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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE A2 August 2010 Utahns combat oil spill Body found, ID'd at Red Butte Creek Danielle Hardy STAFF WRITER The worst oil spill in U.S. history occurred April 20 along the Gulf of Mexico. In the following months, people across the nation have witnessed the disaster's lasting effects—including Utahns, who are now observing the repercussions of the local Red Butte Canyon oil spill. The Gulf Coast is one of the nation's most abundant sources of seafood. If shellfish and Gulf fish are hit drastically with the oil spills, the prices of seafood are expected to rise across the nation—especially in Utah. Although seafood prices might go up because of difficulties in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Utah Petroleum Association the large loss of oil is unlikely to see gas prices surge in Utah because most of Utah's gas is imported from Canada or the Western United States. In one of President Barack Obama's first news conferences to address the oil spill, he expressed his condolences for the disaster but told Americans that it would be contained. "I take responsibility," Obama said at the White House news conference. "It is my job to make sure that everything is done to shut this down." Mayor Ralph Becker is also taking control and responsibility for the Chevron spill in Red Butte Canyon, east of the U Josh Bennett ASST. NEWS EDITOR JEFF MCGRATH/The Daily Utah Chronicle Boom lines the pond at Liberty Park after the Chevron pipeline that leaked up to 21,000 gallons of oil into Salt Lake City waterways June 12. Utahns have reacted to the Red Butte Canyon and Gulf oil spills by more carefully monitoring from which company they buy gas. campus. A town hall meeting was held July 12 to discuss what has been done so far for cleanup. A handful of panelists who have played a part in the cleanup from the spill attended the meeting. "We are lucky because this is not a drinking water The Bonneville Shoreline Trail will remain closed between the University of Utah Williams Building and the Red Butte Garden Amphitheater. People using the trail will need to take a detour between these locations. The Red Butte Creek Road Trailhead heading south is inaccessible during remediation. See OIL SPILL Page A8 A body found at Red Butte Creek in the wake of the oil spill is no longer unidentified. Douglas Todd Nelson, age 52 and from Summit County, has been reported missing since Aug. 25, 2009, said Capt. Lynn Mitchell of the U Police Department. The dead body was identified as Nelson, and autopsy results will soon reveal the cause of death. Nelson was last seen Aug 20, 2009, at the U Health Science Center when receiving medical attention, and he was released that evening, Mitchell said. "Nelson activated an emergency phone near the Huntsman Medical Center, and responding officers talked to him and found he was seeking a ride offcampus," Mitchell said. "He was given direction to return to the emergency department for assistance." That was the last time Nelson was seen. After nearly a year, the search came to an end when workers cleaning the oil spill near Red Butte Creek found Nelson's body. The cause of death was unable to be determined due to excessive decomposition, said Scott Folsom, police chief at the U police department. A few days after finding Nelson, his cell phone was found not far down the river. "We found a cell phone and were able to verify it as the victim's," Folsom said. "It was one more piece to the puzzle, but since the body was out there for a significant amount of time, we may never know the exact cause. "For now, we have exhausted all of our investigative leads, and unless something shows up, we have done all we can," Folsom said. j.bennet@ chronicle.utah.edu High demand for football tickets clogs website Connor McCormick STAFF WRITER When Utah football season tickets went on sale Monday, fans came face-to-face with the high demand of tickets. The ticketing site opened at io a.m. and closely followed with website difficulties. "My father and I started trying to buy tickets right at io a.m," said Utah fan Robert Powell. We used the Internet and tried on the phone. I was never able to get through on the phones, and my dad's Internet kept timing out." Ticket demands were larger than usual, and Powell feels the ticket department should have been more prepared. "We definitely had a large demand yesterday, that's for sure," said Zack Lassiter, the assistant athletic director for ticket operations at the U. The incident wasn't necessarily a crash, Lassiter said—it was different than what U students experienced with MUSS sign-ups this spring. The website was clogged at first, but it began functioning again quickly, he said. Although the MUSS sign-ups and season ticket purchases both experienced the same high-volume situation, Lassiter said the two are not alike—the MUSS uses a completely different ticketing system that he is unfamil- iar with. It's believed the high volume comes as a result of the Utes' acceptance into the Pac-io conference, but according to Lassiter, this is not the entire truth. The success of the team in recent years and the schedule are also factors in this year's popularity, he said. "We've seen ticket sales increase at the University of Utah for football since 2004," Lassiter said. The current ticketing system has worked for the past seven years and there are no plans to change it, Lassiter said. With a high demand in tickets, a stadium expansion is expected, but Lassiter could not comment on the matter. There were a total of Soo more season tickets sold this year, and there were more tickets available this year than previously, Lassiter said. The U is completely sold out of tickets and will not be selling any more. Tickets are evaluated on an annual basis, Lassiter said—meaning ticket prices may start to go up with the Utes joining the Pac-io. After countless tries to get through to the ticketing office, Powell finally found success, but it wasn't the conversation he wanted to have—tickets had officially been sold out. "We were frustrated, to say the least," Powell said. c.mccormick@chronicle.utah.edu U grads launch online business Nine approved projects hope to promote campus sustainability Danielle Hardy Christopher Leeson STAFF WRITER Students at the U might • stress about the current economy, wondering if they will find a job once graduation hits. A new website business based in Utah, ' www.noodlestorm. corn, could help students get a jump start on their careers. April 26, Launched NoodleStorm is an online business-to-business marketplace. ganizations from all over the world can have their biggest company problems solved by college students and professors. Problems can be submitted from any possible field, whether it's related to engineering, business, legal, medical, retail or transportation. Students provide detailed solutions to the companies, which include action plans, data and supporting information. NoodleStorm mastermind Daniel Butt, the CEO and president of the site, graduated from the U with a bachelor's in management and master's in marketing. The website programmer, Nathan Norton, is also a U graduate who received his bachelor's in computer science. So far, the site has seen case problems from eight organizations throughout the world, including the J Philippines, Kenya, Nigeria, Argentina, South Africa, China and Indonesia. Students and professors have access to any problem that has been submitted. The clients who submit the problems understand that any member of the site can view and give solutions to the problems. "One of the main benefits to using NoodleStorm. corn is that organizations can maintain their confidentiality," Butt said. The website is free for students and professors. As far as companies go, NoodleStorm gave free lifetime access to any organization that signed up and submitted a case by the end of June, though NoodleStorm won't be free forever. When naming the site, Butt wanted to create a name that would be memorable. "My wife voted for NoodleStorm because it has a double `o' in the name like other successful website businesses," said Butt, referring to Google and Yahoo. Students who are interested in participating can sign up on the website. "We have one student signed up from the University of Utah," Butt said. "We have new users sign up every day, but we need more students and professors to sign up." d.hardy@ chronicle.utah.edu STAFF WRITER The Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund approved nine new projects—all with hopes of enhancing t the U. "These projects will raise the awareness of students of sustainability on campus, as well as to use energy-efficient products," said Whitney Williams, coordinator of SCIF. The projects provide opportunities for students to become involved in reducing environmental problems on campus. For instance, students can take the class "Net Zero Exhibit," offered through the College of Architecture. The class will educate students on construction of buildings that produce zero carbon emissions. The nine new projects will receive their funding, adding up to about $52,000, through a $2.50 fee applied to each student's tuition and fees each semester. Some projects are set to launch in the fall, and others are already under way. The Green Tee project, run by an atmospheric science student, looks to educate the U community on the importance of purchasing organic cotton as well as spreading the sustainability message. The project will sell T-shirts during the fall and donating all proceeds to SCIF. A contest for the best design for the shirts will be held during the summer. The shirts will be ioo percent organic cotton and bamboo with environmental logos. A recently completed project, the Bioretention Rain Garden, replaced grass with native plants. The garden is north of the Union and south of the Civil and Materials Engineering Building. The project's aim is to bring a better environment for all students, as well as to educate them, Williams said. "(Each project) gives students a hands-on opportunity on sustainability and interdisciplinary education," she said. One way for students to better their education on sustainability is through SCIF's Sustainability Pledge. The pledge will give students an opportunity to learn the importance of reducing usage of electricity, water and transportation. By signing the pledge, students will receive discounts to local businesses. SCIF will be accepting applications for more sustainable projects in the fall. For questions about the program, contact Williams by e-mail at w.williams@utah. edu. More information can also be found at SCIF's website www.sustainability. utah.edu/SCIF. c.leeson@chronicle.utah.edu Approved projects •Sustainability Pledge: By signing the pledge, stu- • Lights Out!: dents will receive discounts to local businesses. The goal is to reduce usage of electricity, transportation and water—as well as increase local food purchase. 311410411diffill •Sill Center Power Down: The Sill Center will install motion sensors and ambient lighting sensors to reduce electricity consumption and carbon emissions. • Green Tee: An atmospheric science student will sell shirts Research assistants from various areas will help spread the word to turn off classroom lights when classrooms are empty. that are 100 percent organic cotton and bamboo with environmental logos on them. All proceeds will go to SCIF. • Social Justice Gardens: The Bennion Community •Social Work Lighting Upgrade: The Social Work Green Team will install timers on outside lights to have them turned off during the day. In addition, the team will make the switch to more efficient light bulbs. Service Center program at Mountain View Elementary School will purchase gardening tools to enhance the school gardens. University volunteers will teach children and their families about gardening and possibly sell produce at the U's Farmers Market this fall. 'Union Plaza Lighting: An architecture student will test alternative lighting options for the lollipop lights in the Union Plaza to find out which light bulb reduces energy consumption the most. •Net Zero Exhibit: A collaboration of the College of Architecture and the department of engineering will sponsor a research seminar to educate campuses nationwide about buildings that produce zero carbon emissions. • Sustainable Irrigation Research: Civil and environmental engineering graduate students will install two experimental irrigation systems next to the Meldrum Engineering Building. Their goal is to educate the campus about sustainable irrigation practices. |