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The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 10. 1997 - 3A
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IRS to train
South African
researchers
Researchers from the University-
ased Institute for Social Research will
begin training South Africans in social
science research methods this summer.
The three-year program, developed
with the Human Sciences Research
Council in Pretoria, South Africa,
hopes to train South Africans, especial-
ly black researchers and women, to
carry out high-level social and behav-
ioral science research.
Beginning June 2, up to 15 South
*frican scholars will begin training at
ASR in the institute's instructional pro-
grams.
"The apartheid era in South Africa
introduced many distortions into cen-
sus and population-based surveys con-
ducted by government agencies," ISR
Director Daniel Featherman said in a
statement.
"The legacy of distortion handicaps
ontemporary democratization at a
oment when rapid and profound
changes demand careful scientific
analysis of population trends and
socioeconomic inequalities,"
Featherman continued.
'U' researcher to
head Great Lakes
Programs
Russell Moll, a University researcher,
'as been appointed director of the
Michigan Sea Grant College Program.
Michigan Sea Grant is operated by
Michigan State University and the
University of Michigan, and is one of
29 sea grant programs dedicated to pro-
mote understanding and utilization of
the Great Lakes and oceans.
Moll has studied and published arti-
cles on the Great Lakes. His primary
*search interests are phytoplankton
biology and biostatistics. Moll's
research has taken him as far as the
African nation of Gambia.
"As director, I hope to further invig-
orate the Michigan Sea Grant College
Program," Moll said in a statement.
U' to be part of
NSF computing
~ffort
The University has been picked by
the National Science Foundation to
participate in a project that would
increase computing power for scientif-
ic and engineering research.
The University is one of 37 research
universities, federal laboratories and
private companies that will provide
mputing facilities and technical
expertise for the National Partnership
for Advanced Computational
Infrastructure.
NPACI plans to provide scientists
with high-speed networks, application
software and technical expertise need-
ed for NPACI's national computer
infrastructure.
On March 27, the National Science
Foundation agreed to negotiations with
he University of California at San
Uiego for an approximately $30-mil-
lion-per-year, five-year funding pack-
age to establish NPACI.
Applications for
grant program
The Office of Educational Research
and Improvement at the U.S.
+epartment of Education is seeking
plications for the Field-Initiated
Studies Grant Program. For informa-
tion, contact Adeline Ryznar at 936-
1354.
Compiled from staff reports.
'U'
students to enter solar-
powered car in Sunrayce
By Peter Meyers
For the Daily
It's a naked skeleton of wires, teflon,
and stronger-than-steel, space-age
materials. Its three wheels are arranged
in a reverse triangle. It can accommo-
date anyone shorter than 5-foot-7.
Once covered by a molded yellow
body and coated with Siemens solar
cells, the "Wolverine" solar car will be
unveiled and entered by a group of
University students in Sunrayce '97.
"It's a carbon fiber and Nomex hon-
eycomb sandwich," said Engineering
senior Bill Haynes.
Sunrayce '97 is an educational pro-
gram sponsored by General Motors,
Electronic Data Systems and the U.S.
Department of Energy. Teams of college
students across the country spend two
years designing, building and ultimately
racing cars that run solely on solar elec-
tric power. Of the past three Sunrayces,
University teams have won twice.
Assistant Engineering Dean Gene
Smith, the team's faculty adviser,
attributes their past success on team
organization and superior fundraising.
Other college teams now "are orga-
nized very much like we are," he said.
Smith said the less competitive
teams are usually underfunded. "In
some cases, I don't think they've had as
good resources," he said.
LSA senior Aaron Bragman, this
year's race manager, said fundraising
efforts were successful. Team
Wolverine raised about $900,000 in
equipment, service donations and cash.
"It's been extremely successful this
year. We're fully funded," Bragman
said, adding that fundraising and mar-
keting are a major part of the project.
"I got involved back in my freshman
year when I learned that the solar car
was looking for pre-business students,"
he said.
This year's 10-day race will run from
Indianapolis to Colorado Springs,
about 1,800 miles.
Corporate sponsors for the team are
divided into categories, depending on
the amount of their donation. The high-
est funding category is the Platinum
sponsors, who have each donated at
least $50,000 worth of aid, of which
$15,000 must be paid in cash.
Donations of equipment and services
are also tallied. IBM, the team's primary
sponsor, has donated laptop computers,
an RS 6000 six-person work station and
extensive software support.
Ring Technologies, another Platinum
sponsor, supplied some labor and the use
of their facilities to make the car's mold.
"We cut the whole body of their car
out of wood," said Ring Technologies
manager Mike Coker. "They did their
own development.'
There has been some controversy in
the past over the fundraising activities
of Michigan solar car teams. "We have
in the past been accused of sub-con-
tracting out our car," Smith said.
The team's total funding puts them far
ahead of the Sunrayce defending cham-
pion MIT. To date, MIT's Solar Electric
Vehicle Team has raised, "definitely
under $200,000," said Masa Ishigami,
an MIT sub-group leader. "We have
always been a low cost team."
But Ishigami is undaunted by the
prospect of being outspent. "It doesn't
make any difference," he said of the
Wolverine's finances. "It would be nice
to have that much money, but we have
enough."
All of this year's optimism is overshad-
owed by the team's failure at Sunrayce
'95 when a wheel snapped mid-race and
the car had to be withdrawn.
Exactly why this occurred is a mat-
ter of some debate. Smith blamed the
accident on an attempt to be too cut-
ting-edge. The wheels of the team's
1995 entry were made of composite
materials and hadn't been sufficiently
tested before the race, he said.
"We were trying to push new tech-
nology," Smith said. "We should have
used normal metal."
Bragman blamed the disaster on
insufficient testing of their car, which
was brought on by a change in the
Sunrayce schedule.
JONATHAN SUMMER/Daily
Team manager Aaron Bragman (front) and short-term strategist Paul Edwarf
work on their solar car yesterday. The car will be entered in Sunrayce '97.
Proposal would 'hide' college applicants'
names
By Chris Metinko
Daily Staff Reporter
A proposal at the University of California would
hide college applicants' names in favor of identi-
fying them by their Social Security number.
But officials said the University of Michigan
doesn't plan to follow California's lead.
The proposed change, offered by University of
California RegentWard Connerly, hopes to con-
ceal all clues of applicants' gender, ethnic and
racial background.
However, applicants to the University of
Michigan shouldn't expect their application to be
nameless.
"There are no plans to change our applications,"
said Julie Peterson, director of news and informa-
tion services.
The involvement of race, gender and ethnic
background in considering admissions to public
universities has been a hot topic in recent months.
Tuesday, a federal appeals court upheld
California's Proposition 209, which allows voters to extend the deadline for minority applications
to eliminate affirmative action policies in admis- and students with exceptional academic back-
sions decisions. grounds by an extra month and actively encour-
Last year, the University of Texas lost in the fed- aged students in the two groups to apply.
eral court ruling of Some students, however,
Hopwood v. Texas, which said they think a student's
declared their affirmative When you think background may have
action policies were something to do with
unconstitutional for a pub- about itsnames do admissions, and that name-
lic university. However, less applications may help
the university was warned tell you a lot." eliminate that.
by the U.S. Board of "I think it's a great way to
Education that they would - Carmen Grindatti do it," said LSA sophomore
lose funding if they dis- LSA junior MacKenzie Grant. "It really
continued race-based gets back to the idea of
admissions policies. merit. This would help out a
Peterson said the University of Michigan does lot."
not consider racial or ethnic background in admis- LSA first-year student Shruthi Reddy said the
sions, but does "look for a very diverse (student) nameless applications could stop discrimination.
body." "Ideally, (admissions) should be based only on
The University did, however, decide last month academics," said Reddy, but added that the
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University seems committed to have a student
body with "racially different backgrounds.'
LSA junior Carmen Grindatti agreed that
nameless applications could eliminate discrim-
ination. "I suppose it's one way," she said.
"When you think about it, names do tell you a
lot."
Grindatti also pointed out that names can be
misleading because they do not reflect the stu-
dent's full ethnic background.
However, students said it is hard to eliminate all
clues to an applicant's background due to prd-
nouns a teacher might use in a letter of recomi
mendation or the student's participation in certain
extracurricular activities.
Grant said she doesn't find a problem with-that.
She said universities should know a little about an
applicant's background.
"Your gender is part of what makes you who
you are," Grant said. "Your race is part of what
makes you who you are."
Court upholds HIV
woman's sentence
Need a summer job? Call the Daily. 7
Mon
® HIV-positive woman
to. be jailed for not
informing partners
MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) - The
state appeals court has upheld a prison
sentence given to a woman who had sex
without informing her partners that she
carried the AIDS virus.
The court dismissed Brenda Jensen's
constitutional challenges and said any
errors during the Muskegon County
trial were harmless.
Jensen's "life-threatening behavior"
made her a "danger to society," the
court said in a decision released
Monday.
In 1995, she was ordered to prison
for 32 months to four years for violat-
ing a Michigan law that requires people
to inform sex partners if they carry the
virus.
Jensen was 34 and had lived at an adult
foster home. She had a low IQ of 68.
The appeals-court ruling was praised
by Prosecutor Tony Tague, who said "it
paves the way for prosecutors through-
out the state to utilize the (law) to safe-
guard the public."
"It's unfortunate that we have per-
sons like Jensen who are unconcerned
about the welfare of the community at
large;" he said.
Prison officials declined to discuss
Jensen's current health. When she was
sentenced two years ago, experts said
she was showing symptoms of AIDS.
At that time, sbe said she understood
the danger her condition posed to others
but didn't feel prison was appropriate.
"I paid for what I done wrong, being
in jail and all that," Jensen said.
During the trial, a 38-year-old man
said he had sex with her three times
without knowing about the AIDS virus.
Authorities became aware of Jensen's
sexual activities in 1992. She refused
orders that she inform partners of her
condition.
the world is getting srnaller
smell better.
What
GROUP MEETINGS
U African American Alzheimer's
Caregiver Support Group, 741-
8200, Ypsilanti Association of
Women's Clubs, 319 S.
Washington St., 6-8 p.m.
U Campus Crusade for Christ,
Fellowship meeting Dental
School, Kellogg Aud.,77 p.m.
U Muslim Students' Association, 930-
9049, Rackham, Assembly Hall, 7
p.m.
U Sexuality and Spirituality: Exploring
and Integrating the Connections,
662-5189, Guild House, 802
Oakland Rd., Behind the Law
School, 7-8:30 p.m.
U UJA Half Shekel, Campaign meeting
A-)A a 1.lll. 14 29 Ha St.i.
L LLeND AR
;s happening in Ann Arbor today
Church, across from the Frieze
Building, 5-7 p.m.
U "Fiction and Poetry Reading" spon-
sored by Creative Writing Sub
Concentrators, Angell Hall, Room
3222, 6-9 p.m.
Q "Graduate Student Information Fair
for the Biomedical and Health
Sciences," sponsored by The
Medical School Graduate Student
Council, Towsley Center on the
Medical Campus, Dow Aud.
Lobby, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Q "How to Apply to Graduate School
for Biomedical and Health
Sciences," sponsored by Medical
School Graduate Student Council,
Towsley Center on the Medical
Campus, Dow Aud., 12-1 p.m.
U "Israel Information Day," sponsored
U "SOS Crisis Center-Clothing and
Hygiene Drive," sponsored by
Delta Sigma Theta, all campus
Residence Halls, all day
SERVICES
U Campus Information Centers,
Michigan Union and Pierpont
Commons, 763-INFO,
info@umich., UMeEvents on
GOpherBLUE, and http://
www.umich.edu/-info on the
World Wide Web
U English Composition Board Peer
Tutoring, need help with a paper?,
Angell Hall, Room 444C, 7-11
p.m.
U Northwalk, 763-WALK, Bursley Hall,
8 o.m.-1:30 a.m.
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