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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2012 • OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
DAILYBAROMETER.COM
SPORTS
FORUM
GYMNASTICS: Looking to return to nationals this year
VOLUME CXV, NUMBER 57
Profile tees: get acquainted without saying a word
4 – Thoughts on primary season
The future of solar panels: thin, cheap, safe n
Scientists design thin films based on computation of periodic table compounds for safer solar energy panels By Michael Mendes The Daily Barometer
A collaborative effort between Oregon State University researchers and Colorado’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has discovered a new material that could potentially be used to construct cheaper and safer solar panels. The photovoltaic, or PV cell, is an individual light collector on the solar panel that would use a crystalline sheet composed of iron, sulfur and silicon or germanium to absorb sunlight and generate electricity. It is possible for these sheets to be constructed of much thinner layers than previous absorbers. Additionally, the materials themselves would be cheap. “Iron, silicon and sulfur are maybe the three least expensive elements in terms of their cost and availability,” said Douglas Keszler, a distinguished professor of inorganic chemistry at OSU and the director of the Center for Green Materials Chemistry. The research stemmed from investigation of iron pyrite, commonly called Fool’s Gold, which was once seen as having high potential for capturing energy from the sun. However, when the iron-sulfur crystalline panels were created and tested, they performed far lower than projected. Now, these researchers have performed tests that show that the iron-sulfur crystal sheets separate into two different “phases,” one of which consists of an imperfect crystal with less sulfur. This greatly decreases the crystal’s ability to absorb sunlight. But researchers have found a potential solution. “Theoreticians at NREL select materials from the periodic table and run a large computation specifically looking for properties that are attractive for solar cells,” said Ram See SOLAR | page 3 alexandra taylor | THE DAILY BAROMETER
Communications instructor Imran Haider, above, designed a way to counteract the negative influence social media and internet have on interpersonal communication skills by wearing a T-shirt with personalized information on the front.
Communications professor designs social experiment that his students can wear around campus
choose six categories from a list of 19, which includes everything from age and relationship status to political and religious views. Once students pick their six preferences, they customize the tees. By Cody Visscher “You can be serious about your shirt or you The Daily Barometer can be funny. It is all up to you. It is simple Imran Haider has a vision for Oregon State but effective,” said Haider, an interpersonal University students: starting a trend with communications instructor at OSU. “Faceexperimental “profile tees.” to-face communication skills have moved Profile tees are T-shirts with personalized into this transition where they are deterioinformation on them, much like the informa- rating because we rely so much on our cell tion one puts on a Facebook profile. Students phones and what not. Interpersonal tact has n
diminished in quality and it’s because of our uncertainty.” According to Haider, electronic media and online social networks have damaged our ability to connect or form positive first impressions with strangers. “When you approach a person, you are uncertain about them. Subconsciously you wish you knew more about them. The Internet has made it so that we are uncomfortable talking to someone without knowing See TEES | page 3
contributed photo | courtesy of Ram Ravichandran
Ravichandran pictured above using a sputter deposition tool.
Artwork inspires dialogue on Capital Punishment, earns honorable Green, pictured to the right, received a $25,000 grant for her painting, “The Last Supper.” Contributed photo | Courtesy of Julie Green
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Professor of Art’s painting questions the death penalty By Martin Forde The Daily Barometer
Artwork is a very powerful asset when portraying controversial subjects and topics, something which Oregon State University professor Julie Green used to her advantage on her most famous project to date. “The Last Supper” is a collection of ceramic plates that have the last dinner requests from death row inmates across the nation painted on them. Professor Green’s dedication and persistence on this project has paid off, as she was recently selected as one of the recipients of a $25,000 grant from the Joan Mitchell Foundation. According to Green, “the Joan Mitchell Award for Painters and Sculptors is one of the most prestigious grants in the United States; over a hundred artists are nominated to apply, yet only twenty-five are selected and given a cash award of 25K. Past recipients include some of my favorite artists. I am deeply
honored to be selected.” The foundation’s website says, “grants are given to acknowledge painters and sculptors creating work of exceptional quality.” Generally, those selected are under-appreciated for their work, and their careers will benefit enormously from the grant. Green said this distinction will help bring recognition and needed attention to the wonderful work being done by OSU fine art students and alumni. One of her main motivations for the project is to spark both interest and discussion regarding the death penalty. “Our country is re-examining the system of capital punishment. Many share my concern for possible errors that could lead to a wrongful conviction. Life without parole is a less expensive, and in my opinion, a saner option.” Green’s peers and colleagues share similar outlooks on her work. Christy Turner, a current student and a supporter of Green’s work said, “The Last Supper is a really powerful project. It addresses a controversial topic in a manner that is elegant, intimate and tasteful, not to mention inherently
interesting. Each individual plate is a story unto itself. It’s very exciting to see Professor Green recognized for her work, and I think the OSU community should be proud of her achievement.” Former student Ben Buswell, an artist and professor in the Portland area, shares a similar viewpoint. “The Last Supper places the viewer directly between two conceptual poles in different visual ways and asks for a thoughtful (rather than rash) response,” Buswell said. “It is politics without rhetoric, emotion without cliché and beautifully smart.” The simplicity of Green’s work offers a new way of looking at capital punishment. “This artwork alters our mental picture of those legally executed in the United States. I now have a mental picture of a large wall crowded with plates when thinking about the death penalty, rather than some abstract statistic,” said John Whitaker, Green’s former student. “Each plate is a small catalog of the humanity of each individual.” Martin Forde, staff reporter
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