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Show J ThuRsdAy, OcTobER 1, 1987 Paqe ThREE Business school adds program in U. communication scientists discover new purpose for dry ice By Scott Hall Chronicle staff writer Employers ask about it in every job interview, yet few business schools teach it. If a pilot program succeeds, however, graduate business students may soon be studying how to communicate. "When you look in newspapers, almost all jobs ask for excellent communications skills," Joseph Bentley, professor of management, said. "There is a clear belief that students graduating from business colleges don't communicate well enough." To change that, Bentley is directing a pilot program for the graduate school of business which will test 30 students' e. abilities to write, speak and talk The students then will get help in their weak areas. The students will be chosen in the next few weeks and will begin to be tested around the end of the month, Bentley said. During a three week diagnostic period in October, each student will get feedback on his or her strengths and weaknesses. They will then attend workshops in November and the first two weeks of December to strengthen their abilities as communicators. The students will then use January to practice what they have learned. In February, the students will be tested again to determine their competence, Bentley said. They will be rated at one of four levels: superior, excellent, good or adequate. At graduation, the students will recieve a certificate with their MBA degrees showing the level they have achieved. While the classes will not be for credit, Bentley said students are very interested in the program. "Even though they understand it will take a number of hours, there was an extraordinary amount of response," he said. The classes will be scheduled after regular school hours, evenings and weekends so as not to interfere with regular course work. Bentley said if the program is successful, the graduate school may require all their graduates to take the diagnostic test and be certified at one of the levels of competence before graduation. The students who score low on the test and wish to improve their rating, will be able to take workshops through the Division of Continuing Education to improve their abilities. He said if the program could find enough money, the business college might extend it into the undergraduate progr am v Bentley said he is currently searching for a foundation or a private donor who would be interested in endowing the program. He said the program is a new concept in business schools. "A strong conviction exists in the business community a conviction supported by impressive evidence that college graduates don't communicate very well," Bentley said. Bentley thinks many people who fail as managers do so because they are poor communicators and not because they lack management, marketing, accounting or finance skills. "Many managers fail because they don't know how to work with others, how to make good presentations, how to speak clearly and how to write good reports. In short, they can't communicate without alienating or offending others," one-on-on- . Dry ice is a familiar sight when making homemade root beer or stirring up a Halloween witch's brew. But University of Utah researchers have found a distinctly different way to use it. Ordinary dry ice has provided them a safe and inexpensive way to study potentially dangerous vibrations that sound waves cause in solid-propella- nt rocket motors. The study could help solve oscillation problems in rocket motors ranging from small missiles to large space shuttle boosters. By heating chunks of dry ice with a large infrared lamp in a specially-bui- lt chamber, a U. engineering team can simulate gas flows that occur on the burning surface of solid rocket propellants. William Van Moorhem, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, heads the $318,000 study, which air-to-- air funded by the Air Force. Windows built into a square experimental chamber allow engineers to observe and photograph the interaction between the gas flow and burning of simulated rocket propellant. Researchers are studying the waves produced over the dry ice by a piston attached to one end of the chamber. A is ch small amount of fog is given off as the infrared heating changes the solid ice into gas. test chamber simulates the The aluminum-covere- d gas flow and acoustics of a rocket motor. Laboratory use of real solid propellant would be dangerous because of its potential for explosion and the extremely high heat and pressure it produces. Solid propellant rockets are sometimes destabilized by intense sound waves that "slosh" gas around inside a rocket motor. The sound waves can produce vibrations that cause failure in a rocket's guidance system or other key components. Assisting Van Moorhem in the fundamental experiments are three other mechanical and industrial engineering professors: Richard Shorthill, Kuan Chen and A. Craig Hansen. Campus traffic 'unreal' Campus drivers: Beware. University of Utah police will be concentrating on the South Campus D ri ve area this week and next in an effort to control traffic problems in that area. U. police chief Wayne Shepherd said jaywalking on that street is "unreal." "They're just walking across anywhere," he said. "We've got to do something or we're going to get someone killed out there." The U. has no jaywalking ordinance and Shepherd said he wants to make sure drivers are obeying the speed limit and watching out for pedestrians. , Shepherd said he would rather students improve their driving because they know police will be watching an area than give out tickets to make them do it. "A lot of chiefs like to write tickets because it's revenue," Sheperd said. However, his department tries to concentrate on areas that are having problems. . ..MtaitaiTf DON'T BE FOOLED, THE COMPETITION DOESN'T HAVE IT. he said. The program will be innovative because, instead of a grade for a course, students will receive their evaluations based upon how well they do in practical problems. ALL ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THE 27th Nigerian Independence Day Celebration Organized By The Nigerian Students Union, I U of U Chapter ljs- -l 1751 (All Events FREE of Charge) Events: 1. pm Friday October 2nd, Ballroom Olpin Union East 12-1:- A 00 The IBM Personal Speech by M.C. Anozie (Nigerian Consul) Topic: "Towards Economic Self Reliance-ThNigerian Experience: Structural Adjustment Program" $2307.00 Price includes monochrome monitor!'. With color monitor: $2,514. DOS 3.3: $85.00. For further information call: 328-674Available to all departments, faculty, students and staff. 583-223- 2 7. , Pat NNoromele Nigerian Student Union President ' 50 e Exhibition of a Few Nigerian Historical Artifacts & a Short Film 2. Saturday October 3rd, 2:00 pm West Community Center University Village Film on African & Black Festival of Arts Food & Drinks; Dancing till Late For more info contact:-- System2 Model v . ' ; . ' Tt , ' , |