The Daily Free Press [
Year xliii. Volume lxxxiv. Issue XXXII
GRADE-A CARE Massachusetts hospitals ranked highly, page 3.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013 The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University
BIO-LOGICAL
Researchers discover new gene altering technique, page 5.
]
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NORTH BY NE(U)
Women’s hockey to play Northeastern, page 8.
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Connolly encourages college students to stay in Hub BUSM profs. identify molecule to help aid lung cancer detection
By Sophia Wedeen Daily Free Press Staff
This is the second part in a series of profiles about the candidates facing off in the Nov. 5 election. City Councilor John Connolly, running to be the next mayor of Boston against Mass. Rep. Martin Walsh, has focused his campaign on education in order to keep college students in Boston after they graduate and to make children in the Boston Public Schools more competitive. “Every campaign is different and every candidate is different,” Connolly said in an interview. “I look at Boston right now and I think there are a generation of younger Bostonians who want to live in the city that recognize the strength of living in a diverse city, but they need the schools to work, they need be able to afford a place and they want to know that we have a rich social and cultural life.” Connolly said he wants to work to keep successful young people in the Hub. “Microsoft and Facebook were born here, but they didn’t grow up here,” he said. “The city needs a real comprehensive strategy to retain young talent in the city. We need to have a real housing strategy to make it affordable for recent college grad-
By Rachel Riley Daily Free Press Staff
themselves. They have to let their leaders know they have been let down, but until they make that case, nothing will change.” This report comes a week after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published data stating the national unemployment rate to be at 7.2 percent, the lowest point since November 2008. The most recent data for Massachusetts published in September showed the unemployment rate equal to that average. The rate, while generally decreasing since 2010, has been on an upward trend in 2013, according to the statistics. The release of unemployment statistics was delayed due to the government shutdown, which closed the BLS and all department activity. Don Gillis, executive director of the Massachusetts Workforce Board Association, said overall, Massachusetts has seen
Boston University School of Medicine researchers may have identified a molecule that could lead to better methods of detection and treatment for lung cancer, according to a Friday BU Medical Campus press release. BUSM researcher and professor Catalina Perdomo, the study’s lead author, said the main finding is the discovery of a new type of regulatory molecule known as microRNA. “In smokers that have lung cancer, the level of these molecules are actually lower than in smokers that don’t have cancer,” she said. “So, because of that, we think that we can measure the levels of these molecules and predict who’s going to have cancer and who’s not going to have cancer.” When researchers tested the molecule in mice, they found that the new type of microRNA inhibit the growth of cancer cells and made tumors shrink, Perdomo said. “If we go to the tumors themselves, we see that the expression or the levels of these molecules are lower,” she said. “... We believe that we can [potentially] use the molecule to treat cancer, and it would be a very specific treatment.” A total of 21 researchers worked on the project, Perdomo said. BUSM researcher and professor Avrum Spira, one of the study’s senior authors, said the newly discovered microRNA, labeled “miR-4423,” is a small piece of genetic material found in the lungs and airways of patients that primarily functions to regulate other parts of the genome. “We basically put in a fiberoptic scope — we call it a bronchoscope — into patients’ trachea windpipes,” he said. “We brushed cells that lined that windpipe, and then we looked at the genetic material in these cells using a relatively new technology called next generation sequencing.’” Changes in these molecules may serve as an early warning sign for lung cancer, Spira said. “What we did in this study is show that these cells that line the windpipe — that we can get through a procedure called a tracheoscopy — may be like a canary in a coal
Unemployment, see page 2
Lung Cancer, see page 2
KIERA BLESSING/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
City Councilor John Connolly’s platform pushes education reforms to keep Boston students working in the city.
uates to stay, but we also need an economics strategy to draw companies from across the tech spectrum to come to Boston. The result is we lose a lot of talent that would otherwise stay in the city.” Natasha Perez, spokeswoman for the Connolly campaign, said as a former BPS teacher, he has always valued education as one of the most important modern issues. “[Connolly is] a father of a student in Boston Public Schools,” she said. “He feels like education is a key piece that will
transform Boston into a city where everyone can live, work and raise a family. The issue of education is so important to John Connolly because he believes that education is connected to the economy and public safety.” Connolly was the first person to declare his candidacy, declaring his plan to run on Feb. 26 before Boston Mayor Thomas Menino announced that he was not seeking a sixth term.
Connolly, see page 2
Unemployment at lowest rate, still divide in jobs, study suggests By Steven Dufour Daily Free Press Staff
The national unemployment rate is at its lowest point since 2008, but the job market in Massachusetts has become severely polarized, according to a report published Monday by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University. The report showed job creation in the Commonwealth is slower than it has been in years, with the wealthier and better educated consistently receiving available jobs while the poorer and less educated have seen fewer employment opportunities over the past decade. “Unemployment isn’t what it used to be,” said Andrew Sum, economics professor at Northeastern and co-author of the report. “It’s a much different problem than it has been at any time in our history. The people that have been left behind, those that are unemployed or underemployed, are in a much worse position than they ever
have, excepting the Great Depression.” The unemployment rate for households with a total income less than $20,000 from 2012 to 2013 was 19.9 percent, according to the report. Comparatively, households with a total annual income greater than $150,000 had unemployment of 3.3 percent, according to the report. The trend for education was also similar. For people who did not have a high school diploma or Graduation Equivalency Degree, the unemployment rate was 18.8 percent, while those with a master’s degree or higher had a 3 percent unemployment rate, according to the report. Sum said one area not addressed in the report was the shift in job availability based on age. “The group that’s been the most hard hit by this lack of job growth is people under 25,” he said. “It’s really taken a tremendous toll on the young, and they have not done a good job demanding more for
BU comes together to celebrate life of late philosophy professor Krzysztof Michalski By Trisha Thadani Daily Free Press Staff
Members of the Boston University community gathered at a memorial service and reception Monday evening to honor the life and career of late philosophy professor Krzysztof Michalski. About 40 people attended the memorial, which was held in The Castle at 225 Bay State Road. Michalski was a professor of philosophy at BU and at the University of Warsaw, as well as the founder and rector of the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, Austria. Michalski died in February at age 64 after battling with prostate cancer. BU professor of religion and philosophy Alan Olson, and St. John’s Seminary Bishop Arthur Kennedy spoke at the memorial. Following Olson and Kennedy, BU professor James Dodd discussed Michalski’s book, “The Flame of Eternity: An Interpretation of Nietzsche’s Thought.” “Krzysztof was this remarkably unas-
suming guy,” Olson said. “… He was so easy to get along with and to talk to. Nobody knew that he had this really nasty case of prostate cancer. Usually, prostate cancer can be handled, but not when you’re young. The younger you are the worse it is.” Kennedy said there has been a series of memorials in honor of Krzysztof, which aim to capture his wisdom, character and humor. He said the establishment of IHS, an independent institution for advanced study in social sciences and humanities, was one of Krzysztof’s most notable achievements. “That [IHS] has been a very great program here in Boston,” Kennedy said. “It [IHS] has been wonderful for the university, and it meant that Krzysztof came here to teach each fall, and that numerous undergrads and graduates were able to share in the academic and practical adventures of this remarkable institute.”
Memorial, see page 2
ALEXANDRA WIMLEY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
BU College of Fine Arts students play the first movement of Mendelssohn’s quartet in F minor at the late Professor Krzysztof Michalski’s memorial service Monday evening.
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Mass. Rep. says MicroRNAs may one day Former student remembers Connolly looks become cancer treatment Michalski’s wit, intelligence at city as whole Lung CanCer: From Page 1
ConnoLLy: From Page 1
Perez said advances to education would improve public safety and reduce crime in at-risk neighborhoods. “[We] want to live in neighborhoods that are safe and healthy,” she said. “And we do that by making sure that kids aren’t dropping out because that’s where the crime starts.” While Walsh has received a greater number of endorsements during the race, many people have chosen to support Connolly through donations. Since the beginning of October, Connolly has raised approximately $600,000, compared to Walsh’s $210,000, according to various news outlets. Mass. Rep. Sal DiDomenico, a long-time friend of Connolly, endorsed Connolly on Oct. 9 because he said education has always been his top priority in the State House. “I’ve seen John do good things for our schools, for our seniors and really take a strong stand — you always know where John Connolly stands on issues,” he said. DiDomenico said he hopes as mayor, Connolly can boost the academic rankings of BPS. “He will make sure that they’re [BPS children] competing,” he said. “Not just with neighboring cities, but with neighboring states and with kids across the world.” DiDomenico said Connolly would follow in Menino’s footsteps to address the needs unique to each neighborhood and would be able to unite the city by ensuring that residents in all neighborhoods would have the same access to opportunities and resources. “He’s not just looking at a few groups of people who are going to be helped by his policies,” he said. “He looks at the city as a whole, and particularly our children. He wants every child to have a good opportunity to succeed across the city.” Perez said Connolly wants to tackle the issue of encouraging college graduates to stay in Boston by promoting arts culture around the city, funding transportation improvements such as late-night Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority service and creating affordable housing through foreclosure interventions and micro-units for young professionals. “There’s so much talent coming out of places like BU [Boston University],” Perez said. “We want to make sure that the BU student who comes here from anywhere across the country, or the world, wants to remain in Boston. We do that by having opportunities for affordable housing and creating an education system and helping neighborhoods and creating an economy where they want to stay here even longer and raise their families here.” DiDomenico said Connolly is the best candidate to be mayor. “I have no doubt that John Connolly will be a great education mayor for our kids and we’ll be lucky to have him,” he said. “He’ll make sure children have a seat and a voice in City Hall and the mayor’s office.” Kyle Plantz contributed to the reporting of this article.
mine, where the genetic changes in the cells could detect a lung cancer deep in the lungs,” Spira said. Medical professionals would be able to sample cells in the upper airway of a patient’s windpipe in order to test for the presence of microRNAs, and, in turn, the potential for cancerous cells to develop, Spira said. “The problem with lung cancer clinically is that we almost always diagnose it at a late stage,” he said. “That’s why it’s the number one cause of cancer-related death, by far, in this country. The reason we always diagnose it late is that it develops deep in your lungs…. So it often has to grow to a big enough size to where we can get a piece of it, and by then it often has [already] spread outside the lungs.” The National Cancer Institute estimates 373,489 Americans live with lung cancer, according to the release. Lung cancer is the lead-
ing cause of cancer-related death among men and women in the U.S. Researchers’ work with mice suggests that microRNAs may one day become a method of treatment for lung cancer, although much further research is necessary to know for sure, Spira said. “This is a potential new tumor suppressor,” he said. “MicroRNAs can be used as therapeutics. There are a number of companies that are developing approaches to deliver these regulatory microRNAs as therapeutics. This work suggests that we could potentially use this as a novel treatment down the road.” The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute Early Detection Research Network, the National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program and NSF Merit Review grants. Results were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, according to the release.
Resident on employment: Jobs ‘available, but not for everyone’ uneMpLoyMent: From Page 1
a significant improvement in unemployment, but the divide between opportunities for rich and poor is still a serious issue that needs to be addressed. “We have a growing divide between those who are working with high skills and those working in low-skill jobs,” he said. “Nationally and in the state, there needs to be a government investment where the private sector is not growing and there needs to be adequate access to education and training. There are two economies right now, with the higher end doing well and the middle and lower skills sector on the entire separate end. We need to bridge that gap.” Several residents said they are content with the Commonwealth’s employment availability, but there is still room for improvement. “The job market really seems to have gone up here [Boston],” said Tracy Santos, 31, resident of Boston. “Going back a couple years ago, it seems a lot more is available for a lot more people
and the government can do more, but they’ve done a good job so far.” Tyrone Colon, 19, resident of Roxbury, said jobs are available, but not for everyone. “Connections to jobs makes everything so much easier and the job market is wide open if you have them, but if you don’t have a connection, it’s much, much harder to get a job,” he said. “A lot of young kids now just can’t get jobs anymore either. Even with a hookup, it’s just impossible sometimes.” Kyle Hamilton, 26, resident of Dorchester, said motivation makes the difference in getting employed in Massachusetts. “It’s really easy to get discouraged when you’re looking for a job here, but you just can’t let that get to you,” he said. “I understand it. After being unemployed for a month, I got really apathetic at times, but once you get started, you just have to do it. The jobs are out there. You just have to put a serious, full-time effort into getting a job, and it will come. It just won’t happen otherwise, not here.”
MeMoriaL: From Page 1
Since its conception in 1989, Olson said Michalski’s institute hosts about 50 fellows and guests from different disciplines each year. These fellows are sent to Vienna to work on projects of their own choice. “The institute was the leader in being able to bring people who were at dissonance themselves as Krzysztof had been, to bring them to Vienna in order to have them prepare to become people who could replace those who lived under the ideology of the communist and Marxist structures,” Olson said. Maria Leao, BU graduate and former student of Michalski, said Michalski had a remarkable dedication to his institute. During his career, she said Michalski protected the institute from the pressures of its large, outside donors. “If I have to use one words to characterize Krzysztof, I would chose the word ‘integrity,’” Leao said. “… It takes courage and great skill to accomplish what he accomplished. To preserve that independence, and I think the extraordinary institution that he leaves behind truly embodies the values of independence and openness and it is, in fact, a testimony to his courage and his integrity. I will miss him a lot.” Lydia Voronina, one of Michalski’s students, said BU was a
substantial component of Michalski’s philosophical projects. She said he taught as a Socratist, who made his students think deeply about philosophical ideals. “What we are left with now is his [Michalski’s] heritage, which embraces his method and manner of teaching philosophy,” Voronina said. “Books and articles he wrote, projects he started and institutions he created — I believe that the best way to commemorate his life and his philosophy would be to keep this breach between Boston and Vienna open, and make the traffic on it as busy as possible.” Dodd took Michalski’s courses when he was a graduate student of philosophy at BU in 1990, which he said were intense and extremely challenging in nature. However, Dodd said Michalski never failed to punctuate his lectures with occasional flashes of humor. A sense of humor was just one part of Michalski’s complex personality, Dodd said. “There are of course aspects of Krzysztof’s personality, intellectual and otherwise, that I never understood at all,” Dodd said. “No one, for him [Michalski], is ever forgotten; everyone counts, and for all eternity ... I will always remember Krzysztof Michalski … with the deepest gratitude and respect, and I will miss him as a friend.”
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Campus & City Campus Crime Logs Oct. 22 to Oct. 27 By Alyssa Ciofani Daily Free Press Staff
The following reports were taken from the Boston University Police Department crime logs from Oct. 22 to Oct. 27. Laptop stolen from College of General Studies On Oct. 22 at 11:07 a.m., officials from BU’s College of General Studies reported a laptop theft at 871 Commonwealth Ave. The laptop was later retrieved. Suspicious person found at 718 Comm. Ave. At 12:19 p.m. on Oct. 22, a suspicious person was reported at 718 Comm. Ave. A professor reported that he saw a suspicious adult female pick up and examine his laptop in the building’s faculty room. When confronted, the woman left the scene. Larceny in the School of Law lobby On Oct. 22, two students reported that they had left their handbags and laptops in the lobby of BU’s School of Law at 765 Comm. Ave. Sometime between 4:20 p.m. and 4:48 p.m., both the laptops and handbags were stolen. Burglary at 853 Beacon St. On Oct. 22 between 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., an apartment was broken into at 853 Beacon St. A laptop and other expensive items were reported stolen. BUPD officials are currently investigating the incident. Bag stolen from 685 Comm. Ave. At 8:48 pm on Oct. 22, a student reported his or her bag was stolen from 685 Comm. Ave. Suspicious female reported at 730 Comm. Ave. On Wednesday at 6:48 p.m., a professor reported a suspicious female in his office at 730 Comm. Ave. When questioned, the woman left the office. Suspicious person outside Mugar Library At 7:01 p.m. on Wednesday, a suspicious man approached a student outside of Mugar Memorial Library at 771 Comm. Ave. The man asked to borrow the student’s cell phone, and she complied. Afterwards, she noticed that he had put his contact information into her phone, and he later began calling her. Scam outside of Warren Towers On Friday at 2 p.m., a student was scammed into giving two men $600 in cash outside of Warren Towers at 700 Comm. Ave. In exchange for the money, these two men gave him an illegitimate blank check. The suspects were described to police officials as two black men. Marijuana citation at 125 Ashford St. On Saturday at 2:35 a.m., a student was found in possession of a small amount of marijuana at 125 Ashford St. The student was issued a citation, and the marijuana in question was then confiscated.
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Mass. hospitals rank 2nd in patient safety, study suggests By Kaitlin Junod Daily Free Press Staff
Massachusetts hospitals have earned the second highest ratings in the country for patient safety, coming in second only to Maine, according to ratings from the Leapfrog Group released Oct. 22. Of the 63 Massachusetts hospitals that were rated, 76 percent received an “A” grade on a scale from A to F, compared to a 32 percent average nationwide. Almost all scored hospitals in Boston were given an A, including Boston Medical Center and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center. “Massachusetts, we’ve noticed for a long time, has had really outstanding hospitals,” said Erica Mobley, spokeswoman for Leapfrog. “It’s one of the few states where no hospitals have less than a ‘C,’ and most states have at least one hospital getting a ‘D’ or an ‘F.’ Because there are so many good hospitals there, the other hospitals have really stepped it up to meet that high level of performance.” Massachusetts General Hospital and Tufts Medical Center, the only Boston hospitals not to get an “A,” received “B” grades. Christine Baratta, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Hospital Association, said the ratings are a good sign for the Commonwealth, but potential patients need to look at several sources before deciding on care options. “These reports can be valuable, but the sheer number of reports and variation among them can also be confusing to individuals and the public,” she said in a Wednesday statement. “To address these challenges, we suggest that interested organizations … collaborate on a common national framework for reporting on the quality and safety of healthcare rather than issuing sporadic, singular reports that dif-
EMILY ZABOSKI/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Tufts Medical Center is the only hospital in Boston that dropped in its rating from spring 2013 to fall 2013, according to the Leapfrog Hospital survey released Wednesday.
fer in source data and methodology.” The ratings are based on the ability of hospital staff to keep patients healthy and avoid preventable errors, according to the Leapfrog website. Mobley said there are two aspects to the score: process area and outcome domain. The former looks at systems and policies that hospitals have in place to prevent errors while the latter looks at the rate at which errors occur, she said. Even though care centers in the Commonwealth are rated well, Mobley said patients should not solely focus on these ratings. “We hope that people who are going to those hospitals will stop to ask what is their doctor and the hospital doing to keep them safe, and what are they doing to pre-
vent more errors,” she said. “We want people to get engaged with recognizing that hospitals perform differently in patient safety, and hopefully that will encourage those hospitals to make improvements.” Several Boston residents said they were proud of the area’s hospitals and that many factors contributed to the high ratings. “The fact that there are so many great universities that send really bright students to these hospitals is a reason they did so well,” said Edward Gordon, 62, resident of Brighton. “Boston is such a center for brainy people, that I think that’s half the battle, and that’s one of the reasons why we have such great hospitals.” Wanda Velez-Jusino, 40, resident of Brighton, said the area’s
hospitals deserved their high grades. “I love my doctors,” she said. “They are very knowledgeable. I had a knee replacement and a rotary cuff surgery and they were done by the same doctor. He was absolutely amazing. He thought about things I never would have thought about.” Ray Bennett, 25, resident of Boston said city hospitals were good, but they did not give good all around care. “When it comes to technical procedures and knowing how to help, they know what they’re doing,” he said. “There’s no love there though. The nurses and staff do well, but the experience has been terrible. It’s like they’re physically there without really being there for you.”
BU student uses online fundraiser to raise money for tuition By Sara Herschander Daily Free Press Staff
After realizing her financial aid package was insufficient, Boston University student Alexis Felix raised over $5,000 in donations through an online crowd-funding website to help pay her tuition for next semester. Felix, a College of Communication sophomore, said despite her various scholarships, housing grants and federal loans, her family is still unable to fund her education at BU. She said BU officials told her earlier in the semester that they are unable to further contribute to her financial aid. “My family’s expected family contribution is determined to be zero, and we’re still expected to pay about $10,000 for this year,” Felix said. “We met with the financial aid office multiple times, and they said to my face multiple times that I was out of options … and eventually, it got to the point where if I couldn’t raise the money, I’d have to leave BU officially.” After applying for multiple loans and scholarships, Felix said her friends encouraged her to create a fundraiser for herself through www. gofundme.com, an online crowdfunding website. She said her goal of $5,000 was surpassed within 27 hours. As of Monday, Felix’s page has accumulated nearly $8,000 in donations. “I wasn’t expecting it [the fundraising] to be that fast by any
means,” Felix said. “I thought ‘maybe I’ll start to approach that number within the next couple of months...’ And, I was just completely shocked that it happened so quickly, and that so many people — people that I knew and people that I didn’t know — were willing to help me when I needed it the most.” The excess funds raised will be used to help pay for her next few semesters at BU, Felix said. She said she also plans to appeal for more financial aid over the summer, as well as apply for specialty housing in BU’s Harriet E. Richards Cooperative House, a form of alternative housing for lower-income women. Felix said her family was also surprised by the enthusiastic response to her fundraising efforts. She said the BU community also helped spread awareness of her campaign, by sharing her page using various social media channels. “The primary donors I would say were students and alumni of my high school,” Felix said. “... Also, a lot of BU students, who I didn’t even know, actually helped me … My page was shared over 400 times on Facebook … I think I only shared the page myself twice.” BU spokesman Colin Riley said BU financial aid officials are committed to helping students afford their studies. He said this commitment includes cases such as Felix’s, where the need for more aid is discovered after an initial financial aid
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH FISHER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
College of Communication sophomore Alexis Felix created an online campaign on her www.gofundme.com account to raise tutition money to return to BU after she exhasuted all other financial aid options.
package is issued. “The university services center and financial assistance office are very supportive, and provide good guidance and information to students about the process for applying [for financial aid], and what needs to be done, and also on [how to use] the appeal process,” Riley said. “If there’s information that wasn’t provided originally during the completion of all the financial aid forms, or if there’s a change in circumstances [or the] financial circumstances of the family ... the university responds.” Felix said she is currently study-
ing public relations and sociology. In addition to maintaining a high grade point average and researching for a Boston-area consulting company, she said she tutors children for a local YMCA and is a part of BU’s Latin Dance team. She said she was determined to stay at BU because of all of the opportunities available. “I’m doing really well, and that’s not something that I’ll be modest about,” Felix said. “I know that I deserve to be here, and I deserve to be here just as much as anybody who is able to pay for full tuition.”
Researchers discover technique for new genome, improving biotechnology field Kathryn Bernatchez Features Staff
R
ecent developments in the field of synthetic biology show not only that we can produce life, but also that we can produce it exactly the way we want to. No, this doesn’t mean you can predetermine your child’s athletic abilities or SAT scores, but if you’ve ever filled a gas tank, bought organic food or taken medicine, pay close attention — this research pertains to many of the organic materials we rely on every day and has important implications for the industries producing these materials. Researchers have discovered safer, more effective ways of altering an organism’s genome, which is the set of genes that ultimately determines an organism’s functions and capabilities. In doing so, scientists will be able to develop better products in the biotechnology field, which includes industries such as biofuels and drug development. Harvard University geneticist George Church and Yale University professor Farren Isaacs released their latest findings in an ongoing genome-recoding project in the journal Science on Oct. 17. The team of researchers collaborated with Donald Ingber, founding director at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Two parallel projects were designed to push the limits of genetic recoding, and they show that genomes can be highly manipulated by scientists in the biotechnology industry. Additionally, researchers worked to improve the safety of biotechnology by studying methods that increase virus resistance. According to Isaacs’s lab website, researchers hope to apply their findings “to address global challenges in medicine, energy supply and the environment.” The new advancements are so groundbreaking and far-reaching that those goals may actually be achieved. These newly released findings came from a large project that has been active for about six years. Although many researchers joined and then left the project, two renowned geneticists have remained constant: Professor Church and professor Isaacs. The earliest antecedent for this research is the work of BU’s own Jim Collins and Tim Gardner, who founded the field of synthetic biology. What’s new in DNA In order to change and expand an organism’s capability, researchers must work from the bottom up, which means altering DNA itself. DNA is responsible for all expression of genes, which are the segments of DNA that determine how the organism functions. Now picture that helical ladder model of DNA. The rungs of this ladder are called nucleotides, which are the basic units of DNA. Three consecutive nucleotides along the ladder make up a codon. Codons determine which proteins an organism’s cell will produce. Collectively, proteins perform all functions within an organism.
of this genome recoding will extend beyond just bacteria. “We could potentially modify plants so that they don’t need pesticides and just be naturally anti-insects,” he said. Genome recoding could also impact the environmentally friendly biofuel industry. Although biofuels have traditionally been made from plant materials, types of bacteria have also proven capable of producing ethanol, the vital ingredient of many biofuels. Through this research, scientists in this industry may be able to efficiently engineer the bacteria to produce more ethanol.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH FISHER/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Researchers have discovered a new form of altering genomes in organisms by modifying the codons. This technique could have implications for combatting viruses and sustainability, including the efficacy and production of certain biofuels and the use of pesticides.
So, if researchers alter the codons, which are the smallest units responsible for protein production, it is possible that they can also alter what proteins are produced. Genetic modification is not a new field, but prior to this research, genetic changes had been made at the gene level rather than at the codon level. Isaacs and Church have worked on this approach since 2006, according to articles in online magazine Red Herring. The first study In the first study, researchers produced E. coli within a handpicked set of genes, collectively called the genome. To do this, they replaced all recurrences of a specific codon in the bacteria’s genome with a substitute, which allowed the organism to function normally. Then the removed codon was engineered to produce different proteins with different functions. This codon was reintroduced to the bacteria, and the new proteins were successfully produced. The genome of the re-engineered bacteria was created using highly advanced tools, including one developed by Church himself called Multiplex Automated Genome Engineering, or “MAGE.” The technology makes it possible to make tiny adjustments to the organism’s DNA by replacing codons. A codon is a set of three nucleotides — “nucleotides” being thymine, cytosine, adenine or guanine — represented by three corresponding letters. For example, ‘TAG’ (thymine-adenine-guanine) could be replaced by ‘TAA’ (thymineadenine-adenine). Successful codon replacement increases the organism’s protein-producing capabilities, thus expanding its functions as a whole
being. In this study, E. coli was able to produce virus-resistant proteins when a codon that naturally terminates protein synthesis was replaced. This process expands the possibilities of protein production considering that all organisms only have 20 amino acids in their genetic code. Recoded organisms, with their new codons, have additional non-standard amino acids used to produce proteins. This gives biologists, geneticists and engineers much more freedom in determining an organism’s genome. Young Guang, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, believes scientists will have more freedom in biological engineering through this research. “Instead of working around a biological framework, we can now dictate what that framework will be,” he said. Marc Lajoie, a Harvard graduate student who played a leading role in the research, provided some applications of the researchers’ recoding technique. “Adding these non-standard amino acids to the genetic code gives us the ability to add new chemistries into proteins that can be used to make drugs and improve enzyme properties,” he said. The second study The second project used similar procedures, but on a larger scale. Researchers replaced 13 codons from 42 genes with an engineered substitute. They found that 24 percent of the total DNA was physically changed. They were able to tell this because the genes produced the same proteins as the naturally occurring E. coli, but the bacteria was far more resistant to virus.
The first project proves that the capabilities of an organism’s genome can be expanded and the second proves that it can be done on a larger scale. The implications of the second project are especially important to the industries of food and drug biotechnology, where virus resistance is most effective when the organism is greatly changed. Virus contamination can be problematic in both industries, but this newfound capability to produce highly resistant organisms increases safety, both in production and consumption of products. There have been cases of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, contaminating organic crops and the environment. Contamination happens when genetically modified DNA becomes integrated into naturally occurring DNA. Lajoie said these recoding methods will help to prevent contamination by creating organisms that nature simply cannot recognize. “If the recoded organism speaks a different language from the natural organism, the DNA won’t be interpreted correctly,” he said. “It’s like creating a whole new language that the natural organism won’t be able to see.” Because natural and recoded organisms are essentially blind to one another’s existence, conscientious shoppers can be sure that their organic vegetables are truly free of genetically modified material. Some major benefactors of this research are companies who grow bacteria for various purposes, including biofuel production and waste cleanup. These companies could become more productive and create a cleaner environment in doing so. Guang said he thinks the effects
Far-reaching implications This research embodies an amazing concept: that making tiny changes at the microscopic level can help to solve global issues such as sustainability and viral contamination. However, Isaac Ohebshalom, a freshman in the School of Management, said he thinks scientists should be careful with this technology and use it only as necessary, especially regarding agriculture. “If a farmer just wants to make more money and yield more crops, then yes, the technology could be abused,” he said. Although many areas of biotechnology reap the benefits of increased safety, the average person sees virus resistance and genetic reprogramming at the heart of movies such as “World War Z” and “I Am Legend.” Rest assured, real-life recoding is actually extremely safe due to the process of genetic isolation. This means recoded organisms can only produce certain proteins when the laboratoryproduced chemical is being supplied. “The goal of this would be to prevent our recoded organisms from surviving outside of controlled environments,” Lajoie explained. Because the organism is unnatural, the amino acids it needs to perform its engineered function could not be found naturally and must be supplied in a laboratory setting. Max Cotler, a sophomore in ENG, said he thinks synthetic DNA is completely safe and, furthermore, is ethical so far. “We are introducing new DNA into E. Coli in one of my classes,” he said. “If it was dangerous, we wouldn’t be doing it. Personally, I do not feel that using synthetic DNA is crossing any natural lines at this point. I do believe there is a line that cannot be crossed once the technology is advanced enough.” Perhaps this line exists in the realm of human genetic engineering. Ethics aside, adventurous minds may wonder if human recoding is possible — but Lajoie doesn’t think so. “I don’t think that recoding humans is on our radar yet,” he said. However, even though we won’t be able engineer ourselves to be superheroes through this research, improvements to food, drugs and the environment will surely have us feeling our best.
6
Opinion
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Girl, 21
The Daily Free Press
The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University 43rd year F Volume 85 F Issue 32
Chris Lisinski, Editor-in-Chief Sofiya Mahdi, Managing Editor
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Shakti Rovner, Office Manager The Daily Free Press (ISSN 1094-7337) is published Monday through Thursday during the academic year except during vacation and exam periods by Back Bay Publishing Co.,Inc., a nonprofit corporation operated by Boston University students. No content can be reproduced without the permission of Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. Copyright © 2013 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.
Boston Casino gambles with Eastie
East Boston residents will have the option to vote on the construction of a new casino on Nov. 5. While Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo hail the economic advantages of a casino in Boston, several activist groups are campaigning against its construction. What will happen to Eastie? With a casino comes ample opportunity for Boston residents to gamble and drink. Celeste Meyers, a 42-year-old secretary in Boston, is now the spearhead and lead campaigner for No Eastie Casino, a key non-profit organization opposed to its construction, according to Bloomberg Businessweek on Monday. She aims to stop its construction because it will lead to gambling and drinking addictions in an area where insufficient money is always an issue. Although her points are completely valid, it’s tough to think that the casino will be a deciding factor in increasing addictions and crime in Eastie. The actual construction will introduce plenty of jobs to the area, and once it’s complete, residents close by can find even more jobs inside. Because Eastie is so close to the airport, travelers with nothing to do over a layover or during an overnight stay will spend more money in Boston.
If city officials can find a replacement for Caesars Entertainment to fill the building, the resort can possibly draw in $1 billion in annual revenue, according to a Sept. 19 Boston Globe article. Of that revenue, the City of Boston and Revere will receive $32 million a year, along with an escalating share of the casino’s gambling profits. The economic benefit of the casino is inarguable. The thing is, though, not all Eastie residents are able to vote on the issue. Half of Eastie residents will not be eligible to vote on the casino because they are not legal citizens yet, according to a Saturday Boston Globe story. The Boston City Council approved a referendum that will only give Eastie residents the opportunity to vote, but if half of the people that will be affected by the casino don’t have an actual say in the issue, how will the election be fair? The numbers Nov. 5 should be very, very close, especially because voter turnout on the issue has the potential to be very low. The benefits and downfalls associated with a casino are like the flip of a coin. Nobody can realistically predict the repercussions of its construction. It’s up to the small number of voters now: will a casino harm or help the community?
Letter to the editor: Really worth it? Varun Jain scored a perfect score on the SAT when he was only 14 years old. Jacob Rice has been putting shoes on underprivileged members of his community since age 10 through a non-profit he started. But you probably haven’t heard of them. Allison Riddle spends her days teaching 5th graders math, science, literature and other life skills. When her students are busy with class work, she uses the time to mentor new teachers. She recently won Utah’s Teacher of the Year award. John Herber runs a hands-on classroom. He helped raised the proficiency by 50 percent in five years. Also, he has opened community gardens for student education, runs a homework club and coaches football. But I doubt you’ve heard of them. When I imagine reading about school news, I imagine these kinds of stories. Those focused on people making difference and giving us hope for the next generation. Reading about the government involvement with schools, dare I say it, I wish for the conversation to focus on testing and necessary funding to close the achievement gap across the U.S., thus effectively arming our students for the issues of tomorrow. Unfortunately, this is only my imagination. I get to read the stories about gun violence taking the lives of the innocent, young and important. The names that are echoed around America should be celebrating the successes of students within of our education system, not those hell-bent on destroying it. Our academic heroes should be those that work an 85-hour work week, ensuring their students have every opportunity to succeed. In a time where 5 percent of the education budget is being slashed, why do we hear about the Nation Rifle Association (NRA) and its ability to buy Congress? We live in
a nation more concerned about keeping guns in the hands of anyone than books in hand of every student. But this is the America that we chose. Because it is our “right to bear arms.” When will it finally be appropriate to reevaluate what that statement means? How many gunmen must attack our schools, theaters and Capitols? How many lives need to be lost? It terrifies me that the conversation about our nations’ classrooms focuses more on whether there should be a gun for the teacher rather than a teacher for the classroom. We should not worry about eliminating gun violence in schools, but rather eliminating the achievement gap. But, apparently a monthly report about gun violence taking innocent lives isn’t enough to spark the debate. Today, the people’s demand is louder for keeping their guns than keeping their future. Every dollar that goes into the pocket of the NRA is another 30 seconds on TV promoting pro-gun America. And every shooting is another sad article in the local paper. Unfortunately, that conversation doesn’t fuel the fire quite enough to make a change. Instead of making celebrity of any gunman, celebrate the real heroes of our schools and society. Instead of reading about the statistics of gun violence, let’s start reading the statistics of athletics. Instead of funding the NRA, fund your schools. Let’s end this madness and be done with these shootings. If your gun rights are worth a monthly shooting, be it a classroom or a cul-de-sac, it is time to re-evaluate your own thoughts. Charles M. Crocker is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying political science. He can be reached at crocker3@ bu.edu.
Luke 23:34 Sydney L. Shea For the past week, I think I’ve had excess estrogen in my body — I’ve been super irritable around other people. Boston University, which has a mix of students with varied personalities, can do this to a person from time to time. After I graduated high school, I thought I’d no longer have to deal with loud, impolite people, but the opposite has happened since I came to Boston. Whether I’m in the library or at a party, there are always at least a few people who either can’t seem to follow the rules of social etiquette, or are just simply incompetent. There have been two aggravating examples of obnoxious people in the past week, including fellow students in class, tourists and library-goers. I gave a small presentation on some classics-related research I’ve been doing in front of a class filled mainly with another species of major. I won’t say specifically what this major is, but let’s just say anyone who can read the language this column is in would be a qualified concentrator. Having dealt with them in my Core humanities classes, I normally disregard these people as irrelevant, but on this particular day I had to field questions from everyone. I talked briefly about a straightforward subject and explained a few simple terms that related to my project. It’s funny how some people can be so pseudo-intellectual at one time only to prove themselves thoroughly ignorant at another time (I’m referring to a past column I wrote on pretentious question-askers in class). As soon as something new is presented to them, it becomes threatening because it uses technical terms and accredited sources, leaving minimal space for followup comments that begin with “I feel that the lines actually mean…” or “It seems to me so profound that…” So with five minutes remaining in said class, these very people (they must have read my column!) gave my presentation vainly critical feedback — vain because it was clear to me that instead of listening to my short talk, they had latched their “Downton Abbey” pea-brains onto minor
points they had misinterpreted. But I made sure I was very polite in responding to the questions without being overly pedantic, because that is pretty insulting, and they probably didn’t mean to be so rude. I give museum tours each week – I obviously won’t say where – but I really love doing this because I get to see all kinds of people each time and teach them totally random facts. But the last time I was giving a tour several members of the group were talking the entire time in French. Normally this would be fine, except that I work in what is essentially an echo chamber, so everyone else in the group was having trouble hearing me over the background noise. But I’m too much of a wimp to tell people to please not talk, so I just went on reciting facts for the next few minutes until the tour was over. I can’t convey how awkward it is to continue talking while other people are clearly not paying attention, so now I have sympathy for all of my middle school teachers (and high school teachers, and college professors, come to think of it). The French tourists came up to ask me questions after we were through, and they turned out to be really nice people. So again, I’m glad that I was nice to them because they were obviously just oblivious. In the second situation, it was once again best to be kind and just ignore the noise. Sometimes I’m so annoyed with other people that I’m amazed when they can’t actually hear the mean comments I’m thinking about them, but it’s important to just try to be nice to everyone because you never know who might just turn out to be your new best friend. Kidding! But I do like to avoid awkward hallway encounters where it’s just you and someone you don’t like coming from different directions. Is there a term for that? Sydney L. Shea is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at slshea@bu.edu.
For the thousandth time today
Carlynn Hickenbotham is a freshman in the College of Communication studying journalism. She can be reached at hcarlynn@ bu.edu.
The opinions and ideas expressed by columnists and cartoonists are their own and are not necessarily representative of the opinions of The Daily Free Press.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
7
Women’s soccer extends unbeaten streak Women’s Soccer: From Page 8
the 27th minute, but Strom headed the shot just wide of the goal. BU also fired a pair of shots on goal in the final ten minutes of the half from Kosienski and junior forward Ana Cuffia that were stopped by American goalkeeper Charlene Belanger. The Terriers continued their momentum in the second half as they again dominated possession and outshot the Eagles 18-1, but still had trouble finding the back of the net. Sophomore forward Jenna Fischer, senior midfielder Megan McGoldrick and junior back Kai Miller each placed a shot on goal as BU once again could not convert on several opportunities within regulation time. Senior defender Amanda Rumsey had another chance to end the game with a shot that hit the post, following a corner kick by Clark in the 94th minute. “If we keep the tempo high, we can create more opportunities [to score],” Feldman said. “That’s the expectation. I think that’s really an important quality for success in league play and that takes you, hopefully, to success at the end
of the season”. Defensively, senior goalkeeper Andrea Green earned her ninth overall shutout of the season. The Eagles only managed two shots the entire game and did not challenge Green. With the victory, BU continued its eightgame unbeaten streak and clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming six-team Patriot League Tournament. As one of the top two seeds, The Terriers will receive a first-round bye and will play in the semifinals, which will be hosted by top-seeded U.S. Naval Academy Nov. 8. This will be the team’s — and the school’s — first foray into the Patriot League playoffs following a move from the America East Conference at the start of the 2013 season. Whether BU will succeed in its chase for their first national championship is still up for debate, but Feldman, the coach for all 10 of the Terriers’ NCAA Tournament appearances, said she believes this team is capable of succeeding. “We’ve done well [this season],” Feldman said. “I think we have a mature and capable team, and certainly a championship one as well.”
Hackett serves as vocal leader on field Midfielders: From Page 8
MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Senior midfielder Madeline Hackett is a leader both with her vocal attitude and her smart play.
Northeastern competing without Coyne Women’s Hockey: From Page 8
in the hockey sense a little faster than maybe they would normally have to.” The last time that the Terriers faced off against the Huskies (4-4, 1-1 Hockey East) was March 10 when BU defeated Northeastern in the Hockey East title game in Hyannis. Then-senior forward Jenelle Kohanchuk scored twice in the third period while senior goaltender Kerrin Sperry made 35 saves en route to the victory. This season, Northeastern is without its most talented player, as forward Kendall Coyne will spend the 2013-14 campaign training with the United States Women’s National Team in preparation for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Coyne was an offensive force in 201213, as she accumulated 68 points in just 37 games while leading all of the Hockey East with 37 goals. For reference, UConn (3-4-0) only managed 58 goals as a team last season. Durocher said that getting the opportunity to avoid facing Coyne on the ice this season would alter his team’s gameplan against the Huskies. “Again, when you lose great players like we lost in [junior captain Marie-Phillip] Poulin or Kendall over there, you’re talking about two kids that change the complexion of a
game,” Durocher said. “You could randomly pick up the box score almost any game over there before she arrived and you’d see that they were a very competitive, hardworking team, but they didn’t have that two-point-agame person that could turn a 2-1 loss into a 3-2 win. She did that consistently over there.” Northeastern has struggled so far this season on special teams, as it ranks last in both power-play percentage (3 percent) and penalty-kill percentage (77.8 percent). The Huskies offense, led by sophomore Paige Savage (8 points) have averaged 2.38 goals per game this season, virtually identical to BU’s numbers this season (2.40 goals per game). For Durocher, the biggest key to a Terrier victory lies in the team continuing to establish a strong defensive presence. “[The key is] continuing to, as a team, play good defense,” Durocher said. “Play hard defensively and be a little bit of a pain in the neck to play against. If we start thinking that we’re going to be going over and out-fancy Northeastern, then we’ve got the wrong mindset. “We need to come in there with a defensefirst mentality and then if we score one, if we score three, if we score five goals, we don’t want to have that as our focus. We want to make sure we’re playing well on the defensive end. If we do that, that will give us a good chance to win over there.”
Field hockey falls to No. 8 Duke, 3-1 Field Hockey: From Page 8
defensively in the second half, and then we forgot to play attack. We still were able to generate a lot of good scoring opportunities, their goalie had to come up with some really good saves.” “In particular, I’m very pleased we did not give up one penalty corner. Cal’s a very good attacking team, and not to give up one corner is an outstanding job by our defense.” The Terriers went on to face a tougher test in No. 8 Duke University in the second game of the weekend slate. The Blue Devils (13-4)
boasted a plus-21 goal differential coming into the game. Both teams started off hot, with one goal for each team coming within the first seven minutes. Blue Devils forward Cherry Seaborn scored off a rebound, while Laurito netted a slick backhand shot off the upper crossbar to tie the game up at one apiece. Duke answered back quickly in the 15th minute with a deflection from forward Emmie Le Marchand. To read the rest of this story, please visit us online at www.dailyfreepress.com.
goal, as they struggled in the second half. “[Laurito] came up really big in that first half,” Starr said. “And I think all of the midfielders attacked very well. I think in the second half we just got ourselves bogged down and we kept going into them, almost like a moth into a light, just banging into them as opposed to going to the open side of the field with good ball pace and good off ball running.” The statistics say it all. There is no doubt that BU’s midfielders have an immense amount of skill, but they are leaders on the field as well. As the game against the Blue Devils (134) got underway Sunday, senior midfielder Madeline Hackett was noticeably vocal on the field. Not only was she outspoken to start the game, she maintained possession of the ball, trying to set up her teammates in the attacking third.
“It’s something we’ve been wanting to happen all year,” Starr said. “I really feel that when the volume is high on the field, they’re really locked into the play and their hockey. So we’re working on it in practice, good teams are loud and when you’re playing consistently well, you’re loud. When we’re struggling, we’re quiet. So we definitely want the senior leadership to pump up and we really need everyone talking out there.” Despite the midfielders being an impressive group for Starr’s team, they still have quite a bit to work on, as the Terriers head into their final games of the 2013 season trying to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years. “Just staying disciplined, keeping the ball moving and recognizing when you need to carry, when you need to make the extra pass,” Starr said about working on the midfielders as the season comes to a close. “I’m really working on the midfield transfer.”
McKay: Clowney should be No. 1 draft pick McKay: From Page 8
want Clowney, a defensive force who can stop the ball when teamed with a solid secondary? To properly answer this question, we’ve got to look at a little history. Since 2000, a quarterback has been the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft ten times. Half of those ten (Michael Vick, Eli Manning, Carson Palmer, Cam Newton and Andrew Luck) have been voted to the Pro Bowl. Three more (Alex Smith, Matthew Stafford and Sam Bradford) are competent quarterbacks. And the last two (David Carr and JaMarcus Russell) are busts. On the other hand, just two defensive ends have been drafted No. 1 overall in the same time frame. One of them (Mario Williams) is an unquestionable star. He was drafted in front of USC’s star Reggie Bush in 2006. The so-called “experts” scorned the Houston Texans for drafting Williams ahead of Bush, but Williams has had a far better career. The other end drafted number one, Courtney Brown in 2000, was out of the NFL by 2005. So there’s definitely a difference in sample size. It’s unwise to compare draft results from the earlier days of the game, because of how much the game has changed into a wide-open, air-it-out league. But going on the numbers since 2000, quarterbacks have an 80 percent “success” rate, as only two quarterbacks can be described as sub-par from the group of ten. The defensive end success rate (small sample size alert!) is 50 percent. It’s difficult to apply these rates of success to players like Jadeveon Clowney and Teddy Bridgewater. In Clowney’s case, it’s difficult because he is unlike any defensive end that we’ve seen before. If you follow college football at all, you’ve seen
The Hit. During the Outback Bowl in 2013, Clowney burst into the University of Michigan backfield and hit running back Vincent Smith with fantastic force, knocking off Smith’s helmet and forcing a fumble. In that one play, Clowney showcased all he had to offer: speed, power and strength. Bridgewater, on the other hand, fits many teams’ prototype of an NFL quarterback. He’s got the height (6-foot-3), the arm strength and the leadership that’s necessary for NFL success. Bridgewater’s greatest asset is his accuracy, a skill that normally translates well from college to the NFL. This debate comes down to one question: would you rather go with a known quality or an enigma? We’ve seen quarterbacks like Teddy Bridgewater before. We haven’t seen a defensive end like Jadeveon Clowney. Bridgewater seems to be a safer pick. But Clowney might have more upside. “Upside” is a well-used term among draft pundits. It suggests that the prospect is risk-reward, someone who could end up as a spectacular player or as a spectacular bust. But I don’t think that’s fair to apply to Jadeveon Clowney, because I see no risk with drafting him at number one. A conclusion I have come to is that the replacement factor has to be in play. Teddy Bridgewater is a great quarterback. But there are plenty of other talented quarterbacks eligible for the draft this year, any of which could be good NFL players, with indivduals like Johnny Manziel, Marcus Mariota and Tajh Boyd coming to mind. But there’s not a single defensive end that even approaches Jadeveon Clowney on the draft board this year. I think, in a vacuum, Clowney is the better prospect. And not only that, but I think he’s unique in terms of skill set. He should go number one overall in the 2014 NFL draft.
“
Quotable
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Just staying disciplined, keeping the ball moving and recognizing when you need to carry, when you need to make the extra pass.
- BU coach Sally Starr on the improvements the field hockey team needs to make
page 8
Foul Shots Pro Prospects
Patrick McKay
We’ve gotten to the point in the college football season when NFL draft pundits begin to make mock drafts, and it’s an annoying time. Guys such as Mel Kiper Jr. saturate our heads with their ideas about where players could end up once the draft is over. Ideally, teams draft out of need. You won’t see the Green Bay Packers draft a potentially starting quarterback when they have Aaron Rodgers signed through 2019. On the other hand, a team like the Jacksonville Jaguars (who have not had a decent quarterback since David Garrard in 2009-10), is more inclined to end up drafting a quarterback. I am not going to try and make my own mock draft. There are far too many of those. What I would like to do is treat the NFL draft like a fantasy draft. If you’ve got to start with an empty roster, who’s the best prospect? Who’s the one player that you want to be your franchise cornerstone, the one you build around? University of South Carolina defensive end Jedeveon Clowney and University of Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater are the consensus top two picks in the 2014 NFL draft in some order. Before the season, Clowney was the undisputed No. 1 pick, as well as a frontrunner for the Heisman. His combination of size (6-6, 274 lbs.) and speed (4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash) is unrivaled in the college ranks. However, a slow start to the 2013-14 season dashed Clowney’s Heisman chances, and as a consequence had many question his commitment and drive. Bridgewater has enjoyed an amazing start to the 2013-14 season. The junior has thrown for over 2,500 yards, 23 touchdowns and two interceptions. Louisville stands at 7-1. According to various NFL reports, had Bridgewater been eligible for the 2013 draft, he would have been the first quarterback chosen. Statistics aside, which would you rather have? Remember, we’re doing this from the standpoint of a fantasy football team. Do you want a field general like Bridgewater first, surround him with competent receivers, and run teams off the field? Or would you
MCKay, see page 7
Tuesday, Oct. 29
Sports
The women’s hockey team will travel across town to face Northeastern University on Tuesday, P.8.
[ www.dailyfreepress.com ]
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Women’s hockey prepares for Northeastern Women’s soccer beats American in overtime, 1-0
By Conor Ryan Daily Free Press Staff
The Boston University women’s hockey team will finally start up its Hockey East conference schedule Tuesday night, as the Terriers are set to face off against Northeastern University at Matthews Arena. Despite already playing in five games this season, the Terriers (31-1) are only one of three Hockey East teams (University of Connecticut, University of Vermont) that have yet to clash with a conference opponent this season. As it has been seemingly every year, the Hockey East is set to be another showcase of competitive play. In a preseason poll released in mid-September, the space between the second-ranked Terriers (48 votes) and the fifth-ranked University of New Hampshire (34 votes) was decided by only 14 votes. This is the second-straight year in which BU is tabbed to finish second in the conference, trailing only to Boston College (56 votes). The Terriers are coming off of a wildly successful 2012-13 campaign, as they captured both the Hockey East regular-season title and tournament championship for the first time in program history. “I think you want to get off to a good start,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “21 games is not a super-long time, and that’s what the Hockey East regular season consists of. … I think the kids are taking it as another game, it will be a quick turnaround from Saturday night to a Tuesday game, but I like to think the kids … will be ready to go come Tuesday.” The Terriers are coming off of a 2-1 victory over Yale University Saturday afternoon in the friendly confines of Walter Brown Arena. Sophomore forward Sarah Lefort and freshman forward Maddie Elia each found the back of the net in the game for the Terriers, improving BU’s home-opener record to 5-3-1.
By Mike Chan Daily Free Press Staff
“They don’t have to be top scorers, they don’t have to be the star of the game every night. … The sooner they mature, the sooner they get used to the extended roles, the better we’ll be. “We know what’s ahead of us, and those kids will have to grow up
After nearly 98 minutes of inspiring play, the Boston University women’s soccer team managed to pull away with yet another clutch victory against a Patriot League rival, beating American University Sunday night in Washington for its third consecutive win. The Terriers (12-3-3, 7-1 Patriot League) continuously pressured the Eagles (6-10-3, 4-3-1 Patriot League) for the majority of the game, but things did not click until extra time, as junior forward Taylor Krebs fired a shot from inside the box to the right of the net in the 98th minute to seal the game. It was Krebs’ second goal of the season, and her second gamewinning shot of her career. The Terrier offense, which has relied on its aggressive play to overwhelm and attack opponents, had a record night that once again showcased its tremendous success as a team. By the end of the night, the Terriers managed a season-high 31 shots, 22 corner kicks and 11 shots on goal. 12 different players also recorded at least two shot attempts in the game. Senior midfielder Kylie Strom led the team with four total shots, while senior forward Madison Clemens and freshman forward Erica Kosienski recorded two shots on goal. “We had physicality from start to finish, which I think we need to bring for 90 minutes every game,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman. “While the points didn’t show up, I like that we started the game more physical and with a better approach to winning and being first to the ball.” In the first half, the Terriers had their best chance to score following a corner kick by senior Emma Clark in
WoMen’s HoCKey, see page 7
WoMen’s soCCer, see page 7
MICHELLE JAY/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Sophomore forward Sarah Lefort continued her offensive success as she scored the game-winning goal against Yale Saturday.
BU has received contributions from a multitude of players so far this season, especially from its underclassmen, as five of the Terriers’ top six scorers are either a freshman or a sophomore. “It’s nice that they’re generating offense, it’s nice that they’re gaining confidence,” Durocher said.
Field hockey splits home series Strong midfielders lead Terriers By Justin Pallenik Daily Free Press Staff
In its final nonconference games of the regular season, the Boston University field hockey team left a weekend homestand with a series split. The Terriers (11-6, 4-1 Patriot League) began play this weekend series Friday against the University of California. The Bears (6-10) came into the contest having lost five of their last six, while BU coasted into the game having won its last two contests. The Terriers scored early and often in the first half, posting three goals in the first 20 minutes of play. Sophomore midfielder Sofi Laurito and senior backer Ysi Schieb both scored off of corners inserted by freshman midfielder Hester van der Laan. BU’s final goal also came courtesy of van der Laan, this time on a penalty stroke. These four points
The Bottom Line
W. Hockey @ Northeastern, 7 p.m.
CROSSTOWN RIVALS
The Daily Free Press
Wednesday, Oct. 30 M. Soccer @ Colgate, 7 p.m.
pushed her season total up to 13. “[Van der Laan] is a great twoway player,” said BU coach Sally Starr. “She plays with a lot of energy, a lot of intensity and she’s got the highest work rate on the team. Exciting things happen defensively and offensively when she’s around the ball.” In the second half, BU eased up on offense and got complacent several times on the defensive end. Junior goalkeeper Valentina Cerda Eimbcke came up with some spectacular saves to preserve a 3-1 Terrier victory. Despite playing sluggishly in the second half, BU boasted a stat sheet with zero Cal attack penalty corners. “We definitely controlled the play much more in the first half,” Starr said. “We moved the ball better and we played better in the first half. They started to stretch us a little more
FieLd HoCKey, see page 7
Thursday, Oct. 31
No Events Scheduled The 2004 Red Sox are glad they had Dave Roberts stealing bases and not Kolten Wong.
By Christopher Dela Rosa Daily Free Press Staff
Boston University field hockey coach Sally Starr could not definitively say what the team’s strength was at the beginning of the season. At first, it seemed as if it was in the attacking third, with the great scoring output the team had in its first game. A scoring drought ensued following that game, making the defense and junior goalkeeper Valentina Cerda Eimbcke stand out as they kept the Terriers (11-6, 4-1 Patriot League) in several games. Now the midfielders are the ones leading the way for Starr’s team as it wraps up the regular season. This could be seen during both of the Terriers’ games this weekend. Against the University of California Friday afternoon, it was the midfielders leading the way on offense. While it was senior backer Ysi
Friday, Nov. 1 M. Hockey vs. Providence, 7:30 p.m. W. Hockey @ New Hampshire, 7 p.m.
Schieb who scored the first goal in the game, it was freshman midfielder Hester van der Laan with a pass off the corner to set up Schieb’s goal in the 13th minute. Van der Laan did the same thing to set up another midfielder, sophomore Sofi Laurito, who was fortunate enough to have her shot deflect off of a California player and into the goal. Less than a minute after earning her second assist of the day, van der Laan converted a penalty stroke. Those three goals that van der Laan helped produce were more than enough for the Terriers to defeat a struggling Bears (6-10) team. The following day against Duke University, it was Laurito taking over and scoring an impressive backhanded goal after weaving through defenders, scoring her seventh goal of the season. Unfortunately, that was the Terriers’ only
MidFieLders, see page 7
Saturday, Nov. 2 M. Soccer @ American, 1 p.m. W. Soccer vs. Bucknell, 2 p.m. W. Hockey vs. Vermont, 4 p.m. M. Hockey @ Providence, 8 p.m.