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Show The B ADI08 That's all, folks See pages FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1989 VOL. 98, NO. 148 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH old fusion: top story', of the year panel's fusion report may ensure federal support DOE By Edward Ruiz Chronicle assistant news editor Cold fusion at the University of Utah isn't just the top Chronicle story of the year, it's the story of the year. But t i along with fusion, there were several other biggies, including the tax initiatives, budget woes and the Utes' huge gridiron win over BYU. Anyway, the following is the Chronicle's top-1- 0 list of : stories this past school year. B. 1. U. chemist Stanley Pons and his British announce March 23 Martin Fleischmann, colleague, that they had sustained nuclear fusion at room temperature, using an electrochemical cell. Pons calls it solid-stat- e fusion, but everyone else seems to call it cold fusion. Whatever you call it, the U. fusion experiment and the way it was announced (via a press conference) has been the focus of worldwide headlines and cover stories. The fusion story, has it all: politics (what really hapj pened between the U. and BYU?); intrigue (did two scientists using $100,000 of their own money really accomis the same thing physicists have been trying to i plish achieve while spending millions of dollars and more than 30 years?); rags to riches (graduate student Marvin Hawkins, who worked on the fusion experiments, has hit a gold mine whether or not the experiment is a confirmed success). , V There's also conflict (scientific lines have been drawn between those who criticized the initial press conference rather than using scientific journals and peer review, and those who see the announcement as necessary because of the experiment's importance. Also, there has been and chemists and interesting conflict between physicists c a battle fbrdomam). ;: And finally there are dreams (does the same universiof ty have both cold fusion and a theory-courto Simons--tchemists' Cheves Walling and Jack explain how it is occurring? Pons thinks so); and hope (in the wake of the Exxon oil spill and numerous other environ1 mental problems, a clean alternative energy source is a desperately needed shot in the arm for Mother Earth). Whatever the case, although this academic year is finished, the fusion story is only just beginning, v 2. Tax initiatives are rejected by Utah citizens. For higher education officials, Election Day was also To fight the intense tax rollback headed by Greg Beesley of the Tax Limitation Coalition and Independent gubernatorial candidate Merrill Cook, higher education officials from the State Board of Regents to President Chase Peterson mounted their own Vote No campaign. The U. administration preached that only doom would By Christian Aggeler r. Chronicle staff writer A n iiuiui iui mu mm ii hi. iimiiiiMiiii i V f i k r I help solidify Washington support for U.. chemist B. Stanley Pons and British col- v league Martin Fleischmann, both of whom requested $25 million fro m Congress to fund research. 1 , ; University of Utah chemistry professor B. Stanley Pons displays an electrochemical cell similar to those used to create nuclear fusion at room temperature. The U.'s fusion experiment was the top story of the X. .... :X: year. ,JI2'. and follow passage of the tax initiatives many U.' professors were prepared to pack their bags and bail out of the state if they passed. On however,; the initiatives were defeated by a virtual 1 margin. Still, the war is far from over, 3. Ted Wilson loses his bid for Gov. Norm Bangerter's - In this story, the U. both lost and won. Though Wilson, the Democratic challenger, had led in the polls by as many as 30 points, the incumbent Bangerter remained determined to keep his job. The close gubernatorial race ended with 40 percent for see "top" on page six urn nnimiimm ' ' " " J "" ' n li ;" :.... ( A' - "'u ! bifl jj.i - ;4MMlililliii initiative rally at the State Capitol, University of Utah students released balloons to symbolize During an anti-ta- x the number of students that would be affected by the tax cuts. . y; : y- : - Although he originally reported no success' in . duplicating the PonsFleischmann results, Gumswamy has since announced at least four "very random bursts of heat" between 10 watts and 60 watts. The energy outputs represent up to six times the energy put into the reaction, in spite of the fact Guruswamy's laboratory has yet to produce a sustained reaction on the scale of Pons and Fleischmann. After letting his experiment run for a few more days, Gumswamy will analyze the palladium cell for possible material changes. In addition to palladium, though, Guruswamy said he will also investigate "at least four" other Although he originally reported no the in success duplicating PonsFleischmann results, Guruswamy has since announced at least 4 "very random bursts of heat" between 10 watts ttM ft! ? . ';'"''?' to the their visit laboratory, the Following lunch" with Milton have a will "working panel of U. dean the of Wadsworth, College Mines and Minerals, and several of his colleagues. One such colleague will likely be Sivaraman Gumswamy, a metallurgical engineer who has been involved in materials research connected with the PonsFleischmann experiment. 2-- job. the nation, is scheduled to arrive Friday morning and depart by 2 p.m. . - Several meetings are planned during the im to give the federal officials a better picture of the current state of fusion research. In the morning, the panel will visit Pons' laboratory along with U. chemists Cheves Walling and John Simons. v Walling and Simons formulated the only theory explaining the U. results that is endorsed by PonS. D-D- ay Si :; positive report by the DOE could U.S. Congress to fund research in late April. The DOE panel, which will include scientists from universities and private laboratories across esy y. An important chapter in the University of Utah's developing fusion story could be reached today as officials from the U.S. Department of Energy are scheduled to visit several U. officials involved with the development. A positive report by the DOE could help solidify Washington support for U. chemist B. Stanley Pons and British colleague Martin Fleischmann, both of whom requested $25 million from the kt;. f D-Da- 1-- 24 and 60 watts. metals known to absorb hydrogen as possible cells for the experiment. Guruswamy said one possible metal to be investigated is zirconium, but would not reveal any others he is considering. Guruswamy added he will likely be working with U. engineering professor Gary Sandquist and U. physicist Micnael Salamon in analyzing the cells. U. Vice President for Research James Brophy said the panel members "may want to see other" U. researchers, but would not specify exactly who. Non-prof- it Permit Org. lu.;) , |