Category Archives: Science & Technology

Earth & Environment, Science & Technology

Polar Day showcases cool research & art

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Spring is coming earlier in the year than it used to, according to the Arctic.

Well, the Arctic can’t talk — but according to data that ecologist Eric Post and his team have gathered in that region, spring is arriving about two to three weeks earlier than it did in 2002.

We learned about this and more at the fourth annual Polar Day, hosted by Penn State’s Polar Center on Tuesday, March 22. A variety of activities and presentations throughout the day highlighted several aspects of polar exploration and research. Presentations ranged from an ROV — remotely operated vehicle — demonstration to photography to musical interpretations of data from polar regions.  Continue reading Polar Day showcases cool research & art →

Earth & Environment, Science & Technology

Chill out & learn at Polar Day

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Penn State’s Polar Center is home to world-renowned researchers who study “the unique beauty and increasingly urgent scientific and cultural value of the Arctic and Antarctic.”

The Polar Center has hosted Polar Day for several years, and this year it will be held on Tuesday, March 22, on Penn State’s University Park campus. The event is free and open to the public and features performances, lectures, and other events celebrating the natural and cultural value of the world’s polar regions.  Continue reading Chill out & learn at Polar Day →

Earth & Environment, Science & Technology, Society & Culture

Old-fashioned sustainable houses

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Everyone wants a house to live in. More and more, people around the world want the kinds of houses seen in Europe and North America, rather than those they grew up in. However, industrial building materials can be scarce and expensive — alternative, locally sourced, sustainable materials are often a better choice.

Continue reading Old-fashioned sustainable houses →

Health & Medicine, Science & Technology, Society & Culture

Fear itself: Disease outbreak reports could cause health problems

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“There is evidence that fear of disaster or disease can bring about coronary heart disease, a weakened immune system, and psychological distress,” says James Dillard. “In the case of Zika, women of child-bearing age who are attentive to media coverage might be particularly vulnerable to the type of fear that can have health repercussions.”

Aedes aegypti , one of the transmitters Zika virus. Wikimedia Commons
Aedes aegypti , one of the transmitters Zika virus. Wikimedia Commons

Less than two years after the Ebola scare spread through the country, the threat of a Zika virus outbreak is starting to frighten Americans, according to a team of Penn State researchers.

The fear of these diseases, however, may end up affecting more people’s health and causing more disruption to society than the diseases themselves, said James Dillard, professor of communication arts and sciences.  Continue reading Fear itself: Disease outbreak reports could cause health problems →

Science & Technology, Society & Culture

Bach to the future

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In an effort to bring the arts and the sciences together, the Millennium Café hosted both the Pennsylvania Quintet and geoscientist Richard Alley at this week’s event.

The Pennsylvania Quintet Wind Ensemble performing at the Millennium Cafe on the morning of Jan. 26.
The Pennsylvania Quintet Wind Ensemble performing at the Millennium Café on the morning of Jan. 26.

Continue reading Bach to the future →