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Show Check : out the scrum UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Page 6 Logan, Utah • Campus Voice Since 1902 www.utahstatesman.com Friday, March 31,2006 Diamond in the rough Famed author explains themes from his book on the collapse of societies and how people can learn from history's mistakes BY MARIE CHRISTENSEN Assistant News Wilor Members of society need to learn from yesterday's mistakes and take advantage of today's technology in order to prevent the collapse of tomorrow's future. That was the overriding theme of renowned author and celebrity scientist Jared Diamond emphasized Thursday night during a lecture in the Kent Concert Hall on Utah State Universit/s campus. Based on his 1997 Pulitzer Prizewinning book Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Diamond discussed the collapse of societies throughout history and what people can learn from that today. "It's not enough to write about the failure and success of part societies when today we face new problems," he said. "What are the lessons that we can extract from past societies?" Diamond highlighted five points from his book that he says can cause the collapse of any society which are: • People who may inadvertently over-expose natural resources • Climate changes • Enemies that may cause civil wars • Friends who provide essential imports • Societies that depend on its political, social and religious institutions to solve problems. He gave an example of the Polynesians who inhabited Easter Island during 800 A.D. and failed to survive despite their rich resources. During that time, the island contained lush subtropical forests. However, the Polynesians began chopping down tree to clear land and use the lumber for building and other needs. This continued, Diamond said, until 1680 when these people chopped down their last tree and a civil war broke out among the 12 different clans living on the island. Eventually without food or resources, the people resorted to using themselves for survival. "Easter Island collapsed in not just Two departments working together to form new degree years to receive a bachelors degree. In a nutshell, it's Assistant News Editor like having two degrees in A new partnership one, Tarpley said. between agriculture and "We believe we are putjournalism students at Utah ting agriculturally literate State University may begin people in society," he said. "I to take shape in the coming think it's absolutely going to months. explode." Leaders from the agriCurrently, there are cultural systems technolabout a dozen students ogy and education (ASTE) interested in participating department and the depart- in the agriculture commument of journalism and nications program and the communications are waiting two departments expect on approval from the State there will be about 50 stuBoard of Regents for a new dents enrolled in this major agricultural _-_^__T_^. within journalism five years, ^ e believe we are degree. Tarpley The new putting agriculturally said. degree, if approved, will iterate people in society." Journalism be offered Rudy Tarpley Department to students Head Mike ASTE Associate Professor as soon as Sweeney fall semester hopes that 2006. eventually, "Basically, if enough it's a merging of a commustudents become interested, nications and journalism in this major, the univerdegree with an agriculture sity will be able to hire a degree," ASTE Associate new faculty member in the Professor Rudy Tarpley journalism department. said. "So students will be The proposal for the new able to compete in the jour- major has been approved nalism market and work by the administration and in agriculture. It truly is a the Board of Trustees and is partnership." being submitted to the Utah Board of Regents. A final The new major would decision will be made this require only one new summer during the regents' class to be added into regular session. the ASTE department Introduction to Agricultural "We've got our fingers Communication. Students crossed for this next fall," would take all the same Tarpley said. classes required for a jourSweeney said this kind nalism and communications degree with the addition of agriculture classes. The > DEGREE degree would require four an epidemic of civil war but cannibalism," Diamond said. "Of all the collapses of the past, I find the one that grabs people the most is that of Easter Island." Inhabitants on this island had no where else they could go, which Diamond related to today saying the that when society destroys the Earth itself, humankind will have no where else to go. But on the other side of the spectrum, the people of New Guinea have survived for more than 46,000 years, the longest in history, Diamond said. In 800 A.D., this society experienced a forestry crisis much like that on Easter Island. But instead of stripping their resources, society members transplanted seedlings to grow more trees and saved wood for construction needs. "There are lots of societies that have survived thousands of years," he said. • DIAMOND see page 3 James Schulti/xhultz@ccusu.edu JARED DIAMOND, author and scientist, speaks to Utah State University students in the Kent Concert Hall Thursday about his book, Guns, Germs and Steel: Ihe Fates of Human Societies. The hall was almost completely filled for the hour-long lecture in which Diamond focused on the ways that societies have collapsed throughout history and possibilities for future societies to avoid making the same mistakes other societies have already made. BURGER TIME BY MARIE CHRISTFNSEN Jessica Alexander/jalexander@cc.usu.edu QuiNN EDWARDS (RIGHT), a senior majoring in electrical engineering, helps make hamburgers on the Taggart Student Center Patio Thursday afternoon. The Sigma Chi fraternity sponsored selling the hamburgers to Utah State University students to benefit The Children's Miracle Network. They sold hamburgers for $1 and drinks for 50 cents. see page 3 MRT students take steps to continue aerospace technology research BY LINDY PHIPPEN Contributing Writer Utah State University's longheld reputation of sending more experiments into space than any other university is remaining a reality for USU's Microgravity Research Team. The team is an undergraduate and graduate program inviting students and faculty of all disciplines to participate in space research. Formerly is was known as Get Away Special (GAS). As MRT creates state-of-the-art aerospace technology through a trial-and-error process, the students learn skills they can apply at a hands-on level and are provided with practical job experience. "I was excited to join the team because it will give me the opportunity actually use the skills I'm learning in my classes and apply those skills to design and produce tangible projects/1 MRT member Jeff Brady said. "Plus, it will give me experience so that I will be more appealing to potential employers once I graduate." After NASA administrators announced the development a new opportunity for space research aboard the newly designed space shuttle in 1976, R. Gilber Moore, Morton Thiokol's executive and former USU professor helped develop the team. m Moore said he was excited about the educational opportunities this program would provide and even stood up in the middle of the presenters speech to ask how much each payload would cost. Moore took out his personal checkbook and bought the first Get Away Special payload reservation. He then donated the reservation to USU, creating its first Get Away Special Team. "It is exciting to think that for- mer and current team members and their advisers are currently doing space research and engineering at NASA and in private industry," Moore said. Steve Berkley, mechanical engineering major and MRT member, said he became involved with the team when he was just a sopho- >MRT see page 3 |