Purdue News Roundup
Purdue News Roundup
WBAA general manager Dan Skinner said the station has been through tremendous change in its first 75 years, and he expects more of the same.
One constant since 1922 is that the station has provided Greater Lafayette with an alternative to commercial media. Skinner said WBAA's prime-time hours are spent providing content rather than advertising. "There's nothing wrong with commercial radio; it's just different," he said. "We're able to spend time providing a service without a lot of interruptions."
WBAA combines news and information with jazz, folklore and storytelling, and cultural segments. "For instance, Garrison Keillor brings the day-to-day American experience to life in his radio show. He's one of a few who practices the art of storytelling," Skinner said.
"It may seem to be just entertainment on the surface, but when you look deeper you see we're preserving some of America's vocal heritage."
In its 75th year, WBAA is taking on an aggressive campaign to bring some National Public Radio programming back to Tippecanoe County. WBAA dropped NPR in the fall of 1992 when programming costs escalated.
Skinner said he hopes to bring "Morning Edition" and "Weekend Edition" back to the dial. So far, through a combination of on-air, direct mail and corporate fund-raising efforts, $130,000 has been raised; $50,000 more is needed.
"We want our listeners to know that we've been listening to them," Skinner said. "They've told us NPR is a priority, and we've been working behind the scenes to make it happen." Skinner said fund-raising efforts will continue in the hopes of adding more NPR programs in the future.
The station's official anniversary date will pass without much fanfare, but Skinner said a fall open house is planned so listeners can see the station and meet the staff of both WBAA AM and FM. The FM signal was launched in 1993, focusing mainly on fine arts programming.
Some other milestones in WBAA's 75 years include:
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Dame Marie Clay will be available for interviews with journalists from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Friday, April 11, in the Reading Recovery Teacher Training Classroom in the Liberal Arts and Education Building. Journalists should report to Room 3202; from there they will be directed to the classroom.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Dame Marie Clay, the New Zealand educator who developed the Reading Recovery early intervention literacy program, will be on Purdue's West Lafayette campus April 11-15.
Clay will lead two workshops and an implementation institute during her visit. Purdue University's School of Education is the headquarters for Reading Recovery in Indiana, and it is one of 19 teacher leader training sites in the United States.
"There is not another educator who has directly affected the lives of so many children and teachers throughout the world with her powerful teachings," said Maribeth Schmitt, director of Reading Recovery at Purdue. "We are very fortunate to have her in Indiana for an extended visit."
Reading Recovery targets first-grade students who are having difficulty developing literacy skills. The program pairs children with a specially trained teacher for daily 30-minute tutoring sessions. This intervention generally lasts for 12 to 16 weeks, and it allows the majority of students to accelerate their progress, catch up with their peers and continue to learn on their own without further remediation.
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed included Reading Recovery as the early intervention component of her "Reading and Literacy Initiative for a Better Indiana," now being considered by the Indiana Senate. The House-approved budget includes $8 million for the program over the next two years.
Reading Recovery was adopted as a national program in New Zealand before being brought to the United States in 1984. It has since been implemented in 49 states and the District of Columbia. In 1993, Purdue began training teacher leaders, who return to their school districts to train Reading Recovery teachers.
Clay will join Purdue clinical teacher leader Tammy Yountz and Schmitt to conduct a professional development workshop for teacher leaders from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Virginia and Wisconsin on Friday, April 11, in the Liberal Arts and Education Building. On Saturday, April 12, Clay will be the keynote speaker at a teacher workshop for 350 Indiana Reading Recovery teachers at Harrison High School in rural West Lafayette. Her visit continues on Monday and Tuesday (4/14 and 4/15) with an implementation institute in the Purdue Memorial Union. Representatives of the State Department of Education will participate, along with administrators for Indiana's Reading Recovery teacher training sites.
CONTACT: Schmitt, (765) 494-5683;e-mail, mschmitt@vm.cc.purdue.edu
Each half-hour program includes a campus news update, feature segments and a studio interview.
The program is seen weekdays in Greater Lafayette and on the West Lafayette campus on The Purdue Channel (Cox Communications Channel 5; University Residences Television Antenna System Channel 15; and Purdue Cable Network Channel 4). Telecast times are noon Monday and Friday and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
The April schedule in Greater Lafayette:
March 31-April 4 -- Exciting plans for a new Purdue Black Cultural Center; a look at university and agribusiness links via the Center for Agricultural Business; ornamental grasses at the root of a popular landscaping trend.
April 7-11 -- The rewards of stellar teaching; bacteria as an ally in toxic-waste cleanup; original art finds a home in an unlikely setting with the Art in the Classroom project.
Weekly broadcasts on WFYI-TV 20, Indianapolis, are seen at 11:30 a.m. Sundays. The remaining Indianapolis broadcast schedule:
April 6 -- Work on nuclear reactor safety; the skinny on fats, low-fat foods and fat substitutes; the "All-American" Marching Band celebrates the diamond anniversary of its giant drum.
April 13 -- A look at Purdue's technology needs and the impact on an increasingly high-tech Indiana; an introduction to the new Undergraduate Studies Program; the fun and learning of the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest.
April 20 -- A new Purdue initiative helps young dads learn to be better parents; efforts to teach ethics in the college classroom; the Womb Room Project.
April 27 -- Exciting plans for a new Purdue Black Cultural Center; a look at university and agribusiness links via the Center for Agricultural Business; ornamental grasses at the root of a popular landscaping trend.
May 4 -- The rewards of stellar teaching; bacteria as an ally in toxic-waste clean-up; original art finds a home in an unlikely setting with the Art in the Classroom project.
"Purdue: A Closer Look" is jointly produced by the Center for Instructional Services and the Office of University Relations. Program hosts are Beth Forbes, news coordinator at Purdue News Service, and Greg Zawisza, director of special projects at University Relations.
In addition to the Greater Lafayette telecasts and Indianapolis broadcasts, the program also is seen on the following cable outlets around the state (check local listings):
Organic synthesis is the process of creating natural resources from chemical compounds, thus limiting depletion of natural resources.
The lectures are free and open to the public; however, a reservation must be made for a luncheon scheduled for 11:50 a.m. in the North Ballroom. Tickets are $10.
In conjunction with the lecture series, a symposium featuring 16 researchers will take place Friday, April 4, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in Room 302, Stewart Center, in celebration of Brown's 50-year career with the university. The symposium is free and open to the public.
The lecture series was established in 1984 to honor Purdue University Nobel Laureate Herbert C. Brown and to provide an ongoing forum for Purdue faculty and students interested in current topics in organic chemistry. Organic chemistry is a branch of chemistry that focuses on carbon-containing compounds and mixtures.
Brown is internationally recognized for his contributions to the field of synthetic organic chemistry. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1979 for his work in hydroboration and organoboranes.
As an emeritus faculty member at Purdue, Brown continues research, maintains an office and supports a staff at the university.
The schedule for the day is:
9 a.m. Welcome
9:10 a.m. D.L. Boger, Scripps Institute
10 a.m. Coffee and poster session of related research
11 a.m. L.E. Overman, University of California, Irvine
11:50 a.m. Lunch in the North Ballroom, Memorial Union
1:30 p.m. Presentations of research awards
2:10 p.m. P.A. Wender, Stanford University
3 p.m. H. Yamamoto, Nagoya University, Japan
3:50 p.m. Closing remarks
The event will be from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, at the Propylaeum, 1410 N. Delaware St. in Indianapolis.
Richard Mattes, Purdue associate professor of foods and nutrition and food science, will talk about why people still face weight problems despite plenty of low-fat food options. He will also lead a panel discussion on other diet concerns. Panelists will be Lori Morton Witte of the Food and Nutrition Department of Marian College and Bonnie Terrill Ross, radiation oncology dietitian at Methodist Hospital.
The "Boiler Mixer" also will include an afternoon high tea, a specialty of the Propylaeum, featuring five different finger sandwiches, mini quiche, mini pastries, tea and coffee.
The cost is $15 per person. Reservations should be made by calling (800) 535-7303 or (765) 494-7890. In Indianapolis, you may call "Boiler Mixers" chair person Deanna Greve at (317) 630-9250.
The Indianapolis committee members for the event are Lorene Burkhart, Jennie Cassidy, Peter George, Libby Jones, Debbie Pownall, Ann McNamar, Mike Semler and Jamie Street.
CONTACT: Cheryl Altinkemer, director of development and alumni relations, School of Consumer and Family Sciences, (765) 494-7890.
The conference is called "Nutrition and Cancer: Medical Nutrition Therapy and Cancer Prevention." It is designed to provide dietitians, nurses, pharmacists, physicians, educators and others who work with oncology patients with results of current research in cancer prevention and treatment.
The faculty for the conference includes Abby Bloch, coordinator of clinical research in gastroenterology-nutrition service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
The registration fee for the conference is $75, $35 for students with ID. The cost includes lunch and all conference materials. In addition, the conference has been awarded six continuing education units by The American Dietetic Association.
For a brochure and registration information, contact John Wellman, conference coordinator, at (800) 359-2968 or (765) 494-0567.
The first day will cover an overview of the Internet and the World Wide Web. The second day will focus on building effective Web sites.
The cost for the telecourse is $275 for both days and $175 for one day. Registration is due by April 18. For more information and to register, call Marsha Nance at (765) 494-7018 or e-mail nance@ecn.purdue.edu
-- Carol J. Stickel has accepted an appointment as director of the Division of Recreational Sports. Stickel, who has worked with Purdue's recreational sports since 1971, has been acting director since July 1996. In addition to her work at Purdue, Stickel is Region III coordinator for the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association Soccer Sport Clubs Championship and is president and state director of the Indiana Intramural Recreational Sports Association.
-- Bret Besecker has accepted the position of development services associate for prospect management with the University Development Office. Besecker joined the university development staff as a graduate intern in January 1995 while completing a master's degree in higher education administration. In May 1995, he was hired as a full-time development staff assistant. In his new position, Besecker will work with the university fund-raising staff to create technical and business processes to support the prospect management program.
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-- Ticket prices for the Literary Awards Banquet on Wednesday, April 9, are $11 for students and $17 for faculty, an increase from previously announced prices. Speaker for the event is Russell Banks, award-winning author of 11 novels and collections of stories. Banks was incorrectly described as a native-American writer in an earlier release. The banquet starts at 7 p.m. in the East and West Faculty Lounge in the Purdue Memorial Union. Tickets may be purchased in the English Department main office, Room 324, Heavilon Hall.
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-- W. Dale Compton, the Lillian M. Gilbreth Distinguished Professor of Industrial Engineering, has been appointed chairman of the National Research Council's Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems. He will serve from July 1 until June 30, 2000.
-- James D. Lehman, professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, is the winner of the School of Education's Outstanding Teacher Award for 1996-97. Lehman also serves as co-director of the Technology Resource Center.
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