Purdue News Roundup

September 4, 1998 BCC open house kicks off art exhibition tour WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Visitors to the Black Cultural Center's open house from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, will get the first glimpse of "Art Speaks," a multimedia traveling art exhibit featuring African-American artists from the Midwest. "We plan to take this exciting exhibit to schools throughout the Greater Lafayette area and, hopefully, statewide," said Renee Thomas, director of the Black Cultural Center. The highlight of the exhibit is a limited edition bronze casting of the African-American Civil War monument "Spirit of Freedom." The piece, by Kentucky artist Ed Hamilton, is a replica of the original done in bronze and recently unveiled in Washington, D.C. -- the first memorial in the country to honor the more than 200,000 African-American troops who served in the Civil War. The Art Speaks program is funded by a grant from the Chrysler Corp. The visual and literary exhibition includes a specially designed portable gallery, a video documentary featuring the artists, and the release of a new anthology of poetry entitled "Eclipsing a Nappy New Millennium." The poetry collection is the first of its kind to focus on the work of Midwestern African-American poets. It brings together the works of well-known authors Nikki Finney and Eugene B. Redmond, and it celebrates the literary excellence of many new voices. A copy of the softcover anthology may be purchased at the BCC for $10. CONTACT: Thomas, (765) 494-3091; e-mail, rathomas@hfs.purdue.edu Purdue Web site provides resources on diversity WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University's Diversity Resource Office has organized a Web site with information on cultural diversity resources on campus and worldwide. The Web site on multiethnic and multicultural affairs is known as Web MECA. may be accessed at It is the product of an Excellence 21 initiative approved in December. Excellence 21 is aimed at continually improving the quality of services on campus. The site was the idea of Denise Driscoll, assistant professor of psychological sciences who has a joint appointment in the Diversity Resource Office. "I envisioned using the Internet to educate people about multicultural and ethnic affairs from all over the university and across the globe," Driscoll said. "Web MECA is a centralized resource for persons on campus and outside the university community." Alysa Rollock, interim vice president for human relations, calls the site a great tool. "Web MECA is an excellent example of how we can use the Internet to tell the good news of Purdue," she said. "People may not know that Purdue offers many ways to learn about other cultures and ethnic groups." Web MECA is divided into three main areas, featuring resources from on campus, Greater Lafayette, and national and international Web sites. Campus efforts include information on events, workshops, academic programs and student groups. Among other resources available through the site are government reports on diversity, information on corporate diversity efforts, cultural education programs, current events and interesting sites to visit across the United States. Driscoll was assisted on the project by Diversity Resource Office staff members Chun Hui Sophie Ho, Kathern Reynolds, Miriam Delphin and Teion Wells. "Purdue is committed to the benefits of cultural and ethnic diversity," Rollock said. "We hope Web MECA serves as a vehicle for making those resources available to the Purdue community and others worldwide." CONTACTS: Driscoll, (765) 494-7307, or Rollock, (765) 494-5830 Pollution prevention conference set for Sept. 23 WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The first Indiana Pollution Prevention Conference and Trade Show, "Pollution Prevention Technologies at Work," will be Sept. 23 in Greenwood, Ind., in conjunction with National Pollution Prevention Week Sept. 21-25. The event is co-sponsored by the Indiana Clean Manufacturing Technology and Safe Materials Institute, based at Purdue University; Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention; and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. The session will provide a forum for companies to find assistance, ideas, networking opportunities and resources in pollution prevention. David Kling, director of pollution prevention for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will be the keynote speaker. Lt. Governor Joe Kernan also will present the Governor's Awards for Excellence in Pollution Prevention at the conference. Award-winning manufacturers also will present their successful pollution prevention methods and provide insights on implementation. The event will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Valle Vista Conference Center at the Valle Vista Country Club, 755 E. Main St., Greenwood, Ind. Participants can preregister by Sept. 15; walk-in registration will be accepted if space is available. The cost is $50 per person. Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention, formed in 1996 by IDEM, is a consortium of winners of the Governor's Awards for Excellence in Pollution Prevention, recipients of Pollution Prevention Challenge Grants, and companies that pledged to meet the governor's 1998 Toxics Reduction Challenge. The group meets regularly to discuss pollution prevention issues and explore avenues to carry the pollution prevention message to other Indiana businesses and organizations. For more information about the conference, contact Alice Smith at the institute at (765) 463-4749, e-mail, alice@ecn.purdue.edu; or Charles Sullivan, IDEM, at 800-451-6027, ext. 2-8174. To register, call the Purdue Continuing Education Business Office, (765) 494-7231. Indy Boiler Mixer to focus on Purdue's state impact WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Alumni and friends of Purdue will get a look at how the university affects Hoosier families and consumers with a presentation at a Boiler Mixer in Indianapolis. The event will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the Statehouse Rotunda at One N. Capitol Ave. The cost is $15. The Boiler Mixers are organized by the School of Consumer and Family Sciences (CFS) and Indianapolis-area alumni. At this session, a panel will share information on how Purdue and CFS work with the state. The discussion will be led by Annie Watts Cloncs, an alumna and member of Purdue Legislative Action Network (PLAN). Also participating will be state Rep. Sue Scholer, R-West Lafayette; Betty Krejci, Cooperative Extension Service assistant program leader and the assistant director for policy for the Purdue Center for Families; and Nancy Guernsey, chairwoman of the Purdue Council on Agriculture, Research, Extension and Teaching (P-CARET). Reservations may be made by calling the CFS Development and Alumni Office at 1-800-535-7303 or (765) 494-7890. The next Indianapolis Boiler Mixer will be Nov. 11 and will focus on "Financial Planning: Is Your Financial House in Order?" CONTACT: Amy Liter, CFS associate director of development and alumni relations, (765) 494-7890. Purdue helps FAA keep eyes on the sky WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Federal Aviation Administration is uniting with Purdue and a dozen other universities to head off a looming shortage of air traffic controllers. By the year 2005, the FAA expects to need 10 times more flight controllers annually -- 2,000 to 4,000 people -- than were hired in 1997. Anticipating the necessity of training thousands of recruits within a short time, the FAA turned to universities to determine which had programs already in place that meet the government agency's pretraining requirements. The FAA put its stamp of approval on programs at 13 universities, including Purdue University's aviation administration program, which is designed for individuals seeking careers in either airline or FAA management. "Purdue's aviation administration program is the only curriculum approved for this purpose in the Midwest," said Mike Nolan, associate professor of aviation technology at Purdue. "Students are encouraged to enter our four-year program, or they may transfer into the program from two-year institutions. However, if they want to be hired as an air traffic controller before the year 2005, it is important that they are enrolled in an FAA-approved program for both their junior and senior years." The seeds for the upcoming air traffic controller shortage were sown during a 1981 strike that caused the FAA to hire, all at one time, thousands of replacement workers. Because they are eligible to retire at 60 percent of their salary after 20 to 25 years, these workers will be able to exercise that option sometime after the year 2001. Compounding the problem, the FAA's capacity to train large numbers of flight controllers has dwindled. Over the past 15 years, very few flight controllers have retired, leaving open just 200 to 400 new positions a year. "These university programs provide a foundation for the FAA's own 15-week training course, allowing it to be reduced to 10 weeks," Nolan said. "It's also anticipated that this approach to recruiting air traffic controllers will help reduce the time needed for their on-the-job training." An air traffic controller's average annual starting salary is $24,700, jumping to the mid-40s after three years on the job. The salary can reach as high as $80,151 per year. CONTACT: Nolan, (765) 494-9962; e-mail: mnolan@tech.purdue.edu Engineering exam callout scheduled WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A callout for students eligible to take the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination in October will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday (9/10) in Room 224 of the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall at Purdue University. Procedures to register for the exam and the laws governing registration of engineers in various states will be discussed at the meeting. Those students who expect to receive their engineering degree in December are eligible to take the Oct. 31 exam. The Fundamentals of Engineering Examination is the first step a student must take toward becoming a professional engineer. Registration as a professional engineer ensures that engineers have met certain standards of competency in education. Application forms will be available beginning Tuesday (9/8) from the individual engineering school offices and should be returned with the $20 exam fee by 4 p.m. Sept. 17. For more information about the exam or registration, contact Joseph T. Pearson, campus coordinator for the examination, at (765) 494-5627. Purdue Notebook Campus activities: -- A Jewish Studies Program open house will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday (9/8) in the Purdue Memorial Union Anniversary Drawing Room. -- "Weigh to Go," a seven-week weight control program, will begin at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday (9/9) in the basement conference room of the Purdue Student Health Center. The program is designed for people who are at least 10 pounds heavier than their healthy weight range. The registration fee is $30. More information is available from the Sue Abney, Health Promotion Programs, (765) 494-1716. -- A Women's Studies Program open house will be from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, in the Purdue Memorial Union Anniversary Drawing Room. The SHANGOYA! Dance Theatre will give a performance during the event, and refreshments will be served. Compiled by J. Michael Willis, (765) 494-0371; e-mail, mike_willis@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page