LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Thursday, February 21, 2002 - 3A Religious choices abound for students Discovery yields ways to keep ice cream smooth New research by food scientist Dou- glas Goff of the University of Guelph in Canada, suggests that ice-modifying pro- teins extracted from winter wheat may help ice cream stay smooth and creamy during long periods in the freezer. Certain wheat proteins that allow the plant to survive cold temperatures were the focus of Goff's study. The key func- tion of these proteins is to modify the growth of cell-damaging ice crystals. Goff and his team of researchers are aiming to improve ice cream quality by introducing the wheat protein into the mixture, and thus lessen the chance of complete freezing in the sugar-water component of the frozen dessert. Goff said the use of these proteins in ice cream production has made for some very smooth batches of ice cream. He will soon propose the new manufactur- ing process to dairy industry officials. In addition to a concentrated mixture of sugar-water, the creamy texture of ice cream can be attributed to its assem- blage of fat molecules, air bubbles and ice crystals. Act of lighting up more addictive * than nicotine fix In a study completed at Duke Univer- sity Medical Center, the urge to light a cigarette can be stronger than the physi- cal need for a nicotine fix. Study participants were asked to use either one of two different denicotinized cigarettes, often referred to as "de-nics,' which are cigarettes with extremely low levels of nicotine that are often used as a device to wean smokers off of regular cigarettes. The scientists found that the subjects smoked the de-nic cigarettes with the same or greater intensity as their usual brands. In lieu of nicotine, levels of tar in the cigarette appear to be dictating usage patterns. Participants smoked 60 percent more of the low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes than the variety with high-tar and nearly no nicotine. Jed Rose, director of the Nicotine * Research Program, said his finding sug- gests the amount of smoke a smoker inhales along with the physical habit of lighting up can satisfy the craving to smoke despite the absence of nicotine. "These results suggest that delivery of substantial, amounts of smoke yith selective reductions in nicotine, deters compensatory smoking behavior." * Linguist studies intonation used to ask questions In many languages, questions are expressed with raised intonation. Judith Haan at the University of Nijmegen in Holland supports this fact in a linguistic study that seeks to prove the hypothesis that the intonation of questions has a biological origin. Hann will ask research participants to read aloud four types of question sen- tences. She will categorize their per- formances into different melodic classes. American linguist John Ohala, who developed the hypothesis, said the high- er frequency in voice also plays a role in human speech. When a person asks a question, he can be seen as a dependent to the listener. This is expressed in the form of an elevated pitch and could * explain why this phenomenon is found in such a wide range of languages. Origami uncovers secrets to queries The answers are hidden in the folds. Origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, is now helping scientists find the answers to real world problems in mathematics, engineering and astron- omy. Examples of origami techniques applied to scientific research were pre- sented Feb. 15 at the American Associa- tion for the Advancement of Science meeting in a session entitled, "Mathe- matics and Science of Origami: Visual- ize the Possibilities." Exhibiting the usefulness of origami applications, Jeremy Shafer, an origamist with the Bay Area Rapid Fold- ers, shows scientists how to design their own origami models as an exercise in * problem solving and scientific method. - Compiled by Daily StaffReporter Kylene Kiang. By Annie Gleason Daily Staff Reporter The University has always boasted a diverse group of stu- dents, and the variety is especially evident when observing the vast number of religious backgrounds represented on campus. Many agree that the diverse religious options available are espe- cially conducive to allowing students the opportunity to explore alternatives to the traditional religions most were raised under. Virtually every religion has representation in Ann Arbor. "Ann Arbor is a real melting pot of religions - everything from New Age to Wicca is present," said Reverend Graham Baird, the campus minister at First Presbyterian Church. "There are a lot of alternatives." Many students see the accepting environment at the Universi- ty as a chance to explore religious paths different from their parents' beliefs. " We've had people who haven't had any religious upbringing at all ... they come with friends or other students from class," said ,Christina Kim, a member of the Harvest student organiza- tion. Sharada Kumar, president of the Chinmaya Mission in Ann Arbor, also said that she has seen students without Hindu back- grounds attending services. She mentioned that academics play an important role in encouraging students to explore different options. "There are a lot of students at Michigan who come (to servic- es) that are taking religion classes," she said. Bruce Conforth, director of the Buddhist center in Ann Arbor, agreed. He said the University acts as a "vehicle to explore other religions." He also noticed an increase in the number of students without Buddhist backgrounds attending services. Rabbi Alter, of the Chabad House, said he believes the stu- dents have the greatest impact in adding to the diverse nature of the University. The students' "interests encourage the different types of options on campus," Alter said. The University allows students to learn about other religions through specific classes as well. Although a religious studies major is not available, several classes offering insight into dif- ferent religions are. "I think there is a real desire among students to study religion at the University," Graham said. "An academic interest in reli- gion is an in-road to a spiritual interest in religion." Students have varied reasons for either continuing or conclud- ing exploration into their faith, but many noted that religious groups help them find a niche in the large University atmos- phere. "I came from a very Jewish area," Kinesiology sophomore Jill Kadish said. "I feel as though I need to belong to a Jewish com- munity here." For whatever reason students choose to pursue certain reli- gious paths, most agreed that the University is accepting of everyone. "It's definitely very supportive of whatever you want to do. Ann Arbor as a whole is very tolerant, and the University offers lots of choices," LSA senior Aaron Pinsley said. LSA freshman Sydney Zhou agreed, noting that Michigan "is especially diverse. There are so many different religions repre- sented." Cunge made for fun, not studying By Shabina S. Khatri Daily Staff Reporter Students needing a break from studying now have the opportunity to de-stress in a new way. Yesterday marked the grand opening of the University's first Cyber Lounge in the Michi- gan League Underground. Designed by students from the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, the lounge hosts several gaming stations that are open to students, faculty and staff. "The purpose is to provide the students with a place that offers relief from the stress of academic life. The Cyber Lounge is a cool place for people to do that," League Program Coordinator Benita Murrel said. As the University's first non-academic computing site, the Cyber Lounge represents a significant cooperative effort amongst the Michigan League, Information Technology Central Services and University students, League Director Bob Yecke said. Bill Niester manager of campus computing sites said the University maintains more than 1,800 computers in almost 50 computing sites, all intended for academic use. But the Cyber Lounge consists of 18 gaming stations that contain no educational software. "We want the kids that play games to come here. And if you want to do academic work, Angell Hall is not far away," Yecke said. LSA junior Peter Kim said he uses the Cyber Lounge to get away from his school- work. "I was done with all my papers today and I needed a place to unwind. The lounge is close to where I live so it's very convenient," he said. Though the lounge is still in its fledgling stage, LSA sophomore and League employee DEBBIE MIZ EL/Daily Art and Design sophomore Toria Marquard uses a computer yesterday at the opening of the new Cyber Lounge in the basement of the Michigan League. Sahil Gupta said they already have game tournaments lined up. "Since we get a big group of kids every weekday, we've organized a Quake 3 tourna- ment for March 13," he said. Based on the success of this site, the Uni- versity will consider opening other cyber lounges in other heavily student-populated areas such as the Michigan Union and Pier- pont Commons. Happy to be here Research questions whether AP classes prepare students By Soojung Chang For the Daily A recent study issued by the National Research Council, part of the National Academies of Science and Engineering, found high school math and science Advance Place- ment courses problematic. The report, which only looked at math and science AP courses, found that they were often poorly taught and tried to cram in too much material. SNRE sophomore Melissa Gag- nier said the AP courses offered in her high school were of low quality. "The only thing that helped was calculus," she said. As for her three other AP courses, she "didn't think they were challenging enough." Many students at the University took one or more AP courses in high school. In his convocation speech for the class of 2004, Ted Spencer, Univer- sity director of admissions, said "3,250 students received high enough scores on Advanced Place- ment tests to receive credit at the University." The study results raise questions as to whether AP courses should continue to be a significant factor in college admissions. "Students get credit for taking the most challenging courses," Univer- sity spokeswoman Julie Peterson said. The University uses a selection index that takes into account the strength of a student's curriculum, Peterson said. AP, International Bac- calaureate and honors courses are all "measures that show a higher level of academic work." Peterson added the University "has no specific plans to de-empha- size AP courses." She said AP courses offer many benefits to stu- dents, in that they allow students to test out of credits and give them a head start in college. LSA freshman Ruth Rohrer said her AP Art History course helped to prepare her for college level course- work, as it required a lot of reading and note-taking. Engineering sophomore Carly Scahill said that she took AP Calcu- lus and passed the exam but didn't feel prepared for the next level. Despite the fact that she took the class over again, she still thought that taking the AP class was a worthwhile experience. "It definitely prepared me for col- lege," she said. "My high school only offered two, and I took both of them," LSA freshman Jason Parish said. "They were good classes." In spite of the problem within AP classes across the nation, the study reported that the quality of math and science education in American high schools has improved overall as a result of the AP program, and suggested that the program be expanded to include more students from rural and poor urban high schools. DEBBIE MIZEL/Daily Children traveled from across the state yestarday to listen to the Harlem Boys Choir perform at Hill Auditorium. Kma.Lrt withrawes race sponsorship CHICAGO (AP) - Financially ail- ing Kmart Corp. has reached an agree- ment with organizers of the Daytona 500 to withdraw as a corporate sponsor of the race. Kmart decided to withdraw in order to save money while it reorganizes under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The two sides told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan Pierson Sonderby last week that they were at odds over when Kmart had notified International Speedway, organizer of the race, of its plan to with- draw. Kmart said it had informed the speed- way no later than Feb. 1, and the speed- way said the notification came no earlier than Feb. 4. At stake in the dispute is the $685,000 annual corporate sponsorship payment. The earlier the notification, the less Kmart must pay. When they arrived in court yester- day, however, attorneys for both sides told Sonderby they had agreed on a Jan. 31 date. They have 30 days to decide how much Kmart must pay to get out of the contract. On another matter, Sonderby said she could not approve a contract under which Kmart would hire the firm of Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein Inc. as its financial adviser and investment banker. The firm wants an agreement under which it would be indemnified by Kmart if stockholders or others filed suit against it over the financial advice that it gave to the retailer. The U.S. Trustee's office, a branch of the Justice Department that plays a role in bankruptcy cases, has objected to such indemnification. Sonderby said the provision needed to be more specific. She said it should spell out how broad such indemnification should be and what third parties, includ- ing Wasserstein lawyers, would be cov- ered under it. THE CALENDAR What's happening in Ann Arbor today EVENTS "Landscapes in the Dark Valley: Toward an Envi- ronmental History of hashi; Sponsored by the School of Art and Design, 5:00 p.m., Art and Architecture Audito- rium Sponsored by the Univer- sity of Michigan Sailing Club, 7:45 p.m., 120 Den- nison SERVICES Campus Information Centers, 764-INFO, info@umich.edu, or www.umich.edu/ -info SQA E Wall, w7WAIK.