Prof says Mexican expatriates will play large role in presidential race

"Just because someone lacks citizenship doesn't mean they lack a voice," says James McCann, a professor of political science, who has surveyed more than 1,200 Mexican immigrants in Indiana and other states. "My research has found that even though many in this population are relative newcomers to the United States and most lack citizenship, they are fairly attentive to American politics, especially with issues related to immigration."

Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service and the university's College of Liberal Arts are sponsoring a pair of video broadcasts to help Indiana residents better understand the state's changing demographics. "The Basics on Immigration" takes place 6:30-8:45 p.m. Oct. 22 and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 29. The Web-based broadcasts can be viewed at seven Purdue Extension offices across Indiana and are free and open to the public.

Margaret Edson

Edson will lecture on several scenes of her award-winning play at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall. Performers from Purdue Theatre will act out scenes during Edson's talk. A book signing follows at 9 p.m., said event co-organizer Julie Nagel, managing director of Discovery Park's Oncological Sciences Center.

The show, which is divided into four segments, is produced by Raymond Cubberley, director of Broadcast Services in the Office of Marketing and Media. The program is produced every six months, with each covering Purdue happenings from half of the year. The program is narrated by Kathy Bruni of Purdue Convocations.

"A recent update from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed a 128 million bushel increase in U.S. corn production for the 2008 crop," said Chris Hurt, Purdue Extension agricultural economist. "This means that supplies are not as tight as we thought, which will result in lower prices, so feed usage will be up, but with oil prices coming down, the USDA lowered its estimate of corn used for ethanol."

Anesthesia breathing circuit

TAP, which works with companies and health-care providers to improve performance and enhance the quality of life for Indiana citizens, is a partnership among Purdue and the state and local communities.

Krannert's Dauch Center for the Management of Manufacturing Enterprises and the Global Supply Chain Management Initiative are sponsoring the daylong operations conference.

Jose Zayas, manager of the Sandia Laboratories Wind Energy Technology Department, and Mark Rumsey, also of the department, will give an overview of wind energy and related issues at 6 p.m. Oct. 22 in Armstrong Hall of Engineering, Room 1010.

The method offers a potential solution to problems that might be created by increasing production of ethanol with conventional methods, which use corn grain as a feedstock. Boosting ethanol production with conventional methods would require additional crops and heavy fertilizer use, increasing runoff into waterways and threatening ecosystems.

"The percentage still seeking employment is the lowest it's been in recent years," said Dale Whittaker, director of academic programs and associate dean of agriculture. "We think that's because of the strong demand for our graduates among employers and growth in the number of persons seeking advanced degrees."

James Almond

Almond will serve while the university conducts a national search for a successor to Morgan R. Olsen, who has been named executive vice president, treasurer and CFO at Arizona State University.

Ben Stein

Richard A. Cosier, Krannert School dean and Leeds Professor of Management, and Purdue Provost Randy Woodson also will speak at the event, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Purdue Memorial Union. Tickets are sold out.

The deadline for applications is Nov. 19. The Humanigration trip was created to immerse participants in the immigrant experience and to develop a perspective on immigration and other issues such as globalization, said Maricela Alvarado, director of the Latino Cultural Center.

The Purdue Regional Visualization and Analytics Center and Purdue Homeland Security Institute in Discovery Park are leading the university program, now in its second year, through a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Six members of the newly elected class will address their colleagues at the induction ceremony: PepisCo Chairman and CEO Indra K. Nooyi; trailblazing mathematician and hedge fund leader James Simons; biochemist and Merck Research Laboratories President Peter S. Kim; Harvard economist Susan Athey; and historian and Emory University Provost Earl Lewis will speak. Soprano Dawn Upshaw will perform. During the program, the Academy will also present its Scholar-Patriot Award in honor of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who was elected a Fellow of the Academy in 2002.

"The question we don't know is how deep the recession will be and low long it will last," says Sugato Chakravarty, a professor and head of the Department of Consumer Sciences and Retailing.

Students in Purdue University's Engineering Projects in Community Service program, helped by a $100,000 grant from the Ford Motor Co. Fund, will partner with Lafayette Habitat for Humanity to build a home in Reynolds, Ind., that uses standards for environmentally friendly and energy efficient buildings.

The goal of the Center for Energy Systems and Policy is to find solutions to global energy problems through multidisciplinary research.

Money Smart Week, held Oct. 11-18, is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The week is filled with free workshops and activities designed to help people of all ages spend, save and borrow wisely and to make them aware of the community entities that can help them do so.

Created in 1995, the Hall of Fame highlights the contributions of Stanford's alumni of color. Córdova, who graduated cum laude from the university with a bachelor's degree in English, was nominated by El Centro Chicano, Stanford's Chicano and Latino organization.

"Fast Track te Informa" will air regularly at 6:30 p.m. on Friday , then repeat at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday on Comcast's Channel 5.

Economists from Purdue's Department of Agricultural Economics, Krannert School of Management, and the Department of Consumer Sciences and Retailing said the $700 billion federal bailout package should provide short-term help for lenders but won't cure the nation's economic ills. They prescribed tighter regulation of the banking industry and derivatives markets, combined with a culture that saves more and spends less.

The Faculty Early Career Development awards range from $300,000-$500,000 in research funding over four or five years. About 400 researchers win the awards annually.

Classroom Business Enterprise is an economic and entrepreneurship program for elementary and middle schools in 14 north-central Indiana counties. The program provides teachers the training and tools to teach students the basics of starting businesses. As part of the educational experience, students will operate their own classroom businesses.

The Dolores McCall Pet Tribute Garden is located adjacent to the entrance to the school's small animal hospital. The dedication, which will be held at 4 p.m. at the Lynn Hall of Veterinary Medicine, is free and open to the public.