illUSTRaTion By aUSTin MCCRoSKie/The Daily
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L&A: Big Event returns this weekend for a day of service (Page B2)
Opinion: Point/ counterpoint: Campus alcohol policy (Page B4)
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ARIANNA PICKARd Campus Editor
Two OU seismologists have different ideas about what will benefit the public when it comes to deciding if earthquakes are caused by activity in an oilfield. A debate has sprung from a recently released report that concluded the earthquakes that shook Oklahoma and surrounding states in 2011 likely were caused by oil wells injecting fluids into the earth. Katie Keranen, lead author of the report and OU geology professor, said it’s important to know if oil wells are causing earthquakes so the oil well operators can change their practices. However, Austin Holland, seismologist for the Oklahoma Geological Survey, said assuming an earthquake didn’t result from natural causes could prevent seismologists from using it to predict future earthquakes. “One of the missions, and the reason why I’m working as a seismologist here in Oklahoma, is we want to provide for public
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Student receives prize for service
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safety,” Holland said. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Hazard Program includes a catalog with data on naturally occurring earthquakes seismologists use to calculate when and where another earthquake might occur in the future, Holland said. However, if an earthquake is identified as induced and not natural, then it’s removed from that catalog and not included in the calculations, he said. “So misidentifying an earthquake can actually make people less safe than they were before, if it was considered a natural earthquake,” he said. Four days before Keranen’s study was published, the Oklahoma Geological Survey published a statement online saying the earthquakes examined in the study were most likely the result of natural causes.
“We knew [Keranen’s report] was coming out, so we had the statement ready and posted on our website,” Holland said. The Earthquakes: Three earthquakes and a series of aftershocks occurred on Nov. 5, 2011, near Prague, Okla., about 44 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The largest of the three earthquakes was magnitude 5.7 and was the largest that has been reported in Oklahoma, according to the survey. The earthquakes were felt in 17 states and injured two people, destroyed 14 homes and buckled part of U.S. Highway 62, according to the survey. When the first earthquake hit, Keranen and other seismologists rushed to the scene to measure the aftershocks and try to figure out where the ground was moving, she said. From the data they collected, they were
Author to discuss memoir, struggle Kelly Barth will explain her journey of self-acceptance as conservative, lesbian INdIA MAXWELL Campus reporter
BENNET HALL
Campus reporter
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Award to aid with graduate studies An OU junior has been awarde d the Tr uman Scholarship, making him the university’s seventh recipient of t h e aw a rd since 2003. Political science j u n i o r Kenneth Meador keNNeth r e c e i v e d the nationMeaDOr al prize of $30,000 in tuition toward graduate study, according to a press release dated April 10. Meador completed an ass ociate’s degree at Oklahoma City Community College and chose to continue his studies at OU, said Melanie Wright, director of honors curriculum and adviser to students applying for awards like the Truman Scholarship. Truman Scholarship recipients are chosen for their undergraduate academic achievement, but more importantly for their demonstration of active public service in their undergraduate years and
able to identify where the earthquakes had occurred and the depth of the faults, or sites where the rocks had slipped and caused the earthquakes, Keranen said. Once they figured out the location and depth of the faults, they found that the first earthquake occurred right next to where oil wells were injecting wastewater into the earth, she said. When oil and gas are produced at an oil field, mostly water is produced with a little bit of oil and gas, Keranen said. The oil and gas are separated from the water, which is too salty to be drinkable, so it’s re-injected back into the rocks in the subsurface of the earth. Keranen picked up a small rock in her office to demonstrate where the water goes when it’s injected back into the earth. “You can’t really see all the holes [in the rock], but there are a lot of holes where water can go in,” she said. “So I can put this in water, and it would soak up a lot of the water.”
Tony Ragle/The Daily
sharen Jester turney, ceO of Victoria secret, speaks to a room full of female business owners and students about her time as a student at Ou and the importance of philanthropy efforts.
CEO stresses role of charity Women business leaders speak about philanthropy CEdAR FLOYd
Campus reporter
Three-hundred and fifty women of all ages learned about the importance of philanthropy in business from the woman leaders of local and large-scale business on Wednesday. This year’s OU Women’s Philanthropy Network Symposium welcomed Sharen Jester Turney, Victoria’s Secret president and CEO, as their keynote speaker. Other speakers included businesswomen selected from the community who had shown dedication to social philanthropy through their involvement with the arts, charities and non-profit organizations. The symposium also featured a fashion show, modeled by members of the OU community of all shapes and ages, as well as a luncheon and raffle prizes donated by local boutiques. The symposium, themed “Giving with Style,” sought to empower and inspire women to think creatively about pursuing philanthropic efforts in the world of business and in their personal lives, said Kaneisha Lloyd, assistant director of Women’s Philanthropy
Network. “I think some of us have this idea of philanthropy as something rich people do,” said Morgan Harris, a speaker at the event and owner of natural parenting shop Green Bambino. “But your business is part of the community, and that’s all there is to it. You are responsible for helping keep your community vibrant and interesting.” All of the speakers emphasized the importance of realizing that social philanthropy is about more than money, it’s about dedicating time and passion to causes you really care about in order to make it thrive. “We’re trying to empower women to share their time, their talents and their treasures,” Lloyd said. Jester Turney spoke about her passion for helping children and eradicating cancer, goals that she is able to pursue as the CEO of a $7 billion brand, she said. Victoria’s Secret’s foundation has invested more than $9 million in various non-profit organizations, she said. Abroad, this has included building two orphanages and a water purification center in Sri Lanka, supporting healthcare and preventing the trafficking of young girls in Vietnam, as well as helping See CHARITY Page 3
OU students can come face to face with an issue close to home — coming to terms with homosexuality while living in the so-called Bible Belt. Author Kelly Barth will discuss her recent memoir Thursday among a group of people dining on wine and cheese. The memoir is titled, “My Almost Certainly Real Imaginary Jesus,” and talks about her struggle for self-acceptance as a lesbian from a conservative background, said Michele Eodice, associate provost for academic engagement. kelly Barth has been giving speeches across the Barth country for her book, Eodice said. She lives in Lawrence, Kansas near University of Kansas. This will be her first visit to OU, Eodice said. The event will take place in the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History auditorium at 7 p.m.. Barth will read from her book and then answer students’ questions, Eodice said. A reception will follow with refreshments and a book signing. The books will be available to purchase on site, See LECTURE Page 3
Group writes positive notes for those in need L&A: oU Campus Cursive gives handwritten letters in a technological age. (Page B2)
Thunder heads to Oakland to face Golden State Sports: oklahoma City plays its second-straight road game tonight as it trails San antonio by a half a game for the top seed in the Western Conference. (Page B4)
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4/10/13 10:33 PM