Heard on Campus

Heard on Campus: David Wallinga of the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy

4/25/13

"The most affordable foods, the most inflation-resistant foods, the most accessible foods are the least healthy foods. ... When you marry this information to the information on what our policies do at the farm level, it's hard to escape the conclusion that what Americans are overeating is exactly what we're incenting our farmers to produce."

-- David Wallinga, senior adviser in science, food and health at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis. Wallinga delivered the 2013 M. E. John Lecture on April 19 in the Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building on Penn State's University Park campus. His talk, titled “Growing Health: A Vision for U.S. Food and Agriculture Policy,” was sponsored by the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education, and by the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Heard on Campus: Christopher Joyce

4/23/13

“I have been in science journalism for 30 years, and controversy is always great in news because that’s what makes people listen. When a dog bites a man, nobody cares. I have never seen more scientific disinformation bandied about on any topic in my life than fracking.”

-- Christopher Joyce, science correspondent with National Public Radio. Joyce spoke April 22 in the HUB-Robeson Center Auditorium on Earth Day at University Park. His talk, “Scientists and Journalists: Codependents in the Age of Disappearing Media” was sponsored by the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute and the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment. A video recording of the talk will be available at www.eesi.psu.edu.

Heard on Campus: Judge Greg Mathis

4/18/13

"You have a commitment and an obligation to empower people -- first yourself, then your community, your nation -- and then the world. When you graduate, there will be no red carpet. There will be a lot of doors. They will be closed, with a DO NOT ENTER sign on them. You look for one that might be cracked open. You choose one, and if they don't let you in, then kick it down."

--Judge Greg Mathis, speaking April 16 at the Penn State Law school as an invited guest of the Multicultural Undergraduate Law Association. Their stated mission is to inspire and promote undergraduate students to attend law school.

Heard on Campus: David Wineland, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics

4/12/13

David Wineland, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics, gave the 2013 Eberly Family Distinguished Lecture in Science on April 11 in the HUB-Robeson Auditorium on the University Park campus. Wineland is known for his research on the world's most accurate atomic clocks. These clocks use ions -- electrically charged atoms -- as a super-accurate way of keeping time. More information is online at science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2013-news/Eberly3-2013.

Heard on Campus: Dan Vergano, senior USA Today science reporter

4/8/13

"There are only 12 environmental reporters at the top five newspapers in the country. The professionalism of the science-writing profession is being compromised because science reporters are being forced out of staff positions and into freelancing. How are we going to deliver science news if we don't have science reporters? Is it good enough if we just give people pictures of giant squid?"

-- Dan Vergano, senior science writer for USA Today and 1990 Penn State aerospace engineering alumnus, who gave the 2013 A. Dixon and Betty F. Johnson Lecture in Scientific Communication on April 6 in Thomas Building on Penn State's University Park Campus.

Heard on Campus: Christopher Staley

2/6/13

"Our childhoods are hugely influential. Not only do we inherit our parents' love but we inherit their pain."

-- Chris Staley, a Distinguished Professor of the Ceramic Arts at Penn State University, on how our parents affect the way we see the world. Staley spoke Tuesday (Feb. 5) at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel as part of the University's Forum Speaker Series on the topic "Art & Life: Where they intersect." Staley is the 2012-2013 Penn State Laureate and as such aims to expand people's ideas on art and serve as a catalyst for further conversation.

Heard on Campus: John Legend

1/15/13

"When you go to school you gain and cultivate the ability to think critically and question the status quo, you learn how to learn. Be on a mission to make the most of your time here."

-- John Legend, nine-time Grammy Award winning recording artist, critically acclaimed concert performer and philanthropist/social activist, on the importance of higher education. Legend spoke in Eisenhower Auditorium last night (Monday, Jan. 14) and was the fourth lecturer in the 2012-13 Distinguished Speaker Series held by the Student Programming Association.

Heard on Campus: Joel Weintraub

12/6/12

"I had a friend of mine who had this T-shirt that read, 'Life is short. Eat dessert first.' I hadn't seen him in a while; then I saw him two weeks ago, and again a week later. I said, 'Hey, how come you don't wear that shirt anymore?' He said, 'It doesn't fit!' ... People walk around and say, hey, life is short, you've got to enjoy junk food -- but here's the thing. If it's not in the house, if you're not thinking about it, you're fine. ... If there's no junk food in your world, you won't even need it. It's just when the chocolate cake is right in front of you that you need it."

-- Joel Weintraub, a self-proclaimed "humorous educator," who presented "Stress ... it's something to laugh at" at the Penn State Forum Speaker Series luncheon held Dec. 6 at the Nittany Lion Inn on Penn State's University Park campus. Weintraub has combined his professional comedy experience with his masters degree in exercise physiology and his bachelors degree in health education from Temple University to merge the formerly disparate worlds of comedy and health education. Weintraub educated the audience about the benefits of humor in stress reduction, and also spoke about basic steps that can be taken in the areas of nutrition and exercise to improve health and happiness.

Heard on Campus: Frank Warren

12/5/12

"When I first started this project it was difficult explaining to people what I wanted to do and why -- no one understood. But sometimes these are the best ideas. The culture is changing and young people are sharing like never before."

-- Frank Warren, creator and curator of the enormously popular PostSecret Project: A collection of more than 500,000 highly personal and artfully decorated postcards mailed anonymously from around the world. Warren spoke Alumni Hall of the HUB-Robeson Center Monday, Dec. 3, and was the third lecturer in the 2012-13 Distinguished Speaker Series held by the Student Programming Association.

Heard on Campus: Steve Manuel at the Forum

11/27/12

"We live, we work and we play in a positive, robust culture called Happy Valley."

-- Steve Manuel, senior lecturer of communications in Penn State's College of Communications, who spoke Tuesday (Nov. 27) at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel as part of the University's Forum Speaker Series on the topic, "Penn State University as seen through a Lens: A 30-year retrospective." Manuel spoke about how the misdeeds of a few can never undo all the good that Penn Staters have done since the University was founded in 1855, and continue to do today. Manuel, who served as an enlisted photojournalist in the U.S. Marine Corps and as a commissioned officer for nearly 28 years, said he fell in love with Penn State as soon as he stepped onto campus in 1972.

Heard on Campus: Tim Gunn

11/8/12

"I have one other overarching piece of advice about how we navigate the world, and I do practice it but I'll give you a codicil after I deliver it. And it's the following: Take the high road. No matter how much strife and consternation you're faced with, no matter how angry you are, no matter how much you want to write that nasty email, no matter how much you want to [slap] your boss or family member, don't do it. I have never, ever done that and not regretted it and whenever I take the high road, I'm happy.

"Now, here's the codicil, and it has to do with my mother, may she rest in peace. Sometimes the high road gets so high, and she would take me there, that my nose would bleed. Then it's time to get off, and you do and you deal with it. So if the high road gets so high your nose is bleeding, you have permission to get off of it."

-- Tim Gunn, speaking Nov. 8 in Eisenhower Auditorium, and live-streamed online to Penn State World Campus students, as part of the Student Programming Association's Distinguished Speakers Series.

Heard on Campus: Nina Totenberg

10/24/12

"What you have to do is stay fair. Everyone has an opinion, and there are obvious truths that you have to report on, but you must do so factually. Everyone has their day in court, in terms of reporting."

-- Nina Totenberg, National Public Radio's legal correspondent, on remaining unbiased as a reporter. Totenberg spoke in Eisenhower Auditorium last night (Tuesday, Oct. 23) and was the first lecturer in the 2012-13 Distinguished Speaker Series held by the Student Programming Association.

Heard on Campus: Lisa Baird at the Forum

10/10/12

"The international community at the end of the decade had no trust in us [the United States Olympic Committee], no desire to work with us, and when you humiliate the president of the United States on the global stage, clearly restoring relations was at the top of our list and our new CEO's list. And more important than that, than all of this, even though these are incredible things that needed to be done, all at once, we had to reaffirm our strong brand because that is what we are about -- we are a brand, and we are a power brand. And from the health and the strength of the brand, and our reputation, comes the building blocks for the future."

-- Lisa Baird, chief marketing officer of the United States Olympic Committee, who spoke at the Penn State Forum Speakers Series on "Building Brands in a Socially Networked World: The story of Team USA at the 2012 London Olympic Games" Oct. 10 at the The Nittany Lion Inn.

Heard on Campus: Marty Aronoff, 1960 alumnus and scholarship donor

9/21/12

"It's as gratifying to me as anything I've done in my life. I could not have honored my son, or done anything for myself, that would ever have made me feel as good. And I'll never forget the panoramic that's before me tonight. ... You're getting an education from the best communications program in the nation, and you're going to be a Penn Stater for decades after your college career is over."

-- Marty Aronoff, of the class of 1960, who endowed a Trustee Scholarship in his son's name, addressing nearly 350 students and alumni as the keynote speaker at the annual Penn State College of Communications Donor and Scholarship Recognition Dinner on Thursday, Sept. 20. Aronoff travels more than 300,000 miles each year, serving as a sports statistician for major TV networks, covering Major League Baseball, the NBA, NFL and major college basketball and football.

Heard on Campus: Linda Patterson Miller at Penn State Laureate Jubilee

4/27/12

"We're honored to have gathered here all the laureates to-date and also the laureate-to-be, Chris Staley. We take special pride in Penn State's commitment to the laureate program and to its recognition that the arts and humanities matter. We come here today to celebrate artistic collaboration and the great art that such collaboration generates. Art that reveals to us, ourselves and renders life true."

-- Linda Patterson Miller, 2011-12 Penn State laureate, professor of English at Penn State Abington and master of ceremonies of the first-ever Penn State Laureate Jubilee held April 24 on Penn State's University Park campus. The public event featured past, present and future Penn State laureates, who came together to celebrate the University's commitment to the arts and humanities. Laureates in attendance were Kim Cook, 2008-09; Anthony T. Leach, 2009-10; Robin G. Becker, 2010-11; Miller, and the newly named 2012-13 laureate, Christopher Parks Staley. For more information about each laureate and the Penn State laureate program, visit http://laureate.psu.edu/.

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