FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Curtiss Hanson, associate professor of chemistry, (319) 273-2435
Vicki Grimes, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS— Curtiss Hanson, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Northern Iowa, was recently named Prem Sahai Distinguished Professor in the College of Natural Sciences for the 2000-2001 academic year.
The professorship provides financial support to the recipient for research and other professional activities. Each Sahai Distinguished Professor delivers a lecture in the spring as part of the award.
Hanson, who joined the UNI faculty in 1989, specializes in analytical chemistry, emphasizing mass spectrometry. Currently, he is working on two research projects: trace environmental analysis using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and biomolecule analysis using time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
The aim of the first project is to gain a better understanding of the processes that produce pollutants and other compounds emitted from industrial sites, with the goal of reducing potential emissions.
Hanson's second area of research focuses on detecting and analyzing high-molecular-weight biomolecules. He invented and patented a process that provides better resolution and simpler identification of unknown compounds. This area of research has many applications in the field of medicine, such as drug analysis and analysis of the human genome.
Dr. Prem Sahai's family established the professorship in his honor in the fall of 1999. It is awarded annually, on a rotating basis, to a tenured or tenure-track faculty member from the department of biology, chemistry or mathematics who has shown excellence in teaching and research and who exemplifies distinction in the particular discipline.
Sahai, who received an M.A. in education from UNI in 1958 and a specialist degree in communication media in 1967, passed away in May of this year. His son, Subhash, also a UNI alumnus, practices in the family-owned medical clinic in Webster City, along with his wife and brother.
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Contact:
Douglas Shaw, assistant professor, Dept. of Mathematics, (319) 273-6805
James O'Connor, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Iowa high school students and University of Northern Iowa students may participate in The Wright Challenge, a Web-accessible mathematics contest now entering its second year.
Between now and December 15, the "mysterious Doctor E" will present six puzzles, roughly one every other week, on the World Wide Web at www.math.uni.edu/~shaw/doctore. The puzzles will be printed in the UNI student newspaper and posted on campus, as well.
The first problem is currently available. The solution will be posted October 10. Answers should be e-mailed to doctore@math.uni.edu, or sent to: Doctor E, c/o the University of Northern Iowa Mathematics Department, 317 Wright Hall, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0506.
Prizes will include certificates suitable for framing, more than $100 in cash, and games donated by Kadon Enterprises, a premium-quality puzzle merchant. "The University of Northern Iowa math department sponsors this contest to encourage Iowa students' enthusiasm for mathematics and to share their love of the subject with the community at large," said Douglas Shaw, assistant professor in the department of mathematics and creator of The Wright challenge.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Cheryl Smith, program associate, Iowa Space Grant Consortium, UNI College of Natural Sciences,
(319) 273-6809
Vicki Grimes, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa— The Iowa Space Grant Consortium, in partnership with WHO Radio and the Earth and Sky radio program, is issuing a challenge to any Iowa classroom from kindergarten to grade 12. The classroom scoring highest on a quiz based on the content of Earth and Sky will win a prize package totaling as much as $5,000.
“Our aim, of course, is to get kids interested in space,” said William Byrd, director of the Iowa Space Grant Consortium, a NASA-supported organization aimed at increasing interest in aerospace education and research. Academic members of the Iowa group are the University of Northern Iowa, Drake University, Iowa State University and the University of Iowa.
The winning classroom will receive a Meade ETX Astro telescope, a trip to the Challenger Learning Center at the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines, an inservice program for teachers at the school and a collection of curriculum materials.
During Space Week, Oct. 4-10, WHO Radio (1040 AM) will broadcast special editions of the Earth and Sky program each day. Topics will include rocket science, space travel and star gazing. Complete details, including an entry form and classroom activities to support each topic are available through the ISGC Web site at www.public,iastate.edu/~isgc.
On Oct. 11, a Space Week quiz will be posted on the ISGC Web site. There will be three different versions of the quiz: for grades K-3, 4-8 and 9-12. The questions will be taken from material in Earth and Sky broadcasts and the supporting activities. The classroom teacher will administer the quiz and forward the results to the ISGC office.
Any classroom of students in any grade from K-12 attending a charter, public, private, religious or home school in Iowa is eligible to compete. The classroom that does the best on the quiz wins the prize.
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