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7/15/2009: Le Moyne Book Club: Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules Details
The latest news and events happening on the Le Moyne College campus
Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration Leads to NSF Equipment Grant for Le Moyne
In an initiative that further strengthens its reputation for the cultivation of student-scholars in the sciences, Le Moyne College recently learned it has received a federal grant for new scientific research equipment. The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced last month that Le Moyne will receive a grant totaling $112,000 under the NSF’s Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program. The funds will be used to purchase a powder X-ray Diffractometer, or XRD, a device which allows scientists to analyze the composition of crystalline materials like minerals. This fall, Le Moyne will install a Rigaku Miniflex XRD, which is both user-friendly and well-suited to the College’s needs and facilities. The XRD will enhance ongoing research in geology, chemistry, physics, and environmental studies, shedding light on topics ranging from mass extinction to the future productive uses of carbon dioxide. The three members of the Le Moyne College science faculty collaborating on the successful grant application are: Dr. Lawrence H. Tanner, professor of biological sciences; Dr. Anna Y. O’Brien, assistant professor of chemistry, and Dr. David A. Craig, associate professor of physics. In congratulating the three co-principal investigators, Le Moyne College Provost and Academic Vice President Linda M. LeMura said, “They submitted a fantastic proposal that captured the interest of the NSF. Through their efforts, Le Moyne College is now part of the moniker of the hyper-competitive world of NSF grant making.” Learning of the award after returning from a trip to the Galapagos Islands with 10 Le Moyne students and four faculty, Tanner noted, “This equipment opens a world of research opportunities for students in geology and the environment.” Tanner and his students will use the XRD to study both modern soils, and ancient soils from key periods in geologic history, such as the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, in order to investigate processes and rates of climate change. Reached in Sweden where he is attending a conference, Craig stated that Le Moyne’s physics students will use the XRD in coursework, independent research, and senior capstone projects, where it will help in the study of the nuclear physics of x-ray generation. The Sciences at Le Moyne Le Moyne has over 430 science majors, and employs about 60 full- and part-time faculty in the sciences. Undergraduate science students at Le Moyne have the important opportunity to work directly with the faculty on research, and to hone their presentation skills through the popular Friday afternoon “Science Seminar” series, as well as at national professional conferences. These experiences can translate into admission to top graduate schools. As noted in the NSF grant proposal, as they gain experience using this powerful analytical tool, students from across a wide range of scientific disciplines will be inspired to explore varied approaches to scientific problems and, ultimately, to pursue careers in scientific research. At least 24 undergraduate student researchers per year will benefit from access to the equipment, Tanner estimates. Le Moyne is actively seeking to build cutting-edge research opportunities for undergraduates through many different strategies, to help meet a national need identified in 1998 by the Boyer Commission report “Reinventing Undergraduate Education.” (pdf) The Physics and Astronomy Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research has even proposed that “a significant research experience” should be required of every undergraduate student in physics and astronomy. Le Moyne College’s Student Research Task Force has studied this issue, issuing recommendations in an October 2008 report, and the College’s annual Scholarship Day event has also highlighted academic achievements of student scholars. Provost LeMura praised the “tireless commitment in support of our faculty” made by Steve W. Kulick, Le Moyne’s director of corporate and foundation relations, in helping secure this grant. Working with members of Le Moyne’s faculty across several departments, Kulick is currently coordinating eight different major grant proposals, primarily at the state and federal levels, for a total of $9 million. The grant follows upon many other achievements and plans afoot in the sciences this year at Le Moyne. Among other news, the beloved SEM (scanning electron microscope) used by generations of Lou DeGennaro’s developmental biology students will soon be replaced through another federal grant, and sophomore Nicholas Stam was awarded a Goldwater Award for his research in cellular biology.
http://echo.lemoyne.edu/NewsFlash/displaypage.asp?NewsNo=4480
Le Moyne Book Club Summer/Fall Schedule
The Le Moyne College Book Club has announced its summer/fall selections. All meetings take place in the Special Activities Room, located in the Noreen Reale Falcone Library from 7 – 9 p.m. July 15 – “Children Playing before a Statue of Hercules” by David Sedaris September 16 – “Lush Life” by Richard Price October 21 – “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” by David Wroblewski November 18 – “The Human Stain” by Philip Roth
http://echo.lemoyne.edu/NewsFlash/displaypage.asp?NewsNo=4467
Chronicle of Higher Education Story Features Efforts with LED Lighting
Over the past year, Le Moyne's Office of Facilities Management and Planning, under the direction of Jim Dishaw, the office's senior director, has been experimenting with LED lighting, installing what many call the next generation of lighting technology at select locations on campus. Le Moyne is one of the first institutions in the country to venture into LED lighting, albeit on a small scale right now. Though markedly superior to fluorescent lighting in terms of energy use, lighting quality, bulb life and disposal concerns, they are also much more expensive. An article that appears in this week's online and printed version of the Chronicle of Higher Education, provides an overview of LED technology, highlighting its many benefits and how it would save Le Moyne, and other institutions, money, energy and installation time.
WHEN IT COMES TO SAVING MONEY ON ELECTRICITY, COLLEGES SEE THE LIGHT IN LED
By SCOTT CARLSON
(Published in the June 5, 2009 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education)
James Dishaw's lighting revolution began about a year ago, when a salesman dropped by his office in the facilities department at Le Moyne College. The salesman came from a company that manufactures highly efficient LED lighting.
"He wanted to sell me a bunch of specialty items," Mr. Dishaw, the college's facilities director, says. Mr. Dishaw knew about the efficiencies of LED lights, but he wanted something he could put right into the fixtures he already had in abundance. He pointed out the rectangular, 2-by-4 fluorescent lights seen in offices everywhere. "I said, You know, what we really need, and what you're going to sell a lot of, is these four-foot tubes. Everyone has a gazillion of them."
The salesman came back sometime later with a four-foot LED light that offered a brighter, more natural light than the fluorescents with half the electricity usage and a longer life — but at a premium price of $75 a bulb, compared with $2.50 for the old fluorescents. Mr. Dishaw has installed the LED's in his office and in classrooms, hallways, and even his boss's office — 200 in all.
"People see the lighting and say, Can I get that in my office?" he says.
Now he is trying to figure out how the college can raise the money to replace some 25,000 bulbs across the campus with the new LED's, which some energy experts say are the next generation in lighting.
A buzz about LED lighting is growing at colleges across the country, but it is a trend that probably few people would notice. Electric lighting, after all, is the most basic service a facilities department provides, so ubiquitous that people might not think about it, unless there is a problem. An institution with financial troubles might be said to have trouble keeping the lights on, but most colleges keep their lights on night and day, burning money and energy.
Making the Leap
In recent years, the spiraled compact fluorescent bulb has stood as a symbol of environmental sensibility. But the LED — or "light-emitting diode," which can feature scores of little plastic bulbs on a light device — may soon eclipse it. The consulting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu predicted in early 2008 that the LED would replace the conventional light bulb within the year. That prediction did not come to pass, but it conveyed a sense that LED technology is on its way.
The question with any new energy-efficiency technology: Should colleges invest in a relatively new, expensive, and unproven technology now, or should they wait until more institutions adopt the technology and prices drop? There is already talk of lighting technology that may succeed LED's, like organic light-emitting diodes and superefficient plasma lighting.
Russell D. Dupuis, an LED researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, says many experts believe that lighting infrastructure will switch over to LED's around 2012. But he points to major companies that are already buying into the technology. Wal-Mart, a company that has tried to establish a green image in the past several years, will use LED's to illuminate its refrigerator cases and its gigantic white logo outside stores, Mr. Dupuis says. LED's are already widely used in streetlights and street signs, hand-held flashlights, and the red and blue light bars on police cars.
Others, including James Brodrick, who is in charge of the solid-state lighting and testing program at the U.S. Department of Energy, think that LED technology — particularly for some interior lighting — may need more time to mature. "There are products out there today that work fine and have payback," he says. But the department has tested several four-foot replacement lights, and "we haven't found one yet that works well. If colleges are interested in that, they better do their homework."
About a dozen institutions, including Marquette University, Madison Area Technical College, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and some of the University of California institutions, are part of an LED-testing program supported by Cree, a manufacturer.
Barry A. Olson, the associate facilities director in the housing department at North Carolina State University, which was the first to join the program early last year, says his college has purchased 1,500 LED light fixtures for installation around the campus, ranging in price from $100 to $400 apiece. "We have been a guinea pig," he says. The good: The light quality is better, and the energy savings can be more than 60 percent. The bad: Because the fixtures are new, electricians charge more to install them, and they are expensive. "They are a hard sell in a down economy," he says.
Weighing the Options
For Mr. Dishaw, the question of whether to buy 25,000 LED's comes down to potential payback versus a significant investment of around $1.8-million. Each fluorescent is 32 to 34 watts, while an LED is 18. Each fluorescent fixture requires a ballast, which controls the current flowing to the light and consumes 10 watts; LED's don't need a ballast. If LED's were installed on Le Moyne's small campus, with lights on an average of 12 hours a day, the savings would amount to almost $200,000 a year, with a payback in about 10 years — or faster, if electricity prices go up. The college's annual carbon emissions from purchased electricity would drop by more than 780 metric tons, or 17 percent.
The light provided by the LED's was more than enough — in fact, in some four-bulb fluorescent fixtures, only three LED replacements had to be used to provide the same light. There was no "shadowing," or harsh light like that produced by a spotlight, as Mr. Dishaw feared there would be. And because LED's provide a constant light, rather than the very fast, imperceptible flicker of conventional lights, he finds that his eyes are less strained.
Here is the irresistible question: How many people in facilities does it take to change all the light bulbs? At Le Moyne, and at any college, quite a few. Mr. Dishaw estimates that he has six building mechanics who spend up to 15 percent of their time just changing dead fluorescent bulbs, which last 10,000 to 20,000 hours. LED's last 60,000 to 80,000 hours — or around 18 years at 12 hours a day. And unlike fluorescents, LED's contain no mercury or other hazardous materials, so disposal is easy.
The initial investment is the main barrier, Mr. Dishaw says, but the college is considering jumping in now — with some help. "I want to see what kind of funding I can get," he says, adding that he might approach the state energy-research agency, the regional energy company, or even local politicians. "I'd say, Here is an opportunity. Why don't we fund something like this that can reduce the draw on the grid and reduce the harmful heavy metals that are going to landfills?"
http://echo.lemoyne.edu/NewsFlash/displaypage.asp?NewsNo=4458
Athletic Department Looking for Grad Student Building Supervisors
Graduate Students Needed: The Athletic Department needs to hire graduate students to be responsible for Recreation Center building supervision during evenings and on weekends during the upcoming school year. Hours are: Monday through Friday: 6 a.m.-8:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday: 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Fridays: 4:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays: Noon-6 p.m. We will hire as many workers as it takes to fill all of the available shifts. If interested, please e-mail Kathleen Towner at townerke@lemoyne.edu with your name and phone number. Further information will be provided after we have received your contact information.
http://echo.lemoyne.edu/NewsFlash/displaypage.asp?NewsNo=4456
Call for Papers for 21st Annual Peace Studies Conference
A project of the Central New York Peace Studies Consortium Program Theme: Youth, Drugs, Violence, and Gangs: Global, national and local challenges Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009 Sponsored by the Center for Peace and Global Studies and the Center for Urban and Regional Applied Research (CURAR) From Martin L. King Jr. to Mahatma Gandhi, peacemakers have recognized the importance of teaching our young people how to live in peace. Thousands of youth are murdered and tens of thousands of them are arrested each year in the United States alone. The challenge of protecting our children is complicated when some of them are involved in generating the violence. Younger and younger children are carrying guns and selling drugs, and the attraction of gangs and thug culture is strong in many communities. Around the world, organized illegal trafficking (including drugs, arms and human beings) poses an international threat to peace and global security. A peaceful future depends on meeting the challenges of violence at all levels, including developing alternatives for youth in our own communities. This conference hopes to provide a venue for discussion of the global problem of youth and gang violence and to share peacemaking tools and alternatives to violence. In this interdisciplinary conference we hope to promote a wide-ranging conversation including diverse fields and experiences. For example, connections to education, ethics, crime, punishment, social welfare/work, justice, corporate gangs, race, class, gender, ability, religion, popular culture, internet communities, policy, media, economics, and international development and affairs. We invite proposals from professors, community members, those working in non-profits and community organizations, government leaders, activists, and graduate and undergraduate students, across the disciplines, in areas relating to but not restricted to youth, drugs, violence, and gangs. Paper presentations should be twenty minutes in length. The deadline for proposals and abstracts is Sunday, September 20, 2009. Please send proposals for a panel, workshop, or roundtable discussion. Limit proposals to no more than 500 words. Also, send abstracts of articles (no more than 500 words) for consideration. The organizing committee is receptive to many different and innovative formats for the conference, including, but not limited to, roundtables, panels, community dialogues and workshops. You may propose individual or group panel presentations, but please clearly specify the structure of your proposal. The organizing committee will review all proposals with preference given to papers focusing on the program theme. Accepted presenters will be notified by email by Thursday, October 1, 2009. Please send proposals, abstracts, and biographies electronically to: Paper Coordinator Nancy Piscitell, Administrator, Peace and Global Studies Program piscitnj@lemoyne.edu Please send all documents as attachments, MS Word 2000 (or higher) or Rich-Text.
http://echo.lemoyne.edu/NewsFlash/displaypage.asp?NewsNo=4439
Continuing Your Student Health Insurance
Attention seniors and students not returning for fall semester: If you are currently enrolled in the Student Health Insurance, you can extend that coverage until December 15 by paying a premium no later than July 15, 2009. Full information will be available by contacting Kim in the Student Health Office at 315-445-4440 after June 1.
http://echo.lemoyne.edu/NewsFlash/displaypage.asp?NewsNo=4339
Faculty Achievements
Costello-Sullivan Presents Paper in Ireland
Day Presents Paper in Shanghai
Malikow Paper Accepted for Publication
Lloyd to Serve on Gifford Lecture Series Selection Committee
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