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Show Tuesday, January 14, 1992 The Daily Utah Chronicle Page Seven Feature Professor left South Africa to teach in Salt Lake By Chandra Graham Chronicle Feature Writer Professor Peter King left his native country of South Africa in 1988 to teach and conduct research at the University of Utah. "I needed to come to an environment where there were a number of scientific people working around me," he explained. "In South Africa, I was very isolated." King was employed at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where he was educated as an undergraduate. He received his doctoral degree at the University of Manchester in England. "When I decided to leave South Africa, the political future looked grim," he said. "It was before the current round of substantial political changes. In 1988 when I left it looked as though the white government was going to be holding out for a long time. Living under apartheid, in a segregated society, was very, very difficult" King described his move to the United States as a political and professional breath of fresh air. Now he has taken over the directorship of the Comminution Center of the metallurgical department. "It's an research group. important Comminution is the reduction of solid material, a major precursor process for all of mining operations. It's used for large quantities of rock, to break them down into small particles. There's a whole range of products which use very fine particles." In addition to his research, King also teaches .full-tim- Mineral e. processing and computer technology are a few of the wide range of subjects in which King has taught. He said he has noticed differences between students at the U. and those in South Africa. "The big difference is that here the student population has a more or less equal chance at education. In South Africa, education has for centuries been segregated by social lines. The type of education that is available for white kids is very different than the type that is offered to black kids. It's a very obvious fact that white kids in South Africa come much better prepared for a university education than black kids," he said.' "Here in Utah, you don't notice that. I think there are places in the United States where that would be true as well. But the disparities here are nothing like the disparities I had to deal with in Johannesburg. It was very difficult teaching ....... ...-- ::.! ZHOfS ... J i under apartheid. The problems of taking a young person and lifting his academic standard up to the standard required was quite difficult," he said. "Frequently, I would have to deal with students who had come through very poor rural schooling systems f V where there had been very poor facilities, probably no electricity or even water. Dealing with kids who are as that made teaching as a lot more challenging," King noted. "Here. I don't notice that at all. All the students I've dealt with here are reasonably well prepared," he said. "Not as well prepared as I had hoped they would be, however. I've had to change my own teaching strategies to accommodate." "In South Africa I would be dealing f I , t f I with a much more homogeneous class. All the students would be at the same stage of development. They would have all come through a curriculum that is more or less uniform. Here, I get students who have a huge variety of different roots. They don't all have the same preparation. That's made me reevaluate my teaching technique," he indicated. , i ,,, ,...-King said he has noticed differences in the habits of American students versus South Africans. "On the average, American students are less They rely far more heavily on printed handouts. They CHROHIQi PHQIOlomron of Utah. , , (flrpenut Professor Peter King, a native South African, now teaches at the metallurgical department at the University use their textbooks much less. They look towards the teaching assistants for examples. They do laboratory reports and want them back very quickly," he laughed. "The students here are very anxious about grades. I self-sufficie- find that disconcerting." King has also discovered similar dedications to education. "All of my students know why they are here. They're here to learn how to do things and become professionally competent. It's the same in South Africa." However, King has noted one unique difference between his current students and the black students he see "King" on page eight Accidental won't death Winter outdoors not safe for pets impact Bennion Center Winter is an especially hazardous season for both cats and dogs, presenting a variety of stress, situations for those left outdoors. Not all dogs are physically able to withstand cold winter days and nights. d dogs and Obviously, fat their no on with bodies, dogs such as a Ooberman, do not have short-haire- the insulation quality to keep themselves warm. Puppies and small-bree- than d dogs lose neat faster larger heavier dogs. supervise them. Cats can lose an ear to frostbite very easily Those that go prowling often gravitate under the hood of provide shelter suitable for the and closely 'tSr outdoor dogs and feed them more often. Generating body heat takes calorieslots of them. During cold winter months, thousands of cats, dogs and wild animals die from an easily preventable cause: poisoning from antifreeze. Commercial antifreeze contains 95 percent ethylene glycol, a highly toxic, odorless liquid that is appealing to pets, especially young ones. Antifreeze can be licked up directly form the ground or animals may step in it and then lick it off their paws. Some people are even ignorant enough to flush out their radiators and let the antifreeze flow freely down the gutters where they see "pets" on page eight laws of Salt Lake County. You must breed of dog. Too large a house does not retain body heat properly. Water can freeze, so supply your '. -- " - . , -, ; I I 4 Cat wfcti Ca hdt pUa a yew p l The recent tragedy that took the life of one University of Utah student will not prevent progress at the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center, an official said. During a recent volunteer project in Ajoya, Mexico, Daniel Wendelboe, 35, was killed when a van in which he was riding slid off the road and overturned. Among Wendelboe were 16 U. students who were delivering medical supplies to a clinic in Ajoya. Wendelboe, a nursing student, was described as someone who liked to assist people and therefore would like the service projects at the Bennion Center to continue. . Rick Van De Graaff, rural projects coordinator, said the Bennion Center will continue with its projects as before. "The incident certainly has not stopped us. We will have to change our approach in getting students to and from the projects safely." Van De Graaff said the Bennion Center is ' trying to attain discounted or donated airline tickets for students who wish to take part in projects that entail long hours of travel. "If we cannot travel by airplane, we may even take a train." Currently, the Bennion Center is CrttOMOf IMOKMd I. Hw fci Steve Sessions Chronicle Feature Writer By - keep the wind from blowing in. The house should be up off the ground, facing a building or solid fence to block the wind and the roof should not leak. A board leaning next to a fence or home for shelter is not acceptable undef the outdoors high quality dog food to those with lots of dry blankets or dry straw to burrow in A flap should be placed in front of the door to Veterinarians recommend keeping those dogs inside during the cold snowy months. Take special care of cats and older dogs. Limit their time pets with fresh water at least daily and more often if necessary, Feed parked cars, so before starting your motor try to remember to bang on the hood. The best place for all dogs and cats on cold winter days and nights is indoors. If an animal must stay outside, it should be provided with . a well insulated dog or cat house 'bMrtlsliSttUICAliad8tfc. the reservation. The project often calls for students to work directly with children as well. According to Van De Graaff, the Bennion Center is also planning a trip to the Goshute reservation near Nevada, where volunteers will work on a recreation camp. "We are also trying to plan a trip to work on the Ute reservation, possibly this summer," Van De Graff said. The Bennion Center even has tentative plans for a return trip to Ajoya. During the last trip, the group was scheduled to renovate and deliver medical supplies to a local clinic. Although the supplies were delivered, the group did not complete its scheduled plans. "We were going to put in handicapped access in and around the local clinic," Van De Graff said. "So, we would like to go back down and finish our project." If a return trip is scheduled, students will take part in a beautification program of the local clinic by adding garden beds and remodeling the hospital. The project is called Project Projimo, which is a rehabilitation program for disabled children and young adults. It was first started in 1981 by a group of disabled villagers in Ajoya who realized that poor, disabled people in Mexico have almost no access to rehabilitation services. planning several trips to the Some of the services that the Bennion Center helps provide at County of Utah. Volunteers will get a chance to work in schools on see "Bennion" on page eight Navajo reservation in the San Juan Projimo include medical and nursing care, physical therapy, |
