Paul A. Johnsgard, Foundation Professor of Biological Sciences, has published his 35th book, the second edition of "Hummingbirds of North America."
Published by Smithsonian Institution Press, the book is the first to cover all of the 47 species of hummingbird occurring in North America south to southern Mexico. It includes 24 color plates, with 16 by Lincoln artist James McClelland, plus eight new plates, including four by Mark Marcuson, also of Lincoln, and four by Sophie Webb, a California artist.
Three other books by Johnsgard are in production with Oxford University Press, the University of Oklahoma Press and the University of Texas Press. Two others are being prepared for anticipated publication with the University of Nebraska Press and Smithsonian Institution Press.
Pill-Soon Song, Dow Chemical Professor of Chemistry, received the European Society of Photobiology medal for 1997 at the society's biannual congress Sept. 11 at Stresa, Italy.
The medal, given every two years, recognizes Song's seminal research contributions toward understanding the molecular basis of the structure and function of photochrome, a molecular light switch in higher plants. The substance plays a significant role in initiating floral and developmental processes.
Song's contributions to the science of photobiology includes his role as editor-in-chief of the American Society for Photobiology's monthly journal, Photochemistry and Photobiology. He served as editor for nearly 20 years before he resigned in 1994. In 1996, he was elected to a four-year term as president of the International Union of Photobiology.
Ram Narayanan, associate professor of electrical engineering, has been appointed to a National Research Council committee to help coordinate national and international activities relating to the allocation and assignment of radio frequencies.
Narayanan will serve until June 2000 on the committee on radio frequencies, which assists U.S. research efforts by coordinating radio frequency allocations and assignments for research everywhere from outer space to the ocean floor. He also will advise and assist national agencies such as the Department of State in representing U.S. interests at international conferences dealing with the use of radio frequency spectra. It also carries out studies on the use of the spectrum.
Narayanan is an expert on remote sensing, one of the technologies that relies heavily on radio signals. His research covers the microwave, millimeter-wave, near-infrared and mid-infrared spectra. It has been applied in state-of-the-art technology ranging from the discovery of buried land mines to soil and crop monitoring from satellite imagery.
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