PSH professor writes book on objectivity in the political
science classroom
By ALLISON MILLS
STAFF WRITER
MXA932@PSU.EDU
In the current age of objectivity,
politicians and voters accuse
media of promoting a political
bias, and media regularly
attack themselves on similar
charges of bias, but attention
may shift from biased media to
biased universities. Researchers
are exploring universities for
evidence of indoctrination, the
promotion of professors' personal
political agendas.
Penn State Harrisburg's Dr.
Matthew Woessner, Associate
Professor of Public Policy, has
been researching this topic
with his wife, Dr. April Kelly-
Woessner, a Political Science
professor at Elizabethtown
College. The Woessners wrote
a chapter in "Reforming the
Politically Correct University",
which comes out this year. The
Woessners are currently working
COMPETITION: Students proving to be the
brains behind the computer
Continued from page 1
Demarco has never competed
in the ICPC, but he has plenty
of experience with computers.
During the spring of 2007, he
helped redesign Penn State
Hershey Medical Center's Web
site. Now, he explained, the site
is more consistent and organized.
Demarco will graduate at the end
of this semester with a Bachelor's
degree in Computer science. He
practices three days a week for
the upcoming competition.
Christopher Jackson, a junior,
practices twice a week. He
makes up another three-person
team with Andy Anske and
James Hammond. His interest
in computers began in seventh
grade. Jackson applied to PSH
this year because of the low cost
and the "decent computer science
program," he claimed.
His education began at Rochester
on a book of their own, which
Dr. Matthew Woessner predicted
will be completed in the next
year or two
The Woessners began their
research by focusing on political
views in universities' faculties,
but for their book they broadened
their study to include opinions
and issues within universities,
using views from students,
faculty and administrators.
They are exploring issues
like politics, power struggles,
the purpose of universities,
and methods universities use
to reach educational goals.
Ultimately, the Woessner's
book will look at all different
perspectives to demonstrate the
formation of opinions, views
specific groups hold and the
most important controversies
that exist in academia, according
to Woessner.
The Woessners completed
research on why liberals have
a larger presence in graduate
Institute of Technology. The
regionals will also mark his first
experience with the ICPC.
A team from Penn State
Harrisburg has yet to attend a
final competition.
During the 2000 regional
competition, however, Penn
State Harrisburg took first place
out of 136 teams. Dr. Linda Null
coached the winning team.
Mr. Doug Heintzman, director of
strategy for IBM software group,
will host the final competition
in April 2009. He has been the
Sponsorship Executive of the
ICPC for six years and looks
forward this "battle of the brains"
each year.
"We see participants from China,
Eastern Europe, Australia...and it
is very exciting to see everyone
get together in one place,"
Heintzman explained.
The ICPC was organized 33
years ago by the Association
for Computing Machinery
Dr. Woessner and his wife, Dr. April Kelly-Woessner, are work
ing on a book to be released within the next couple of years.
school than conservatives, which Liberals do not necessarily
they published in their chapter get better grades, enjoy college
in the upcoming "Reforming the more, or maintain closer
Politically Correct University." relationships with professors than
(ACM). Since then, the amount
of participants has grown
significantly. Students from
2,000 universities across 90
countries will compete. Only
300 individuals will make it to
the final round in Stockholm.
Last year, St. Petersburg State
University of Optics and
Mechanics took the world's
smartest trophy.
Winning teams gain an amazing
experience through their hard
work as well as tremendous
career opportunities, Heintzman
emphasized. IBM, the ICPC
sponsor, will gain the world's
smartest recruits. Heintzman
also explained how the benefits
of the competition may reach
even farther.
"There are big challenges
facing the world, and it will take
hard work and excellence to face
these challenges. So that's why
we do this," he said.
Cell phones, now an everyday
item, turn 25
By WILLS KING
STAFF WRITER
WPKSOO4@PSU.EDU
The next time you take a step
outside of your home, take a quick
check to see what you are carrying
in your pocket. The three most
common items you will find is a
wallet, keys,and a cell phone.
The birth of the cell phone was
on Oct. 13, 1983, and it has since
gone on an incredible growth spurt.
Just one quarter of a century later,
cell phone subscriptions across
the world total over 3.3 billion,
or just over half of the human
population. With the convenience
of having communication handy
at all times, the cell phone has
opened a world of possibilities for
this generation.
"Without the cell phone in
everyday life, it just becomes hard
to function," said Tamzid Mahfuz,
a 20 year old native of Miami, Fl.
"It's weird to think that we used to
have to remember numbers and ask
people to use their house phones."
conservatives said Woessner.
"We know that conservatives
are more practically oriented.
They are more likely to go into
fields that do not require Ph.D.'s
like criminal justice or business.
They are more interested in
earning higher incomes and more
interested in raising a family,"
said Woessner.
Woessner believes these values
could account for lower numbers
of conservatives with doctorates.
"All of the traits which we
associate with getting Ph.D.'s,
conservatives tend to lack,
which makes liberals more
emotionally and perhaps even
practically oriented toward
getting a doctorate and serving
in academia," said Woessner.
If more conservative professors
existed, numbers of conservatives
attending graduate school would
Please see POLITICS
on page 5
Text messaging, contacts lists,
and call history provides us with
tools that make it hard to remember
how we ever lived without them.
From the earlier versions of the
cell phone, such as the Motorola
DynaTAC 8000 x, which weighed
almost two pounds and cost nearly
$4,000, to the sleek modern day
version, has been evolving as
fast as the society it has been
introduced to. Some people now
use the cell phone for calls less than
they use it for other applications.
"I think most people nowadays
use it more for text messaging
than anything else," said Mahfuz.
"It makes it really convenient to
communicate without having to
call."
Texting, music playing, video
recording, internet browsing and
picture taking are all within the
realm of possibility.
"There is not a chance I could
go back to not having a phone,"
laughed Mahfuz. "How we used
to live without it, I have no idea."