From the Dean

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy? Not in the College of Science! The dress code may be casual, but we’re as busy as ever.

You can always tell it’s summertime at Purdue when you see scores of middle school and high school students scurrying around campus for a variety of experiences that reinforce their science skills in fun and entertaining ways. Computer Science campers built and programmed Lego robots and constructed Web sites. Middle schoolers in the M2S3P (Motivation and Momentum to Strive and Succeed in Science Program) camp spent a week learning about “the little things among us”—from nanoscience to bacteria—while those coming for ScienceScape later this month will explore the solar system and take a “mission” to Mars. The Summer Biology Experience in June and July offers high school students two weeks of challenging lab and field work in the biological sciences, giving them insights into important synergies.

While students are having fun in our camps, many of their teachers will come to campus this month for a two-week workshop on Standards-Based Integrated Science Instruction (SISI). The workshop is part of a year-long program to help teachers incorporate inquiry learning in their classrooms.

This is also the time of year when our incoming freshmen come to campus to get a start on their Purdue careers. “Day On Campus” (which is actually 15 days for us!) is one very busy day for each student, in which he or she meets an advisor, registers for classes, gets a Purdue ID and computer account, checks out the residence halls, and begins learning how to tell one red brick building from another.

Summer is also a favorite time for faculty and students to immerse themselves in research. I hope you enjoyed our inaugural issue of Insights, the new College of Science magazine, which painted a striking picture of some of our research accomplishments. We can look forward to many more featured in future issues. Much of our research has to do with the four new Discovery Park centers being inaugurated this summer. You’ll read about the first one—the Center for the Environment—in this issue of Science@Purdue.

The new Richard and Patricia Lawson Computer Science building is quickly taking shape across the street from the current Computer Science building and is on schedule to open by Fall 2006. We’re so excited to see the building going up that we don’t complain about the closed streets and detours created by the construction—not much, anyway! You can watch the building’s progress via online web cam.

I hope you all had a happy and safe Independence Day weekend. As we reflect upon our nation’s heritage, let’s keep in mind our military personnel overseas and the sacrifices they’re making on our behalf. Have a great summer!

Best regards,

Jeff Vitter

SCIENCE PEOPLE

Jean Chmielewski named Distinguished Professor

The Purdue Board of Trustees on June 30 approved the appointment of Chemistry Professor Jean Chmielewski as the Alice Watson Kramer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. Designated professorships honor individuals whose achievements in scholarship or research have been internationally recognized or who have made a unique contribution to the university through scholarship, research, teaching or leadership functions. Full story.

Ian Shipsey to co-organize national meeting

Physics Professor Ian Shipsey has been selected to co-organize the meeting of the National Academies EPP 2010 Committee (“Elementary Particle Physics in the 21st Century”) meeting at Cornell University on August 2-3. The meeting is part of the committee’s in-depth assessment of elementary particle physics and development of a 15-year plan for the field. More information.

Jennifer Hovis wins Showalter Grant Award

Jennifer Hovis, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, received a 2005 Showalter Grant Award for her proposal “Understanding the Molecular Basis of Parkinson’s Disease.” Purdue has received research funding through grants from the Ralph W. and Grace M. Showalter Research Trust Fund since 1975.

Computer Science graduate student wins Intel Fellowship

Computer Science graduate student Ethan Blanton was one of 5 Purdue graduate students awarded a 2005-06 Intel Fellowship. The fellowship includes a cash award, access to an Intel technologist who serves as a mentor to help guide the research, an Intel architecture-based laptop computer from the Intel Corporation, an invitation to the Fellowship Forum at Intel in October, and the opportunity to participate in an internship at Intel. Full story.

SCIENCE NEWS AND RESEARCH

New Discovery Park center announced

Purdue announced on June 30 the formation of the Center for the Environment, the first of four centers at Discovery Park created with $10 million in seed funding from the Lilly Endowment. More than 200 Purdue researchers—including 13 from the College of Science—have joined forces to create the center to help businesses operate profitably while using sound, sustainable environmental practices. Members of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center will also work closely with the new center. Full story.

Physicists clarify exotic force, but no ‘Theory of Everything’ yet

A group led by Physics professor Ephraim Fischbach has conducted experiments showing that gravity behaves exactly as Isaac Newton predicted, even at small scales. In the process of the experiment, the team has measured another force that is more influential on small objects than gravity itself. Their precise observations of this Casimir force could make life easier for nanotechnologists, whose tiny creations will be subject to its effects. Full story.

Purdue-designed Web server wins competition

A Web server designed and maintained by Biological Sciences and Computer Science Professor Daisuke Kihara’s lab won a competition held at the International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology in June. The server won over notable entries from UCLA, UCSF, the Burnham Institute, and the European Bioinformatics Institute at EMBL. Full story.

Software assurance company Arxan Technologies expands its commercial division

Arxan Technologies Inc. announced plans to make its proven software protection technology more widely available for a variety of commercial applications. Arxan Technologies develops anti-tampering software designed to reduce piracy, hacking and reverse-engineering by making code capable of defending and healing itself. Dr. Mike Atallah, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, a co-founder of Arxan Inc. Full story.

New Science magazine is here!

The inaugural issue of Insights, the new College of Science magazine, has been mailed to our faculty, staff, alumni, and friends. To read Insights online click here.

PURDUE NEWS

Purdue scientists may have found key to spinal cord damage

Researchers in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering may have isolated the substance most responsible for the tissue damage that follows initial spinal cord injury, a discovery that could also improve treatments for a host of other neurodegenerative conditions. Full story.

Purdue gives youths chance to lead in summit at Indiana Black Expo

Purdue University is sponsoring a three-day youth summit beginning July 15 at the Indiana Black Expo in Indianapolis for 300 youths who will come from all over the state to discuss issues that dominate their lives and to make plans for their future. The theme for the summit is “When I am 35, I Want To Be Healthy Wealthy and Wise.” It will combine workshops, seminars and training for students from primarily urban areas. Full story.

Research Park named one of Indiana’s Keepers

After asking Hoosiers to name the state’s businesses, corporations and organizations whose absence would do Indiana the most harm, Indy Men’s Magazine and Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick released the list of “Indiana’s 25 Keepers: Keeping Good Company.” The Purdue Research Park placed No. 7 on the list. Full story.

SCIENCE EVENTS AND CALENDAR

Middle school campers get hands-on science experience

Seventeen middle school students spent a week learning about “the little things around us” in biology, chemistry, physics, and math in the Motivation and Momentum to Strive and Succeed in Science Program (M2S3P) 2005 Summer Camp. Director of Multicultural Programs Zenephia Evans and her staff kept the campers busy, but also made sure they had lots of fun. For pictures from this year’s camp and more information on Multicultural Programs, click here.

Computer Science camps draw students from all over

Campers had a blast at the 2005 Computer Science Summer Camps! Middle-school aged campers came from all over Indiana, locally, and even from Georgia and California to get in on the CS action. Purdue Computer Science K-12 Outreach Coordinator Mindy Hart saw return campers wanting more CS as well as newbies just waiting to design their first web page. Full story.

Indiana Black Expo, July 7-17

ScienceScape, July 17-23

Linking Mathematics and Computer Science Workshop for teachers, July 27-29

Minneapolis River Cruise Science Alumni Reception at Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM), August 9

Purdue Day at the Indiana State Fair, August 18

20th Anniversary celebration of Actuarial Science Club, September 9

Science Events

Science Seminars

Purdue Events

PROFILES OF SUCCESS

Each month we spotlight the personal accomplishments and career successes, whether mainstream or unique, of Science alumni. This month's spotlight is on Ramona Quintanilla, who received her B.S. in Chemistry in 1986. Ramona is the outgoing president of the College of Science Alumni Board. Full story.

SCIENCE ALUMNI NEWS

Science alumni: We want to hear from you! Update your information and share your professional news as well as your personal and family milestones with the Science community. Click here.

Vote for your favorite Science professor

Who was your favorite Science professor? Was it a math professor who challenged you to succeed? Was it a chemistry professor who helped you through CHM115? Was it a physics professor who set you on the road to grad school? Tell us about your favorite Science professor by sending email to news@science.purdue.edu. Please be sure to include your name, major and year of graduation. Or, vote at our tent at the Indiana State Fair on August 17!

Join the Purdue Web community

Stay connected to your alma mater! This interactive site will help you keep in touch with your Purdue family—your friends, faculty and staff, and fellow alumni. Click here to sign up and get started.

Click here for this month’s Alumni News.

RESEARCH FUNDING REPORT

Science researchers received funding totaling more than $5.2 million in May 2005. Complete list of funded proposals.


July 2005
From the Dean Summertime, and the livin’ is easy? Not in the College of Science! The dress code may be casual, but we’re as busy as ever. You can always tell it’s summertime at Purdue when you see scores of middle school and high school students scurrying around campus for a variety of experiences that reinforce their science skills in fun and entertaining ways. Computer Science campers built and programmed Lego robots and constructed Web sites. Middle schoolers in the M2S3P (Motivation and Momentum to Strive and Succeed in Science Program) camp spent a week learning about “the little things among us”—from nanoscience to bacteria—while those coming for ScienceScape later this month will explore the solar system and take a “mission” to Mars. The Summer Biology Experience in June and July offers high school students two weeks of challenging lab and field work in the biological sciences, giving them insights into important synergies. While students are having fun in our camps, many of their teachers will come to campus this month for a two-week workshop on Standards-Based Integrated Science Instruction (SISI). The workshop is part of a year-long program to help teachers incorporate inquiry learning in their classrooms. This is also the time of year when our incoming freshmen come to campus to get a start on their Purdue careers. “Day On Campus” (which is actually 15 days for us!) is one very busy day for each student, in which he or she meets an advisor, registers for classes, gets a Purdue ID and computer account, checks out the residence halls, and begins learning how to tell one red brick building from another. Summer is also a favorite time for faculty and students to immerse themselves in research. I hope you enjoyed our inaugural issue of Insights, the new College of Science magazine, which painted a striking picture of some of our research accomplishments. We can look forward to many more featured in future issues. Much of our research has to do with the four new Discovery Park centers being inaugurated this summer. You’ll read about the first one—the Center for the Environment—in this issue of Science@Purdue. The new Richard and Patricia Lawson Computer Science building is quickly taking shape across the street from the current Computer Science building and is on schedule to open by Fall 2006. We’re so excited to see the building going up that we don’t complain about the closed streets and detours created by the construction—not much, anyway! You can watch the building’s progress via online web cam. I hope you all had a happy and safe Independence Day weekend. As we reflect upon our nation’s heritage, let’s keep in mind our military personnel overseas and the sacrifices they’re making on our behalf. Have a great summer! Best regards, Jeff Vitter *SCIENCE PEOPLE* Jean Chmielewski named Distinguished Professor The Purdue Board of Trustees on June 30 approved the appointment of Chemistry Professor Jean Chmielewski as the Alice Watson Kramer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. Designated professorships honor individuals whose achievements in scholarship or research have been internationally recognized or who have made a unique contribution to the university through scholarship, research, teaching or leadership functions. Full story. Ian Shipsey to co-organize national meeting Physics Professor Ian Shipsey has been selected to co-organize the meeting of the National Academies EPP 2010 Committee (“Elementary Particle Physics in the 21st Century”) meeting at Cornell University on August 2-3. The meeting is part of the committee’s in-depth assessment of elementary particle physics and development of a 15-year plan for the field. More information. Jennifer Hovis wins Showalter Grant Award Jennifer Hovis, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, received a 2005 Showalter Grant Award for her proposal “Understanding the Molecular Basis of Parkinson’s Disease.” Purdue has received research funding through grants from the Ralph W. and Grace M. Showalter Research Trust Fund since 1975. Computer Science graduate student wins Intel Fellowship Computer Science graduate student Ethan Blanton was one of 5 Purdue graduate students awarded a 2005-06 Intel Fellowship. The fellowship includes a cash award, access to an Intel technologist who serves as a mentor to help guide the research, an Intel architecture-based laptop computer from the Intel Corporation, an invitation to the Fellowship Forum at Intel in October, and the opportunity to participate in an internship at Intel. Full story. *SCIENCE NEWS AND RESEARCH* New Discovery Park center announced Purdue announced on June 30 the formation of the Center for the Environment, the first of four centers at Discovery Park created with $10 million in seed funding from the Lilly Endowment. More than 200 Purdue researchers—including 13 from the College of Science—have joined forces to create the center to help businesses operate profitably while using sound, sustainable environmental practices. Members of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center will also work closely with the new center. Full story. Physicists clarify exotic force, but no ‘Theory of Everything’ yet A group led by Physics professor Ephraim Fischbach has conducted experiments showing that gravity behaves exactly as Isaac Newton predicted, even at small scales. In the process of the experiment, the team has measured another force that is more influential on small objects than gravity itself. Their precise observations of this Casimir force could make life easier for nanotechnologists, whose tiny creations will be subject to its effects. Full story. Purdue-designed Web server wins competition A Web server designed and maintained by Biological Sciences and Computer Science Professor Daisuke Kihara’s lab won a competition held at the International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology in June. The server won over notable entries from UCLA, UCSF, the Burnham Institute, and the European Bioinformatics Institute at EMBL. Full story. Software assurance company Arxan Technologies expands its commercial division Arxan Technologies Inc. announced plans to make its proven software protection technology more widely available for a variety of commercial applications. Arxan Technologies develops anti-tampering software designed to reduce piracy, hacking and reverse-engineering by making code capable of defending and healing itself. Dr. Mike Atallah, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, a co-founder of Arxan Inc. Full story. New Science magazine is here! The inaugural issue of Insights, the new College of Science magazine, has been mailed to our faculty, staff, alumni, and friends. To read Insights online click here. PURDUE NEWS Purdue scientists may have found key to spinal cord damage Researchers in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering may have isolated the substance most responsible for the tissue damage that follows initial spinal cord injury, a discovery that could also improve treatments for a host of other neurodegenerative conditions. Full story. Purdue gives youths chance to lead in summit at Indiana Black Expo Purdue University is sponsoring a three-day youth summit beginning July 15 at the Indiana Black Expo in Indianapolis for 300 youths who will come from all over the state to discuss issues that dominate their lives and to make plans for their future. The theme for the summit is “When I am 35, I Want To Be Healthy Wealthy and Wise.” It will combine workshops, seminars and training for students from primarily urban areas. Full story. Research Park named one of Indiana’s Keepers After asking Hoosiers to name the state’s businesses, corporations and organizations whose absence would do Indiana the most harm, Indy Men’s Magazine and Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick released the list of “Indiana’s 25 Keepers: Keeping Good Company.” The Purdue Research Park placed No. 7 on the list. Full story. *SCIENCE EVENTS AND CALENDAR* Middle school campers get hands-on science experience Seventeen middle school students spent a week learning about “the little things around us” in biology, chemistry, physics, and math in the Motivation and Momentum to Strive and Succeed in Science Program (M2S3P) 2005 Summer Camp. Director of Multicultural Programs Zenephia Evans and her staff kept the campers busy, but also made sure they had lots of fun. For pictures from this year’s camp and more information on Multicultural Programs, click here. Computer Science camps draw students from all over Campers had a blast at the 2005 Computer Science Summer Camps! Middle-school aged campers came from all over Indiana, locally, and even from Georgia and California to get in on the CS action. Purdue Computer Science K-12 Outreach Coordinator Mindy Hart saw return campers wanting more CS as well as newbies just waiting to design their first web page. Full story. Indiana Black Expo, July 7-17 ScienceScape, July 17-23 Linking Mathematics and Computer Science Workshop for teachers, July 27-29 Minneapolis River Cruise Science Alumni Reception at Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM), August 9 Purdue Day at the Indiana State Fair, August 18 20th Anniversary celebration of Actuarial Science Club, September 9 Science Events Science Seminars Purdue Events *PROFILES OF SUCCESS* Each month we spotlight the personal accomplishments and career successes, whether mainstream or unique, of Science alumni. This month's spotlight is on Ramona Quintanilla, who received her B.S. in Chemistry in 1986. Ramona is the outgoing president of the College of Science Alumni Board. Full story. SCIENCE ALUMNI NEWS Science alumni: We want to hear from you! Update your information and share your professional news as well as your personal and family milestones with the Science community. Click here. Vote for your favorite Science professor Who was your favorite Science professor? Was it a math professor who challenged you to succeed? Was it a chemistry professor who helped you through CHM115? Was it a physics professor who set you on the road to grad school? Tell us about your favorite Science professor by sending email to news@science.purdue.edu. Please be sure to include your name, major and year of graduation. Or, vote at our tent at the Indiana State Fair on August 17! Join the Purdue Web community Stay connected to your alma mater! This interactive site will help you keep in touch with your Purdue family—your friends, faculty and staff, and fellow alumni. Click here to sign up and get started. Click here for this month’s Alumni News. *RESEARCH FUNDING REPORT* Science researchers received funding totaling more than $5.2 million in May 2005. Complete list of funded proposals. .	In this Issue: Science People Jean Chmielewski named Distinguished Professor Ian Shipsey to co-organize national meeting Jennifer Hovis wins Showalter Grant Award Computer Science graduate student wins Intel Fellowship Science News and Research New Discovery Park center announced Physicists clarify exotic force, but no ‘Theory of Everything’ yet Purdue-designed Web server wins competition Software assurance company Arxan Technologies expands its commercial division New Science magazine is here! Purdue News Purdue scientists may have found key to spinal cord damage Purdue gives youths chance to lead in summit at Indiana Black Expo Research Park named one of Indiana’s Keepers Science Events and Calendar Profiles of Success Science Alumni News Research Funding Report Science alumni: We want to hear from you! Share your professional news and your personal and family milestones by clicking here. Past issues of Science @ Purdue College of Science Purdue News Purdue University