The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, October 19, 2007 - 7
SOLAR CAR
From page 1
last time the race was held.
The Michigan team is also
reigning champion of the North
American Solar Car challenge, a
race from Austin, Texas to Cal-
gary, Canada.
Engineering sophomore Alex
Curaudeau, the team's engineer-
ing director, said the crew in Aus-
tralia is feeling intense pressure
before the race.
"When the race finally comes,
you're really nervous because you
have put an entire two years of
your life into this project," he said.
"It's like watching your kid grow
up; you just want it to succeed."
Each car, driven by a team
member, must be powered by up
to 6 square meters of solar cells
attached to the body of the car. The
cars can cost millions of dollars to
build and travel up to 100 mph - a
sweet ride, as long as it's sunny out.
The University's car cost about
$2.5 million dollars. Much of the
money was raised from companies
like General Motors, Ford, Motor-
ola, Shell and 3M.
Competitors from 18 countries
have entered a total of 41 cars in
the contest.
The University's team is one
of four entrants from the United
States. The other three come from
Stanford University, Oregon State
University and Houston High
School in Houston, Texas.
Although the solar car, built
entirely by students, is a technical
ORGANIST
From page 1
dedicated to her achievements.
Central to Mason's performance
philosophy is that "a recital is not
over until you get to the park-
ing lot." For her, concentration is
essential to the very last minute.
Mason's legacy is extensive and
hard-earned. Her students have
gone on to success as performers
and professors.
Rackham student Andrew Mea-
gher, a student of one of Mason's
former students, is one of Mason's
"grandstudents," as she calls them.
Meagher recalled meeting
Mason at one of her conferences at
the University. He came back six
months later and was surprised
she remembered him. Mason
invited Meagher to come play the
organs on campus and encouraged
ALUMNI
* From page1
but that it won't deter the Alumni
Association.
"All we're doing is providing a
legal avenue for donors that want
feat, the team includes more than
just engineering students. This
year's team, which has more than
100 members, also includes stu-
dents from the College of Litera-
ture, Science and the Arts, and the
Ross School of Business.
Team leaders picked a team of
23 students to work as race crew
for the trip to Australia.
The team experienced a setback
this year when the race's vehicle
regulations were changed after it
had already designed its vehicle.
Under the new rules, the driver
must sit upright rather thanlie flat.
In addition, the driver must be able
to exit the car without the assis-
tance of team members, as they
did in previous years, and the car
must be piloted by a steering wheel
instead of a joystick.
While the changes in race regu-
lations forced the team to redesign
its car, Project Manager Tom Car-
roll said the changes will make the
race more challenging.
"It will be more interesting
because the changes will slow all
the cars down, and it makes driv-
ing more practical because the
drivers are sitting up and using
a steering wheel," said Carroll, a
University alum who graduated
this spring.
During the competition, driv-
ing times will be strictly limited
to between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Driv-
ers can only drive six-hour shifts
because the temperature in the car
can be as much as 40 degrees hot-
ter than the outside temperature.
At the end of the racing day,
teams will stop and camp over-
him to come to the University and
get his doctorate.
"At this point, she hadn't even
heard me play a note," Meagher
said in an e-mail. "It all shows that
she is a tireless advocate for her
students and even her students'
students."
Meagher described Mason as
a grandmother-like figure within
the department. Meagher said
her experience and instincts are
admired by her colleagues and stu-
dents in the School of Music, The-
atre and Dance.
Still, Mason isn't one to take
herself too seriously. She joked
that through teaching her students
the synchronization and body-
mind coordination required for
organ players, she turns out excel-
lent drivers.
Over the course of six decades,
Mason has worked under seven
University presidents. Mason con-
siders former University President
to give money for certain pur-
poses," he said. "People can think
whatever they want to think."
Grafton said the alumni asso-
ciation will seek donations from
private companies rather than
from University alumni because
the group doesn't want to step
on the University's toes. He said
night by the side of the road. The
entire crew will follow the car in
trucks and perform any necessary
repairs or maintenance after a car
stops for the night.
Continuum, the Michigan
team's car, is equipped with inno-
vative solar cell technology that
could give the team an edge in the
competition.
Although the car is 9 square
meters in size, each car in the race
is restricted to 6 square meters
of solar cells. In order to gain
more power, the Michigan team
installed mirrors that automatical-
ly track the sun across the sky and
reflect additional sunlight onto the
solar cells. Now, the cells receive 9
square meters ofsunlightusingjust
six square meters of solar cells.
Curaudeau said the Aurora
Vehicle Association, a team based
in Australia, will be their biggest
competition in the race. Aurora's
car placed second, just ahead of
Michigan's, in 2005.
The Michigan team will post
daily updates on Continuum and
all the other competing cars to
its blog. The blog can be accessed
through the team's website at
www.engin.umich.edu/solarcar/.
While all members of the Mich-
igan Solar Car Team want to win,
this week will be a chance for
redemption for the three students
on this year's crew who participat-
ed in the 2005 race.
"We've tried so hard for the past
nine generations and came close,
and we just really hope this is final-
ly the year we win it," Curaudeau
said.
Harold Shapiro in particular a
close friend. She recalled that he
took an interest in her playing as
he listened to her practice before
his inauguration night in 1980,
describing it as one of her nicest
moments at the University.
An avid mile-a-day walker,
Mason discovered that Shapiro
shared that tradition. Her only
qualm with the former president,
she claimed, is that "He doesn't
like desserts."
This semester, Mason teaches
hour-long lessons to 16 students
along with School of Music classes
in French Baroque Literature and
Contemporary Organ Literature.
Nicknamed the "Energizer Bunny"
by colleagues, Mason is considered
to have an unmatched dedication
to the University.
Refusing to discuss retirement,
Mason said: "As long as I feel good
and love my students, I will be
here."
he thinks the group will be able
to find donors because many
people feel passionately about
the issue.
"It matters to alumni a lot," he
said. "Whatever we can do legally
to help promote diversity, we want
to do. Fortunately this looks like
something we'll be able to do."
MARKETING STUNT
Students sit in a car on the lawn of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity as part of a marketing competition for a reality television show
between business school students at the University of Michigan and Ohio State University.
VETERANS
From page 1
out admissions forms and financial
aid paperwork because the gener-
ally face many problems most other
applicants don't.
While many high school students
have guidance counselors to help
fill out applications or teachers who
can write recommendations, most
veterans don't. The University's
demanding application can discour-
age students from applying if they
don't have extra help, Blumke said.
The difficult GI Bill application
TRAVEL
From page 1
views at the University of Michigan
this weekend, Matlock said.
Each student group will compile
their notes into a summary, which
will be combined into a report for
Lester Monts, the senior vice pro-
vost for academic affairs, Matlock
said. He said the students will
probably present the findings to the
public at a conference on Nov. 3.
one thing that struck LSA sopho-
more Nadia Viswanath, who visited
the UniversityofCaliforniaatBerke-
ley, was the isolation some students
said they experience upon walking
into a classroom as one of only a
few minority students on campus.
She said many of them described an
increased sense of pressure to suc-
ceed academically in order to best
represent their minority group.
LSA senior Emily Gomes went to
Berkeley with Viswanath.
process is another area where a
coordinator would help, he said.
"It's not an easy process,"Blumke
said. "Any extra little bit of help
they can get makes their lives so
much easier when they get here."
Other schools, including the Uni-
versity of Wisconsin and Ohio State
University, have veterans affairs
offices to help students with appli-
cations and help them find services
tailored to veterans.
Some colleges, like Wisconsin,
offer veterans free tuition. West-
ern Michigan offers veterans one
free semester of tuition and in-state
tuition for all subsequent semesters.
While Blumke said he thinks the
She said students there missed
the initial effects of California's
Proposition 209 - which banned
affirmative action there in 1996
- making the majority of students
apathetic about the situation. But
she said many minority students
described a feeling of isolation on
campus because the school nowhas
so few minorities.
To combat this, Berkeley estab-
lished outreach centers that target
specific ethnicities for recruitment.
To get around Proposal 209, these
centers are entirely student run.
"That would be a great thing to
look into," Viswanath said. "I don't
want to see Michigan end up with
the same problems."
Shana Schoem traveled to Seattle
to talk to students and administra-
tors from the University of Wash-
ington.
She said Washington is unique
because they were able to maintain
a diverse student population after
affirmative action was banned
there.
University's lack of support services
for veterans has discouraged them
from applying, Monts said it's the
other way around - the University
hasn't implemented the programs
that other schools have because it
hasn't had the same number of vet-
erans asking for help.
Veterans make up .12 percent of
the University of Michigan student
body. But 1.15 percent of students at
Ohio State University are veterans.
"The University of Michigan has
not historically had a large number
of vets," Monts said. "The ones who
do enroll, we will make sure they
have the kind of support they need
to be successful."
Schoem said one thing that
impressed her was how much
diversity is a part of the dialogue
on campus. She said the University
of Washington has an administra-
tive department called the Office of
Minority Affairs that holds meet-
ings between students and faculty
so they can discuss their thoughts
and ideas about campus atmo-
sphere.
Schoem said she thinks the Uni-
versity of Michigan could benefit
from a similar advisory board that
can address student concerns.
Engineering senior Laura Cot-
tinghain talked with students and
administrators from the University
of Texas at Austin. Immediately
after the Texas Supreme Court
banned affirmative action in 1996,
the school saw a dip in underrep-
resented minority enrollment. But
after Texas set up a program that
automatically admits anyone in the
top 10 percent of his or her gradu-
ating class, minority enrollment
rose.
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Daily Classifieds:
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been hundreds upon
served hundreds or so
years..
For Friday, Oct. 19, 2007
ARIES
(March 21 to April 19)
This afternoon and evening are excel-
lent times for making long-range plans
about shared property, insurance mat-
ters, debt, taxes and mortgages. You
have a practical frame of mind today.
TAURUS
(April 20 to May 20)
Discussions with someone older,
wiser or more experienced than you can
prove to be profitable today. Listen to
what is offered, and think about it for a
while.
GEMINI
(May 21 to June 20)
This is a good day to do routine, bor-
ing work. You'll find it relatively easy to
do. You're in the frame of mind to stick
to something until it's finished.
CANCER
(June 21 to July 22)
Serious discussions about caring for
children or educating them could take
place today; it's a good day for this.
You're in the mood to make future plans
that are solid and practical.
LEO
(July 23 to Aug. 22)
Tackle home repairs today. You want
to do a good job because you're in a
practical ftame of mind; furthermore,
you want long-term results.
VIRGO
(Aug. 23 to Sept. 22)
iscussions winh someone older could
benefit you today. You are less con-
cerned with the challenges of today as
opposed to the challenges of tomorrow.
You want to secure something for your
future.
LIBRA
(Sept. 23 to Oct. 22)
If shopping today, you'll buy long-
lasting, practical items. You frequently
like beautiful, decorative things, but
today, you're in a serious, practical
frame of mind.
SCORPIO
(Oct. 23 to Nov. 21)
It's easy for you to take a long-range
view of things today. This is a good day
to think about your goals. Where do you
want to be 10 years from now? Five
years from now'? Six months?
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 22 to Dec. 21)
Researching anything will pay off
today. Your approach to anything will be
persevering and diligent. Roll up your
sleeves and dig in.
CAPRICORN
(Dec. 22 to Jan. 19)
Older friends, perhaps far away, might
have practical advice for you today. It
doesn't hurt to listen. After all, you don't
have to reinvent the wheel.
AQUARIUS
(Jan. 20 to Feb. 18)
Bosses and authority figures are ready
for serious discussions today. People are
taking a long-range view of everything.
If you jump on board, they'll be
impressed.
PISCES
(Feb. 19 to March 20)
This is a good day to make solid plans
related to education, training, travel,
publishing, the media and the law. You
have a good idea about what you want to
achieve in the future.
YOU BORN TODAY You're inde-
pendent, daring and outspoken. You
htave strong opiniotts! Yotu're also tatut-
rally competitive. Some of you are deter-
mined to reveal hidden truths and expose
injustice. (Although personally you are
very private.) You're a good friend and a
pillar of support for your family. The
year ahead focuses on partnerships and
close friendships.
Birthdate of: Ty Pennington, TV host;
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