Researchers find clues to insects' food preferences

Biology Professor Carol Miles and post-doctoral student Marta del Campo have found evidence that the eating habits of the hornworm may be affected by a chemical found in one of its favorite foods, the nightshade plant. In its adult form, as a hawkmoth, it seeks out the nightshade to lay its eggs. The researchers work was reported in the May 10 issue of the British journal Nature.

Bernard M. Bass, Bartle Distinguished Professor of Management and past director of the Center for Leadership Studies, was feted at a Festschrift (an academic colloquium at which scholars read papers and pay tribute to another scholar's work) at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. The Festschrift, held May 31-June 2, honored Bass's more than 30 years as a major figure in the field of leadership studies.

Bass speaks with Mary Sully of the Wharton School while Bass's wife, Ruth, left, looks on.

Student loan rates lower than ever

The Federal Direct Student and Parent Loan interest rates for 2001-02 were reset as of July 1, according to the U.S. Education Department. Interest on student loans dropped to 5.99 percent, down from 8.19 percent. The rate for parents borrowing in their own names for a child's education dropped from 8.99 percent to 6.79 percent. These rates are lower than the 7 percent interest rate of 1965, when the federal student loan program was established. For more information on student loans, contact the Financial Aid office at 607-777-2428 or visit their web site. (http://bingfa.binghamton.edu.)