OCR Text |
Show StatesmanCampus News Monday, April 19, 2010 Eight honored in NSF Grad Research Fellow search By MARY-ANN MUFFOLETTO College of Science Four Aggies received 2010 Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation and four more received honorable mentions in the renowned academic competition — the most USU students and alums ever to receive the honor in one year. USU's 2010 NSF Graduate Research Fellows are undergraduate Melissa Jackson (geology), who graduates in May and will pursue graduate studies at Aberystwyth University in Wales; USU graduate students Nathan Carruth (physics) and Joanna Hsu (ecology) and 2007 USU graduate Jan Marie Andersen (physics), who is currently pursuing graduate studies at Boston University. Receiving honorable mentions are USU graduate students Eric Addison (physics) and Ephraim Hanks (mathematics and statistics), as well as 2009 USU graduates Camila Coria (civil engineering), who is a graduate student at University of California-Berkeley, and Bradley Hintze (biochemistry), who is pursuing graduate studies at Duke University. "NSF Graduate Research Fellowships are the nation's most prestigious graduate awards in science and engineering," said USU President Stan Albrecht. "The fact that eight Aggies are among this year's honorees is a solid testament to the out- standing quality of our university's academic and research programs, as well as the high caliber of our students and faculty." NSF GRFP recipients receive a three-year annual stipend of $30,000, along with a $10,500 cost-of-education allowance for tuition and fees, a one-time $1,000 international travel allowance and the freedom to conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. or foreign institution of graduate education they choose. Jan Marie Andersen, Physics Following graduation from USU with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics, Andersen headed to the University of Copenhagen on a Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship to study stellar evolution and the early universe at Denmark's Niels Bohr Institute. Now at BU, Andersen is investigating low-mass stars called M-dwarfs that, from Earth, are barely perceptible to the naked eye. Her research affords her opportunities to study data collected from the world's great observatories, including the Nordic Optical Telescope at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in Spain's Canary Islands and Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. "Many astronomers filter out M-dwarfs as unwanted interference in their searches for larger, brighter celestial objects," said Andersen, who was named 2007 College of Science Undergraduate Researcher of the Year. "But our studies of Mdwarfs could yield important clues about the early universe. One astronomer's trash is another astronomer's treasure." Nathan Carruth, Physics The third time's a charm for Carruth, who has received two previous honorable mentions from the NSF graduate program. And "time" is exactly what Carruth, who earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from USU in 2007 and will soon complete a master's degree in physics, is studying with faculty mentor Charles Torre. "Among the questions we're asking is 'Is it possible for time to be discrete; is it necessarily continuous?"' Carruth said. Tackling these questions is related to a central problem in theoretical physics that has puzzled theorists for decades: how to unify quantum mechanics with general relativity. So Carruth and Torre are considering these questions in a two-dimensional universe, in which there's only one spatial dimension rather than three. "By simplifying our project, we're able to consider questions of time independent of a quantum gravity theory that doesn't yet exist," says Carruth, whose current efforts focus on the mathematical I See NSF, page 4 Commencement speaker arrested during protest ACTOR DANNY GLOVER, left, is arrested by Montgomery County Police, as SEIU President Andy Stern cheers Glover on during a protest of the SEIU of Sodexo headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on Friday, April 16. AP photo PoliceBlotter Saturday, April 10 • USU Police received a report of a stolen Xbox console from the Living Learning Center. Police are investigating. • USU Police assisted Logan City Police with a suicidal individual. Officers arrived and deterred the individual from doing anything harmful. The individual was checked by emergency medical personnel and transported to Logan Regional Hospital. Monday, April 12 • USU Police responded to assist North Park Police with a domestic dispute. Upon arrival, police observed that there was evidence of a domestic dispute. Police arrested the primary aggressor. The individual was taken to the county jail. • USU Police responded to a bird stuck and confused in a skylight on the Taggart Student Center Patio. The bird would not fly out from under the skylight and kept running into the clear cover. USU Police attempted to coerce the bird into flying out from under the skylight but was unable to do so. The bird was left on its own, in hopes it would fly out by itself. • USU Police served a warrant at Mountain View Tower. The individual was placed under arrest and taken to the Cache County Jail. Tuesday, April 13 • USU Police responded to the Fieldhouse on a stray dog in the area. A female heeler was impounded and transported to the Humane Society. • USU Police responded to the new engineering building on a report that a female student had passed out in class. Logan Emergency Medical Services also responded and checked this person out. The woman was released by the EMS and was transported to the Logan Regional Hospital by the police for further tests and care. • USU Police assisted Logan City Police with a traffic accident that occurred west of the Aggie Terrace. There were no injuries to report. • USU Police responded to the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab on an intrusion alarm. The alarm was activated by a Facilities clean-up crew who was going to wax the floors. The alarm was silenced and reset without any further problems. Wednesday, April 14 • USU Police were dispatched to the HPER building on a report of an athletic bag left near the corner of the building. The owner arrived on scene and claimed his property. • USU police was dispatched to the area of 1000 North and 800 East on a report of several cars in the area that had been hit with eggs. • USU Police assisted a student with a stolen bicycle. The student's bicycle was stolen from the Living Learning Center within the last two weeks. Police are investigating. • USU Police filed a criminal mischief report that occurred on the east side of the Mountain View Tower. Graffiti was written on the southeast side of the building. Police are investigating. Thursday, April 15 • USU Police responded to assist North Logan Police with three suspicious individuals. Police arrested one of the individuals for an outstanding warrant. • Police were dispatched to Ray B. West Parking lot on a duck that was running around in the parking lot and was going to be hit by a car. • Police responded to the Student Living Center on a report of an individual that appeared to be drinking alcohol and playing frisbee. Police were unable to locate the individual. GAITHERSBURG, Md. (AP) — Actor Danny Glover, who has been chosen as the commencement speaker for USU's 2010 spring graduation ceremonies, and 11 others have been arrested during a labor union protest at the Maryland headquarters of a food service company. Montgomery County police spokesman Capt. Paul Starks says Glover and others stepped past yellow police tape and were asked to step back three times at Sodexo headquarters. When they refused, Starks says officers arrested them. The dozen were issued citations for trespassing and let go. Starks says they face a $1,000 fine or 90 days in jail. Starks says organizers told police beforehand that some would risk arrest. The Service Employees International Union was protesting what it calls Sodexo's unfair and illegal treatment of workers. Sodexo says the union was spreading misinformation. A publicist for the "Lethal Weapon" actor declined to comment. Contact USU Police at 797-1939 for non-emergencies. Anonymous reporting line: 797-5000 EMERGENCY NUMBER: 911 • USU Police arrested an individual that had an outstanding warrant. The individual was transported to the Cache County Jail and booked on the warrant. • USU Police received a noise complaint in the Snow Hall area. A large group of students were playing volleyball, sun tanning and listening to a very loud stereo. Upon contact with the students, they turned the stereo off without incident. • USU Police received a report of broken glass on the bus stop bench in front of the Veterinary Science building. Police are investigating. • USU Police responded to 1355 N. 800 East to assist Logan City with a weapons offense. Police were advised that the complainant had heard four gun shots in the area. Police searched the area and located some remnants of four dry ice bombs. Police are investigating. Friday, April 16 • USU Police received a report of possible credit card fraud. Someone has been refunding credit card balances to their own card from a USU business. Police are investigating. • USU Police responded to the 700 East tunnel for a suspicious activity with the camera system. Upon arrival, officers determined that the tunnel cameras were being replaced, and that is why the cameras stopped working. • USU Police received a complaint of a dune buggy driving on the lawn between the Fine Arts building and the Recital Hall. A group of engineering students were fine tuning the machine before a mountain expedition. Officers explained the concerns of driving the dune buggies on campus. • USU Police responded to an elevator alarm at Mountain View Tower. The elevator was stuck a few feet above the first floor with one occupant. The elevator was reset and returned to working order. 11Compiled by Rachel A. Christensen Page 3 Briefs Campus & Community Students participatefree at Runoff Conference Water@USU, a USU Water Initiative project, hosts the sixth annual Spring Runoff Conference April 20-21 at the Eccles Conference Center. "Adaptive Water Management in a Changing Climate" is the theme for the 2010 gathering, which convenes jointly with the Western Snow Conference. Student participation in the two-day gathering is free but all participants must register. Cost to professionals is $50 for both days or $25 for one day. Online registration, along with a full conference schedule, is available on the conference website at wetwater.usu.edu . Participants can also register by phone at 7970423 or toll free 800-538-2663. Featured speakers for the conference include Brian McInerney, hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City; Brad Udall, director of University of Colorado Western Water Assessment, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Unit in Boulder; Terrance Fulp, deputy regional director of the Bureau of Reclamation's Lower Colorado Region office in Boulder; and Dan Cayan, director of the Climate Research Division of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California-San Diego. The conference includes a poster session and social Tuesday evening, featuring poster presentations from undergraduate, graduate student and faculty researchers from varied disciplines involved in diverse aspects of water-related research. Prizes will be awarded for the top student presentations. Water@USU is an interdisciplinary collaboration of the university's Utah Water Research Laboratory, the colleges of humanities, arts and social sciences, natural resources, science, engineering, agriculture and the Huntsman School of Business. Established in 2003, the initiative fosters collegial sharing of water-related research and ideas throughout the campus and cornmunity. USU Guitar Ensemble presents spring concert Multiple guitar ensembles at Utah State University are featured in a spring concert and are ready to share their music with a yearending event. Acoustic and electric guitar are featured in the April 20 concert that begins at 7:30 p.m. at USU's Performance Hall. Tickets for the concert are available at the Caine School of the Arts Box Office, located in the Chase Fine Arts Center, Room 138B, 797-8022, or online. Admission is $8, and USU students with ID are admitted free. USU's Guitar Program has a loyal following, according to Mike Christiansen, director of the program and a faculty member in USU's department of music. "This is the 33rd year that guitar ensembles have been part of the USU guitar curriculum and been performing on the USU campus," Christiansen said. "We have more musical variety in this concert than any concert we've done in the past. Audiences have been very receptive to our concerts, and the students are excited to share their music with the listeners." Mike Christiansen directs the acoustic ensembles for the concert and Corey Christiansen directs the electric ensemble. Ensemble members are music majors. "The Performance Hall is ideally suited for guitar concerts," Mike Christiansen said. "The acoustics are wonderful and bring out the best of the students' playing." For information about the guitar ensemble concert, contact Mike Christiansen at 797-3011. El Compiled from staff and media reports |