News digest

Purdue News Summary

May 5, 2008

This digest contains summaries of the following stories from Purdue News Service and Agricultural Communication Service. All these stories, and more, are available on the Web.

RESEARCH NEWS AND SPECIAL REPORTS

Imaging yields insights into 'nanomedicine' for cancer treatment

**Polymer micelle**

Purdue researchers have discovered a possible new pathway for antitumor drugs to kill cancer cells and proposed how to improve the design of tiny drug-delivery particles for use in "nanomedicine." The synthetic "polymer micelles" are drug-delivery spheres that harbor drugs in their inner core and contain an outer shell made of a material called polyethylene glycol.

Purdue to install Big Ten's biggest campus computer in just a day

The largest supercomputer on a Big Ten campus will be installed at Purdue in a single-day, electronic "barn-raising." More than 200 employees will gather Monday (May 5) to help build the massive machine, which will be about the size of a semitrailer when installed. It will be the largest Big Ten supercomputer that is not part of a national center.

**Nanotube attached to a 'microcantilever'**

Researchers at Purdue are the first to precisely measure the forces required to peel tiny nanotubes off of other materials, opening up the possibility of creating standards for nano-manufacturing and harnessing a gecko's ability to walk up walls. So-called "peel tests" are used extensively in manufacturing. Knowing how much force is needed to pull a material off of another material is essential for manufacturing, but no tests exist for nanoscale structures, said Arvind Raman, an associate professor of mechanical engineering.

GENERAL INTEREST NEWS

Purdue graduates to take part in commencement ceremonies

Purdue will award degrees at five campuses and seven College of Technology locations throughout Indiana during commencement ceremonies in May.

Purdue commencement ceremonies to be shown live on TV, Webcast

Purdue's four commencement ceremonies on May 9-11 will be broadcast live for television and Internet audiences. Ceremonies are scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday (May 9) for the colleges of Education and Engineering; 9:30 a.m. Saturday (May 10) for the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, School of Management and College of Science; and 2:30 p.m. for the colleges of Agriculture and Liberal Arts; and 9:30 a.m. Sunday (May 11) for the College of Technology and schools of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences.

College of Technology at Columbus awards its first bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering technology

The Purdue College of Technology at Columbus will award its first bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering technology at its graduation ceremony Tuesday (May 6). Commencement ceremonies are at 6 p.m. at Columbus Learning Center auditorium, where 39 degrees will be conferred.

CERIAS ranked as nation's top information security program

A private company that measures faculty productivity has ranked Purdue's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Technology the nation's top university program in information security.

**Ericsson cycle air conditioning system**

Rising energy costs and environmental concerns are boosting interest in air conditioning and refrigeration conferences July 14-17 at Purdue, drawing hundreds of researchers from around 30 countries. The conferences, held every two years, have drawn about 10 percent more technical abstracts this year, largely because of special sessions focusing on energy-conserving technologies.

Purdue's solar vehicle beats competition in Eco-marathon Americas

A team of Purdue students finished first in the solar category of the 2008 Shell Eco-marathon Americas held in April at the California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The event drew 300 students on 32 teams from four high schools and 23 universities from Canada, Mexico and the United States. The teams had to design, build and drive a vehicle the farthest distance using the least amount of fuel.

Cook County prosecutor to speak at cyberforensics conference

A Chicago-area prosecutor will be one of the keynote speakers at the inaugural Mobile Forensics World conference May 8-10 in Chicago, sponsored by Purdue. Kathleen Muldoon, an assistant state's attorney for Cook County, Ill., State's Attorney's Office sex crimes division, will talk at 9:15 a.m. May 10 at the O'Hare Marriott.

Purdue professor featured in Mike Wallace book

Purdue researcher Nancy Ho is among 60 of the world's leading scientists, writers, artists, business and civic leaders whose essays were published in a new book edited by veteran TV journalist Mike Wallace. Ho is a research professor in the School of Chemical Engineering and a senior research scientist in the university's Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering.

**Vincent Bralts**

Nuclear engineering is becoming a hot career thanks to concerns over global warming, greenhouse gases and pollution. "While the demand is mounting, we have a shortage of nuclear engineers," said Vincent Bralts, interim head of Purdue's School of Nuclear Engineering. "The shortage is exacerbated by the fact many of those in the field are now retiring."

**Last gourmet burger lunch**

With students increasingly demanding restaurant-style eating on campus, Purdue University Residences closed the last of its traditional residence hall cafeterias on Friday (May 2). The 50-year-old, 210-seat Tarkington Hall Dining Room closed to make way for a 500-seat standalone dining court that will open this summer just south of the Tarkington-Wiley residence hall complex.

Enrollment hits all-time high for College of Technology at Lafayette

A record number of students have enrolled in classes the past two semesters at the Purdue College of Technology's location at Lafayette, officials have reported. Jon Aull, location director for the College of Technology at Indianapolis and Lafayette, said enrollments reached all-time highs in both the fall 2007 and spring 2008 semesters.

Free eye exams available for service dogs at Purdue veterinary hospital

Purdue's School of Veterinary Medicine will offer free eye exams May 12-16 for active working dogs. The exams will be available at the Small Animal Hospital to service dogs for the blind, assistance dogs for the handicapped, police dogs and specially trained search-and-rescue dogs. Dogs must be active "working dogs" in their service area and certified through a formal training program or organization to qualify for the free exam.

Operation Purple Camp marches into Purdue

Purdue has been chosen as a host site for an Operation Purple Camp, a free national summer camp program aimed at offering support in a fun and exciting atmosphere to the children of military families. The camp, created by the National Military Family Association, will take place June 1-7.

AGRICULTURAL NEWS

Three Purdue specialists to speak at 2008 fruit growers meeting

Central Indiana tree fruit and small fruit growers will have the opportunity to meet and discuss fruit production at Anderson Orchard in Mooresville on Thursday (May 8) during the Central Indiana Commercial Fruit Growers Twilight Meeting. The free event, sponsored by the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service, will begin at 5:30 p.m., and participants will tour the orchard to see the development of the new season's crops and learn methods for the production of high quality fruit.

Purdue Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center wins award

An interdisciplinary group of specialists that lead the Purdue Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center has won the university's 2008 Agriculture Team Award. Begun in 1986, the diagnostic center is recognized throughout the Midwest for its hands-on approach to teach the art and science of diagnosing and dealing with crop problems.

NEWS ABOUT PURDUE PEOPLE

Appointments, honors and activities

-- Julie Hendon named director of membership for Purdue Alumni Association

-- Jessica Teets new electronic media content specialist

-- Purdue-led team of experts to promote benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids

-- James S. Remick receives College of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award

-- Ray Kavanaugh to receive lifetime achievement award from National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

**France A. Córdova**

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has elected Purdue President France A. Córdova to its 2008 Class of Fellows. The academy, one of the nation's oldest honorary societies and independent policy research centers, draws its members from the sciences, arts and humanities, business, public affairs, and the nonprofit sector. This year, 190 new fellows and 22 foreign honorary members were elected. An induction ceremony for the new class will be held Oct. 11 at the Academy's headquarters in Cambridge, Mass.

Elementary book distribution honors memory of Purdue professor

Faculty and staff from Purdue's College of Education will distribute books to first-graders in the third annual effort to honor the memory of a literacy and language professor. Susan Nierstheimer, an assistant professor, died in 2005 after a two-year battle with cancer.

Purdue to award 12 honorary degrees during spring commencements

Purdue will award 12 honorary doctoral degrees during May commencement ceremonies at the university's campuses in West Lafayette and Fort Wayne. Ten honorees will be honored during four ceremonies May 9-11 at Purdue's Elliott Hall of Music on the West Lafayette campus. Two will be honored at the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne commencement May 14 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

Purdue Bass Fishing Club wins Big Ten championship

A group of Purdue students involved in the Bass Fishing Club took home the Big Ten title during a recent tournament at Lake Maxinkuckee, near Culver, Ind. The win marks the fourth Big Ten title for the Purdue club.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Purdue Galleries exhibit to show precious metal clay objects, jewelry

**'Small Vessels'**

During the summer, Purdue Galleries will feature a glittering array of contemporary objects and jewelry. "57/1: Artists from the Premier Edition of the PMC Guild Annual" will be presented May 12 to Aug. 1 in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery in the Purdue Memorial Union.

OTHER ITEMS

Purdue police charge man with residential entry

Purdue police charged a man with breaking into a residence at a West State Street apartment complex Thursday (May 1) evening. Jacob Engberts, 24, a senior from Terre Haute, Ind., in the College of Liberal Arts, was charged with residential entry, a Class D felony.

Reporters Calendar

-- Transportation summit to focus on partnership-based solutions

-- Marketing guru, former White House adviser to speak at manufacturing summit

-- Purdue president to visit Vincennes, Crane

-- ROTC students to be commissioned during ceremony

-- Purdue graduates to take part in commencement ceremonies

-- Biofuels symposium to highlight sustainability, policy issues

-- Operation Purple summer camp marches into Purdue

NEWS TIPS

Businesses expected to take action in wake of higher fuel costs

Oil prices spiraling to a record $119 a barrel will spur businesses to compensate for higher operating costs, says a Purdue economist. Businesses will consider ways to cut fuel and energy consumption, along with lowering delivery costs, says Gerald J. Lynch, a professor in Purdue's Krannert School of Management.

Purdue expert says U.S. has low risk of receiving contaminated drugs

A Purdue expert says distribution of contaminated pharmaceuticals in the United States is a concern, but an individual's risk of receiving such a drug is very low. "Tragic events such as the recent deaths and illnesses caused by contaminated heparin are alarming, but are extremely rare," says Stephen R. Byrn, the Charles B. Jordan Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and head of the Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy. "The majority of drugs distributed in the United States contain elements manufactured outside the country. There is a rigorous regulatory and testing process before these elements are incorporated into a final drug product."

Spring a good time to vaccinate dogs for Lyme disease prevention

As temperatures warm and dogs spend more time outdoors, it's a good time to think about protecting them from a potentially fatal tick-borne disease, says the director of the Purdue Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. "Lyme disease tends to spread during warm-weather months," says Leon Thacker. "Cases are more prevalent in northern Midwest states and in the northeastern United States, but there are cases reported just about everywhere in the country."

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