Nicole Auerbach: Despite obvious similarities to last year, Michigan football won't collapse this season. > PAGE 8A 'M' volleyball's 'best all- time player' has taken the How Phil Hanlon has risen from program to the next level. associate professor to a potential university presidential candidate. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 Hnn Hnor, viungn SOAKING UP THE RAYS MICHIGAN IN WASHINGTON 'U, stem cell researcher to lobby Sens. to reverse ruling LSA senior Andy Cisler uses a photodetector to record the electromagnetic energy of the sun. The information gathered from the experiment allows for a more thorough analysis of what kind of star the sun is. ANN ARBOR CITY COUNCIL Student vies for A CCoUncil seat with unconventional approach Judge's decision has blocked federal funding for new stem cell projects By ELYANA TWIGGS Daily Staff Reporter Sean Morrison, director of the University's Center for Stem Cell Biology at the Life Sciences Insti- tute, will testify on Thursday in front of a United States Senate subcommittee in Washington D.C. to push for the continuation of fed- eral funding for human embryonic stem cell research. The hearing, called "The Prom- ise of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research," will be held before the Senate Appropriations Sub- committee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. The testimony comes about a month after U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled against federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, Morrison said in an interview last night. In his ruling, Lamberth said that an executive order issued by President Barack Obama in March 2009 to expand funding for stem cell research is illegal because it could lead to the destruction of embryos. Scientists currently working with embryonic stem cells funded with federal dollars are allowed to continue their work until a final decision is made on the ruling, The Associated Press reported. But despite this caveat, Lamberth's decision to halt funding for the research has "thrown the field into akind of crisis," Morrison said. Since $6.8 million in federal stimulus funds were awarded to University researchers from the National Institutes of Health last year for stem cell-related proj- ects, Morrison said the funding halt would be detrimental to the 13 stem cell research projects cur- rently underway at the University. These studies are examining new ways to treat diseases, he said. At least five of the grants award- ed to the University would be sus- pended if the judge's ruling isn't overturned, Morrison told The Michigan Daily in an interview lastweek. Morrison said he plans to reiter- ate the importance of legislation that supports all forms of stem cell research - including on adult and embryonic stem cells - when he speaks before the subcommittee. See MORRISON, Page 6A N isr * wa "NI binge So Newc book ewcombe Clark petes for a spot representing Ward 5 on the Ann Arbor City running for fifth Council. The 29-year-old Ann Arbor rd seat on Nov. 2 native explained in an interview on Monday that the campaign ByDYLAN CINTI slogan is part of an unconven- Daily StaffReporter tional approach he's using to try and connect with his audience. ewcombe is a Gen Y Har- "I like to engage people and r of Doom...or Change." not put them to sleep when I talk reads University student about, say, pension fund negoti- ombe Clark's official Face- ations," Clark said. campaign page, as he com- A graduate student at the Ross School of Business, Clark, who also received his under- graduate degree from the University, is running as an independent in the upcoming Nov. 2nd elections. His cam- paign is built around what he calls "open source government" - getting the general city popu- lation directly involved in the city council's decision-making process. Clark said he considers his youthful age an advantage in getiing more students to partici- pate in local politics. "I'm not going to hide that I'm young," Clark said. But Clark isn't the first student to vie for a spot on city council. In 2009, then-LSA senior Hatim Elhady ran an unsuccessful campaign to represent the stu- dent-heavy fourth ward. And in 2005, Eugene Kang, who is now a special assistant to President Barack Obama, was defeated in See CLARK, Page 6A OFFICE HOURS With talks, U.S. aims to forge lasting peace in Israeli-Palestinian conflict Profs. disagree on are currently engaged in direct talks in an effort to establish a whether process long-standing, peaceful solution to the conflict plaguing the region. will lead to success And though the Israeli-Palestin- ian conflict is playing out halfway By MIKE MERAR across the globe, scholars and Daily StaffReporter students on campus are actively participating in the dialogue sur- Israeli officials and representa- rounding the current talks. tives of the Palestinian Authority President Barack Obama's administration helped to bring the parties to the table in an effort to forge a final resolution to the ongoing instability in the region. The talks feature Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, but Hamas, which was elected to lead the Gaza Strip in 2006, is protesting the talks. See OFFICE HOURS, Page SA *PEDESTRIAN SAFETY A crosswalk ordinance aims to make roads safer for pedestrians Executive Vice President of Toyota Takeshi Uchiyamada speaks in the Iacocca Auditorium on North Campus yesterday. Uchi- yamada talked ahoot the ftore of energy efficient cars. 'Father of Prius'talks'green' ve 1cles diferent fuel sources Vehicles now required to stop fully at crosswalks with no signal By MELISSA MARCUS Daily StaffReporter A recently-implemented safety ordinance aims to give Ann Arbor pedestrians more rights on the road. The ordinance requires vehi- cles to stop fully at crosswalks with no traffic control signals, instead of only yielding as they were required to do in the past. Currently, about 15 percent of Ann Arbor residents walk to work or school, and pedestrians often encounter problems when it comes to the safety of cross- ing streets, according to a press release from Ann Arbor city offi- cials last week. Vehicles must now stop for those not only currently on the crosswalk, but those approach- ing it as well. This aims to provide pedestrians with a greater sense of security when approaching a busy intersection or crosswalk. But the ordinance dictates that pedestrians can't enter a vehicle's path when the driver is unable to respond in the proper fashion. Also, if a pedestrian does not cross at a crosswalk, then they must take it upon themselves to yield to vehicles. Eli Cooper, transportation pro- gram manager for the City of Ann Arbor, beganthe planning process for the ordinance last fall, when there was a Pedestrian Forum led by the Washtenaw Walking and Biking Coalition. Cooper served as a panelist for the session, as did individuals from the city and community at large. Cooper said the forum aimed to figure out ways to enhance pedestrian safety. City Council members spoke about the types of outreach elements that could be conducted to improve the rela- See ORDINANCE, Page 5A Toyota Executive Vice President also addresses car safety at campus event By KAITLIN WILLIAMS Daily StaffReporter Takeshi Uchiyamada, executive vice president of the Toyota Motor Corporation, began his speech at the Iacocca Auditorium on North Campus yesterday by putting on a University baseball cap, raising his fist in the air and exclaiming, "Go Blue!" The rest of his speech, how- ever, was all about "going green" when it comes to using alternative types of cars and fuels. "We must think seriously about new alternative fuels," Uchiyama- da said at the filled-to-capacity event titled "Shaping the Future of the Automobile." Toyota began selling the Prius - the hybrid car Uchiyamada is credited with conceptualizing - in the United States in 2000. In the past 10 years, voltage, speed and sales of the vehicle have increased, Uchiyamada said. In 2012, Toyota plans to intro- duce new models of hybrids that will have larger battery capacities and the ability to recharge from an external source. Uchiyamada said these "plug-in hybrids" are also projected to be more affordable than current hybrid vehicles. "It is important to find ways to reduce oil consumption by improving fuel economy," he said. Uchiyamada, credited with being the "Father of the Prius", See TOYOTA, Page 5A WEATHER HI:67 TOMORROW LO 47 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know. NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM MSA to launch its new website this week. MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS/THE WIRE INDEX NEWS... . . . 2A ARTS. . . ..........7A Vol CXXI, No.7 OPINION............................4A SPORTS.. . . . 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