Research Unplugged
Fall 2005 Season
November 9, 2005
Space investigators: Is there life on other planets?
James Kasting, kasting@essc.psu.edu.
Distinguished professor of geosciences
There were no signs in corn fields, no shadowy images of human features hiding in a planet's face. No little green men. But James Kasting did give the audience a glimpse into the "habitable zones" around stars. More...
November 2, 2005
Surviving the war and living again: A Liberian poet's story
Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, pjw14@psu.edu.
Assistant professor of English at Penn State Altoona
"When words cannot express the pain, that's when poetry becomes easy," says Patricia Jabbeh Wesley. Mixing vivid recollections with the reading of her poems, she painted colorful and deeply moving images of her life in violence-torn Liberia. More...
October 26, 2005
Bravissimo! Turning kids into opera buffs
Susan Boardman, sdb5@psu.edu
Associate professor of music and director of Penn State Opera Theatre
With the help of 40 elementary school children, seven theatre and voice students, and one accompanist, Susan Boardman added excitement to her conversation. (Includes an image slide show and audio and video.) More...
October 19, 2005
Some Like it Hot: Extreme lifestyles in the deep sea
Chuck Fisher, crf2@psu.edu
Professor of biology
The phrase "marine life" probably brings to mind those creatures which typically appear on our dinner plates, such as fish, shrimp, and lobster. But Chuck Fisher has several more, lesser-known—and much less edible— marine animals to add to that list. More...
SPECIAL EVENT October 16, 2005
Spin Cycle: How the media portrays climate change
Fred Gadomski, fxg1@psu.edu and Paul Knight, pgk2@psu.edu
Lecturers of meteorology and hosts of Weather World
Tornado touchdowns, extreme heat, record snowstorms, tsunamis, hurricanes...Has the weather become more dramatic or just the reporting? More...
October 12, 2005
Looking at Race: How stereotypes influence viewers' perceptions
Mary Beth Oliver, mbo@psu.edu
Professor of communications and Co-Director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory
Mary Beth Oliver suggests that we teach students how to watch television. Recent statistics show that Americans— especially youth—spend upwards of nine hours a day connected to media. More...
October 5, 2005
X-ray vision: An inside look at the birth of planets
Eric Feigelson, e5f@psu.edu
Professor of astronomy and astrophysics
Ask the average person for the birthday of something we all share—our planet—and the response may well be a blank stare. According to astronomy and astrophysics professor Eric Feigelson, this confusion is to be expected. More...