Science in biology labs A starry night Outdated science laboratories in Benson Evolution renovated over the summer ANDREA ADAMS AND CHASE WEAVER biology writers A great metamorphosis has occurred in the biology labs this past summer. While the students all left for a relaxing Courtesy of the School of Science Refitting cabinets and drawers has been a major part of the renova tions to the biology labs on campus. OBS Labs to be renovated BRIAN CARLSON The Otto Behrend Science building Chemistry labs are going to be getting a very nice $ 2.5 million make-over. With this project being so large, it will not be able to be completed Courtesy of the School of Science An top-view sketch provided by the School of Science showing an idea of how the OBS lab renova tions will look. summer break, the real work began in the biology labs. The construction team added new offices, laboratories, equipment and general reconstruction dur ing their time here this summer. This project cost over a quarter of a million dollars. The new in just the summer of 2010, when most students would be off campus, blit iriStead (Fife/ will start in early spring and hopefully complete in early fall 2010. s cienco editor Dr. Knacke, the Director of the School of Science, said that they still have some kinks to labs provide more area for teaching and storage space. The new offices and labora tories belong to Dr. Pamela Sil ver and Dr. Christopher Gee. These laboratories will be used for their research and some class activities permitted by the respective professors. To cre ate their offices, the contractors sealed off the exit doors in Ben son 76 and a special thank you goes out to the Math Lounge for shrinking their space and supporting the reconstruction throughout the summer. The majority of the renova tions occurred in Benson 172, where they re-vamped the en tire room. They added new lighting, fume hoods, refrigera tors, areas for equipment usage, cabinets, places for bone collections, and a new projec tion system. The contractors added in an area for the physi ology equipment which in cludes the inversion table, bike, and a treadmill, as well as a data logger port in the floor to catalog onto the new laptop areas. This room is also Amer ica’s Disabilities Act (ADA) Ac cessible. The developments of these labs were completed by a few different construction agencies. The lead architect was Jeff Lan der from Weber Murphy Fox (WMF) Architect. The on-site supervisor was Kirk Battin from Perry Construction, and VWR’s Bud Wittner did the case work in the multiple labs. work out so the students will still be able to have their much bel'oved'hated chemfstry labs. With these new renovations, students and faculty can not wait to see a truly modern chemistry lab for the first time since the 19605. Cue theme music, set phasers to stun, and enter Dr. Dar ren Williams. Although he may not be quite as dashing as either Kirk or Piccard, Dr. Williams is certainly a man of the stars. Dr. Williams, Associate Professor and chair of the physics de partment at Penn State Behrend, is the man to talk to about astronomy nights. Astronomy nights were founded by Dr. Roger Knacke, Direc tor of the School of Science, sixteen years ago. He and Dr. Williams continue the program to this day, bringing future scien tists, children, and common folk all to gether to witness the majesty of the night sky. “The great thing about astronomy,” Dr. Williams says, “is that it appeals to nearly everyone, at many lev els, no matter how technical the topic.” Astronomy nights start off with a 60- minute discussion on a newsworthy topic in astronomy. They then hold a question and answer session, and culminate in a chance to go out and observe stars and planets, along with their moons. Students use the telescopes housed in the observatories behind the Otto Behrend Science Building. This year provides a unique view in the sky. Mars will be closer to the Earth than it has been for two years. Jupiter and its moons, along with our own moon, will also be ob jects of interest in the coming night sky. This year is also the inter national year of astronomy. Dr. Williams is also collaborating with a graduate student at the Penn State University Park campus on a project to model how light reflects off different planets. This will hopefully allow astronomers to identify planets like Earth with a liquid water surface. HEATHER WAGER Upcoming Astronomy Nights (unless otherwise noted, ail events held at 7:30 p.m. in OBS 101) September 24 Darwin: Discovering the Tree of Life (McGarvey Commons) October 29 Missing Spots on the Sun. Anything Wrong? December 3 The Star of Bethlehem Feb. 25 Midievil Islamic Astronomy March 18 What’s Inside a Black Hole? Better Ask Hawking April IS Dark Energy in the Universe “While we may not discover life as we know it in our lifetime, we are certain to discover worlds around other stars that life could inhabit.” Dr. Darren Williams Physics Department Chair Behrend Beacon I Q September 18, 2009 www.thebehrendbeacon.com ' Top Science News: ENVIRONMENTAL Teams from both Washington and Massachusetts are racing against each other to harness the tiny voltage in trees. If scientists can make this work, forests may be able to power their own sensory networks to monitor the health of an ecosystem. phytic* writer SPACE A newly-appointed panel says that NASA could be able to send astro nauts to Mars by 2020, but only if their budget is boosted. Obama’s new “space panel” was created to review NASA human spaceflight plans and with the review being finalized, the fate rest in the hands of the White House and the Congress. TECHNOLOGY A new swimming camera will be able to be swallowed by a patient and, using tiny propellers, the camera cap sule will swim through the human di gestive tract. This will allow for a much easier and complete diagnostic test for future patients. Scientist of the Week: Today in 1819, Jean Bernard Leon Foucault was born in Paris and is best known for the Foucault Pendulum. This pendulum demonstrates the rotation of Earth on its axis. He also made an early measure ment of the speed of light and dis covered eddy currents. New Science Faculty: The School of Science welcomed seven new professors this year: Dr. Papiya Bhattacharjee, Asst. Professor of Mathematics pxb39m psu.edu, ext. 6308 Dr. Adrienne Carver Lecturer in Chemistry amc27«i psu.edu, ext. 6667 Dr. Tia Deas Lecturer in Biology tsdlo2psu.edu, ext. 6421 Dr. Daniel Galiffa Asst. Professor of Mathematics djg34 (n psu.edu, ext 6090 Dr. Christopher Gee Asst. Professor of Biology ctg 10(