Overseas Opportunities
Rodrigo Cantarero, right, speaks with Jamie Baade during the Fall 200
Study Abroad Extravaganza Sept. 26 on the Nebraska Union Plaza. Cantarero
was providing information about the Department of Community and Regional
Planning study abroad trip to Costa Rica, Advanced Field Studies in
Meso-America.
No Scarlet on Oct. 19
There will be no edition of the Scarlet on Oct. 19 due to Fall
Break.
The next edition of the Scarlet will be Oct. 12, followed by an
edition
on Oct. 26.
Focus Groups Scheduled for October
In his State of the University address, Chancellor Harvey Perlman
called
for the development of an action plan for UNL's role in distance
education.
He also directed that this plan should address issues relating to our
ultimate
objectives, resource and administrative structures needed to accomplish
these objectives, and a strategy for competing successfully in the
marketplace.
As part of the process of developing this plan, a series of focus group
discussions will be held during October.
All interested faculty, staff, and students are invited to participate
in these discussions which will be chaired by Jim O'Hanlon, Associate
Vice
Chancellor for Extended Education. The schedule for these focus groups
is:
- Oct. 17, 9:30-10:30 a.m., East Union
- Oct. 26, 4 to 5 p.m., East Union
- Oct. 27, 10 to 11 a.m., Nebraska Union
- Oct. 31, 2 to 3 p.m., Nebraska Union
Send an e-mail to llang1@unl.edu
or call 472-4500 indicating which session you will attend.
Speakers to Address Evolution, Creationism
The stormy relationship between evolution and creationism is being
addressed
by four speakers in a lecture series, "Teaching Evolution: Aspects
of the Controversy."
The second lecture in the series will be "Speculations on the
Origin
of Life: Why Isn't Nature Ambidextrous?" delivered by Timothy J.
Gay,
UNL professor of physics, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 11 in 117 Bessey
Hall.
Just like sea shells and writing desks, many biological molecules,
including
DNA, are right- or left- "handed." But all naturally occurring
DNA twists the same way - right-handed. Gay will address the importance
of "handedness" in nature with a concentration on biological
aspects
of handedness and what modern physics can tell us about the evolution of
early life on earth.
Future lecturers, with topic and location, are: Michael Voorhies,
curator
of vertebrate paleontology in the University of Nebraska State Museum,
"Gaps
in the Fossil Record: Darwinism's Fatal Flaw," Oct. 25, 4:30 p.m.,
117 Bessey Hall; and Raymond B. Hames., UNL professor of anthropology,
"Human
Evolution . . . So Far," Nov. 15, 4:30 p.m., 117 Bessey Hall. The
series
began Sept. 28 with an address by Edward J. Larson, Pulitzer
Prize-winning
author of "Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's
Continuing
Debate over Science and Religion."
The series is sponsored by the Center for Science, Mathematics and
Computer
Education, Center for the Teaching and Study of Applied Ethics, the
College
of Arts and Sciences, the Humanities Center, and the Math/Science
Education
Initiative.
Library Subscribes to SciFinder Scholar
The University Libraries recently added SciFinder Scholar to its
growing
array of electronic databases. This acquisition was supported by the
Libraries
and the office of the vice chancellor for research. SciFinder Scholar,
the
world's leading chemical information resource, retrieves information
contained
in databases produced by Chemical Abstracts Service.
CAS databases cover the full spectrum of chemistryrelated
information.
They contain nearly 16 million documents from more than 8,000 journals
and
150 countries, covering literature from 1967 to the present. Sources of
the documents include journals, patents, books, reviews, meeting
abstracts,
dissertation, conference proceedings, and technical reports.
SciFinder Scholar meets the needs of faculty and students. Users can
explore by research topic, author, or chemical substance. Features
include
substructure searching, full-reaction searching capabilities, including
role labeling and atom mapping; and display of patent family
information.
Orientation sessions have been scheduled for users wanting to learn
how
to take full advantage of SciFinder Scholar. Sessions will be offered
throughout
the day on Oct. 11 and 12 in Hamilton Hall, Love Library, C.Y. Thompson
Library, and the Beadle Center. Contact Agnes Adams at 472-3628 or Elaine
Nowick at 472-4408 for specific locations and times. Additional
information
is available in the reference areas of Love Library, C.Y. Thompson
Library,
and the Chemistry Library.
If you are unable to attend one of the orientation sessions, contact
your liaison librarian for training.
Office Display Contest Deadline is Oct. 25
The University Program Council is coordinating the University Office
Display Contest to promote UNL and Homecoming 2000.
One entry is allowed per office, with the display in a visible place
for maximum viewing by students, faculty and staff. Entry forms must be
submitted by 4 p.m. Oct. 25 to the ASUN office, 136 Nebraska Union, or by
fax to 472-8922.
Entries will be judged on generation of Big Red Spirit (25 points);
creativity
(25 points); incorporation and use of the Homecoming theme - "Follow
the Red Brick Road to Victory" (25 points), and overall appearance
(25 points). Judging will begin at 3 p.m. on Oct. 30. The first place
winner
will be awarded an office coffee break on Nov. 10.
The Homecoming Steering Committee reserves the right to disqualify an
office/department for distasteful displays. All decisions of the judges
and the committee are final.
International Eye Opener Oct. 19
An International Eye Opener breakfast will begin at 7:15 a.m. Oct. 19
in the East Union. George Pfeiffer, agricultural economics, will speak on
the similarities and differences between French and U.S. agriculture with
regard to food safety, regionalism of foods, biotechnology, pricing, and
outmigration from rural areas. Pfeiffer will also talk about similarities
and differences in regard to government involvement in agriculture,
collective
action by farmers, and the direction the respective countries are taking
in farm policy.
To make reservations, call 472-2758.
Vote On Egg Artistry Contest Entries
Fourteen Nebraska artists have submitted entries in the 7th annual egg
artistry contest sponsored by the Poultry and Egg Division of the
Nebraska
Department of Agriculture. The eggs are on display at the Sheldon
Memorial
Art Gallery until Oct. 10 and the public can vote on which egg best
depicts
Nebraska.
The winning egg will be taken by the American Egg Board, along with
other
state submissions, to Washington, D.C., for display at the White House
during
Easter, 2001. A Nebraska artist will have his or her work viewed by the
U.S. president.
For more information about the egg artistry contest, contact Mary
Torell
at the Poultry and Egg Division, 472-0752.
King Delivers Scholarship IN Society Lecture Oct. 12
Annie King, professor and associate dean of undergraduate programs in
the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences at the
University
of California-Davis, will deliver a Scholarship IN Society lecture
beginning
at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 12 in the auditorium of the Nebraska Union. Her lecture
is titled Agriculture is Not Just Dirty Hands
King earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in food science and nutrition from
North
Carolina State University. She directs the Junior Academic Science
Research
Achievement Program, the Collegiate Academic Preparatory Science Research
Achievement Program, and the California Food and Fiber Futures Project at
the UCD. She has held several professional positions with the American
Egg
Board Technical Advisory Committee, the Institute of Food Technologists,
the Pacific Egg and Poultry Association, the Poultry Science Association
and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant
Colleges.
King's primary research interests are in the prevention of lipid
oxidation
and reduction of cholesterol and its oxides in poultry muscle, eggs and
commercial products.
King's presentation is co-sponsored by the Institute for Ethnic
Studies,
African American & African Studies.
The Scholarship IN Society speaker series, sponsored by the Office of
Graduate Studies, is aimed at modeling the myriad of career possibilities
available to students upon receipt of a graduate education. The series
includes
both scholastic and nonacademic careers, to better represent the breadth
of career opportunities available to graduate students.
Nebraska Teacher Corps Forming
The Nebraska Consortium for Service-Learning in Higher Education has
announced the availability of educational awards for Nebraska
teachers.
Through the Corporation for National Service and the Nebraska
Volunteer
Service Commission, 500 awards in the amount of $4,725 will made to
educators
serving rural or Title One schools. These awards will be paid as vouchers
and may be redeemed to pay current or future education costs at colleges
and universities or to pay back qualified student loans.
Selected educators will become members of the Nebraska Teacher Corps
and will incorporate service-learning strategies in their classrooms.
They
will receive training and support for community-based education from the
Nebraska Consortium for Service-Learning.
The deadline for applications for the awards is Oct. 11. More
information
on the awards is contained in the application material which can be
obtained
from school superintendents' offices, from the consortium office, (402)
472-4098, or from the consortium's Web site http://www.unl.edu/ncslhe/.
Determination of award winners will be made Oct. 13.
Fidelity Counselor on Campus Oct. 17 and 18
A Fidelity Counselor will be available for individual consultations
Oct.
17 in the Nebraska Union and Oct. 18 in the East Union. The room will be
posted.
To reserve a space to discuss your current or future investments,
please
call Central Reservation Systems in Boston at 800-642-7131.
For more information call the Campus Benefits Office at 472-2600.
Special Seminar in Environmental Science Oct. 12
Deborah A. Neher will present a lecture at 3 p.m. Oct. 12 in the East
Union. The special seminar in environmental science, "Soil
Nematodes:
Biological Indicators for Environmental Monitoring," is sponsored by
the School of Natural Resource Sciences and the departments of agronomy
and plant pathology
Neher, with the department of earth, ecological and environmental
sciences
at the University of Toledo, is a soil ecologist with 10 years'
experience
employing soil invertebrates as indicators of soil quality for
environmental
monitoring of terrestrial and wetland soils. As a former member of the
Agricultural Lands component of the Environmental Monitoring and
Assessment
Program, she employed nematode indicators in statewide surveys of
agricultural
soil health in Nebraska and North Carolina.
Subsequently, she completed a cross-ecosystem survey of nematode
communities
comparing relatively disturbed and undisturbed agricultural, forest and
wetland ecosystems across three ecoregions of North Carolina. Current
research
endeavors involve steps in calibration and interpretation of nematode
community
indices, in addition to proposing more efficient means of employing
nematode
communities as bioindicators.
Neher currently serves on the Farmlands working group of the H. John
Heinz III Center project, Designing a Report on the State of the Nation's
Ecosystems http://www.us-ecosystems.org/.
For more information, contact Tom Powers at tpowers@unlnotes.unl.edu.<
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Behlen Observatory Open House Oct. 6
Views of planetary nebulae or the globular cluster M15 in Pegasus are
possible Oct. 6 during the fall public night at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln's
Behlen Observatory southeast of Mead. The observatory will be open to the
public from 7 to 10 p.m.
If weather permits it may be possible to look at some objects far
beyond
the solar system through the observatory's 30-inch reflector telescope.
There are two such possibilities in the fall sky and both are planetary
nebulae. The term planetary nebula is a misnomer, said Behlen coordinator
Kevin Lee. They actually have nothing to do with planets but appeared
similar
to planets to early astronomers using primitive telescopes. They are
stars
in the later stages of their lives that have blown a shell of material
off
into space. Some of the objects look like rings, while others are
considerably
more stretched and distorted. The globular cluster M15 in Pegasus may
also
be in view.
A special treat of recent public nights at Behlen Observatory has been
the amateur astronomers from the Lincoln and Omaha astronomy clubs, who
bring their telescopes to share astronomical viewing with the public.
They
will be located outside near the south end of the observatory.
UNL physics and astronomy department speakers are also tentatively
scheduled
to give slide show talks in the north concourse:
- "Seasons and the Path of the Sun," 7:15-7:45. Lee will
discuss
the Earth's obliquity (its orbital tilt) and how this leads to
seasons.
- "The Temperatures of Stars," 8-8:30. Edgar Pearlstein will
explore the nature of temperature and stars' variety of surface
temperatures
and colors.
- "The Vacuum Catastrophe: The Biggest Problem in Science,"
8:45-9:15. Herman Batelaan will discuss how the two new physics theories
that emerged in the 20th century, quantum mechanics and general
relativity,
are providing a major conflict. Quantum mechanics forms the basis of our
understanding of atomic processes, such as the creation of light and the
formation of molecules, and led to the development of practical devices
such as the laser. General relativity forms the basis of our
understanding
of gravitational processes.
Behlen Observatory is located at the University of Nebraska
Agricultural
Research and Development Center a few miles southeast of Mead, and about
35 miles from either Omaha or Lincoln.
Directions to Behlen Observatory: From Lincoln: Take U.S. 77 north to
about one-half mile past Swedeburg and turn east on Nebraska 63. Follow
Highway 63 for about seven miles to 10th Street (same as Nebraska Spur
78F)
where there is a sign to Mead. Turn left and go one mile north to Avenue
H. Turn right on Avenue H and continue east about two miles to Eighth
Street.
Turn left Eighth Street and follow it north about 0.7 miles to the
observatory,
which will be seen to the left.
From Omaha: Take Nebraska 92 west to Mead. At Mead turn south on
Nebraska
Spur 78F and follow it about five miles to Avenue H. Turn left on Avenue
H and continue east about two miles until to Eighth Street. Turn left on
Eighth street and follow it north about 0.7 miles to the observatory,
which
will be seen to the left.
HIV/AIDS Awareness Subject of Oct. 13 Event
"You, Me and HIV in Nebraska: An HIV/AIDS Awareness Event,"
will begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 in the East Union.
Information booths will feature the Sexuality Education eXchange;
Lincoln
Lancaster County Health Department; Tabitha Hospice; Urban Indian Health
Center; Nebraska AIDS Project-Lincoln; PFLAG (Parents, Friends and Family
of Lesbians and Gays), and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender
Resource
Center.
The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served
and entertainment will be provided by Reach Out: An HIV/STD Prevention
Program
using Theatre, Piano and Sax by Alias Jane band members, The Dream
Girls.
For more information, call 472-7447 or e-mail ptetreault1@unl.edu.
Cancer Resource Center Speaker Oct. 12
The UNL Employee Assistance Program in conjunction with the vice
chancellor
for research office is presenting a program on how to help employees and
colleagues who are grappling with a diagnosis of cancer.
The program will run from noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 12 in the Nebraska
Union.
Barb Morton, director of Lincoln's Cancer Resource Center, will present
information about understanding cancer and how to help a friend,
colleague
or family member during this time of crisis.
The Cancer Resource Center, a division of the Lincoln Medical
Education
Foundation, provides counseling, information and research coordination.
Nancy Myers, EAP director, said many people on campus are dealing with
cancer diagnoses and the program aims at helping them and their
colleagues
by letting them know what resources are available.
TIAA-CREF Counselor on Campus Oct. 18 and 19
A TIAA-CREF Counselor will be available for individual consultations
Oct. 18 in the Nebraska Union and Oct. 19 in the East Union. The room
will
be posted.
To reserve a space to discuss your current or future investments,
please
call Liz Pratt in the Denver Office at 800-842-2009.
For more information call the Campus Benefits Office at 472-2600.
Oak Expert Launches Lecture Series Oct. 5
Noted oak authority Guy Sternberg will inaugurate the Roger D.
Uhlinger
Memorial Lectures in Horticulture on Oct. 5 with two lectures. The first,
"The Management of Ancient and Historic Trees" will be from
11:30
a.m. to 1 p.m. in Room 199 of Plant Science Hall.
"In Celebration of Oaks: Around the World and in the
Backyard"
will be at 7 p.m. in the Nebraska Room of the Nebraska Center for
Continuing
Education at 33rd and Holdrege. Both lectures are free and open to the
public.
A registered landscape architect and certified professional arborist,
Sternberg is a founding member and first president of the International
Oak Society, which has members from more than 30 nations on six
continents.
He is author (with Jim Wilson of the Public Television Series Victory
Garden)
and photographer of Landscaping with Native Trees, a reference book for
natural landscape design and management.
The lectures, hosted by the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, will bring
an outstanding speaker to the UNL campus each year to "celebrate
horticulture
as a scientific discipline, profession, art and avocation," said Jim
Locklear, NSA director.
Roger D. Uhlinger was a founder of NSA, and also served UNL as a
teacher,
researcher and administrator in the Department of Horticulture. The
memorial
lecture series is supported by an annual contribution from his
family.
For more information about the lectures contact the NSA office at
472-2971;
write NSA, P.O. Box 830715, Lincoln, NE 68583-0715; or visit the
Arboretum's
web site at http://arboretum.unl.edu.
The NSA is a horticultural organization headquartered at IANR.
Applications Sought for Teach in Europe Leaders
Applications are being sought from UNL faculty members interested in
serving as director of the "Spring Semester in the Czech Republic
and
Greece" Program in 2002. First offered in 1992, this program enables
20 to 25 Nebraska students to study in the Czech Republic and northern
Greece
for 11 weeks every spring.
One or two faculty members from the Nebraska International Consortium
(UNL, UNO, UNK, and Wayne State College) are selected to direct this 12
credit program. Faculty selected will coordinate existing on-site
instruction
and supervise independent study during the semester (from late March to
early June).
The program will be divided between two sites: Olomouc, Czech
Republic,
and Thessaloniki, Greece. Olomouc is a medieval walled city located in
northern
Moravia. The Gothic town hall, Baroque churches, medieval cloisters,
cobbled
narrow streets and alleys give the sense of Olomouc's illustrious
history.
Thessaloniki is situated on the coast of historic Greek Macedonia.
Carefully
preserved public buildings, ruins, churches and houses show a rich
cultural
heritage. The cafes and stores have adapted themselves to the 60,000
students
at Aristotle University.
The director or directors will be provided all expenses for the
semester
(transportation, food, housing and program-related expenses). Departments
will be provided a small stipend to help defray some costs of the release
of the faculty member.
UNL faculty who have taught this program are professors Wesley
Peterson,
agricultural economics (1992); Maureen Honey, English (1994); John
DeFrain,
family and consumer sciences (1996); Alison Stewart, art and art history
(1997); and Jack Siegman, sociology (1998). Please feel free to contact
them for their perspectives on the program.
Faculty interested in applying to direct the program should contact
Peter
Levitov, associate dean of International Affairs, at 472-5358. Letters of
application (endorsed by the department chair/head), including a
statement
explaining how these European venues will be used to enhance learning, a
description of a four-hour independent study course to be offered, a list
of courses taught, curriculum vitae and teaching testimonials, should be
submitted by Oct. 31 to International Affairs, 420 University Terrace
(0682). | 
