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February 4, 2000 JOURNALISTS: Here are some story ideas and a list of selected Purdue events during the next two weeks. Creativity reigns at Rube Goldberg contest Purdue students will test their wits at the 18th annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, in Purdue's Elliott Hall of Music. The event challenges students to perform a simple task with laborious complexity using 20 or more steps in fewer than nine minutes. This year, the five competing teams must put seven items highlighting the 20th century in a time capsule. The winning team will represent Purdue at the National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest April 8 at the same location. More information is available at the Theta Tau and News Service Web sites. CONTACT: Chris Piano, contest chairman, (765) 743-2623, clpiano@purdue.edu NOTE: Journalists will not be allowed on the stage with the machines during the competition, but are welcome on stage before and after the contest. Purdue will provide video and photo pool coverage, as well as direct audio and video feeds upon request. An ISDN line is also available for radio interviews. Video b-roll, photos and a news release will all be available the afternoon of the event. Satellite uplinks available upon request. CONTACT: Jesica Webb at the Purdue News Service, (765) 494-2079, jwebb@purdue.edu 'Valentine' flowers last longer with TLC How can we select the most beautiful, long-lasting flowers for a loved one on Valentine's Day – then extend their beauty long after the holiday has passed? Rosie Lerner, Purdue consumer horticulture specialist, can give tips on choosing and maintaining a wide assortment of flowers, as well as considerations for choosing potted plants that can survive an Indiana winter. CONTACT: Lerner (765) 494-1311, brl@hort.purdue.edu Events * Tuesday, Feb. 8.  Public information session about funding available from the federal Advanced Technology Program for development of high-risk technologies. 1:30-2:30 p.m. Purdue Technology Center, 3000 Kent Ave. CONTACT: Jeff Gunsher, Purdue Office of Industry Research and Technology Programs, (765) 496-3723, jgunsher@purdue.edu • Tuesday, Feb. 8.  Annual Midwest Retail Management Career Fair. 10 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3 p.m. South Ballroom, Purdue Memorial Union. Over 25 companies will attend the conference to interview for internships or permanent placement. CONTACT: Sally Harmon, internship and conference director in the Department of Consumer Sciences and Retailing, (765) 494-8306, sharmon@purdue.edu • Wednesday, Feb. 9.  Lester Thurow, professor of economics at MIT, discusses "The Knowledge-Based Economy That Lies Behind Globalization" as the first of five speakers in the Sears Lecture Series at 8 p.m. in the North Ballroom, Purdue Memorial Union. CONTACT: Mark Tilton, associate professor of political science, (765) 494-4176, tilton@polysci.purdue.edu • Thursday, Feb. 10.  Molefi Kente Asante, founder of the theory of Afrocentricity, delivers the Black History Month Keynote Address at 7 p.m. in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Asante's talk is part of the Black Cultural Center's Spring 2000 Cultural Arts Series. He is a professor and chairman of the Department of African American Studies at Temple University. CONTACT: Renee Thomas, BCC director, (765) 494-3091, rathomas@hfs.purdue.edu • Wednesday, Feb. 16.  Black Cultural Center's Cultural Arts Series: "The Gathering: A Hip Hop Journey to the Meeting Places of Black Men." 7 p.m. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Written and performed by playwright/rapper/actor Will Power, "The Gathering" blends hip hop lyricism, African-American folklore, and innovative musical and rhythmic sound distortion techniques. CONTACT: Renee Thomas, BCC director, (765) 494-3091, rathomas@hfs.purdue.edu • Monday, Feb. 21.  School of Management Internship-Career Fair. 10 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Ballrooms of the Purdue Memorial Union. Fifty companies, ranging from Arthur Andersen to IBM to Walt Disney, will be on campus to recruit interns and permanent employees from among the 1,000 job-seekers estimated to be on hand. CONTACTS: Mike Lillich, business writer, University News Service, (765) 494-2077, mlillich@purdue.edu; Kay Henry, School of Management Career Services Center coordinator, (765) 494-1668, henry@mgmt.purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page