Barometer The Daily
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2012 • OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
DAILYBAROMETER.COM
VOLUME CXV, NUMBER 73
PAGE 8
SPORTS
8 – Men’s hoops loses by 22
NEWS
2 – Energy competition starts Monday 2 – Public libraries offer tax service
WOMEN’S HOOPS: Beavers beat Colorado by 20.
FORUM
4 – Religious expression
Bringing science to the stage n
Djerassi spoke at La Sells in Critical Questions lecture By Kim Kenny The Daily Barometer
Hannah Gustin
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Carl Djerassi, known as the father of the oral contraceptive pill, made his way onto the stage with the assistance of crutches.
An 88-year-old man shuffled onto the stage of the Construction Engineering Hall of Oregon State University’s LaSells Stewart Center last night aided by two black crutches to describe his life’s work, or at least the second half of it. His voice is a European slur, embellished every 30 seconds or so by a soft gulp as he clears his throat. He has white hair and a thick white beard reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway’s masculine visage. He touches his chin occasionally in thought and jokes casually with the audience about phallic euphemisms. This is the man who invented the birth control pill. He is recognized as one of the most accomplished scientists of our time, and has recently endeavored to add achievements in literature and theatre to what must be among the most extensive resumes on this planet. Carl Djerassi, a professor emeritus of chemistry at Stanford University, is the first speaker of the 2012 Critical Questions lecture series, sponsored by the OSU School of Writing, Literature, and Film with support from the Horning Endowment in the Humanities. Djerassi’s presentation, entitled “Science-in-Theatre on the Page and on the Stage,” highlighted what he dubs “scientific smuggling” into the literary world. Through power-point slides and a dramatic reading from his new play, “Phallacy” with OSU Theatre faculty member Theatre Arts Professor Charlotte Headrick, Djerassi demonstrated his use of “science-infiction” and “science-in-theatre.” These genres differ from science
fiction in that they include accurate and plausible scientific information that does not violate any laws of physics. Though Djerassi is most widely known as the father of the oral contraceptive pill synthesized in the early 1950s, the patent for which he was paid only one dollar, he has written 24 books and plays. These have been translated into various languages and performed in theatre and opera houses around the world. Raymond Malewitz, assistant professor of English in the School of Writing, Literature, and Film, teaches Djerassi’s play, “An Immaculate Misconception” in his literature in science class, and believes the new genre allows science to reflect upon itself in a different venue, adding rigor to the debate concerning issues such as artificial insemination. Mike Jager, a graduate student in the history department at OSU, said he felt inspired by the presentation to create a similar tool for history. “I’ve been to a lot of presentations, but this one really hit home. This guy’s got my gears turning, so I’m gonna go home and make a pot of coffee,” he said. Many pots of coffee must have been brewed in the course of Djerassi’s ambitious career. After escaping Nazi occupied Austria and learning English in an American school in Bulgaria, he arrived penniless in New York at the age of 16. He then wrote a letter to then first lady Eleanore Roosevelt, stating simply “Dear Mrs. Roosevelt, I need a scholarship.” Amazingly, his letter was answered by a secretary who got him a scholarship enabling him to attend college in the midwest. He graduated from Kenyon College when he was 18 and had a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin before age 22. See SCIENCE| page 3
Sarah Gillihan
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Bartlett was recognized for his research in the chemistry.
O-chem student researchs creation of compounds n
Undergraduate student investigated new process for creating compounds By Michael Mendes The Daily Barometer
Sam Bartlett can make a claim that few undergraduates at Oregon State University can make: he’s the lead author of a university research project. Bartlett, a senior in OSU’s chemistry program with an advanced chemistry option, has been working in the lab of Chris Beaudry, an assistant professor of organic chemistry, since 2010. When he first entered OSU, he wasn’t fully sure what he wanted to do. “When I took pre-calculus and chemistry in high school, I started to gain a real interest in science and mathematics,” Bartlett said. “I find the See RESEARCH | page 3
Student-run groups take initiative with energy, sustainability OSU’s energy facts The Daily Barometer
• To date, 29 percent of the school’s energy comes from renewable energy resources, which our student fees help finance. • 35 percent of the university’s food budget is spent on local and organic nutrition. • By the year 2025, President Ed Ray plans to have the campus obtain carbon neutrality (otherwise known as a net-zero carbon footprint). • Oregon State’s College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences (COAS) is a regional leader in studying climate change. • Oregon State and the University of Washington collectively oversee the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center, a leader in wave energy studies. • OSU is rated in the top 5 by a multitude of organizations in terms of renewable energy purchase and consumption among U.S. universities. 737-2231 news@dailybarometer.com
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The level of attention students devote to their carbon footprint not what it could be, say sustainability groups By Drew Wilson-McGrath The Daily Barometer
On Friday, Jan. 27, the studentrun Sustainable Energy Initiative held an expo to highlight the many ways in which student organizations are helping Oregon State University become a key player in the game of “going green.” Former Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury was the headlining speaker, following an informational walkthrough of student sustainability presentations, starting at 7 p.m. Bradbury’s presentation, “Global Warming Hits Home,” highlighted the impact that global warming is having on Oregon and the rest of the world, with specific attention given to recent natural disasters in Thailand, Australia and Japan. A steadfast advocate for green technology and alternative energy projects across the nation, Bradbury holds OSU in particularly high regard. “I’ve probably given this show over 265 times around Oregon,” Bradbury said. “OSU plays an essential role in this state’s ability to create and sustain renewable energy resources. You should all be proud.” OSU bears the distinction of being
the only public university to receive land, space, sea and sun grants. A vast majority of those grants go toward research concerning how to turn the sun, wind and water into vital energy for a future in desperate need of clean energy solutions. Bradbury’s hour and a half-long presentation focused on some of these innovations, as well as reasons why energy reduction should take priority over energy consumption. “The first thing we need to do is walk our talk.” Bradbury said. “The more we know, the better.” Two student associations at OSU, the Sustainable Energy Initiative and the Student Sustainability Initiative, are doing just that. And no, we don’t know everything, but OSU is walking, even running, at an alarming pace. Few are aware that the elliptical machines at Dixon Recreation Center are linked to generators that dump electricity right onto OSU’s power grid while the machines are in use. In other words, students are virtually powering this institution. Nathan Hinkle is president of SEI, is a student advocacy group for renewable energy research. SEI focuses both on student awareness of the energy crisis, as well as the implementation of diverse energy resources on a local and statewide scale. SEI’s work is funded strictly by grants, fundraising events and
Drew Wilson-McGrath
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Nathan Hinkle and Larkien Loewenherz with a a small-scale biodiesel reactor that mixes ingredients to make biodiesel, including vegetable oil. sponsorships from the College of Engineering, as well as the College of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering. “For a lot of people, electricity is just something you flip a switch to get, and pay a bill to an ambiguous entity for each month,” Hinkle said. “The College of Engineering has a huge array of sustainability research, from biofuel and hydrogen fuel development within the school of chemical/biological/environmen-
tal engineering, to improving building materials and practices within the school of civil and construction engineering.” Despite scattered support, Hinkle feels that too few people know about the energy crisis developing on a local and international scale. “The average American knows very little about where their energy comes from, how it’s produced or even how See INITIATIVE | page 3