July 24, 2006, Northern Today Abridged

Dinosaur documentary features NIU Ph.D. student, faculty

Some familiar faces from NIU – and one terrifying beast from Montana – could be entering your living room this week.

“The Mystery Dinosaur,” featuring interviews with an NIU student and faculty member, will premiere on The Science Channel today and air several more times throughout the week.

Science Channel schedule for
“The Mystery Dinosaur”

• 8 p.m. today, July 24
• 11 p.m. today, July 24
• 3 a.m. Tuesday, July 25
• 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 25
• 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 25
• 4 p.m. Saturday, July 29

The documentary tells the story of Jane, a pristine dinosaur skeleton unearthed in Southeastern Montana by a group of mostly amateur fossil hunters from the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, where the dinosaur is now prominently displayed.

Jane was built to kill. Twenty-two feet long and 7-1/2 feet high at the hip, the dinosaur during its day tipped the scales at about 1,500 pounds. It had 72 serrated teeth.

Mike Henderson, curator of earth sciences at the Burpee and a Ph.D. student in geology at NIU, led the Montana expeditions that discovered the dinosaur and brought its skeleton back to Rockford. In the director’s cut version of the documentary screened in Rockford earlier this summer, Henderson is prominently featured, while NIU Foreign Languages Professor Bill Harrison also has a speaking role.

Harrison was one of two members of the 2001 expedition who spotted the toe bone of Jane jutting from a butte. In addition to teaching Spanish and Portuguese at NIU, he is a student of paleontology.

Jane’s discovery has been widely publicized in print, and The Science Channel documentary will potentially reach millions more households. The documentary also is expected to be shown later on The Discovery Channel, which has viewers in 50 countries.

“When you find a bone out on the high plains, you can only dream that it’s going to be significant enough to reach around the world,” Harrison said.

Created by Chicago husband-and-wife filmmakers Dave and Kathy Monk of Brave New Pictures, the documentary also includes footage of NIU geologist Reed Scherer and biologist Michael Parrish. Both worked on Jane as advisers, helping to decode the fossils’ secrets. NIU alumnus and world-renowned dinosaur hunter Paul Sereno also is interviewed in the documentary.

Jane’s discovery is of particular interest to paleontologists. Some scientists have argued that the specimen represents the discovery of a rare pygmy version of Tyrannosaurus rex, dubbed Nanotyrannus. Supported by other scientists, the Burpee Museum has concluded the dinosaur is a juvenile T. rex.

The story had great appeal to TV executives, Dave Monk said.

“Most of these people were amateurs, going out in the field for the first time, just hoping to bring back something for their museum,” he said. “They came back with one of the rarest dinosaurs on the planet.”

Monk said his documentary is about 50 minutes long, but more than six minutes will be trimmed for the television broadcast.

“It’s entertaining but it has a lot of good science in it as well,” said Henderson, who viewed the director’s cut. “It was a pretty fair representation of the work and debate about Jane.”

While Jane’s pedigree is still debated, much is known about the dinosaur. It lived 66 million years ago and died at the age of 11.

Other animal and plant fossils found in proximity to Jane provide scientists with a unique glimpse into its world. Harrison, Henderson and Douglas Nichols of the U.S. Geological Survey traveled to China last month to make presentations on Jane and her environment at the Second International Palaeontological Congress at the University of Beijing.

“I think the balance of evidence favors the interpretation of Jane as a juvenile T. rex, although that’s not universally accepted,” Henderson said. “But that’s what science is all about – discovery and debate.”

Genetic sequencing of little bug holds big potential

As bacteria go, Bacillus megaterium doesn’t exactly get a lot of press. Most people have never heard of it. Yet the common little bug with the grandiose name is yielding important information about subjects that are vital to public interest: AIDS, bioterrorism and environmental cleanup.

For the past three decades, Patricia Vary, an NIU Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus and former chair of biological sciences, has been working to develop a better understanding of the genetic makeup of B. megaterium, or B. meg, as she calls it.

In the process, Vary and her colleagues developed a strain of B. meg that acts as an ideal host for the cloning of foreign DNA. For the past several years, this patented strain has been used by Abbott Laboratories for the production of a viral protein used in diagnostic tests for AIDS.

Most recently, the National Science Foundation provided a grant of $630,000 to The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR), which is working with Vary and her research group at NIU to sequence the B. meg genome. Vary is among the three principal investigators on the research project, and NIU is receiving about $40,000 of the grant money.

Bacillus megaterium is a harmless bacterium, found across the globe in a variety of habitats, including soil. Yet B. meg also is a closely related cousin of the deadly pathogen that causes anthrax, which is often associated with bioterrorism. Comparisons of the two genomes could help detect genes that are specific to anthrax, clarify the role of those genes in disease and enhance diagnostics and treatment.

“The genomes of all known bacterial pathogens have been sequenced,” says Vary, who retired from the classroom in 2004 but has continued her research efforts, often working with students.

“However, we don’t know much about non-pathogenic bacteria, which make up 99.9 percent of all bacteria. By sequencing B. meg, we’ll be able to compare it with the anthrax bacterium and hopefully find out what makes a pathogen a pathogen. Ultimately, this will help us learn how to better detect harmful bacteria in the environment.”

What makes B. meg unique in the world of bacteria is its cell structure. Bacterial cells often contain plasmids – circular units of DNA that replicate within a cell independently of the chromosomal DNA and give the bacterium some advantage in nature. Plasmids are also used as a basic component in cloning.

“Many bacteria have one or two plasmids; the strain of B. meg that I work with has seven,” Vary explains. “I developed a strain for cloning, used by Abbot for AIDS diagnostics. Also my students and I have been sequencing all of the B. meg plasmids and studying their interactions.”

Because common types of bacteria play significant roles in all major earth cycles, a better understanding of their genetics could also lead to major technological innovations in other areas. For example, the so-called “oil-eating bacteria,” used to clean up oil spills, also contain multiple plasmids.

“We want to find out if B. meg plasmids harbor genes of potential use in the cleanup of toxic compounds,” Vary says. “I think we’re going to be discovering some genes that could be interesting.”

While Vary has made major strides in the understanding of B. meg over the decades, The Institute for Genomics Research (TIGR) brings substantial expertise and resources to the genome sequencing project.

Located in Rockville, Md., TIGR is a not-for-profit center dedicated to deciphering and analyzing genomes – the complex molecular chains that constitute each organism’s unique genetic heritage. Since it was founded in 1992, TIGR has been at the forefront of the genomics revolution, deepening the understanding of life and producing results with wide-ranging applications in medicine, agriculture, energy, the environment and biodefense.

In 1995, TIGR helped launch the genome era with its landmark publication of the first full DNA sequence of a free-living organism, the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae. Over the next decade, the institute and its collaborators sequenced the complete genomes of more than 50 organisms or microbial strains – more than any other research center. In 1998, it published a sequence of the human genome.

The B. meg sequencing project also has outreach and education components that will benefit the NIU community.

This past May, 10 NIU students and faculty, including Vary, attended a workshop at TIGR, where they learned how to use powerful new software for the annotation of gene sequences. Annotation is the analysis of the sequence to determine the genes and their function.

This coming fall, a workshop will be held to teach NIU biology students how to use the software. Vary and her research group also will debut a Web site, following the progress of the B. meg sequencing. In the spring of 2007, Vary will lead a workshop for high school and community college students on the basics of cloning and sequencing.

“We not only want to learn as much as possible about B. meg,” Vary adds, “but we also want students at NIU and beyond to benefit from this project.”

NIU Spanish instructor off to Argentina
on Fulbright exchange, department's first

Spanish instructor Kerry Chermel in NIU’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures is saying adios to the flat cornfields of DeKalb.

Chermel has received a prestigious Fulbright Teacher Exchange grant and will spend the fall semester at Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, located at the foot of the Andes in the busy and beautiful city of Mendoza, Argentina. She will teach two sections of American literature at the university.

“I had lived in Spain before and really wanted to have the experience again of living in another culture,” Chermel said. “For a Spanish teacher, it’s essential to have these kinds of experiences. They broaden your knowledge of the language and of the culture.”

The Fulbright Teacher Exchange program is highly competitive. About 170 U.S. citizens will travel abroad through the program during the coming school year.

“We’ve had student exchanges before but this is the first teacher exchange that I’m aware of in our department,” said Anne Birberick, chair of Foreign Languages and Literatures.

“Kerry wanted to pursue this, and she had the full support and backing of the department,” Birberick added. “These grants aren’t easy to get because applicants must be highly qualified and also must find someone who’s willing to swap schedules and is a good match.”

As part of the exchange, Professor Amparo Argerich of the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo will arrive at NIU next month and assume Chermel’s teaching responsibilities, which include four sections of Spanish.

Argerich will have her family in tow. She will take up residence with her husband and their two children in International House, a wing of Douglas Hall that houses the Foreign Language Residence Program, the political science/public service floor and a wide array of international students and domestic students with international interests.

“She’ll be right in the thick of the International House activities,” Birberick said. “It’s nice to have someone who is from another country come to NIU and teach our students because native speakers add cultural depth and breadth to our programs.”

Students benefit in other ways as well, she said.

“These exchanges improve our teachers’ linguistic ability and deepen their cultural knowledge,” Birberick added. “The teachers can bring back authentic materials for the classroom that enrich the learning experience. And we also get the opportunity to learn about a different educational system with different approaches to teaching.”

The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program operates in more than 150 countries worldwide.

Kudos

Roger Dahlstrom, a senior research associate at NIU’s Regional Development Institute, has been appointed to the Citizen’s Advisory Board of the newly formed Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, which combines the regional planning and resource allocation activities of the Northern Illinois Planning Commission and the Chicago Area Transportation Study. The group is charged with protecting natural resources and minimizing transportation congestion in the seven-county Chicago region.

Dahlstrom has 28 years of professional city planning experience. His areas of expertise include growth management, land use planning and zoning, capital improvement programming, community and fiscal impact analysis, development impact fee analysis and design, development agreements, and tax increment financing.

* * *

English Professor Michael Day, director of the First-Year Composition Program at NIU, has been named as the recipient of the Charles Moran Award, recognizing exemplary scholarship and professional service to the field of computers and writing. The editors of “Computers and Composition,” an international journal, presented the award during the June Computers and Writing conference at Texas Tech University.

Day was praised for his many distinguished contributions to the field, including his work as chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication Committee on Computers in Composition and Communication, with the National Council of Teachers of English and as coeditor of the books, “The Online Writing Classroom” and “Technical Communication and the World Wide Web.”

Arts Jam Xpress invites children for day of fun

Children ages 6 to 12 are invited to the NIU Music and Art buildings from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 25, for a fun day of hands-on arts activities. Arts Jam Xpress is sponsored by the NIU Community School of the Arts.

Children are divided into groups by age and enjoy three different classes in music, art and drama throughout the day. This is the first year for Arts Jam Xpress, which has been modeled on Arts Jam, a popular summer day camp that has become a community school tradition.

For more information about Arts Jam Xpress, call Renee Page at (815) 753-1450 or check www.niu.edu/extprograms. 

Community School hosts two concerts

The NIU Community School of the Arts is pleased to announce two upcoming summer concerts. All are held in the Recital Hall of the NIU Music Building and are free and open to the public.

The Chamber Intensive performs at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 25. This small group of young musicians perform chamber music. This year’s group includes violin, viola, cello, trombone and trumpet. Laurie Rodriguez directs.

At 7 p.m. Thursday, July 27, the Suzuki piano students of Marilyn Montzka perform solos they have been working on throughout the summer. 

The NIU Community School of the Arts is sponsored by the NIU College of Visual and Performing Arts at Northern Illinois University. It is a year-round program offering experiences for children and adults in music, art and theater, including lessons, classes and ensembles. The fall semester begins in September. To be on the mailing list, call Renee Page at (815) 753-1450 or check www.niu.edu/extprograms.

Transportation available to Pilsen’s Fiesta del Sol

Transportation is available Friday, July 28, from NIU to the Fiesta del Sol in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.

The group departs from the Normal Road entrance of the Holmes Student Center at 9 a.m. and returns around 5 p.m. A $50 registration fee includes transportation only.

What started off as a block party has evolved into a nationally publicized event complete with corporate sponsorship. Unlike other festivals, Fiesta del Sol is alcohol and tobacco-free and, most importantly, it is still organized by members and leaders of the Pilsen community.

The Pilsen neighborhood has been a port of entry to immigrants. Originally greeting European immigrants, today Pilsen is a destination of choice for Mexican immigrants.

Fiesta de Sol began in 1972 as a celebration to commemorate the Pilsen Neighbors Community Council’s role in securing the city's commitment to building Benito Juarez High School. After 32 years Fiesta del Sol continues to reflect PNCC's desire for social transformation.

For more information, please contact LA&S External Programming at (815) 753-5200 or lasep@niu.edu.

Training offered for scholarship administration

NIU’s Office of Scholarship Coordination, together with University Advancement, the NIU Foundation, the Office of Student Financial Aid and Accounting, is pleased to offer a training session on scholarship administration.

The workshop will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 14, in Altgeld 100. Topics to be covered include scholarship policies, procedures and guidelines as well as reading foundation reports and filing necessary scholarship paperwork and forms. Refreshments and a training manual will be provided for each workshop participant.

Whether you are new to working with scholarships or a seasoned pro, this workshop will provide something for everyone. Reservations are encouraged, but not required. For more information or to reserve your space, contact Michele Niedermeier at mniederm@niu.edu or (815) 753-4829 by Wednesday, Aug. 2.

NIU Telecommunications spreads word on area code

Area code 815, which serves northwestern and north central Illinois, will soon run out of numbers, according to the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA). To resolve this problem, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) authorized the assignment of a second area code.

Beginning Aug. 17, calls to the local calling area will be made by dialing 11 digits (1 + area code + number), rather than seven.

A period of permissive dialing extends until Feb. 17, 2007. During this time, anyone in the local calling area can be reached by dialing either the seven-digit number or the 11-digit number. After February 17, 11-digit dialing will be required for all calls. On-campus calls (NIU to NIU) will remain seven digits. The new code, 779, may be assigned to new residents and businesses as early as March 17, 2007.

The ICC has published additional information online: http://www.icc.illinois.gov/docs/tc/060515tcAC815799PR2.pdf.

7-24-06