see UNIONS on PAGE 13
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January 27, 2010, Volume 204 >> Number 87 >> 40 cents >> iowastatedaily.com >> An independent newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890
Engineering Competition
Some assembly required Building a car from scratch mandates creative thinking
Union Pacific to demolish Dinkey Bridge By Allison Suesse Daily Staff Writer
By Heidi Ebert Daily Staff Writer Hands-on experience is as much a part of an engineering education as formal classroom training at Iowa State. Students work Combs all year for competitions or projects in the spring. “The real value is derived from the creative process,” said Elliot Combs, president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. “When you sit down and build something you encounter so many road blocks,problems and questions you didn’t think of before.” The regional Chem-E-Car competition and the University Mars Rover Challenge are two such competitions. The car competition will take place at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Mid-America Conference on April 9-10. The $30,000 event is sponsored by the AIChE. This year the conference is being hosted by Iowa State for the first time in more than 10 years. Students participating must build a car run by a chemical process. The car cannot be controlled remotely. The braking system in the car must also be controlled by a chemical process. There are no mechanical devices
City Council
Derek Joseph, junior in mechanical engineering, cuts down some of the framework for the MAVRIC II. in preparation for the upcoming engineering competition. Courtesy photo: Matthew Nelson
used to stop the car. Each car is required to carry a load across a certain distance for the competition. The goal is to stop as close to the specified finish line as possible. The catch to these rules is that the distance to the finish line and the load is not given to the teams until only one hour before the competition . In addition to the performance
part of the competition each team is required to present its car on a poster. The poster outlines various aspects of the car and how it is designed. A team is judged on its posters and the performance of its car. The Chem-E-Car competition is open to all engineering students who want to participate. The competition not only improves students’ skill in
chemical engineering, but electrical and mechanical engineering as well. Each team must design the mechanical structure of the car as well as the complex electrical circuits inside. Like many other engineering projects, the whole system spans across many different disciplines of engineering.
see CAR on PAGE 16
Health
ADA deems acai berry average
see DINKEY on PAGE 16
Music
Howie Day reschedules performance By Mark Runkel Daily Staff Writer
Weight loss hype declared myth by scientific evidence
Howie Day’s performance at the Maintenance Shop on Wednesday has been rescheduled for Tuesday due to illness, according to a news release from the M-Shop. All tickets for Wednesday’s performance will be honored at Day’s appearance Tuesday. Refunds are available for those who bought tickets and are unable to make the rescheduled date. The refund must be done before the event and in person at the M-shop ticket office. The Canadian singer/songwriter Serena Ryder will still be playing a free show Wednesday featuring songs from her newest album, “If Your Memory Serves You Well,” but may not be playing Tuesday. Also the soulful singer/songwriter Matt Lowell will still be playing selections from his new EP “Second Storm.” Matt Lowell is expected to also play Tuesday.
By Sarah Gonzalez Daily Staff Writer The acai berry, which grows in Central and South America, has been promoted as a “super food” across the United States. Some have claimed it has powers to cure diabetes or to shed extra pounds. However, nutritionists and the Francis American Dietetic Association have revealed the acai’s true identity: An average berry. “Studies from Texas and the University of Florida have shown people absorb the antioxidants contained in the berry, but no human studies have yet found special health benefits from consuming acai,” according to an ADA news release. The berry is a dark purple, grape-sized fruit that grows on the acai palm in mostly swampy areas from Belize to Brazil.
see ACAI on PAGE 16
The Union Pacific Railroad Corp. came to a decision Tuesday to demolish the abandoned “Dinkey Bridge” after negotiating the matter with the City of Ames. The Ames City Council reached an agreement to devise a counter proposal at the Jan. 12 meeting to request that Union Pacific help restore and donate $30,000 to transform the bridge to a bicycle and pedestrian path. The bridge would have been connected to existing paths in the area. “Since we began discussions with city staff nearly 10 years ago regarding the disposition of the bridge, the structure has deteriorated considerably,” said Mike Davis, spokesperson for Union Pacific, in an e-mail. The council raised concerns about the structural integrity of the bridge at the Jan. 12 council meeting and Miller noted in his e-mail that in the interest of public safety, the bridge should be removed. City Manager Steve Schainker mentioned Union Pacific likely did not accept the city’s proposal because the bridge presents a liability for the railroad company. If Ames had obtained ownership of the bridge to transform into a bike path, part of the trail would have crossed over a Union Pacific rail-
The ADA determined that the acai berry is not superior to other fruits. Courtesy photo: Guarana Import
Budget Cuts
Faculty’s employment remains uncertain Teaching positions may be reallocated By Jessica Opoien Daily Staff Writer Amid the discussion regarding potential changes to the ISU faculty handbook’s policy for handling faculty termination, Faculty Senate President Arnold van der Valk compared the situation to “looking at a glacier — then all of a sudden, an iceberg breaks off.” “What we’re seeing right now is the lull before the storm,” van der Valk said. He explained that faculty do not yet
have enough knowledge to ask specific questions of the administration. At the Jan. 19 Faculty Senate meeting, Executive Vice Presi- van der Valk dent and Provost Elizabeth Hoffman addressed the Senate and discussed the effects of the 10 percent reduction in state appropriations for the current fiscal year. She predicted future budget cuts, adding that the elimination of majors,
see FACULTY on PAGE 16
Fiscal year 2009-2010 college budgets: ■■ College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: $26,414,065 ■■ College of Business: $16,096,842 ■■ College of Design: $12,399,820 ■■ College of Engineering: $48,025,688 ■■ College of Human Sciences: $23,114,519 ■■ College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: $86,861,593 ■■ College of Veterinary Medicine: $29,388,185
College budgets after a 5 percent cut to 2009–2010 budgets: ■■ College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: $25,093,362 ■■ College of Business: $15,292,000 ■■ College of Design: $11,779,829 ■■ College of Engineering: $45,624,404 ■■ College of Human Sciences: $21,958,794 ■■ College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: $82,518,514 ■■ College of Veterinary Medicine: $27,918,776
College budgets after a 10 percent cut to 2009–2010 budgets: ■■ College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: $23,772,659 ■■ College of Business: $14,487,158 ■■ College of Design: $11,159,838 ■■ College of Engineering: $43,223,120 ■■ College of Human Sciences: $20,803,068 ■■ College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: $78,75,434 ■■ College of Veterinary Medicine: $26,449,367