Farm Report

CAMPUS NOTEBOOK   The Key to Flight Safety is Health, Not Age Older pilots don't perform as well as their younger counterparts on simulated flight tests, but age alone accounts for only 18 percent of the variation in performance. That's according to a study by Stanford and federal government researchers published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. "Overall, we find a significant correlation between increasing age and decreasing performance on a flight simulator, but there is wide individual variation -- some older pilots perform well," says Jerome Yesavage, a psychiatry professor at the Medical School and a licensed commercial pilot. Yesavage suggests that pilot health, including mental function and medication use, may be a better predictor of safety.   Newly Acquired: Buckminster Fuller's Papers "I regard this archive as one of the most important acquisitions during my career," said University librarian Michael Keller upon the arrival this summer of the R. Buckminster Fuller Archives. The collection includes personal and working papers of Fuller -- the architect, engineer, inventor, philosopher, author, cartographer, geometrician, futurist, teacher and poet who died in 1983. Fuller was particularly famous for his minimalism, and his papers record a unique 20th-century man.   Delta Kappa Epsilon -- Homeless Again Delta Kappa Epsilon lost its house at 592 Mayfield in July after the fraternity failed to meet several conditions set by University officials. dke membership fell so low that it could no longer fill the house, a violation of Greek housing policy. The group also missed June deadlines for paying financial obligations and submitting its financial reports. DKE lost its house once before -- in the spring of 1997 after a hazing incident -- but regained it in the fall of 1998. The fraternity can apply for housing again in the spring of 2000.   Giving the Gift of the 'Great Equalizer' David Fetterman knows his lessons made a difference. As the director of the School of Education's master's program in public policy and analysis, Fetterman spent the year preaching about how technology can be a great equalizer. By June, the 1999 graduates were inspired enough by Fetterman's teaching that they raised $10,000 from foundations and individuals and bought computer equipment for the Belle Haven Elementary School in East Menlo Park in his honor. "Your effort on behalf of others is what I believe in and what I believe life is all about," Fetterman wrote in an e-mail thanking his students for the gesture. A group of second-graders at the elementary school sent their own thank you -- a wall-sized art project.   A New Chief for Undergraduate Education Nearly a quarter-century after he started his own undergraduate career at Stanford, materials science department chair John Bravman, '79, MS '81, 'PhD 85, will oversee a slew of curriculum reforms as vice provost for undergraduate education starting September 1. "He's . . . had involvement in virtually every aspect of education," says Provost John Hennessy. Bravman, also elected to chair the Faculty Senate this fall, will be replaced in that post by Mark Zoback, MS '73, PhD '75, a professor of geophysics. In the vice provost slot, Bravman succeeds Ramón Saldívar, who returns to teaching English full time.   At Jasper Ridge, a First this Century: Fire A 2-acre parcel at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve is charred -- thanks to the preserve's first controlled burn, held June 28. The exercise was intended to help fire departments practice extinguishing a brush fire while protecting research projects conducted nearby. Firefighters used drip torches filled with kerosene to start the fire, then waited around to douse the flames. No natural blazes have been recorded at Jasper Ridge in the last 108 years. Fire is part of the natural ecological cycle of the region, and its absence increases the risk of widespread damage if a blaze starts.   For Lesbian and Gay Center, a Full-Time Director A scholar-activist with Stanford roots starts in September as the first full-time director of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community Center. Benjamin Davidson grew up on the Farm where his father, Julian Davidson, was a professor of physiology at the Medical School. The younger Davidson recently earned a doctorate in sociology from Brandeis University, where he also designed and taught interdisciplinary projects and programs involving gay and lesbian issues and diversity. In his new post, he will counsel the gay and lesbian community and handle administrative and financial responsibilities for the center, which has a membership roster of 200 and 450 registered alums.   A Search for Moon Water May Come Up Dry On July 31, NASA sent a spacecraft crashing into a small crater near the moon's south pole. The purpose? Find out if the moon harbors ice by testing to see if the crash produced a dust plume containing traces of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions. While NASA mulls the data, two emeritus professors argue that the experiment may not be definitive. Von R. Eshleman of electrical engineering and George A. Parks of geological and environmental sciences say the craft probably hit deposits of minerals with water constituents chemically bonded into their crystal structure.