LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 11, 1997 -3A Labor union will picket at football game Saturday *The local American Federation of ,tate, County and Municipal Sixployees plans to demonstrate out- ,fde Michigan Stadium before the first football game Saturday. -The AFSME Local 1583 and the University have an ongoing contract dispute. The AFSCME plans to hold an "informational picketing" starting at 9 a.m. in front of Michigan adium. Earlier this week, members of the same union picketed in front of Rackham. Bikers to ride in ecological education tour *Those handy with a bike may want to stop by Burns Park on Wells Street on Oct. 4. After a speech by state Senator Alma Wheeler-Smith (D-Ann Arbor), a 22-mile bicycle tour of Ann Arbor opd Scio Township gets underway at 9:30 a.m. Several guest speakers will talk about Washtenaw County's develop- ment patterns while bicyclers rest at ccasional stops. The fee for participation is $5-7. To reserve a place in the "Tour de Sprawl", call (313) 677-2517. NSF research fellowships available National Science Foundation application materials are now avail- able to graduate students seeking fellowships for their research pro- jects in science, mathematics or engineering. About Ie,000 Graduate Research Fellowships will be awarded through- opt the year. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, national or permanent resi- dent aliens. The three-year fellowships provide muchaas $15,000 per year. NSF Fellows also receive $9,500 per year for education fees. >or application materials, call (423) 241-4300 or e-mail nfgrfp@orau.gov. Experts to discuss Chinese policy issues The Center for Chinese Studies is sponsoring two lectures this month as a part of its Brown Bag Lecture Series. Sun Xiaoming, associate profes- sor at the Nanjing College for Population Program Management, will discuss Chinese AIDS educa- tion on Sept. 23. Ni Shixiong will lecture on Sino- .S. relations on Sept. 30. Both lectures will take place at the liane Hall Commons Room at noon. Contact Ena Schloff for more infor- ration at 764-4189. mthlete's foot victims sought >y researchers The clinical pharmacology unit in dermatology is looking for volunteers who have athlete's foot. Researchers in the department want to test new research therapy for the itchy condi- -tion. Office visits and medication will be provided free of charge for participants. Patients must be 18 years old with ath- ete's foot involving the area between the toes, not the bottom of the feet. For more information, call 936- 4070. - Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter David Bricker UHS building gets $7.5M for renovations Steps will be taken to ensure renovations will not bother patients By Asheley Riley For the Daily Organizers at University Health Services are putting the 58-year-old building under the knife. UHS, located at 207 Fletcher St., offers medical services to University faculty and students. It is currently undergoing a $7.5 million renovation project. Most students seem unfazed by the construction. "Everywhere I looked (in UHS) there was renovation, " said LSA first-year student Rebecca Mall. "But it doesn't really bother me." UHS Director Caesar Briefer said he will try to ensure the construction efforts don't bother anyone. "Up until recently the renovations weren't incon- venient for patients," Briefer said. Just what amenities are being implemented to make a patient's visit run more smoothly? Organizers are planning a number of changes. For one thing, UHS will begin placing greeters at the entrance to the struc- ture. UHS officials also have placed clear- ly marked signs throughout the build- ing to guide an unfamiliar patient through the halls. The new system of directions has proved popular with at least one visitor "I really love those signs," said LSA sophomore Alicia Knowles. "I was kind of lost, but the gigantic arrows led me to the right department with no problem" Even the old procedures of providing medical care are getting an overhaul. The new system will give patients speedier access to clinicians, thus cut- ting down the former three-step process required before medical care. New patient-care representatives will serve as liaisons between visitors and doctors. The entire building will receive a general overhaul as well. "Since UHS was built in 1939, there's a lot of space we're lacking, JONATHAN SUMMER/Daily University Health Services technician Dametta Woolard, pharmacists Mary Shue and Vivian Loh, and Director Cy Briefer stand in the building's newly renovated pharmacy. including greatly needed classrooms," Briefer said. The renovations were budgeted one year ago at $7.5 million. The funding comes from University bonds. Two-thirds of the money applies to infrastructure renovations, such as revamping plumbing systems and elec- trical wiring. Completion of the project is expected in February. The remaining one-third will go to additions to the south portion of the building, including classrooms, meet- ing rooms, a new clinical laboratory, expanded physical therapy and clinic space. According to one visitor, the changes don't go far enough. "There needs to be parking spaces, because I was wandering, and I got; pissed," said UHS visitor Devinax Sudjito. But LSA sophomore Jae Kwon liked the new face of U H S. "I think it's pretty good," he said. "If there's money, then they should spend it." k}Hig er education on top of y mM agenda in congressional race JONATHAN SUMMER/Daily Post-doctorate research fellow Der-Chuen Lee operates a VG Plasma 54, a mass spectrometer that allows researchers to determine the age of Mar's rocks. 'U' researchers break ground in Mars study By Jeffrey Kosseff Daily Staff Reporter Higher education tops the agenda between two candidates running for the Seventh District congressional seat next year. State Sen. Jim Berryman (D-Adrian), recently announced his intent to chal- lenge U.S. Rep. Nick Smith (R-Addison) to represent the district, which encom- passes part of Washtenaw County. Both candidates had political and per- sonal reasons for wanting to maintain and expand the state and federal finan- cial aid systems. Berryman, a father of two sons who attend college in Michigan, said his chil- dren depend on the current student loan program to stay in school. "Michigan pays their senators enough so they don't qualify for grants," Berryman said. "But we aren't paid enough to afford a full college education. Without the loan program, we just couldn't afford it. It's extremely impor- tant." Smith, whose wife and daughter are teachers, believes higher education is crucial for the advancement of the coun- try. 'If we are going to maintain a higher standard of living, we must do a better job with improving physical capital and human capital" Smith said. "We must encourage more education for every- body"' When Smith was in the state Senate, he made a failed attempt to guarantee two years of post-secondary education to all Michigan residents. That program is currently being proposed by many legis- lators on the federal level. Smith touted the recent balanced bud- get bill's increase in Pell Grants - one of the largest and most readily available federal student aid programs. "With the largest Pell Grant increase in history, we have, for the first time, given credit to people who want to get an education:' Smith said. Berryman said another initiative he would push at the federal level is the simplification of financial aid applica- tions. "Right now, it is very complex," he said. "However, I am committed to keep- ing the program in place. We just need to simplify it." In the Senate, Berryman is pushing to eliminate the state sales tax on text books. "The amount that bookstores charge just adds up to so much," Berryman said. Smith said primary and secondary education are also in need of funding. "Improving K through 12 education is also a very important goal"Smith said. The election is 14 months away, and neither candidate has begun campaign= ing. Berryman, who dropped out of the gubernatorial race last month, quickly announced his intentions to run for Smith's seat. "I really don't know why Sen. Berryman made his announcement so early" Smith said. Sage Eastman, press secretary for the Michigan Republican party, said Smith currently holds a "strong Republican seat:" but it may become a close race. "It will be one of the tighter races," Eastman said. "But there is no doubt Congressman Smith wIll run hard:' Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Steve Gools said the Democratic primary for the seat is expected to be "uncontested:" Both Berryman and Smith said the campaigning will begin next spring. "Most people in my district think six months is a long enough time to be iun- dated with campaigns and mudsling- ing, Smith said. "Right now, I have an obligation in Washington to fulfill." By Christine M. Paik Daily Staff Reporter While the NASA Pathfinder is bump- ing into rocks and labeling them with car- toon names like "Scooby' two researchers are themselves feeling animated over their work with the Mars minerals. Geological sciences Prof. Alexander Halliday said his lab used a ground- breaking instrument for the first time. "We're the first people in the world to really move ahead with this, and we've been doing most of the exciting work in this area," Halliday said. The revolutionary Multiple Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer uses isotopic compositions of elements to date and trace the evolution of planets such as Mars, Halliday said. Der-Chuen Lee, a post-doctoral research fellow in geological sciences, said old models did not allow researchers to get accurate calculations. The new mass spectrometer "is very precise in its measurements," Lee said, "Conventionally, the old type of mass spectrometer could not measure precise- ly enough. These old models had diffi- culty analyzing the rocks." Thomas Donahue, professor emeritus of planetary science in the department of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences, said the researchers' findings may explain how Earth's geology forms. "Any technique with a better precision is always a step up and a big improve- ment," Donahue said. "We can now begin to understand how the planets in the solar system evolved so that we can compare processes with those on Earth." Lee and Halliday obtained and stud- ied rock samples from several interna- tional collections. "Mars formed very quickly," Halliday said. "While the Earth took about 50 million years to 100 million years to be built, it looks like Mars formed within a maximum of 30 million years, and pos- sibly as little as 10 million years. "The second thing is that Mars appears to have differentiated quickly, that is it formed a core, probably devel- oped a magma ocean early on," Halliday added. "The Earth appears to have undergone a much longer-lived history of differentiation and it's caused things to have formed quite a bit later." While the Earth is still geologically active, Halliday and Lee said the third conclusion in their findings is that Mars is virtually stagnant. "The interior of Mars is quite different from the interior of Earth," Halliday said. "On Earth, we have a constant mixing and churning of the interior, which is why we have volcanoes and continental drift, but on Mars ... the interior of the planet has not changed since close to the begin- ning of formation." The research, which has already appeared in such journals as "Science" and "Nature," is funded by the University, NASA, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. While the project has two people now, Lee said that the University may soon be involved in a national space mission. "At the moment, no one from the University has been invited to work with NASA, in terms of actually going to Mars,' Lee said. "But I think as the Mars project goes on, there's bound to be someone from the University that will join the team. Evenings at the Rackham presents "The Search for American Identity" A lecture by Professor Lawrence W. Levine Thursday, September 11 7:30 p.m. University of Michigan Rackham Auditorium (main floor) Lawrence Levine, MacArthur Prize recipient and widely respected scholar of American cultural history, will deliver a lecture based on his most recent book, The Opening of the American Mind. This lecture is a must for anyone who cares about higher education and contemporary culture. -.-ii ' i$22p. . Correction: In a story yesterday about cluster headaches, Ronald Chervin was incorrectly quoted as having doubts about his study's scientif- ie value. The quote should have identified the alternative study group, rather than the entire study, as a possible source of bias. GRU METIG Spade," Illustrated lecture, spon- sored by The Department of Near Eastern Studies. Modern ture, sponsored by The Hindu Student Council, Friend's Meeting House, 1420 Hill St., 7- - I