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Show StatesmanCampus News Monday, April 5, 2010 Page 3 Math and origami are connected, engineer says Briefs Campus & Community By KASEY VAN DYKE staff writer Math and origami often go handin-hand, said Robert Lang, engineer and origami artist. Lang spoke to a full auditorium in the Eccles Science and Learning Center Friday, April 2. His presentation, titled "From Flapping Birds to Space Telescopes: The Modern Science of Origami," was met with many ooh's and ahh's, as Lang showed pictures of his many creations. He began his presentation by going through the history of origami, defining it as the art of "Japanese paper-folding." Lang showed the audience an image from 1734, which showed several origami figures, including an origami crane, boat and cube. Though the exact date of origin for the art is unknown, he said one of the earliest references to origami was "orisue," or origami butterflies, in 1680. Lang explained that what really makes something origami is when the primary shaping comes from folding. Lang said one of the first things that caused a shift in origami was an artist, Yoshizawa, who invented the "common language of origami and how to fold." Yoshizawa identified different lines to mean different folds, either the mountain fold, shown as solid lines; or the valley fold, shown as dotted lines. The next big shift, Lang said, is when math came into the origami scene. He said people "began applying mathmatical principles to origami," which took it past the realm of the cootie-catcher. Lang said that "crease patterns" define an origami design today. Though crease patterns can get incredibly intricate, Lang said the simplicity lies in the fact that they still only use two folds — mountain or valley. The crease patterns, Lang explained, follow four rules. He said the rules are surprisingly simple. "You might think the rules of origami must be in this big, thick book you can only see after years of study," he said. "It's not like that at all." First, a pattern must follow the two-colorability rule, which states that if one were to color all regions of the crease pattern, it would only take two colors to fill all regions without Defensive driving classes available PARTICIPANTS LEARN how to fold a traditional origami swan Friday. Engineer and origami artist Robert Lang explained connections between math and origami as part of the Science Unwrapped series. STEVE SELLERS photo the same color touching. Next, at any point where a bunch of fold lines come together on a pattern, the difference between the number of mountain folds and valley folds has to be two, whether it's two more or two fewer. After that, look at any plane on the crease pattern and number the angles in the circle up to six and add all the odd numbered angles or even numbered angles, and they have to equal a straight line. Finally, a pattern can't call for a sheet of paper cut through another. I See MATH, page 4 Three Aggies 2010 Goldwater honorees By MARY-ANN MUFFOLETTO College of Science Two USU students are 2010 Goldwater Scholars and one Aggie received honorable mention. Goldwater Scholars is a prestigious national competition established by Congress that recognizes outstanding undergraduate achievements in science and mathematics. Daniel Fenn and Justin Koeln are recipients of the award, which is administered by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, and Robert Call received honorable mention. With this year's honorees, USU boasts 15 Goldwater Scholars and six honorable mention recipients since 1998. "This is a great honor for these students and a great honor for Utah State University," USU President Stan Albrecht said. "This award is a testament to the stellar achievements of these individuals in academics and research, as well as the outstanding mentorship provided by our faculty members." The 2010 honorees, who represent USU's ROBERT CALL, left, is a 2010 Goldwater honorable mention. Daniel Fenn, center, and Justin Koeln, right, are 2010 Goldwater Scholars. photo courtesy of the College of Science College of Science and College of Engineering, are actively involved in undergraduate, space-related research. A Tremonton native, Fenn is a 2004 graduate of Bear River High School. He earned a National Merit Scholarship and was also awarded a USU Presidential Scholarship. PoliceBlotter Since his arrival at USU, the physics major has immersed himself in research of neutral-particle sensors at Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL). He was actively involved SDL's testing of the NASA and Naval Research Laboratory-designed Wind and Temperature Spectrometer, which measures thermospheric neutral wind properties. Following graduation from USU in 2011, Fenn plans to pursue doctoral studies in physics and a possible career in the computer electronics industry. Koeln, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major, is a 2007 graduate of Maryland's Poolesville High School. Upon his arrival at USU, Koeln immediately joined the Get Away Special space research team and has since racked up an impressive list of space research achievements. His work on the GAS team's pico-satellite project honed his skills in design and construction and led to continued CubeSat research opportunities with USU's Space Dynamics Laboratory. I See GOLD, page 4 Contact USU Police at 797-1939 for non-emergencies. Anonymous reporting line: 797-5000 EMERGENCY NUMBER: 911 Saturday, March 27 Tuesday, March 30 Wednesday, March 31 • USU Police responded to the emergency phone near the Fine Arts building. Police determined the phone was having technical difficulties. Police advised electronics of the problem. • USU Police responded to the soccer field north of Mountain View Tower for a report of some students taking a stop sign. The stop sign was lying on the ground. The students left the sign where they found it. No further action was taken by police. • USU Police was dispatched to an animal problem. A cow was running around the Quad. The animal was captured and returned to its owner. • USU Police responded to a let-in at the Stan Laub Training Center where several USU athletes were unable to get into the building with their key. Police filed a work order for Facilities to fix the lock. • USU Police responded to Old Main for an emergency elevator alarm. Upon arrival, officers were unable to locate anyone in need of police assistance. The alarm was reset. • USU Police assisted a resident adviser at Aggie Village on educating a family about where their children could play when they are outside. This was done for the welfare of the children, due to them playing on the main sidewalk. Sunday, March 28 • USU Police assisted North Logan Police with searching an abandoned house for individuals trespassing. Police searched the house but were unable to locate any individuals. • USU Police assisted Logan City Police with some individuals who were possibly stealing items from vehicles. Police located the two suspects still in the area. Police arrested one individual for the larceny from a vehicle as well as other offenses. • USU Police assisted a student with two flat tires in Aggie Terrace. Someone had let the air out of both tires and left the valve stem caps on the ground near by. Police are investigating. Monday, March 29 • USU Police was asked to keep the peace while an individual collected some of her belongings from an old roommate. • Police investigated a report of fraudulent use of a debit card. Upon further investigation, it was determined that a roommate used another roommate's debit card without authorization. Charges are pending at this time. • USU Police responded to a medical call in the Ray B West building. A student had passed out during class. The student was evaluated and released on scene by Logan City Fire Paramedics. • USU Police responded to a utility problem where a power pole was blown over in the wind on USU property near Green Canyon. USU High Voltage was called to respond and mitigate the downed power pole and line. There was no fire or problems threatening life or property at the time. Police cleared before USU High Voltage finished with the problem. • USU Police were called to the east side of Bullen Hall where some drug paraphernalia was found outside the building. • USU Police responded to a report of several females taking a construction sign from the roadway into their apartment building. Police responded and located the females in an apartment with the sign. The students were told to return the sign immediately. • USU Police responded to the new USTAR building on a report of an individual having a seizure. The person was transported to the hospital by ambulance. • USU Police responded to a report of property damage at the Moen Hall parking lot. A vehicle parked in the parking lot had a broken windshield. It was determined that the most likely cause of the broken windshield was a small pebble hitting the windshield during a high wind storm. • USU Police responded to the Aggie Parking Terrace for a report of some tires that were flattened on a vehicle. Photographs were taken and a report was filed with USU Police. • Complainant called USU Police wanting to report some harassment problem. Complainant was referred to Logan City Police because the problem happened in their jurisdiction. No further action was taken. • Police responded to building C of the Living Learning Center on a fire alarm. The alarm was activated by a grease fire that occurred in the kitchen area. A resident left cooking grease heating on the stove, which ignited when she left the area. Estimated damage is pending. • USU Police received a delayed report of a hitand-run accident that took place in the Townhouse West parking lot. Police are investigating. Thursday, April 1 • USU Police officers were dispatched to the Junction on a theft report. A female was subsequently arrested for theft and issued a citation. No further action taken. • The USU Police Department is investigating a theft of a Macbook Pro laptop from the MerrillCazier Library. • USU Police responded to the Stadium West Parking Lot for a report of an injured duck. The duck was walking well and was taken to First Dam and released with the other ducks in the area. Friday, April 2 • USU Police took a report of a stolen vacuum from a resident of Summit Hall. USU Police investigated and found that the complainant's roommate had borrowed the vacuum and had left it in his room. The roommate returned the vacuum about an hour after the report was made. I Compiled by Rachel A. Christensen The Utah Safety Council is now offering a four-hour defensive driving course for individuals in the Logan area. The courses will take place on Saturday, April 10, and Saturday, April 24, at the Sheriff's Complex, second floor, from 8 a.m. to noon. The course consists of classroom instruction and focuses on accident prevention, driving confidence, awareness of hazards and improving driving skills. Drivers may complete the course for a 50-point reduction from their Utah driving record, once every three years. Individuals 55 years of age and older may qualify for insurance discounts after completing the course. Registration is $40 per person, or $10 for those age 55 and over that are only seeking a reduction in their insurance rate. For additional information or to register, please contact the Utah Safety Council at 800-933-5943 or visit www.utahsafetycouncil.org. USU's FACT under new administration On July 1, 2010, the USU Faculty Assistance Center for Teaching (FACT) will become more closely aligned administratively with other programs on campus that share a commitment to supporting high quality instruction. As part of the realignment, FACT and Media Productions were joined as one unit. USU's Executive Vice President and Provost Raymond T. Coward explained the significance of the change for this important resource to faculty. "The administrative realignment of the program within the Office of the Provost affords us the opportunity to unite FACT with other university initiatives focused on teaching and learning, such as the New Faculty Teaching Academy, the series of lectures and workshops sponsored by our office focusing on instructional best practices and our role in instructional evaluation," Coward said. "Taken together, these activities reflect a concerted and coordinated effort on the part of the university to support the commitment of our faculty to high quality classroom instruction." Associate Vice Provost Robert Wagner has been named interim director of FACT. "I appreciate the direction Information Technology has provided in helping develop this organization as a valuable asset to the university," Wagner said. "FACT has been, and still is, known worldwide for its innovative instruction designers. I look forward to the opportunity of being a part of this unit as we move forward." The FACT instructional designers and staff will continue to work with USU's faculty to create innovative learning environments in USU courses. To learn more about what services are available through FACT, visit its Web site, http://it.usu.edu/ fact/. Writers conference features USU prof Writer of memoir and professor of English Pat Gantt participated as a featured author at the 14th Annual Redrock Creative Writers Conference recently in St. George, Utah. The conference took place from Thursday, March 11, through Saturday, March 13, at the Pioneer Opera House and St. George Art Museum. Sponsored by the Redrock Writers' Guild, the conference brings together Utah poets and writers for a reading and seminars on poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. In addition to Gantt, writers included poet Danielle Dubrasky, journalist J. J. Abernathy, and songwriter Sam Payne. LlCompiled from staff and media reports |