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Show StatesmanCampus News Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 USU technology Camp Guard is contestfinalist Aggies take first place at BYU business competition BY USU MEDIA RELATIONS Three USU students bested teams from business schools around the country in a competition earlier this month that tested not only their ability to make sound business recommendations but required that they present their solutions in Spanish. A Jon M. Huntsman School of Business Spanishspeaking team took first place in a competition that required the students to prepare recommendations, as if Wal-mart had sought their advice before entering Asia, South America and Europe. They were given two weeks to prepare and then they were expected to present their ideas to a panel of judges. The teams were judged on their knowledge of the case, their presentation and their ability to speak a second language. The BYU Business Language Case Competition, hosted this year on Nov. 14, is an annual event sponsored by the Whitmore Global Management Center in the Marriott School of Management. Chad Albrecht, an assistant professor at the Huntsman School of Business, accompanied the students to the competition but was not allowed to help or coach them in their preparations. "Their Spanish was great," said Albrecht, who also speaks Spanish. "They were very thorough and professional as they drew on their training in business theory to make their recommendations. I was also impressed with the responses they offered when they were questioned by the judges." USU was represented by a Spanish and a Portuguese team and competed against business schools from major universities such as the University of Washington, Purdue University, University of Indiana, Michigan State, University of Texas Austin and Baylor University. "We all started with the same information," said Brad Carr, a member of the Spanish team. "We tried to find an innovative way to present our conclusions so they would be clear and easy to understand. I think we succeeded." Members of the Spanish team were Javan Bowles, Rick Williams and Carr. The Portuguese team members were Adam Croshaw, Steve Thompson and David Passey. MEMBERS OF THE USU SPANISH TEAM at the BYU Business Language Case Competition Nov. 14 took first place. Left to right are team members Rick Williams, Javan Bowles and Brad Carr. photo courtesy of USU MEDIA RELATIONS Health: USU celebrates Movember I continued from page 1 ERIK WYNN, ASUSU EDUCATION SENATOR, wears a mustache in support of Movember, a globally recognized event that raises support for men's health. Rick Kelly, ASUSU vice president of graduate studies, became interested in Movember and got USU involved. CODY GOCHNOUR Beyond the sphere of student government, Kelly was able to recruit a member of Latter-day Voices, who in turn suggested the initiative to the remainder of the choir. About three quarters of the 25 males in the choir have grown mustaches, although "you can't see half of them," said Nyles Salmond, choir director and institute instructor. "It's been great, and they've had a great time doing it," Salmond said. "I think it's a great cause." Latter-day Voices have had performances during the month of Movember, and although the members of the choir are normally encouraged to be clean shaven, Salmond said they were happy to make the exception this month. Kelly said the visibility of a mustache helps stimulate a conversation about the cause. "If we all shaved our chest hair into weird patterns, nobody would know," Kelly said. Tolson agreed, saying, "It's cool because it's a different way to get the word out." While it succeeds in generating attention and a few laughs, Kelly feels strongly about what the Movember Foundation is trying to accomplish, and the awareness that it raises about men's health. "I think it's funny, but at the same time it's a serious subject," Kelly said. "People learn about the effect that testicular and prostate cancer have." According to the Movember Web site, the foundation has raised $47 million to date, globally, making it the world's largest men's charity event. For more information visit www.movember.com. photo - b.c.wood@aggiemaiLusu.edu PoliceBlotter Saturday, Nov. 21 • USU Police received a report that a vehicle was keyed while it was parked in the Spectrum parking lot during the USU vs. Boise State football • USU Police received a report of criminal mischief at the University Inn over the weekend. The individual or individuals damaged some property and caused some other problems. USU Police are investigating. game. Police are investigating. • USU Police were dispatched to a parking problem in the parking lot of Aggie Village near Building 22. Police were advised that a dark green Volkswagen Jetta keeps parking in the handicap parking spot and that the car does not have a permit. Police arrived but were unable to find any problems or the car in question. No further action taken. • USU Police received a call from a female who wanted some advise about some unwanted phone calls she had been getting. Police advised her to inform the caller that she does not want further contact and to report back to the police if he does not comply. Monday, Nov. 23 • USU Police responded to the area of 800 East and 1050 North on a suspicious male carrying a young girl in his arms. Due to the call being delayed 10 minutes, the subject could not be found. The complainant did inform the police that the young girl did not look distressed in any way. • USU Police assisted the Parking Office with a disabled vehicle in the Premium Blue parking lot. The vehicle's front tire assembly had came apart, which made the vehicle not drivable. The owner has been contacted. • USU Police were called to Davis Hall on an odor of marijuana in the building. Police arrived and met with the complainant. Police were unable to locate any odor of marijuana in the building. Tuesday, Nov. 24 • USU Parking reported to USU Police that a car on campus was displaying a fraudulent handicap permit. Police investigated and arrested two individuals for the fraudulent permit. • USU Police responded to the men's restroom in the Fine Arts Museum on a complaint that the water would not turn off in one of the urinals. Police were able to get the valve to close and the water stopped running. BY USU MEDIA RELATIONS Grow Utah Ventures, Zions Bank, USTAR, Workman Nydegger, Ballard Spahr and CFO Solutions have named USU technology Camp Guard as a finalist in the 2009 Concept to Company contest for outdoor recreation. The Camp Guard, a USU patent pending technology, is a wireless perimeter security system that alerts campers of intruders and animals entering their campsite. "The real value of the product is in child security," said Glenn Whichard, technology commercialization associate at USU's Technology Commercialization Office (TCO). "You can easily create a perimeter at the playground, the lake or your campsite and the Camp Guard will alert you when your children wander outside the designated area." Whichard worked closely with Jim Reese, Camp Guard team leader, and Rick Hughes, chief engineer, to patent the technology. Both Reese and Hughes are retired from USU. David White, president and CEO of Cajun Archery in Logan, is also a member of the Camp Guard commercialization team. The Camp Guard weighs fewer than two pounds, requires no additional setup other than simply turning the machine on and, as it utilizes "passive infrared" sensor transmitters, the device is completely wireless. According to the U.S. Travel Association, camping is the number one outdoor vacation activity in America. One third of U.S. adults say they have gone camping in the past five years. USU's TCO believes Camp Guard has strong commercialization potential. "We hope to see the product on the market soon," Whichard said. "Right now we are working on putting the right people together to facilitate the development of this concept; there is room to grow here and we are interested in developing new partnerships." "We continue to be impressed by the quality and depth of ideas presented by these finalists," said T. Craig Bott, president and CEO of Grow Utah Ventures. Each finalist has brought a great concept to the table and we are confident, that like last year, every one of them is capable of a viable business." Other finalists included concepts for solarpowered water sterilization, innovations in skiing technology and outdoor communication devices. This was the second outdoor recreation Concept to Company contest and the fifth contest of its kind in Utah since the first contest kicked off in July 2008. The competitions are ongoing innovation contests held in various regions across the state of Utah. They were created as a way to encourage entrepreneurism and stimulate business growth in the state. Each competition focuses on a different industry and matches the unique entrepreneurial strength of that particular region. USU's Technology Commercialization Office assists faculty and staff in understanding the technology transfer process and extracting the fair market value of university intellectual property for the benefit of the university, faculty, staff and community. Visit the TCO Web site, http://tco.usu.edu , for more information and news, or follow it on Twitter at twitter.com/USU_TechCom. Contact USU Police at 797-1939 for non-emergencies. Anonymous reporting line: 797-5000 EMERGENCY NUMBER: 911 • Officers working the basketball game received a report of a theft from a concession stand by a juvenile wearing a red sweater. The suspect was located and while talking with the suspect and his father it was determined that no theft had occurred. Police discovered that the money thought to have been taken had been move by a concession worker prior to this incident. • Police were dispatched to a fire alarm at Summit Hall. The fire panel identified the source as the hallway of Room 401. Upon arrival, police found the apartment was vacant and a pot of an unidentifiable material in a pan on the stove was filling the room with smoke. Thursday, Nov. 26 • Dispatch informed USU Police that there were skateboarders in the Aggie Terrace. Police arrived and located three individuals skating down the terrace. The individuals were warned about skating on campus. Friday, Nov. 27 • USU Police assisted the Cache County Sheriff's Office with a juvenile consuming alcohol at First Dam. The juvenile was arrested on several charges and taken to the Cache County Jail. 11Compiled by Rachel A. Christensen Page 3 Briefs Campus & Community Ceramics Guild hosts holiday sale The USU Ceramics Guild will hold its annual holiday sale Thursday, Dec. 3, through Saturday, Dec. 5. The sale returns to the guild's home territory - the ceramic studio - in Fine Arts Visual, FAV 123. The sale kicks off Thursday, 59 p.m., and continues Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Ceramics students and sale organizers promise multitudes of beautiful, hand-crafted pottery with prices starting at $8. Items include everything from plates, jars and mugs to baking dishes and serving platters. During the sale, cash and check will be accepted. The artists will be on hand to answer any questions about the artwork and to give tours of the facilities to all those interested. Anyone can join the Ceramics Guild members Thursday evening for the opening reception where refreshments will be provided. The reception begins at 5 p.m. at the sale location. For more information, contact the Utah State Ceramics Program at 797-3566 or e-mail Zaharias at michiko.z@aggiemail.usu.edu . USU student wins Golden Spike Award The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Greater Salt Lake Chapter announced the winners of the fourth annual Utah PR Student of the Year competition at the Golden Spike Awards for communications professionals. Courtney Lewis, a communications major from USU, took first, with Lauren Lytle (Brigham Young University) placing second and Michael Hanks (Utah Valley University) and Brian Grow (Weber State University) tying for third. More than 20 communications students representing five universities across Utah and into Idaho competed for $1,000 cash prize by completing a full PR plan for the 2009 nonprofit client, Utah Food Allergy Network. In October, students submitted a written strategy, including research, objectives, tactics and a timeline for the Utah Food Allergy Network. A panel of PR professionals judged the entries and selected four finalists from four different universities to present their campaign plan at a day-long competition in Salt Lake City, Nov. 14. USU museum to explore the stars The Museum of Anthropology's Saturdays at the Museum Series' next topic is a "Year of Astronomy" Saturday, Dec. 5. This program highlights the scientific influence astronomy has had on ancient societies and the development of calendars and customs. "Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences," said Allyson Martin, Saturday's program planner and USU student. "We have all, at one time or another, looked up at the stars and marveled. It is so interesting to learn about how ancient peoples were able to map and predict the stars with such great accuracy and attention to detail." Activities include how to use a Star Chart and a tour on how cultures, such as the Maya, Stonehenge and Greek philosophers, used astronomy to navigate and build structures. Star charts and constellations will be available for visitors to take home and use for themselves. USU students and members of the public are invited to the museum any time during the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday hours. For more information on this event, call 797-7545. lCompiled from staff and media reports |