_ . Behrend Beacon iT9
Vp 1 P£\ April 9, 2010 #
■ IK“I I I www.thebehrendbeacon.com | ■
School Director
Dr. Roger Knacke,
head of the sci
ence department
at Penn State
Behrend, is set to
retire at the end of
the school year, a
Penn State Behrend position he has
Current School Of held for 18 years.
Science Director Dr. Knacke
Roger Knacke. came t 0 Behrend
after teaching at
the State Univer
sity of New York (SUNY) in Stony
Brook where he also headed the sci
ence department for 6 years.
Dr. Knacke is a graduate of The Uni-
Interviews scheduled for D
Q&A:
Director Search
Q: Why should I care?
A: The Director of each of
the four schools at Behrend
is one of the most influen
tial and important positions
in determining who teaches
your classes, what they're
teaching, and what the
school does to evolve.
Q: Is the new director
picked yet?
A: No. Dr. Geske (left) is sim-
ply one of the candidates
that has accepted a sched
uled time for interviews at
Behrend.
Q: When will the new
director be chosen?
A: The School of Science will
hope to come to a decision
as soon as possible so that
the new director can start
for fall. Follow U P Kettering professor and Director
Beacon, which will be fol- V „ , ,
MngMsmyastM- search candidate Dr John
opj throughout the year Geske. Geske is one of several
ll>, ;' " candidates whodoal&titf 4 *
chosen for the position.
versity of California Berkeley where
he received a bachelor’s and Ph.D. in
physics.
RYAN GULA
sr/c/Kc t'ditnr
He became interested in astro
physics when he was in graduate
school and decided to teach and per
form research in that field. In an inter
view, he joked, “I’ll retire from
administration, not teaching.”
After retirement he will be moving
to California, where he hopes to return
to the classroom as a professor, an as
pect of education that he has missed.
Looking back at his experience at
Behrend, he remembers working with
outstanding students and faculty, and
enjoyed following the paths that stu
dents chose once they left Behrend.
Some went onto larger universities for
graduate studies while others entered
the industry to lead major companies.
As Roger Knacke prepares for retirement at the
end of the school year, Penn State Behrend begins
to wind down their search for a replacement.
The search for a new director began in the fall of
2009. After the ap
plicants were re
viewed by a
committee, it was
determined that
the pool of appli
cants “was not
deep enough,” and
it was decided to
re-post the posi
tion in the spring,
said David Chris
tiansen, one of the
committee mem
bers and associate
dean for academic
affairs.
Kettering University Public Relations
(reprinted with permission of Dr.
RYAN GULA
science editor
Other members
include John Ma
genau, the director
of Behrend’s Black
School of Business
and Lisa Harring
ton, an administra
tive specialist
within the science
department.
*Ch'ristlkfi9feh Siid,
"the individuals
PSB A
AUTO CLUB
It’s time for the Penn State Behrend Auto Club’s
Annual Spring Car Show and Auto Cross.
Auto Show
Come down to the Behrend Auto Show to see some
unique and
beautiful cars.
When: Friday April 16 th s:oopm to 8:00pm
Where: Jordan Road parking Lot (by the Bayfront)
Auto Cross
If you want to put your driving skills to the test,
come out to our Auto Cross.
When: Sunday April 18 th Erie Hall parking lot
Registration: B:3oam -9:3oam (Car must pass
safety inspection)
Cost: Students $l5, Public $2O
Non-members of SCCA need $l5 weekend
membership fee.
Questions? Email CJ at psbautoclub@gmail.com
- # Top Science News:
Knacke to reti re
During his tenure at Behrend, he
was pleased to be a part of the admin
istration that brought more research
to the college, effectively creating
what he considers to be “an ideal uni
versity,” where there is an equal em
phasis on both teaching and new
knowledge.
He was careful not to take complete
responsibility for accomplishing this,
being quick to point out that there
were many who helped achieve this
goal and that there is still more to be
done.
He hopes that this atmosphere of
students “doing and learning” science
will continue for many years to come.
He says that he will miss the people
at Behrend the most when he leaves.
He recalled some of his favorite mem
ories each year, watching as new stu-
irector cand
were chosen so that the committee would be bal-
anced.”
After a review of the spring applications, the com
mittee members were able to narrow down the
search to several qualified candidates.
These candidates were contacted and invited to
Behrend for a formal interview.
After making contact with the individuals, only
one candidate was able to accept the invitation. John
Geske, the department head of computer science at
Kettering University in Flint, Mich, agreed to visit on
April 13 and 14.
Geske has taught and headed the computer sci
ence department at Kettering since his arrival in
1994, according to the school’s website. He received
his Ph.D. in computer science from lowa State Uni
versity.
During his two-day visit to Behrend, Geske will
meet with three of the college’s deans and share a
meal with each member of the committee.
Additionally, he will host several forums with
members of the faculty where he will present a back
ground of himself and then answer any questions
they might have.
The school has also arranged for Geske to eat an
informal lunch with selected students from the sci
ence department.
Christiansen emphasized the importance of “the
students’ reaction” to the candidate.
To conclude his trip to Behrend, the afternoon of
the second day will comprise of a real-estate tour of
the surrounding area and a “wrap-up” meeting with
Christiansen. The school’s final decision has not
been announced, but the Beacon will continue to fol
low this sidrj. V-'
R DISCOVERIES
nee reporters mith the Behrend Beacon.
Free Pizza and Pop!
dents arrived each fall after high
school and how quickly the assumed
the roles of young adults and became
more competent individuals.
He will speak about 'Dark Energy in
the Universe’ on April 15 in one of the
college’s last Open House Nights in
Astronomy this year.
Knacke started this Behrend tradi
tion in the fall of 1993, a program that
has allowed both students and com
munity members to learn more about
their surrounding world and given
thousands their first glimpse of the
sky through a telescope.
As Knacke and the school prepares
for his departure, they continue their
search for a new director of science.
Interviews are ongoing and more in
formation will be published as it is re
leased.
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continue
Many emergency workers who
worked in the dust of Ground Zero on
Sept. 11,2001 continue to have breath
ing problems nearly nine years re
moved from exposure, the New
England Journal of Medicine reports.
The study tested 92 percent of all
rescue workers who arrived at ground
zero between Sept. 11 and Sept. 24.
In the study, researchers concluded
that firefighters who arrived in the
morning of Sept. 11, when the dust
was most dense, are the most likely to
have developed diminished lung ca
pacity. 22 percent of EMS nonsmokers
who were at the scene have dropped
below normal levels since 2002, the
study said.
Discovery docks at
International Space
station despite problems
The space shuttle Discovery docked
at the International Space Station on
Wednesday, completing a journey
marred by a satellite breakdown
which prohibited radar tracking. This
was the first time in 10 years - and
only the second time ever - that a shut
tle has docked with the space station
without radar.
NASA will now scrutinize photo
graphs sent from the Space Station in
order to determine if any of the dam
age will jeopardize the shuttle’s re
entry.