Information serves as the essential raw material for our economy in the way that fuel and iron served the industrial economy. In converting this raw material into useful knowledge, we've come to see the many ways modern technology modifies us - the computer changes the way we use our brains just as the steam engine changed the use of our muscles.

We have also come to see the risks associated with great technological advances and are only beginning to understand our obligations to resolve them. This seminar focused onunderstanding the many and vast advances of the information age, and responding to its unexpected byproducts.

Seminar Leaders

• Dr. Robert Dixtion, deputy director of the Instructional and Research Computer Center at The Ohio State University, has conducted the longest continuous search for extraterrestrial intelligence in the world.
• Douglas Kiker, NBC national affairs correspondent, was one of the nation's most widely respected television reporters. As a political reporter, he covered presidential conventions since 1964, the turmoil of the Civil Rights Movement and many White House stories including the Kennedy Assassination. While NBC's Rome correspondent, his story assignments took him from Poland to Bangladesh. And his work as a war correspondent took him to Vietnam, Northern Ireland, the Mideast and Iran.
• Robert Ellis Smith, the nation's foremost authority on the "Big Brother" dangers of computers, has been called the Paul Revere of the Information Age because of his attention to the conflict between electronic data processing and individual rights. He is publisher of the Washington newsletter, Privacy Journal, and wrote Privacy: How to Protect What's Left of It and The Big Brother Book of Lists.
• Richard Teresi is an award-winning writer and lecturer who specializes in science, technology and medical topics. He is a founding editor and current consulting editor of the successful science magazine OMNI and is in charge of its future-news sections.

Dr. Philip E. Barnhart, Chairperson , Physics and Astronomy Department
Dr. Jerry A. Jenkins, Professor, Chemistry

Funders

Westinghouse Educational Foundation
Edward Kraus Fund

Emotional and complicated issues surround the phenomenon of aging. We continue to be curiously perplexed at the scientific, sociological and psychological causes of the aging process. As people live longer, concerns about the health and care of the elderly dominate the social, political and economic climates. This two-day seminar investigated the growing complexities of longevity through a series of workshops, keynote and opening speeches and a convocation. This third annual event devoted to science included an impressive group of presenters.

Seminar Leaders

Dr. Michael Herschler, Chairperson, Life and Earth Sciences
Dr. Jerry Jenkins, Professor, Chemistry
Dr. Robert Kraft, Professor, Psychology

Funders

Westinghouse Educational Foundation
Nationwide Insurance Companies
St. Ann's Hospital

The origins of life and extraterrestrial life are fascinating topics to most people. Scientists, in particular, have researched and explored the wealth of possibilities as we discover the mysteries of the universe. The fourth annual Otterbein College Science 2000 symposium addressed the issues surrounding the phenomena of life's origins and life in the universe. Anthropology, advanced medical technology, genetics and NASA's search for extraterrestrial life are among the stimulating subjects that were discussed in this two-day series of workshops, speeches and an opening convocation.

Seminar Leaders

• Leonard Krishtalka, Convocation Speaker, is curator and editor of Scientific Publications at Carnegie Museum of National History in Pittsburgh, where he is also Assistant Director for Science. In addition, he is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geology and Planetary Sciences and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh where he teaches a number of courses in evolutionary biology. Krishtalka's research involves the origin and early evolution of the modern groups of mammals, which first appeared between 65 and 55 million years ago. He has been a member of five expeditions with Richard Leakey's research team at Lake Turkana, Kenya, and was a member of an international expedition to the Middle Awash, Ethiopia, that recovered skull remains of a "Lucy"-like hominid dated at more than 4 million years.
• George Strait, Keynote Speaker, is ABC News Medical Correspondent. In addition to his news reporting for "World News Tonight With Peter Jennings," "The Health Show" and other ABC News programming, Mr. Strait is a member of numerous university and professional medical and health sciences. Since 1983, Mr. Strait has been ABC News' primary correspondent assigned to cover medical and health news. He contributes reports to the "American Agenda" series for "World News Tonight." He has earned the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Overseas Press Club, as well as an Emmy nomination. Strait was an ABC White House correspondent and has received a number of awards for his broadcast coverage.
• Jill Tarter is a research astronomer whose main focus is the implementation of high spectral resolution searches for extraterrestrial radio signals however and wherever possible. She serves as project scientist for NASA's SETI Microwave Observing Project. She has explored topics in biology, geophysics, chemistry, paleontology, and many other fields that relate to the question of the existence of life elsewhere in the universe. In September 1989 Tarter received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to the field of exobiology, and in particular to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, by Women in Aerospace, a professional association in Washington, D.C.

Committee

Dr. Philip Barnhart, Chairperson, Physics and Astronomy
Dr. Donald Bulthaup, Academic Dean and Professor, Physics
Dr. Michael Herschler, Chairperson, Life and Earth Sciences
Dr. Jerry Jenkins, Professor, Chemistry
Dr. Robert Kraft, Professor, Psychology

Funders

The White Science Symposium Fund
Individual Supporters

The rapid-fire progress in genetic engineering technology has generated two exciting developments: Gene therapy, an attempt to correct genetic defects by inserting new genes into a patient, and the launching of the Human Genome Project - a 15 year $3 billion effort to identify the location and structure of all the genes in human chromosomes. The 1991 Otterbein College Science Lecture Series addressed the issues surrounding this technology. Terminology and theory, genetic engineering and gene mapping, as well as the bioethical implications, are among the stimulating subjects that were discussed.

Seminar Leaders

• Benjamin J. Barnhart, Ph.D., is Acting Deputy Director of the Health Effects and Life Sciences Research Division for the U.S. Department of Energy. Research activities include the human genome program, radiation biology, chemical toxixology, cellular and molecular biology, and structural biology. Previously he served as program manager for the Department's human genome program. Prior to joining DOE he was a visiting associate professor of chemistry at the University of Missouri-Kansas city, section head of the Genetic Toxicology and Microbiology Section at the Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City, and a senior staff scientist and associate group leader of the Genetics Group of the Life Sciences Division at the Los Alamos National Laboratory where he also served as division program manager for the mutagenesis program.
• George A. Kanoti, M.A., S.T.D., is Director of the Office of Bioethics at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation as well as Research Professor at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor of the department of religious studies at John Carroll University. He serves as vice-president for the Society for Bioethics Consulation and Editor of the Society for Health and Human Values Bulletin. Current committee appointments include advisory boards at Case Western Reserve for the Center for Biomedical Ethics, and chair of the Bioethics Committee for the Cleveland Academy of Medicine.
• Jerry B. Lingrel, Ph.D., is a 1957 Chemistory graduate of Otterbein College, a Distinguished University Professor, Director of Program Excellence in Molecular Biology of the Heart and Lung, and Chair of Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. His research is directed toward understanding how the genetic information of mammalian cells is expressed and regulated during development, and includes investigation of the hemoglobin genes and sodium, potassium-ATPase. Dr. Lingrel is a recipient of The George Rieveschi Award for Distingished Scientific Research.
• Ronald G. Schoner, Ph.D., is Head of the Department of Diabetes Research at the Eli Lilly Company Research Laboratory in Indianapolis. He previously served as American Cancer Society Fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. As a biochemist, Dr. Schoner's research is directed toward the development of expression factors for mammalian genes. Eli Lilly Company, in collaboration with Genentech Corp., introduced one of the first commercial successes of genetic engineering - human insulin.

Coordinators

Dr. Jerry A. Jenkins, Professor, Chemistry
Ms. Kathleen Morgan, Office of Grants and Special Projects

Funder

The GTE Foundation

The variety and complexity of environmental issues and the unfolding nature of "environmentalism." make it difficult for many to readily acquire and assimilate information useful in forming balanced views about the environment. Additionally, many concepts and issues that make up "environmental awareness" often are clouded in impassioned, imprecise rhetoric. Nevertheless, the importance of having informed citizens familiar and comfortable with their environment is uniformly acknowledged.

Seminar Leaders

• Mary E. Clark, Ph.D. came to her all encompassing concern with the environment via her research on animal adaptation, which she was pursuing at the molecular level. She expanded her research and teaching to include global Issues, environmental concerns, economics, and politics. In Dr. Clark's 1989 book, Ariadne's Thread: The Search for New Modes of Thinking, she cuts across a dozen disciplines, exploring the causes of human violence and environmental destruction, and she proposes solutions that include decentralization, local self-sufficiency, and cultural diversity.
• Jo Davison, is founder and current president and researcher director for Lambda Bioremediation Systems, Inc., a small, woman-owned business that exclusively offers bioremediation services. Lambda was founded in 1984 and has established itself as one of the top one hundred environmental firms in the country as a leader in biological treatment technology. Biological remediation is a multifaceted group of technologies that utilize living biological components to clean polluted water and soil. It encompasses multiple techniques to clean pollution by rebalancing the ecosystem involved.
• The Honorable Richard C. Pfeiffer, Jr. serves with the environmental division of the Franklin County Municipal Court. He is the first judge of the Environmental Court that came into existence on January 8, 1992. In addition to performing the regular duties of a municipal court judge, Judge Pfeiffer has exclusive jurisdiction to render decisions in cases involving neighborhood environmental issues such as housing standards, building standards and health, sanitation, fire, safety, air pollution, and zoning issues.
• Michael E. Renz is a senior hydrogeologist and vice president of EPSYS Corporation, an environmental engineering firm specializing in applied hydrology. He is a field-seasoned hydrogeologist, possessing a unique combination of technical, managerial, and communication skills. Best known for his practical approach to environmental problems, Mr. Renz presents numerous workshops for organizations including The U.S. Department of Defense, The Manufacturers Education Council, The Ohio Petroleum Marketers Association, and Washington State University.
• David F. Ross is Endangered Species and Wildlife Diversity Coordinator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. He has been with the ODNR since 1974, where he has been involved in environmental impact analysis, electric generation and transmission facility siting, land use planning, litter prevention and recycling.
• Richard C. Sahli is Executive Director of the Ohio Environmental Council. Founded in 1969, the OEC represents approximately 155 local environmental and conservation groups in Ohio and over 1000 individuals. The Council's work concentrates on researching and reporting on Ohio's unique environmental issues and, with its member groups, devising effective proposals for reform.
• James Slavicek, Ph.D., U.S. Forest Service, is with a research work unit in Delaware, Ohio, entitled, Development of Biologically Based Controls for Forest Insect Pests and Diseases Through Molecular Technologies. Dr. Slavicek joined the Forest Service in 1988 as a staff scientist and became the unit's project leader in 1990.

Dr. Simon K. Lawrance, Acting Chair, Life and Earth Sciences

Funders

Battelle Memorial Institute
The White Science Symposium Fund

Health care has been described as "the most challenging issue facing the American polity in the final decade of the 20th Century." Everyone agrees that the ramifications of how society addresses it will be felt for decades to come. Yet while the implications of health care affect all levels and sectors of society, there is little consensus about the parameters of American health care, the policies that govern it and the need for its reform.

Seminar Leaders

• Robert J. (Jeff) Caswell, Ph.D., is an associate professor and vice chairperson in the Graduate Program in Health Services Management and Policy at The Ohio State University. Professor Caswell's research and publications are in a variety of areas including forecasting methods, nursing home costs, hospital utilization and economic performance, health care regulation, public health dentistry, and graduate medical education.
• Gerald Dworkin, Ph.D., is an ethicist with the Department of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His special interests are ethics, political philosophy, and the philosophy of law. He spent a year at the Harvard Law School as Liberal Arts Fellow in Law and Philosophy.
• Jacqueline D. Fullerton, MBA, J.D., is Executive Director of the Ohio Health Care Board. She was responsible for House Bill 478, passed in 1992, that established the 16 member independent Board to set State policies and propose legislation to develop a health care system providing affordable, quality care to all Ohioans.
• William D. Hayes, Ph.D., serves as Chief of Health Policy Unit for the Ohio Department of Health, Office of Health Policy and Analysis where he assists the Director of Health with development of health care cost and access reform initiatives as well as to track and analyze state and federal health care reform initiatives and the preparation of strategic health policy plan. He conducted research studies investigating the impact of various facets of the existing health financing and delivery system on children with special health care needs, including analysis on insurance underwriting practices and on managed care.
• Richard M. Obertots, MBA, NREMT-P, is the founder and president of The Baker Street Group, Inc., a multi-media "edutainment" firm who's mission is: TO PRODUCE ENDORPHINS! Obertots has been a healthcare professional for more than 14 years and has functioned as nationally registers paramedic, healthcare system EMS/Trama coordinator, financial analyst, and physician/professional services specialist. As the founder of the med-rock-comedy-drama performance group "The Dysrhythmics," he currently performs and lectures full-time throughout the US and Australia and is the executive producer and writer of a variety of healthcare and business video programs. Timothy R. Sahr, is the Administrative Assistant and Researcher of the Franklin County Board of Health where he addresses various issues of local governmental health care reform. These issues include Franklin County's Nonsmoking Policy regulation and legislative challenges to the policy, the national debate on health and violence in cooperation with the cities of Washington and Baltimore, local pollution control, the Centers for Disease Control's Immunization Project, and issues relating to computer technology and public health record taking, among other community related topics.

Dr. Diane Jedlicka, Assistant Professor, Nursing

Funder

The White Science Symposium Fund

The universe has always been a fascination to humans. Astronomers, astrologers, poets, and wizards have been captivated by its mystique. With today's technology, scientists are beginning to unlock some of the mysteries. From the Big Bang to newly discovered Black Holes, theories abound that attempt to create greater understanding of the cosmic environment.

Seminar Leader

The theme for the Science Lecture Series this sesquicentennial year was Science and the Community. The objectives were to examine the ways in which science helps to define our community and the ways in which our community helps to define the direction and values of science. As Steven Shapin (The Scientific Revolution, 1996) reminds us, "There is as much 'society' inside the scientist's laboratory, and internal to the development of scientific knowledge, as there is 'outside.'" Examination of the topic Science and the Community occurred within the context of a wider discussion on campus of Educating for Community. Otterbein College has a long and distinguished history of encouraging and empowering community-minded professionals, including science graduates, to help shape society. This symposium celebrated our graduates' achievements in science as well as society. Distinguished alumni from all science and mathematics departments participated in the Science Lecture Series. Each discussed his or her work and reflected upon what it means to be a scientist in today's community.

Seminar Leaders

• Kay Ball, R.N., M.S.A., C.N.O.R., a 1983 Nursing graduate of Otterbein College, is a perioperative nurse consultant/educator. In 1994, she received a three-month appointment at the White House as an assistant for healthcare reform activities. She has served as Director of Education for the United Medical Network, Director of the Laser Service Program at Mount Carmel Health, and Administrative Director of the Laser Center at Grant Medical Center.
• Mary Ann Ricard Bender, Ph.D., a 1973 Life and Earth Sciences graduate of Otterbein College, is currently with the Department of Psychology in Education at the University of Pittsburgh where her most recent position has been with the School of Medicine as senior research associate. She is the recipient of a NIMH Postdoctoral Fellowship (University of Pittsburgh), the F.G. Novy Predoctoral Honors Fellowship (University of Michigan), and a Genetics Training Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.
• Thomas R. Bromeley, M.S., is a 1951 Physics and Mathematics graduate of Otterbein College, a 1953 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, and 1988 recipient of an Otterbein College Honorary Doctor of Science in Business Administration. He is Chairman and CEO of Allegheny Bradford Corporation and Top Line Process Equipment Company in Bradford, Pennsylvania where he is also involved in radio broadcasting. Mr. Bromeley currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Otterbein, a member of the executive committee of the University of Pittsburgh - Bradford Advisory Board, the Bradford Educational Foundation, and the Chautauqua Foundation.
• William L. Evans, a 1956 Mathematics and Computer Science graduate of Otterbein College, is retired from Battelle Memorial Institute and serves as a member of the Otterbein Board of trustees. Following graduation he worked for Westinghouse Electric Corporation for five years as an engineer involved in both refrigeration and aerospace industries. In 1961, he joined Battelle where he managed an information technology research section and scientific computing facilities. He served the last 16 years at Battelle as Director of Information Management with ultimate responsibility for Battelle's worldwide information technology hardware, software, and telecommunication resources.
• Steven J Johnston, a 1982 Mathematics graduate of Otterbein College, currently is Assistant to the President at State Auto Insurance Company. He is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
• Jerry B. Lingrel, Ph.D., a 1957 Chemistry graduate of Otterbein College, is Distinguished Research Professor. Director of Program Excellence in Molecular Biology of the Heart and Lung, and Chair of the Department of molecular Genetics. Biochemistry and Microbiology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. His current research is directed toward understanding how the genetic information of mammalian cells is expressed and regulated during development, and investigating hemoglobin genes, sodium, potassium-ATPase, and the biochemical and functional characterization of a new lung-specific transcription factor.
• Noreen E. Neary, D.V.M., a 1987 Equine Science Graduate of Otterbein College, is a veterinarian at the Equine Specialty Hospital in Mantua, Ohio, near Cleveland. From 1987 to 1992, while completing the requirements for veterinary college and working on a Master's degree, she participated in ongoing canine, bovine, and equine research projects, and served as laboratory manager of the Theriogenology (Reproductive) Unit at The Ohio State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She was awarded the Hermenn Meyer Veterinary Anatomy award for outstanding work in veterinary anatomy classes dealing with all species. She also spent several months at the Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital in Australia, participating in ongoing research and assisting with the daily surgery, care, and treatment of equine patients.
• Paul B. Paulus, Ph.D., a 1966 Psychology graduate of Otterbein College, is currently a Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Arlington. He has conducted extensive research in environmental psychology, focusing on the effects of spatial and social density on prison inmate populations. He has also conducted considerable research in social psychology, recently examining group influences on creativity.

Michael A. Hoggarth, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Life and Earth Sciences

Funders

Ross Products Division - Abbott Laboratories
Otterbein College White Science Symposium Fund

The theme for the 1998 Science Lecture Series is Animals in Society: Exploring the Human-Animal Bond. The Objective of the day's program is to examine and reflect upon the many ways that human beings and animals interact and the impact that animals have on different facets of our lives. Animals play a significant part in our daily living and animals have a notable place in many different cultures around the world. Animal references are widespread throughout history, religion, science, language, and art. This year's program has an interdisciplinary view of humans and animals, including a presentation on the Lakota Indian family structure as it relates to the story of creation, a talk concerning our emotional bond to companion animals and their value in therapy programs, and a lively presentation about wildlife conservation and endangered species with animals from The Columbus Zoo. There will be a panel discussion on the current issues facing scientists, teachers, students, and the general public concerning animal welfare and animal rights. The panel include experts from the areas of companion animals, research, veterinary medicine, laboratory animal management, and the American Humane Association.

Seminar Leaders

• Christine M. Hill is a Delta Certified Animal Evaluator and Special Education Teacher. Her area of expertise is early childhood special education, with an emphasis on language development. She has been teaching children for twenty years, but says she has learned the most about herself, her teaching, and human nature from her dogs. In addition to her teaching, Ms. Hill shows German Shepherd dogs for Framheim Kennels and has worked as Director of Training for All Breed Training Club of Akron. She is also an active member of Delta Society and their Pet Partners Program which trains volunteers and screens their pets for visiting animal programs in nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and schools.
• Michael E. Kaufmann, is Director of Education with the American Humane Association which he joined in 1991 as National Coordinator of Education. He supervises AHA's Regional Training Centers and develops comprehensive training programs to further the highest standards of competence among animal care and control professionals. He is involved with the link between animal abuse and human violence, is a renowned lecturer on animal assisted activities in education and therapy, and in an experienced human educator. He was the Director of Education with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in New York City, served as chairman of the Humane Education Advisory Council and the Harrison Memorial Veterinary Hospital in Denver. Mr. Kaufmann is a founding board member and committee chair for the Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association.
• David S. Kronfeld is the Paul Mellon Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Professor of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He has served as a Diplomat to both the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. His books include Vitamins and Mineral Supplementation for Dogs and Cats: A Monograph and Diat and Disease in Dogs. His research has included investigations in the areas of exercise physiology and nutrition of horses and sled dogs, nutrition, growth, and stress in foals, and metabolism and nutrition in cows and sheep.
• Diane E. McClure is an assistant professor with The Ohio State University Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine and is a Diplomat of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. Her area of specialization in comparative cardiovascular-respiratory physiology, comparative medicine focusing on captive wildlife, and the psychological well-being of captive animals. Her current research focuses on comparative microvascular physiology through collaborative efforts with the Thoracic Surgery Department and the Division of Nephrology, OSU School of Medicine. Her advisory responsibilities include the OSU Student Chapter of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine, the Student Chapter of the Association of Human Animal Bond Veterinarians, and the OSU Pet Loss Support Hotline.
• Albert White Hat, Sr. is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Tribe. He received his A.A. in Lakota Studies from Sinte Gleska University in Rosebud, South Dakota, where he currently is an instructor. He is a member of the Board of Trustees at Proctor Academy in New Hampshire and attends state and national Indian Education Conventions where he gives presentations on the Lakota language. He has been involved with committee work to standardize the Lakota alphabet and is a past Director of the Bilingual Teacher Training Program at Sinte Gleska University, where he was President of the Board of Directors. He served as a Rosebud Tribal Council Representative and received the Gamahiel Chair for Peace and Justice Award. He assisted with translation and language expertise to the productions of Sun of Morning Star and Dances with Wolves and is the author of Lakota Ceremonial Songs and Lakota Language: The Encyclopedia of the American Indian.
• A representative from The Columbus Zoo will give a presentation about small exotic animals, some of which are endangered. The Zoo is committed to environmental education, conversation, and research, and reaches a broad audience locally, nationally, and internationally. The Zoo's mission is to promote awareness and understanding of the interdependence of the natural world and to present information to the community through interactive, participatory, and educational events and exhibits. The Columbus Zoo strives to achieve its mission by teaching and practicing conversation both on and off-sight to contribute to the knowledge of the biological, environmental, and animal sciences and to instill in all who participate a sense of adventure and discovery about themselves and the world around them.

Coordinator

Lynn E. Taylor, PH.D. Assistant Professor, Equine Science

Funders

Ross Products Division - Abbott Laboratories
Animal Clinic of Westerville, Inc.
Central Ohio Kennel Club
Leo's Choice Treats, Inc.
Otterbein College White Science Symposium Fund

DNA analysis using microchip-based arrays is a rapidly emerging technology that promises to revolutionize nucleic acid analysis. This fascinating field combines photolithographic technology from the semiconductor industry with DNA hybridization to allow rapid analysis of large amounts of genetic information. The impact of this technology will be enormous, ranging from detection of gene expression and disease diagnostics to the Human Genome Project.

Keynote Speaker

Dr. H. Holden Thorp is Associate Professor of Chemistry, Vice Chair for Undergraduate Studies and a Member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Thorp is also Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board, Scientific Consultant, and Founder of Xanthon, Inc., a research firm in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina specializing in the development of electrochemical technology for the detection of nucleic acids and proteins. He obtained his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology, and conducted post-doctoral studies at Yale University. He has been awarded two patents entitled Process of Cleaving Nucleic Acids with Oxoruthenium (IV) Complexes and Electrochemical Method of Detecting DNA Hybridization. He is on the UNC Faculty Council and serves as a mentor for the UNC Johnston Scholars Program.

Coordinator

Dean H. Johnston, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Chemistry

Funders

Ross Products Division - Abbott Laboratories
Ashland Chemical Company
Otterbein College White Science Symposium Fund

Throughout the twentieth century women have continued to expand their participation in all areas of science, often against strong opposition. At the beginning of a new century women now play a leading role in charting new directions for scientific inquiry and research. Otterbein College is devoting its 2000 Science Lecture Series to exploring the history of women in the scientific world, examining current scholarly endeavors and professional activities of women scientists, creating a dialogue on new avenues of participation, and providing advice to a new generation of young women scientists.

Seminar Leaders

• Helen R. Churella retired from Ross Products Division, Abbott Laborites following 38 years in research and development, she currently is a consultant for pediatric nutrition. She has received patents for providing selenium in a nutritional product and for her nutritional product for infants with chronic lung disease. Dr. Churella has served as a mentor to students for the B-WISER (Buckeye Women in Science, Engineering, and Research) Institute.
• Raquel Diaz-Sprague, is Director of Ethics and Women in Science Programs at The Ohio State University, Biochemistry Department. She is a biomedical communicator and translator and also teaches and mentors medical students and students in Independent Studies at OSU. Diaz-Sprague is Executive Director of the Association for Women in Science of Central Ohio (AWISCO). Under her leadership, AWISCO is involved in programs to recruit, retain, recognize, and reward women and minorities in science and in the promotion of gender-wise and interculturally competent approaches in science education.
• Helen Murray Free has taught management at Indiana University for 20 years and has spent her entire scientific career at Bayer. She is a 50-year member of the American Chemical Society in which she served as president in 1993 and currently represents Region II on the board of Directors. Dr. Free is a recipient of the ACS Garvan Medal for distinguished service to chemistry by a woman.
• Joan Huber was an instructor of German from 1945-47 at Penn State. She taught at the University of Notre Dame from 1967-71 and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1971-83 where she also served as the first director of Women's Studies and as head of the Department of Sociology. In 1984 she was named Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at OSU and from 1992-93 served as Senior Vice President and Provost. She has been retired since 1994. Her primary focus in the numerous books and articles written over the years has been on sex stratification.
• Nancy J. Lane is a scientist in the field of cell biology at Cambridge University, England where she currently is the project director of the University's Initiative for Women in Science. She is a Senior Research Associate with the Zoology Department of Cambridge and is an Official Fellow and lecturer in cell biology at Girton College. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Biology, where she serves as vice-president of the Council of the Zoological Society of London. She is recognized as an international authority on the ways in which the cells of invertebrate organisms interact with one another. She has ongoing collaborative research activities with King's College, London, the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., and with Italy's Padova and Siena Universities. Dr. Lane has been actively involved in efforts to improve the role and status of women in science. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, she was awarded an Order of the British Empire in 1994 for her service to science.
• Jeanne L. Narum is Director of the Independent Colleges Office (ICO) and the founding Director of Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), an informal national alliance of educators, administrators, and other interested parties working to strengthen undergraduate programs in mathematics, engineering, and science. As PKAL Director, she coordinates the volunteer efforts of a cadre of change agents, persons in colleges and universities across the country taking the lead in transforming the learning environment for students. The experience of these change agents shapes PKAL workshops and publications, illustrating best practices tin the work of reform. A key part of PKAL is the Faculty for the 21st Century network, a group of faculty who are demonstrating capacity for local and national leadership in the coming decades. Narum serves as a member of the Board of Governors of the National Council on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).
• Maria G.V. Rosenthalx is a Senior Scientific Information Analyst at Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) in the Editorial Operations Division. She is involved in database Production in the areas of polymer chemistry and material science. As a member of the American Chemical Society, she currently serves the Columbus Local Section as Alternate Councilor, as Chair of the Education Committee, and as the ACS Communications contact.

Coordinators

Diane Jedlicka, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Nursing
Cynthia Laurie Rose, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Psychology

Funders

Ashland Chemical Company
Chemical Abstracts Service
Ohio Health
Ross Products Division - Abbott Laboratories
Kate Winter Hanby Women's Studies Festival
Otterbein College Humanities Fund
George W. and Mildred K. White Science Seminar Fund

Since the beginning of civilization, both curiosity and necessity have driven people to investigate the world around them. Within the last century, exploration and experimentation have moved beyond the confines of Earth to the vastness of the Universe. The 2001 Science Lecture Series examines the impact of the space program and the International Space Station on a variety of present and future endeavors. The most tangible benefits include those that directly impact our lives: medical research, materials and product manufacturing, and new technological developments. More indirectly, but equally important, the permanent orbiting science institute known as the International Space Station also represents a hope for a new era of international cooperation, with 16 nations working together towards mutual goals. Looking into the future, current activities of the space program may well mark the beginning of the expansion of human civilization into space. Featured speakers for the program will consider these aspects of experimentation and exploration in space.

Seminar Leaders for this year's event include:

• Dr. Robert Zubrin, an internationally renowned astronautical engineer and a former senior engineer at Lockheed Martin, is the founder of Pioneer Astronautics, a space exploration research and development firm. He is the current Chairman of the executive committee of the National Space Society and the President of the Board of Directors of the Mars Society. Dr. Zubrin is the author of The Case for Mars and several other books as well as more than one hundred articles on space propulsion and exploration. He is widely regarded as the nation's leading theorist of Mars travel.
• Dr. John Dunning, earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Case Institute of Technology. His 33 year NASA career has included positions in fluid mechanics instrumentation, high power lasers, and energy programs. The positions span from bench research to supervision including managing the space station electric power system-working group, the development of the space station electric power system. Currently, he is the manager of Space Station support activities and the On-Board Propulsion Technology Program at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Dr. Dunning has earned the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for his Space Station Electric Power System work and the Exceptional Achievement Medal for Space Station Redesign activities.
• Mr. Martin Kress, earned his BA from the University of Norte Dame, his MPA from Northeastern University, his MSM from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his Ph.D. coursework at Georgetown University. He joined Battelle as the NASA Relationship Manager in July, 1999, and in August 2000, he was appointed the Vice President and General Manager of the NASA Market Sector. Prior to joining Battelle, Mr. Kress held a series of senior management positions with the US Senate and NASA for over 20 years, including, Senior Majority Staff, Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space; Deputy Director of the NASA Space Station Freedom Program; and Deputy Director of the NASA Glenn Research Center. Mr. Kress has won several awards from NASA including the Outstanding Leadership Award.

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