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Outdated science laboratories in Benson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(<i psu.edu, ext. 6808
Dr. Matthew Gruwell
Assistant Professor of Biology
meg26(<i psu.edu, ext 6276
Ms. Jodie Styers
Lecturer in Mathematics
j 15982(« psu.edu, ext 6349
Beacon Science Staff
Science Editor Physics Writer
Brian Carlson Heather Wagner
Co-Editors Computer Writer
Andrea Adams Max Deliso
Chase Weaver Chemistry Writer
Biology Writers Marie Ebner
Andrea Adams Math Writer
Chase Weaver Nichole Buczynski