Purdue News Roundup
Purdue News RoundupNovember 7, 1997
The LEAD Award is bestowed annually on the basis of an international competition by the Computer and Automated Systems Association of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers to one university and one industry leader whose products or processes demonstrate excellence in computer-integrated manufacturing. LEAD is an acronym that stands for Leadership and Excellence in the Application and Development of Integrated Manufacturing. The university criteria include development of an operational curriculum with research and laboratory facilities supporting the manufacturing enterprise.
Purdue Deans Richard J. Schwartz of the Schools of Engineering, Dennis J. Weidenaar of the School of Management, and Dennis K. Gentry of the School of Technology accepted the award Nov. 4 in Detroit. Purdue's Multidisciplinary Manufacturing Program involves all three academic areas.
Warren Stevenson, associate dean of engineering who coordinated Purdue's application, noted that the award recognized the breadth and depth of Purdue's programs, which prepare students for professional positions in all parts of today's complex and technically sophisticated manufacturing enterprise.
Purdue's program involves many elements, including the Computer Integrated Manufacturing Technology Laboratory, directed by Brad Harriger, professor of mechanical engineering technology; the Engineering Research Center for Collaborative manufacturing, directed by James Solberg, the Ransburg Professor of Industrial Engineering; and the Center for the Management of Manufacturing Enterprises, directed by Herbert Moskowitz, the Cullman Distinguished Professor of Manufacturing Management.
Purdue offers nearly 100 manufacturing-related courses across 18 academic departments. More than 3,000 students are enrolled, and about 80 faculty are involved in manufacturing research and education. Facilities include about 70,000 square feet of laboratory space and more than $50 million in equipment. Programs emphasize industrial partnerships and the recruitment and retention of high-quality faculty and staff, particularly those with industrial experience.
IBM's server group won this year's industry award.
CONTACT: Sig Kriebel, Office of the Dean of Engineering, (765) 494-9988.
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: If there is interest, Tendzin Choegyal can be available to the media 45 minutes before his presentation for interviews and comments. Phone interviews for radio also can be arranged. Contact Donald Mitchell, chairman, Religious Studies Program, at (765) 494-4276; fax, (765) 496-1616; e-mail, dmitch@purdue.edu.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The brother and special envoy of the Dalai Lama will speak at Purdue University on Friday, Nov. 14.
Tendzin Choegyal will discuss the spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism with Wayne Teasdale, a writer and speaker on global spirituality. The presentation," Tibet and the Inner Life," will begin at 8 p.m. in the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall.
Choegyal is a married layperson who lived with his brother in Tibet and now lives in India as part of the Dalai Lama's community. He is a spiritual teacher in the Geluk-ba lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Choegyal is in the United States as a special envoy to the Assembly of the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago.
Teasdale is a member of the Parliament Board. He has studied spirituality in India for many years and has worked closely with the Dalai Lama on issues of world peace.
The lecture is free and is sponsored by Purdue Convocations, the School of Liberal Arts, the Department of Philosophy, the Religious Studies Program, the Asian Studies Program and St. Thomas Aquinas Center.
CONTACT: Donald Mitchell, chairman, Religious Studies Program, (765) 494-4276; e-mail, dmitch@purdue.edu.
"The holidays bring on stress -- and many people feel blue after they are over -- but research doesn't support the idea that the holidays actually cause clinical depression," said David Rollock, associate professor of psychological sciences.
However, he said holiday stress might push persons bordering on major depression into recognizing how sad and dysfunctional they have become.
The Purdue Psychology Treatment and Research clinics will offer a free eight-week program called "Coping With Depression," timed to start after the holiday season. Groups are forming now to begin the sessions in early January.
Rollock said depression is more than a case of the blues. "Depression causes people to feel sad, helpless and hopeless. They lack energy and don't sleep or eat well over unusually long stretches of time," he said. Serious mood disorders, such as depression, tend to result from either personally devastating circumstances or even medical or biological processes.
The therapy sessions provide skills training for persons whose depression makes it difficult for them to function. "This is not traditional psychotherapy," said Rollock, who oversees the Purdue Depression Clinic. "We are teaching people real-life, practical techniques to help them change their behaviors, feelings and thought patterns."
Skills taught during the 12 sessions include relaxation techniques, constructive thinking, methods for self-change and effective use of social skills. "People who are depressed have difficulty being assertive," Rollock said. "Thus their social interactions tend to be disappointing, which leads them to cut themselves off from others and begin a cycle of becoming even more depressed."
For someone suffering from depression, joining a group with other depressed people may sound like even more of a "downer." However, Rollock said the group concept is one of the keys to the success of the program.
"Being in a group gives people a chance to work and share with others. They can be supportive of each other and relate experiences that a psychotherapist may never encounter. It also helps them overcome some of the social isolation," he said.
Persons interested in the program should contact the clinic at (765) 494-6996 to arrange an interview. There is no fee for the 12 sessions, but donations are accepted to help offset the cost of the services.
The Purdue Depression Clinic also offers individual therapy. All client cases are handled by graduate students in the clinical psychology program under Rollock's supervision.
CONTACT: Rollock, (765) 494-6996; e-mail, rollock@psych.purdue.edu
The Irwin Foundation, Southfield, Mich., will give the school $25,000 to be used for five $5,000 scholarships for academically qualified students in Purdue's Veterinary Technology Program.
Veterinary technicians and technologists perform duties similar to a nurse or medical technology technician in the field of human medicine. Purdue's School of Veterinary Medicine has responded to the growing national demand for veterinary technicians by recently expanding its two-year veterinary technology program to a four-year bachelor of science degree.
"These scholarship funds come at an exciting time for our program as it expands into a baccalaureate program," said Dr. Roger Lukens, director of the veterinary technology program. "We are very pleased to see a national effort to support these students."
The Irwin Foundation donation precedes a national fund-raising effort by the organization, which hopes to raise $100,000 over the next few months to establish additional national scholarships for veterinary technician students.
"Veterinary technicians comprise a critical segment of the veterinary community, but historically they have been severely underrepresented in terms of financial assistance," said William J. Cari, director of the Irwin Foundation. "We hope that this donation, combined with our upcoming fund-raising campaign, will prompt other charitable organizations to consider making a gift in this area."
The Irwin Foundation was established in 1995 following the deaths of Dr. James Irwin and Dr. Claire Irwin, two educators in the Detroit area. Their strong academic ties and concern for the welfare of animals were the driving force behind the foundation, which was created with assets from the Irwin trusts.
CONTACT: Lukens, (765) 494-7619; e-mail, rll@vet.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 Purdue's 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. Several cable outlets around the state present the program as well (see listing below), and broadcasts on select Public Broadcasting Service affiliates are anticipated later in the fall.
The Greater Lafayette telecast schedule and topics this month:
Nov. 10-14 -- Research in the School of Nuclear Engineering; the role of liberal arts in today's university; the 1997 inductees of Purdue's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Nov. 17-21 -- The Department of Child Development and Family Studies' myriad activities; progress in using pig intestines for human tissue repair; the surprising Purdue Water Ski Team.
No Greater Lafayette telecasts are scheduled Nov. 24-28, which is Purdue's Thanksgiving break week.
"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, the program also is seen on the following cable outlets around the state (check local listings):
CONTACTS: Zawisza, (765) 494-2086; e-mail, greg_zawisza@purdue.edu
Forbes, (765) 494-9723; e-mail, beth_forbes@purdue.edu
The play will be performed by students in the Russian 241 class. Professor Edith Clowes said most of the six students involved are either majors or minors in Russian. "Almost all are interested in working in business, government or academia, where there are new and increasing opportunities for people with Russian skills," Clowes said.
She said the play was written in 1891, when Russia was beginning to industrialize its economy and permit private enterprise, much like the present post-Soviet era. It's the story of a bank president who is thwarted in his efforts to make his bank look more prestigious than it really is, during its 15th anniversary celebration. The characters in the play include an office nerd, a flirtatious wife, and a begging bureaucrat's wife.
"This is a play that -- although written in the 19th century -- reverberates in our own day," Clowes said.
She said the performance is free, but donations to the Russian Club will be accepted. Seating will be available for approximately 100 people.
CONTACT: Clowes, (765) 494-3840 or (765) 494-3828
-- Jerry Peters has been named head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the School of Education. A professor of agricultural education, Peters has been interim department head since July 1, 1996. His new appointment was effective July 1.
Peters' affiliation with Purdue dates to 1969, when he came to the West Lafayette campus as an undergraduate. He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees before moving on to Ohio State University to pursue a Ph. D. Peters joined the Purdue faculty in 1980, became a professor in 1995, and then was appointed interim department head for Curriculum and Instruction.
He has won numerous Purdue, state and national awards for teaching and service to agricultural education. Most recently (April, 1997) he received the Outstanding Service Award for his contributions to the School of Education.
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Campus Activities:
-- Purdue will be offering an evening course for older students who want to improve their study skills. GS 290X, "How to Survive at College," will be offered from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays from Jan. 13 to May 5. Students will receive three academic credits for the course. To register, students should contact their academic advisers or the Office of Admissions, (765) 494-1776. More information is available from Sara Coffman, course instructor, (765) 494-5110.
-- The Women's Resource Office will continue its leadership series with two programs on Nov. 18. Linda Moore, a licensed psychologist from Kansas City, will present "Release From Powerlessness" at 10 a.m. and "Life Balance 101" at 1:30 p.m. Both 90-minute sessions will be conducted in Room 218, Stewart Center. Moore is co-founder and former president of CenterPoint, an outpatient counseling center, and president of Moore-McClelland Associates, a company offering management consulting, speaking and therapy. Her daily talk show is aired on KNHN radio.
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Alumni Honors:
-- Five distinguished alumni of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering recently received Outstanding Electrical Engineer awards from the school. A panel of electrical and computer engineering professors selected the five honorees from the more than 18,000 alumni of the school. The 1997 recipients are: David J. Bradley, Chapel Hill, N.C., manager of PC architecture, IBM Personal Computer Co.; Gerald D. Held, San Jose, Calif., senior vice president of the server technologies division of Oracle Corp.; William C. Lindsey, Pasadena, Calif., founder, chief executive officer and chairman of LinCom Corp.; Gordon E. Mayer, Lafayette, Calif., president and chief executive officer of Geoworks; and Michael M. Sears, St. Louis, president, McDonnell Aircraft and Missile Systems, The Boeing Co.
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
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