2014-07-03

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MichiganDaily.com

Weekly Summer Edition

ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Ann Arbor, MI

Thursday, July 3, 2014

ACADEMICS

Chemistry prof. earns $1 million grant, set to improve intro classes HHMI awards funds to encourage undergraduate interest in science

The 2,000 students expected to take Chemistry 211 next year are in for a surprise. Chemistry Prof. Anne McNeil was recently awarded $1 million from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to improve undergraduate chemistry education for the coming academic year. McNeil is one of 15 science educators to be selected. The institute’s stated purpose in funding each educator is to encourage more students to engage with science, math and engineering and maintain American leadership in those fields. McNeil’s main focus with the grant will be revamping introductory chemistry courses at the University, namely Chemistry 211, an introductory laboratory course, which she believes are important because they’re required for many science and engineering majors and careers and are often students’ first experience in a scientific lab setting. McNeil has observed that 37 percent of students changed their course of study after taking introductory chemistry courses, which she attributed to the class’s cur-

rent nature. “Chem 211 is a class that mostly freshmen take, either first semester or after they take General Chemistry,” she said. “The general consensus is that the class is kind of boring and not challenging, because it can be a recap of what students have already learned in high school, and many people lose interest.” McNeil said students’ first lab experience should be engaging because it’s crucial for success and eventual advancement in a plethora of careers. She added that she doesn’t want students to decide against being doctors because they didn’t enjoy their first chemistry class freshman year. Though time and large enrollment numbers have proved to be an obstacle in the past, McNeil plans to make the lab an opportunity for students to get excited about chemistry by allowing them the chance to make and test more of their own original hypotheses and creating lab exercises with more practical application, so they’re more relevant to students’ lives. One of the experiments she anticipates will be popular involves converting vegetable oil used in restaurants into biodiesel. While a large portion of higher education funding is generally allocated for graduate students, McNeil said she believes investing in undergraduate education is important because it’s the time that students begin fostering their interests and deciding on careers. See PROF., Page 8

By STEPHANIE SHENOUDA Managing Editor ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Ann Arbor Police Chief John Seto takes notes on public concerns about game day road closures at a meeting at Pioneer High Tuesday.

City holds meeting on game day road closures AAPD Chief John Seto talks traffic and safety concerns for football Saturdays By EMMA KERR Daily Staff Reporter

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John Seto, Ann Arbor Police Chief, led a community meeting Tuesday to discuss traffic concerns and changes during University football games and the upcoming International Champions Cup game between Manchester United and Real Madrid. Following recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security in 2013 and a request from

the University, several roads were closed before and after football games this year. Planned modifications from last year’s closings include blocking off Main Street southbound one hour prior to kick off instead of three, prompted by community input. While Main Street northbound will remain closed three hours prior to games, both north and southbound traffic on Main Street will be open after the game. Community complaints expressed at the meeting included a lack of police officers directing traffic after the games, traffic control strategy alterations for the upcoming soccer game, making more one-way streets to create more movement out of the city post-game and the need for more communication

between attendees about what roads will be closed and how the traffic flow is managed. Various modifications, such as the Main Street closure, will occur for all seven of the Michigan football games this fall, including the Slippery Rock University game. Along with manual control of traffic lights, officers will be sent out to observe traffic and report issues, various streets will be closed and contingencies are being considered to deal with possible construction. Seto cited weather and a lack of available officers to execute more extensive traffic planning as the cause for extreme delays, specifically post-game. Another cause of the extensive traffic jam post-game is drivers not utilizing all available See FORUM, Page 2

NEWS

OPINION

ARTS

SPORTS

INDEX

Musuem of Natural History unveils exhibit on the history of the species.

From the Daily: DWSD must ensure rights of all citizens to water supplies

Two Daily Arts Editors chronicle their adventures at the iconic music festival

As three players head to the NBA, one coach holds out hope for a fourth

NEWS .................................... 2 OPINION ...............................4 ARTS ......................................6 CLASSIFIEDS.........................8 CROSSWORD........................8 SPORTS................................ 10

Passenger pigeon

>> SEE PAGE 3

Water crisis

>> SEE PAGE 4

Electric Forest

>> SEE PAGE 6

Beilein’s vigil

>> SEE PAGE 10

Vol. CXXIV, No. 113 | © 2014 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com


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