FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2013
NEWSBRIEFS Broadway closes for construction
Campus THE
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Marathon for the Greeks Students present research
Road construction on Broadway Street began on April 18 stretching from Fontainebleau Drive to Leake Avenue. Residents of Broadway Street were given notices to vacate their parking spots on the street this past week. The Paths to Progress program, sponsored by the state, is a transportation improvement program to restore and enhance more than 60 roadway segments in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. The Broadway segment was bid at $3,000,000. During the unspecified length of the construction, parking is prohibited on Broadway, with cars being towed at the owner’s expense.
By MELANIE POTTER Staff Writer
Physics senior accepted to summer program Loyola physics senior William Duhe has been accepted into the prestigious Nevis Summer Research Program for Undergraduates at Columbia University, a program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Duhe will be studying black holes, supernova remnants and more deep space phenomena at the VERITAS telescope array system just south of Tucson, Ariz. VERITAS is dedicated to the study of gamma-ray astrophysics, which help answer some of the most important questions in particle physics and cosmology.
Loyola hosts environmental film screening Loyola Environment program and the Loyola Film Buffs Institute will present a public screening of the “Dirty Energy” film on Monday, April 22 at 7 p.m. The filming coincides with the third anniversary, April 20, of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The film highlights the stories of Louisiana fishermen and locals impacted by the oil spill. The film’s director, Bryan Hopkins, as well as Aaron Viles, deputy director of the Gulf Restoration Network, and George Barisich of the St. Bernard Fisherman’s Association will be present for a Q-and-A session after the screening.
Eric knoepfler/The Maroon
Theta Phi Alpha junior Julia Hussey and Sigma Alpha Kappa sophomore David Valadez sprint in the rain to the finish line in a three-legged race. The race, along with a game of tug of war and other competetions lasting all week, were a part of Greek Week, with points being awarded to the winners at the end of the week. All Loyola Greek organizations participated in the events culminating on April 12.
Your brain on the Internet
Shannon Donaldson elected as 2013 Wolf Magazine Editor Mass communication junior Shannon Donaldson has been elected editor of The Wolf for the 2013-2014 academic year. Donaldson has served as design chief, staff writer and assistant Life and Times editor for The Maroon. She has also served as a contributing writer for The Wolf. “I am so honored and humbled to have been selected to lead a publication I have admired for so many years,” Donaldson said.
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In his presentation “The Mind in the Net” in Roussell Hall on April 17, author Nicholas Carr discusses the inspiration for his New York Times best-selling book “The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to Our Brains.” Carr, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, discusses the detrimental effects of the Internet on the human brain. In his book, Carr argues that the Internet especially affects our ability to focus, capacity for critical thought and even our imagination.
Tom Sevick, environmental biology senior, never thought his research would lead him to surprising results regarding the aquatic life of two of Louisiana’s largest disasters. On Friday, April 5, Sevick and 12 others presented their research at the 23rd Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, showcasing biology seniors’ undergraduate research. Patricia Dorn, professor of biological sciences, was the organizer for this event. However, each student had a faculty adviser who each has worked with throughout their undergraduate career. Thirteen students presented, including 11 from Loyola, one Tulane student and one student who flew in from Montclair, NJ. Biology senior Jeffrey Coote spent his time at Loyola researching elbow joint regeneration in embryonic chickens alongside his research adviser Rosalie Anderson, associate professor of biological sciences. In Coote’s research, he specifically focuses on the roles of different growth factors involving in the regenerative process. “My research was funded by a grant that my adviser, Dr. Anderson, received from the National Institutes of Health, along with Loyola’s Mullahy Student Research Fund,” Coote said. Another Loyola biology senior making research strides is Shelly Wu. Wu studied the growth of aquatic microorganisms on human hair that has been submerged in water over time. She said this could be used as a potential method for determining the length of time a corpse has been in water. “Currently there is no reliable method to determine the length of time a body has been in water. My research addresses this issue by using human hair as a model, instead of previous studies that use dead pigs,” Wu said. Wu said she received funding from SGA’s Richard Frank Grant and the Louisiana Supervised Undergraduate Research Experience Grant. Sevick studied the effects of both natural and human disturbances on nekton. Sevick explains nekton is considered any aquatic organism that can control its position in the water. Sevick collaborated with Dr. Jordan to make this research possible. “The next step for this research is to continually revisit and sample the site that Dr. Jordan and I have been visiting from ‘99 to the summer of ‘12. This will allow us to see if trends continue,” Sevick said. All students involved in the symposium focused on different areas of biology, with the help of professors, funding and the university. Melanie Potter can be reached at mppotter@loyno.edu