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Show 8 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012 THE SIGNPOST WWW.WSUSIGNP0ST.COM Science continued from page 4 beginnings, and the next step is to go before the State Building Board. Last year, WSU was ranked fifth on the board's list. If the board chooses WSU, the proposal will then go before the state legislature for a final decision. "We will be asking for $60 million of funding from the legislature to make this happen," Tarbox said. Among the hazards of the cunent Science Lab building is that it's a top- heavy, concrete building not built for a potential earthquake. Being so close to the Wasatch Fault Line, if a seismic event were to occur, the entire building might collapse. The faculty offices on the north side of the building would be the first to collapse, even if the rest of the building were to survive, according to physics professor lohn Sohl. Issues such as plumbing, electrical wiring, water leakage and ventilation are failing in building safety standards. There are also cracks in the walls due to the building settling over time. Sohl said the laboratories are so full that any one station is used for three different tasks. The equipment is moved around constantly, occasionally causing damage. There are shelves stacked to the ceiling that aren't attached to the wall, with chemicals that could fall out if there were a seismic event. If there were a fire in the building, Sohl said, the fire department's main priority would be to evacuate everyone and let it burn to the ground. "It's just too dangerous to spend time trying to rescue the building, because it's going to collapse, and has nasty stuff in the air," Sohl said. "Every aspect of this building is a problem." There are smoke detectors in the building, but no sprinklers. Mark Halv- erson, director of campus Belliston JEWELRY Wow... What a Selection!!! More rings than all the Ogden stores combined 3585 Harrison Blvd. Ogden UT www. Bellistonfewelry. com planning and construction, said there is hazardous material that would have to be evaded in order to install sprinklers, so there is only a means of detecting and evacuating. According to Halver- son, it would be smarter to build a new building than to keep renovating the old one. "It's basically the same cost to renovate as it would be to build a new building, so we're taking the smarter route," he said. The existing Science Lab building will be used until the new one is complete, and it will then be torn down. The new building would provide an opportunity to consolidate the entire College of Science into a single building. "We'll be able to solve all of those challenges, plus provide brand-new Comment on this story at wsusignpost.com. Hike continued from page 4 the last year because of the moisture in the ground. Poulson said the hike was an opportunity for people to come out with others, learn about the local geology of the land, and become more aware of the geologic hazards of the area. One hiker named Pat (last name not given), a resident of Mountain Green, said she was glad she went on the hike. Pat learned about the hike through the Sierra hiking page and a recommendation from someone who had done one before. "I'm pretty open- minded; I just wanted information about the formation of the land and the native plants here, and I'm getting that," she said. A full schedule of hikes is available at www. weberpathways.org. Comment on this story at wsusignpost.com. ■ '^ PHOTO BY BRANDON ARNETT | THE SIGNPOST Josh Poulsen and Tim Remkes talk to students and community members at a science hike on Saturday. The hike provided information on geology and botany. tXOOIcineXS continued from page 4 order to confirm them as actual exoplanets. Armstrong closed with a touch of humor, talking about the nearest exoplan- et that might be habitable. "The nearest confirmed exoplanet to us is Gleesa 5667cc," Armstrong said. "It is only 16 light-years away and has almost the right temperature, so in a pinch, if the world was coming to an end, that would be our best option." David Rogers, a student who attended the seminar, said it was well worth his time. "I am glad I came," Rogers said. "It was very interesting to learn about the possibility of other habitable planets. Our Milky Way has always interested me, and I try to learn as much as I possibly can about it." Erich VandenBosch, another WSU student, said he learned a lot. "It's always fun to hear about the possibility of life somewhere else in the universe," VandenBosch said. "I also learned quite a bit today and think it is pretty neat how we're going about studying exoplanets. It's pretty cool that there are so many sun-like stars out there with planets orbiting them." The majority of the seminar focused on how to study whether or not a planet is habitable. The whole habitable zone is focused on water, Armstrong said, for no other reason other than the fact that people like water. Most planets found are larger than Earth; however, that might only be because the smaller planets are easily overlooked. Neptune- sized planets are the most common planets found, with fupiter-sized planets being a distant second.v Comment on this story at wsusignpost.com. LETS BEAT I OPEN TILL UVU,BYU&TJofU I OCT. 4TH, 2012 ^ v LOOK FOR THE WSUSA TABLES OR VISIT: VOTE.UTAH.GOV/COLLEGE |