PURDUE NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEEK OF FEB. 19-23 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. Plants as plants: Gene could convert crops to plastics factories 2. New Krannert School building wins architectural design award 3. Purdue students to spend break building desks in Costa Rica 4. Gerontology studies grow with aging population (national version) Purdue's gerontology program comes of age (state version) 5. Purdue observes Disabilities Awareness Month 6. Purdue University highlights of 2000 on video 7. Summer internships available with Purdue Extension 8. Black Cultural Center sponsors program on underground railroad 9. Deadline approaching for Span Plan grant applications 10. Indiana popcorn crop falls with prices 11. Horticulture program allows students to study in Europe 12. 'Carnival of the Animals' highlights Partners concerts 13. Guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke to perform at Loeb Playhouse 14. Purdue police arrest student for thefts from residence halls 15. Purdue calendar 16. Best Bets for Journalists 17. Gerontology Experts 18. National Lifestyles, Education & Careers Package 19. Inside Purdue and Perspective ------------------------------------- RESEARCH NEWS AND SPECIAL REPORTS ------------------------------------- 1. PLANTS AS PLANTS: GENE COULD CONVERT CROPS TO PLASTICS FACTORIES Scientists have found a gene that allows plants to package and store materials in their cells - a discovery that may open the door to producing new types of plastics from plant materials. Clint Chapple, professor of biochemistry at Purdue, and Knut Meyer of DuPont and Co., have cloned a gene from a laboratory plant that will allow materials to produce plastics in crops without damaging the plant's health. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/0103.Chappel.plastics.html ------------------------ GENERAL INTEREST NEWS ------------------------ 2. NEW KRANNERT SCHOOL BUILDING WINS ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AWARD Jerry S. Rawls Hall, the future addition to Purdue's Krannert School of Management, has received an architectural design citation. Architectural Portfolio cited the building's ''center space [that] will be inspiring and at the heart of the school. This design uses massive natural lighting and great open space.'' Rawls Hall, a technologically state-of-the-art $37 million building, is the centerpiece in the Krannert School's $55 million ''Krannert at the Frontier'' campaign.http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Rawls.award.html 3. PURDUE STUDENTS TO SPEND BREAK BUILDING DESKS IN COSTA RICA Three Purdue students heading south this spring break will not be looking for fun in the sun. Their mission will be to help build 50 sets of desks and chairs for two school classrooms in Costa Rica. The project stems from Eva Haviarova's doctoral thesis in which she came up with a plan to create sturdy classroom furniture for developing countries using some of the cheapest materials available. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Gazo.costarica.html 4. GERONTOLOGY STUDIES GROW WITH AGING POPULATION As America grows older, universities across the country are responding by creating programs to study the aging process. ''More than 1,000 gerontology programs now exist, and about 200 of them offer graduate-level studies,'' said Kenneth Ferraro, director of Purdue's interdisciplinary gerontology program. (National story version)http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/0103.Nat.Ferraro.gerontol.html PURDUE'S GERONTOLOGY PROGRAM COMES OF AGE Old age isn't what it used to be, and research into the aging process promises to make growing older even better. ''We're not only trying to ease the pains associated with old age, we're working to improve the quality of life in the later years,'' said Kenneth Ferraro, director of Purdue's interdisciplinary gerontology program. (State story version) http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Ferraro.state.html 5. PURDUE OBSERVES DISABILITIES AWARENESS MONTH University President Martin C. Jischke will kick off Disabilities Awareness Month activities with remarks at ''Disability Diversity: Past, Present and Future.'' ''In conjunction with the Indiana Governors Planning Council for People with Disabilities, Purdue will highlight the many supportive and innovative services we provide throughout the year for individuals with disabilities,'' said Charlotte F. Westerhaus, director of the Affirmative Action Office. ''Purdue University is committed to providing equal opportunities to all employees and students as we strive to remove barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential.'' http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Kerr.disabilities.html 6. PURDUE UNIVERSITY HIGHLIGHTS OF 2000 ON VIDEO The 46th edition of the Purdue Newsreel is now available for viewing from the Instructional Media Center in the Purdue Undergraduate Library or for purchase from the Alumni Association. The 23-minute program highlights Purdue events from 2000 and is shown to alumni clubs around the world. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Reel.00.html 7. SUMMER INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE WITH PURDUE EXTENSION College students preparing to enter their senior year or enrolled in graduate programs are eligible to apply for 12 summer internships at Purdue Cooperative Extension Offices around Indiana. The interns will serve as Extension assistant educators and will work closely with Extension staff and community leaders to carry out Extension programming. The students also will help recruit, train and work with volunteers. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Branson.intern.html 8. BLACK CULTURAL CENTER SPONSORS PROGRAM ON UNDERGROUND RAILROAD The Black Cultural Center will present ''History of the Underground Railroad in the Midwest'' at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, in Stewart Center, Room 206. The program will chronicle blacks' escape from slavery and the underground railroad system in the Midwest. Topics to be covered include how the system operated and affected the state of Indiana and secret codes used by passengers and agents. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Omolodun.railroad.html 9. DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR SPAN PLAN GRANT APPLICATIONS The deadline for completing and turning in Span Plan grant applications for Purdue's summer 2001 semester is March 30. Span Plan grants are available each semester for part-time adult learners. The grants pay the fees for a three-credit-hour course for those selected. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Cornell.grants.html -------------------- AGRICULTURAL NEWS -------------------- 10. INDIANA POPCORN CROP FALLS WITH PRICES Indiana's popcorn crop lost some of its ''pop'' last year as oversupply led to reduced contract prices offered to growers for their 2000 acreage. The lower prices resulted in a nearly 27 percent drop in harvested acres from the previous year, as some farmers abandoned popcorn to plant more lucrative crops. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Gann.popcorn.html 11. HORTICULTURE PROGRAM ALLOWS STUDENTS TO STUDY IN EUROPE Purdue students can begin applying this summer for a chance to study horticulture in Europe beginning in 2002. The exchange program will offer horticultural classes in Greece, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. Horticulture departments at Purdue, Alabama A&M and Oklahoma State universities are forming a consortium with the Technological Educational Institute of Crete in Greece, Hogeschool Delft in the Netherlands, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Denmark and the University of Hanover in Germany. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Hammer.hortecus.html ------------------------------- ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ITEMS ------------------------------- 12. 'CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS' HIGHLIGHTS PARTNERS CONCERTS Camp invades classical when the Purdue Symphony Orchestra and guest pianists Greg Kostraba and Marc Loudon present Saint-Saens' ''Carnival of the Animals'' on Sunday, March 4, at the Purdue Memorial Union. The two free concerts are part of a music-filled Partners in Music Education day. The afternoon event focusing on symphonic band music and the evening concert centered around orchestral works will put the spotlight on performing groups from Purdue University Bands and North Central High School from Indianapolis. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Bands.animals.html 13. GUITAR VIRTUOSO LEO KOTTKE TO PERFORM AT LOEB PLAYHOUSE Innovative guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3, in Loeb Playhouse. Well known among aficionados of fine guitar playing, Kottke is a self-taught guitarist that has made his mark both on stage and in his compositions. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Sommers.Kottke.html ---------------------- MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS ---------------------- 14. PURDUE POLICE ARREST STUDENT FOR THEFTS FROM RESIDENCE HALLS Purdue police on Thursday (2/22) arrested a student on charges of stealing cash, personal property and credit cards valued at more than $800 from unlocked rooms in Meredith and Earhart residence halls. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010222.Fosnaugh.theft.html 15. PURDUE CALENDAR http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Calendar.html 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/ 16. BEST BETS FOR JOURNALISTS -- Area students compete in Science Olympiad -- Entrepreneurs rev up business plans -- Ag students heading to Costa Rica -- Alum brings Silicon Valley vision to Purdue http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010223.Best.bets.html 17. GERONTOLOGY EXPERTS http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/expertlists/Gerontology.experts.html 18. NATIONAL LIFESTYLES, EDUCATION & CAREERS PACKAGE These stories were distributed nationally and internationally this week to about1,200 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/lifestyles.digest.0103.html 1. Apples and insects form core of Purdue's spring events 2. Gerontology studies grow with aging population 3. Holocaust survivors tell oral histories in 'Bitter Prerequisites' 4. Gender stereotypes encompass change 5. Innovation 101 puts engineering and business on the same team 6. Gerontology Experts 19. 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/. NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: The Purdue News Service also distributes full-text of news releases to the media. To subscribe to full-text deliveries, just respond to this e-mail and let us know which of these topics interests you: -- Business -- Agriculture -- Lifestyles -- Education -- Science -- Health -- Indiana General Assembly -- Veterinary Medicine 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]
