CELEB\TIN G ( OulR ONE I IUN RtlEl TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EI)ITOR1IAL IREEIOM
Moday, October 6, 2014 michigandaily.com
RESEARCH
Nat'l Medal
of Science
aw
Foi
Customers line up outside the new Blimpy Burger location on South Ashley Street before the restaurant's grand re-opening Friday.
ClaSSic burgerjoint
p u
By MICHAEL SUGERMAN
Daily StaffReporter
Rich Magner, the owner
of Blimpy Burger, was in
the kitchen. He opened the
fridge to check on the ham-
burger meat, which he and
his employees still prepare
the old-fashioned way: hand-
grinding it.
Once he finished checking
the beef, he returned to his vat
of onion ring coating, mixing
in vinegar and then pouring in
a barrel of raw onions. He then
strained the onions before
covering them in seasoning
and a dry rub.
At one point, he turned
away from the work and said
with a weary grin, "Let's be
honest. The bottom line is
that we're tired."
Blimpy re-opened Friday
at 304 South Ashley Street
- just over a year after clos-
ing its original location on
South Division and Packard.
The University purchased the
property for $1.075 million to
construct the $180-million
Munger Graduate Residences. a.m. Over the next two hours,
Though it was a rainy, gray the flow of traffic was consis-
morning, nearly two dozen tent, with about 40 people in
line at any given moment.
Magner said they con-
lot sidered closing for an hour
lot means a Friday to recuperate before
openingup shop again for the
of things to a lot dinner rush. But really, it's
of people" just business as usual.
OI~pe~pleThe restaurant is plastered
with polar bear parapher-
nalia. The most prominent
item is a standing, human-
lined up outside of the burger sized stuffed bear christened
joint before its opening at 11 See BLIMPY, Page 3A
Robert Axelrod takes
interdisciplinary
approach to social
science inquiry
By IAN DILLINGHAM
Daily News Editor
President Barack Obama's Friday
announcement of this year's recipi-
ents of the National Medal of Science
included, among nine others, Univer-
sity Prof. Robert Axelrod. The award
is "our Nation's highest honors for
achievement and leadership inadvanc-
ing the fields of science and technol-
ogy," according to a White House press
release.
The President will honor Axelrod
andhis fellowmedalrecipientswithaan
Oval Office ceremony and dinner.
"These scholars and innovators
have expanded our understanding of
the world, made invaluable contribu-
tions to their fields, and helped improve
countless lives," Obama said in a White
House press release. "Our nation has
been enriched by their achievements,
and by all the scientists and technolo-
gists across America dedicated to dis-
covery,inquiry, and invention."
In a Friday interview, Axelrod said
he was informed of the award by the
White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy earlier this week.
He added that he was especially excit-
ed to be the first political scientist to be
honored with the award.
Axelrod is currently spending the
academic year at the U.S. State Depart-
ment as a Jefferson Science Fellow, a
program that promotes cooperation
between scientific experts and the gov-
ernment. His areas of focus are nation-
al security policy and mathematical
models of politics, making his work
very interdisciplinary.
He encouraged students to branch
out andtake classes across the Univer-
sity to get a truly interdisciplinary and
well-roundededucation.
"Don't settle on a focus for your
career or your major too early,"he said.
"Look around at all kinds of stuff at
the University ... Find a good teacher
and take a course almost regardless
of what they're teaching. Follow your
nose in terms ofwhatinterestsyou.You
don't have to explain those interests to
anyone else - that's something that's
See MEDAL Page 3A
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Students learn
from top seed
accelerator
Silicon Valley
business incubator
offers office hours
to entrepreneurs
By RACHEL PREMACK
DailyNewsEditor
The Silicon Valley startup
business incubator that invest-
ed in Reddit, Airbnb and more
than 700 other tech companies
visited Ann Arbor Friday to
hear student pitches and dis-
cuss entrepreneurship.
Qasar Younis, a partner from
Y-Combinator, which accepts
less than 3 percent of applicants
to its intensive seed accelera-
tor program, as well as Jesse
Vollmar, a co-founder of a YC-
backed startup, spoke about
how to compose a solid team
of founders, campus entrepre-
neurship resources, the value
of not working for a corporation
and other related topics. More
than 100 students crowded into
a room at TechArb in down-
town Ann Arbor to hear the talk
and visit office hours with YC
officials.
MPowered Entrepreneur-
ship hosted the event. LSA
senior Saad Jangda, vice presi-
dent of programs for MPow-
ered, said YC's visit to the
University shows that Michi-
gan's entrepreneurial icons are
noting the University's startup
savvy.
"This is big," Jangda said.
-"And I keep telling everyone it's
big because it means that people
have started noticing that Mich-
igan is a place for entrepreneur-
ship. It's something we've been
tryingto do for 10 years now."
"It's not just about Silicon
Valley anymore, it's about the
Silicon Mitten."
YC is rated first among
business accelerators
by publications such as
TechCrunch and Forbes. Its
three-month-long program
provides seed funding, which
covers a startup's expenses
See ACCELERATOR, Page 3A
ROBERT DUNNE/Daily
Student-athletes and their families gather to see the Michigan Football Team Friday outside Schembechler Hall.
Student-athletes support
team with Rutgers sendoff
ANN ARBOR
Council
to iscuss
crosswalk
ordinance
City to revist 2013
legislation to improve
pedestrian safety
By EMMA KERR
DailyStaffReporter
This week's Ann Arbor City
Council meeting will feature dis-
cussion on the implementation
of last year's controversial cross-
walk ordinance, a new resolution
altering the fees associated with
dog ownership, and an updated
countywide ordinance aiming
to better control and eliminate
harmful pollutants within the
city through further restriction,
among other zoning changes.
First Reading:
Crosswalk ordinance
Following extensive discussion
last year regarding pedestrian-
vehicle interactions, StephenKun-
selman (D-Ward 3) is sponsoring
an ordinance that would amend
the crosswalk ordinance currently
See COUNCIL, Page 3A
Group gathered as
football team battles
historic losing streak
By CLAIRE BRYAN
Daily StaffReporter
After a tumultuous week for
the Athletic Department, the
athletic community gathered
together to show their support
for the football team with a
formal send off.
Student-athletes, coaches,
athletic administrators
and alumni gathered in
Schembechler Hall Friday
afternoon to cheer on the
football team as they boarded
the buses to Piscataway, New
Jersey for Saturday's game at
Rutgers University.
The energy was positive at
the indoor field. Pompoms were
passed out to students as they
created a tunnel down the center
of the field. Members ofthe base-
ball and volleyball teams came
dressed in uniform.
"We thought it would be a
great way to show our support
for our football team, cheer
them on, let them know we got
their back and that we are here
as a family," Associate Athletic
Director David Ablauf said.
The Student Athlete Advisory
Council, a committee consist-
ing of representatives from each
varsity and club-varsity sport on
campus to encourage the stu-
dent-athlete experience, orga-
nized the send off. Similar send
offs and homecomings happen
often for teams, usually when
See SUPPORT, Page 3A
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