PSU Magazine Summer 1990

Mineral discovery holds commercial promise A crystalline rock unearthed near Goble, Ore . , on the Columbia River turned out to be an exciting find for PSU Physics Professor Donald G. Howard and a group of 17 other amateur mineralogists . The newly discovered mineral, a member of the zeolite group, piqued the interest of geologists and industry around the country because of its unique structure and potential commercial value. Some zeolites can be used as catalysts, particularly in the distillation of crude petroleum into gasoline. Boggsite, the name given to Professor Howard's new discovery, has a more complex internal structure than known zeolites and its use as a catalyst in the distillation process may allow greater stability at higher temperatures and yield even more gasoline . Although there probably isn't enough boggsite occurring naturally to make it practical for commercial interests, chemist Edith Flanigan of UOP in Tarrytown , New York (a joint venture of Allied Signal and Union Carbide that provides materials for the petrochemical industry) , figures that laboratory reproduction of the physical and chemical properties of boggsite could yield "a substance of considerable commercial value." Boggsite was approved by the Interna– tional Mineralogical Association committee on new minerals and mineral names , according to Dr. Howard . An article describing the new mineral, written by Howard and others, has been accepted for publication in "American Mineralogist. " Shipping textbooks to Estonia A Soviet grain ship delivered a precious U.S. cargo to the capital city ofTallinn in the Republic of Estonia this spring . Packed aboard the vessel were economic and busi– ness textbooks , approximately 1,000 vol– umes, designated for distribution at the Estonian Academy of Sciences. PSU 6 Professor Thomas Palm was on hand at the academy to receive the books - a fitting finale to a project he had begun at Portland State. Palm, a professor of economics , gathered the donated books from PSU colleagues and personally arranged for their transportation from Portland to New Orleans and on by ship to Estonia. During the past year, he has been lecturing and consulting in Estonia, one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union, at the invitation of various Estonian govern– ment and academic agencies. "This is a country which has not had economics literature as we understand it in the West," said Palm. The books, which are being distributed among Estonian organizations such as the Estonian Central Bank, Tallinn University and the Small Business Association of Estonia, will become one of the largest resources for Western management techniques in the Soviet Union. Owning up to system failures Who 's at fault when an expensive new computer system fails to meet the needs of a small business? Often it is those with the most to lose, the business owners, according to PSU researchers Michael Gaines and Glen Beckley. Gaines , a professor in the School of Business Administration, and Beckley, a local business consultant and PSU instructor, interviewed representatives of local computer hardware and software companies , along with owners of small businesses . One of their more significant findings was that companies fail to take responsibility for implementing a system. They prefer to delegate responsibility to computer vendors , who lack the authority and responsibility required to ensure a system's success , Gaines and Beckley noted. The researchers recently published their findings, and suggested specific steps to avoid pitfalls when implementing a new system. Among them are: to involve representatives of user departments, not just technical personnel from the data processing department; to staff the implementation group with competent individuals who have a detailed knowledge of company opera– tions , not just the telephone receptionist; and to keep the momentum for a system implementation project alive, rather than allowing the inevitable pause to "catch our breath ," which often sounds the death knell for such a project. In memory Richard Lindner, associate professor emeritus of English , died May 11 of head injuries suffered in an April 1 fall in his home. He was 70. Professor Lindner taught in the English department at Portland State from 1962 until his retirement last year. "He was a consum– mate teacher, always interested in his stu– dents ," said former student Karen Robertson (Carie Shaw '89 BA). In Lindner's memory, Robertson and others, hope to underwrite special purchases for the English literature resource area of the remodeled Branford Price Millar Library. Inquiries should be directed to Karen Robertson-SMCO , Portland State Univer– sity, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207. Clark P. Spurlock, a long-time, early administrator with the continuing education program in Portland, died May 25 of conges– tive heart failure. He was 79. From 1946 to 1974, Mr. Spurlock adminis– tered continuing education classes in Port– land. This state run program was taken over by Portland State in the early '70s. He was responsible for scheduling night classes during most of his tenure. Mr. Spurlock also was a master carver and displayed his work in a gallery in Cannon Beach . It was in part through his influence that the summer Haystack Program was begun in Cannon Beach. Howard Westcott, professor emeritus of health and former wrestling coach, died June 3 of causes related to age. He was 76. Westcott was instrumental in building the PSU wrestling program into a national collegiate power. He coached the Vikings from 1952 to 1971 , compiling a dual-meet record of 1962-52. He also taught health education until his retirement in 1978. The family has suggested that remembr– ances be contributions to the PSU Founda– tion for the wrestling program .