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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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Thursday, March 24, 2016 — 3A
CLAIRE ABDO/Daily
LSA sophomore Lindsay Randolph, president of Students for Kasich, discusses her thoughts on the 2016 presidential election on the Diag Monday.
you make one of those objects soft
like rubber, then when you try to
push off the hard object, it makes
the rubber deform,” Golovin said.
“That deformation creates a stress
concentrator between the hard
object, which in this case is the
ice, and the rubber. That actually
causes it to detach with a lot lower
force than you would normally
need.”
This
phenomenon,
called
interfacial
cavitation,
is
what
explains the science behind this
technology.
Though putting additives such
as oils or silicone into the rubber
makes it more slippery and helps to
ease off ice, Golovin said the main
goal of their project is to make
the rubber softer by changing its
properties.
“The reason rubber is hard or
soft is something known as how
many chemical crosslinks are in
the rubber,” Golovin said. “That’s
sort of a covalent bond inside and
… the more there are, the harder
the rubber is. You can tune the
chemistry to make it softer just
by lowering how many crosslinks
there are.”
The spray-on coating could
prove to be important for multiple
industries, Golovin said, including
those that produce airplanes,
boats,
food
packaging
and
refrigerator linings. He added it
may be difficult to put the product
into use on airplanes because there
are such stringent requirements
for equipment used in aircrafts, but
it would be possible for the product
to be commercialized for boats that
go through shipping lanes in the
Arctic, as well as for food-based
products.
“For
different
applications,
we
might
have
different
requirements,” Tuteja said. “For
example, if I was working with
a food application with making
packaging for frozen foods, then
we can only work with materials
that are approved by the FDA.
That’s a limited number of rubbers
that are approved.”
Golovin said there are multiple
advantages to the spray-on coating,
including
its
versatility
and
durability.
“One of the main motivations
for this work was to make
(coatings) that you wouldn’t need
to constantly repaint on, so they
effectively last as long as you
need them to last,” Golovin said.
“There’s no reason they should
degrade over time.”
The coating itself, researchers
also noted, is not just a single
formula; formulas were developed
to
accommodate
multiple
materials.
“What we’ve done here is
made well over 100 different
coatings, and they’re all made of
different rubbers and different
oils, all different chemistries
and compositions,” Tuteja said.
“The reason was really to show
that we understood these two
new mechanisms that can show
how ice detaches from rubbers
and by being able to work with a
wide range of different materials,
we showed the principles that
are applicable for a number of
different materials.”
Researchers noted that one
potential
challenge
for
the
coating is whether it will still
work under extremely harsh and
cold conditions. Golovin said
rubbers have a property called
glass transition temperature, at
which the rubber becomes too
cold and begins to act more like a
glass than a rubber.
“How
the
coating
works,
you need the rubber to still be
soft, so for certain rubbers, the
temperature at which they stop
being soft is the temperature at
which they would stop working,”
Golovin said. “Much like how
you can choose the material to
work with whatever underlying
substrate, you can also choose
rubber that have different glass
transition temperatures so that
you can make sure it still works
at whatever temperature you’re
expecting to see.”
Tuteja said the goal is to
commercialize the coating in
partnership
with
companies
in
multiple
disciplines
and
industries, as well as create a
spray that can be sold for use
directly in households. He was
co-founded a startup company,
which is now licensing the
technology and partnering with
different companies for use in
different fields. The technology is
expected to be put into use within
a year.
plume of the toxin 1,4-dioxane
underneath Washtenaw County.
The plume has contaminated
groundwater and is expected by
local officials to reach the Huron
River in the coming decades.
Though
the
Michigan
Department
of
Environmental
Quality has maintained a network
of monitoring wells to track the
plume since 1992, city leaders have
long been critical of the state’s
response, and the Flint water crisis
has re-energized public scrutiny
on this issue.
In a February meeting of county
leaders, Ann Arbor Township
Supervisor Michael Moran told
Michigan DEQ representatives
he had “lost his confidence” in
the state’s ability to control the
contamination. Moran also said
his township was exploring the
option of turning the plume into a
superfund site.
Monday night, the Board of
Trustees for Ann Arbor Charter
Township — which is a separate
municipality from the city of Ann
Arbor — unanimously authorized
Moran to petition the EPA for
superfund status.
In
an
interview,
Moran
said
Michigan’s
regulatory
environment
has
failed
to
meaningfully
manage
the
contaminated water, and the
state’s recent promises to increase
funding
on
monitoring
and
introduce more stringent cleanup
standards for 1,4-dioxane are
insufficient.
“Michigan statutes are not
aimed at getting a cleanup of
pollution, but rather managing
the risk of pollution, and those are
wildly different concepts,” Moran
said, adding the EPA doesn’t
operate under these constraints.
However, other local leaders
say they are still unsure if the
township’s
decision
was
the
best choice. Ann Arbor Mayor
Christopher Taylor (D) said in
an interview with the Daily that
while the EPA would likely lead
a more comprehensive cleanup
of the contaminated water, the
stigma of superfund status could
damage property values in the city.
“The EPA is obviously very
well-respected and tremendously
valuable; however, the declaration
of a superfund site has other
consequences,” Taylor said. “If a
portion of Ann Arbor is declared
a superfund site, one expects
that will reduce property values,
even though the toxicity is of
no immediate concerns to the
immediately proximate residents.”
Taylor
did
not
completely
rule out supporting the petition
and said the city will need to
study the issue further before
making a decision. He added the
city’s current plan is to work the
Michigan DEQ and Michigan
Attorney General’s office to push
the original polluter to perform a
more comprehensive cleanup. In
interviews, City Councilmembers
Chip Smith (D–Ward 5) and
Graydon Krapohl (D–Ward 4)
echoed Taylor’s points.
Moran said he does not intend
to move forward with a superfund
petition without consensus from
the city of Ann Arbor and the
rest of Washtenaw County. He
noted a consultant working for
a consortium of county officials
had reported superfund status
would not significantly hurt local
property values, based on previous
studies.
“It’s
an
issue
that
needs
consideration
from
all
local
governments,” Moran said.
However, he also noted the
township could still move forward
without the approval of all the
county’s municipalities.
Moran said the Michigan DEQ
has failed, and other options to
control the pollution need to be
explored.
“After 20 years, the pollution
plume is getting bigger and
bigger, and there’s an inadequate
response,” Moran said. “How long
are you willing to keep playing
with the same people?”
When reached for comment
on
Tuesday,
Robert
Wagner,
Michigan
DEQ
remediation
chief, said he respects Ann Arbor
Charter Township’s decisions and
is willing to work with the EPA if
necessary.
RESEARCH
From Page 1A
WATER
From Page 1A
County.
In a series of interviews with
The Michigan Daily, students
shared their political views, why
they support different candidates
and what they hope for the future
following the election. Quotes
were chosen from each interview
to reflect the students’ beliefs.
Brendan Schroder
LSA junior, supports Sanders.
“My father left when my mother
was pregnant with me, so I had
a single mother growing up,” he
said. “It was very interesting to
see from her point of view also as
a teacher who hasn’t made that
much. When you go through the
education system a lot of teachers
are very liberal, so that came
across through my mother, but she
also taught me to be loving and
compassionate.”
“Surprisingly,
I
was
very
religious
between
sixth
and
12th grade. That actually is what
formed me to what I am today.
What all of the pastors taught me
is that you should love one another;
you should help one another.
Right now those same people are
voting for Ted Cruz and Donald
Trump, so I don’t know where the
disconnect happened that I ended
up leaning towards Bernie Sanders
and they ended up leaning towards
that, but I feel like the messages
they taught me, I interpreted as to
believe in Bernie’s policies where
we have to help people.”
“The
college
campus
has
changed a lot for me. Coming
out of high school, I was kind of
uneducated on a lot of issues. Being
around a diverse group of people
has helped me understand people
better and probably made me more
liberal leaning.”
Madeline Jursek
School of Information senior,
supports Kasich.
Chair of the University chapter
of the College Republicans
“My parents are both very
strong, right-wing conservatives,
and that obviously has a very
strong say in what I believe now,”
she said. “I have changed a lot
since I came to college. Before I
came to college, I was really just
aligned with my parents’ views,
but when I came here I definitely
became more moderate. A big part
of that was in high school I was
part of a very small community,
but coming here I got to meet all
of these wonderful people and that
changed my viewpoints a lot.”
“For me it’s mainly the fiscal
issues. Social issues for me are
not as important. I’m really a fan
of how he turned around Ohio in
terms of the big budget surplus
and doing tax cuts. I also like the
fact he is a little bit more moderate
on the social issues.”
“I like the fact that his temper is
pretty mild. I think as a president
you need to be kind of calm at all
times and level headed, so I like
that Kasich seems to be very not
quiet, but easy going with an even
heeled temper.”
Anushka Sarkar
LSA
sophomore,
supports
Hillary Clinton
Outreach director and event
coordinator
for
Students
for
Hillary
“The trait that really draws me
to Clinton is that she is a fighter,”
she said. “There is a lot of sexism
in the media, there is a lot of
criticisms of Clinton even though
she’s done some truly incredible
things for people. Day in and day
out she comes back and continues
to fight for the people who criticize
her — that’s the kind of selflessness
that I would like in a leader —
someone who has insults hurled
at them in a rally and still goes out
to fight for legislation that defends
those people.”
“There are three policies that
I am most passionate about:
mental health, sexual assault on
college campuses and college
affordability. The sexual assault on
college campuses is particularly
important to me because Hillary
is the only presidential candidate
to have a platform about this. It’s
an issue that, as a female college
student, I’m afraid of every single
day. It’s very validating to know
that the person I support for
president cares about my safety on
campus.”
“People
tend
to
view
a
woman who is commanding or
authoritative or assertive in any
way as bossy. If you have a man
who speaks commandingly or has
years of experience, that person
wouldn’t be seen as a liar or
someone who is untrustworthy,
they would be seen as a commander
in chief. Another reason people see
her as a liar is that she has evolved
on issues, which is something
every candidate has done, and
is necessary. You can’t hold onto
your views from the ‘70s to 2016
because while your views are
important, what is most important
is that you represent the people
who elected you or who support
you.”
Molly Grant
LSA
sophomore,
supports
Trump.
Member
of
the
College
Republicans
“His tax and immigration
policy are most appealing to me,”
she said. “When you think of
Trump, you do not think of taxes.
I’ve been encouraging people to
look at his tax policy. It’s a four
bracket system — the highest is
25 percent on income. That is
something I really like about him
and I encourage others to look
at it. Also, I really support him in
immigration. We aren’t a country
if we don’t have borders. I’m very
pro-immigration, but it has to be
legal. With him, I am confident
that he will do something about
immigration.”
“No matter what side you are
on, the youth enthusiasm for
voting in this election is crazy.
Trump and Sanders are drawing
huge crowds of college voters
in, and that’s awesome. In terms
of being at Michigan, I’m a very
proud Trump supporter. I know I
am in the really small minority, but
I have found that with the Sanders
supporters I have had great
discussions with some of them.
Talking about policies, not getting
into arguments, but seeing where
each other stands on these issues
and gathering an understanding of
why the other person thinks that
way.”
“Do I agree with everything
Trump says? No. But I think
people are quick to judge on what
they hear without sitting down
and looking at his policies — things
that aren’t brought up in the news
such as his tax policy.”
Erin Kokoszka
LSA
sophomore,
supports
Sanders. Member of Students for
Sanders.
“I first heard about him last
summer, maybe a couple of
months before he entered the
race,” she said. “I didn’t get that
much of a realistic impression of
him. I had heard of him as this
outsider, socialist Democrat who
didn’t really have a chance but had
some really cool ideas. But then in
the fall I joined up with Students
for Sanders.”
“I think he is a really genuine
candidate. He doesn’t have any
super PACs. He doesn’t take any
money
from
corporations
or
wealthy individual donors. You
can tell who’s funding him, and in
that sense he is more credible. He
does seem very trustworthy. He’s
consistent; he has a record. You
can look up what he’s been doing
and the values that he’s held for the
past few decades.”
“I’d like to see a revitalizing
our democracy. That’s what his
campaign is really about, just
taking the people’s voice and
letting it be heard again. Having
people actually represented in
Washington by people who will
actually protect their interests.”
Lindsay Randolph
LSA
sophomore,
supports
Kasich
President of Students for Kasich
“He’s such a nice guy,” she said.
“You look at Ted Cruz or Donald
Trump. There are people getting
beat up at his rallies. Whereas with
Kasich — at least at the town halls
I’ve been to — people are crying,
he’s hugging them. It’s just a
complete opposite of what you are
seeing from the other Republican
candidates. He shows compassion
and genuine interest in the well-
being of Americans.”
“I would like to see a presidency
that brings Americans together.
At the end of the day, we can work
together for a common purpose
and not be so divided. Kasich
speaks a lot about knowing your
neighbor and having a community,
and I think once we unite and work
together to solve our problems
and focus on our neighbors and
our community then America can
begin to thrive.”
“I grew up in a somewhat
working-class
home.
College
is where I started becoming
interested in politics. I became
much more informed and more
interested in social issues. You
can practically solve issues that
the Republicans are not focused
on, and I think you get that with
Kasich. He wants to focus on the
environment, he wants to not be so
divided on gay rights.”
The Daily was unable to contact
any supporters for Sen. Ted Cruz
(R–Texas) on campus.
said.
Tyson said integrating the
sciences into popular culture
will help citizens become more
scientifically literate, noting that
the United States has both a low
global ranking for math literacy
in standardized assessments and
a low percentage of people who
believe in evolution.
In particular, Tyson is known
for using Twitter to share his
passion for science to a broader
audience. During an interview
prior to his lecture on Wednesday
with the Fox affiliate in Grand
Rapids, Tyson said he uses social
media to help people understand
the sciences.
“I offer people a way to see the
world that maybe they have never
been taught,” Tyson said in the
interview. “You don’t have to be
fluent in math or fluent in physics,
but you should at least be open to
what’s going on around you.”
Tyson ended his talk with a
quote from “Pale Blue Dot,” a
book written by Carl Sagan, a late
astronomy professor at Cornell
University. The quote emphasizes
how small and alone Earth is
in the universe and how “there
is no hint that help will come
from elsewhere to save us from
ourselves.”
LSA senior Trevor Picard said
the quote was the perfect way to
end the talk.
“That quote is my favorite,”
Picard said. “(I) definitely liked
the part where seeing the pale blue
dot underscores our responsibility
to deal kindly with one another.”
Samantha
Musil,
an
event
adviser
with
Campus
Involvement, said Tyson almost
did not speak at the University
of Michigan, as his promoter
originally considered just doing
two shows in Detroit.
“(Tyson’s promoter) thought it
was possible to do two shows in
Detroit because the market was
big enough to support multiple
events,” Musil said. “We were able
to find a date for them for a show
in Ann Arbor that coincided with
a date in Detroit, which doesn’t
always happen. So we’re very glad
and fortunate that we were able to
host Dr. Tyson in Ann Arbor.”
TSYON
From Page 1A
ELECTIONS
From Page 1A