School Technical Ideas

Deborah Tannen, a best-selling author and university professor of linguistics at Georgetown University, will give the talk “She Said/He Said/We Said: How Family Talk Sheds Light on Language and Gender” on Thursday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. in the Life Sciences Complex, room 001. The lecture is free and will be followed by a book sale and signing.

The author of numerous books and articles on how the language of everyday conversation affects relationships, Tannen is best known for “You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation” (William Morrow & Co., 1990), which was on the New York Times Best Seller list for nearly four years, including eight months at No. 1. Her latest book, “You Were Always Mom’s Favorite! Sisters in Conversation Throughout Their Lives” (Random House, 2009), was also a New York Times Best Seller and received a Books for a Better Life Award.

Tannen is a frequent guest on television and radio news and information shows, including “The Colbert Report,” “20/20,” “Good Morning America,” the “TODAY Show,” the “Rachael Ray Show,” “PBS NewsHour,” “Charlie Rose,” the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Hardball” and “Nightline,” as well as many shows on CNN and NPR.

Tannen is one of only five faculty members in Georgetown’s College of Arts and Sciences who hold the rank of university professor. In addition to her writing for general audiences, she is author or editor of many books and more than 100 articles for scholarly audiences. She has also published poems, short stories and personal essays. Learn more at http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/tannend/.

The lecture is sponsored by the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts; the iSchool; Women in Science and Engineering; and the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies and the Writing Program, all in The College of Arts and Sciences.

Lions Sweep Dominican (NY) and Upper Iowa

SAINT LEO, Fla. – Finishing as the only undefeated team, the 11th-ranked Saint Leo volleyball team swept through the final day of the 2010 Saint Leo Lion Classic as they defeated Dominican College (NY) and Upper Iowa University by identical 3-0 scores at the Marion Bowman Activities Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Lions took care of their first opponent in Dominican in quick fashion winning 25-14, 25-19, 25-13 as a number of Saint Leo players had a chance to get into the game.  With nearly every Saint Leo player seeing at least one play, the Lions still managed to hit .350 and only saw the visiting Chargers test them in the second game as they drew to within two points in the middle of the set.  Saint Leo would manage to refocus and put the visitors from Orangeburg, NY away in short fashion.

The final game of the tournament saw the Lions down Upper Iowa 25-17, 25-21, 25-14 in a match that saw senior Kaitlin McKenna hit a remarkable .727 and senior Bruna Rocha post a team-leading nine kills.  Hitting .323 as a team, Saint Leo held their opponent from Fayette, Iowa to .070, including a .000 average in the first game.

A show of the Lions’ outstanding performance can be seen in the fact they only allowed their opponents reach the 20 point mark in one of the six sets they played in.

The Lions wrapped up the 2010 Saint Leo Lion Classic by going 4-0, marking the only team of the six that remained unblemished.

After a hectic start to the 2010 season where they played four matches in three days, the Lions will take a break to focus on their upcoming trip to Denver, Colorado and their games in the Premier Challenge next weekend.

Syracuse University laboratories are keeping one of the most “eco-unfriendly” materials out of the waste stream. The labs recently stopped trashing polystyrene foam, better known as Styrofoam, and instead are now giving the non-biodegradable packaging material a second life through recycling. 

The new recycling program collects cold-shipping polystyrene boxes from campus labs in Link Hall, Bowne Hall, the Life Sciences Complex, the Center for Science and Technology and the Physics Building. Since the start of this year, 141 polystyrene boxes have been recycled. The bulky containers—most are slightly larger than a small cooler—are made from non-renewable petroleum products and otherwise would have been hauled off campus with the rest of the SU’s refuse for disposal at Onondaga County’s waste-to-energy facility. 

Shelley Kummer, post-doctoral research associate and instructor of biomedical and chemical engineering in the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute, was tossing out dozens of polystyrene boxes each month from Link Hall’s Henderson Lab, where she works. She thought there had to be a better way to dispose of this material, which is very resource-intensive to create. After doing a little research, Kummer found a local company willing to take and recycle her lab’s polystyrene. 

Kummer sent off a batch of Henderson Lab’s polystyrene boxes for recycling late last year. Shortly afterward, the Syracuse University Recycling and Composting Committee (SURCC) got the current program up and running. 

“It was easy getting Henderson Lab going on polystyrene recycling,” says Kummer. “As the boxes come in, any tape and labels are removed before they’re set aside. Then the boxes are brought down to the loading dock once a month to get picked up. It really doesn’t take any time at all.” 

SU’s Physical Plant picks up the boxes on the first Tuesday each month from the buildings’ loading docks or other designated areas. “This new recycling pick up is going well,” says Mark Gildemeyer, Physical Plant North Campus supervisor. “We deliver the boxes to the company for recycling the same day they are picked up from the buildings. It’s pretty simple.” 

“It is important we find new ways to use or recycle products on campus,” says Melissa Cadwell, marketing manager for SU’s Sustainability Division and SURCC chairperson. “Recycling polystyrene shipping boxes is one example of how SURCC members are looking at alternative ways for keeping these types of items out of our waste stream.” 

SACRAMENTO – Community college students would have an easier time transferring into the California State University system under a bill approved by the state Senate.

The Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation that would require community colleges to create degrees guaranteeing students can transfer with the status of junior.

The bill aimed at streamlining the process for transfer students was previously approved by the Assembly. It now heads to the governor’s desk.

Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of Los Angeles says the current system costs students and schools extra money. He says his bill provides certainty for students trying to get to a four-year college.