'he Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, December 2, 2011 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS NIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. nyder criticizes Michigan colleges Gov. Rick Snyder says Michi- gan's community colleges, uni- yersities and trade schools should focus on areas that are in demand 4nd stop "overproducing" gradu- tes in areas where the state oesn't need workers. He made the comment yes- erday in an appearance at Delta College in University Center, near aginaw. Snyder doesn't say which edu- ation programs are producing more graduates than required. He does say that a current Sbalance "creates a population f young talent that cannot find work in Michigan, is saddled with debt and is ultimately forced to ave the state." ETROIT Mayor Bing: Move for state takeover is premature Detroit Mayor Dave Bing yesterday sharply criticized an 1xpected 30-day state review of the city's troubled finances, which is a first step toward a pos- 4ible state takeover. Bing told an evening news con- rence that Detroit is making progress on its expected $150 mil- lion budget deficit and cash flow iroblems on its own. A spokes- * an for Bing's office said earlier ,aat a state review could begin as 4arly as Friday. "We are opposed to the gover- 4or beginning this process," Bing 4aid, with United Auto Workers Onion President Bob King and ther labor and political officials by his side. "We're opposed to an 6mergency manager and we're making progress and moving loser than ever to (solving) this #scal crisis." IiARRISBURG, Pa. Iershey school *ejects~fI- . ositive teenager A private boarding school con- cted with the Hershey choco- Ste company says it was trying 4p protect other students when it * enied admission to a Philadel- 4hia-area teenager because he is IV-positive. The AIDS Law Project of Penn- gylvania filed a lawsuit on behalf 4f the unidentified boy in U.S. ]district Court in Philadelphia on ednesday, claiming the Milton )tershey School for disadvan- Sged students violated the Amer- ' ans with Disabilities Act. School officials acknowledged at the 13-year-old boy was 4enied admission because of his iedical condition. They said they believed it was necessary to pro- t ct the health and safety of the ,850 others enrolled in the resi- 4ential institution, which serves * hildren in pre-kindergarten to 2th grade and where students lve in homes with 10 to 12 others. ISLAMABAD A1-Qaida claims it * has a U.S. hostage Al-Qaida claimed responsibil- i4y yesterdays for the kidnapping cf a 70-year-old American aid worker in Pakistan in August, 4nd issued a series of demands for his release. In a video message posted on Miilitant websites, al-Qaida lead- 4c Ayman al-Zawahri said War- sien Weinstein would be released if the United States stopped airstrikes in Afghanistan, Paki- tan, Somalia and Yemen. He 4lso demanded the release of all 41-Qaida and Taliban suspects 4round the world. "Just as the Americans detain 411 whom they suspect of links to a1-Qaida and the Taliban, even remotely, we detained this man 'ho is neck-deep in American did to Pakistan since the 1970s," 41-Zawahri said, according to a anslation provided by the SITE Antelligence Group, which moni- Msrs militant messages. -Compiled from Daily wire reports j~he Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, December 2, 2D11 - 3A 'U' study shows specialized face-learning ability in wasps Researchers shocked by insects' recognization of wasp faces By ANDREW SCHULMAN Daily StaffReporter Wasps and humans don't have much in common, but a Univer- sity study published yesterday in the journal Science ties them together in an unexpected bio- logical way. The study, authored by Rack- ham student Michael Sheehan and Elizabeth Tibbetts, assistant professor of ecology and evolu- tionary biology, links the evolu- tion of specialized face-learning mechanisms of humans and wasps. The paper suggests paper wasps - a species also called umbrella wasps - learn the faces of fellow wasps with mecha- nisms different from those used to identify other objects. This is the first study to show such a high level of specialized facial- recognition in insects, Sheehan said. Sheehan and Tibbetts began the study in 2008 when they developed a new method for training wasps. The technique was the basis for their study, in which they attached vary- ing image pairs to the fork of a T-shaped maze. The images included different paper wasp faces, caterpillar faces, shapes and computer-altered wasp faces. In each trial, Sheehan and Tib- betts arbitrarily selected which of the two images would be the "correct" choice and applied a mild shock when a wasp touched the "incorrect" image. Sheehan and Tibbetts trained 12 wasps for each pair of images, and each wasp participated in 40 con- secutive trials for the same set of images. The results indicated that the wasps chose the "correct" image of an unaltered wasp face about three-fourths of the time - significantly more often than between two images of geomet- ric shapes, caterpillar faces and computer-altered paper wasp faces. The team said the results surprised them, even though they published a study in 2008 in which they found that paper wasps have good memories and base their relations with other wasps off of past interactions. "We figured that they would be able to learn faces," Sheehan said. "We didn't have a clear expectation that they would be so good at it. That was surpris- ing." Tibbetts said the wasps' abil- ity to learn faces was so shocking that they conducted the experi- ment additional times after see- ing the initial results. Tibbetts said she was sur- prised to find that the wasps had significantly more trouble learn- ing computer-altered wasp faces, which had their antennas taken out, than they did learning the unaltered faces. She hypothe- sized that it might suggest paper wasps use antennas to identify other wasps in the same way that humans use eyes as identifiers. According to Sheehan, the study's significance was further realized when the experiment was repeated with a different wasp species. This separate spe- cies was unable to distinguish between the images and seemed to select them at random. Shee- han said he believes the paper wasp developed the capabil- ity - while the other species did not - because paper wasps have multiple queens per nest and must recognize faces to distin- guish hierarchy. "What's cool about this is that we show that humans and wasps, they have very similar mecha- nisms," Sheehan said. "But when you compare these two species of wasps that are really similar - more similar in their lifestyles than humans and chimpanzees are - they are totally different in the way they're able to learn Evolution has shaped not just that they're better or worse at learning visual things but that they're better at learning faces. It's kind of bizarrely specific." Sheehan said the study could be the starting point for fur- ther exploration of evolutionary facial recognition development in humans. "It sets up an interesting system of studying cognition," he said. "It might tell us what aspects of specialization in humans are specific to humans." Sheehan added that he did not know how or, biologically speak- ing,whythe wasps developed the specialized cognition. Sheehan said this question might be an area for future research. Tibbetts added that another possibility could be to further study the nature of the special- ized mechanism for face learning and the differences between the two wasp species. strong anti-bullying policies in place or not. "The school districts that are serious about addressing bully- ing will continue to be serious about addressing bullying, and th school dstxjctS xthat ae not.. serious about addressing bul- lying will, because of this new law, be able to easily check off a box that they made a policy, and they'll continue to not give it the attention it deserves," Irwin said. The Ann Arbor public school system has an anti-bullying poli- cy that outlines the definitions of bullying and harassment and the punishments for those actions, Ann Arbor Public Schools Super- intendent Patricia Green said in an interview last month. The policy includes enumerations such as race, color, nationality, sexual orientation, gender iden- tity and "any other distinguish- ing characteristics." Liz Margolis, spokeswoman for the district, said she believes the policy effectively shields stu- dents from all forms of bullying. "I think we need to have some kind of a list to start out, but it also allows us to have an opening in case other things come up," Margolis said. If the bill becomes law, she added, the district will exam- ine its policy in a few months to ensure it is up tostate standards. Margolis predicted the law would not significantly affect the district's policy because it is already so inclusive. "It's nice to see that the state has come through and sup- ported an anti-bullying policy for schools," Margolis said. "We have felt the need for that for a long time." UMMA From Page 1 at UMMA, said the museum will work with more faculty, guest curators and students. "We are going to bring in exhibitions curated by faculty and guest curators who are scholars and artists as well as working with young people on campus in various stages of their career and assisting them to become future museum profes- sionals," Slavin said. UMMA already collaborates with students in teaching and learning activities, Slavin said. The museum has a student pro- gramming board and serves approximately 15,000 students a year in various programs, according to Slavin. "We strive to be even more deeply integrated into the teaching and learning mission of Michigan, and this grant is a huge aid tos to help us accom- plish our goals," Slavin said. In March 2009, UMMA com- pleted a $41.9 million renova- tion and expansion that added the 53,000 square-foot Max- ine and Stuart Frankel and the Frankel Family Wing to the museum. Rosa said UMMA aims to make art more accessible and relatable to a wider audience with the funding from the grant. "Our mission is to take our collection and produce shows from it, bring in shows and look at the creative side of it," Rosa said. "It makes art part of every day existence. It is seeing art through a new lens - not just what one assumes what art must be - making it a part of every daylife." AIDS From Page 1 2 million people die of AIDS every year according to a United Nations report. Hajj, a graduate student in the Ford School of Public Policy, said the virus and disease are not openly discussed in China, so she had to spend nearly two years building rapport within the community before people would speak with her about them. "The girls really appreciated it afterwards," Hajj said. "They couldn't believe that somebody was so open to talk about it." Rackham student Elizabeth Renckens said she encountered a similar stigma toward discuss- ing the disease in the western African nation of Togo, where she was stationed from 2006 to 2008. While people were open to talking about HIV and AIDS as a general problem, she said there is a stigma in Togo concerning individuals who are affected by it. As a result, people with HIV don't seek the treatment they need. "Coming out and saying that you have HIV is extremely uncommon, which also means getting treatment for it becomes, -extremely difficult," .Renckens said. "And this also perpetuates the disease because then people don't take the precautions they need to be taking to have safer sexual relationships." Spreading information about HIV and AIDS in Togo was another problem the volunteers faced. To educate people, Renck- ens participated in AIDS Ride, in which volunteers rode bikes to rural and remote villages over a five-day period. During this time, the volunteers led educa- tion sessions about HIV by per- forming skits and lectures for residents. Like Hajj, Rackham stu- dent Scott Burgess, a Univer- sity Peace Corps coordinator, worked with schools to increase HIV and AIDS education. Dur- ing his service in Paraguay from 2007 to 2009, Burgess traveled the country with a group of 40 high school students and spoke on radio shows about health and sex education. Burgess said in an interview at yesterday's event that schools in Paraguay don't teach students to have safe sex. Through his project, he integrated sex educa- tion into the curriculum. "They didn't have any sex ed in the middle schools or high schools whatsoever," Burgess said. "If kids got any sort of talk like that it was informal or in the family." The purpose of Burgess's project was to start a dialogue among the high school stu- dents to promote HIV and AIDS awareness. "Students really learn a lot better from other students," Burgess said. "It's really hard to hear that from people like teach- ers or talking with family." School of Public Health stu- dent Theresa Dreyer said she went to yesterday's presentation because she is interested in vol- unteering for the Peace Corps and working internationally in the health field. A position in the Peace Corps maybe easier to -obtain than a job-in health care, she added. "Any entry-level position that you have is going to have 200 applicants for the same position; it's highly competitive," Dreyer said. "Peace Corps will take you without five to 10 years of work experience, which most people ask for." Also in attendance at yes- terday's event, School of Public Health student Linda Schultz said she has worked in Japan, but would like to apply her expe- rience working in health clinics in a developingcountry. "I'd be willing to go any- where," Schultz said. "You should be taking your skills and applying itto where it's needed." implement policies to shield them from bullying. From Page 1 "That was my goal - to make sure that we give a Christmas "false argument" because they present to the children of Michi- have traditionally been hedged gan and pass a bill that ensures by thelanguage,"including, but that their school will have a pol-y not limited to." She criticized icy," he said. an earlier bill Jones introduced Unlike Adler and other state on Feb. 10 for excluding enu- Republicans, Jones said he was merations and requirements for not opposed to enumerations schools to report their progress or provisions that would have to the state. required school districts to sub- Warren and other state leg- mit reports to the state. Howev- islators vehemently denounced er, including the measures in the Jones's Senate bill, passed in the bill could have made itpolitically chamber Nov. 2, for a clause that unviable. prohibited schools from punish- "The process has already ing "a statement of a sincerely stalled at least five years," Jones held religious belief or moral said. "In the meantime, we've conviction of a school employee, had students commit suicide schoolvolunteer, pupil or a pupil's who were bullied, and we've had parent or guardian" as bullying. students leave school who were In an interview on Nov. 8, bullied. It's our job to compro- Jones said he was open to remov- mise and get a policy in place." ing the clause, which a caucus The chance to pass any anti- attorney added at the last min- bullying legislation after 10 ute for the sake of compromise. years of political impasse even The House rejected Jones's convinced some critics, like Senate bill and began working state Rep. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann on a replacement on Nov. 9 that Arbor), to vote for a bill they said would resolve differences of would be ineffective. Though he opinion between Democrats and voted for the bill, Irwin called it Republicans, Adler said. "vastly weaker" than he would The House passed the rewrit- have liked because the absence ten bill excluding the enumera- of enumerations will deprive tions Nov. 10, just before the schools of the tools they need to two-week legislative recess that prevent bullying. ended Monday. The bill passed "It's a baby step, and I'm not in the Senate Tuesday without goingto vote against a baby step, amendments. but I'm a little bit frustrated that On Wednesday, Adler and we didn't take the step that we Jones praised the bill for finding should have taken and the pub- compromise between Democrat- lic was calling for," Irwin said. it and Republican viewpoints "They really failed at what the and ending more than a decade whole effort was trying to do in of struggle over the legislation. the first place." Jones said it was important to Irwin predicted that the bill pass the bill so students under- will not affect school districts, stand their schools must now whether they already have WANT TO KNOW WHICH PROFESSORS GIVE THE BEST GRADES? Check out www.maizeandbluereview.com before your registration date. VIEW COURSE EVALUATIONS AND GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS Sponsored by The Michigan Daily GORDON From Page 1 Gordon represents former Michigan Student Assembly President Chris Armstrong, who Shirvell claimed was pro- moting a "radical homosexual agenda" as leader of the stu- dent government. Gordon said in an interview yesterday that Shirvell's "accu- sation" of Gordon's interfer- ence, which was filed on Oct. 27, is "truly absurd." Shirvell also filed a motion on Nov. 17 to have her removed from the case. Gordon's motion claims Shirvell is trying to prevent her from representing Armstrong because Shirvell knows he is "no match for Gordon in the Armstrong litigation." Gordon said she is confi- dent the court will dismiss Shirvell's counts, including his claim that she unfairly influenced special investiga- tor Mike Ondejko during his investigation of Shirvell for "job-related impropriety." "I can't predict what any judge or court is going to do, but it seems to me like a really clear cut situation," Gordon said. "This count of the com- plaint should definitely be dis- missed." According to the court state- ment, Shirvell's complaint does not explain how Gordon influ- enced Ondejko and notes that Shirvell was at a hearing in which Ondejko testified that Gordon did not contact him prior to the completion of his investigation. Gordon's motion states that in his case against Armstrong Shirvell offered a different explanation for his termination than he did in his complaint against Gordon. "Notably, this assertion poses an entirely different explanation for Shirvell's ter- mination than he takes in this case, i.e., laying the blame on Christopher Armstrong where- as here he blames Gordon," the motion states. Gordon said Shirvell's accu- sation of defamation is unwar- ranted and will also likely be dismissed. "He claims that every- thing I've said about him to the media is defamation, but he claims everything he said about Chris Armstrong is not defamation," she said. "But me saying he's irresponsible is defamation?" In the event the court does not dismiss the complaint, Gor- don said there will be other opportunities for her to ask the court to reverse the claims. "The kind of motion I have filed is a very early motion, and there'll be other chances if the court does not dismiss it at this time (and) other opportunities through the course of the case for me to file a motion asking for the court to dismiss it," she said.