ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE-YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Friday, January 8, 2016
Ann Arbor, Michigan
michigandaily.com
ACADEMICS
‘U’ scholars featured in Forbes 30 under 30 University researchers lauded for work in science and energy By CAMY METWALLY DELANEY RYAN/Daily
Cecil S. Giscombe, writer and English professor at the University of California, Berkeley, reads poems from his books at the University of Michigan Museum of Art on Thursday.
GOVERNMENT
Exec. order to expand gun requirements in Michigan State rep. and University profs. talk firearm laws and safety, health
many state’s laws, including those in Michigan, enforce. Under the executive action, proxy-business private sellers now must use background checks before selling firearms. The original clause allowing those sellers to skip background checks was intended for individuals who are not selling guns as a business and only sell a few times in their lifetimes, but it has since been used by many groups of for-profit sellers using proxy-businesses, such as individuals who sell firearms at
By LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter
On Monday, President Barack Obamaannounced a series of executive actions that will close loopholes in existing gun regulation, moving beyond what
gun shows. The move was criticized by several prominent gun rights groups on the grounds that it encroached on their rights. In a statement Monday, Chris Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, said the action harassed and intimidated gun owners. “The timing of this announcement, in the eighth and final year of his presidency, demonstrates not only political exploitation but a fundamental
lack of seriousness,” the statement read. “The proposed executive actions are ripe for abuse by the Obama Administration, which has made no secret of its contempt for the Second Amendment.” Law Prof. Julian Mortenson said criticisms that the action infringes on Second Amendment rights are misfounded due to the Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller. Heller upheld Second Amendment rights for individual owners, but included a clause limiting the use of firearms See GUNS, Page 2
Daily Staff Reporter
While developments in science and technology often appear in news headlines or take place in a lab seemingly a world away, many examples of innovation can also be seen here on campus. Two members of the University community were recognized for their contributions to the science community in the Forbes 30 Under 30 List earlier this week, both with somewhat unorthodox paths to their accomplishments. Matt Gaidica The brain may not differ too greatly from an electrical circuit, according to Rackham student Matt Gaidica, a neuroscience Ph.D. candidate. Gaidica’s previous formal education in electrical engineering inspired him to view the brain in a new light, guiding his current study in neuroscience. Surrounded by companies like Google and Apple in the hills of San Francisco, Gaidica and his best friend quickly joined the innovative startup culture associated with the Bay Area.
RESEARCH
PHILANTHROPY
Without paid leave, patients further strained ‘U’ study finds financial burden can impact treatment effectiveness By ALEXA ST. JOHN Daily Staff Reporter
Only 55 percent of patients employed at the time of a medical diagnosis kept their jobs after treatment ended, according to the survey of cancer patients conducted by University reserachers. The study, funded by the American Cancer Society, found that those who had paid sick leave during treatment were almost twice as likely to keep their jobs than those without paid sick leave. The study focused on more than 1,300 patients with stage three colorectal cancer, or cancer of the colon or rectum. Ultimately, the study concluded that the overall financial burden for cancer patients is greater for those working without paid sick leave. Surgery Professor Scott Regenbogen, a co-author of the study, said the most important
WEATHER TOMORROW
finding of the study was that a patient’s ability to retain their jobs and avoid personal financial burden during treatment was closely related to the availability of job benefits. “We know that both of those things — retaining a job and avoiding financial burden — are also predictive of their ability to complete their therapy successfully, and the best outcome from that therapy,” Regenbogen said. Christine Veenstra, clinical lecturer in Internal Medicine and another co-author of the study, said for working patients, a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment can cause an additional burden of having to take time off of work, resulting in lost income or employment. “We hypothesized that paid sick leave might reduce patients’ need to take unpaid time off of work while they are getting cancer treatment and might also help them retain their jobs and reduce the financial burden that they face when they’re going through the cancer treatment,” she said. About 39 percent of American workers do not have access to paid sick leave, according to See STUDY, Page 3
HI: 39 LO: 37
After receiving an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Kettering University, Gaidica co-founded a small software company called Landr, which developed an application that altered media to make it work on all devices. Through this experience, he gained experience in image analysis and software, as the application pioneered innovative techniques for viewing media on mobile devices. He and his partner took the business to Silicon Valley, where it evolved into a technology that is now built into other products used by CNN, Craigslist, Airbnb, NHL and the U.S. Army. Following the sale of Landr, Gaidica began working on another startup — Syllabuster — which focused on providing students with more information about their courses and connections within the class. However, Gaidica resigned shortly after from Syllabuster due to feeling like he wasn’t contributing to society in a way he wanted. With the Pacific Ocean and rising mountains growing smaller in his rearview mirror, Gaidica drove back to Michigan to begin the next chapter of his life. As an electrical engineer and coder, he shifted gears, pondering the functions of a kind of circuit that existed before the development of See FORBES, Page 3
University to receive grant for STEM departments General Motors gives $230,000 to support minority representation MATT VAILLIENCOURT/Daily
Wayne Appleyard, chair of the Ann Arbor Energy Commission, discusses how to best approach sustainability with Ann Arbor residents at the Ann Arbor Public Library Thursday.
Forum highlights federal, local sustainability efforts Clean Energy Plan could impact city’s push to reduce gas emissions By TANYA MADHANI Daily Staff Reporter
The Ann Arbor District Library hosted the first of four planned public forums focusing on sustainability measures taken by the city and the University Thursday evening. The forum, titled “Climate and Energy,” featured
GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know.
presentations by University sustainability representative Anya Dale, Nathan Geisler, the Ann Arbor Energy Programs Analyst, Wayne Appleyard, chair of the Ann Arbor Energy Commission and Sean Reed, Executive Director of the Clean Energy Coalition Mike Garfield, executive director of the Ecology Center, introduced the forum by detailing the history of climate change activism in the country and the political challenges that scientists and proponents of clean energy have faced. “But in the last five to six years, something else has begun to happen and it gives
NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM No suspects, motive in downtown tire slashings MICHIGANDAILY.COM/NEWS
INDEX
me a lot of hope,” he said. “First, very slowly and then increasingly fast, ordinary people around the world have stood up and demanded action.” Garfield said the development of local and independent solutions to create a clean energy environment has led to increased civilian and community support globally. “In short, a remarkable global movement has emerged to call for a clean energy future before it’s too late,” he said. In Ann Arbor, those solutions have taken the See FORUM, Page 3
Vol. CXXV, No. 48 ©2016 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
By LYDIA MURRAY Daily Staff Reporter
In an effort to expand science, technology, engineering, mathematics and business degrees, as well as promote diversity, the General Motors Foundation awarded the University a $230,000 grant in December. Jackie Parker, president of the GM Foundation and director of GM Global Philanthropy and Corporate Giving, wrote in an e-mail interview that the University was chosen because of the high quality of its STEM programs. The Ross School of Business was ranked by U.S. News as the fourth best undergraduate business school in the nation, and the College of Engineering ranks sixth. Rankings for science and math are unavailable. “The grant is intended as a philanthropic effort to increase access to excellent curriculum and opportunities in STEM,” she See GRANT, Page 3
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 CL ASSIFIEDS.................6
SUDOKU.....................2 ARTS .............. 5 SPORTS....................7