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| Dr.
Barnes McCormick teaches a popular
course for professionals on technology
related to helicopters. |
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Dr.
Barnes McCormick isn't your typical
retiree. Even though this former department
head of Aerospace Engineering at Penn
State officially left the University
in 1991, he's been teaching here on
a volunteer basis ever since. "They
let me keep an office," said the
genial McCormick, "and I still
enjoy teaching, so I just keep going."
A globally recognized authority on helicopters,
McCormick also for nearly 20 years each
summer has taught a five-day course
through Penn State Conferences and Institutes
that brings together engineers from
around the world to explore technology
related to helicopters and similar aircraft.
Titled "A Comprehensive Short Course
in Rotary Wing Technology," it
covers a broad range of engineering
issues for any vehicle that uses rotary
blades to fly.
The student roster for the class--which
Vertiflite magazine said is in "big
demand"--is impressive. Last year
Lockheed Martin in Owego, N.Y., sent
20 of its employees to The Nittany Lion
Inn to take the course. Other participants
have been engineers with Naval Air Systems
Command and Boeing, as well as professionals
from all over the globe, including England,
Canada and South Korea.
A
Distinguished Career
McCormick's
long career is full of high points.
He has solved technical problems
concerning torpedo propellers for
the U.S. military; testified on
the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration's aeronautics budget
before a U.S. congressional committee;
and written the textbook
"Aerodynamics, Aeronautics,
and Flight Mechanics"--a work
that has introduced countless students
to the field at universities across
the globe. He is also the author
of the world's only definitive text
on vertical/short takeoff and landing
flight.
McCormick's course has proved to be
a popular professional development
experience not only for its participants,
but for McCormick himself. "I've
become acquainted with engineers from
[all over the world]--some of whom
have invited me to come and work with
them," he said.
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Middle-school
students across the Commonwealth will
soon get to see streaming video in
their classrooms about the Swift Gamma
Ray Observatory, teaching them about
both the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration satellite and
the history and nature of science.
K-12 science teachers will have more
ways to teach their students about
sustainable energy production in Pennsylvania,
with multimedia instructional materials
and professional development.
The new Penn State Center for Science
and the Schools (CSATS) is collaborating
with Penn State Public Broadcasting
to launch these programs as part of
an initiative to enhance K-12 science
curricula throughout Pennsylvania's
501 school districts.
Dr. Bill Carlsen, professor of science
education and the center's interim
director, explained that CSATS--which
includes a mix of existing and new
projects--aims to support scientists
doing outreach. "The most exciting
aspects of this initiative …
are the very widespread interest and
engagement of Penn State scientists
and engineers in K-12 outreach, and
the opportunity that a University-wide
approach has to address challenges
that would expand beyond the reach
of any single project," he said.
The new center, located on the University
Park campus, will also host visiting
K-12 teachers as part of a new sabbatical
research program, starting in the
fall.
"That should be a great resource
for Pennsylvania teachers," said
Carlsen, "and it also provides
an excellent mechanism for us to build
a network of teachers statewide that
can be tapped for future initiatives."
The center was created last fall in
response to Penn State President Graham
Spanier's call for the University
to become a greater resource for improving
K-12 education in the state. Other
projects in the works include another
related to space science, as well
as efforts on nanotechnology and ocean
sciences. For more information about
CSATS facilities and projects, go
to http://csats.psu.edu.
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Penn
State World Campus has recently expanded
its geographic information systems
(GIS) portfolio, replacing its popular
noncredit certificate in GIS with
a new for-credit postbaccalaureate
certificate program. That's in addition
to an online master of GIS degree,
launched just a year ago.
"There's a push in the industry
for GIS professionals to enter their
careers with at least a bachelor's
degree," said David DiBiase,
the program's faculty coordinator,
from the College of Earth and Mineral
Sciences. "With this new certificate
they have an opportunity to earn valuable
credits they can also apply toward
a master of GIS degree."
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