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Monday, March 21, 2016
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
INDEX
Vol. CXXV No. 92
©2016 The Michigan Daily
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SCIENCE
Study finds
Twitter can
show scope
of disasters
Researchers find
social media can
predict how much
public aid is requested
By DESIREE CHEW
Daily Staff Reporter
A group of researchers, includ-
ing one from the University of
Michigan, have found that social
media could help the public and
emergency
responders
gauge
how much damage was inflicted
following a natural disaster, and
subsequently predict the amount
of relief funds given to the com-
munity following a natural disas-
ter.
The study found a moderate
positive
correlation
between
Twitter activity in an area and
the level of damage inflicted by
Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Engineering Prof. Pascal Van
Hentenryck initiated the proj-
ect as part of his optimization
research on how better predic-
tive models can be used to study
complex infrastructure, natural
phenomena and human behavior.
Van Hentenryck said the idea
for the research came as he was
looking for alternatives to exist-
ing mechanisms currently used
to assess and predict damage
to power networks and electric
generators caused by natural
disasters.
“One of the issues that I was
dealing with at that point was
the assessment and repair of the
power system,” Van Hentenryck
said. “How can we use social
media to refine the prediction of
damage of the network? Maybe
it can give a better estimation
of what is down and what is not
down.”
This curiosity about forming
predictive methods for damage
to electricity networks created
the starting hypothesis for the
research study.
“We wanted to find out if there
is some correlation between
Twitter activity and the dam-
age inside a power network. The
LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily
LSA sophomore Olivia Furano, LSA senior Becca Langsam and LSA freshman Carly Marten demonstrate about how difficult it is to look at one’s own vagina at
‘The Vagina Monologues’ performance Saturday night at Rackham Auditorium.
‘The Vagina Monologues’
explores female sexuality
Fourth annual
performance
discusses sexual
assault, asexuality
By MADELEINE GERSON
Daily Staff Reporter
“The Vagina Monologues”— a
performance featuring a series of
comical, inspiring and powerful
acts that aim to deliver women’s
stories of sexuality and courage to
the public — was held at Rackham
Auditorium Friday and Saturday
night.
Students,
faculty
and
community members gathered for
the Students for Choice’s fourth
annual
student-run
program,
held by Students for Choice and
directed by LSA junior Angelle
Antoun. Many of the performers
presented monologues from Eve
Ensler’s 1996 play of the same
name, which served as inspiration
for the event, but two others prese
nted their own stories.
Among
the
speeches
throughout the night, a myriad
of perspectives were explored,
from the old and young, to
heterosexual, homosexual and
transgender, among others.
“My Vagina was My Village,”
from Ensler’s play, was presented
by Art & Design senior Manami
Maxted. It tells the story of a
woman living in a war zone
who was systematically raped by
soldiers.
“There is something between
my legs. I do not know where it is,
what it is,” Maxted recited. “Not
since they put their dirty sperm
inside me. Not since a piece of my
vagina came off in my hand. They
butchered it and burned it down.”
The
first
act
Popcorn,
a
monologue
written
by
LSA
sophomore
Clare
Fairbanks
and performed by LSA senior
See VAGINA, Page 3A
Fred’s on South
U. aims to offer
healthy choices
BUSINESS
New restuarant
focuses on
sustainable, local
ingredients
By BECCA SOLBERG
Daily Staff Reporter
Inspired by small health food
cafes in California and New
York, local resident Fred Lelcaj
is bringing a new healthy flavor
to South University Avenue
with a new restaurant, Fred’s,
which officially opened its doors
Thursday.
The menu includes smoothies,
acai bowls and juices, bagels,
avocado toast and sandwiches.
In an interview Lelcaj said
he has been in the restaurant
business his whole life and has
gained
valuable
experience
in the operations side of the
industry through working with
his sister, Sava Lelcaj, at her
restaurant Sava’s on State Street.
He said his passion for organic
and wholesome food, paired with
the necessity of a cafe catering to
the market of college students
in Ann Arbor, motivated him to
found Fred’s.
“The lack of a concept like this
has really encouraged me to want
to open here,” he said. “I saw
a demographic imperative for
something like this, especially
in this neighborhood. We get a
lot of people from California or
New Jersey or New York in these
bigger cities that are geared up
for places like this.”
Lelcaj said Fred’s strives to
give their customers a completely
satisfying experience every time
they enter their store: from the
food, to the interactions with the
employees, to the aesthetics of
the building.
“I want everything to make
you feel good,” Lelcaj said. “I
want everything to bring you
this calming sense, and the
feeling that you have made the
right choice and come to the
right place.”
All of the food’s ingredients
are
carefully
sourced
and
organic, Lelcaj said, adding his
belief in sustainability is a big
driver behind the restaurant.
They are very meticulous about
all of their ingredients to ensure
See FRED’S, Page 3A
See LAB, Page 3A
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Rackham student Kimberly Brink presents the robot she has worked with for research, Nao, at the Living Lab
Symposium at East Hall Saturday.
Professors,
students highlight
progress in field in
first annual event
By JENNIFER MEER
Daily Staff Reporter
In
East
Hall
Saturday,
researchers,
graduate
stu-
dents, undergraduate students
and
community
members
examined research findings in
child development during the
University of Michigan’s first
annual Living Lab Symposium.
First established at the Bos-
ton Museum of Science in 2004
by museum professionals and
child development researchers,
the Living Lab studies behav-
ioral and cognitive develop-
ment in children.
Housed in the Ann Arbor
Hands-On Museum, the Uni-
versity’s Museum of Natural
History and the downtown
branch of the Ann Arbor Dis-
trict Library, Ann Arbor’s ver-
sion of the Living Lab invites
families with children to par-
ticipate in short studies and
experiments, which examine
children’s behavior and con-
tribute to larger research proj-
ects.
Living Lab Director Craig
Smith brought the project to
the University in 2012. He said
the lab’s research is crucial to
better understanding children.
“We can impact the way that
we interact with children and
the way that we try to improve
Research on children focus
of Living Lab symposium
Secretary of
Education
talks college
affordability
John B. King
discussed debt in
interview with
student journalists
By LYDIA MURRAY
Daily Staff Reporter
U.S. Secretary of Education
John B. King Jr. hosted a confer-
ence call with college journalists
Friday afternoon to discuss the
Obama administration’s efforts to
support students.
The call included statements
from King and Ajita Talwalker
Menon, senior policy adviser for
higher education in the White
House’s Domestic Policy Coun-
cil, as well as a Q&A session with
reporters. It was part of a series of
seven events in the department’s
College Opportunity Across Amer-
ica Tour, in which King will meet
with students and faculty members
from higher education institutions
across the country to discuss ways
to increase college affordability for
all students.
During his initial remarks,
King highlighted two repayment
See EDUCATION, Page 3A
GOVERNMENT
See STUDY, Page 3A