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Show HOLIDAY NOSTALGIA Pioneer Theatre Company's 'White Christmas' offers simple holiday cheer» 4 SECOND WIND: Runnin' Utes second-half performance propels wi against Pepperdine » 2010 www.dailyutahchronicle.c UTAH CHROWednesd eal„Pniversity of Utah's Independent Student Voice Since 1890 0 ASUU reports progress, future plans Andreas Rivera STAFF WRITER The State of ASUU showcased what student government has accomplished and will plan for the rest of the school year. Most who attended were members of the Associated Students of the University of Utah executive cabinet, Assembly and Senate, along with various student groups. Few unaffiliated students took part in the presentation held Tuesday in the Union Ballroom. "I thought it was informative, but I wish more students would have come, because a lot of people don't see what ASUU does and where their student fees go," said Don Willie, a senior in political science. However, one of ASUU's priorities has been to increase student involve- ment. "One of our main goals this year is to increase our marketing," said Chase Jardine, president of ASUU. "As a result of this, we have had increased attendance to all our events." He mentioned the ways for students to stay updated, including text messaging and the ASUU website. Morgan Sorenson, senior class president, said ASUU hosts about 5o events every semester, including free movie nights, special speakers and homecoming. The senior council has come up with some "amazing" options for the 2011 senior class gift, which ASUU will announce at the beginning of Spring Semester, she said. "It's definitely something that is going to be long-lasting and will affect the students in a very positive way," Sorenson said. John Pearson, vice president of ASUU, highlighted the College Readership Program—a partnership between The New York Times, USA Today and the U. Julia Preston, a New York Times immigration reporter, came to the U in September through the program, Pearson said. Mindy Fetterman, a guest speaker from USA Today, will lecture about careers for students March 3, he said. The ASUU Career Advantage website will be up in January and will contain student career guides. The website was one of Jardine's main platforms during the election. The website will contain different testimonials from students who will explain what they did to get into graduate school. A new website for ASUU's childcare See ASUU Page 3 KIMBERLY ROACH/The Daily Utah Chronicle ASUU President Chase Jardine and Vice President John Pearson talk at the State of ASUU event. RESEARCH AT THE U Bargain browsing Autism could be detected objectively Marie Lenihan-Clarke STAFF WRITER KIMBERLY ROACH/The Daily Utah Chronicle Logan Jamison shops for bargain books sold by the University Campus Store in the Union. The bookstore will have books for sale today from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students are collaborating with members of Harvard University Medical School to extend their practices and advance cures to further develop autism testing. The newly discovered process of detecting autism is one of the most precise forms of the test to date, with a 94 percent accuracy result, according to the statement from University Healthcare. "The hope is to be able to come up with an objective biological test, rather than a subjective one, that can be used to find if someone has autism," said Kathy Wilets, public affairs specialist for U health science. The only form of testing available is subjective, in which different professionals assess a set of criteria, and then, based on their views, collectively form an opinion to decide whether someone has the condition, Wilets said. Janet Lainhart, the principal investigator of the project, has been working with Nicholas Lange from Harvard in hopes of being able to identify the disorder through MRI scanning. This monitors brain activity, See AUTISM Page 3 The business of powder Improved LouseBuster New course will cover ski resort management Brandon Brown STAFF WRITER A new class offered Spring Semester will let students get a hands-on experience at running a ski resort. Ski Resort Management is being offered through the parks, recreation and tourism department. Instructor Michael Kaplan came up with the idea of having a class based around running a ski resort. "The class is designed to be a reallife exposure to ski reports and the ski industry," Kaplan said. Kaplan has received degrees from Harvard and Thunderbird School of Global Management, and has worked in ski resorts in the United States and Europe. He also owned a bar on Main Street in Park City, and he got to know many of the people in the ski industry there. "We plan on having someone from a ski resort talk to the class every week," Kaplan said. The class will take a field trip on a Saturday to all the ski resorts around the valley and will judge them on how they operate compared to what was taught in class. Since students will be required to go on a Saturday, Kaplan lets the class out two weeks early. Kaplan said that will help students with their other finals. Even though it is offered through the parks, recreation and tourism department, Kaplan expects a lot of different students to sign up for the class. Phil Cianci, a senior in photography, said he thinks it will be a popular class. "It will be good for kids who want to be pro snowboarders, but when they realize they won't make it, they have the management knowledge already," Cianci said. Kaplan wants to teach about the main operations of the resort life, including snowmaking and how lifts operate. He also plans on covering risk management, marketing, finances and how the ski resorts affect the environment. The hope is to form a relationship between the U and ski resorts. Kaplan is excited for the possible internships and employment opportunities that can come from this relationship. "This will be a great opportunity for students of any major," Kaplan said. b.brown@chronicle.utah.edu becomes more available Alexis Sanders STAFF WRITER After the release of a prototype in 2006, U biology professor Dale Clayton's LouseBuster is making a comeback. The device, created to eradicate lice, was so popular that Clayton and his team of researchers revamped the model to be even more efficient. The device's holding piece is the size of a fist and works by blasting air at a specific temperature for 3o seconds on each section of an individual's head. Blasting two to three times more air at a cooler temperature than a hair dryer, the device works to dry out the lice—virtually killing them. The project has been in the works for almost To years. It began after Clayton's children came home with bad cases of lice. Clayton began experimenting on the insects in an effort to solve the problem. Four years ago, Clayton and his team of researchers had the right combination of ideas. From there it was a matter of testing for the right temperature and air pressure and getting FDA approval, said Sarah Bush, U biology professor and first author of the project. Clayton and his colleagues formed Larada Sciences Utah, one of 20 spin-off companies from research at the U in 2008, helping the U to earn a tie with MIT in number of inventions that became companies. Larada Sciences Utah has sold more than 150 See LICE Page 3 PHOTO COURTESY SARAH BUSH A U biology professor invented a device to eradicate lice by blasting hot air at the insects. |