,. LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Thursday, December 9, 1999 - 3A -ESEARCH Smart machine ecognized with ational award Rhe "BOA line-boring machine," a nachine developed to bore long holes 'n manufactured parts, was recognized ast week as one of the "Top 25 fechnologies of 1999" by Industry eek magazine. The machine was a collaboration etween the College of Engineering nd Warren, Mich.-based Lamb echnicon. Engineers from Ford otor Company, General Motors p. and DaimlerChrysler Corp. participated in the project. The BOA process, which stands or Boring with Optimal Accuracy, nakes the tools more flexible and gile., Until now, long drill bits tended to obble or stray off course. Professor Yoram Koren, director of he Engineering Research Center for econfigurable Machinery, said the ge wants to have more industrial rtnerships with companies like Lamb echnicon. 'U4 prof. creates heory to predict olcanic activity Geological sciences Prof Youxue hang said he believes he has a theory when and why a volcano turns ethal. Sientists said they know that frag- mentation is the process that defines he lethal stage of a volcano. Zhang "aid he understands the process well nough to know when that moment will rrive. Zhang said he and his students can alculate the likelihood of fragmen- on by studying the magma's com- tion, temperature and initial ater content. He said he hopes that his research ill help prevent tragedies like the one hat occurred in 1991 at Mt. Unzen in lapan. ebraska governor ants to halt tal cell research ebraska Gov. Mike Johanns said he pposes fetal cell research at the niversity of Nebraska and wants it to iscontinue its use of tissue from abort- 'd fetuses. The governor said he will not with- old funds from the university despite is ultimate desire to have no tissue rom aborted fetuses used in research. The university's medical center is Oently conducting the research to ind treatment for Alzheimer's dis- ase. University President Dennis Smith naintains that the issue is not a moral ssue but a research issue. Nebraska's Speaker of the egislature Doug Kistensen said he peculates that the state senators will ventually cut the funding of the med- cal center's research. xas A&M profs. ope Chinese tree ay cure cancer Researchers at Texas A&M 'niversity are trying to find a cure or cancer by using a certain type of tee. iology Prof. Craig Nessler and ciate x biology Prof. Thomas cKnight have been studying the hinese Happy Tree plant, native to outhern China, for 10 years. The wo professors have been studying he tree in hopes of understanding he ' anti-cancer compound amptothecin. Nessler said that there are several rugs that are available through this lant. said he wants to know how his process works so he can pro- uce more of the chemicals found in he plant. McKnight said that the tree is not ound in the United States. He also oted that the tree is not endan- gred, but as demand increases, the ossibility of endangerment may rise. - Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter 0 Risa Berrin. W hite Ribbon group aims to stop violence Men organize to combat violence against women By Jody Simone Kay Daily Staff Reporter The White Ribbon Campaign, a group of all male students on campus organizing to put a halt to violence against women, brought a speaker to the Diag yesterday in an attempt to draw attention to its cause. "Male violence against women is possible because men are silent and men have a choice whether to be silent," said Peter Houmand, who spoke in recognition of the White Ribbon Campaign. Houmand is a volunteer at the domestic vio- lence shelter Safeplace on Michigan State University's campus. WRC is an international organization that recently opened a campus chapter. "I think most of us have experienced some- one who is victimized, and you don't really know what to do about it since we don't really talk about it," said Engineering senior Branton Cole, as he listened to Houmand's speech with about 12 other students. WRC got its start in Canada at Montreal Polytechnic University after a gunman, who. proclaimed anti-feminist views, shot and killed 14 women. Reacting to the deaths, male students formed WRC in a grassroots effort to stop violent acts, said LSA junior Sandhya Krishnan. "The White Ribbon Campaign isn't a new concept and there are strong movements by men. Unfortunately it has been absent from this University," said Alicia Rinaldi, Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center Education and Training coordinator. SAPAC supports WRC's efforts on campus. WRC also sponsored a late-night vigil Tuesday to remember victims of domestic vio- lence. Of the 60 people who gathered for the vigil, most of them were men, said WRC coordina- tor Nick Delgado, an LSA senior. "It was touching to hear men say something about it for the first time as a group. That was unique," said LSA senior Amber Sadiq, who attended both the vigil and Houmand's speech. WRC members hope to initiate a dialogue about domestic violence and to encourage men to take an active role to stop violence against women. "We know in our hearts that it is real and painful. This is not unusual but a pattern in our society that is difficult to stop without a delib- erate effort," Houmand said. Rinaldi said one in every four college-age women is a rape victim. Eighty to 90 percent of all rapes involve an acquaintances of the victim. Campus statistics are in step with this national figure. "I think it's important when the reality is JEREMY MENCHIK/Daily LSA senior Bryan Ackerman pins a white ribbon on iSA senior Nick Delgado yesterday while Engineering senior Branton Cole looks on. The men wear white ribbons as personal pledges never to commit, con- done or remain silent about violence against women. that the majority of the perpetrators are male. If men don't speak out, it will take a long time" to stop the violence, LSA senior Sarah Osmer said. One of the organizations major goals is "to get men to have an active conscious of the issue, organize ourselves and make this an active part of who we are," Delgado said. LSA junior Kristen Dana said that while women have generated much of the current opposition to violence against women, having men take an active role in the issue is an inter- esting switch. "Generally people say it's wrong, but it doesn't go any further. They don't take any further action," Cole said. Regents to vote on Education dean By Jewel Gopwani Daily Staff Reporter After more than a year of watching Karen Wixson, the interim dean for the School of Education, University President Lee Bollinger and Provost Nancy Cantor are recommending to the University Board of Regents at its meeting next week that she fill the posi- tion permanently. Wixson served as interim after Cecil Miskal, Education dean for 10 years, resigned from the position and joined the faculty in k 1997. The Dean Search Advisory Committee, which made the recom- mendation to Cantor, is con- Wixson prised of Education faculty and students and fac- ulty members from other areas of the University. Debra Boll, who led the search, said the committee recommended Wixson, not only for her background in educa- tion, but for her interest and involve- ment in state education policies. "She has enormous experience, knows the school and ... uses the resources of the school very well," Cantor said. Wixson said her goals for the post include facilitating the school's research and instruction at all levels of education and working with faculty in local school districts. "The nature of education research has changed during the past decade," Wixson said. "Collaborating with local schools provides a prototype for the type of school reform we need" Boll said Miskal left his mark by raising research funds and hiring new faculty members. "Wixson will be working with those resources," Boll said. Wixson earned degrees in behav- ioral disabilities and special education at the University of Wisconsin, the State University of New York at Binghamton and Syracuse University. She also earned a doctorate in reading education at Syracuse. Wixson began teaching at the University School of Education in 1980. Wixson also has been a consultant for the National Assessment of Educational Progress in the construc- tion of its reading tests. She has helped alter the reading portion of the Michigan Education Assessment Program so it is based on short stories rather than 50 word paragraphs. YOUR SPRING BREAK PACKAGE INCLUDES " Round-trip airfore " 7 nights hotel accommodations * Round-trip airport & hotel transfers * free welcome, beach & evening parties " Free admission to night clubs " Discounts on restaurants, water sports & side excursions StW kSpask T S I.S#00#424#7710 S * Packages available to Negril and Montego Boy * Professional on-site tour reps * Complete weekly activities progrom offering optional sunset cruise, booze cruise, toga parts 6 more " Free bonus party pack IA&& wi TvmVel 'Sevvices 14 0#44#4c19 Price is per person based on quad occupancy; from select departure cities. Other cities may qualify for reduction or require surcharge. US and Jamaica departure taxes (currently $65) and $12 handling charge additional. Rates increase $30 on 12115199. Peak-week surcharges/off-week discounts may apply. Restrictions and cancellation penalties apply. Limited availability.Subject to change without notice. Call for full details on hotel selection and availability. $50B for state rides on accurate census LANSING (AP) - Every person missed in next year's census chips away at the $50 billion in federal money Michigan stands to get, Gov. John Engler warned yesterday "This is a challenge," Engler said. "The count begins next April. We expect to be ready." Engler said the $50 billion that Michigan could receive in the decade fol- lowing the census amounts to more than $5,000 for every state resident. Money for roads, schools, seniors, children's services and welfare will be affected. Although Engler thinks Michigan has grown enough in the 1990s to keep all 16 of its congressional seats, that could be affected by an undercount as well. "Any slippage could place ... one of those seats at risk," the governor said. The state hopes to reach people who may be missed by using welfare case- workers, probation officers and other state workers to spread the word and help people fill out their census forms. It also is teaming with the U.S. Census Bureau to set up Questionnaire Assistance Centers. In 1990, 72 percent of Michigan resi- dents mailed in their census question- naires. Census workers expect to stop by the residence of each person who doesn't respond next year at least six times before turning to neighbors to get the information they need. The Census Bureau hopes to recruit 74,000 job applicants to fill more than 18,000 census jobs in Michigan. Employees will work out of 18 census field offices this spring and summer, and Engler said he is looking for students, retirees, underemployed workers and jobless workers to fill the need. To make sure hard-to-reach popula- tions are counted, the state is making extra efforts to reach groups such as Arab-Americans, Engler said. Detroit already has begun efforts to train census workers and target groups undercounted in the 1990 census, such as children. All census information is confidential, Engler said, and can't be shared with other government agencies. 1IkJ it.