolutely critical to the university, and I consider this appointment among the first priorities of my administration,'' Jischke said. 4. PRESIDENT JISCHKE SALUTES PURDUE STAFF AND FACULTY DONORS Purdue President Martin C. Jischke on Friday (9/15) will recognize the more than 541 Purdue faculty and staff who are major donors to the university. ''These are people whose support is truly a testament to their belief in this university,'' Jischke said. ''They are working at Purdue every day. They understand our dreams and our challenges, and they are setting an example for the entire Purdue family.'' The faculty and staff donors, who are among the more than 7,500 major donor households that make up the Purdue President's Council, will be honored at a noon lunch in the Purdue Memorial Union Ballrooms. 5. AMELIA EARHART SCHOLARSHIP REVIVAL BENEFITS PURDUE STUDENTS The goals and dreams that Amelia Earhart had as a young aviator live on through the generosity and dedication of Purdue students and donors. The stalwart aviator would be proud to meet the two Purdue undergraduate women who received the 1999 and 2000 Amelia Earhart Scholarship awards and the accomplished women who made the monetary gifts possible, said Carolyn Gery, director of Purdue's President's Council. Michelle Ludwig of Germantown, Tenn., is a May Purdue honors graduate who has been deaf since age 2. Elisha Priebe, a Purdue senior from Crawfordsville, Ind., with a 4.0 grade-point-average, is majoring in agricultural education. These women are the first two recipients of the award since its revival by a 1967 honoree of the scholarship. -------------------- AGRICULTURAL NEWS -------------------- 6. 'HIDDEN HUNGER' THREATENS MANY CROPS, RESEARCHER SAYS Acres of crops fail to reach yield potential every year in Indiana, and a Purdue plant pathologist says the reason often can be traced to the same source that robs humans of optimal performance: a poor diet. Pathologist Don Huber says crops usually get enough phosphorus, potassium and other common minerals to grow, but often can't draw sufficient micronutrients from the soil to fend off diseases. Such nutrients include the metals manganese, copper, zinc, iron and boron. Symptoms aren't always apparent. Scientists call the phenomenon ''hidden hunger.'' 7. HOG FEED ADDITIVE CREATES LEANER PORK At the state fairs this year, visitors were able to see hunkier hogs, thanks to a new pharmaceutical feed additive being fed to pigs. Paylean, a feed additive first sold to farmers this summer, can increase lean muscle gain in hogs by as much as 34 percent by reducing the amount of extra fat that surrounds the pork. Paylean is the trade name for ractopamine hydrochloride, a pharmaceutical product that causes the hog's metabolism to shift nutrients from fat to muscle growth. It is manufactured by Elanco, a division of Eli Lilly Co. of Indianapolis. 8. IF YOU FEED HOGS PAYLEAN, FEED MORE LYSINE, SCIENTISTS SAY Hog farmers using Paylean may see little benefit if they do not use the product properly, according to research trials conducted at Purdue. ''Our research project demonstrated very clearly that you should not feed today's hogs the minimal percentage of crude protein that the Paylean label indicates,'' says Brian Richert, assistant professor of animal science. ''Biologically the product still works the same, and the response to Paylean is still consistent, but the proportions of protein needed have changed since the original research was done.'' 9. PURDUE EXTENSION PRESENTATIONS TURN DEER HARVEST INTO FEAST Every year Hoosiers harvest nearly 100,000 deer - but less than a third of those end up on the dinner table. That fact so frustrates Chef Hubert Schmieder that he's canvassing the state to teach people how to properly butcher and cook venison. ''We need to cherish a harvest of that magnitude,'' says Schmieder, Purdue chef emeritus. Schmieder, working with animal scientist Dick Adams, will offer the first Venison Workshop on Sept. 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Southeast Purdue Agricultural Center just outside of Butlerville. Workshops will be offered around the state this fall. 10. CONFERENCE ON ALTERNATIVE SEPTIC SYSTEMS TO BE HELD IN KOKOMO A conference for wastewater professionals and homeowners on non-traditional septic systems will be held at the Kokomo Convention Center, Oct. 26 and 27. The event is sponsored in part by Purdue and the Indiana Onsite Wastewater Professionals Association (IOWPA). IOWPA's first septic technology conference, titled ''Technology for Today's Septic Systems: A Public Forum,'' will expose attendees to emerging technologies in the septic industry. The conference should be a ''good investment for homeowners, community leaders or people planning to implement a septic system,'' said Don Jones, Purdue Extension agricultural engineer. --------------------------- NEWS ABOUT PURDUE PEOPLE --------------------------- 11. PURDUE NOTEBOOK - Gerald J. Lynch, associate professor of economics, has been named associate dean for programs and student services for the Krannert School of Management. - Dennis Engi, a Purdue alumnus and chief scientist at Sandia National Laboratories, has been named head of Purdue's School of Industrial Engineering, effective Sept. 11. - The Harold L. Michael Traffic Operations Laboratory will be dedicated during a brief ceremony at 11:45 a.m. on Sept. 26 in Room 1113 of the Civil Engineering Building. ------------------------------- ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ITEMS ------------------------------- 12. BCC PRESENTS PLAY THAT EXPLORES INTRA-RACIAL ISSUES Soul-searching in the snow-blown Appalachian Mountains is the theme of the play ''Chocolate on the Outside,'' to be presented Tuesday (9/19) in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. The 7 p.m. comedic performance with an underlying message on intra-racial issues is part of the Black Cultural Center's Cultural Arts Series. Admission is free. ''This is a provocative play, which balances salty comedy and inflammatory conflict with deeply personal and moving insights,'' said Renee Thomas, BCC director. ''It's a funny, fast-paced play that also acts as an excellent tool for stimulating discussions on race relations and the African-American experience.'' 13. PURDUE THEATRE'S MAINSTAGE SEASON OPENS WITH A LOVE STORY Purdue Theatre kicks off its 2000-01 Mainstage season this month with William Inge's classic, comic love story ''Bus Stop.'' In the middle of a howling snowstorm, a nightclub singer, a belligerent cowboy, the proprietor of a roadside diner, a bus driver, a middle-aged scholar and a young girl come together. ''Bus Stop'' plays in the Experimental Theatre, Stewart Center, Sept. 21 through Oct. 1. Tickets cost $11 and $13 for the general public. Student and senior citizen tickets cost $7 and $9. A sneak preview will be presented Wednesday (9/20). All tickets for that show are $4.50. 14. TONI MORRISON TO LECTURE AT PURDUE Purdue University Libraries will celebrate its 125th anniversary by welcoming a Nobel Prize-winning novelist to the West Lafayette campus on Sept. 28. Toni Morrison, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993, will lecture and answer questions from the audience beginning at 7 p.m. in the Elliott Hall of Music. ''An Evening With Toni Morrison'' is open to the public, with free general admission seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. 15. PURDUE THEATRE HELPS HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS GET INTO THE ACT High School Workshop Day on Sept. 30 will provide Indiana high-school students with the opportunity to work with seasoned theater professionals from Purdue's theatre division. The free workshop runs from 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Stewart Center on the West Lafayette campus. Workshop space is limited and reservations are due by Sept. 25. Purdue faculty members will present workshops for students in a variety of areas including acting, production design and technology, and stage management. 16. WIND QUINTET WITH JON NAKAMATSU TO PERFORM AT PURDUE Traveling across the globe with noted pianist Jon Nakamatsu, the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet will perform at Purdue on Oct. 11. The concert at 7:30 p.m. in Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center, is part of the Loeb Music Collection presented by Purdue Convocations. Tickets cost $21 for the public and $15 for Purdue students. Comprised of clarinet, flute, oboe, bassoon and horn, the Wind Quintet was formed in 1988 as a subset of the renowned Berlin Philharmonic. The ensemble is the first permanently established wind quintet in the history of the Berlin Philharmonic, which has a long tradition of classical chamber music. ---------------------- MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS ---------------------- 17. NATIONAL EQUALITY LEADER TO SPEAK AT PURDUE The U.S. Department of Defense's chief equal opportunity officer will give two presentations at Purdue, Sept. 28 and 29. William E. Leftwich III, deputy assistant secretary of defense for equal opportunity, will talk about ''Equity Leadership: Challenges and Opportunities'' at 2 p.m. Sept. 28 in Room 320, Stewart Center. The Thursday event is sponsored by the Diversity Resource Office. Leftwich also will speak at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 29 in the Krannert Auditorium on ''Diversity, Equal Opportunity, Race Relations: Department of Defense Connecting with the President's Initiative on Race.'' The Friday event is part of the Krannert Executive Forum series sponsored by the Krannert School of Management. 18. OCTOBER WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHTS PURDUE'S IT RESOURCES A presentation on information security and a panel of industry IT experts will be featured at Purdue's Information Technology Workshop on Oct. 4. The day-long workshop at Fowler Hall, Stewart Center, is free and open to anyone interested in learning more about information technology and the IT resources available at Purdue. High-school computer science instructors also are encouraged to attend. Registration by the Sept. 28 deadline will help in planning facilities for the meeting. To register, call Kathy Hyman, senior conference coordinator, at (765) 494-2758 or (800) 359-2968 ext. 92H, or by e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED] 19. PURDUE HALTS WORK ON WATER TOWER UNTIL NEXT SUMMER Purdue has suspended work on repainting the university's water tower until next spring in response to concerns about perceived health hazards and property damage. Small metal filings stripped from the water tower in Tower Acres managed to get beyond a cover draping the tower and fell onto cars parked in the area. Parents, meeting at Delta Delta Delta sorority house this weekend, also expressed concerns that the fallout might present a health hazard. Joseph L. Woody Jr., construction superintendent for Purdue Facilities Planning, said, ''The university has monitored work on the tower since it began this summer, and our environmental management specialists tell us that there is not a health hazard. We want to be responsive, however, to the concerns of the students and parents, so we decided to stop work during this school year and start work again next summer.'' 20. PURDUE POLICE INVESTIGATE REPORT OF SEXUAL ASSAULT Purdue police are investigating a report of a sexual battery that occurred about 11 p.m. Sunday evening (9/10) in a university residence hall. A female student told police she was detained and sexually assaulted by a 17-year-old male student, who was an acquaintance, said Ron Fosnaugh, captain of special services for the Purdue University Police Department. 21. POLICE ARREST STUDENT FOR MARIJUANA POSSESSION The Tippecanoe County Drug Task Force and Purdue University police arrested a student living in Cary Quadrangle on drug-related charges Wednesday (9/13) evening. Police arrested Cory D. Armand at about 10 p.m. on charges of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a common nuisance. Armand, 18, Merrillville, is a sophomore in the School of Technology. 22. Purdue calendar This calendar lists entertainment events, lectures and meetings involving Purdue people during the next month. An online calendar of Purdue events is at http://www.purdue.edu/calendar/ 23. BEST BETS FOR JOURNALISTS -- Researcher sees benefits of Pork Checkoff -- Sculpture to be unveiled at Purdue's vet school ''Best Bets'' also has details about a Sept. 19 play sponsored by the Black Cultural Center, and the Sept. 26 dedication of the new Harold L. Michael Traffic Operations Laboratory. 24. NATIONAL AGRICULTURE PACKAGE These stories were distributed nationally and internationally this week to about 1,100 writers, reporters, editors and other interested parties. A Web site with links to all the stories and photos in this package is at this URL: http://news.uns.purdue.edu/paks/agpak.digest.0009.html 1. Are genetically engineered foods natural? A bioethicist responds 2. Hog feed additive creates leaner pork (Photo available) 3. If you feed hogs Paylean, feed more lysine, scientists say 4. Plant's PICKLE gene may hold clue to cancer (Photo available) 5. Farm supports should be revised, not abandoned, expert says 6. Purdue dean: Research is critical for everyone 7. Biotech issues experts 25. INSIDE PURDUE AND PERSPECTIVE Check the online versions of Inside Purdue, the faculty/staff newspaper, and Perspective, a quarterly publication for alumni, parents of students, faculty and staff, for other news about Purdue, at http://www.purdue.edu/PER/Periodicals.html. HOW TO RETRIEVE STORIES AND PHOTOGRAPHS ELECTRONICALLY Releases, publication-quality photographs, and a searchable database of Purdue and Big 10 experts are available at the PurdueNews Web site at http://news.uns.purdue.edu. Faculty and staff may register as experts at the Web site. Publication-quality photos also are available at the PurdueNews ftp site at ftp://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/. Purdue News Service also produces e-mail digests of stories on five topics: agriculture; business, finance and technology; lifestyles, education and careers; science, engineering and health; and weekly Purdue News (that's this digest). To subscribe (or unsubscribe) to this service: -- Address your request to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Use a mail form with no text or graphics -- Leave the subject line blank. In the body, indicate which digest(s) you want: subscribe agnews subscribe biznews subscribe lifenews subscribe scinews subscribe pu-news (Purdue subscribers) subscribe puweek (non-Purdue subscribers) To unsubscribe, just substitute ''unsubscribe'' for ''subscribe.'' Problems? Contact Mike Willis, Purdue News Service, (765) 494-0371, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Jeanne Norberg, director Purdue University News Service 1132 Engineering Admin. Bldg. West Lafayette, IN 47907-1132 Phone: 765-494-2096 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
