Science News 2009 - Penn State Erie

In This Issue
New Geosciences Lab _________________________ 1
3+4 Optometry Option __________________________ 1
Director’s Message ____________________________ 2
Lord Grant ___________________________________ 2
Microbiology Renovation _______________________ 3
Amicangelo Fulbright __________________________ 3
ViewSpace Installation ________________________ 4
Faculty News ________________________________ 5
Research Spotlight ____________________________ 6
Foraging Research on LiveScience.com ___________ 7
77 Graduates in 2008–09 ________________________ 7
Celebrating 60 Years ___________________________ 8
SChool of SCienCe Science
Looking For A Career In
Optometry? Take A Peek At
Our New 3+4 Option
The School of Science recently signed a
professional affiliation agreement with
The Ohio State University College of Optometry
that allows Penn State Behrend
students to shave a year off their studies
for a Doctor of Optometry degree.
The 3+4 arrangement allows students to
begin pursuing an O.D. after three years
in the biology program at Penn State Behrend,
eventually leading to both a B.S. in
Biology and the doctoral degree.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor,
“job opportunities for optometrists should
be very good over the next decade. Demand
is expected to be much higher, and
because there are only sixteen schools of
optometry (in the United States), the number
of students who can get a degree in
optometry is limited. In addition to growth,
the need to replace optometrists who retire
or leave the occupation for other reasons
will create more employment opportunities.”
It also notes that growth in the field
is expected “in response to the vision care
needs of a growing and aging population.”
“This is the first articulation agreement of
its kind for Ohio State and we are happy to
be partnering with the College of Optometry,”
said Dr. James Warren Jr., associate
professor of biology and Penn State Behrend’s
chair for the joint program. “Both
colleges have worked very hard to make
continued on page 3
2009
News
Penn State erie, the Behrend College
Rock On
New geosciences lab rolled out in Witkowski
A geosciences lab built in the Stone Age
(that would be 1961) has been replaced
with a stunning new space in the
Witkowski Building.
The new lab’s glass walls open to the
sunny expanse of Roche Hall so passersby
can see students “doing” science.
The cheerful, 1,200 square-foot room is
outfitted with the instructional technologies
and modern aesthetics expected by
a generation of students who often be-
come interested in science from watching
“CSI”-style crime lab procedurals.
“The old geo lab in Otto Behrend was
outdated, very institutional, and had to
be shared with chemistry,” Dr. Anthony
Foyle, associate professor of geology,
noted. “The new lab is very different.
It is quieter because it is carpeted, has
comfortable chairs fitted to bench height
instead of metal stools, and has better
lines of sight for the students. The old lab
continued on page 2
Dr. Anthony Foyle, associate professor of geology, left, and students in GEOSC 040: The Sea Around
Us enjoy the comforts of the new geosciences lab.
1

2
Director’s Message
This has been a most event-
ful year. Like most every-
one, we have had a budget
crunch; except for promotional
increases, there will
be no pay raises for faculty
and staff at Penn State this
Roger Knacke
year. Fortunately, our operations
in the School of Science have not been
too greatly impacted so far. For this, our gratitude
goes out to our donors.
Without them, we would not have the annual
Mathematics Competition, the astronomical
observing facilities, the NASA ViewSpace
connection, Chemistry Day, a state-of-theart
nuclear resonance spectrometer, the
new confocal microscope, support for student
clubs, or even most of the buildings in
the Science Complex, to mention just a few
areas where donor support has been crucial.
Most important is the scholarship support
provided by so many people. The college is
now giving out more than $1 million per year
in scholarships, which is a great testament
to our friends’ generosity and their belief in
the futures of our young people. But even
with these scholarship funds, we still have
far to go to meet the actual needs of our students,
as determined by all such measures.
Thank you for what you’ve done, and for
your continuing support.
In the coming year, we’ll welcome new faculty
members who will bring in expertise in
areas of genetics, grape mycology, and applied
as well as theoretical mathematics.
We’ll develop programs that train teachers
for secondary education, and define cooperative
agreements with area institutions.
A new biology teaching laboratory, two research
laboratories, and a refurbished computer
science lab should be ready in the fall.
Finally, we’re going into the detailed design
phase and bidding for a complete renovation
and rebuilding of the almost 50-year-old
laboratories in Otto Behrend Science. When
complete, it will be a modern, up-to-date facility
for chemistry education.
Lately, I’ve heard many people in the community
comment favorably on the growth
and success of Penn State Behrend. Our
successes depend on the work, dedication,
and contributions of faculty, staff, administrators,
friends of the college, and students.
Thanks to all of you.
Thank You, Lord
Grant helps fund liquid chromatography/mass spectrometer
The School of Science extends its thanks
to the Thomas Lord Charitable Trust
for a $45,000 grant that will be used to
purchase a liquid chromatography/mass
spectrometer (LC/MS) system for use by
chemistry students.
LC/MS is the combination of two
analytical techniques—liquid chromatography
separates the complex mixtures
of a compound, while mass spectroscopy
identifies and characterizes structures of
Education majors Molly Smooke, a sophomore from Pittsburgh, left, and Chloe Butler, a first-year
student from Canonsburg, perform grain size analysis, a technique used by geological oceanographers
to determine the depositional environments of sediments.
New geoscience lab, from page 1
had two long benches oriented at right
angles from the front of the room and
the instructor. The new set-up is more
like the layout of the number five on a
playing card; the students can see the
instructor, and one another.”
The new lab also has its own prep
complex molecules—that are heavily used
in growing areas such as environmental
analysis, pharmaceutical synthesis and
development, natural product analysis,
and proteomics.
Thomas Lord was a founder of
LORD Corporation, a diversified
technology company with a long
history of developing breakthrough
adhesive, coating, and motion
management technologies.
room for materials storage, which reduces
clutter and increases lab safety.
Geography, geosciences, and geology
courses are requirements in both the
Environmental Studies Option and Earth
and Space Science Option within the B.S.
in Science degree.

Celebrating the School of Science’s new 3+4 optometry affiliation—the first for Ohio State—is Dr.
James Warren, associate professor of biology, Sally Haltom, director of Student Affairs for the
College of Optometry, and Dr. Mary-Ellen Madigan, Penn State Behrend’s director of Admissions
and Financial Aid.
New 3+4 option, from page 1
this agreement a reality. It’s a wonderful
opportunity for our students.”
Founded in 1914, Ohio State’s College
of Optometry is the longest established
university degree program in optometry
and the first program at a public university
to award the O.D. degree. It is the
only college of optometry in Ohio.
The School of Science has five similar
affiliation agreements with Lake Erie
College of Osteopathic Medicine
(LECOM), the Penn State College
of Medicine, Saint Vincent Health
System, the Temple University School
of Dentistry, and the SUNY Buffalo
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical
Science. More information about
each is available on our Web site,
behrend.psu.edu/science.
Amicangelo Receives
Sabbatical, Fulbright
Dr. Jay Amicangelo,
associate professor
of chemistry, has
been granted a onesemester
sabbatical
to conduct collaborative
research at Jay Amicangelo
the National Chiao
Tung University in Taiwan. His travels
will be supported in part by a Fulbright
Scholar Program grant from the Council
for International Exchange of Scholars
and the U.S. Department of State.
Amicangelo will conduct research in
the laboratory of Professor Yuan-Pern Lee,
performing experiments using a matrix
isolation infrared spectroscopy apparatus
to identify and characterize transient
molecules made up of silicon and nitrogen
atoms with the general formula Si x N y . Gas
phase transient species will be created by
high-power laser ablation of silicon and
silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) solids and will be
trapped at 10-20 Kelvin, along with pure
nitrogen, pure argon, or a nitrogen-argon
mixture. From these experiments, the
infrared spectrum of the matrix-isolated
species will be obtained.
Advanced
Biology
Lab Opens
Additional lab space needed to
accommodate growing interest in
health care careers
The introduction of two nursing degree
programs, as well as an increased interest
in preparation for advanced degrees
in the health professions, has spurred
the renovation of a dedicated laboratory
space for anatomy, physiology, and microbiology.
Formerly an engineering laboratory,
172 Benson will be outfitted with new
benches designed for biological study,
with sinks, running water, a natural gas
line, and chairs that are a comfortable
height for microscope work and dissection.
Multiple temperature-controlled
electronic water baths, digital scales,
a microbiology incubator, and a microcentrifuge
will be added to support microbiology
lab sections. The project is
expected to be completed in time for fall
semester classes.
“We have greater demand for 400-level
biology courses from students who
want to attend medical school or enter a
health-related graduate program,” said
Dr. Margaret Voss, associate professor
of biology and School point-person for
the renovation planning. “Coupled with
the addition of the R.N. to B.S. in Nursing,
greater pressure has been put on
biology equipment and lab resources.
A new and improved 172 Benson will
alleviate class scheduling constraints
for existing laboratory space and should
reduce wear and tear on delicate lab
equipment that had to be moved between
classrooms.”
In fall 2007, the college started offering
a two-year associate degree in nursing
through the Penn State College of Nursing;
regional demand led to the addition
of a B.S. completion program for registered
nurses just one year later.
3

4
“ViewSpace” From The Comfort Of
Otto Behrend Lobby
There’s no need to wait for nightfall or to stand outside in the damp evening air while
pondering the mysteries of the Universe. Pull up a chair instead.
NASA’s ViewSpace, an Internetfed,
self-updating stream of
images, animation, prose interpretation,
research news, and “space
music,” has been installed in the
lobby of Otto Behrend Science
Building. Produced by the Space
Telescope Science Institute to
engage the casual passerby and true
space junkie alike, ViewSpace is a
large flat-panel screen that projects
a changing kaleidoscope of inspiring
visions of space and “the blue
planet” captured by the Hubble
Space Telescope.
“ViewSpace give us a museumquality
display of the latest NASA
pictures from space, space exploration
news, and monthly updates
about planets and stars in the sky.
It sends an inspirational message
about science to our students
and visitors,” said Roger Knacke,
director of the School of Science.
“We are very grateful to Dr. Robert
Chapman ’59 and Dr. Howard
Hudson ’53 for gifts to help bring
ViewSpace to the college.”
Galaxy M101: NASA, ESA, K. Kuntz (JHU), F. Bresolin (University of Hawaii), J. Trauger (Jet Propulsion Lab), J. Mould (NOAO), Y.-H. Chu (University of Illinois, Urbana), and STScI
Jupiter: NASA, ESA, IRTF, and A. Sánchez-Lavega and R. Hueso (Universidad del País Vasco, Spain)
Crab Nebula: NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll (Arizona State University)
Saturn: NASA, ESA, J. Clarke (Boston University), and Z. Levay (STScI)
Cone Nebula: NASA, H. Ford (JHU), G. Illingworth (UCSC/LO), M.Clampin (STScI), G. Hartig (STScI), the ACS Science Team, and ESA

Faculty News
New Faculty:
Jason Bennett, assistant professor of chemistry,
holds a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Michigan
State University. His research interest is electrochemistry.
Antonio Mastroberardino, assistant professor of
mathematics, earned his Ph.D. in mathematics at
SUNY Buffalo. His research specialties are modeling
and boundary value problems.
Beth Ann Potter has joined the faculty as an assistant
professor of microbiology. She holds a Ph.D.
from the University of Pittsburgh, where she did
postdoctoral research in the Department of Medicine’s
Renal-Electrolyte Division.
Biology laboratory coordinator Lynne Klawer
joins the college from the University of Nebraska-
Lincoln, where she was a program coordinator for
water quality projects.
Joining the School this fall are:
Papiya Bhattacharjee, assistant professor of mathematics,
holds a Ph.D. in pure mathematics from
Bowling Green State University.
Daniel J. Galiffa, assistant professor of mathematics,
earned a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University
of Central Florida, where he had a National Science
Foundation Research Fellowship in K-12 STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
education.
Christopher T. Gee, assistant professor of biology,
is currently a visiting associate professor at Canisius
College. He holds a Ph.D. in plant pathology
from Cornell University.
Matthew E. Gruwell, assistant professor of biology,
comes to the college from SUNY Buffalo, where he
was a postdoctoral research associate. He earned
a Ph.D. in entomology/organismic and evolutionary
biology at the University of Massachusetts.
Transitions:
Barbara L. Power, lecturer in mathematics, has retired
after seventeen years in the classroom.
Professor of Mathematics Emeritus Richard C.
Bollinger, 77, passed away on March 12, 2009. Dick
joined the college in 1962, retiring in 1997.
Nathan M. Foote died February 16, 2009, at the age of
95. An assistant professor of physics, he taught at the
college for fourteen years before retiring in 1978.
Jason Bennett
Antonio
Mastroberardino
Beth Ann Potter
Lynne Klawer
5

“All That And A (Future) Bag Of Chips
6
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Michael Campbell talks about his research
Dormancy research could lead to better storage options for potato growers, food producers
Every fall, many plants enter a stage
of suspended growth called dormancy.
This process enables them to survive the
rigors of winter. My research interest is
the investigation of the process of plant
dormancy using a variety of techniques in
molecular biology and biochemistry.
Potato is the fourth largest agricultural
commodity in the world, so storage is a
large concern. Following harvest, potato
storage often is accomplished through the
use of chemicals called sprout inhibitors. It
has been proposed that some of the sprout
inhibitors used on potato may function
through a prolongation of the normal dormancy
cycle, while others function by suppressing
growth through as-yet-described
mechanisms. Currently I am collaborating
with the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and a company in Meridian, Idaho,
1,4Group, Inc., to investigate the molecular
biology of sprout inhibitors. At the same
time, I am attempting to elucidate the
mechanism of natural potato dormancy.
Two sprout inhibitors currently used on
potato tubers are chlorpropham (CIPC)
and 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene (DMN).
My undergraduate student research assistants
and I are investigating a third
compound, bromoethane (BE), which is
the functional opposite of an inhibitor: BE
will artificially terminate dormancy. Right
now BE has no
commercial use, but
it is a useful tool for
helping to elucidate
the genes associated
with the cessation
of dormancy.
Our initial approach
to the research was to use microarray
analysis to measure changes in gene
expression that are associated with the
termination of dormancy. Microarrays
are slides dotted with thousands of genes
that can be probed using florescent-tagged
RNA. We used this approach on potato
Dormancy is imperative for
the long-term storage of many
agricultural commodities.
Mr. Potato Head sprouting glasses and sneakers? Very funny. Actual potatoes sprouting while awaiting
the chipper, masher, or fryer? Not so much. This is why Dr. Michael Campbell, associate professor
of biology, and his undergraduate student researchers are attempting to identify the gene profile
of potato dormancy, a state that acts as a natural sprout inhibitor.
tissues allowed to undergo dormancy
naturally, and in tissues exposed to BE to
promote artificial termination of dormancy;
the results demonstrate that some genes
regulated by the plant hormone abscisic
acid change in response to the dormant
state. Part of this research was published in
the journal Functional
and Integra-
tive Genomics.
My current
research is
investigating gene
profiles associated
with the onset of
natural dormancy and comparing those
profiles to potatoes treated with the
sprout inhibitors CIPC and DMN. This
is a more complex analysis involving microarray
comparisons across five different
treatments, with replicate arrays resulting
in over 650,000 data points.
Once the gene expression changes
are determined using microarrays, my
students and I will use a process called
quantitative real-time polymerase chain
reaction to confirm the association of
specific genes with natural dormancy
and/or exposure to sprout inhibitors. The
end result is to establish a gene profile
for the potato’s dormant state and begin
to determine if the commercial sprout
inhibitors CIPC and DMN target similar
genes or metabolic systems.
I consider the training of Penn State
Behrend undergraduates an important
aspect of my research. Microarrays and
gene profiles are an expanding area of
biology; technology is pushing biology
to examine entire genomes and their response
to their environment. Having this
hands-on experience as an undergraduate
prepares students to immediately contribute
on the job or in graduate school.

Ants Forage Haphazardly
By Jeremy Hsu, staff writer
LiveScience.com
Ants don’t march
in predictable
patterns to search
for crumbs, as you
might have thought
by watching them.
Instead, new re-
William Baxter
search suggests they
roam randomly.
This is not a matter of ant versus human
intelligence, because a seemingly
blind search can still make sense in both
practical and mathematical terms.
“The beauty of a mathematical random
walk is that it eventually visits all points
in space if you walk long enough—and it
always returns to its starting point,” said
William Baxter, an experimental physicist
at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.
Of course, Baxter notes, you might
have to walk a long time to get back to
the start. But a person who tries a search
pattern, such as sweeping back and forth,
can run into more trouble with unexpected
obstacles.
Baxter’s research stands out from others’
by using a controlled environment
and a single ant, as opposed to studying
foraging ants in the wild. Tracking single
ants allowed him to see how a single ant
decides to search an area that is free of
Among the seventy-seven graduates
to receive degrees from the
School of Science in 2008-09 was
Todd Eckroat, the School’s spring
commencement student marshal.
Todd also was a Schreyer Scholar, earning
an Honors degree with highest distinction in
biology as well as a chemistry degree, both
of which he’ll put to use this fall at University
of Michigan, where he received a fellowship
to pursue his Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry.
Todd’s name will be familiar to our alumni—
his father is Associate Professor Emeritus
Larry Eckroat, who taught biology in the
School of Science for thirty-five years.
food, chemical
clues or obstacles.
Each small ant
walked down a
string from its
colony to the
study area, where
the ants normally
expect to find an
area with food.
However, Baxter and his colleagues
removed the food while conducting the
experiment.
The ant search patterns often crisscrossed
previous paths, but none of the
ants ever intentionally retraced their
steps. A few backed up for a few millimeters
on occasion, but only rarely.
A next step could involve repeating
the experiment with pairs of ants to see
if a foraging partner changes the search
pattern.
“Will the mathematical model change?
I have no idea,” Baxter told LiveScience.
“But biologists have known for years that
groups of ants can accomplish tasks that
single ants cannot.”
Ants are known to communicate
chemically and leave trails for others,
which points to their cooperative intelligence
and socially sophisticated ant
Photo © Alex Wild
Baxter’s research stands out
by using a controlled environment
and a single ant.
societies. So for finding crumbs, two pair
of antennae may turn out better than
one—or the ant pairs might wander just
as randomly as before.
The research was presented at the
March meeting of the American Physical
Society in Pittsburgh.
LiveScience.com is a free Web site that
offers thought-provoking, original content
and commentary chronicling groundbreaking
developments in the sciences.
This reprint of LiveScience’s story on
research conducted by Dr. William Baxter,
associate professor of physics, was first
published on March 30, 2009.
7

8
School of Science
P-1 Prischak Building
4205 College Drive
Erie, PA 16563-0203
Hubble Space
Telescope images
now showing in
the lobby of Otto
Behrend Science
Building. See page 4.
”
“Smile And Say, ‘We Are . . .’
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Erie, PA
Permit No. 282
College’s 60 th Anniversary Ends With A Photo Op In Left Field
To get the group photo of the 1948-49 Behrend Center faculty and staff shown as an inset here, everyone
just gathered in Glenhill Farmhouse and lined up against the wall. The faculty and staff photo to
commemorate the college’s 60th anniversary took a little more planning, because the numbers are a
wee bit larger now.
Instead of twenty faculty and academic staff members in 1948-49—including four who were teaching
biology, chemistry, mathematics, or physics—employment at the college today stands at more
than 650, with 308 on the faculty, including eighty-one in the School of Science. For this photo that
concluded the college’s yearlong 60th anniversary celebration, more than 230 of the college’s faculty
and staff members gathered on the baseball field on a fine day in May to proclaim, “We Are . . . Penn
State Behrend!”
Science News is published annually and provided free to alumni and friends of the Penn State Behrend School of Science by the Office of Marketing Communication, William V. Gonda, wvg2@psu.edu, director. Editor:
Christine Palattella, crm3@psu.edu. Designer: Martha Ansley Campbell, mac30@psu.edu. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. U.Ed. EBO 09-115