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Show StatesmanCampus News Friday, Sept. 10, 2010 Art exposes Cache Valley pollution of professor who will guide and teach you to make it ... my job as an artist is to bring the phenomena amazing photographs, but the success is always to you," said. yours," she said. "He's the kind of professor that You can't hold the particles in your hand," he Chris Gauthier, USU assistant professor of can pull your personality into the work." said, explaining the need for others to be awakart, exhibited "Evidence and Artifacts: Particle She said that dedication is noticeable in the ened to the issue through photography. Matter 2.5," a project designed to raise awareness Evidence and Artifacts project. Gauthier said he trusts as residents of Cache of the pollution of Cache Valley's air, to a sizable "Chris is someone who cares, so as you can see Valley make steps to improve the air here, having audience on Tuesday at the Nora Eccles Harrison through the pictures, they evoke that he's trying to seen the filth through his photos, it will begin a Museum of Art. get a reaction, negative or positive. And that's how chain reaction that can reach far beyond the state's The photos can be seen by students and locals his classes are too. But that's for the benefit of his borders. while the exhibit is open to the public, through students," she said. "As an educated community, as a research Jan. 11. Gauthier said he? encountered some rather community, we sit down and decide... if we can The project is designed to expose locals to the difficult, and at times humorous, challenges as he make the change on a community level, then Los seriousness of the pollution of air that, as Gauthier took photographs during the brisk winter months. Angeles can make the change on a community describes, is "lethally toxic" in spite of the "eerily The frigid weather caused some physical discomlevel. We can be the beginning," he said. beautiful" and "serene" nature Professor Gauthier said many of the findings of that surrounds Cache Valley's residents. the research ought to be attrib"I think we're setting ouruted to Randy Martin, a USU selves up for a global problem," environmental science profeshe said. sor. "The reason it's happening "Dr. Martin's research has to us is the geography. The been critical to the findings in mountains around us are holdCache Valley," said Gauthier, ing in air, so we're just pushing and he has been the most vocal this stuff around," he said, about the need to clean the describing how the mountains local air we breathe. essentially create a "soup" of Many of those who attended hazardous air particles that, the open house, such as Marilyn Chris Clark, were perhaps surprising to locals, rival major cities of the world motivated by the photos and for poor conditions. by Gauthier's hope, and recogThat "stuff" would include nized the need for discussion tiny particles that have the abiland change. ity to penetrate into the lungs, "I think we all need to do more. We feel like we're in a along with remnants of cow manure, which, according to place that's so pristine, but Gauthier, constitute 40-48 perbecause of the (dangers caused cent of the particles. by) mountains and elements, It's because of this condition we do need to work on the air that Gauthier became inspired quality," she said. to take photos of such a scene in "His work is quite different, the first place. which is good for the students Impressed with the fog cover to see the contrasts. I think of the county in the mornings, he's a nice complement to the Gauthier set out early one day department ... the students to take shots of the "magiseem to relate to him well." cal" scenery. It was only after Gauthier was quite complea short time that Gauthier mentary of the local area and noticed his lungs feeling heavy, the opportunities like the prompting him to further one given him on Tuesday to research into why such a pheinitiate the discussion of a nomena had occurred. critical issue, and believes that "I realized that I was in one through sincere conversation, planning and effort, the toxic of the most beautiful, but most dangerous environments I'd air problem can be reversed. BACKHOE AND COMBINE, one piece in Chris Gauthier's photography collection titled "I'm living in a gorgeous ever encountered," he said. "Evidence and Artifacts: Particle Matter 2.5," which was created to instill the desire to save Gauthier, learned after a place, I have asthma, my chilCache Valley's atmosphere in those who viewed it. Artwork courtesy of Chris Gauthier short while that the condition dren have asthma," Gauthier said, "we're literally killing our children, so it's a of the air of the county was in the same ballpark as fort, from being buried to the waist in ice-water that of cities with notoriously filthy air, such as Los to occasionally not being able to move the camera personal issue, and should probably be for others Angeles and Sao Paulo. because it would freeze. However, achieving the as well. Gauthier's hope is to inspire others locally to shots he now displays to others was worth the "I have the greatest job in the world because have a desire to make changes to improve. struggle, he said. it allows me to learn every day," he said, even if it "My work is successful if what I've done inspires "It takes a lot of personal tenacity to do this means learning about environmental threats to a kind of work ... I put myself through a lot of pain community. others, and brings about discussion," he said. "Let's get involved, instead of being passive about to portray what I was going for," he added. "Every work that I've done has been personally it. Let's get out there and talk about it." He said he views his work as as just a smaller connected to me and the people who live around Among the students who attended the presenaspect of the big picture to initiate change. it," he said. tation was Heidi Bruner, a graduate assistant in "The scientist sees the phenomena, and is the "It's magical and beautiful here, and I want to photography. guy that actually intellectualizes it. The politician save this place." "The best thing about Chris is that he's the kind creates the laws to make it happen, and publicizes — rhett.wilkinson@aggiemaiLusu.edu By RHETT WILKINSON staff writer Cloning: Research put on national Top 30 list — k.vandyke@aggiemail.usu.edu Briefs Campus & Community Aggie stampede to precede first game All those attending the first home football game of the season are invited to join the "Stampede," a large group that will venture to the game on Saturday starting from the Living and Learning Center. The HURD is leading the group and asks all participants to wear Aggie blue. The Stampede will begin at 3:30. The HURD members will disperse at each stop made on campus in order to collect as many students as possible to join the group. The Stampede will head to central campus after beginning at the LLC, then the Student Living Center and end at the football game's tailgate party which is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. Early registration offering discounts Registration is in progress for the 2010 Restoring the West Conference, slated for Oct. 26-27 at Utah State University's Eccles Conference Center. Discounts are offered for students, landowners and participants registering by Oct. 4. "Managing Plant and Animal Conflicts" is the theme for this year's gathering, which features talks and workshops led by scientists and land managers from throughout the western United States. "This year's conference examines management conflicts between animal populations and the plant communities they inhabit," says Darren McAvoy, conference co-chair and USU Forestry Extension program associate. "Talks will focus on such topics as increasing elk populations, decreasing deer populations and the return of wolves to the landscapes of the Intermountain West. We see this gathering as an opportunity to explore, debate and propose solutions to contentious issues." Keynote speakers for the conference are USU emeritus professor Fred Provenza, recipient of the university's 2010 D. Wynne Thorne Career Research Award, and Terry Bowyer, professor and chair of biological science at Idaho State University. Cost to attend the two-day conference is $120 if registration is received by Oct. 4 and $140 after that date. Cost for students is $30 if registration is received by Oct. 4 and $40 after that date. Cost for landowners is $60 if registration is received by Oct. 4 and $70 thereafter. Conference cost includes materials, lunch and breaks on both days and a reception. European culture expressed in exhibit I continued from page 1 Since "Dolly," the first cloned mammal, was born in 1997, there have been questions about the ethical and social implications of cloning, according to the Human Genome Project website genomics.energy.gov. Sessions said the lab "hasn't been affected by the controversy." "I don't know if it's because we're under the radar," he said, "but I don't see what the fuss is about." Session explains that most people are more concerned about stemcell research. According to genomics.energy.gov , "the goal of this process is not to create cloned human beings, but rather to harvest stem cells that can be used to study human development and to treat disease." During the process, researchers extract stem cells from an egg which has divided for five days, called a "blastocyst." The extraction kills the embryo, which, the website says, is what incurs the debate. Sessions said some cause for the debate may come from the nature of cloning and how it "just piques peoples' interest." While stem cell research is said to have significant medical benefits, such as helping to cure Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and diabetes, others feel killing an embryo crosses an ethical line. A 2002 New York Times article, "The Anti-Cloning Conundrum," explored this opposing view, saying some people feel that killing the embryo is equivalent to killing a person, or, murder. Another argument has also been made by those who favor the research but still have moral reservations about killing embryos. In this middle-of-the-road argument, the stem cells would be collected from left-over embryos from fertility clinics, often involved in in-vitro fertilization treatments. In-vitro fertilization, according to the American Pregnancy Association (APA), is "the process of fertilization by manually combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish." Because success rates are usually below 35 percent at best, excess embryos are created to ensure the best chances. Currently, these embryos left over from in-vitro fertilization treatments are "discarded" after clients of the clinics finish their treatments. Aside from cloning, the integrated bio-sytems lab also researches proteomics (proteins and molecular structure of disease), flow cytometry and bioprocessing (microbial fermentation and animal cell culture). Recently, the lab has been working on cloning a horse, Sessions said. Page 3 A new exhibit at USU features student work from the first-ever Vienna/Prague Arts Study Abroad Program. Sponsored by the Department of Art in USU's Caine College of the Arts, the exhibit, "Here and There," opens Monday, Sept. 13, with a reception in Studio 102 of the Chase Fine Arts Center at USU (Fine Arts Visual, Room 102). Studio 102 is open 12 - 4 p.m., Tuesday-Friday. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The public opening and reception is Sept. 13, 6- 8 p.m. All artwork was created from, or influenced by, the environment, the arts and culture of Austrian towns, cities and locations in and around Vienna, Salzburg, Linz, Melk, St. Gilgen and Hallstatt. Other locations featured in artwork are Prague and Budapest. The displayed art includes photography, installations, sculptures, graphics and paintings. Alan Hashimoto, associate professor of art in the Caine College of the Arts, led the study abroad program May 8 - June 2. Hashimoto said students spent 14 days in Vienna and surrounding areas. Students also took bike tours of the wine country in the Wachau Valley along the Danube River. LADONYA JACKSON, junior and pre-medicine major, John Fausett, senior majoring in biology and Stephanie Kendall, sophomore majoring in agricultural education, are measure liver samples and make buffer solution in order to extract DNA from the liver. AN! MIRZAKHANYAN photo 11 Co mp ile d from staff and media reports |