WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The College of Education is looking for middle and high school science teachers interested in utilizing computer-based simulations in the classroom.

The educational technology program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction is looking for feedback on how the program can improve its understanding of technology integration, said Minchi Kim, assistant professor of Educational Technology.

Participating teachers will be asked to use online simulations prepared by the program for two or three class periods. The program will provide teaching materials, such as lesson plans, student activity guidelines and other necessary support from the Purdue Education Research in Scientific Inquiry and Technology research group, which is directed by Kim and Peg Ertmer, professor of educational technology. Teachers can earn up to $100 for participating.

“The focus of the research will be on the effectiveness of scaffolding that Web-based simulations provide in the science classroom,” Kim said. “Teachers can see if technology can really help students learn science.”

Teachers interested in participating should contact Kim at minchi@purdue.edu for more information.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Researchers in the Department of Child Development and Family Studies are recruiting families with children from 3.5 to 4 years old for a study on child-mother relationships and children’s behavior with peers and other adults.

The primary investigators are Germán Posada, associate professor, and Ting Lu, doctoral student researcher.

Participation in the study includes two contacts 1.5 years apart, when children are 3.5 and 5 years of age. In each contact year, child- mother dyads will participate in one home visit and two playground visits. Also, teachers and mothers will answer questionnaires about child behavior in the preschool setting.

Participating families will receive a monetary gift after each visit as a token of appreciation for their time. At the end of each contact year, children will also receive a book.

For more information, please contact Ting Lu at jtinglu@purdue.edu or 765-430-2125, or Germán Posada at gposada@purdue.edu or 765-49-41029.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University on Wednesday (Aug. 27) formally reprimanded and sanctioned a faculty member after a university appeal committee unanimously denied an appeal from two findings of research misconduct.

Professor Rusi Taleyarkhan, who researches sonofusion, will remain a member of the university’s faculty but will no longer have a named professorship, and he will not be allowed to serve as a major professor for graduate students for at least the next three years, according to a letter outlining the sanctions from Purdue Provost Randy Woodson.

“In considering the sanctions to impose, I have been guided by the principle that the sanctions should address and be proportional to the specific findings of research misconduct,” Woodson wrote in the letter.

“In my judgment as Purdue’s chief academic officer, it is inappropriate for a faculty member who has been found guilty of research misconduct to hold a title of a named university professor. … All rights and privileges associated with the distinction, including the allocation of discretionary resources, are hereby withdrawn.”

In a report released to Purdue on July 18, a Purdue investigative committee found that Taleyarkhan falsified the research record on two occasions. Taleyarkhan arranged for one of his students to appear as co-author of a paper to create the appearance that the student had witnessed the experiment reported in the paper. Taleyarkhan then announced that the paper was an independent confirmation of Taleyarkhan’s sonofusion experiments. The complete report of the July investigative committee’s findings is available online at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008b/080718PurdueReport.pdf

In addressing the involvement of the graduate student, the provost’s letter stated: “I concur in the assessment of the Investigative Committee that ‘the effects of this matter on the students and postdoctoral fellows are especially deplorable. Mentors of young scientists need to exhibit the highest standard of ethical behavior and collegiality.’

“For a minimum of three years from the date of this letter, your status as a member of the Purdue University Graduate Faculty will be limited to that of ‘Special Graduate Faculty.’ You will be permitted to serve on graduate committees, but will not be able to serve as a major professor or co-major professor for graduate students during this time.”

At the end of that period, according to the letter, Taleyarkhan’s conduct will be reviewed to determine whether he may apply to be reinstated to full faculty status with the Graduate School.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The power to influence what shows up on supermarket shelves is within the Purdue community’s grasp at the Sensory Evaluation Laboratory. Part of the Department of Food Science, the Sensory Evaluation Laboratory sets up tests for food companies to find out what the average consumer thinks about a product.

Several product testers try brownies in the Purdue Department of Food Science Sensory Evaluation Laboratory and record their responses by following instructions on computer screens.

“We used to call it taste testing, but when you taste you use more than taste buds,” says Steve Smith, manager of the Pilot Lab. “You use all the senses. Your sense of smell is a very important part of taste. If the food doesn’t look good, you’re probably not going to eat it. You even use your ears. If you bite down on lettuce, you want it to have that nice crunch to it.”

Some tests compare one product against another, some look at the addition of a new ingredient and others analyze whether a new product will be viable in the marketplace. The lab has worked with companies such as Nestlé, Campbell’s and Mrs. Fields to test everything from soups to ice cream to trail mix.

One of the most frequent clients is Kroger, which sponsored the lab. The lab opened in the Food Science Building in 1998.

“These companies come to our lab because when they do sensory evaluation work in-house, it becomes a little bit inbred,” Smith says. “They become overly sensitive to really small variations. But the real question they’re trying to answer is, will the average consumer be able to tell the difference.”

Tests generally call for 100 participants and are open to Purdue employees and students. Smith sends an e-mail alert about each test, and he currently has about 500 people on the notification list.

“Sometimes we have to go around and recruit people in the hallways,” Smith says. “We like to get a wider range of people so we don’t have the same group all the time.”

The lab is divided into two areas: the preparation room and the panelist room. In the former, students run the test and prep the food samples as well as prepare a report to send to the food company on the same day.

Smith sums up the design of the panelist room with one word: bland. But that’s simply part of the room’s function — to eliminate all distractions so the focus stays on the food.

“The design really utilizes some psychological things,” he says. “Each participant has a private tasting area so that the person won’t be affected by others in the group. It’s a quiet space, and it also needs to have the proper lighting. There aren’t any paintings or bright colors to draw your attention.”

Ventilation is controlled to keep odors from the food preparation room from transferring to the panelists, who receive their samples through small doors that go up and down at the front of each booth.

During a recent test of a new chicken quesadilla Hot Pocket sandwich, participants received two samples to compare. They were asked for their opinions on the flavor and texture of the cheese, sauce and chicken as well as which sample they preferred. Participants also were asked questions about themselves and their purchasing habits.

The panelists received a treat for completing the evaluation. On that day, the reward was candy, but fruit and yogurt are also given out frequently.

Barbara Davies, secretary in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, tried out the Hot Pockets.

“I thought they were good,” she says. “Hot Pockets always seem to be a popular item at the lab.”

Davies has participated in the tests for almost three years and enjoys rounding up new participants.

“I thought it sounded interesting, and I love the idea of giving them my input,” she says. “Being a participant helps the lab, and it’s fun to do. I’ve tried things over there I wouldn’t have tried on my own. All around it’s a good experience.”

How to participate
To receive e-mail notification about tests going on at the Sensory Evaluation Laboratory, contact Steve Smith at smithrs@purdue.edu

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Researchers at Purdue University have determined that raising the speed limit from 65 to 70 on Interstate 65 in Indiana has not increased the probability of fatalities or severe injuries.

“These findings are important because the influence of speed limits on roadway safety has been a subject of continuous debate in the state of Indiana and nationwide,” said Fred Mannering, a professor of civil engineering. “Indiana highway-related accidents result in about 900 fatalities and 40,000 injuries annually and place an incredible social and economic burden on the state.”

The findings add new fuel to an ongoing debate, with some studies indicating that the benefits of raising the speed limit outweigh potential safety hazards while others suggest just the opposite.

“The safety of raising the speed limit has been a matter of considerable concern in Indiana since the state raised its speed limits on rural interstates and selected multilane highways on July 1, 2005,” Mannering said. “Everybody expects that when you increase the speed limit, injuries and the severity of injuries are going to increase, but that hasn’t happened on the interstate highway system in Indiana.”

Findings are detailed in a research paper presented earlier this year at a meeting of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of science and engineering. The paper, appearing in an upcoming issue of the Transportation Research Record, was written by Mannering and research assistant Nataliya V. Malyshkina.

The researchers used a series of mathematical equations in “multinomial logit models” to calculate accident probabilities based on motor vehicle accident data from 2004 and 2006, before and after the speed limit increased. The models showed that the increased speed limit did not affect the probability of suffering a severe injury in an accident.

Understanding the magnitude of the safety impact of increasing speed limits, or whether safety is improved or compromised, remains a contentious subject, Mannering said.

That’s because research has not been able to convincingly unravel the effects of speed limit changes from factors such as speed enforcement; vehicle miles traveled; vehicle occupancy; seat belt usage; alcohol use; proportions of passenger cars, minivans, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles; and vehicle safety features, including air bags and antilock brakes.

The models used in the research calculate “estimated probabilities” based on accident data. Of the 204,382 accidents on state highways in 2004, 21 percent resulted in injuries and about 0.4 percent were fatal. The same percentages were seen in the 182,922 accidents in 2006. Comparing only highways where the speed limit rose to 70 showed virtually no change from 2004 to 2006.

The speed-limit increase made Indiana the 30th state to raise interstate speed limits up to 70 mph on rural interstates.

Findings by other researchers suggest even higher speed limits on interstate highways might also result in no rise in the probability of severe injuries.

“If going from 65 to 70 doesn’t have a significant effect on the severity of accidents, you have to ask yourself, what about 70 to 75?” Mannering said. “At what point does it begin to impact safety?”

The change has highlighted the tradeoff between speed and safety, a debate that began more than three decades ago since passage of the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act in 1974, which mandated a 55 mph national maximum speed limit on interstate highways in the United States, Mannering said.

State and federal speed-limit policy changes have been driven by various research findings and subsequent legislation, including the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995, which gave states freedom to set interstate speed limits.

Most research efforts have concluded that the 1974-mandated 55 mph interstate speed limit saved lives, a conclusion that has been confirmed by some studies looking at recent speed limit increases on interstates.

“For example, one study found that a speed limit increase from 55 to 65 resulted in roughly a 3 percent increase in the accident rate and a 24 percent increase in the probability of a fatality once an accident occurred,” Mannering said. “But then other studies have contended that legislation-enabled speed-limit increases have actually saved lives. One study argued that increasing from 55 to 65 saved lives because of shifts in law enforcement resources, the ability of higher speed limit interstates to attract riskier drivers away from inherently more dangerous non-interstate highways and reducing how often drivers speed up and slow down.”

The state also increased the speed limit from 55 to 60 on non-interstate multilane roads, but findings were inconclusive regarding the impact on those roadways, Mannering said.

However, the researchers cautioned that future speed limit increases should be carefully assessed for those roads on a case-by-case basis. The potential for accidents is higher on such roadways because of factors including stop-and-go traffic and vehicles entering the road from various businesses and residential areas.