SPECTRUM News Commentary
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TODAY’S EDITION See page 3 for SPECTRUM News Commentary. VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY http://www.unirel.vt.edu/spectrum/ VOLUME 22 NUMBER 22 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2000 NASA’s Digital Earth Project focus of Virginia Tech program By David Nutter yet know today how this information will be NASA’s digital mapping of the Earth’s used tomorrow,” Galbraith said. “We want surface and its willingness to share that to tap into the creativity, talent, and innovation information with the faculty and students at of the faculty members, students and staff Virginia Tech and other universities will be the members at Virginia Tech to explore how focus of a half-day program on Tuesday, Feb. this data can be used to benefit society.” 29. The symposium is sponsored by the The program begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Department of Crops and Soil Environmental Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center Sciences (http://clic.cses.vt.edu/) and the and will end at 12:30 p.m. The program is free Virginia Tech Office of Geographic and open to all interested persons. Information Systems and Remote Sensing “DEVELOP, the Digital Earth Virtual program (OGIS) (http://www.fw.vt.edu/ogis/ Environment and Learning Outreach Project, ). Information abut the DEVELOP program is designed to take the data NASA has generated can be reached at DEVELOP (http:// from its global-survey initiative and put that develop.larc.nasa.gov). out to people and develop new ways to us it,” Students from Virginia Tech CAVE said John Galbraith, an assistant professor in student user group will participate in the crop and soil environmental sciences and project program to talk about ways to utilize the leader. NASA data in a virtual environment. The The Digital Earth Workbench provides views of Earth-related information. (NASA) “This project is like the Internet. We don’t (See DIGITAL EARTH on 4) General Assembly money committees meet to discuss budget By Ralph Byers, age of 3.5 percent across the system. This is for capital outlay, including $10 million to ences between the House and Senate oper- director of government relations expected to keep institutions at the 60th percen- continue the Upper Quad project at Virginia ating proposals for Virginia Tech. The ma- As the 2000 General Assembly passed tile of their peer Tech. The House, on jor amendment on both sides is for critical its halfway mark, the so-called money com- groups. The Senate the other hand, has operating support; the Senate includes $1.5 mittees met on February 20 to unveil their also recommended an adopted a bill call- million per year; the corresponding figure recommendations for changes and additions increase in classified ing for a General Ob- in the House is $1.1 million. Amendments to the Governor James Gilmore’s introduced employees’ salaries to ligation Bond of funded on both sides include the Alexandria budget. Transportation, mental health, and reach the 3.5-percent about $300 million Research Institute ($500,000 per year) and teacher’s salaries were considered the prior- level. The House did for higher education the Unique Military Allowance ($200,000 ity issues for additional funding. not address this issue that would be ap- per year, Senate; $90,000 per year, House). For higher education, this meant mod- but recommended proved by the voters Amendments found only in the Senate in- est increases over Gilmore’s recommenda- certain benefit in- in the fall. This bill clude the Minority Academic Opportunities tions. For example, the Senate Finance Com- creases for state work- includes $15 million Program (($100,000 per year), the Center mittee recommended $47 million in increased ers. for the Upper Quad for Coal and Energy Research ($75,000 per operating support for all of higher education A major differ- and $1.5 million for year), and Agriculture Specialists ($50,000 for the two year period; $10.8 million of this ence between the the Livestock Teach- per year). was directed to community-college House and the Senate ing Arena. For the Amendments funded only by the House workforce training, leaving about $18 mil- for higher education past several years the include student financial aid ($1.8 million lion per year to be divided among the 16 is the treatment of Senate has declined for the biennium), the Equine Medical Cen- other institutions. capital outlay. The to approve similar ter ($200,000 for the biennium), and a study Both the House and Senate chose to Senate recommended GENERAL ASSEMBLY bond proposals. commission on rural prosperity ($150,000 increase faculty salaries above the 2.4 per- about $103 million in UPDATE There were a for the biennium). The House also included cent recommended by Gilmore, to an aver- General Fund support number of differ- (See MONEY on 4) National Reading Day activities scheduled MIT joins By Catherine Doss community will be participating in the event, America Counts tutoring program, a federal More than 400 students from six which will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in work-study initiative that pays undergraduates ETD project regional elementary schools will be visiting Owens Banquet Hall. These include members to providing one-on-one reading tutoring to By Susan Trulove campus Thursday, March 2 to participate in of the Corps of Cadets, student athletes, Alpha youngsters in local schools. Virginia Tech’s Ann J. Wolpert, director of libraries at Virginia Tech’s first National Reading Day Phi sorority, the Key Club, Circle K, the Alumni Service Learning Center helps OSFA administer the Massachusetts Institute of Technology program. Coordinated through the Office of Association, and many faculty and staff the program, which currently has more than 50 (MIT), announced in January that MIT is Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA), the members. students enrolled. joining the Networked Digital Library of event is designed to bring together “We are so pleased with the depth and “We get a lot of positive feedback from Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD). Based at elementary-school students and university breadth of activities that will be taking place,” elementary-school teachers who tell us how Virginia Tech, the NDLTD is an initiative to faculty and staff members and students for a Schoenhoff said. “Interest within the campus much the work-study students have helped in increase the availability of student research day of reading and other activities. community has been overwhelming.” their classrooms,” Schoenhoff said. “It’s for scholars and to preserve it electronically; “We want to promote the fact that Volunteers, including a number of student mutually beneficial because the students who the organization has an international mem- reading is fun and impress upon them the athletes, will read and interact with the students. participate gain experience and a deep bership of 78 universities/libraries. practical applications of reading,” said Holly Other activities will include making bookmarks, satisfaction that they have made a difference in Virginia Tech led the nation in 1996 Schoenhoff, OSFA federal work-study sock puppets, and a storybook quilt. some youngsters’ lives.” when it required graduate students to post coordinator. The event is being organized and conducted For more information, contact Keith Hevey theses and dissertations on the Internet. Since Dozens of volunteers from the campus by members of the Virginia Tech America Reads/ at 552-8314 or Jennifer Erling at 553-3079. then there has been a growing movement in (See MIT on 4) 2 SPECTRUM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2000 ACTIVITIES Tuesday, 29 Botany, 4 p.m., 1076 Derring: Leonard Pysh, Roanoke. EVENTS CEUT Workshop, 2-4:30 p.m. Hillcrest: “Speaking Across STS, 4 p.m., 132 Lane: Rose-Mary Sargent, Merrimack. Friday, 25 the Curriculum.” Women’s Month Program, noon-1:30 p.m., Hillcrest Theatre Event, 8 p.m., Squires Studio Theatre. Rhinoceros. Monday, 28 dining room: Muriel Lederman, Bernice Hausman, Rebecca Horticulture, 4 p.m., 101 Saunders: Tom Saunders, Scheckler, Leslie Graham. MARCH Saunders Bros. Nursery. Black History Month Program, 7-9:30 p.m., Squires Colonial Hall: Angela Davis. Wednesday, 1 Tuesday, 29 Student Recital, 8 p.m., Squires Recital Salon: Jackie Salary and Wage Paydate. Electrical/Computer Engineering, 3:30-4:30 p.m., 300 Wells. Men’s Basketball, 7 p.m., Cassell Coliseum: LaSalle. Whittemore: Ira Jacobs. Theatre Event, 8 p.m., Squires Studio Theatre. “With Good Reason,” 7 p.m., WVTF: Topic TBA. Rhinoceros. MARCH Thursday, 2 Saturday, 26 YMCA Slide Show, noon, Cranwell Center: Jenny Golding. Wednesday, 1 Student Recital, 3 p.m., Squires Recital Salon: Tim CEUT workshop, 3-5:30 p.m., Hillcrest: Peter Doolittle ESM, 4 p.m., 110 Randolph: John Duke Jr. Galyen. CEUT program, 3-5:30 p.m. Library Classroom B: Fun STS, 4 p.m., 132 Lane: Sue Hagedorn. Black History Month Banquet, 6:30 p.m., Owens With GenBank. Horticulture Gardens, 7 p.m., Greenhouse classroom: Banquet Hall. Women’s Month Program, 7:30 p.m., Lyric Theatre: Ubaka New River Symphony, 8 p.m., Burruss auditorium. Hill. Thursday, 2 Theatre Event, 8 p.m., Squires Studio Theatre. Statistics, 3:45 p.m., 409 Hutcheson, Raj Singh and Rhinoceros. Friday, 3 Howard Hogan. Women’s Basketball, Time TBA: At Philadelphia, A-10 Geological Sciences, 4 p.m., 4069 Derring: Christian Sunday, 27 Tournament. Teyssier, Minnesota. YMCA Hike, 1:30 p.m., 403 Washington St.: Laurel Plant Physiology, 4 p.m., 102 Saunders: David Drahos, Creek. SEMINARS Sybron Chemical. Men’s Basketball, 2 p.m.: At Duquesne. Theatre Event, 2 p.m., Squires Studio Theatre. Friday, 25 Friday, 3 Rhinoceros. Highlands in Chemistry, 11 a.m., 3 Davidson: George Highlands in Chemistry, 11 a.m., 3 Davidson: Bruce Women’s Basketball, 2 p.m.: At Dayton.