2014-09-25

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ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Thursday, September 25, 2014

Ann Arbor, Michigan

michigandaily.com

RESEARCH

POMPON PEP

Technology set to boost cell display efficiency VICKI LIU/Daily

LSA sophomore Ann Ludka, member of the University pompon team, rehearses in the Michigan League Wednesday.

LSA theme semester looks at ‘U’ athletics, academia Courses examine sports from varying perspectives By JENNIFER CALFAS Managing News Editor

As the University’s historically successful football program receives criticism from media and fans alike, the “Sport and the University” theme

semester couldn’t have come at a better time. Following theme semesters titled “India and the World” and “Understanding Race and Ethnicity,” the Fall 2014 semester strives to continue a 20-year tradition of focused studies within the school. After a committee was formed several years ago to discuss the curricula offered related to sport and physical activity, the ideas for the Fall 2014 theme

semester came into fruition. English Prof. Anne Curzan, one of the theme semester’s leaders and faculty liaison to the Athletic Department, said the theme offers a unique perspective to tie together athletics and academics — two defining aspects of the University’s culture. “We decided it would be really fun to sponsor a theme semester on sport and the University to highlight all these intersections — and to see what

departments would come up with related to the theme,” Curzan wrote in a statement. “And it has been exciting to see the range of events and topics that have come together around this theme.” In conjunction with the theme semester, a series of lectures, panels and film screenings will take place throughout the fall. Some students are taking courses offered within the See THEME, Page 2A

Researchers overcome technical hurdle in construction of longer-lasting diodes By IAN DILLINGHAM Daily News Editor

Students often stare at their phones in class. They may not realize they’re actually looking at thousands or millions of tiny red, green and blue dots called pixels, but they most likely realize — as their batteries are slowly depleted — that these displays are major power drains for modern smartphones. That is where researchers in the University’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science come in. New findings published this week in Nature Communications may allow smartphones to run longer on less power thanks to advancements in light-emitting diodes — LEDs — the building blocks of color displays on smartphones and the source of count-

HOSPITAL

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Health System to expand with new facilities After regents’ approval last week, UMHS will increase operating space By AMABEL KAROUB Daily Staff Reporter

The University of Michigan Health System is making moves to meet increasing patient demand. The University’s Board of Regents approved a plan last Thursday to build four new operating rooms in the UMHS Department of Surgery. The renovation will cover more than 24,000 square feet and cost about $23 million. The expansion is due to be completed in Spring 2016. The new operating rooms will encompass an area previously taken up by neurology clinics, which will be relocated to University Hospital South, adjacent to the main hospital. In addition to the new operating areas, the

expansion will make room for new storage units, offices and a staff lounge. “This investment in adult operating room capacity will improve patient access and our overall ability to accommodate the growing number of patients who seek our care,” said Anthony Denton, acting chief executive officer of the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, in a press release last week. “The result will be a better experience for patients and our care team.” Surgery Prof. Michael Mulholland, chairman of the Department of Surgery, said the renovation reflects the yearly increase in patients at UMHS of approximately 4 percent per year over the last 20 years. Not including the expansion, UMHS has 66 operating rooms. As the number of patients increases, so does the number of surgery cases. In the past fiscal year, the number of surgical cases at UMHS rose by 3.8 See UMHS, Page 2A

less other forms of artificial light. The research was conducted in the lab of Stephen Forrest, the Paul G. Goebel Professor of Engineering and former vice president of research for the University. Traditional LEDs are constructed with a mixture of indium, gallium, nitride and other inorganic compounds. In contrast, organic light-emitting diodes — OLEDs — are carbonbased. In 1998, Forrest and his team demonstrated the first phosphorescent OLEDs, a subset of the OLED family that has been shown to be about four times more efficient. However, these PHOLEDs suffered from a crucial flaw: They degraded under blue light. While they performed well with red and green wavelengths, it turned out blue light was of too high an energy, breaking covalent bonds between molecules in the diode and rendering it useless. Mobile phone manufacturers are currently able to incorporate the efficient PHOLEDs to See TECHNOLOGY, Page 2A

Student-run business to expand to other schools University alumni provide campuses with local deals ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Michael Blanding discusses his book, “The Map Thief,” about E. Forbes Smiley III, who stole millions of dollars’ worth of antique maps from libraries around the country.

Journalist recounts tales of infamous art dealer Michael Blanding shares experience investigating “The Map Thief” By TOM MCBRIEN Daily Staff Reporter

Stories of daring map thefts may call to mind fantastical Hollywood films featuring Nicolas Cage, but a lecture

delivered Wednesday evening by author Michael Blanding detailed the real-life thefts of infamous rare map thief E. Forbes Smiley III. Blanding recounted his experience researching the events that led to Smiley’s eventual arrest in 2005, including an interview with Smiley himself for Blanding’s book, “The Map Thief.” Smiley, a respected and charismatic art dealer, was often given nearly unrestricted access to

libraries’ and museums’ collections of rare maps — access that allowed him to steal a total of 97 maps, together worth about $3 million. Blanding, an investigative journalist, explained his own fascination with maps. “I think maps reach people on a number of different levels. They can be looked at as beautiful art objects, but at the same time they have real historical value,” he said. “You See JOURNALIST, Page 2A

By MICHAEL SUGERMAN Daily Staff Reporter

For the past four years, the student-created discount card LegendsCard has provided University students with their “key to VIP treatment at your favorite local businesses,” according to its website. Business junior Josh Katzman has been the company’s CEO since 2013. Last week, he hosted the unveiling of the physical card’s fourth iteration. “People just love them,” he said, adding that he feels the cards add a special air of exclusivity and cool. The company branded its newest card to resemble a matteblack ace of spades. A LegendsCard costs $20 and comes with a free mobile app. The company currently pairs with 37 See BUSINESS, Page 2A

ArtPrize in the b-side An in-depth look at the yearly Grand Rapids art competition

» INSIDE WEATHER TOMORROW

HI: 76 LO: 46

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INDEX

Vol. CXXIV, No. 143 ©2014 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com

NEWS......................... 2A SUDOKU.....................2A OPINION..................... 3A

SPORTS.......................4A CL ASSIFIEDS...............6A B-SIDE ....................1B


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