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December 4, 1998
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Dec. 7 Lecture Celebrates Schultz ProfessorshipBy Kevin Dugan, Arts & Sciences Geologist David Loope, who will formally receive a new honorary professorship Dec. 7, will speak at the award ceremony regarding developments of his theory into the sudden change of unique landscapes such as the Nebraska Sandhills. Loope will be honored with the first C. Bertrand and Marian Othmer Schultz Professor of Stratigraphy at 3:30 p.m. in 117 Bessey Hall. His presentation is titled, "Lethal Sandslides from Cretaceous Dunes: The Entombment of Mongolia's Ancient Fauna." The Schultz chair was endowed by contributions from alumni. It carries a $5,000 annual stipend plus $1,000 per year for research expenses, and Loope said that will help defer research expenses, such as for travel and specimen preparation, for him and his students. David Harwood, associate professor of geosciences, nominated Loope for the professorship, saying Loope is an ideal candidate because his work continues research established by Schultz in the Sandhills and linked to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Schultz was a geologist and paleontologist most widely known for helping excavate prehistoric bones in western Nebraska during the 1920s and 1930s. He was director of the University of Nebraska State Museum, 1941-73, and was instrumental in combining the paleontological collections of several departments into the research collection now housed in Nebraska Hall. Marian Othmer Schulz, an anthropology major, married Schultz in 1931 and became an integral part of her husband's career over six decades. She has been described as his most valued collaborator and credited with making his career remarkable. Loope receives their endowed chair as a sedimentologist whose research interests include stratigraphy, the science of stratified rocks including their age, distribution and mode of origin. His work also extends to researching the geologic record of climate change, which was a focus of Schultz. Two summers ago in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, Loope was researching an excavation site when he struck upon a new theory applicable to the Sandhills, a region geologically similar to the Gobi. Loope's theory described the sudden encasement of a dinosaur nest by a slurry of sand sheered from the surface of a large, water-saturated dune. The discovery led to renewed interest in the Sandhills, where sandslide deposits called alluvial fans characterize the landscape. Loope said such deposits within the dunes of Nebraska may provide more insight into the history of climate change on the Great Plains during the last 10,000 years. "They are a tremendous record of climate change on the Great Plains," Loope said of the Sandhills, Nebraska's most unique and fragile region. NU Agronomy Highlights Dec. 15 in LincolnBy Kelly Scott, IANR news assistant "New Ways of Doing Business" is the theme for this year's University of Nebraska Agronomy Highlights conference at the Cornhusker hotel Dec. 15. Speakers and poster sessions will focus on new approaches and ideas to use in the face of a rapidly changing agricultural industry, said Alex Martin, NU agronomist and conference coordinator. Morning speakers will discuss the climate and landforms of Nebraska, the health of Nebraska soils, NU's new interdisciplinary grazing livestock systems major and distance education programs in agronomy. Discussion topics for sessions beginning late morning and running into early afternoon include the employability of agronomy graduates, reducing costs in crop production and livestock manure. Afternoon speakers will discuss developing and marketing soybean varieties with special traits, sustainable agriculture, grazing maize and the economic and environmental feasibilities of 300 bushel per acre corn crops. Conference topics are designed for agricultural producers, crop consultants, agronomists, agency personnel and product suppliers. The conference, sponsored by the Department of Agronomy in NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, begins at 8:15 a.m. and concludes with discussion at 2:40 p.m. There is no charge for the conference and lunch is provided, however, reservations are required and must be made by Dec. 8. To register call JoAnn Collins at (402)472-2811. Museum Participates in Star Station One PartnershipThe University of Nebraska State Museum and Ralph Mueller Planetarium have been named as the sole Nebraska partner for the Star Station One project. There is a new star on the horizon representing unprecedented peacetime international cooperation. The International Space Station is the largest and most complex peacetime project ever embarked upon in the history of the human race. And the "Star Station One" program is designed to connect the space station and all its exciting activities and results with the public it is intended to serve. Star Station One is an informal public education program focused on the space station created and managed by Bishop Museum of Honolulu, Space Center Houston and Boeing. Activities will include ISS models, live demonstrations, supporting educational materials and workshops and training. The State Museum, through its NASA Educator Resource Center and the Ralph Mueller Planetarium, is one of 61 museums, science centers and planetaria across the country who are partners in this multi-year program. As part of the Star Station One program, the State Museum will receive a 1/144th -scale (2-ft.) high-fidelity display model of the International Space Station and a 1/50th-scale (7-feet) hands-on "build-as-you-go" model to demonstrate how the space station is actually being built in orbit. Descriptive and interpretive educational materials, including teachers' guides, will focus on the assembly sequence as well as the scientific and research aspects of the Station. Release of the materials will be synchronized with the station's actual construction and research schedule. As the International Space Station grows, so will knowledge of the Earth and the Universe. And Star Station One will grow as well at the University of Nebraska State Museum. In honor of Star Station One, Mueller Planetarium will host a film festival on Dec. 12 with free space movies and laser shows (for which there is a charge) on the dome. For more information contact Jack Dunn, 472-2641. Spring Aerobics and Power Pacing (Indoor Cycling) Classes AnnouncedThe schedule of Aerobics and Power Pacing classes for spring semester is now available at either Campus Recreation office, 55 Campus Recreation Center, or 32 East Campus Activities Building. Classes are scheduled for both campuses. In addition, a schedule of drop-in classes on Saturday mornings is available. Drop-in classes require no advance registration, cost $1 or are free to FitCard holders, and are held at 10 a.m. in the Fitness/Aerobics Room of the Campus Recreation Center. The first drop-in class is scheduled for Jan. 23. A new addition to the drop-in classes is Indoor Cycling or Power Pacing. The first Indoor Cycling drop-in class is scheduled for Jan. 30 in the Power Pacing Room of the Campus Recreation Center. For more information, contact Campus Recreation at 472-3467. Honoraria and Expenses For Foreign Academic VisitorsPeter Levitov, associate dean of International Affairs notes that effective Oct. 21 foreign visitors with certain visa classifications now may receive honoraria and/or associated incidental expenses such as reimbursement for travel, lodging and meals or a reasonable per diem allowance. A new federal law authorizes these payments to holders of the B-1, B-2, WB and WT classifictions, effectively, business visitors and tourists. The honorarium may be paid for "usual academic activity" lasting not more than nine days at a single institution. Visitors so authorized may not accept honoraria from more than five institutions or organziations within a six month period. This information is a change from information published in the 1997 Scarlet, Levitov says. Give the Gift of Massage from CRECConsider giving the gift of massage to that person who has everything, is difficult to please, or just because it feels good. Campus Recreation's Massage Therapy Program offers massage gift certificates. The costs are: Members: 15 minutes, $10; 30 minutes, $20; 45 minutes, $25; 60 minutes, $35. Nonmembers: 15 minutes, $15; 30 minutes, $30; 45 minutes, $35; 60 minutes, $45. For more information, contact Campus Recreation at 472-3467. Chancellors Award for Exemplary Service to Students Nominations SoughtNominations are due Jan. 15, 1999 for the Chancellor's Award for Exemplary Service to Students. The award was established in 1986 to acknowledge extraordinary and sustained performance by individuals serving the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's students. All University of Nebraska-Lincoln employees are eligible for nomination. Nominations may be made by a student, faculty member, staff member or administrator. Nomination forms may be picked up at 200 NU, 300 ECU, ASUN and 106 Canfield Administration Building. Completed nominations should be sent to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, 106 Canfield Administration. For more information, contact Barbara Wright-Chollet at 472-3755. Student Foundation/Builders Award for Outstanding Academic Advising Nominations SoughtNominations are due Jan. 29, 1999 for the Student Foundation/Builders Award for Outstanding Academic Advising. The award was established in 1987 to acknowledge faculty or advising staff who have demonstrated outstanding advising activity, and who, by their service to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, have made a considerable contribution to the educational enrichment of university students. The award is funded by the UNL Student Foundation and the All University Fund. All faculty or staff members are eligible for this award, and nominations may be made by any student, faculty member, staff member or administrator. Nomination forms may be picked up at 200 NU or 300 ECU, ASUN, or 106 Canfield Administration Building, and must be returned to 200 NU or 300 ECU. For information, contact Connie Pejsar at 472-2151 or Adam Eakes at 436-7790. Food Science and Technology Food for SaleThe Department of Food Science and Technology has limited amounts of cheese, sausage and honey for sale to the public. The cheese and sausage products are made in connection with teaching and research programs conducted in the Food Processing Center Dairy Plant and the Department of Animal Science, Loeffel Meat Lab. Nebraska Honey is provided by the Bruner Entomology Club, the Department of Entomology, Extension and Nebraska Apiarists. These products are available in attractive gift boxes with a variety of selections. They can be purchased for pickup or for mailout. To place an order stop by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Dairy Store or call the Giftbox Hotline at 472-2951. Free Skate Night Dec. 6Campus Recreation is hosting a free skate night from 9:40 to 11 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Ice Box. All current University of Nebraska-Lincoln students and employees who are Campus Recreation members can skate for free. Guests can skate for $5. A limited number of skates are available for rent on site. Campus Recreation also rents skates from the Outdoor Adventure Rental Equipment service in the Campus Recreation Center (Sunday hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Be sure to bring your NU I.D. The next free skate night is Jan. 17. Please note that the free skate nights scheduled for Jan. 31 and Feb. 14 have been canceled. For more information contact Campus Recreation at 472-3467. NU Looking For Track and Field OfficialsThe University of Nebraska-Lincoln's track and field team is supported by an all-volunteer officials' association. They help officiate at all Husker home competitions and have been called the "midwest's finest officials' group." They are looking for more members. If you are interested in track, would like to see some of the nation's best competitors and think you would enjoy being part of the association, contact Mark Kostek at 472-7038. Knowledge of the sport is helpful but not necessary. An orientation and training process will be held. Dec. 7 Workshop Examines Y2K ChallengeJoin U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley and John Koskinen, chair of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion, for a special teleconference on how schools and colleges across the country are meeting the Y2K computer challenge. The teleconference runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 7 at both the Nebraska and East Unions. A live webcast is also available courtesy of NASA's Learning Technologies Channel at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/ltc/s tm/. More than ever before, we rely on computer technology to handle and organize all aspects of our operations, from student record keeping and financial management to telephone and security systems. But, while computers improve efficiency and productivity, such systems are vulnerable to serious and even disastrous problems from the "Millennium Bug." Topics covered will include: Steps for schools and college to take to address the Y2K challenges and develop an action plan; Lessons learned from school and college officials already working on their systems; Resources available to overcome the Millennium Bug; The U.S. Department of Education's Y2K progress with its own systems that affect schools and colleges & upcoming opportunities to conduct tests with ED systems. Vacin Reception Dec. 16A retirement reception for Gary Vacin will occur from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Dec. 16 in the East Union. Vacin is professor emeritus in the department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication and has served the academic community for more than 30 years. Contact June Crockett, 472-2808, for more information. Emeriti Association Meeting Dec. 17The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Emeriti Association will meet at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 17 in the Great Plains Room, East Union. Speaking will be attorneys John and Janice Gradwohl on the subject of "Women's Issues in Chinese Education." Members may go through the cafeteria line prior to the start of the meeting and take their trays to the meeting room. This will be the last meeting of the year. Members are encouraged to attend. Human Rights Day Events Dec. 5Human Rights Day will be celebrated with a series of events starting at 9 a.m. Dec. 5 in the East Union. Keynote speaker will be Lennox Hinds, Nelson Mandela's U.S. attorney, speaking at 1:30 p.m. Other events include workshops from 10:30 a.m. to noon and 2:30 to 4 p.m. The workshop topics will include women's and children's rights; political prisoners; racism; gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights; and human rights education. The events are free and open to the public. For more information call Nebraska Advocacy Services at 474-3183. The celebration is sponsored by Community Peacemakers, United Nations Association, Amnesty International-Lincoln chapters, Nebraskans for Peace-Lincoln chapter and many other human rights organizations in Lincoln. Technology Roundtable Forms Working GroupAt its Nov. 23 meeting, David Brinkerhoff presented the Teaching, Learning & Technology Roundtable with an opportunity for collaboration with his Classroom Advisory Committee, on a project to envision the classroom(s) of the future. As a result of that meeting, the TLTR is forming a new Working Group to contribute to this visioning effort. There is interest and need to consider the basic ingredients of any general purpose classroom, as well as special purpose classrooms, in the 21st century. What are the technologies and applications for which these rooms need to be equiped? What are the varieties of classroom size and configuration that will need to be represented, the types of connectivity that will be required, and the percentage of each that will be needed to accommodate instruction in the next decade? These are some of the questions members of this working group will be asked to address. There is immediate interest in designing and developing a pilot classroom in which to allow faculty to experiment with elements of the ideal classroom of the future. The TLTR is recruiting faculty and information support providers who are interested in considering these issues, and participating in a collaborative visioning project with the Classroom Advisory Committee. If you are interested in being a part of this planning effort, please contact Gail Latta, Chair of the TLTR, at glatta@unl.edu, or 472-2521. An initial information meeting will be set up in the next few weeks with the Classroom Advisory Committee, to orient this group to its charge. You do not have to be a member of the TLTR to volunteer for this Working Group. Job List Requisition Deadline Dec. 21The Human Resources requisition deadline for position vacancies to be posted Jan. 4 through Jan. 8 is 5 p.m. Dec. 21. Send your requisitions to Human Resources, 407 Admin, 0438. For more information, call 472-2120. Faculty/Staff Intramural Basketball Entries AcceptedFaculty/Staff Intramural Sports Basketball entries will be accepted from Dec. 2 to Jan. 19. Play will begin Jan. 25. The cost to enter a team is $40 ($30 entry/award fee plus a $10 refundable forfeit fee). For more information contact Campus Recreation at 472-3467. Engineering Design Student Poster Exhibition Dec. 9Students from three engineering classes will exhibit posters about their work from 3-5 p.m. Dec. 9 in the Great Plains Ballroom in the East Union. Students are from Biosystems Engineering 480 (capstone class), Agricultural Engineering 424 and Biosystems/Ag Engineering 218. Students ranging in rank from sophomores to seniors will show off semester projects. Glenn Hoffman, head of biological systems engineering, said the students in the capstone class work with actual clients on real-life problems that require an engineering solution. For example, last year students created a biodegradable drip oil for pivot irrigation pumps. This soybean lubricant was developed for the Bruning Grain Co. Students in this year's course have developed a material that saturates corncobs so they can be used as "firestarters" for fireplaces and grills. Other projects include a method to clean groundwater contaminated with carbon tetrachloride and a weighing mechanism for a front-end loader that allows a user to know the weight of large bales of hay, thus allowing better estimation of yield. The poster exhibition is free and open to the public. Children's Book Lists Available from HRHuman Resources has available children's multi-cultural reading lists, some of which are oriented to holidays. If you are interested in providing a multi-cultural reading experience for a child, these lists may be helpful in selecting high quality books. To receive the lists, call Human Resources, 472-3101, or email Faye Moulton at fmoulton1@unl.edu. Holiday Closure Date ClarifiedThe dates of the university's holiday closedown were incorrectly listed in the Nov. 20 Scarlet due to incorrect information from a source. Employees return to work Jan. 4, thus the closedown runs Dec. 24 to Jan. 3. Holiday Mail DeliveryCollection and Delivery, Mail & Distribution Services will be following a holiday schedule beginning on Dec. 28. Closed Dec. 24 and 25. Mail will be delivered Dec. 29, 30 and 31 between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. at the following City and East Campus locations: Nebraska Hall Mailroom, 201 Andrews, Administration Building Mailroom, Love Library (west dock), Nebraska Union Mailroom, C.B.A. Mailroom, Univ. Press, Hamilton Hall Mailroom, Manter Hall Mailbox, Oldfather Departmental Offices, 217 Avery, 118 Henzlik, Health Center, Beadle Center, 1100 Seaton, Westbrook, Behlen Lab Mailbox, 1700 Y, 115 Ferguson, Burnett, 202 Ag Hall, Plant Science, Forestry Science Lab, Vet Diagnostic, Law College, 101 Dental College, 135 Varner, Agricultural Communications Bldg, 105 Home Economics, 254 Chase Hall, Animal Science and Filley Hall (Food Industries). Faculty and staff in buildings with no mail service can pick up mail at 1820 R St., West Dock, between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. on the dates listed. A university I.D. card must be presented. Off-campus mail, excluding single-piece mail, will be processed during the holiday closedown by prior arrangement only. Normal schedule will resume Jan. 4. Any questions concerning this schedule, call Connie Rohloff at 472-2533 or Dick Schenaman 450-6198, by Dec. 17. Admin Systems Project Shows ProgressThe Administrative Systems Project staff is moving ahead with the initial July 1, 1999 implementation of the new business systems software - Systems, Applications, Products in Data Processing (SAP). The Lincoln Transition Team has reached an important step in the deployment of SAP on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, and has distributed a survey to each center/department/unit. The results of the survey will assist the team in a successful implementation. This will include many aspects of training - on the SAP system, changes in organizational processes and procedures and developing reports. Survey results received by the team will be included in reports that will be shared with the deans, directors, department heads and chairs in December. If you are involved to any degree in any business processes (e.g., HR/payroll, purchasing, budgeting, accounting, grants & contracts), you should have received a copy of the survey from the business manager of your center/department/unit. If you did not receive a copy of the 11-question survey, contact your Business Manager or Christine Steggs at 472-8120 or csteggs1@unl.edu. |
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