NASA Sends Delano out to Pursue Origins of Life
by Suzanne M. GrudzinskiWe shall not cease from exploration
and the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know that place for the first time.
-----T.S. Eliot, "Four Quartets"These are the words that the current chair of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, John Delano, has taken to heart and made his life�s work � work which will, over the next four years, focus on exploring the origins of life.
The 1996 proposal for the creation of a $4 million center for studies into the origins of life, submitted by Delano and six other principal investigators from RPI and the College of St. Rose, was recently approved by NASA, which now has established two centers in the U.S. for this purpose. NASA has even designated the discovery of the origins of life as one of its five strategic goals to be accomplished over the next 20 years.
Delano believes that some answers are just a reach away. One primary and nagging question for him, he said, is: "When we look up at the stars at night, are we alone?; or should we look up at our neighbors and wave?" He said that four years from now he hopes "to have a better idea of whether life is easy to form or difficult. The answer will determine whether life is common or whether it is rare in the Universe." He added, "as a scientist, I simply want to know."
There are two basic notions about how life might have originated on Earth. The first idea, cosmic in origin, states that the beginning of life started by prebiotic molecules falling to Earth via comets, and meteorites. The second idea says that no cosmic source was necessary and that the Earth itself was able to produce the necessary molecular ingredients for sustainable life.
Delano�s first project will look at the chemical and molecular makeup of the Earth�s earliest atmosphere. One idea holds that the atmosphere itself was important for forming life. In the 1950s, a Nobel prize winner, Harold Urey, combined gases in a flask to mimic the early atmosphere of the Earth. Electrodes were then added to the gas to simulate lightning. The result? Amino acids, the building blocks of life.
But did the Earth�s early atmosphere really have a chemical composition suitable to start life? This is one of the questions that Delano seeks to answer by establishing whether the planet�s earliest atmosphere was dominated by methane, molecular hydrogen, and ammonia, or by carbon dioxide, water vapor, and nitrogen.
Delano�s second project will focus on the frequency with which objects impacted the early Earth; this is scientifically known as an impact catastrophe. The questions that need to be answered are: How often did gigantic, Earth-sterilizing impacts occur?; and, if the earliest known life on Earth existed 3.85 billion years ago, in bacterial form, and was destroyed by an impact catastrophe, how many times did life need to re-start before it became sustainable?
How does Delano deal with the notion that cosmic events have had profound effects on the development of life on Earth? He responds that "if the dinosaurs were not wiped out 65 million years ago, then humans would probably not be here today. The history of life on Earth is marked by major random events." He says that science will take its best stab at determining how things happened that resulted in the range of life forms on the current Earth.
Another goal of the center, designated as a NASA Specialized Center Of Research and Training, will concentrate on education. At the college level, an interdisciplinary course dealing with the origin of life will be offered. Also, a seminar series will bring in speakers to discuss the origins of life at the RPI and Albany campuses.
The center also involves public outreach concerning the center�s current research efforts. WAMC Northeast Public Radio will broadcast a regular radio segment highlighting exciting headway into the exploration of the origins of life. This program will be produced at the WAMC studio in Albany, and will be distributed nationally and internationally. There will also be an outreach effort directed towards high school students and teachers.
Delano notes that it was only about 500 years ago that Copernicus and other scientists of that time shattered the long-held notion that Earth was the center of the Universe. He says that "perhaps we will find that life is likely to be common in the Universe." If this is true, our previous notions of who we are, where we come from, and how we exist in relation to other life forms have the potential of being reshaped in a process similar to that which occurred 500 years ago.
Anthropologist Falk Featured in Science on Major New Finding in Human Brain Evolution
By Mary FiessUniversity anthropologist Dean Falk , an internationally recognized expert in the field of human brain evolution, says scientists may need to re-evaluate their theories of human evolution in light of a new report about one ancient skull. And she says she and her graduate students are already taking a new look at her models of skulls of human ancestors.
In the June 12 issue of Science magazine, a team of scientists reported on their study of an ancient skull found in Africa estimated to be between 2.6 and 2.8 million years old. Employing modern medical imaging technology, the scientists measured the cranial capacity of the skull (which is used as a surrogate for actual brain size in paleontological studies), and found it to be 515 cubic centimeters.
The skull was not nearly as big as had been rumored in the field, says Falk, and that is what will lead to a re-evaluation of human evolution theories.
"I�ve seen the specimen, and its braincase looks enormous compared to others. But because its measured capacity is actually smaller than the published capacities of some of these other early hominids, something is very wrong with the published record of early hominid cranial capacities," says Falk.
In her "Perspective" in Science, Falk writes that "the ramifications for hominid brain evolution may be profound." In the field of human evolution, it is generally accepted that brain size began increasing dramatically in human ancestors some two million years ago. But this new skull raises the possibility that the increase in cranial capacity began earlier.
Falk and two University anthropology students, John Guyer and John Redmond, are re-evaluating her extensive collection of casts of the interiors of skulls, endocasts, that reflect details of the brain, and are surprised at the results.
Book Analyzes Truman's Priorities and Cold War Compromises
by Vinny RedaIn 1950, the U.S. military budget more than tripled while plans for a national health care system and other new social welfare programs disappeared from the agenda. At the same time, the official campaign against the influence of radicals in American life reached remarkable new heights with the passage of legislation calling for the registration and possible imprisonment of American Communists.
Building the Cold War Consensus: The Political Economy of National Security Policy, 1949-1951 (1998, University of Michigan Press), by Benjamin Fordham of the Department of Public Policy, argues that these domestic and foreign policy outcomes are closely related. Fordham says that the Truman Administration�s efforts to fund its ambitious and expensive foreign policy required it to sacrifice much of its domestic agenda and acquiesce to conservative demands for a campaign against radicals in the labor movement and elsewhere.
The book presents both a statistical analysis of the economic sources of support and opposition to the Truman Administration�s foreign policy, and a historical account of the crucial period between the summer of 1949 and the winter of 1951. It integrates the political struggle over NSC 68 within the administration, the decision to intervene in the Korean War, and Congressional debates over the Fair Deal, McCarthyism and military spending.
"The linkage between the international confrontation with the Soviet Union and conservative domestic policies was not inevitable," said Fordham. "When these policies were developed, advocates of Cold War foreign policy generally opposed the domestic policies that came to be associated with it, while those favoring the Cold War domestic agenda usually opposed the foreign policy. Both the individual policies and the association between them are the results of a struggle between domestic political factions rooted in the American political economy."
Most accounts of this crucial period explain the emerging national security policy in terms of state leaders� reactions to international events. But by using both archival and quantitative evidence, Fordham argues that conflicting interests in the American political economy shaped the politics of Cold War foreign policy.
"Foreign policy outcomes depended on the resolution of domestic political conflicts," he said. "The Truman Administration�s policy was politically successful not only because it appealed to internationally oriented sectors of the U.S. economy, but also because it was linked to domestic policies favored by domestically oriented, labor-sensitive sectors that would otherwise have opposed it."
An examination of the linkages between domestic political issues and national security policy, argues Fordham, helps explain not only the political success of both programs but also apparent anomalies in the behavior of the major political actors and the impact of international events such as the Korean War.
Fordham came to the University faculty in Fall 1996. His current projects concern the implications of economic decisions on the use of force, and the influence of geographic and non-geographic economic constituencies on Congressional foreign-policy votes.
Reginald Stewart, center, a UAS employee, was given a Citizen Action award recently by the University Police Department (UPD) for assisting a person in medical distress. The award recognizes members of the University community for actions which benefit the campus. On hand were UPD officers, and presenting the award, second from left, was Tom Kilcullen, assistant chief of UPD.
Named to National Screening Committee
Kahal Lahiri of the Department of Economics has been invited to serve on the national screening committee of the Institute of International Education. The Institute annually conducts competitions for study, research, or professional training abroad under the Fulbright-Hays Program sponsored by the United States Information Agency. The Institute also holds competitions for other awards offered by foreign governments, universities, and private donors.
Lahiri�s assignment with the National Screening Committee is for a period of three years beginning in 1999.
Eight Receive Chancellor�s Excellence Awards
Four faculty and four staff received Chancellor�s Awards for Excellence this May.
Chancellor�s Awards for Excellence in Teaching, 1997-98, went to Lee Stephen Bickmore of the Department of Anthropology, Helen T. Ghiradella of the Department of Biological Sciences, Richard F. Hamm of the Department of History, and Katherine Trent of the Department of Sociology.
Chancellor�s Awards for Excellence in Professional Service went to University Registrar Richard J. Farrell, Alice C. Jacklet, instructional support specialist in the Department of Biological Sciences, and Hank Shuford of the Office of Admissions.
A Chancellor�s Awards for Excellence in Librarianship, went to University Archivist Geoffrey P. Williams.
Of the recipients, Chancellor John Ryan noted that their "commitment and contributions to the State University are an inspiration to us all." He added that the Chancellor�s Awards programs were created to honor the superlative performance of the University�s teaching faculty, librarians and members of the professional service. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the bestowal of the Awards.
Each Chancellor�s Award recipient receives an inscribed certificate and a cast bronze medallion. The medallion may be worn at commencements, honors convocations and other academic ceremonies. Campus presidents present the award citations and medallions to their institutions� honorees.
Department of Music faculty member Joel Chadabe has been chosen as the recipient of the 1998-99 American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) award for continuing commitment to aiding and supporting writers of serious music. Chadabe has been a recipient of the honor more than 20 times since 1970.
The awards were judged by a panel consisting of Jo Ann Faletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Long Beach Symphony and Virginia Symphony Orchestras; Carolina Jennings, professor of music and associate dean for fine arts at St. Olaf College; Tim Page, author and classical music critic for the Washington Post; H. Robert Reynolds, band director at the University of Michigan; and Fred Sherry, world-renowned cellist and member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Award winners are based upon the unique prestige value of each writer�s collection of original compositions as well as recent performances of those works.
Two University professors have been appointed adjunct professors in the School of Public Health. S. Trivikrama Rao of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences has become an adjunct professor in the Department of Biometry and Statistics through Aug. 31, 1999. Lawrence Lessner of the Department of Biometry and Statistics has become an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology through May 31, 2001.
Museum Director Gets Governor Approval
Marijo Dougherty, director of the University Art Museum, has been nominated by Governor Pataki to the State Senate for another term as member of the Empire State Plaza Art Commission.
"Governor Pataki�s nomination is a wonderful recognition of Marijo Dougherty�s artistic expertise and commitment to the cultural legacy and the citizens of New York," said President Hitchcock.
The Governor recognized Dougherty by stating he was sure she would "continue to serve the people of our State with dedication and distinction."
Poetry and Criticism Books for Slade
Leonard A. Slade Jr. of the Departments of African Studies and English recently published two new books. Lilacs in Spring: Book of Poems (McGraw-Hill) is his 9th book of poetry and Symbolism in Herman Melville�s Moby Dick: From the Satanic to the Divine (Mellen Press) his second book of criticism.
Six of the poems from the former work have been commissioned by the University of Illinois for its current tribute to Abraham Lincoln.
Progressing Within Advancement
Dawn Du Bois has moved within of the Division of University Advancement from the position of program coordinator of the Annual Fund to a member join the team supporting Foundation and Advancement initiatives.
"The new position offers Du Bois the responsibilities of Foundation Board stewardship, project management, and budget coordination," said Interim Vice President for Advancement Paul Stec. "In addition, she will be helping Michael Boots, our new Annual Fund Director, to find and train her replacement."
The American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing has presented Floyd M. Henderson of the Department of Geography and Planning with the Alan Gordon Memorial Award. The award is given for significant achievements in remote sensing and photographic interpretation.
Research Office to Ease NIH Burden
by Suzanne M. GrudzinskiThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) is launching an effort to reduce the regulatory burdens placed on scientific research, and two members of the University�s Office for Research have been selected to participate in the process.
Garrett Sanders and Jeffrey Cohen will take part in this two phase project. The first phase of the project, occurring in October, will consist of panels examine areas most strictly bound by the current regulations: animal welfare, human subjects protections, conflict of interest, scientific misconduct, and disposal of hazardous wastes.The goal of this first phase will be to identify those aspects of the five regulatory areas that would benefit from streamlining.
Sanders and Cohen will participate in panels dealing with their specific areas of expertise: Sanders on the misconduct in science panel and Cohen on the human subjects panel. "Researchers must comply with many regulations and anything that will make this less burdensome is good," said Cohen.
Through these panels, NIH will gain input from the scientific community and identify potential opportunities to streamline regulations, while maintaining the same level of protection that the current regulations provide. The panels will also begin to focus on potential implementation strategies and then develop solutions.
In addition to the potential scientific benefits to be gained from this project, there are also potential economic advantages as well. Cohen said that, "regulations if cut will save time and effort which translates into money."
The Department of Educational Administration & Policy Studies has grown more expert on an issue taking up a larger portion of the educational landscape with the appointment of Sandra M. Vergari as assistant professor.
Vergari�s general area of research expertise is education reform policy, but in particular she has been tracking and analyzing charter school politics and policies across the U.S. for several years.
"She is knowledgeable about a broad range of charter school issues and skilled at conducting productive in-depth interviews with policy elites," said Fred Dembowski, chair of the department. "Vergari approaches charter school issues from the perspective of a neutral observer. This independent credibility has enabled her to gain access to and collect valuable information from a broad range of relevant individuals."
Vergari said, "I am also doing work on morality politics, which is a new but vibrant area of research literature. That topic includes several issues in public education, such as the �parental rights movement,� sex education issues, and the new but not insubstantial government initiative toward �abstinence-only sex education.�"
In addition, Vergari plans to begin a new research project on the strategies and activities of the teachers unions in the contemporary climate of education reform.
Sandra Vergari earned her Ph.D. in political science from Michigan State University� where she completed graduate coursework in four different departments � in 1996. Her writing on her areas of expertise has appeared in both policy reports and academic journals. In 1996 she won the Theodore Lowi Award from the Policy Studies Organization for the best article in the 1996 issues of Policy Studies Journal. In 1997-98 she was awarded a project grant from the Graduate College of the University of Northern Iowa, where she also taught.
"I favor multidisciplinary approaches to knowledge," said Vergari. "Therefore I�m look forward to teaching a variety of courses, and to interacting with a broad range of the School�s professionals."
It is not often that a University faculty member�s work, apart from teaching, can not only have a long-range national impact, but an immediate one for a campus.
New Department of Psychology faculty member Drew Arthur Anderson�s current research interests have focused on the assessment and treatment of eating disorders, which are currently epidemic among college-aged women. Among his research projects at Louisiana State University in the early 1990s were ones specifically assessing eating disorders in general college populations and in female collegiate athletes.
"We are very pleased to have Drew Anderson joining the faculty in the Department of Psychology," said Robert A. Rosellini, department chairman. "Not only does he come to us with a very impressive set of scholarly credentials in the area of eating disorders � which significantly adds to and complements existing strength in our department � but also because his focus on the practical applications of his research will provide an important resource for our University Community."
Anderson has also investigated the psychological benefits � leading to medical benefits � of prudent weight loss.
Anderson comes to Albany from the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, where he was a postdoctoral fellow and instructor in the department of psychiatry. His duties there included work on an NIH grant, looking at the long-term benefits of weight loss. In addition, he was the principal investigator of study evaluating the effectiveness of a nutritional supplement on satiety and weight loss.
He has had several articles and book chapters published on his work, including ones in Cognitive Therapy and Research, Obesity Research, and the International Journal of Eating Disorders. He was recently appointed editor of the Eating Disorders Newsletter, the official publication of the Obesity and Eating Disorders Special Interest Group of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy.
Anderson received his Ph.D. in 1997 from Louisiana State University. That year, he was awarded the Graduate Student Researcher Award from the Obesity and Eating Disorders Special Interest Group of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy for his work on the assessment of treatment outcome in eating disorders. He successfully completed a predoctoral internship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1995-96.
Elton A. Butler, formerly of the Department of Mathematics, passed away on August 9 at the Guilderland Center Nursing Home. He was 91 and had taught mathematics at the University from 1945 until he retired in 1972.
Born in 1907 in East Penfield, Butler graduated from the University of Rochester, then received his master�s degree in mathematics from Columbia University.
After four years in Holland, where Butler taught mathematics in high schools and became vice principal, he moved to Owego Free Academy and met his future wife, Sara Barkley.
In the 1970s, Butler joined the Albany Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). During the last decade of his career at Albany, he served as an informal chaplain to some of the Protestant students. He also volunteered as a patient representative at the Albany Medical Center.
Butler leaves behind three sons, two daughters-in-law, three granddaughters, and two great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held on Aug. 29 at the Altamont Reformed Church.
