Sure, it's not an original column idea.

In fact my colleague, then-Sports Editor Jeff Rice, beat me to it last semester. But this topic stands the test of time. So here goes:

Help me help make this section interesting. What do you want to read about in Science and Health every Tuesday?

I decided not to continue with themed sections because I thought the themes limited us in what it we covered. The problem now is that there is so much we could cover. That's where you come in. I want to know what topics interest you as members of this community.

Do you want to read more articles about the research Penn State professors are doing in the natural sciences? or the social sciences? Would you be drawn to stories about local reactions to national issues, like stem cell research or the smallpox vaccine?

Should there be more stories about mental or physical health issues? Are there features you've seen in the science sections of other papers that we should incorporate into this section?

I want to redefine this section and make it is as relevant as possible. We keep hearing about science or health issues in the news. But which ones belong in this section every week?

This section is for you. Before winter break, I met with an administrator at University Health Services to discuss the Healthline column that a UHS member writes every week. She explained that column topics are based on the questions UHS staff receive most often from students. This semester, we are bringing back the Healthline Q &A, which we did not use in the fall. That is one more way we can try to meet reader needs. So, send in your health-related questions to UHS and they could be answered in a future issue.

This column was not written out of my own laziness -- I have a lot of ideas for stories and goals for this section. But part of meeting reader needs is reflecting issues that are important to them in the pages of this section. That's why I'm asking you to tell me the topics and issues that are most interesting to you.

Last semester, when I was debating what position I wanted to apply for at the Collegian, I told the editor in chief that I wanted to do something important. She told me I was doing something important already as a page designer. So I took it further: I wanted to be important enough to get phone calls in the office. My job as a page designer was important, and fun, but anonymous. It involved no interaction with reporters or the general public.

So I got what I wanted. Let me know what you want to see in this section. Give me feedback -- and story ideas -- during the semester, via the e-mail address at the bottom of this column, or by fax or phone (see page 3 for those numbers).

The Science and Health staff is the smallest at the Collegian, and I don't want to waste the reporters' time by assigning them stories that nobody will read. Sure, every article won't be interesting to everyone. But I hope to have enough of a variety of stories, based on what you tell me, that reading the section will be a worthwhile use of your time.

Even if you can't find anything that exciting, I know you'll still be turning the pages in the section every week.

After all, you have to get to the crossword.