Below are a variety of items about upcoming events and other news notes on the campus of Youngstown State University.

Calendar
Monday, Oct. 20, 8 p.m. The Dana School of Music presents its annual Fall Choral Concert, under the direction of Dr. Hae–Jong Lee, at St. Columba Cathedral, 159 W. Rayen Avenue. The University Chorus, Dana Chorale, Women’s Chorus and Symphonic Choir will perform. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call 330–941–3636.

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Representatives from 17 organizations offering study abroad programs to 40 countries attend a Study Abroad Fair in the Ohio Room of Kilcawley Center. See News Brief below.

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 12:15 p.m. YSU Jazz Combos performs at free Music at Noon concert in the Butler Institute of American Art.

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m. The Peace Corps hosts an information session in the Presidential Suites of Kilcawley Center. Students are invited to attend and learn about the Peace Corps. In addition, YSU is trying to identify any faculty or staff who have served in Peace Corps. Contact Christina Hardy, Career Planning Coordinator, at chardy@ysu.edu or call 330–941–3514. 

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 8 p.m. The fall Dana Faculty Chamber Music Recital will be performed in Bliss Recital Hall. The evening features performances by 10 faculty members. The recital is free and open to the public.

Thursday, Oct. 23, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. YSU Student Health Clinic and the Youngstown Community Health Center sponsor a Flu Shot Clinic at the Health Clinic on campus. See News Brief below.

Thursday, Oct. 23, 7 to 8:30 p.m. YSU’s history and heritage will be examined during a “History–on–Tap” presentation in the James Gallery in Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus. See News Brief below.

Friday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. Joseph Smith, YSU alum and account director for the Office of National Drug Control Policy for Draftfcb in New York, speaks in the Presidential Suites of Kilcawley Center, sponsored by the Williamson College of Business Administration. Smith oversees the parent–focused social marketing campaign against teen drug abuse, leads a geographically targeted campaign against meth use, and manages the African American, Hispanic and Native American ad campaigns with partner agencies.

Friday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m. YSU’s Williamson College of Business Administration presents the 2008 WCBA Outstanding Alumni Awards at the 13^th Annual WCBA Alumni Banquet in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus. For more information, contact Christine Shelton, WCBA coordinator of external relations, at 330–941–3068 or cgshelton@ysu.edu.

Friday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m. YSU volleyball squad takes on Wright State in Beeghly Center.

Friday Oct. 24. YSU’s Ward Beecher Planetarium features Nightlights, 6 and 8 p.m. Nightlights will be shown again at 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, with the Halloween Show at 1 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25.

Saturday, Oct. 25. YSU Homecoming. Parade along Fifth Avenue begins at 2 p.m., featuring four marching bands. Football game vs. Northern Iowa kicks off at 4 p.m. in Stambaugh Stadium. Homecoming 2008 king and queen will be crowned at halftime. For a full list of homecoming week activities, visit http://www.ysu.edu/homecoming/. See News Brief below.

YSU Homecoming Week features variety of activities
Youngstown State University’s 2008 Homecoming kicks off this week with more than 30 events, culminating in the annual homecoming parade and football game on Saturday, Oct. 25.

Featured in this year’s parade, which starts at 2 p.m. and proceeds along Fifth Avenue to Stambaugh Stadium, are two fuel cell–powered Chevrolet Equinoxes, supplied by the General Motors Lordstown Complex. The appearance of the cars helps commemorate the 100th birthdays of both General Motors and YSU.

A fuel cell harnesses the electricity created in the chemical reaction that occurs when hydrogen and oxygen are combined. Hundreds of fuel cells are “stacked” together, combining their electrical outputs into enough electricity to power a car. Its exhaust is only water vapor. This vehicle can travel nearly 300 miles per hydrogen fill–up and reach a top speed of 100 mph. Green Car Journal has given the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell its Green Car Vision Award. For more information, visit http://www.gm.com/experience/technology/fuel_cells/.

This year’s homecoming week, sponsored by Campus Recreation and Student Programming, is themed “The YSU Story&Capturing the Past and Developing the Future.” For a full list of activities, visit http://www.ysu.edu/homecoming/.

Some of the highlights:

Monday, Oct. 20

• “The Magic of Jason Alan,” 10 to 11 a.m., Kilcawley Center/ Peaberry’s Caf￩.
• “Audience Response Trivia Game Show,” 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Kilcawley Center/ Peaberry’s Caf￩. As quickly as possible, participants answer trivia questions projected onto a 10’ x 10’ screen via a state–of–the–art controller.

Tuesday, Oct. 21

• “Chi Alpha Beer Blast,” 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kilcawley Center/ Campus Core. A keg root beer party on the campus core will benefit the area’s rescue mission.
• “Homecoming Cook–out,” 4 to 8 p.m., Newman Center on Madison Avenue, across from Lyden House residence hall.

Wednesday, Oct. 22

• “Penguin Prize Team Visit,” 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kilcawley Center / Stationary Table, Lower and Upper Arcades. Persons wearing YSU gear or red and white and drinking a bottle of any Coke product, Dasani Water, PowerAde, etc. may spin the Penguin Prize Wheel and register for the Grand Prize Tailgate Package.
• “Corn Hole Tournament,” 6 to 9 p.m., Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center, Outdoor Plaza.

Thursday, Oct. 23

• “Alpha Xi Delta Jail ‘N Bail,” 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Kilcawley Center/ Campus Core. Persons may buy arrest warrants for their friends or favorite organization’s president or faculty member. “Jailbirds” will be booked and have their mug shots taken. They must make bail by pledging donations. Proceeds earmarked for the Rich Center for Autism.
• “Kan Jam Tournament,” 11 a.m., Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center (Rain Site: Stambaugh Gymnasium). Teammates toss Frisbees and attempt to knock their partner’s disc into the “Kan” for a point.
• “Penguin Pre–Party,” 7 to 10 p.m., Kilcawley Center/ Peaberry’s Caf￩. Free food and drink specials and music by Maurice Davis Band and Damien Home.

Saturday, Oct. 24

• “Battle of the Bands,” 9 a.m., Stambaugh Stadium.
• “Coach Coin Memorial Fundraiser,” 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Football Tailgate Lot. The Public Relations 3710 class is sponsoring this tailgate event with the hopes of raising money for the family of the late Shawn Coin, videographer in the YSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
• “Homecoming Parade,” 2 p.m., along Fifth Avenue. The parade features four marching band, including the YSU Marching Pride. All participants and floats should report to the staging area on Wood Street between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Football vs. Northern Iowa, 4 p.m., Stambaugh Stadium.Game tickets available from Athletics Ticket Office at 330–941–1YSU.

 

YSU hosts wind energy workshop for area businesses
Mahoning Valley manufacturers can learn about business opportunities in the fast–growing wind energy market at a half–day workshop presented by the Great Lakes WIND Network on Thursday, Oct. 23 at Youngstown State University. 

The event, scheduled for 8 a.m. to noon at McKay Auditorium in the Beeghly College of Education, is co–sponsored by the YSU College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and the School of Graduate Studies and Research. It is one of five regional workshops the WIND Network is presenting across the state this year, with grant funding from the Ohio Department of Development. 

“This is an excellent opportunity for manufacturers to learn how they can become involved in the wind energy business,” said Martin Abraham, founding dean of the College of STEM. “We see this as a major growth area for the region, given our historical breadth in the manufacturing sector.”

The workshop is open to businesses that produce power electronics, control systems, hydraulics, fasteners, brakes, blades or nacelles, as well as those that make supplemental items appropriate for the wind industry such as ladders, elevators, hoists, fire suppression equipment, lighting and meteorological equipment. Operators of Ohio foundries, forges, machine shops and fabricating plants are also welcome.

Workshop topics will include global trends in wind energy, demand projections, the wind supply chain structure and standards that suppliers must meet. 

Abraham said the conference also offers YSU an opportunity to showcase its alternative energy programs. For example, he said, the university is in the early stages of an effort to bring a series of wind turbines to the YSU campus which would be used in research to discover ways to improve the efficiency of wind energy systems. Funding for that effort is included in the 2009 Department of Energy budget.   

James “Jeff” Carroll, professor of physics and YSU’s representative to the Universities Clean Energy Alliance of Ohio, is the local workshop facilitator. 

The Great Lakes WIND Network has identified more than 50 first– and second–tier manufacturers already involved in supplying the wind energy business, and the network’s aim is to introduce more Ohio companies to the opportunities and challenges of entering the wind supply chain 

About 450 representatives from 200 Ohio manufacturing firms have already attended the first three workshops, held in the Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo areas. In addition to the YSU workshop, a fifth event is scheduled Nov. 18 in Columbus.  

To register for the event at YSU, call 216–588–1440, Ext. 126, or e–mail dholody@wire–net.org. The $30, nonrefundable registration fee includes a continental breakfast. 

The Great Lakes WIND Network is an organization of manufacturers and suppliers that is working to increase the wind industry supply chain in Ohio. It is funded in part by grants from the Cleveland Foundation, the City of Cleveland Department of Economic Development, The Burton D. Morgan Foundation and the Kent H. Smith Charitable Trust. 

Professor plans winter study trip to China

Youngstown State University geology professor Ray Beiersdorfer is making plans to lead a three–week student trip to China during winter break, Dec. 15 through Jan. 5.

Beiersdorfer said the tour will be offered in conjunction with a spring semester 2009 geology course, “Geologic and Human History of China.” Participating students will earn science general education credits. It will be Beiersdorfer’s third study tour to China in two years.

“We will be visiting some of the most spectacular places in China on this tour,” said Beiersdorfer. “The geology is incredible in this part of the world.”

The tour group will spend most of its time in the Yunnan Province, which is near Vietnam and Burma. The trip will include visits to Shanghai, Xi’an and Beijing, touring a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, hiking on a glacier at 15,000 feet elevation, cruising on the Li River and walking on the Great Wall of China. 

Participants will also be celebrating the winter holidays in China. “Christmas in China is a blast,” Beiersdorfer said, recalling how he and a student group dressed as Santa and his elves last year and sang carols to the Chinese. “They loved us,” he said. “We posed for hundreds of photos.”

The $2,600 course fee covers the cost of travel in China, lodging, most meals, entrance fees and activity fees for cultural and historic sites in China, and guides for the trip. Additional costs include tuition, an estimated $1,300 for roundtrip airfare, $100 for a Chinese Visa and a $45 YSU study–abroad fee. Non–students will also be accepted on a case–by–case basis, Beiersdorfer said, and will be assessed a $400 surcharge.

For more information, contact Beiersdorfer at ray@cc.ysu.edu or 330–941–1753.

Study Abroad Fair explores overseas opportunities
Representatives from 17 organizations offering study abroad programs to 40 countries will attend a Study Abroad Fair for Youngstown State University students and faculty from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, in the Ohio Room of Kilcawley Center.

The fair is sponsored by the YSU Center for International Studies and Programs and is designed for students looking for opportunities to study in a foreign country, said Annette El–Hayek of the YSU Center for International Studies and Programs.

The fair also is designed to allow YSU faculty to explore possible faculty–led overseas study tours for their students, El–Hayek said.

Among the YSU programs that will be featured are Yeditepe University in Turkey, Beijing Technical Business University in China, Winchester University in England and Lunghwa University in Taiwan.

For more information, contact El–Hayek at 330–941–2336 or cisp@ysu.edu. Or, visit the CISP web site at www.ysu.edu/cisp/. 

Flu shots available at Student Health Clinic
The Youngstown State University Student Health Clinic and the Youngstown Community Health Center will sponsor a Flu Shot Clinic on campus 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Members of the university community, as well as friends and family, are encouraged to participate. Individuals must be 18 years of age or older to receive the shot.

Appointments are not necessary. Vaccination fee is $20 by cash or check. Credit cards will not be accepted. Medicare Part B cards will be accepted.

The Student Health Clinic is on the first floor of Kilcawley Residence Hall, adjacent to Kilcawley Center.

For more information, contact the Student Health Clinic at 330–941–3489.

WYSU sets $100,000 goal for fall fund drive
WYSU 88.5 FM, Youngstown State University''s public radio station, is holding its annual fall fund drive through Oct. 24. The drive’s overall fundraising goal is $100,000 — the highest goal ever for a WYSU fall fund drive.

Everyone who pledges support will be entered into a drawing to win a pair of tickets on the WYSU sponsored Go Ahead Tours 14–day “Journey through Spain” tour.ﾠ Valued at $7,000, the trip includes visits to Madrid, Barcelona, C�rdoba, Seville, and Gibraltar.

Throughout the drive, the station will also be offering new HD (digital) radios as daily prizes.

Gary Sexton, WYSU director, said the bi–annual fund drives are critical to the station''s success. “I believe that we provide an increasingly significant community service, with news and analysis programs that help us dig deep into issues that are critical to us, excellent music programs with local hosts we love, and expanded listening options on the radio and the computer,” Sexton said. “All of the funds raised during the drive support our many broadcast services.

Contributions can be made by phone at 330–941–1481, or through a secure on–line server at www.wysu.org. YSU employees can contribute to the station through payroll deduction.

For information, contact Ed Goist at 330–941–3364 or EMGoist@ysu.edu. 

YSU Law Day scheduled for Nov. 3
Representatives from several law schools will be on hand to answer students’ questions at Youngstown State University’s annual Law Day event 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3 in the Presidential Suites of Kilcawley Center.

Students interested in studying law will receive information about various law school programs. Catalogs, applications and financial aid information will be available.

The event is sponsored by the YSU Department of Political Science and Rigelhaupt Pre–Law Center. For more information, contact Paul Sracic, chair, at 330–941–1672.

YSU Board of Trustees sets meeting dates
The Board of Trustees at Youngstown State University has announced the following meetings: 

• 2 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 30, Finance and Facilities Committee meets in the President’s Conference Room in Tod Hall.
• 2 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20, Finance and Facilities Committee meets in the President’s Conference Room in Tod Hall.
• 3 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20, special Board meeting in the Trustees Meeting Room on the first floor of Tod Hall.

Two professors explore YSU’s 100–year history
Youngstown State University’s history and heritage will be examined during a “History–on–Tap” presentation 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, in the James Gallery in Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus.

The presentation by YSU history faculty members Donna DeBlasio and Martha Pallante is sponsored by the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s Young Leaders Advisory Board in partnership with the YSU Department of History.

The event is the first installment of “History–on–Tap,” a series of presentations focusing on local history.

For more information, contact MVHS at 330 –743–2589 or mvhs@mahoninghistory.org.

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