Purdue News Roundup
Purdue News Roundup
|
|
March 20, 1998
Nobel laureate honored by chemical society, lecture seriesWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University Nobel laureate Herbert C. Brown will receive double honors the week of March 30 in two separate events.On Tuesday, March 31, the American Chemical Society will present Brown with an award named in his honor to recognize 60 years of contributions in developing new ways to make pharmaceuticals, plastics, paper and other products. Brown is the first recipient of the new Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods, established this year by the American Chemical Society. The award will be presented to him at the organization's national meeting in Dallas. Now a professor emeritus at Purdue, 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. In announcing the award, the American Chemical Society noted that in 1936, when Brown graduated from college, little was known about chemical compounds called boron hydrides. Unlike their relations, hydrocarbons, boron-based compounds do not exist in nature. In the next few decades after his graduation, Brown opened an entirely new field of chemistry based on boron. By the time he was awarded the Nobel Prize, virtually every major synthesis involved one of his compounds. "To this day, organoboranes are the first and only general method to synthesize a single, pure mirror image of a molecule for a pharmaceutical drug," Brown said. Another compound, called sodium borohydride, solved a major ecological problem: It replaced a zinc compound used to bleach paper pulp that killed fish when released in wastewater. The Herbert C. Brown Award is sponsored by Aldrich Chemical Co. Inc. of Milwaukee. On Saturday, April 4, Brown will oversee a series of lectures on new developments in organic synthesis during the 15th annual Herbert C. Brown Lecture Series in Organic Chemistry at Purdue. The lecture series, free and open to the public, was established in 1984 to honor Brown and to provide an ongoing forum for faculty and students interested in current topics in organic chemistry. Lectures and research presentations will begin at 9 a.m. in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Further information on the lecture series is available from Minnie Coree, Department of Chemistry, (765) 494-5300. CONTACT: Susan Gaidos, Purdue News Service, (765) 494-2081; e-mail, susan_gaidos@purdue.edu
Purdue's Learning Center celebrates 25 yearsWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A celebration Tuesday, March 31, will mark the 25th anniversary of the Liberal Arts Learning Center at Purdue University.The celebration from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the East Foyer of Stewart Center will feature remote broadcasts of the event by 95.7 FM Radio, a demonstration of the virtual Learning Center Web page at http://www.sla.purdue.edu/studentserv/learningcenter/, a presentation of awards to those involved in founding the Learning Center, and door prizes from community sponsors. From its humble beginnings in a classroom in Recitation Hall where students received one-on-one instruction, the Learning Center has grown to a staff of seven instructors providing academic assistance to more than 7,000 students each year. In the past 25 years, the Learning Center has expanded its services to provide workshops, classes and drop-in counseling along with one-on-one tutorials. The free services are available to all students campuswide. "We especially wanted this celebration to be open to the students -- those whom we have served in the past and those who may not be aware of how we can help," said Kathleen Thayer, director of the Learning Center. A recent grant from the office of Robert Ringel, executive vice president of academic affairs, will allow the Learning Center to meet the challenges of the 21st century with an updated 15-station computer lab, according to Thayer. Ringel will attend the celebration, as will Brock Spack, an assistant football coach, and Earl Notestine, former associate dean of liberal arts and professor emeritus of educational studies. Notestine helped found the Learning Center in 1972 along with the university's first African-American faculty member, Helen Bass Williams. Ringel was dean of the School of Liberal Arts at that time. For more information, contact Thayer at (765) 494-8720 or Stacy Yoder, public relations intern, at (765) 743-1867 ext. 234.
Doing business on the Internet is topic for seminarWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University's Office of Continuing Engineering Education will offer the videotape seminar "Searching for the On-line Goldmine: Making Money and Growing Your Business on the Internet" from noon to 2 p.m. April 16 in Room 268 of the Potter Engineering Building.In this program, participants will learn how to use innovative strategies to sell products and services globally without opening additional offices or hiring additional staff. The seminar also will cover how to nurture and expand existing customer relationships. Some of the topics to be addressed include: the dos and don'ts of powerful Web design; turning browsers into customers; finding global opportunities on the Web; using conventional marketing in cyberspace; building a community of customers; and knowing the importance of updating your site. Participants will receive a free copy of IBM's "Catalyst" newsletter and a copy of the IBM booklet, "Doing Business on the Internet." Cost for the program is $5 per person. Registration deadline is April 1. To register, call (765) 494-7018. CONTACT: Marsha Nance, Office of Continuing Engineering Education, (765) 494-7018.
Purdue conference lets girls explore scientific careersWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Girls in grades six through nine are invited to explore career opportunities in science during a one-day conference Saturday, April 18, at Purdue University's West Lafayette campus."Expanding Your Horizons," a conference for young women interested in science and math, is designed to provide hands-on information about math- and science-related careers. Special workshops for parents and educators also are available. Students may choose among workshops on careers such as audiology, dentistry, veterinary science and zoology, computer programming, engineering, earth sciences, food science, journalism, technology, pharmacy, medicine, biology and criminology. The conference, sponsored by Purdue's Department of Chemistry and Iota Sigma Pi, a national honor society for women in chemistry, is part of a national effort to motivate young women to take advanced math and science courses in junior high and high school. The cost for the conference is $15, and the deadline to register is April 3. Registration is limited to the first 350 participants. Additional information and registration materials are available from conference coordinator Kay Conner, an academic adviser in Purdue's Department of Chemistry, (765) 494-7128; e-mail, conner@chem.purdue.edu.
Sewage treatment techniques for rural areas topic of conferenceWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A satellite teleconference on alternative sewage treatment techniques will be offered by the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EST) Monday, March 30.The conference is being produced by the University of Minnesota, and it is aimed at developers, contractors, Extension educators, county commissioners, health department personnel, city council members, planning commissions, Realtors, bankers and interested citizens. There is no charge for attending, but participants are asked to register in advance with Extension offices that are offering the teleconference. Rural areas that are not served by municipal water and sewer systems depend on individual or group on-site sewage treatment systems. Traditionally this has meant using septic systems, but some sites and soil conditions call for other kinds of treatment technology. This seminar will examine research on several alternative treatment technologies, including constructed wetlands, aerobic tanks, sand and peat filters, and various discharge systems. In addition, the conference will discuss several system management structures, including homeowner associations, environmental subordinate service districts, water quality cooperatives, and sanitary sewer districts. The conference will be broadcast at these sites in Indiana:
CONTACT: Catherine Taylor, (765) 496-3454, e-mail, ctaylor@dept.agry.purdue.edu; Web, http://www.agry.purdue.edu/agronomy/landuse/septic/septic/septic.htm
Parking-permit spaces reallocated in four garagesWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University Parking Facilities has completed its spring parking survey, which has resulted in more "A" and "C" permit spaces in four campus garages.The reallocations were based on four counts taken in February during peak weekday usage, said Donna Kemper, parking facilities manager. She said motorists should watch for the new signs. "Our fall and spring survey results help us make decisions to best meet the parking needs of all our faculty, staff and student permit holders," she said. Space reallocations include:
Net changes among the four garages are 12 additional "A" spaces, 34 fewer "B" spaces and 22 additional "C" spaces. CONTACT: Kemper, (765) 494-9315.
Purdue NotebookCampus activities:-- Becky Herrnstein, director of Purdue's Women's Resource Office, will present, "Mediating Campus Conflict," at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 31, in Room 314, Stewart Center. Herrnstein's responsibilities include providing leadership in improving the campus climate regarding gender issues. Her work focuses on ethical and effective conflict management and its relevance to good leadership. The free program is part of the Women's Resource Office Leadership Series.
* * * * * Faculty and staff honors: -- Patrick J. Fox, assistant professor of civil engineering, has been chosen to receive the 1998 Arthur Casagrande Professional Development Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers. The award was established by the Geotechnical Engineering Division of the society to recognize outstanding practitioners, researchers and teachers of geotechnical engineering who are under age 35. -- Nicholas A. Peppas, the Showalter Distinguished Professor in the School of Chemical Engineering, has been named a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Election to fellowship in the society is the highest honor members of the organization bestow on their peers. Peppas, who lives in Indianapolis , was cited for his exemplary research efforts on polymers, specifically how the structure of polymers affects the way various substances diffuse through them.
Compiled by J. Michael Willis, (765) 494-0371; e-mail, mike_willis@purdue.edu
|
