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Show Chronicle Takes a Nap Before Summer This Guy Fights the Odds to Graduate from U by Rick Rosetta Chronicle News Writer For those of you making excuses for not getting class work done, or doing well enough "just to get by," take note. On June 12, David Price will be awarded a master's degree in structural geology. Although structural geology is a discipline requiring an acute sense of perception, Price is nearly totally blind. "This is absolutely extraordinary, particularly because he's in such a visual field," said John Bartley, chair of the geology and geophysics department. Price was diagnosed with a meningioma tumor on the optic nerve of his left eye as a child. At the age of 12 it claimed all sight in that eye. With extremely diminished vision, he received his bachelor's degree in geology from Harvard University in 1987. Soon afterward, he visited Utah to check out the U's master's program in geology. "At the time, I didn't know he had sight in only one eye," Bardey said, field work, but not 100 percent," having met Price during his visit. Price was soon accepted to the Bartley added. It was a race against time for Price program and was rolling along toward his master's degree. But to finish his master's degree before around 1991, he started having trou- 'turning to serious medical attention ble with his right eye. for the eye. Even the doctors took a "He started losing his peripheral perspective on their vision," Bartley said. "He was doing diagnosis. OK with reading and with the microBut Price began losing the race. In it danbut was ... April of 1992, his sight began deteribecoming scope for in be the field." him to out orating substantially. gerous Price began meeting with doctors "Within a matter of two weeks, who suspected another meningioma my vision went from being able to drive around to having to be led tumor. "He was nearly finished with his around," Price said. He was forced to give up his crusade for the degree, return to his hometown of Pasadena, Calif., and begin treatment and rehabilitation for his eye condition which, indeed, was another tumor. But Price never lost interest in his dream of a master's degree. "He and I would communicate by wait-and-se- U Meetings Address Privacy, Staff Rights and ASUU Heat by Scott Lewis Chronicle News Writer Meetings to Address Student Privacy, Staff Rights, and ASUU Heat There's' still news during Chrony's early summer nap Student privacy and staff grievance issues will take front stage in the next few weeks and heated Associated Students of the University of Utah election controversies may finally be resolved. So, here's a run down on what to expect when the eyes and ears of The Daily UtcJi Chronicle, take a break until summer quarter. Don't Look at My Records! The president's ad hoc privacy committee will turn in its recommendations to U President Bcrnic Machcn later this month, regarding what measures need to be taken to ensure students' rights are protected. "I'm fairly confident we will resolve the matter on die 25th and forward our recommendations to the president then," said Eva Michelle Hunter, a member of the committee. Hunter is also the Chronicle's feature editor. Lee Teitelbaum, chair of the committee and dean of the law school, said the committee is not considering only what is required to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), because most of the departments and different agencies do comply. "Most of our concern has been with going beyond FERPA," he said. "We want to see how it can be managed in a way that it gives substantial protection to the student privacy concerns within the current limits of technology." U President Bcrnic Machcn appointed the committee after allega .A of Utah University researcher hopes to discover how specificity can be obtained in such a complex world. Barbara Graves, a biochemist with the Huntsman Cancer Institute, wants to know about a very specialized aspect of science: ribonucleic acid (RNA) transcrip- tion factors. These arc regulatory proteins of the that direct the read-ou- t information contained in DNA, Graves explained. Transcription is the first step in the process of the production of proteins. "These proteins arc the critical workers in the cell, carrying out various functions," she said. Transcription factors "read" the DNA sequence, and each one must find its specific location on the DNA strands. A transcription factor fits into its specific piece of DNA like a key into a lock, which allows the correct genes to be turned on, or "expressed.1' Graves and other scientists arc involved in understanding the importance of the transcription specificity, and the importance of protein partnership for the function of transcription factors. "Sometimes a single protein cannot do the job by itself, and a partnership can add the nfeasure of specificity needed to execute the job precisely," Graves said. If it is not done properly, it could its UNIVERSITY OF UTAH THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE 200 S CENTRAL CAMPUS DR SUITE 240 SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84112-910- 6 Services. Then the researcher takes what's showing on the surface to predict see "blind" on page 4 , U result in oncogenesis, or the beginning of cancer. . The problem sometimes begins when transcription factors arc mutated to become proteins, known as chimeric proteins. (The chimera was a Greek mythological creature with a lion's head, a goat's body and a serpent's tail.) However, some chimeric proteins, created from the translocation of chromosome fragments, can be good, according to Graves. For example, these proteins must be created in in the bone marrow and in order to make antibodies, the disease-fightinagents in the This body. "mix-and-match- near-tota- THAN Researcher Looks at How Genes Get "Turned On" by David Jackson Chronicle News Writer -- - Bartley said. tions of abuse of student privacy issues surfaced in January of this year. Brandon Winn, the Clirmiicle sports writer whose records were allegedly illegally accessed by faculty in the department of parks, recreation and tourism said he doesn't think the committee will be able to make much of a difference. "You can make all the rules you want, but as long as the people in power arc jackasses, it doesn't make a difference," he said. Winn offended faculty members of the department when he wrote a column implying students in parks and recreation weren't very bright. John Crosslcy, undergraduate adviser in the department, and Gary Ellis, professor in the department, referred to Winn's records in a letter they drafted to the Chronicle. In the letter, the professors exposed details of Winn's academic pcrfor see "ending" on page 4 e He said that Price, with the help of his father, would draft things up and send them to maps, data, etc. him over the computer. Bartley would make comments on the projects and send them back. "The whole thing was very laborious," Bartley said. While back in California, Price underwent radiation treatment and two surgeries. Four years after he left the U, and in a state of l blindness, Price courageously returned to Utah to complete his master's degree. Because of the visually oriented field of structural geology, that task was obviously vciy difficult for him. In structural geology, you build a picture of a certain area, Price explained to U News J ; " - 4 6T - - V T-ccl- g mix-and-mat- see "gene"onpage2 Chronicle Photo Eric Rolph Chris Joley goes for a ride on Kia Vierstra's acoustical swing on exhibit outside the Fine Arts Bldg. BULK RATE U.S. Postage http:chronicle.utah.edu Paid Salt Lake City.UT Permit No. 1529 |