Collection boxes fill for ‘flow drive’

Houren said.

Period products, which remain taxable in some states, can be unaffordable for lowincome individuals.

together as a unit,” said barista Connor Brennan. “It’s a huge victory.”

Employees announced their petition to unionize in December, citing concerns about understaffing and underpayment.

According to CNBC, more than 300 Starbucks locations have voted on whether to unionize since December 2021, with more than 250 deciding in favor

» See UNION, page 6

Scientists have studied the composition and structure of tooth enamel on a scale larger than 50 micrometers and smaller than 100 nanometers. Enamel is the hardest substance in the human body and is the outermost layer of the human tooth.

A group of Northwestern researchers recently became the first scientists to successfully study crystalline orientation in single enamel rods, as well as in interrod enamel, as published in a December study.

The novel research could one day help predict an individual’s future dental health by illuminating structural differences which impact enamel lifespan.

McCormick Prof. Derk Joester, primary investigator and co-author of the study, said enamel is a “poster child” for being a hierarchical material, in which structural features largely depend on the length scale, or on the size magnitude, of the material studied.

“In order to understand how enamel dissolves when it’s exposed to acids that biofilms and bacteria in your mouth produce, you really need to understand it at all of these length scales,” Joester said.

The study, a result of more than four years of research, was also co-authored by Karen DeRocher (McCormick ’20), a postdoctoral research associate at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. She worked in Joester’s lab in 2020 when the study method was published.

DeRocher said her main role with the lab was to run experiments at the beamline, an advanced photon source tool located at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois.

“We were looking at how things like composition or crystal packing affect the orientation of crystallites,” she said. “We were also looking to see if there were any chemical gradients

» See ENAMEL , page 6

By BEATRICE VILLAFLOR the daily northwestern @beatricedvilla

Northwestern’s Menstrual Equity Activists is encouraging students to stock collection boxes across campus with period products like panty liners, tampons and menstrual cups as part of the organization’s quarterly “flow drive.”

Running through March 10, the drive includes collection points at all residential area desks on campus, as well as in Kresge Hall and the Norris University Center. All materials received will benefit local non-profit The Period Collective.

“(Menstrual equity is) a really interesting issue because a lot of people don’t think about it as a big issue in our country and in the world in general, because it only affects about half the population,” Weinberg freshman and MEA member Grace

Houren, a member of Associated Student Government’s Health & Wellness Committee, said lack of access to menstrual products can be debilitating for those who menstruate. She said some lower-income people who menstruate often resort to cardboard or socks to soak up bleeding.

“It’s a little bit frustrating that period products have been deemed non-essential, even though they are essential to maintaining your health and dignity,” Weinberg junior and MEA co-President Lili Pope said.

She said menstrual equity is just one subset of equal access to healthcare.

Pope added that lack of access to menstrual products can negatively impact a person’s overall well-being and mental health.

“(Restrictions on) reproductive rights have historically

By ANGELI MITTAL daily senior staffer @amittal27

As a Northwestern student, Adam Bennett (WCAS ‘95) played for NU’s Division I men’s soccer team. After a knee injury, he decided to go into sports medicine. Now, he’s the new medical director of sports medicine at Northwestern Medicine’s Sports Medicine and Imaging Center.

“Northwestern is near and dear to my heart,” Bennett said. “I’ve learned a lot about sports medicine and have always wanted to come back to home base, which is Evanston.”

The Sports Medicine and Imaging Center opened Dec. 1 at 1704 Maple Ave. It aims to provide efficient appointment scheduling for sports-related injuries, breast care, diagnostic imaging and other services to NU students and Chicago area residents.

Evanston already hosts Northwestern Medicine’s Outpatient and Immediate Care Center, which provides primary care, emergency and other specialized services within a quarter of a mile from the new facility.

With the healthcare center in close proximity to NU’s Evanston campus, Bennett said the facility enables students to receive medical care without needing to trek far. He also said the center makes it easier for people to decide whether their injury requires imaging, physical therapy or a specific healing period prior to returning to regular activity.

“(People) need physical therapy to get those answers, and they often had to go downtown (to Chicago) or somewhere else in the area,” Bennett said. “But now we have it right downtown. It’s much more convenient for the students and faculty.”

When NU decided to create an orthopedic clinic in downtown Evanston, he was able to bring his vision of accessible