APRIL 14, 1982 N.A.S.A. Rep. Visits: Chapman Receives Award - Dr. R-ober.t Chapman - , Associate Chief for NASA's Laboratory for Astronomy and Solar Physics, recently returned to Behrend College for a three - day residence. Dr. Chapman, a native of Erie, attended Behrend in 1955-56, and graduated from Penn State in 1959. Dr. Chapman is the author - of one book, "Discovering Astronomy," and the co-author of another, "Introduction to Corn ets." He has also written over thirty articles and papers for scientific journals, NASA publications, and national magazines. Dr. Chapman, due to his achievements in Solar Physics and Astronomy, received the Penn State Medallion Award dur ing his visit to Behrend, honoring distinguished alumni. In an interview with the Behrend Collegian, Dr. Chapman spoke of his role in the recent Space Shuttle mission. According to Dr. Chapman, there are a number of ways the Shuttle can complete the experiments it was originally designed for. Working with engineers, com puter scientists and physicists like himself, Dr. Chapman helped decide which experiments would be completed by man or by com puter, both on ground and on board the Shuttle. He also worked _ on the Shuttle's • operational systems and softwares. - - "So far, says Chapmah, there have been no real problems with the Shuttle. Commenting -on--the Corn Catalog Cindy Stipancic Are you aware of - the library's new "Computer Output Microfiche (COM) Catalog" and its function? COM, a dictionary - catalog listed in alphabetical order, up dates the card. catalogs: - It in cludes information about materials catalogued, for the library's collections since Janu 1982 (when the library stoppedadding cards to the card catalog), as well as all Peim State thesis and dissertations. The 'COM . Catalog is split into three separate sections: the catalog,- the register, and the shelflist The catalog is arranged by author, title, and subject listings which makes finding a particular book quite easy if only one of the above is known. • The register is a file which pro vides additional information on every book in the catalog section - and the sheiflist rearranges infor mation from the catalog section into a useful order by call number. Information in the COM Continued from page 2 towels around me to make it home in the cold. • Pretty inconsistent; you say? You're not- kidding. And incon sistency is something I just-can't tolerate from a woman of -such great importance: I don't know if the position of "Mother Nature" is a govern mental position or what, but whoever_holds it should be carefully bserved for these next few weeks to see that she doesn't tamper with us any further than she already has. I once thought — of Mother Nature A's a wonderful lady, by Tony Newman. fact that many people have criticized the test flights, Chap man said that' people "must realize that that's the only wy to understand the Shuttle's behavior in flight." He added that the performance of the Shuttle has been "very successful ... only minor repairs have been necessary." Following the final test flight in June, the Space Shuttle , will be prepared for its first operational mission. In an_ upcoming operational flight, the Shuttle will be equip ped with a special telescope.- The telescope, whith will examine the surface' and atmospheric temperatures of the sun will send data back to Earth. _ Chapman is" presently working on. a research team at NASA designing the telescope. As far as space travel is con cerned, Chapmansees the Shut tle as the undulate space transportation vehicle, with unlimited capability and ver satility. Four space shuttles will be built; this fleet will be respon sible for placing satellites direct ly into orbit and retrieving-them. In the not-too-distant future, Dr. Chapman expects to see the Shut tle delivering people„ some without any scientific background, to permanent space ' stations: He advises students who are in terested in this type, of work to "concentrate on applied math, physics and computer science." He said that "what they (NASA and similar scientific and research companies) need are people familiar with applied training." He feels that "there will always be a need for_good basic resear chers," and students interested in conducting basic research should be encouraged to pursue this field. Catalog is updated bi-monthly. COM will continue to serve as an ; . UPDATE of The card catalog un til the online public, catalog . presently under design) is fully operational and available to library users. The COM. Catalog, with microfiche readers, is available for use in locations throughout the library system, which means that Behrend's library has it, as well as the main campus library (Pattie Library). This is good for inter-library loan because every book on a microfiche contains a listing of the locations .where it can be found. Peg Smith, Librarian, offers assistance to anyone needing-it in conjunction with the new COM fil ing catalog. wearing a billowy white gown, with daffodils in her hair. She would smell of hyacinths and =small bunch of daisies - a walking floral arrange ment. Maybe she was the first flower child. Who, really knows? (or cares, for that matter?) 'But she no longer is celestial to me. Now she dresses in polyester, in reds and oranges. She must certainly wear boat sneakers with holes in the pa_rts, where her corns have rubbed through. She never brushes her hair_ or_ her _ -teeth and smells like the water that the flowers sit in for weeks at a time. Just as the sailor fell from BEHREND COLLEGIAN Faculty Members Published Does research and writing enrich an instructor's teaching ability? "The answer is yes," said associate professors of mathematics Roland E. Larson and Robert P. Hostetler. Drs. Hostetler and Larson have co-authored three math text books in the past four years. They are currently- under con tract with. D.U. Heath for their fourth book, "Algebra and Trigonometry",. scheduled 'for publication in 1985. "Research", said Dr. Hostetler, "increases one's knowledge of the - field; writing improves one's method of presen tation of that knowledge. We both believe we are better teachers as a result of writing these texts." Dr. Irwin Reflects On El Salvador by Joe Olieeffe • reflected a "polarization of the 'Dr. Zachary Irwin, • Assistant world into communist and non- Professor of Political Science at communist camps." • . Behrend, spoke on the crisis of El "In the case of El Salvador, it is Salvador and its impact on the a matter of the-Salvadorans-be- U.S. He addressed the inevitable- ing backed by the Soviets. El comparisons to the U.S.'s in- . Salvador presents a problem in volvement there with that of the that "the line of adversaries gets war in Vietnam, and also discuss- stretched out." Dr. Irwin felt, ed the ramifications of the elec- because of the complexity in the lion that took place a few week support of the Salvadoran guer ago. - rillas, the connection of the Irwin felt that El Salvador was 'proxy actors' with the Soviets is not another Vietnam, even hard to identify, unlike the con though recent propaganda sug- filet in Vietnam. gests otherwise. Its geographic The role of the outside party in location, "America's doorstep," each conflict separates the cases as CIA\ Director William Casey of Vietnam and El Salvador into calls it, is the foremost distinc- two distinct struggles, because lion between itand the war in Soviet intervention differed Vietnam. America's viewpoint greatly in each. El Salvador's now, and in the dawning stages of --struggle is influenced by the rela the Vietnamese conflict remains Lions of the 'proxy actors' (Cuba a key issue in separating the two. and Nicaragua especially) to - the While the war in Vietnam Soviet Union, and America's began with little opposition in- relation to its European allies. In itially, some 20 years ago, "the the 1960'5, however, relations world in 1982 is entirely dif- with the superpowers played less ferent," Irwin felt. He added important roles in the war- in that, "In 1963, America's power, Vietnam. from the viewpoint of our Euro- "The - Vietnamese situation was pean allies, appeared more than a problem of conflict between adequate to satisfy their security distinct parts of the country each needs as well as those of South supported by outside powers. The Vietnam. Matters are seen dif- war was isolated from _ other in ferently now in Europe and ternational problems. El elsewhere. • Salvador's conflict is not isolated "Prolonged or armed - from America's domestic American involvement in the politics,- from Latin America,. or .• Caribbean would have potentially from other problems in the dangerous consequences for rela- world," the professor explained. - tons with the NATO allies." _ •- Irwin then went on to analyze Asked as to whether the the election's -principal can analogiesio Vietnam_ are drawn didates, President Jose Napoleon because each began as conflicts Duarte, the head of the leftist of similar circumstances (i.e., Christian Democrats, and Bober military advisors and millions of In D'Abuisson from the right: He economic aid. were sent), Irwin said that Duarte, the head - of the contended that the Vietnamese leftist Christian Democrats conflict was understood as a con- represents his people well and frontation between the U.S. and, relates well with other nations. indirectly, the Soviet Union and Duarte's p•roblem, that in thero- China. Views about the conflict fessor's view plagued him b e fore the elections, - was that "the opi- grace with thesea, so has Mother Nature fallen from grace with me. Maybe everyone will become as fed up as I am and see that the present Mother Nature is ousted. Might be a fine summer job, if you'll pardon the play on words. I'll say this: If = "Mother Nature" were my position, I'd give us all nine or ten months of spring and summer and only two or three months of mild winter. But then, who knows what I'd do. Power has a way of turning one cynical. Just for a joke, I'd probably hit different cities with" foot upon foot of snow. Come to think_of it ... Maybe I understand why she acts the way she does. There's no accounting for. anybody's taste in humor. by Thea Hyatt Three unsuccessful attempts to publish math texts precededtheir success with their first book, "Calculus . ." The first edition of "Calculus" was published in 1979, the second in 1982. Approximately 30,000 students enrolled in over 200 colleges in the United States and Canada are now using "Calculus". "Publishers are now contacting us -to write textbooks", said Hostetler and Larson. The two co-authors, and mathematics instructor David E. Heyd who wrote the exercises for "Calculus", are donating * the royalties from Behrend sales to a Grant-In-Aid fund. "All grants are Larson said, Behrend Briefs FROM PENN STATE PUBLIC RELATIONS DAVIS ESSAY- James M. ,Davis' essay "Alan Sillitoe" ' has been. accepted :for "Critical Surveys of Long Fic tion", a reference book published by Salem Press and edited by Walton Beacham at -Virginia Commonwealth University. The bookis scheduled to be published early next year. LANE PRESENTS LECTURE Benjamin A. Lane, Director of Admissions, recently presented a lecture on the poetry of Dylan awarded by the scholarship com mittee of the college. We do not take 'any part - in the decision. However, we did make two stipulations when the fund was established: Recipients must be Behrend students enrolled in one of the four majors of the Division of Natural Sciences arid Engineering, and the grants are to be awarded on the basis of academic achievement." "The current emphasis in scholarship programs is on finan cial need. • Although we believe students with financial need should, be assisted, we also believe academic excellence should be recognized," they added. nions of the . U.S. Congress may have been more important than the opinions of his own people." Despite being seen throughout the world as a political moderate, Duarte heads the military junta which is backed -by the U.S. Repeatedly has he tried to repress the mounting force of the revolutionaries from the right. Roberto D'Abuisson, bead of the rightest party is the cause of many fears in this country. After his visa to the U.S. was revoked, D'Abuisson remained a threat • even after 'he was forced to be deported as a undesirable. Irwin felt that the right party leader could very well "intensify the peasantry's discontent that con tinues to -plague the Central American nation." While the rightest party represents an amalgamated minority composed of several disunited groups of El Salvador's population, its following could grow if it could "stand up to the U.S. and also reject negotiation (with the left)." The election in El Salvador is not the conven tional voting for a legislature, but rather a constituent assembly hoping to create a new constitu tion. However, individuals like- D'Abuisson• present possible threats to this nation if they can successfully reject any negotia tion proces. Dr.. Irwin saw the U.S:'s military aid to El Salvador as potentially dangerous. "If the (Salvadoran) - peasantry favors the situation like that of Nicaragua, then military aid worsens the conflict since it (fur ther) leads' to death and violence." Yet he felt this administration hoped its aid would help procure a more stable and civilian government that geared its ef forts to the improvements of its peasant population. Thomas to the Cathedral League of Erie. The title of his talk was "Ravished Cherub: Dylan Thomas and the Eucharistic Im age." Mr. Lane's presentation dealt with Thomas' use of religious images, especially those associated with the celebra tion of the mass. ('Xf : O)I 3jSJ The first Penn State-Behrend Phonathon was a huge success! After the first week of calling, over $B,OOO was pledged by Behrend and Penn State alumni (the goal was $5,000). Total pledges exceeded the goal and amounted to $13,000. PAGE 3
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