100%

Scanned image of the page. Keyboard directions: use + to zoom in, - to zoom out, arrow keys to pan inside the viewer.

Page Options

Download this Issue

Share

Something wrong?

Something wrong with this page? Report problem.

Rights / Permissions

This collection, digitized in collaboration with the Michigan Daily and the Board for Student Publications, contains materials that are protected by copyright law. Access to these materials is provided for non-profit educational and research purposes. If you use an item from this collection, it is your responsibility to consider the work's copyright status and obtain any required permission.

October 28, 1999 - Image 3

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1999-10-28

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.


LOCAL/STATE

The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 28 - 3A

IESEARC " I
U' to examine
effects of poverty
on health status
Through a $10 million grant from
the National Institutes of Health,
searchers from the University will
study the health effects of being poor.
Public health advocates have identi-
fied social inequalities as being a major
cause of physical and mental health
problems in the United States.
School of Public Health department
of Epidemiology Chair George Kaplan
will head the new research center,
called the Michigan Interdisciplinary
Center on Social Inequalities, Mind
'd Body. The center will be a collabo-
tive effort between research profes-
sors from the fields of public health,
sociology, education, social work, pub-
lic policy, medicine, psychology and
economics.
Study focuses on
age-related
mental decline
OAt the annual meeting of the Society
for Neuroscience, University Ph.D.
candidate Anat Geva presented a study
that describes how young adults and
older adults use different portions of
the brain to accomplish tasks.
t When young adults were asked to
remember a list of words and then
asked to do a math problem, they used
areas of the front and back part of the
brain called the visual cortices. But
64en older adults were asked to per-
",rm the same tasks, they were more
likely to use a different portion of the
brain --the dorsolateral prefrontal cor-
tex, which is found on the left front side
% of the brain.
The study, funded by the National
Institute on Aging, found that older
subjects were less accurate and slower
than younger subjects on both verbal
and math tasks.
A nat said that the study sheds more
ight on the decline in brain perfor-
mance that often accompanies aging.
Mistaken heart
rhythms could
cause problems
University researchers have discov-
d that a certain phenomenon that
,, occur during heart monitoring may
lead to unnecessary heart procedures.
The problem is called electrocar-
diograph electrical "artifact," which
can take place during a recording of the
heart rhythm. The phenomenon can
mimic various heart rhythm problems
including ventricular tachycardia,
which causes a pattern of fast heart
beats that'can lead. to a loss of con-
'ousness or death.
The study, led by Bradley Knight,
notes that when artifact is misdiag-
rlosed, patients may undergo unneces-
sary diagnostic or therapeutic proce-
dures.
Knight, who is an assistant professor
of internal medicine, said cardiologists
and internists are not always properly
trained to recognize artifact. He said
he hopes the study will lead to an
increase of awareness in the medical
nmunity and the general public.
Truck drivers

miot to blame for
fatal crashes
Truck drivers are not to blame in
most fatal accidents involving commer-
cial trucks, according to a study by
*iversity researchers.
Daniel Blower, a researcher with
the University Transportation
--,esearch Institute, found that the
: wtiens of passenger vehicle drivers
'contributed to 70 percent of the
crashes involving commercial
trucks. Truck drivers commit dri-
ving errors in only 16 percent of the
accidents, the study discovered.
"Taken at face value, this seems to
indicate that passenger-vehicle drivers
*itribute disproportionately to fatal
crashes involving a tfuck and a passen-
ger vehicle," Blower said, adding that
the purpose of the study was not to
blame either driver but to evaluate the
actions that lead to fatal truck acci-
dents.
-Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Risa Berrin.

WCC to offer 1st Internet design degree

By Lisa Koivu
Daily Staff Reporter
In Washtenaw County, the University is usually
top dog. With high education standards, alliances
with other universities and a strong Athletic
Department, it's rare to see another school beat out
the University in any field.
But this time, Washtenaw Community College
is gathering interest with its new Internet
Professional Program.
The program, said Director of Web Services and
Program Initiation Christine Anderson, allows stu-
dents to receive degrees in either Internet design,
or more technical aspects of computers such as
systems administration or programming.
Core classes for the program mandate that a stu-
dent who wants to go into the design area must
also have experience in the technical aspect.
"We researched what employers want most.
Employers want employees who can design Web
pages, but they also want them to be able to
explain what they're doing and know the back-

ground to it,'Anderson said.
Initial courses for the program were offered this
semester and were filled to capacity.
"We are hitting a huge market of people that
want this experience and we have national credi-
bility," Anderson said.
WCC is the first community college to become
a voting member of the Association of Internet
Professional's Certification Accreditation Council
and the World Organization of Webmaster.
Both groups are industry leaders in putting
together standards for Internet certification.
Companies such as Microsoft, Adobe and Novell
also are members of the organizations.
Once the program receives accreditation at the
end of this semester, WCC will be the first and only
educational institution that offers a nationally
accredited degree-granting program in the areas of
design and technical Internet areas.
Anderson said she feels that WCC's program is a

not only how to use a specific software pro-
gram. We are able to offer a hands on approach
that many of the two day courses can't,"
Anderson said.
Options for learning about Internet design
are not as widely offered at the University.
Engineering senior Jeff Gedeon, a resident
computer systems consultant for ResComp,
said students who want to learn the basics to
Website page design can attend ResComp's
Create Your Own Website classes
"We offer different classes at different levels.
We have the basic classes where students walk
away with a working web page, or we have the
more advanced classes where students can learn
how to make original images and layouts,"
Gedeon said.
Gedeon recommends that students who wish
to learn more visit online tutorials.
Lija Bentley, an intern at the University's
School of Information, said she agrees.
"If a student just wants to learn the basics to

Web design, the best place to learn the basics
is to look on the web or buy a book," Bentley
said.
The School of Information offers a couple of
summer classes with topics such as the funda-
mentals of design and HTML that are open to
any students during the summer semester.
Also, the School of Engineering offers a class
through its technology communications depart-
ment that concentrates on every facet of
Website design such as the available market,
content, how-to and what is appropriate to post
on a site.
Daniel Yang, an LSA junior and computer
support technician for the Engineering
Administration Building, said the reason so few
classes are offered in Website design is because
it has become common for people to know how
to design a Website.
"There aren't many careers that just need
people to design a Web page, and everybody
knows how to do it now," Yang said.

step ahead of many others.
"We want our students to

learn techniques,

-m-"

Habitat for Humanity auctions
birdhouses to help build homes

JEREMY MENCHIK/ Daily
LSA senior Rachel Arfa, Marlene Miller and Alex Miller demonstrate the sign for
applause yesterday at a luncheon for the Council for Disability Concerns Award.
Awaq.rds hghlight
disablity concern-s

By Charles Chen
For the Daily
Habitat for Humanity of Huron
Valley is encouraging others to build
houses - but the inhabitants aren't
people.
The group is asking for birdhouses
that will eventually help the organi-
zation build homes for needy fami-
lies.
The local chapter of the national
organization plans to hold its inaugural
fundraiser, "Building on a Dream" in
April 2000 to auction off birdhouses at
the Matthaei Botanical Gardens.
"This is our first major fundraiser
and is something that several of our
affiliates do," event co-chair Mary
Mueting said.
"Our goal is to build houses for fam-
ilies through sponsorship and increas-
ing our funds," she added.
Habitat is in the process of finding
individuals who would be willing to
build and donate birdhouses for its
fundraiser.
Participants may choose from one of
two categories - Anything Goes or
Functional Art - when designing the
houses.
For Functional Art, each bird-
house should be able to house birds,
and it should be an original example
of art.
Janet Hinshaw, Museum of Zoology
collections manager at the Museum of
Natural History, said, "only birds that
nest in cavities such as a hallow tree use
birdhouses.
Many of these tend to be Screech

Owls, Blue Birds and House
Wrens."
The color of the houses also deter-
mine what kind of birds visit it,
Hinshaw added.
"Birds such as the Purple Martin pre-
fer light-colored houses; generally
white," she said.
For birds to inhabit houses, they
should also be placed "in the shade
where it's not directly in the sun,"
Hinshaw said.
For the Anything Goes category,
houses do not have to serve a function-
al purpose and do not need to meet
species specific criteria.
This category is an option for
designers who want to interpret their
own version of a birdhouse as "gar-
den art."
The fundraiser is looking for artists,
architects and designers, but the oppor-
tunity is open to anyone.
"We are looking for 40 or more bird-
houses for the auction," Mueting said.
"We have at least 10 people who have
volunteered to donate."
Habitat's deadline to receive bird-
houses is set for the last week of March,
but the organization already has

received donations.
Paul Little, head design coordina-
tor of the Matthaei Botanical
Gardens, recently made the first
contribution by donating a bird-
house replicating the historic Kempf
House, near the corner of South
Division and Liberty streets.
"I wanted to kick things off on a pos-
itive note,' Little said.
The habitat chapter is in the process
of making connections with University
faculty members in the hopes of getting
students involved.
Architecture and Urban Planning
senior Jeremy Sphar heard about the
birdhouse auction from the American
Institute of Architects.
"I would be interested in getting
involved," he said.
The event will be a silent auction and
is open to public.
While the theme of the spring
fundraiser is birdhouses, Habitat for
Humanity is considering an art festival
for the future, Mueting said.
The Huron Valley chapter of Habitat
for Humanity expects the silent auction
to be its largest fundraiser since the
chapter began in 1989.

"This is our first major fundraiser and
is something that several of our
affiliates do."
- Mary Mueting
Building on a Dream co-chair

By Jody Simone Kay
Daily Staff Reporter
When Adam Miller came to the
University in 1990, he had already
been diagnosed with neurofibromato-
sis, a disease that causes tumors to
develop along the nerves that control
vision and speech.
"We know how hard it is to just be
a student, but to be a student with a
disability is daunting;" said Adam's
mother Marlene Miller, accompanied
by her husband Alex yesterday at an
award ceremony to recognize individ-
uals whose actions have benefited
local people with disabilities.
When Adam Miller,a former sports
editor of The Michigan Daily, passed
away earlier this year, his parents cre-
ated a fund in their son's memory to
assist University students with hearing
impairments. ,
"It was always our desire to support
the program that supported him,"
Marlene Miller said. The Millers also
established a monthly program featur-
ing first-run showings of films with
the use of open-captioning.
The Council for Disability
Concerns recognized the Miller's sup-
port and contributions along with nine
other recipients. The event was a part
of Investing in Ability Week, a
statewide week set aside to raise
awareness about disabilities.
CDC was established 17 years ago
as part of the University's Office of
Equity and Diversity. In 1993, 161
students registered themselves as dis-
abled with the office; in 1999, that
number increased to 520.
Comprised of 35 University com-
munity members, the council assesses
the campus, with the goal of removing
obstacles for disabled students, said
Americans with Disabilities Act
Coordinator Brian Clapham.
In 1996, CDC established an awards
ceremony to recognize individuals
who made "exceptional" efforts to
accommodate disabled students.
"It was a very moving program just
to listen to all of the stories of the peo-
ple who were recognized," said award
recipient Diane Baker, director of the
genetic counseling graduate program.
Baker assisted Shannon Wiltse,
who is confined to a wheelchair and
needed a physically accessible cam-

pus when she entered the Genetic
Counseling Masters Program in 1997.
Baker made the necessary changes
for Wiltse before she arrived at the
University.
"The real access issue is still peo-
ple. It comes down to our whole
awareness to embrace disability as a
part of people;' Baker said.
During her time as a student, Wiltse
designed an interactive teaching activ-
ity that gave other students the ability
to understand the experience of hav-
ing a disability.
In the activity participants acted out
routine tasks that are fairly easy for
people who do not have disabilities
but can be difficult for the disabled.
"It gave them a better idea of what
I have to do every morning;' Wiltse
said.
CDC also honored Wiltse during
the awards ceremony. Wiltse earned
her master's degree in 1998 and is a
professional genetic counselor at St.
Joseph's Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti.
"These people are exemplars. They
take the extra time to support individ-
ual members of the community of
people with disabilities in unique and
innovative ways," CDC Chair Jack
Bernard said.
The'council also presented awards
to those people who have implement-
ed technology on campus that helps
disabled students.
This year, the University added a
system in the Shapiro Undergraduate
Library that converts standard text-
books into computer data at about 40
pages per minute, Bernard said. A
visually impaired student can then
access the information by a computer
that will read the material aloud.
"Now we're giving students with
disabilities the ability to participate in
the same environment as everyone,"
Bernard said.
The University also has added
closed circuit televisions that magnify
book pages and captioning services in
classrooms.
Ergonomics is the science or art of
making machinery adjust to human
form by tilting, turning or being raised
or lowered for a specific individual,
said Jim Knox, the Information
Technology Division's director of the
adaptive technology computing site.

..a'
" - ':
. Ii, ;

From, the professional s

'Take over HOllyWOOd &

~ ,.
K ~ NSh

h a's
What's happening in Ann Arbor today

WIN $50,000II

ND purchase necessary to enter or win the $50,000 Geaway Sweepstakes. Open only to

..,... f

Wi ho m nm Northwalk, 763-WALK, Bursley

Back to Top

© 2024 Regents of the University of Michigan