YSU football fans get their first taste of the new era of Penguin football as first—year head coach Eric Wolford leads his team in the annual Red–White Spring Game at Stambaugh Stadium this Saturday, April 10. Kick–off is 12:05 p.m. Here, Wolford takes a close look at his squad during a recent practice. The regular season starts Saturday, Sept. 4, as the Penguins travel to State College, Pa., to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions.

• YSU astronomer is part of Hubble research group
• Primatologist Jane Goodall is Skeggs lecturer
• Students perform popular opera, 'The Mikado'
• Economics essay contest sets deadline
• Quest student research event marks 20th year
• Student art featured in McDonough exhibit

Calendar
Monday, April 5, 8 p.m. Legendary string bassist Rufus Reid is the featured guest as YSU's Dana School of Music presents the 2010 Leonardi Legacy Concert in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus. Dana's Jazz Ensemble 1 will also perform. All tickets are general admission and may be purchased the evening of the performance. Tickets may be purchased in advance through the Bliss Hall Box Office or by calling 330–941–3105.

Tuesday, April 6. Quest, the annual recognition of scholarship by YSU students, celebrates its 20^th anniversary this year. More than 300 students will present their research at the forum in Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus. The event is free and open to the public. Cynthia Anderson, YSU vice president for student affairs and YSU president–elect, will speak at the noon luncheon in the Chestnut Room. For more information, visit http://www.ysu.edu/QUEST/index.php?page=home.

Tuesday, April 6, 8 p.m. Dana School of Music Clarinet Studio Recital in Bliss Recital Hall.

Wednesday, April 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The YSU Office of Career and Counseling Services presents the Spring 2010 Job Expo in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center. About 50 employers from local, regional and national companies will be available to discuss employment opportunities, distribute organizational information, and accept resumes from YSU students and alumni. To view the company profiles, visit www.ysu.edu/career–services and click on Job Expos. For more information, call 330–941–3515.

Wednesday, April 7, 12:15 p.m. The U.S. Army Field Band Saxophone Quartet will appear along with saxophone quartets from the YSU Dana School of Music in a free concert in the Butler Museum of American Art. The Saxophone Quartet is an official ensemble of the Musical Ambassadors of the Army. For more information, call 330 941–1828.

Wednesday, April 7, 5:30 p.m. U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan is the featured speaker at the Society of Women Engineers' "Dinner with Industry," in the Presidential Suites in Kilcawley Center on the campus of YSU. The event is designed to help engineering students network with industry representatives.

Thursday, April 8, 8 p.m. Dana School of Music Guitar Studio Recital in Bliss Recital Hall.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 9, 10 and 11. YSU's Performing Arts Series presents Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera, "The Mikado," in Bliss Hall's Ford Theater on the YSU campus. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday matinee performance is at 3 p.m. The production concludes the following weekend, April 16, 17 and18. See News Brief below.

Saturday, April 10, 12:05 p.m. The annual Red–White Spring Football Game kicks off at Stambaugh Stadium, marking the end of spring practice for the Penguins.

Friday and Saturday, April 9 and 10. YSU baseball team takes on Valparaiso at Eastwood Field in Niles. The Friday contest starts at 3 p.m., with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon and 3 p.m.

YSU astronomer is part of Hubble research group

  This composite image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is part of the research by an international team of astronomers, including Pat Durrell, YSU associate professor of physics and astronomy. The image shows four galaxies mixing it up. The bright, distorted object at middle, left, is actually two colliding dwarf galaxies. The bluish star clusters have formed in the streamers of debris pulled from the galaxies and at the site of their head—on collision. The cigar—shaped object above the galaxy duo is another member of the group. A bridge of star clusters connects the trio. A longer rope of bright star clusters points to the fourth member of the group, at lower right. The bright object in the center is a foreground star. The image was composed from observations made by the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). Photo credit: NASA, ESA, S. Gallagher (The University of Western Ontario), and J. English (University of Manitoba)

An international team of astronomers, including Pat Durrell, associate professor of physics and astronomy at YSU, has found the astronomical equivalent of prehistoric life in our intergalactic backyard: a group of small, ancient galaxies that has waited 10 billion years to come together.

Durrell, a research associate at Pennsylvania State University before joining the YSU faculty in 2004, is also director of YSU's Ward Beecher Planetarium. One of his primary areas of research is the study of ancient star clusters, both within and outside of galaxies.

On this project, he was heavily involved in the planning and targeting of the observations using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. He also led the part of the project dealing with the oldest star clusters, known as globular clusters, which are located around all of the galaxies in the group

Encounters between dwarf galaxies are normally seen billions of light–years away and therefore occurred billions of years ago. But these galaxies are relatively nearby, only 166 million light–years away, according to a news release on HubbleSite.org.

New images of the galaxies by Hubble offer a window into what commonly happened in the universe''s formative years, when large galaxies were created from smaller building blocks, the news release says.

"We found the oldest stars in a few ancient globular star clusters that date back to about 10 billion years ago," said astronomer Sarah Gallagher of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, leader of the study. "Therefore, we know the system has been around for a while."

The team's results appear in the February issue of The Astronomical Journal.

Primatologist Jane Goodall is Skeggs lecturer

  Jane Goodall gives the Skeggs Lecture on April 20.

The lecture is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Ticket distribution will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 12 through 14 at the Information and PC Lab in Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus. Tickets will be limited to four per person. For more information call YSU Alumni and Events Management, 330–941–3497.

Goodall began her landmark study of chimpanzees in 1960 under the mentorship of famed anthropologist and paleontologist Dr. Louis Leakey. She later founded the Jane Goodall Institute, widely recognized for establishing innovative, community–centered conservation and development programs in Africa, including a youth network called Roots & Shoots that has 150,000 members in 110 countries. She travels 300 days per year, speaking about the environment and personal responsibility.

In her lecture, Goodall will reflect—both personally and professionally—on the meaning of the past five decades, the extraordinary changes the world has seen since 1960, and the impact these changes have had on people, animals and the environment. In addition, she will discuss the role we must all play over the next 50 years to ensure a better future for generations to come.

Established in 1966, the Skeggs Lecture Series continues in recognition of Leonard T. Skeggs Sr., one of the founders of YSU.

A book signing will follow the lecture. Goodall's books, and Jane Goodall Institute merchandise and memberships will be available for sale on site.

Students perform popular opera, 'The Mikado'

  Cast members, from the left, Trevor Coleman, Anthony Ruggiero, Raymond Morgan III and (front)Matthew Miles rehearse a scene from "The Mikado."

Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday matinee performances are at 3 p.m.

Tickets may be reserved by calling the University Theater Box Office at 330–941–3105. Ticket prices are $5 for YSU students with ID; $15 for adults; $10 for senior citizens, YSU faculty and staff and high school and college students from other universities. University Theater season ticket holders receive a special rate of $5. Parking is available in the Wick Avenue parking deck for a nominal fee.

Brunch will be offered prior to the Sunday, April 11 performance at 1 p.m. at the MVR, 410 Walnut Street. Ticket prices are $20 for season ticket holders and $25 for a brunch/ticket package for non–season ticket holders. Reservations and payment are required prior to the event. Phone reservations, with credit card may be made by calling 330–941–3105. No walk–ins will be permitted.

The most popular Gilbert and Sullivan opera, and arguably the most popular opera ever written, "The Mikado" has delighted audiences for more than a century and spawned a number of imitations.

The opera program's director/vocal director is Allan R. Mosher; music director/conductor is Jon Simsic; stage director is David Vosburgh; lighting designer is Kevin Wolfgang; costume designer is Barbara Luce of the Costume Kingdom; set designer is David Vosburgh/Opera Western Reserve; and rehearsal accompanist/music preparation is Jerome Rezanka. Others assisting with the production include assistant director Lynn Sabeh of Andover, Ohio; Girard City Schools Children's Chorus Director Sue Ellen Harris Davis; master carpenter Frank Bongen; and Johnnethen C. Pierce, stage manager.

The production is double cast in some instances. Cast members, with their roles and hometowns, include the following:

Anthony Ruggiero (The Mikado) Struthers, Ohio
Matthew J. Miles (Nanki–Poo) Boardman, Ohio
Christopher Anderson (Ko–Ko) Lancaster, Ohio
Clint Joste (Ko–Ko) San Francisco, California
Trevor Coleman (Pooh–Bah) Boardman, Ohio
Raymond Morgan,III (Pish–Tush) Niles, Ohio
Shafica Kaleel (Yum–Yum) Boardman, Ohio
Kayla Wilson (Yum–Yum) Austintown, Ohio
Shawna Jones (Peep–Bo) Beloit, Ohio
Bethany Lukes (Peep–Bo) Fombell, Pa.
Natalie Modarelli (Pitti–Sing) Austintown, Ohio
Allyson Pollice (Pitti–Sing) Boardman, Ohio
Alecia Hetrick (Katisha) Boardman, Ohio
Deidre Nuss (Katisha) Cortland, Ohio
Abby Smith (Chorus) Austintown, Ohio
Molly Scherer (Chorus) Wampum, Ohio
Victoria Lubonovich (Chorus) Hubbard, Ohio
Alyssa Leith (Chorus) Girard, Ohio
Tara Horvath (Chorus) Struthers, Ohio
Nelson Reep (Chorus) Bristolville, Ohio
Ernesto Pantoja (Chorus ) Ashtabula, Ohio
Anthony DeRose (Chorus) North Lima, Ohio

In addition, the Girard City Schools Children's Chorus will be a part of the performance.

Economics essay contest sets deadline
The deadline is April 16 for the 2^nd Annual Stocks Essay Competition, sponsored by the Youngstown State University Department of Economics.

The contest commemorates Anthony Stocks, who served 16 years as the department's chair, and his dedication to furthering economics education. Participation is open to all YSU students.

Contestants will write an essay on any economic issue relevant to government policies. The essays should be about 2,000 words (about three, single–spaced pages), have a clearly defined policy issue which the author analyzes from all sides, and a policy solution based on the arguments presented.

Essays should be sent to Tomi Ovaska, assistant professor of economics, at tpovaska@ysu.edu. Deadline for submissions is Friday, April 16.

Available prizes include: First Place – $200; Second Place – $125; Third Place – $100.

For more information, including assistance from economics faculty, contact the Department of Economics at 330–941–3428, or www.as.yau.edu/~econ.

Quest student research event marks 20^th year
Quest, the annual recognition of scholarship by Youngstown State University students, celebrates its 20^th anniversary this year with a record number of participants and research presentations.

More than 300 YSU students from disciplines ranging from chemistry to English will give about 140 presentations at the forum Tuesday, April 6 in Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus.

Quest provides an opportunity for all YSU undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their scholarly achievements. 

Cynthia Anderson, YSU vice president for student affairs and YSU president–elect, will speak at the noon luncheon in the Chestnut Room. The topic is "Living Life to its Fullest." Anderson becomes YSU president on July 1, replacing the retiring David C. Sweet.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.ysu.edu/QUEST/index.php?page=home.

Student art featured in McDonough exhibit

  "Untitled #5" is the name of this painting by YSU student Colleen George, one of the artworks featured in this year's exhibit at the McDonough Museum of Art.

The Student Art Association, the Department of Art and the McDonough Museum are sponsoring the exhibition.

This year's show features about 70 selected works from 40 YSU students. Mediums include painting, photography, sculpture, video, graphic design and printmaking.

The McDonough Museum of Art is located on Wick Avenue. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is open to the public and admission is free. For additional information, call 330–941–1400.