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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 4, 2008 U meteorologists to aid in 2010 Olympics Jonathan Ng STAFF WRITER Vancouver, Canada, is requesting help from the U for the 2010 Winter Olympics, as the university assisted with Salt Lake City's own Olympics eight years ago. The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Committee needs the U to help with weather forecasting. John Horel, U professor of meteorology, was part of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Weather Support team. "Environment Canada, which is providing the weather support (for the 2010 Olympics), is doing a great job Building on the legacies of prior weather support efforts during the past several Olympics," Horel said. They have already discussed past efforts with several U meteorologists who were involved in the 2002 Olympics, he said. Horel invented a thermal mapping technology used to log how temperature on a given snow course varied to predict snow conditions before the 2002 Olympics. It was first used at the 2006 Torino Olympics. The technology uses an infrared sensor that picks up inirared radiation from the snow, portraying the temper- ature at a given location on the course. The sensor is placed on a snowmobile, which is then driven around the course and logs the temperature, creating a color-coded thermal map of how temperature changes. The technology provides better snow temperature and characterizes forecasts. "(This) gives every team a better chance of choosing the correct wax to level the playing field," said Wendy Wagner, a graduate student in meteorology. Wagner was a cross country ski racer on the U.S. ski team for eight years and participated in the 2002 and 2006 Olympics. After retiring in 2006, she wanted to pursue her love of snow and now works with Horel to help with snow forecasting. "Wendy's participation in the project is essential since she provides the Vancouver forecast team with her unique perspective both as an athlete and a scientist/' Horel said. Jim Steenburgh, chair of the department, said that the department of meteorology was important for weather prediction efforts during the 2002 Olympics. "In addition to John's thermal mapping efforts, we are also involved in training forecasters for the 2010 games," he said. Wagner has begun training 20 to 30 meteorologists in Canada. Wagner will return with Horel in August to resume training. "We want to create something easy for (meteorologists) to use to help forecast for a certain condition," she said. Wagner is also working on the use of computer models to input data and display what the future snow surface temperature might be. chronicle.utah.edu Prof gets merit award Ryan Shelton education programs to train future educators in basic music theory, Kesler said. "It's a required class in alU professor Renate Kesler received an Award of Merit most every program now," from the Utah System of Kesler said. "But not every Higher Education on May 23 school offers this class, so for technological innovations there is a need for an online she implemented in her music version—most of my students are from small villages in Wisclass. Kesler managed to update consin and Minnesota." and transfer a print-based muThe cornerstone of Kesler's sic correspondence course to online class is a music comthe Internet last year. position program that allows The course, Music 3715, fo- students to write their own cuses on teaching future ele- music, play it back and submit mentary school teachers basic it online as homework assignapproaches to music so that ments. they can incorporate it into "My students are amazed everyday classroom learning. how easy it is," she said. "Even As elementary schools if they don't have musical across the country are forced backgrounds." to slash their budgets and cut Kesler's course is part of funding for the arts, a push the U's Distance Education is being made in elementary program, which offers teleASST. NEWS EDITOR LEAP class, kids put on play 'Spell-A-Bration'teaches teamwork, companionship Jaime Winston STAFF WRITER Jennifer Bauman remembers looking into the audience during the Fine Arts LEAP performance last year and seeing a grin on almost every face as attendants realized the play's ,theme of companionship. This year, she felt her class had delivered the message again Students in the U's LEAP class created a play with children from Neighborhood House, a support service for low-income families. "They've learned how much they have to share and offer and how much they get back in return by doing that," said Bauman, a U professor and LEAP adviser. After teaching in the LEAP department for a year, Bauman designed a- class in fine arts for freshmen students. These students analyze globalization in the arts during Fall Semester and create the production in Spring Semester. The class recently put on a play, "Spell-ABration," about a king who was only happy when everyone in his country worked together. It was performed April 23 in the Fine Arts Auditorium. Students in the class learned to budget, write grant proposals and advertise for the production. The class was designed to teach U students, but the children they worked with learned just as much, said Jacob Brace, executive director for Neighborhood House. Brace noticed children in the program talking about what they'd like to do in college—something that had not been a topic for them before. "It's giving the kids a pathway to understand university life," Brace said. "They feel welcome and think that they can get up-there." U students have learned from the children as well, he said. "They get a unique look at something they may not be aware of because of privileges they enjoy, given their socioeconomic status or what's available to them," he said. Rachel Manwaring, a LEAP student in fine arts, said teaming up with the children changed her life. "Just working with the kids, you feel so uplifted and you want to do more," she said. Bauman said she hopes to include disabled children in future performances and has spoken with Shriner's Hospital about the idea. "I think my students have learned how lucky they are," she said. "If you're privileged, you have a duty to give back to those who are not." LEAP has one fine arts section, but a second section will be added in 2009. "Based on the success it gained from the past two years, it can only feed into next year," said Leo Leckie, program coordinator for LEAP. "It's growing and only going to build on itself." j.winston@ chronicle.utah.edu courses, print-based courses and online courses to students nationwide who cannot physically attend the U. "Online technology isn't new," said Roberta Lopez, the program's director. "But teaching online is new for most professors. There's a lot more work that goes into teaching an online course." "(Kesler) is truly dedicated to her students," she said. The Utah System of Higher Education honored 18 faculty and staff members from 10 public universities and colleges in Utah for their implementation of technology into distance-learning courses. Kesler was the only U faculty member to receive an award. r.shelton@ chronicle.utah.edu Hospital telethon raises $2.5 M for medical care Sylvia O'Hara helped a lot." Smith's donated $900,000 to the telethon. Primary Children's MediThe event was broadcast cal Center raised almost $2.5 live and aired Saturday and million during its 26th annual Sunday on KSL, which donattelethon over the weekend. ed the airtime. The hospital will use dona"It's not just that we want tions to provide medical care to help, but we have to help," to families unable to pay for said KSL General Manager medical treatment. Greg James. Sharon Goodrich, telethon It is a chance for the padirector, said a tradition of giv- tients and their families to tell ing allows the hospital to func- their story, James said, and a tion. chance for KSL to cover good The center raised about $2.2 news. KSL staff members volmillion during the telethon last unteered their time to help year, said Amber Nielsen, a with the fundraiser. spokesman for the center. In addition to the broadcast "The community really staff, about 400 volunteers came through," Nielsen said. participated in the telethon. "Corporate donors like Smith's While some of them were anSTAFF WRITER swering nearly 3,000 phone calls, others were part of the year-round organization of the event. Joe Mott, CEO for the hospital, credited the success of the telethon to the community. He also said the advancement of Primary Children's is a "mutual advantage" to the U. The partnership between the hospital and the U provides 70 resident medical students with firsthand experience in treating a range of childhood illnesses and injuries. The center benefits from the resources and research provided by the U. s.ohara@ chronicle.utah.edu Students join YouthLINC in Thailand, provide aid to tsunami victims Jaime Winston STAFF WRITER When Lindsay Hadley arrived in Khao Lak, Thailand, the humid air carried the scent of spice as children performed backflips off of elephants for tips along the beachfront. It was hard for her to tell the area had been ravaged by a tsunami in 2004, until she visited the Home and Life orphanage. One of the boys she met at the orphanage was left alone after his mother was killed in the tsunami and his father became an alcoholic. Another child lost his parents and five siblings in the catastrophe. < "All of the hotels and restaurants and tourist attractions on the beach have been rebuilt," Hadley said. "But it's the people in the little communities and villages who have been forgotten." Hadley, a U graduate in sociology and international service coordinator for YouthLINC, surveyed the needs of the orphans and community for a service trip sponsored by YouthLINC, a program that sponsors international service work for high school and college students. The new trip, to Khao Lak, was launched June 2 with 40 volunteers. "We're mostly going to be working with kids who are either orphaned by the tsunami or are in a poverty stricken situation where the parents can't afford to care for them," Hadley said. "Just the location and the way the waves came in, it hit full force in this area and there was a lot of devastation." Some of the projects on the itinerary include English lessons and refurbishing the orphanage with beds, furniture and clean water. The children will also make crafts and participate in a fun fair set up by volunteers. "We're not looking to create Disneyland for everyone," Hadley said. "We're just looking for basic needs that they're entitled to." Judy Zone, executive director for YouthLINC, was alerted to the issues facing the community by the 4kali.0rg Foundation, a group set up to raise funds for Thailand in honor of Kali Briesch, a teenager from Utah killed in the tsunami while visiting Thailand. Zone said one of the communities the group will work with, in addition to the orphans, is the Moken people who live on boats along the coast as part of their culture. "It appears that no Mokens were killed in the tsunami, but they did lose their boats," Zone said. The Moken people have had to adapt to life on dry land. YouthLINC U PRESIDENT TO RECEIVE PAY RAISE MOTIWALA GETS REGENTS NOD continued from Page 1 continued from Page 1 physics, said she doesn't think Young should get a salary increase at alL "I think that improving other places in the educational system where students could benefit from the money being spent is more important," she said. "We would like to have all the employees in higher institution be at 90 percent of the market," Buhler said. "Without our employees, we don't accomplish very much." j.ng@ chronideMtah.edu years and sits on Salt Lake Community College's Board of Trustees. The Utah State Senate must confirm his position before he becomes an active board member. The Regents is composed of 17 voting members who are appointed by the governor to serve a six-year term. There are also two members from the State Board of Education appointed to serve as nonvoting members. Motiwala will start working with the Regents on July 1. Ryan Shelton is working with the Rotary Club, an international service organization, to help the Moken people regain their lifestyle. Britnie Anderson, U graduate student in elementary education and team leader for the trip, said hygiene kits and clotning are being prepared to donate to Mokens impacted by the tsunami. "Once you've seen people living in abject poverty and return to a country with everything at your fingertips, it's really hard to bounce back to that life," Anderson said. To prepare the group, Anderson has stressed the importance of not being an "ugly American." She said it's important for the volunteers to embrace the environment in Thailand, which is often more quiet and calming than the United States. Most importantly, she doesn't want the group to impose American culture on the Thai people. "The goal is not to go in to change the people but to improve their health and living situations, but by all means I never want to change those people," she said. Allison Stayner, U alumna in behavioral and health science, said she joined the trip because she felt it served a community in desperate need. "We're trying to get away from the tourist spots and mainly focus on the rural area," Stayner said. "I think a lot of people have forgotten about them. It's been so long." Stayner and other student volunteers had to complete 80 hours of local service to join the trip. YouthLINC is also sending students on service excursions to Kenya, Peru and Mexico this summer. j,winston@ chronicle.utah.edu |