College of Sciences E-newsletter

September 2006

In this issue:

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Astronomy Degrees Approved by NSHE Board of Regents

At its August 17-18th, 2006 meeting, the NSHE Board of Regents approved the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Astronomy. This action recognizes the teaching and research of efforts of several astronomy and astrophysics faculty members in the Physics Department. Our congratulations to all those involved in launching this exciting program. The contact person for the programs is Professor Steve Lepp. He may be reached at 895-4455 or at lepp@physics.unlv.edu

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UNLV Made a Difference... and Former Student Returns the Favor

Maureen Wruck is not a graduate of UNLV, nor has she ever taught at or worked for the university. Nevertheless, there is little doubt that she is one of UNLV's biggest fans, and a generous supporter as well. "My introduction to UNLV was an introduction to the world," says Wruck, who grew up in an isolated area of Arizona and attended UNLV for two years before earning her geology degree elsewhere. "The enthusiasm the faculty had for researching and learning opened doors for me."

For the full story and a photo, please visit: http://foundation.unlv.edu/casestudies/estate_gift_july06.

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SCI 101x, "Introduction to Scientific Study"

The College of Sciences will offer a new course, SCI 101x, "Introduction to Scientific Study," in the Fall 2006 semester . This pilot effort, may develop into a course required of all Freshmen majoring in programs within the College of Sciences. SCI 101x is a one credit course designed to improve the study skills of our students and prepare them for college life including exposure to appropriate academic standards and ethics. This course is being developed by John Farley (Physics and the Center for Math and Science Education) and by UNLV Librarians. The Executive Committee of the College reviewed the syllabus and agreed to offer a section this Fall (as an X course). The Advising Center is now working to identify students that we can encourage to enroll. If successful, this course may also serve as a model for other colleges.

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SCI 499x, "Scientific Leadership and Training"

Beginning in the Fall 2006 semester, the College of Sciences will offer a course (SCI 499x), "Scientific Leadership and Training," for students who wish to receive academic credit for service as proctors, tutors, and undergraduate teaching assistants. Students must have standing as a junior or senior. Course content will include lectures, seminars, and assignments relating to appropriate academic behavior, ethics, technical writing, and other instructional issues. Students will also be required to serve as teaching assistants, tutors, and/or proctors in the College of Sciences. This course, initiated at the request of many students who have served as proctors and tutors in the past, is designed to improve the academic performance and academic integrity of students across the college.

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"Conversations with Earth," (Geology 140)

UNLV associate professor of geoscience Adam Simon has created a new course, one designed to attract, inform, and educate students who might otherwise avoid exploring our natural world, for fear of the highly technical language and methods of scientists. Conversations with Earth (Geology 140) explores our physical world - and particularly the unique environment of southern Nevada - with the expertise of twelve UNLV colleagues, each a specialist in one or more aspects of our unique planet. The lectures and discussions are designed to introduce real-life issues, topics that affect our health, economy, political decisions, national security, and survival here on earth.

The goal is to create students who are scientifically literate. Scientific literacy, broadly defined by the National Science Education Standards as "the ability of an individual to evaluate scientific information and the capacity to pose and evaluate arguments based on evidence to reach sound, viable conclusions," is at a dangerously low level among the American adult population. This fact contradicts the goals of a society which places trust in each citizen to participate in cultural and civic affairs and rear future generations; tasks that required a basic understanding of the natural world. Many liberal-arts students fear taking college-level science courses owing to the highly quantitative and vocabulary-heavy methods found in these classes.

The proposed course, Conversations with Earth (GEOL 140), introduces students to their natural environment and enables students to learn the big picture and not get turned off and bogged down in the minutia of technical details. Subject matter in the course includes: Global warming and climate change; Mining and the environment; Groundwater and surface water issues; Economic geology and commodities markets; Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository; Extinction of life; Ice ages; Mountain building; Oceanography; and Volcanic disasters and prediction methods.

The first lecture of each week involves a faculty member presenting his/her science and imparting the need for lay people to understand its basics. Students are given either individual or group projects that must be completed and submitted at the beginning of the second lecture. The second presentation allows time for further lecturing by the faculty member and group discussion of the assigned problem. This schedule promotes active and progressive learning about relevant scientific issues throughout the semester. The course is limited to no more than sixty students, facilitating dialogue and debate. Project grades serve as the grade for the course and failure to attend three beginning-week lectures results in an automatic failure of the course. All those interested in furthering their scientific knowledge are encouraged to take this course, particularly elementary education majors, those charged with developing scientific literacy in our children.

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Physicist Examines Global Warming, Washington Times, Commentary, August 27, 2006

Assistant professor of physics Michael Pravica authored this essay, based upon a University of Nevada-Las Vegas University Forum talk and most recently presented to the Las Vegas City Council to support their passage of a resolution on global warming.

The warming of our planet's surface and a possible correlation with rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels has sparked considerable controversy about the origin of this warming (human-induced or an unpredictable act of nature?). Whether it's the fact that 9 out of 10 of the warmest years on record occurred in this past decade or that 2006 (just the first half) was the warmest year for the United States, or that average global temperatures have been rising (by about 1 degree during the last century), evidence abounds of warming. Despite many claims to the contrary, natural and human activity can alter the Earth's atmosphere and modify our environment. All the oxygen we breathe (21 percent of our atmosphere) was produced by life via photosynthesis. Smog is a more direct effect of human/industrially induced atmospheric alteration. Indeed, many past societal catastrophes such as the Dust Bowl mass migrations of the 1930s were likely caused by over-farming. With our great potential to create and learn, we also have great potential to cause our own self-destruction.

Our atmosphere is comparable to a rubber glove stretched over a bowling ball -- it is very thin. Due to our atmosphere, we don't suffer the extremes of temperature of Mercury and our moon. In the opposite extreme, since our atmosphere isn't as thick or dense as Venus, we don't suffer from oppressive heat (850 Kelvin) due to greenhouse warming that prevents water from condensing there. Earth developed a very fortunate (for life) state of quasi-equilibrium. This allowed water to condense, removed most of the carbon dioxide from the air. And with liquid water as solvent, life evolved. However, human activity is probably altering this equilibrium by producing greenhouse gases (most notably carbon dioxide). These gases trap heat, warming Earth's surface and further release carbon dioxide (trapped in melting glaciers or warming oceans), further warming Earth's surface and creating a new equilibrium state in which all life may not survive. Unlike water, which readily condenses into liquid and solid (ice/snow), carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere roughly 100 years before its natural removal. Thus, any effort initiated today to reverse the warming trend will not bear fruit until decades later. Though carbon dioxide levels have cyclically varied from about 180 parts per million to 280 ppm over the last 650,000 years, we have never measured higher carbon dioxide concentrations during this period than now (370 ppm) -- roughly 27 percent higher than at any point in the Earth's "recent" history. Though many argue that greenhouse gas release via human activity pales by comparison with volcanoes and other geothermal releases, these events are very short term and have created problems for life in the past but were "rapidly" corrected.

Carbon dioxide produced by all life (not including humans) may be larger than that created by human activity. But without humans, it has been in equilibrium/balance for much time via the carbon cycle. Humans continue to add enormous additional quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and are also removing the ability of life to remove/sequester carbon dioxide (by e.g. decimating rain forests). This alters the Earth's natural homeostatic balance and it's possible we are only beginning to see the negative results. To provide some perspective of the sheer quantity of CO2 introduced, consider that a gallon of gasoline releases about 20 pounds of CO2 (among other greenhouse gases) and given that our nation consumes more than 20 million barrels of oil every day, this implies about 9 billion tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere every day. Whenever rapid change occurs, all life suffers as it struggles to adapt. The Earth's natural equilibrium can only take so many shocks before it irreversibly goes to a new state that may not support life, as in the rest of our solar system. We are conducting an experiment on our only home, Mother Earth, the results of which may not be known for some time and which may be catastrophic and irreversible.

Tragically, most of the voices from whom the public have heard discuss global warming (such as author James Creighton or politician Al Gore) are not scientists and have spun (or misunderstood) the science behind this phenomenon to suit their own political or dogmatic needs. Scientists such as James Hanson who have been studying global warming for decades have been censored/muzzled by political bosses who have no little or no scientific training. Other scientists such as Peter Doran have had their data misinterpreted and misrepresented for political aims. Unfortunately for humans, there is no politics in nature but absolute natural laws. We cannot go on pretending these laws of nature don't exist and can be violated without disastrous consequences. Whether it is warming, pollution, dwindling natural resources, pestilence and disease or overpopulation, the human race is on a collision course with reality and only science can avoid likely catastrophes ahead. In that spirit, I encourage all members of the public and their leaders to first of all learn the science behind the phenomenon of global warming and engage scientists in the debate so we can all decide together on the future course of action to tackle and prepare for global warming for the survival of the human race.

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Summer Undergraduate Research Program

On August 11, 2006 some 24 undergraduate students from UNLV and institutions across the nation presented the results of summer research projects. Each student worked with a UNLV faculty member in the College of Sciences and participated in this project with support from NSF EPSCor's Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program, NIH, DOE, the UNLV High Pressure Science and Engineering Center, the College of Science, or DRI. Research findings, presented in the form of posters, summarized progress on research projects and provided an opportunity for students to engage and interact with visitors.


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New Science Resources at Lied Library

At the end of the past academic year, UNLV Libraries vastly increased users' access to articles from scientific journals with the purchase of several large electronic archives from publishers Springer, Wiley, Elsevier, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. UNLV library users now have electronic access to the entire runs of many important journals like Polymer and Cell. The recent purchase from Springer includes a large collection of e-books (books in digital format), many of them scientific or mathematical in nature. These journals and books can be accessed by title through the UNLV Libraries Catalog.

There are also additions to the libraries' database collections, including GeoScienceWorld and Faculty of 1000 Biology. GeoScienceWorld offers information searching within many of the most prominent geoscience publications including Geology and GSA Bulletin, while Faculty of 1000 Biology reviews papers recommended by over a thousand scientists. Both are accessible from the UNLV Libraries' database web page at http://www.library.unlv.edu/search/eralpha.php.

If you would like to request a library purchase--especially if you'd like to use it in a class--please contact JD Kotula, UNLV's science librarian, at 895-2103 or jd.kotula@unlv.edu.

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In Memoriam, Research Associate Professor J. Abiodun Elegbede

The College of Sciences is saddened to announce the passing of one of our colleagues, research assistant professor John Abiodun Elegbede, on August 21, 2006. He passed away after a courageous battle in recent months with Multiple Myeloma. Elegbede was born in Nigeria, where he was the head of the biochemistry department at Amadu Bello University, Zaria. In the United States, he was an oncology researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Elegbede received his B.S. (1975) and M.S. (1978) degrees in Biochemistry from Ahmadu Belllo University in Zaria, Nigeria. He received his Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1984. Elegbede's general research interests were in the areas of nutrition and cancer. He explored the protective effects of foods of plant origin against certain human diseases. Works by Elegbede and others showed that the monoterpene d-limonene has protective effects against breast cancer and led to the development of this class of compounds for clinical trials in humans. At the time of his death, Elegbede's current research focused on the identification of other non-nutritive agents with anti-carcinogenic potential and the understanding of mechanism(s) of action of anti-carcinogens, particularly the role of chemotherapeutic agents in the regulation of apoptosis. He was also a deacon of Green Valley Baptist Church in Las Vegas and is survived by his wife, Moyo Elegbede; son, Damilola Elegbede; and daughter, Anu Elegbede.. Contributions may be made to The Elegbede Family, Calvary Bible Church, 3245 Kalmia Ave, Boulder, CO 80301.

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"Standards Toughen for Math, Science," Reno Gazette-Journal, August 2, 2006

Incoming Washoe County ninth-graders are going to be guinea pigs in the Gateway Curriculum, an extra year of math and science beyond what is currently required for graduation. Officials say the curriculum will better prepare graduates for college or the workforce. Opponents of the curriculum say the extra math and science courses might frustrate students who aren't academically inclined and take time from vocational coursesÉ A Nevada university system report from 2002 showed 28 percent of Nevada high school graduates at the University of Nevada, Reno took remedial classes in at least one subject, compared with 43 percent at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Full text available at: http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article
?AID=/20060822/NEWS10/608220376/1002/NEWS


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Spring Faculty Meeting, August 25, 2006

The Spring meeting of the College of Sciences Faculty included presentations from Dean Ron Yasbin and others. Among the topics covered were: introductions of new faculty members, development activities, current university search committees, college awards and by-laws, scholarship awards policies, two new courses (SCI 101 and SCI 499), class attendance, workload reassignments and committee reports.


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Physics Forum

On Thursday, August 17th, professor Soeb Razzaque, Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, delivered a talk entitled, "High Energy Gamma-rays and Neutrinos from Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs)."

Abstract: The presentation focused on different models of gamma-ray and neutrino, of energy GeV and above, emission from GRBs. Detection/non-detection of these astronomical messengers in current and upcoming detectors may constrain the source models. He also discussed neutrino detection in ice/water Cherenkov experiments and how flavor tagging may be used to learn about astrophysics of the sources.

Talks are held in the Bigelow Physics Building Conference Room (BPB 217) at 3:45pm.

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Chemistry and Physics Departments - Seminar

Professor Micha Polak, Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel delivered a presentation entitled, "Alloy Nanocluster Compositional Structure and Heat-capacity Based on TB oordination-dependent Bond Energetics and the Statistical-mechanical FCEM Approach, on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 in CHE 101 at 4:00 pm. Polak is presenting this paper at the San Francisco American Chemical Society meeting and will be visiting UNLV until early October.

Abstract: Surface-induced bond energy variations, computed by the NRL tight-binding (TB) method, are incorporated as an elemental interaction model in the statistical-mechanical free energy concentration expansion method (FCEM) [1]. First, segregation profiles computed for free Pt-Rh surfaces are used as a test case, yielding good agreement with reported experimental data, and highlighting the role of subsurface tensions in the emergence of oscillatory profiles even in the absence of alloy mixing tendency [2].

The second part involves 923 atom cuboctahedron clusters of Pd-Cu that reveal core and surface segregated mixed-type ordering, whereas Pd-Rh tends to separate into clusters exhibiting distinct demixed order [3]. At high temperatures, the clusters exhibit atomic disordering followed by desegregation processes, all reflected in cluster-size dependent Schottky-type configurational heat capacity peaks [3,4]. Comparing Pd-Cu with Pd-Cu-Rh reveals distinct ternary alloying effects. The role of the TB computed bond energy variations in the segregation related phenomena is demonstrated.

1. M. Polak and L. Rubinovich, Surf. Sci. Rep. 38, 127 (2000). 2. M. Polak and L. Rubinovich, Phys. Rev. B, (submitted). 3. L. Rubinovich, M. I. Haftel, N. Bernstein, and M. Polak, Phys. Rev. B 74, 035405 (2006). 4. M. Polak and L. Rubinovich, Phys. Rev. B 71, 125426 (2005).

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Submit Your News Stories

The College of Sciences E-Newsletter is published on or about the first of each month. Please submit news items via email by the fifteenth of each month, for consideration. You may send your submissions to: Bill Brown, Director of Development william.brown@unlv.edu.

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