Research Unplugged
Fall 2004 Season
November 10, 2004
Issues and obstacles of nanotechnology
Akhlesh Lakhtakia, akhlesh@psu.edu
Distinguished proefssor of engineering science and mechanics
"How small is nano?" Akhlesh Lakhtakia, asked during the November 10 session of Research Unplugged. "Divide an inch into 25 pieces," he said. "Then divide each inch into one million pieces. Each of those pieces is one nanometer." More...
November 3, 2004
The promise of genetics: Feeding the world and living forever?
Ken Weiss, kenweiss@psu.edu
Evan Pugh professor of anthropology and genetics
"We're spending hundreds of millions of dollars to find genes for certain biological traits and diseases," says Ken Weiss, Evan Pugh Professor of Anthropology and Genetics. "However, evidence shows that a host of other factors might also be responsible, such as lifestyle, diet, and environment." More....
October 27, 2004
Are we really "rocking" the vote? Getting young people to the polls in 2004
Eric Plutzer, exp12@psu.edu
Associate professor of political science and sociology
"Are we really 'rocking' the vote?" Eric Plutzer, associate professor of political science and sociology, asked during the fourth installment of Research Unplugged. The term, 'rock the vote,' comes directly from a MTV campaign to inspire young voters, but Plutzer questions whether such initiatives actually get young people to the polls on Election Day. More....
October 20, 2004
Progress without pollution?
Brian Dempsey, bad5@psu.edu
Professor of civil engineering
As a scientist practitioner, Dempsey brings a unique perspective to the broader questions of development and pollution. He is currently working with a group of undergraduates to determine how much material from the piles of pyrite waste from I-99 construction is making it into the surrounding streams. More....
October 13, 2004
Is it ever too late to learn a second language?
Jim Lantolf, jpl17@psu.edu
Director of the Center for Language Acquisition and professor of applied linguistics
"The fundamental problem is that people are led to believe we are bad language learners as adults," Lantolf told a group of students, faculty, and community members. However, Lantolf learned German, his fourth language, when he was 35. More....
October 6, 2004
Is biography fiction or fact?
Pat Shipman, pls10@psu.edu
Science writer and adjunct professor of anthropology
"I think a good biographer has to write fiction some of the time to make apparent a significant event in someone's life." More....