6i Behrend Beacon r* October 2, 2009 www.thebehrendbeacon.com kJ Biology students excel ANDREAADAMS Research projects have always been around, but a lot of students did not know that they could start as early as their freshmen year. Lara Trozzo, a Biology major who has spent her four years here at Behrend, has been doing research since her sophomore year. She has been conducting the research project “Effects of Thermoregulation on For aging in Anolis carolinesis.” Anolis carolinesis are also known as Carolina anoles, or lizards. Trozzo got a head start when she began helping Dr. Margaret Voss with research projects until she got the op portunity to head her own project working with animals. Her project tracked the lizards’ body temperature as they hunted for food on a cold side of a tank, while the other side was hot, thereby tracking how body tempera ture changes with their hunting be havior. She has gone through the process of writing proposals for research grants, researched her topic and gathered materials, conducted the experiment, and now she is writing her thesis for Kolby Mclntyre, a junior, displays his research on parasitic nematodes. Despite setbacks, math NICHOLE BUCZYNSKI The mathematics department at Penn State Behrend is always looking for new ways to improve upon itself and found an opportunity in the fall of 2007 when it started up a Secondary Mathematics Education Bachelor of Science program here on campus. The program is currently entering its third year. Interestingly, Behrend does not offer the completion of any other education program on campus, except for mathematics. Why, do you ask? It is really actually quite simple. The mathematics department was approached by the community to start a mathematics education program that was more math intensive and pro- Trip to Taiwan MARIE EBNER c hemistry writer An intricate web of hard ware, cords funneling to com puters, tubes funneling to recording devices, a funnel. Indeed, gazing at the Matrix Isolation Spectroscopy Appa ratus of Dr. Jay Amicangelo, an associate professor of chem istry, gives the vibe of a labora tory worthy of Dr. Jekyll. This elaborate device uses a “matrix" of argon pressurized at 10-6 to 10-7 torr and cooled to 10 K, close to absolute zero, and either a microwave dis charge, a vacuum-ultraviolet photolysis source, or a pyroly sis source to trap transient, un stable species of SixNiy which have never been isolated or studied before. However, there is one device lacking in Dr. Amicangelo’s lab which would not only greatly increase the knowledge of known compounds in the uni verse but make Dr. Evil proud: a laser beam. This is the basis for Dr. Ami cangelo’s upcoming sabbatical to the National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan in the lab oratory of Professor Yuan-Pern Lee. He will be leaving this spring 2010 semester under a FUlbright Scholarship which covers all of his living ex penses. This lab contains a Schreyer’s Honor College, which she hopes will be published. Kolby Mclntyre is another of the many research biologists at Behrend. Mclntyre is a junior and has been con ducting a research project since his spring semester of his freshman year. His project is “A Survey of Farm Man agement Techniques and the Potential for Control of Parasitic Nematodes in Horses.” science co-editor Mclntyre’s project involves collect ing grass and manure samples on three local farms and measuring the amount of parasites that are in both. This way he may develop an idea of the probability of re-infestation of the horses with those parasites. Researching has been very fulfilling for both students, to the point where they count it as one of the most valu able experiences of their college ca reers. “Behrend is an awesome place for undergraduate research,” says Trozzo. “When you go to larger campuses there aren’t many opportunities to do research as there are on smaller cam- puses.” Research can also boost a resume so that students can be more compet itive for graduate schools. vided more qualifications. The math departrfient was already trying to look for ways to expand itself and found a great opportunity in the community’s request. The program at Penn State Behrend is actually more strenuous than at most other college campuses due to the fact that at Penn State Behrend, the Secondary Mathematics Education program is an addition to the mathematics degree; whereas, many other campuses have programs specifically developed for teachers. Therefore, mathematics secondary education majors from Penn State Behrend have more background in mathematics than at other schools. In an interview with the Interim Mathematics Education Coordinator, Professor Joseph Previte, Professor Previte explained that the program math writer Dr. Amicangelo. high powered laser, which is only available in about six labs in the world. This laser allows for a laser vaporization genera tion source for matrix isolation spectroscopy which is different than any other source that Dr. Amicangelo has used before. He is hopeful that this data will fill in the gap in knowledge of key intermediates in the making of computer chip insu lators and allow people to iden tify compounds in space from his man-made molecules. He is also hopeful that this sabbatical research in Taiwan will allow him to write a future grant proposal to have Penn State Behrend’s very own laser vaporization source. &Academic Integrity Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, fabrication of information or citations, facilitation of acts of academic dishonesty by others, unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, and tampering with the academic work of other students. The University takes violations of Academic Integrity seriously. When an act of academic dishonesty is believed to have occurred, the process begins with a conversation between the faculty member and the accused student and follows the procedures outlined by the Faculty Senate (http://www.psu.edu/dept/oue/ aappm/G-9.html). Only in the limited instances in which the faculty member believes that disciplinary, as well as academic, sanctions are appropriate should the process move from the realm of faculty and the college to the Office of Judicial Affairs. Contributed Photo Academic Dishonesty cases which result in academic sanctions only will not be reported out to others with the exception of when a subsequent academic dishonesty violation occurs. When an academic dishonesty case results in disciplinary action assigned by the JA Designee, the charge and sanction become part of the student’s record which will be reported out following the guidelines outlined in our records policy. in research at Behrend Lara Trozzo displays her research on thermoregulation in the biology building. “This opportunity has been invalu able,” says Kolby, who is aiming to be a veteranarian, “and it is going to help me in my career.” All researchers who get their money through Behrend have to present their projects at the end of the year at the Sigma Xi research con- ference. The confer- ence often serves as an eye-opening expen- ence to students who may not have been in- terested in research be fore. The conference cov ers different topics of research, and can help students branch out to different organizations. Those organizations have been another highlight to both the collegiate careers of Mclntyre and Trozzo. Both are officers of the Behrend Chapter of Beta Beta Beta, the National Biological Honor and Research Society. This society reaches out to students whose major is Biology as well as Biological re searchers. Certain criterion needs to be met to be considered for the ed. remains has faced many setbacks; including the loss of a prominent faculty mem ber and the possibility of losing the program altogether due to a recent push by Pennsylvania to implement special education classes as a require ment for becoming a teacher. The mathematics department was unsure if they could provide the necessary means for the special education courses. However, with careful delib eration, many of these problems were resolved and Penn State Behrend still continues to offer Mathematics Sec ondary Education. While the Mathematics Secondary Education Program has faced a lot of setbacks, it has overcome them in tremendous fashion. According to Professor Joseph Previte, the first graduates should be graduating next Behrend Chapter of Beta Beta Beta. Accomodations for a busy schedule can also be made for student re searchers. Lara, for instance, not only gets money from her research grants, but she acquired 2 credits per semes ter as well. If that option interferes When you go to larger campuses there aren’t many opportunities to do research as there are on smaller campuses. Lara Trozzo Senior - Biology student can take if interested in completing more re search is to contact a professor and re quest to get involved with their research. Professors generally wel come the help of students and are eager to assist motivated students into research of their own. at Behrend •year. The major has a lot of require ments to even enter the major. Some of these requirements include 80 hours of community service dealing directly with teaching and passing the Praxis Exams. It is due to these nu merous requirements that the pro gram only has two people in it. However, it looks as though many more may enter in the coming spring. According to Penn State Behrend’s Mathematic’s website, analysts pre dict that 240,000 new mathematics and science teachers will be needed over the next decade. Penn State Behrend is pushing forward to the fu ture to provide the necessary means for our nation to fill these vacancies with the creation of an intensive math ematics education program. Contributed Photo with planned cur- riculum, then there is always the option that Mclntyre has Kolby has been researching for the last two sum mers instead of dur- ing the school year. The summer re searching is often very convenient, be cause students can generally put more hours in and choose their own hours. The simplest course of action a cience Top Science News: ANTHROPOLOGY Scientists have found what some are calling the “missing link” in human development - a 4.4 million year-old skeleton. Complete with a skull with teeth, arms, hands, pelvis, legs and feet, it indicates that the common ancestors of people and African apes (which include chim panzees and gorillas) did not resem ble chimpanzees, as many scientists have assumed, says anthropologist and project director Tim White of the University of California, Berkeley. SPACE Newly confirmed water on the Moon’s surface could sustain astro nauts with water, if a microwave de vice being created by NASA works as it should. The water was detected using 3 space shuttles that used in frared beams to find the water or hy droxyl, a chemical made of hydrogen and oxygen. If water could be prop erly harvested, new and longer space missions might be made possible. HEALTH A new study suggests that sleep deprivation, which most college stu dents experience, could help acceler ate the development of Alzheimer’s Disease. In the study, levels of beta-amyloid protein were studied in correlation with sleep. In sleep-deprived mice, the protein’s abundance was higher, which caused more plaque buildup, which some suggest is a cause of Alzheimer’s. Scientist of the Week: Today, October 2nd, Christian Rene de Duve was born. He is the man who discovered lysosomes and peroxi- somes As we all remember from biology, lysosomes are the digestive organelles in a cell while peroxisomes are the site of metabolic processes. In 1974, he re ceived the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine along with Albert Claude and George Palade. Chemistry Speakers: Wednesday, Oct. 14 Speaker: Dr. Shanhu Lee - Kent Uni versity / Ph.D. in Chemistry from Tokyo University Background: Atmospheric, analytical chemistry - composition and effects of aerosols in the Earth’s atmosphere Wednesday, Nov. 18 Speaker: Dr. Patrick Holland - Head of “Holland” Group at University of Rochester Background: Molecules and the transformations they undergo (like those of enzymes and surfaces) 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
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