Spectrum - Volume 20 Issue 29 April 23, 1998 - CALENDAR

A non-profit publication of the Office of the University Relations of Virginia Tech,
including The Conductor , a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year


CALENDAR

Spectrum Volume 20 Issue 29 - April 23, 1998

Events
Thursday, 23
Take Our Daughters to Work Day , 11:30 a.m., Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center. Call 1-7806.
Art Gallery Opening , noon, Armory Gallery: Student art exhibition. Through 5-9.
Dean of Students Office Brown Bag Lunch , noon-1 p.m., Squires Multicultural Center: "Enhancing Our Environment," by Monte Boison.
Science/Technology Studies Lunch Discussion , 12:30 p.m., 132 Lane: "Science and Technology in the Media."
TAUT Production , 8 p.m., Squires Studio Theatre: "The Love of the Nightingale."
Friday, 24
Service-Learning Expo , 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Squires Student Center: Featuring outstanding projects from the 1997/98 academic year.
International Club Meeting , 5 p.m., Cranwell Center: Pizza and movie "Tampopo" (Japanese comedy).
Earth Day Activity , 5:30-10 p.m., Henderson Lawn: Earthstock (free live concert).
VTU Film , 7 p.m., Squires Haymarket: "Good Will Hunting" (second show at 9:30 p.m.).
Music Department Concert , 8 p.m., Squires Haymarket Theatre: The New Virginians.
Saturday, 25
VTMNH Activity , Natural History Museum: "Fossil Finders." Call 1-3001.
VTU Film , 7 p.m., Squires Haymarket: "Good Will Hunting" (second show at 9:30 p.m.).
Music Department Concert , 8 p.m., Squires Recital Salon: Early Music Ensemble.
Sunday, 26
YMCA Hike , 1:30 p.m., meet at Y parking lot: Falls Ridge (moderate).
Student Recital , 8 p.m., Squires Recital Salon: Noelle Mooney, voice.
Tuesday, 28
Faculty Senate Meeting , 7 p.m., 32 Pamplin.
Music Department Concert , 8 p.m., Squires Recital Salon: Low Brass Ensemble.
Wednesday, 29
Classes End.
Copyright Coursepack Material Due for Summer II `98 .
Organization of Women Faculty Lunch , noon-1 p.m., Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center. Call 1-8163.
"With Good Reason," 7 p.m., WVTF: Douglas Gordon, CNU, and Donald McCaig, NPR, discuss "man's best friend"; Heather Servaty, Radford, talks about coping with pet loss.
Music Department Concert , Squires Haymarket Theatre: University Jazz Ensemble.
Thursday, 30
Reading Day.
Seminars
Thursday, 23
Statistics , 3:45 p.m., 409 Hutcheson: "Optimal Experimental Designs for the Poisson Exponential Model," by Jennifer W. Huffman.
Chemical Engineering , 4 p.m., 331 Randolph: "Extensional Rheometry and the Fluid Dynamics of Filament Stretching Rheometers," by Gareth H. McKinley, MIT.
Entomology , 4 p.m., 220 Price: Grayson Award winners' presentations.
Geological Sciences , 4 p.m., 2044 Derring: "Measuring Hydraulic Conductivity in Multiple-Scale Geologic Media," by Susan Colarullo, SUNY-Buffalo.
Friday, 24
VISC , noon, 654 Whittemore: "Traffic Models for Integrated Services Networks," by Carl Minton.
MCBB , noon, Fralin auditorium: "Regulation of Transcription," by Richard Ebright, Rutgers.
Geological Sciences , noon, 2044 Derring: "It's the Little Things that Matter: Upscaling of Small-Scale Geologic Variation," by Susan Colarullo, SUNY-Buffalo.
Communication Studies , 3:30-4:30 p.m., Hillcrest honors conference room: "When is Publication of a Copyrighted Image Both Necessary and `Fair'?: The `Video History of Television Talk' Project," by Buddy Timberg, Radford.
Economics , 3:30-5 p.m., 3008 Pamplin: "Estimating the Bias Due to Measurement Error in the Economic Returns to Schooling: Evidence from the 1990 February Current Population Survey," by William Rodgers, William and Mary.
Botany , 4 p.m., 1084 Derring: "Analysis of Substrate Specificity Catalytically Active Recombinant Plant [Monocot] ß-glucosidases in E. coli ," by Muzaffer Cicek.
Monday, 27
Horticulture , 4 p.m., 409 Saunders: "Derivation and Comparison of Androgenic and Gynogenic Monoplaid Potato Families," by Rebecca Cutright.
Wednesday, 29
Science/Technology Studies Choices/Challenges , 7:30 p.m., Blacksburg Public Library: "Selling Our Cells," by Jonathan Zackey.
Bulletins
Russian study tour for faculty and staff members
A 15-day Russian Study Tour for faculty and staff members is scheduled for June 27-July 12. The program will be based at Moscow State University and provides an opportunity to faculty and staff members to increase their knowledge of inter-cultural communications and to enrich their course materials by experiencing the new Russia. The tour includes visits to Russia's three largest cities: the capital city of Moscow, the old capital of St.Petersburg, and Niznij Novgorod, the oldest trade city.
The cost for the tour is $2,600 (includes roundtrip airfare Washington D.C.-Moscow, lodging, excursions, and visa fee). An informational meeting will be held in 327 Major Williams 327 today at 5:30 p.m.
For more information, contact imakovee@vt.edu (Irina E. Makoveeva).
Jessen to speak on urban planning in Europe
Johann Jessen, professor of urban and regional planning, University of Stuttgart, will make a presentation titled "Large-scale Urban Developments: The European Perspective" on Tuesday, April 28 from 3:30-5 p.m. in 154 Squires.
This is an opportunity for students and faculty and staff members to learn about urban-planning strategies in France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. Jessen's visit is sponsored by the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning's speaker series. For more information, call Ted Koebel at 1-3993.
Registration still open for summer sessions
It is still possible to register for summer sessions, including Maymester and on-line summer courses. Students can submit course request forms (form B) to the registrar through April 24. After that, students can use drop/add to register beginning April 27. Registration is permitted through the start of classes each session. Visiting (non-degree) students as well as continuing Virginia Tech students may attend summer sessions.
The university will offer about 700 courses in two six-week sessions on campus, plus several 12-week courses, 16 Maymester courses (May 11-June 5), and 20 on-line summer courses. Several math and computer science courses for undergraduates will be taught at the Northern Virginia (Graduate) Center in Falls Church.
Detailed information, links, and forms are available on the web at http://www.summer.vt.edu .
Pasteur Institute scientist to speak at VMRCVM
Moncef Zouali, director of research at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France will speak on human auto-immune disorders at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine on April 27 from noon until 1 p.m.
Zouali will present a seminar entitled "Molecular events that shape human B-cell development--Role of Microbial Superantigens" in the college's Heritage Room. The seminar is sponsored by the college's Office of Research and Graduate studies and is open to members of the university community.
"Fossil Finders" program offered at VTMNH
On the fourth Saturday of each month, the Virginia Tech Museum of Natural History hosts a Saturday Science program for children and their parents. Museum volunteers direct fun-filled activities involving science and nature.
The next program is "Fossil Finders" and will be held on April 25 from 11 a.m.-noon. The museum is located at 428 N. Main Street in Blacksburg. Enrollment is limited to 20. Pre-registration is required by 5 p.m. the Thursday preceding the program. Admission is free. Call 1-3001.
Employees eligible for free medical screening
This summer and fall our employees and their adult family members are eligible to participate in the CommonHealth medical screening. The purpose of the medical screening is to identify potential lifestyle-related health risks before they become a problem. All information is confidential to the participant.
All employees (including part-time and wage) are encouraged to participate. The medical screening process has been streamlined for 1998 with some of the highlights including: registration through the mail; lifestyle questionnaire cut in half; one 30-minute appointment with instant cholesterol results; and screenings held in 15 buildings across campus.
Employees are allowed to complete the lifestyle questionnaire and attend the 30-minute appointment without the use of any type of leave. There will be a variety of days and times scheduled for participation to prevent disruption of departmental operations.
All faculty and staff members will receive a promotional brochure with instructions on how to participate. Employees are encouraged to complete this valuable part of the wellness program.
Statistical Consulting Center announces availability
The Statistical Consulting Center's last day to accept new clients for spring semester is Friday, April 24. The first day to accept new clients for first summer session will be on Monday, May 18.
Hebrew language and culture class added for fall
This fall, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures is offering a new three-credit foreign language culture course, "Introduction to Hebrew Language and Culture," FL 2984 (#9229). Classes will be held from 7-8:20 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays in 532 Major Williams.
The course is designed for learners interested in the development of basic language proficiency and cultural knowledge. It is intended for novice learners with little or no previous experience in the language.
Besides class meetings, the course involves a supplementary self-instructional component, possibly including the use of e-mail and the Internet. The goal of the course is to enable learners to reach the level of novice-mid proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. (Does not meet the foreign-language requirement.)
Kingston to appear on the Discovery Channel
ABC Discovery News will air a news report on the Discovery Channel Friday, April 24, at 9 p.m., in connection with Earth Day (April 22). The report will be on bio-diversity loss and will feature an interview with David Kingston, professor of chemistry, by ABC staff reporter Lynn Harris.
Reinholtz to give engineering lecture
"Engineering Education and Applied Scholarship," a distinguished professorship lecture, will be offered on Thursday, April 30, at 4:30 p.m. in Hancock auditorium.
Mechanical engineering professor Charles Reinholtz, who holds the W.S. White chair for innovation in engineering education, will deliver the lecture. The chair was endowed by American Electric Power in honor of W.S. "Pete" White, a Tech alumnus and former chief executive officer of the company.
Giovanni class to present poetry `recital'
In the spirit of hands-on learning that characterizes her classes, Nikki Giovanni has scheduled a year-end poetry reading by the students in her Advanced Poetry class Tuesday, April 28, 5-6 p.m. in the Music Room of the University Club.
"A reading for poets is like a recital for musical students," Giovanni said. "You need to hear yourself to see how the poetry flows."
Each of the 26 students from her class will read one poem of his or her choice. "All poetry lovers and friends of young poets are welcome to join us," Giovanni said.
Also, the students in the class pooled their money to plant four trees in the Dr. Seuss Lorax Forest in honor of their love of Dr. Seuss and the joy his books brought. Each student contributed 40 cents to purchase the four trees in the name of the class.
The Dr. Seuss Lorax Forest is located in South Carolina and is part of American Forests's GLOBAL ReLEAF 2000 program, which replants forest lands that have been damaged by natural and human causes.
English Language Institute offers classes
The English Language Institute, a unit of the Division of Continuing Education at Virginia Tech, will offer a full schedule of English-language classes beginning May 19, for international students, scholars, and members of the community. Classes will include pronunciation, conversation, composition and grammar as well as TOEFL preparation. Classes cover all levels of proficiency.
Placement and registration will be held Monday, May 18, beginning at 9 a.m. at 620 North Main Street, Room 303 in Blacksburg. Registrants should bring their passport, I-20 form, and health-insurance card.
Most classes meet weekdays through June 26 with a holiday May 23-25.
For more information, contact Judith Snoke, director of the Virginia Tech Language Institute, at 1-6963 or e-mail her at eslsnoke@vt.edu . Application forms for F-1 student visas can be obtained by contacting Snoke or by visiting the institute's homepage at http://www.vt.edu:10021/E/eslsnoke/homepage.html .