The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Some researchers say more
research funding is needed
From Page 1A
Because so much of the Uni-
versity's research funding comes
from the federal government, For-
rest said he was pleased with the
Obama administration's commit-
ment to research.
He added that the increase in
research funding will put students
in a better position to succeed in a
troubled economy.
"What we see in this budget is
a tremendous investment in the
necessity to carry out research,
as part of both spurring the eco-
nomic recovery as well as keeping
America at a very long-term com-
petitive position from work force
generation from our students," he
said.
- Though the increased research
spending in Obama's budget will
ultimately mean more money for
University researchers, Forrest
said the researchers will still have
to compete in order to get that
money.
"These are not earmarks," he
said. "This is money that goes into
competitive programs that are
competed for nationally, in some
cases internationally. You have to
have the best ideas to win."
Forrest said no specific Uni-
versity program would stand to
benefit more than others, but cer-
tain research areas are bound to
acquire larger budgetary alloca-
tions.
POPULATION
From Page 1A
Iowa as an example of a univer-
sity that shifted from a focus on
in-state students to out-of-state
students.
"Iowa has been losing popu-
lation for a long time," Sullivan
said. "So they have a much higher
fraction of non-resident students
because there just aren't that
many high school graduates any-
more in Iowa. It's just a fact that
the Great Plains states are depop-
ulating."
As a result, over the course of
He explained that, historically,
about 10 percent of federal fund-
ing goes to the Institute for Social
Research, 20 percent to the Col-
lege of Engineering, 40 percent
to the Medical School and the
remaining to various programs at
the University.
Eva Feldman, director for
the A. Alfred Taubman Medical
Research Institute, said though
she is pleased with Obama's com-
mitment to research as evidenced
in his proposed budget, she is still
unsatisfied with current funding
levels, specifically for biomedical
research..
"Approximately 80 to 85 per-
cent of grants go unfunded, so
there's a lot of good research that
currently is not being funded,"
she said. "We see (biomedical
research) as a pivotal part of our
nation's well-being, our nation's
industry, where we really highly
achieve."
Forrest said the federal distri-
bution of funding can often over-
look certain areas of research
- most notably energy and sus-
tainability.
"I think particularly in the area
of energy research, that we've
always been in this country very,
very under-funded compared to
the challenge that we're trying to
confront," he said.
Forrest said despite some areas
being overlooked, the budget pro-
posal indicates the Obama admin-
the past decade the percentage of
resident students at the University
of Iowa has decreased 10 percent.
In 2000, 68.8 percent of all Uni-
versity of Iowa students were from
Iowa, but in 2009 that number
dropped to 58.8 percent.
Sullivan said it's not likely that
that kind of drastic drop will
occur at the University any time
soon. The University enrolled the
largest number of undergraduates,
26,208 students, in its history last
fall.
Statistics provided by Univer-
sity officials in January showed
that applications to the University
increased 4.9 percent overall from
istration places a high value on
research - especially in light of
the current economic situation.
"You have to balance (research
spending) against the other soci-
etal needs," Forrest said. "I think
(the budgetproposal) shows a deep
commitment and necessity to this
for our economic well-being and
our strategic well-being."
Sean Morrison, director of the
Center for Stem Cell Biology at
the Life Sciences Institute, said
despite the projected increase in
federal funding for University
research, the economic situa-
tion has made it more difficult for
the federal government to fund
research.
"Over the past several years,
levels of funding for biomedical
research have declined relative to
the historical rate of growth," he
said. "Because-of the difficult eco-
nomic climate, the current admin-
istration would like to increase
funding for (the) National Insti-
tutes of Health, but they're con-
strained in their ability to do so
because of the budget problems."
Morrison added that though
the budget proposal will likely
help University researchers, there
is still a concern that the Univer-
sity could soon feel the effects of
reduced research spending.
"There may be a lot of labora-
tories that may lose a lot of their
funding and close down complete-
ly," he said.
the previous year. Additionally, in-
state applications increased by 6.6
percent.
It was still too early in the
application process to determine
whether or not there will be an
increase in the yield or how many
students will actually enroll next
fall at the time they provided the
statistics, University officials said.
But they added that the numbers
are a good sign.
Regardless ofMichigan's declin-
ing population, Sullivan said, the
University will continue to admit
only the best students.
"The quality of the students is
really important," Sullivan said.
ASIAN CARP
From Page 1A
with a sense of urgency."
Asian carp - an invasive spe-
cies introduced into the Mis-
sissippi river in the late-1970s
- prey heavily on the same foods
that sustain fish native to the
Great Lakes. Fears surrounding
the invasive fish center on their
devastating effect on the ecosys-
tem and the commercial fishing,
sport fishing and tourism indus-
tries associated with the area.
Michigan residents and politi-
cians have called for a closing of
the shipping locks that connect
the Illinois River to Lake Michi-
gan in an effort to stop water
from carrying the fish into the
lake.
Residents of Chicago, who
rely on the shipping and tourism
industries, responded by saying
that closing the locks to Lake
Michigan could negatively affect
job opportunities in their area.
"Any closure of the Chicago
locks will affect my job, as well as
many jobs," Jennifer Perry, who
works in the commercial boat-
ing industry in Chicago, told the
panel last night. "The issue goes
far beyond just closing the locks
and separating (Lake Michigan
and the Illinois River)."
A recent DNA test on fish
scales and tissue suggests that
THEME
From Page 1A
tions on challenging issues," he
wrote.
Theme semesters first began
in 1980 and became more regular
in the 1990s when Professor Edie
Goldenberg was the LSA dean.
Today, current dean Terrence
McDonald selects a new topic
each year, if not each term.
The theme is chosen bythe LSA
dean from many proposals devel-
oped by LSA faculty in various
departments and programs.
Theme semesters have included
topics like food, Detroit, sexual-
ity and comedy. Some of the most
recent themes have been "The
Universe: Yours to Discover,"
"Energy Futures," "China Now"
and "The Theory and Practice of
Citizenship."
To further the involvement of
students with theme semesters,
Asian carp are present in the
Illinois River. Perry said the
data currently available was
inconclusive and, because the
fish have yet to be spotted, did
not immediately suggest that
the carp had entered the Illinois
River.
But Michigan residents told
the panel last night that the inva-
sive carp could have detrimental
economic affects on their area.
"When you consider the fish-
ing and tourism industries in
the Great Lakes, it far outweighs
the costs to the Chicago tourism
industry," an audience member
who said he was from Michigan
told the panel.
"While we're talking, they are
swimming," another audience
member who said he was from
Michigan told the panel.
The Great Lakes fishing indus-
try currently accounts for over $7
billion of the Michigan economy,
according to figures cited during
the meeting.
Cameron Davis, senior advisor
to the EPA, said he understood
the importance of the issue to the
industries in both northwest Illi-
nois and western Michigan.
"The devastation of the carp
is something that is of great con-
cern to the regions," he said in
an interview following the pub-
lic comment session. "We have
a strong fishing industry in the
Great Lakes that is very impor-
LSA sponsors the Summer Reads
program for incoming first-year
students in Michigan Learning
Communities.
Students in MLC have the
option of reading a book that
usually relates to the upcom-
ing semester's theme. This year,
MLC students read "Mr. Wilson's
Cabinet of Wonder," by Lawrence
Weschler, a book about the Muse-
um of Jurassic Technology in Los
Angeles.
Additionally, to make the theme
more prominent around campus,
the University sponsors various
events throughout the year. These
include a series of lectures, film
screenings, tours and exhibits all
pertaining to the theme. Most of
the events are free and open to
the public.
LSA sophomore Marissa Sala-
zar, said despite the course offer-
ings and free events, she thinks
the theme semester would be
more popular if the University did
Thursday, February 18, 2010 - 5A
tant and valuable. We also have
some cargo coming through that
greatly affects the Chicago and
northwest-Indiana regions."
At last night's meeting, Lorne
Thomas, captain for the U.S.
Coast Guard, said the Coast
Guard is lending its support to
the operation.
"We have the ability to regu-
late the maritime industry," he
said. "We also have the ability to
restrict the waterways if we need
to and get the fish killed. That's
the coast guard's primary role in
all of this."
Michigan politicians have
called for a preliminary injunc-
tion to close the Illinois water-
ways that lead to southern Lake
Michigan. The United States
Supreme Court rejected the
injunction late last month.
In 2002, an electric fence was
built near the Chicago Sanitary
and Ship Canal to contain the
fish, but scientists have discov-
ered genetic material from the
carp extending beyond the bar-
rier.
Despite the roadblocks in the
carp debate, the panelists were
optimistic that a consensus could
soon be reached between the
Chicago and Great Lakes indus-
tries.
"I think people are frustrated
and people are scared," Davis
said, "but what I saw today was a
lot of hope."
more to make it widely known to
students.
"I think it would be a good idea
if it was more publicized," she
said. "But there might not be a
point unless your major is toward
that or you're really interested in
that. So it depends on what the
theme is."
LSA freshman Jina Kim, said
that while not many students
know about the theme, she still
thinks having a theme semester is
a good idea.
"No one knows (about the
theme)," she said. "I don't think
any of my friends have taken (a
museum class), but I think it's a
good idea to do a theme, it keeps
the whole school centralized and
focused."
LSA freshman Alexandar
Serafimovski, also said he wasn't
aware of the theme semester, but
would be interested in taking
theme-related classes if he "liked
the theme and had the time."
HPV Fact
The treatment for can
be a process and can involve
, or the warts.
HPV Fact
Even after treatment,
can come back. In fact, 25% of cases
within 3 months.
Visit your campus health center.
MERCK p co:1
All rights reserved. Printed in USA.-21050004(41)-01/10-GRO