University of Utah Student Newspapers | 2010-09-08 | Page 1

BICULTURAL UTA H N FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Blechen, Christopher receive MWC Player of the Week honors » 6 Lecture highlights the life and work of Pablo O'Higgins » 4 Wednesday, SepterRb 010 UTA H C H RON IC The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice Since 1890 Seeing red KIMBERLY ROACH/The Daily Utah Chronicle DJ Benway looks at the new laptop renting machine inside the Union. It is the first machine of its kind on a college campus. Laptops available to rent Brandon Brown STAFF WRITER NATHAN SWEET/The Daily Utah Chronicle A phlebotomist who identified himself as Dan 0. takes blood from Rachel Smith, a senior in gender studies. The blood drive will be held on campus all week. RESEARCH AT THE U U studies speech alternatives Deborah Rafferty STAFF WRITER U researchers are now one step closer to helping paralyzed patients communicate. Decoding brain signals could allow patients communicate through their thoughts. By using microelectrodes that are placed on the surface of the brain, researchers were able to decode brain signal patterns to determine which word was thought, said Bradley Greger, professor of bioengineering. "Basically, we are trying to restore communication to people who are severely paralyzed and can't communicate in any other way," Greger said. Often, severely paralyzed patients are unable to communicate with the outside world but are still cognitively aware of the world around them. Scientists conducted research with a patient receiving treatment for epilepsy, Greger said. Researchers placed two grids of i6 non-penetrating microelectrodes on the surface of the part of the patient's brain that controls speech. Researchers selected io words that were generally useful: yes, no, hello, goodbye, hot, cold, hungry, thirsty, more and less. They had the patient speak the words aloud io times, and researchers then analyzed the brain signals created by the different words. Each day, they would run the signals through the program to see what words it would predict the patient was saying, Greger said. Researchers were able to be close to 90 percent accurate when picking out the words "yes" and "no," Greger said. However, as they added more words to the list and tried to pick out the correct one, their accuracy dropped to about 28 percent to 48 percent, according to a statement. "It's not as accurate as we would like," Greger said. Researchers were well above the percentage if they had chosen the words at random, which is about io percent, Greger said. Greger said he feels as if he has a good understanding of what needs to be fixed in order to increase accuracy. Researchers are still a few more years away from being able to take this research into clinical trials and hope to be close to 90 percent accurate with 5o to 6o words before they go the FDA to try to get approval to do clinical trials in "locked-in syndrome" patients, he said. Greger hopes to begin clinical trials in the next two to three years. "The most important aspect is these people are so paralyzed and cannot communicate yet are completely aware," Greger said. "This is a possible way for them to become connected with the external world." The study was published in the September issue of the Journal of Neural Engineering. The National Institutes of Health, the University of Utah Research Foundation, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation funded the study. d.rafferty@ chronicle.utah.edu There is a new kind of vending machine in the Union, but this one isn't selling snacks. The LaptopsAnytime machine lets students rent laptops. This is the first machine of its kind and the U is the first university to have one. In order to rent a laptop, students swipe their UCard, then their credit card to release a laptop. When they are done using it, laptops are returned at the machine. Even though most students have their own laptops and are able to use computers in the Union or the Marriott Library for free, Jonathon Ruttenberg, LaptopsAnytime co-founder, said students will find these rentable laptops useful. "People are getting excited (about the machines)," he said. The money made from LaptopsAnytime does not go straight to the company, but a portion of the profits goes to the Union to improve the facilities and offer more services to students. DJ Benway, who is working on his master's in public policy, said he would probably use the computers downstairs in the Union before the LaptopsAnytime computers. "It's a smart idea, but I probably won't use them," he said. Some students think they can use the computers in nonconventional ways. Elizabeth Espinoza, a freshman in English and a member of the First Year Student Committee, said she can use them as part of her committee meetings. Espinoza also said the LaptopsAnytime computers could come in handy while working on group assignments or projects with people who might not have computers, she said. Ruttenberg and Matthew Buscher started LaptopsAnytime, which is based in San Bruno, Calif. They have installed machines in public libraries in Southern California and Brooklyn, N.Y., and have plans to put them in other universities around the country. Ruttenberg hopes to put more machines on campus. [e-mail] LaptopsAnytime Rates: $1 for a half-hour $3.95 for an hour Campaigns provide less-competitive internships Andreas Rivera STAFF WRITER Students walking around campus might have caught a glimpse of the numerous bright green fliers, seeking interns for Matheson for Congress. Pedro Pereira, a senior in political science and international studies, is an intern for Jim Matheson, a Democrat running for a Congress seat. Matheson's campaign has recruited about three to four interns, and a lot of volunteers, he said. Pereira said the Hinckley Institute of Politics, the internships for business and nonprofit, which he was leaning toward, were competitive, so he ended up working for the Matheson campaign. The campaign internships are open and not as competitive as most others, he said. Brent Hann, a junior in political science, is an intern for Morgan Philpot, a Republican for Congress. Hann said he had fallen into the internship after meeting Philpot at a community forum. "I'm rubbing shoulders with some great guys and women that have a good political mind," Hann said. "I look up to them." Philpot is Matheson's opponent running for Utah's and district seat. "As long as you can show you have a good work ethic and that you're interested in politics, you can definitely get an internship locally," said Tyler Needham, a senior in political science and an intern for Jake Shannon for Congress. Shannon is running for Utah's 3rd Congressional District as a Libertarian candidate and has i percent the budget of Republican Jason Chaffez, his opponent, Needham said. Needham is the campaign manager for Shannon, dealing with press and organizing events. "You get to see the political machine from the inside and you get to see how much work it takes to get a message out," Needham said. Alissa Skinner, a senior in political science and intern for Peter Corroon, a Democrat running for governor, said she was recruited into the internship, as opposed to actually seeking it. There are a lot of student volunteers rather than interns, Skinner said. "People could be more involved than they realized," she said. "You get to make personal relationships with people who play a major part in our government." [e-mail] NATHAN SWEET/The Daily Utah Chronicle Pedro Pereira, a senior in political science and international studies, puts Matheson fliers up around campus. He is an intern foruim Matheson.