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Show Utah Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011 "Campus Voice Since 1902" • Utah State University • Logan Utah Climate Center receives $141,000 Today's Issue: Campus News BY EVAN MILLSAP staff writer Homecoming Week begins with a whole lot of paint. Page 2 USU professors secured a $141,000 grant from the U.S. Bureau of Water Reclamation, funded by the Water SMART Grants Program. The money will be used for conducting research and developing new tools for long-term climate projections. Climate projection is different from weather forecasting and is still a relatively imperfect science, said Robert Gillies, director of the Utah Climate Center. With this new grant, he said he hopes to create more effective analysis methods. "This is not only going to affect students," Gillies said. "Everyone needs to know where they get their water from. The climate affects agriculture, tourism, natural resources — everything." Gillies is a native of Scotland but expressed concern about future climates here in Utah. "According to the research, Utah is in for some changes," he said. Gillies said the Cache Valley should get a lot more rain in the near future and less snow. Southern Utah, however, is projected to have less precipitation in general. "Utah is heating up much faster than the global average," said Shih-Yu Wang, assistant professor in the department of plants, soils and climate. "But until now, no one has really developed accurate climate prediction models for the Intermountain West region. Features Students learn old Irish dancing traditions in new class. Page 7 ► See MAGNITUDE, Page 2 USU purchases 'Golden Toaster' chapel Sports Cross-country's McKenna brothers support each other on and off the race course. Page 8 Opinion "With a little bit of cooperation and the observance of the rules, we can all make the TSC turnabout a safe, efficient and pleasant part of the campus driving experience." Page 10 Interact Now! Today: Check out the first wave of entries • in our photo contest. Check back to vote! UTAH CLIMATE CENTER received a $141,000 grant from the U.S. Bureau of Water Reclamation. Funds will be used to better predict influences on watershed resources and further watershed research. EVAN MILLSAP photo The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change predictions have a lot of inaccuracies. They ignore a lot of variables." With the new grant money, Wang said the center hopes to pay greater attention to detail in its climate prediction models, while forecasting with greater confidence. "With this grant, we hope to create accurate models of what the future weather in Utah will be like — temperature, precipitation and humidity," Gillies said. "There will be a lot of work to do, and there will be student internship opportunities." Gillies teaches aviation weather and climate change at USU and hopes to find many of the student-interns to work on the project in his classes, he said. He said it's important for students to get involved and pay attention to global climate change, because it affects everyone whether they realize it or not. The research could prove to be vital, especially in at-risk areas for desertification and drought. All of the findings will be publicized on the client center website, Gillies said. With accurate data, managers in at-risk areas can create management systems to meet their needs with a timetable of what to expect in the future. He said he hopes his team's research will be used in preparing such areas for water shortages. The primary mission of the Utah 0 0• Added Value! 1.11>A1: 0%\* \\ 61t Online exlushrlMil,7:place to comment on stories, videos and more. Free Classfieds, too. www.utahstatesman.com BY BETSY BLANCHARD staff writer Owenership of the land upon which the Latter-day Saint chapel commonly referred to as "The Golden Toaster" is built, on the southeast corner of campus, has recently been purchased by USU, pending approval by the USU Board of Trustees and the State of Utah Board of Regents, said USU President Stan Albrecht. The Golden Toaster, which has housed church meetings for LDS students for decades, will eventually be demolished, he added. "We would like to use that facility for a short period of time, but our intent is really to take that building down, because that is an incredible location, as you all know, for a major USU building," Albrecht said. "And so what we want to do is start planning and see something happen in our near future." Though university planners have had eyes on the building and property for many years, said Vice President Dave Cowley for Business and Finance, negotiations between the university and LDS representatives now close a two-year effort, on behalf of the university, to finally come into ownership of the land. The roughly 3.5-acre parcel located at 650 N. and 1200 East has been exchanged for land at the north end of the old trailer court area. "USU owns all of the property around that location," Cowley said. "It's because of that it has been something the university has always hoped that we could acquire. We own all the way around that. It's an ideal location for an academic building. (And) this discussion was one that finally worked for both sides." Albrecht echoed this sentiment. "(It's) something that we've wanted to have happen for some time," he said. "It's taken us a couple of years See LOCATION, Page 2 Math courses test online method BY ROB JEPSON news editor Students who struggle with traditional-style math courses may have a better alternative their next time around. At the recommendation of a special committee of instructors, the math department has begun offering electronic math classes, which allow students to do their homework and quizzes online. According to senior math lecturer and coordinator Claudia Mora Bornholdt, students can get online tutoring 24 hours a day, while still attending class four days a week to get instruction. "We're trying to figure out a more effective way of getting the students through 1010 so they can get through 1050," Bornholdt said. "We're hoping that more students, of course, do well in these classes. That's our goal, is to help students out. We thought this was one way that we can achieve that." Bornholdt, who has been teaching math at USU since 2003, said there has been an influx of students taking math 0990 and math 1010 since the university implemented the math placement exam, five years ago. "When there was no math placement exam, a lot of people would go in and try to take math 1050 right away," she said. "And what happened was a lot of those people were not See SOFTWARE, Page 3 DEPARTMENT HEAD KEN WHITE (left) of animal, dairy and veterinary sciences notifies President Stan Albrecht of a new scholarship bearing his name. Albrecht's wife Joyce Albrecht (right) worked with the College of Agriculture and a group of anonymous donors to create the scholarship. EVAN MILLSAP photo College of Ag names Albrecht scholarship BY EVAN MILLSAP staff writer USU President Stan Albrecht received a surprise award Tuesday afternoon after he was invited to attend an award ceremony for the animal, dairy and veterinary science department. When he arrived to watch, he realized students planned to present a new scholarship. The scholarship, which was arranged in secret by Albrecht's wife Joyce Albrecht, the College of Agriculture and other anonymous donors will bear his name. He was also given a custom saddle and a stall in the animal stables with his name on it. Dean Noelle Cockett, of the College of Agriculture, coordinated the event. "We are here to honor a man of incredible commitment to this university," Cockett said, "the best leader the university has had in decades, if not in this century — and, as is appropriate for an agricultural college, a man who is wearing cowboy boots with his suit." Cockett said Albrecht kept the university moving forward in a time of huge budget cuts. "He has expanded facilities out at the animal science farm despite financial restraints." Ken White, department head of ADVS, said the award is more than just a scholarship, it is a recognition of Albrecht's selflessness, leadership and intelligence. "He's been instrumental in keeping this university afloat," he said. "Albrecht was key in working with the legislature to get funding to create new programs such as the veterinary program. He has consistently expressed concern that students would be unable to attend college ► See SADDLE, Page 2 |