Friday, December 3, 2004
Is the new lion statue in a good location?
"What new lion statue?" • "I think they should put it in
Daniel Midberry, * the center of the campus."
PHYBDII • Stephen Smith,
• EE BD 07
LIGHT UF YOUR UFEJ
• (ireat Doxxntoxvn location’
• Spacious 2 Bedroom 2 Bathroom Apartment*
• Fully Furnished
• On-Site Parimg
• I ahulous F tine** Center
• laundry Facilities and Studs Lounge
• FRFF Cable Telex ixton
• Management that Cares
->i OPP>Y 1 OPAY ! OMNI>OU i I fOW
YOU ('AN \MN A\! AivM K! ! K! M,
»icatoWv,aMMC«aa»,rA ww
IP—Looking for a new car or truck?
Rick Weaver Buick Pontiac GMC
Rick Weaver Buick Pontiac GMC
714 W.l2th ST
Erie,Pennsylvania 16502
(814) 455-8071
www.RWßuypower.com
Have a suggestion for Question of the Week? Email your question to us at: behrcoll2@aol.com.
ite for the
staff?
meeting on Monday
Reed 114
story ideas to
►n@aol.com
OPFNIIOtfSF THIS
SATURDAY!
Sturt at only N 290!!
HP Penn State Behrend HP
faculty, staff, students, and family
will receive $lOO below
Offer Expires 12/31/2004 • Offer Exdudes GTO • Customer keeps all applicable rebates
Please bring this ad and your Penn State ID to redeem discount
in stock new car or truck!
NKW3
"I think it could use a better
location, maybe out in front of
Reed where visitors would see
it."
Matt Davidson,
DUS 01
Inside photos of the new Housing and id+ office. The new office con
tains seven new rooms and a general office area.
NSF grant to enhance solar project
By Tiffany Mak
staff writer
The National Science Foundation just
allocated a three-year grant of $ 179,468
to Professor Bruce Wittmershaus, the as
sociate professor of Physics at Penn State
Behrend. The grant he received will be
used for continuing his solar power
project in making cheaper solar collec
tion devices to contribute to society and
our students.
Wittmershaus claimed it was competi
tive in getting this grant. Writing a 15-
page proposal and an oral presentation
describing the research he has done be
fore and what research he will be doing
are the elements deciding which school
would get the grant.
Creating an inexpensive solar collec
tion devise is what Wittmershaus always
wanted to do. “The nature of the research
is on the practical side which perhaps
could benefit the mankind quite a bit
which will hopefully someday be cheap
enough that you can buy and put them
on your roof,” said Wittmershaus. “It
Bad Credit/No Credit?
The Credit Solutions
Dept can help!
"1 think it's stupid! It's a
ridiculous place to have the
statue."
Josh Hannold,
PSHBA 03
works because we try to make something
inexpensive and lower the cost.”
Semiconductor solar ceHs, the solar
panels on our Calculators for example,
are very expensive. He created a squared
and colored plastic that was made by a
fluorescent dye to absorb more electric
ity and reflect the light inside to create
heat to generate maximum use of energy.
The concept of total internal reflection
that supports the whole project. The
fluorescent light, formed by the lumines
cent solar concentrators and fiber optics,
acts like curves within the plastic itself.
It is responsible for concentrating and
absorbing the sunlight. So when the light
enters the plastic and reaches the edge,
it does not just come out into the air.
“What happens in the interface be
tween the plastic and the air is some of
the light comes straightly out. But a large
amount, about 75 percent of the fluores
cent gets trapped and will not come out
and hits the edge and bounces back down
again,” said Wittmershaus.
Although neither the semiconductor
solar cells nor this plastic cardboard can
invoice on any
The Used Car Store
at Rick Weaver's
Cars,Trucks and SUV's;
some starting at $1,500
and always a great selection
The Behrend Beacon | 3
"It should be moved
because it's too hard to
take pictures with it by the
garbage cans."
Zoe Rose,
POLSC 08
OFFICE, from Page 1
Geering said, “We are planning a $5
million renovation to Dobbin’s Hall
which will begin sometime next year.”
Behrend is planning on expanding
Dobbin’s Hall and adding a sit-in caf6,
a-la cart style with a different menu of
fering similar to the restaurant Panera
Bread, hopefully by next year.
This will be due in part to the new
engineering building opening up.
Behrend hopes to make it convenient
for these students to have a place to sit
and relax just as they would at Bruno’s
cafe instead of having to walk down
to the Reed Building. This renovation
plans to be well-located for lots of stu
dents on campus.
The Housing and Food Services of
fice is open Monday through Thursday
8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 5
p.m.
do better job than another in terms of ef
ficiencies, definitely the plastic is a lot
cheaper and can last longer.
As a physicist, Wittmershaus’ other
motivation is to get opportunities that
students to get involved in research. This
grant provides sufficient money for stu
dents to work with him during the school
year and summer. “I have money for
three years right now for three students.
They work ten to thirteen hours a week,”
said Wittmershaus. During the 13 weeks
in summer, they have to work for 14
hours.
“The grant gets them a chance to do
real research, gets their work and jour
nals published and gets the chance to
present their research in some profes
sional scientific meetings,” said
Wittmershaus.
The student co-workers doing this
project with Wittmershaus three years
ago were chosen by him. They are the
ones who are much responsibility for the
research than Wittmershaus.
Wittmershaus acts only as a mentor by
monitoring and assisting them.