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volume 131, number 122
wednesDAY, december 5, 2012
Boy Scout Christmas tree lot opens for holiday season Proceeds help fund troop activities, service projects
News iN Brief
New business offers printing services, tech repair On Saturday, Kyle Thomas and Brett Andersen opened Aggie Tech at University Mall. The store replaced Aggie Express’s former location. Aggie Express went out of business at the end of August. Andersen said in an email that Aggie Tech follows Aggie Express’s business model by providing shipping through UPS and FedEx, textbook buyback and printing and copying services. In addition, the store offers tech repair for computers, phones and video game consoles. Retail prod-
Mark Allinder / Aggie
Davis resident Sean Adams and Scouts Sam McPherson and Derek Denardo (left to right) work at the Davis Boy Scout Christmas tree lot at 480 Mace Blvd. The lot will be open until Dec. 24.
By MEREDITH STURMER Aggie News Writer
On Nov. 23, the Davis Boy Scout Christmas tree lot officially opened for this year’s Christmas season. The lot will remain open until Dec. 24. The tree lot is located at 480 Mace Blvd., on the corner of Mace and Cowell boulevards across from Nugget Market. It is the lot’s 52nd year of operation and its third year at this location. According to 2012 Davis Boy Scout Christmas Tree Lot foreman Jim Borchers, the lot is not only a Davis tradition and a convenient place to pick up a Christmas tree, but also a way to support the local Boy Scouts and the community as a whole. “There are five troops in the city of Davis, and they all come together to help work on the lot,” Borchers said. “The scouts get to be helpful, and it’s a fun activity for all the boys.” The five Boy Scout troops who work on the lot are Troops 66, 111, 139, 199 and 466. Venture Crews 66 and 111 are also involved. The scouts do most of the work on the lot themselves, such as loading trees and trimming branches. “We trim the branches,” said Andrew Borchers, son of foreman Jim Borchers and a scout in Troop 111. “We also cut off the bottoms of the trees if they need it.” Parent volunteers and scout leaders help with the lot’s organization
and operation. Each year a different parent volunteer serves as foreman of the lot. “People come in and buy trees, and we help them carry them out to their cars,” said Chris Garrison, a scout in Troop 111. “Some people have trouble deciding [on a tree], so we can also help them pick one out. We’ve even helped carry people’s trees down the street to their houses.” According to Jim Borchers, the Mace and Cowell location is a very desirable place to have the tree lot because they have access to power and don’t need to use a generator. The lot sells a wide variety of trees, ranging from small three-foot trees to seven-foot Douglas-firs. “We also sell wreaths and mistletoe,” Garrison said. Proceeds from the tree lot go toward scholarships for scouts to attend summer camps, adventure experiences such as hiking and funding various service projects the scouts are involved with throughout the year, according to Jim Borchers. One such service project is the scouts’ citywide April food drive for the Davis Short Term Emergency Action Committee (STEAC). STEAC collects donated goods such as food and clothing and provides assistance to over 400 families and 800 children in need in the city of Davis each year. The tree lot is a STEAC collection point, so vis-
itors can drop off canned goods to be donated to STEAC even if they are not purchasing a tree or other decorations. Other service projects and community efforts the scouts work on throughout the year include placing flags on the graves of veterans in the Davis Cemetery on Veterans Day. In addition, they prepare and serve meals at the Interfaith Rotating Winter Shelter and clean up trash and recycling after the annual Davis World Cup American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) soccer tournament. The scouts also collect household items discarded from apartment complexes after “move-out weekend” in August to be reused by anyone in need. This year, the scouts can also provide trees to businesses and facilities requiring certified fire-resistant trees. The trees can either be treated to become fire-resistant or flocked with a fire-resistant white “snow,” and come with a tag certifying that they meet the requirements of the California Fire Marshal. Interested businesses can inquire at davisbschristmastreelot@gmail. com. The lot is open Monday through Friday from 1 to 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. MEREDITH STURMER can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
UC Davis students create clothing for charity The Runaway Robot awarded Entrepreneurial Fund Grant By DANIEL RIESGO Aggie Features Writer
A UC Davis student’s ambition to better the world has driven him to the world of entrepreneurship. What started as a New Year’s resolution is quickly turning into reality in the form of The Runaway Robot, a clothing company “focused on trying to make the world a better place” one shirt at a time. Alexander Ogloza, a third-year communication major, along with 11 or so interns, has created the company to help charity missions around the United States. The artist responsible for the company’s inception and the art on the clothing is Tomio Hayase-Izu, a thirdyear environmental policy major.
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“The Runaway Robot is a good example of students taking the initiative by using these resources, creating something greater and hopefully in doing so, giving back to the community,” Hayase-Izu said. “We had a vision, and are doing our best to follow it.” As young as The Runaway Robot is, the company has already been awarded the UC Davis Entrepreneurial Fund Grant. The fund awards “sound business ideas that are motivated not just by profit, but also by a desire to have a positive impact on the Davis community or society at large,” according to the description in their website. Aside from the monetary aid of the grant, the E-fund invited the com-
pany for weekly meetings to talk about the development and growth of The Runaway Robot as well. Hayase-Izu is the lead graphic designer for The Runaway Robot and is the artist who created the drawing that first inspired Ogloza to start the company. “Around a year ago, I acquired a drawing tablet for fun, as I had always liked to doodle in class. After playing around, I began to develop the character that would later become the mascot for Runaway Robot, as he was featured in many of my drawings,” Hayase-Izu said. Ogloza said that as a novice entrepreneur it has not been easy to run the company and order the merchandise. “I didn’t know anyForecast
Flip flop wearers: For the love of all that is holy, put some real shoes on. You’re making me cold. Written by Allison Ferrini, Weather Report courtesy of www.weather.com
thing about the T-shirt industry when I first started Runaway Robot, so a lot of what I’ve learned has been buying samples and testing [them] out,” Ogloza said. “After a while you start to get the feel of it and find something you will be proud of and be able to stand behind it.” The company has required each of its members to venture into the clothing market in order to sell quality apparel. Diana Chan, a fourthyear psychology major and photographer for The Runaway Robot, said she had been interested in fashion when she was younger, but never got to pursue her dream. As part of the company, she now has the opportunity
See ROBOT, page 2
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ucts such as iPhone cases, bike accessories and computer accessories are also sold. “We want to give students the most affordable and reliable option in town for repairing their most essential gadgets, including but not limited to their PC inexplicably crashing or iPhone screen cracking,” Andersen said. Aggie Tech is open Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Claire Tan
Co-founder of Coursera to visit campus Thursday Daphne Koller, cofounder of Coursera, a major provider of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), is scheduled to visit campus Thursday to speak on developments in online education. The lecture, entitled “The Online Revolution: Education for Everyone,” will address MOOCs, top-quality courses from high-ranking universities that are offered for free. MOOCs use technology to bring real course experience to students, according to a press release from Koller. This includes video content, interactive exercises that use auto-grading and peergrading, and peer-to-peer interaction. Andy Jones, a continuing University Writing Program lecturer and Academic Associate Director for Academic Technology Services, said
he was intrigued by Koller after reading that she had received a MacArthur fellowship at 36 and a bachelor’s degree at 17, as well as a master’s degree a year later. “A thought leader in the fields of probability theory and machine learning, in the last year Koller has focused on higher education, and the potential game-changing arrival of Massively Open Online Courses (or MOOCs),” Jones said in an email interview. “We are lucky to have her present her ideas about technology and learning at UC Davis Thursday afternoon.” Currently, Koller is a professor of computer science at Stanford University. The event will take place at 1003 Kemper Hall from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. — Muna Sadek
Architect-contractor teams selected for campus art museum Three pairs of architect-contractor teams have been chosen by a museum selection committee to design and build the new Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, according to a Nov. 30 news release by the UC Davis News Service. The three finalist teams are, Kitchell as the contractor, WORKac as the design architect and Westlake Reed Leskosky as the executive architect; Oliver and Company as the contractor, Henning Larsen Architects as the design architect and Gould Evans as the executive architect; and Whiting-Turner as the contractor, SO–IL as the design architect and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson as the executive architect. The selection process included a series of evaluations and criteria such as art-exhibition experience, design ability, familiarity with the University, understanding of the art and academic communities and team cohesiveness and creativity, according to the release. Each team will have four months to prepare their designs and proposals. Final designs will be unveiled in April. In order to continue par-
ticipation with the campus community, an open call exhibition will be held Feb. 8 to Mar. 17 at Nelson Gallery, during the construction period. People are encouraged to present design ideas and visions for the future of the museum using mediums such as photography, drawings, essays and performances. Ideas and design contributions will be submitted directly to architects and all of the contributions will be displayed during the exhibition. Rachel Teagle, director of the art museum, said she is proud that the museum project has involved conversation and public opinions from open forum meetings. “This is the most direct way we could make sure that community input got to our architects and that it will have an impact on our final museum design,” said Teagle. Ideas can be submitted to kliwong@ucdavis. edu before Feb. 1 at 4 p.m. Winning ideas will be rewarded $500 cash. The museum is estimated to open in 2016. MENGSHI SHAO can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
Today is National Bathtub Party Day! Make it happen...
Allison Ferrini
page two
2 wednesday, december 5, 2012
daily calendar dailycal@theaggie.org
Samuel Beckett
TODAY UCEAP and Financial Aid Noon to 1:30 p.m. Student Community Center, Meeting Room D Want to do a UCEAP program but have questions about how financial aid will work for you? Come to this info session and hear from a financial aid counselor about how financial aid works specifically for UCEAP.
Circle K International General Meeting 6 to 7 p.m. 6 Olson If you are interested in doing community service, developing leadership skills and gaining friendships then see what the club has to offer you at their general meeting.
Jazz Bands 7 to 8 p.m. Vanderhoef Studio Theatre, Mondavi Center Watch this performance of the jazz bands with director Delbert Bump. Tickets are $8 for students and children, $12 for adults.
Shakespeare Reading Group 7 to 8:30 p.m. Pence Art Gallery, D Street Join the Shakespeare Reading Group as they read Hamlet. RSVP by emailing davis. shakespeare@gmail.com.
Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous 7 to 8:30 p.m. Davis United Methodist Church, 1620 Anderson Rd. Free yourself from excess weight and/ or obsessional thoughts about food and body image. Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA) is a 12-step fellowship based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Meetings are open and free to the public. Go to foodaddicts.org for other meeting locations.
Men's Basketball 7 to 9 p.m. ARC Pavilion Watch the men’s basketball team play against San Jose State.
THURSDAY Championing Beckett: Ruby Cohn and Her Legacy with
11 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Main Theatre, Wright UC Davis ITDP presents “Championing Beckett: Ruby Cohn and Her Legacy with Samuel Beckett,” a panel discussion examining the writing of the late Ruby Cohn, UC Davis professor emerita and renowned theater scholar and Samuel Beckett specialist. For more information go to theatredance.ucdavis.edu.
Shinkoskey Noon Concert 12:05 to 1 p.m. 115 Music Watch this free performance of Gamelan Ensemble with director Henry Spiller.
Orientation Leader & First-Year Experience Information Session 3 to 3:45 p.m. 1065 Kemper If you want to share your Aggie pride, consider applying for orientation leader or first-year experience peer adviser positions in Student Housing. This info session will outline the positions, selection process and application instructions.
BME Seminar Alumni Series 4 to 5 p.m. 1005 GBSF, Main Floor Auditorium Join Dr. Scott Hazelwood, associate professor of Cal Poly SLO, in his seminar entitled “Career Path to Academia and Bone Research.” For more information, contact bmealumniseminar@ucdavis. edu.
Women's Basketball 7 to 9 p.m. ARC Pavilion Watch the women’s basketball team play against Saint Mary’s.
Poetry Night Reading Series 8 to 10 p.m. John Natsoulas Gallery at 521 First St. The Poetry Night Reading Series welcomes Joshua McKinney. For more information, email Rachel Riley at rgriley@ucdavis.edu or visit the website poetryindavis.com. To receive placement in the AGGIE DAILY CALENDAR, email dailycal@theaggie. org or stop by 25 Lower Freeborn by noon the day prior to your event. Due to space constraints, all event descriptions are subject to editing and priority will be given to events that are free of charge and geared toward the campus community.
a part of its proceeds to such causes. It’s a wearable act of charity and I hope that anyone who knows about The Runaway Robot will come to realize that they have the potential to change the world.” At the moment, The Runaway Robot’s shortterm goal is to expand and become recognizable within the student body. The more people who like and buy their T-shirts, the greater the amount of help the enterprise will be able to provide to charities. “We’re fortunate to be studying at one of the best public universities in the nation. We are surrounded by great people and have all of the necessary resources for success at our disposal,” Hayase-Izu said.
robot
Cont. from front page to expand her curiosity and knowledge of fashion with real-world applications. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is that there [are] so [many] logistics behind the making of a quality shirt ... and of course, how to differentiate ourselves from any other T-shirt company out there,” Chan said. The Runaway Robot has proven to be successful. “I want people to know that we are more than just T-shirts. I hope students begin to realize that one person truly can make an impact on social issues,” Chan said. “Sometimes all it takes is to buy a shirt that not only spreads the message to passersby when DANIEL RIESGO can be reached at you wear it, but donates features@theaggie.org.
The california Aggie
to associate them with fertility and beauty. “Better to bite you with, my dear.” Sexual aggression can often be hormonal. Female copulance pherKatelyn omones, scents that womRingrose en release during sex, have an incredible impact — they can make the sniffer unable to recognize traits that would normally be perceived as unattractive. The smell of the pheromones is often likened to rancid butter — perhaps the contents top relying on fairy of Red Riding Hood’s basket tales for your romanhad gone bad. tic information; inIt’s highly unlikestead, turn to science! Learn ly that the Wolf loved Red; to pay attention to the body he was probably lustlanguage of people around ful. Anthropologist Helen you, and understand that Fisher took MRIs of people most of our communicain love and discovered that tion is silent. It’s true that opposites at- lust and love are located in two separate, but connecttract. In order to avoid ined, areas of the brain. Lust cestuous repercussions, triggers the release of dopeople tend to gravitate topamine, and only after the ward mates who exhibbrain becomes accustomed it different physical traits to this dopamine release from themselves. “Why does the area of the brain Grandmother, what a big associated with achievenose you have…” ment become stimulated — “Better to smell you with, this is love. Romantic love my dear.” In a sense, our triggers the same area of the noses have been designed brain as a drug (and chocofor sex. Smell allows us to late) addiction. determine if a person is The wolf’s unique facial healthy, compatible or relattraits probably didn’t regised to us. Our noses prevent ter with Red Riding Hood as inbreeding by making the pheromones of our relatives being unfriendly, because she was an introvert. Traits smell repulsive to us. such as smiling and facial “Why Grandmother, relaxation, in potential partwhat big eyes you have…” ners, are most important People with dilated pupils, to those who identify as exan indication of lust, are troverts, perceived whereas more atRomantic love triggers as introtractive the same area of the brain verts tend than those as a drug (and chocolate) to place with smallless value er pupils. addiction. on social “Better cues. Socially similar people to see you with, my dear.” tend form longer-lasting reKeep an eye on the dance floor, and see if you can rec- lationships. You can take a quiz to see what social patognize ovulating females. tern you are most likely to Women who are ovulating be attracted to at BBC.com. usually have a heightened Oxytocin, a chemical resex drive and tend to use leased during sex and childmore exaggerated movebirth, increases libido and ments when walking or monogamous urges. Serial dancing. killers, like the wolf, are ofAccording to Discovery’s ten found to be lacking the 2009 film The Science of ability to secrete oxytocin. Sex Appeal, people’s moveNorepinephrine, another ments also become more sexually related chemical sepronounced when individuals whom they want to im- creted by our bodies, amplifies our production of sweat. press are watching them. Sweaty palms are not just “Why Grandmother, nerves; they are products of what big ears you have...” love in its infantile state. Exaggerated traits are often There’s another reason perceived as “sexy,” as they why the wolf was attracted indicate fertility and gento Red Riding Hood — red eral health. Wide hips aid is the color most commonin childbirth, breasts nourly associated with sex. In a ish offspring and store fat and those sexy dimples on a study directed by Andrew Elliot and Daniela Niesta woman’s back indicate how — when given images of well-nourished she is. dates dressed in red, sub“Better to hear you with, jects responded that they my dear.” Higher levels of would spend more monestrogen heighten the pitch ey on these dates than on of a person’s voice, indicatdates with similar individuing how close a woman is als who were dressed in difto ovulation and how much ferent hues. testosterone a man was exUse your animal instincts posed to during puberty. and gather subtle sexu“Why Grandmother, al clues — by opening your what frighteningly big teeth eyes, nose and ears to your you have…” Human beings surroundings. Stop being a are designed around a binaive Red Riding Hood; inlateral central axis with two stead, become the Big Bad canines, two ears, two eyes, Wolf. etc. Minute deviations in this symmetry often suggest a lack of health, so the more KATELYN RINGROSE loves twisted fairy tales; symmetrical a person’s feasend her your love stories at knringrose@ ucdavis.edu. tures are, the more we tend
Big Bad Wolf
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my car. Once I got home I sat quietly in my room and listened to Jewel’s “You Were Meant For Me” on repeat. It was about three Andrew in the afternoon, the docPoh tor’s office was closed, my mom wouldn’t come home from work until eight and my dad was away on a business trip. I didn’t need to call the doctor to know what it was. It was cancer. can see the light at the Squamous cell carcinoma, to be exact. end of the tunnel. They took the growth to Actually, I can see the lab and it checked out the lights at the ends of as cancerous. My doctor many tunnels as it seems like a myriad of things are was as surprised as I was. It wasn’t something norabout to come to a close: mally seen in someone as the quarter, my tenure as young as me. a columnist, the year, the An operation was arworld. ranged in which an inci I’m not going to besion would be made to remoan any of these cirmove any tissue around cumstances as they’re the growth. Squamous cell rather inconsequential to carcinoma has a three to me. I, instead, would like seven percent chance of to talk about something spreading to other parts that lies near and dear to of the body. It isn’t as mamy heart. lignant as melanoma, but Back in February of it isn’t as benign as basal this year, I started noticcell carcinoma. ing an odd little bump The two weeks of limbo on my chest, below my before and after the opsternum, above my soeration were excruciatlar plexus and between ing. Sure, the chance of it my right and left nipple. spreading wasn’t particuI thought it a little odd, larly high, but the state of but I shrugged it off and not knowing was absolute watched in fascination as torture. it grew alarmingly in size over the next few months. I was okay with dying at the time. I figured if It wasn’t there were until August that I finally It took a jarring event like any time to take went home that for me to realize that life me, it’d be and got now. I had is worth living. the bump no ambichecked tion, no out. By now family, no it had grown to somereal ties to anything, rewhere around two milally. My life was just belimeters in height and ginning. May as well cut width and was a fairly me down now rather than grotesque-looking nodlater when I’d leave beule. I simply incanted to hind a career, a family, remyself that it was a wart sponsibilities, etc. and that I had nothing to Fortunately, I pulled worry about as long as it through — what a surwas removed. And so it was lopped off prise, huh? The tissue around my growth was with relative ease, stored removed and all traces in a vial and carted off to of cancer were absolved the lab for some testing. from that region. In its It slipped out of my mind stead, I bear a zipper-like quite easily and I never scar. gave it a second thought. It goes without sayWeeks flit by in that laning that this entire orguid manner that can deal gave me a new lease only be induced by sumon life. It’s a part of the mer’s warm caress. reason why I tried out Exactly one week after to be a columnist in the my 21st birthday, on Aug. first place. In the last few 21, 2012, I receive a crypmonths alone, I’ve made tic email from my dad. tremendous leaps for “Hi Andrew, call ward and I’m feeling all Dr. Shen. Stay calm. the better for it. Everything will be ok.” I am no longer OK with Upon reading the text dying. in the email, the world It took a jarring event seemed to melt away like that for me to realize around me. Much like in that life is worth living. movie scenes, exterior Take what you want from sounds became muffled, my story, if anything at the beating of my heart all. grew thunderous and ev On that note, I’d like erything around me felt to extend a sincere and like it was in slow motion. warm thank you to all of I mumbled to my you reading this. It’s been friends about needing to a pleasure. figure something out and I drove straight home. I remember how painfulANDREW POH is out of space and out of ly yet beautifully vivid time for this column, so if you’d still like to and sharp the sky and the talk to him about this or about anything in general, don’t hesitate to contact him at trees seemed as soon as I apoh@ucdavis.edu. He’ll definitely reply. stepped outside to get to
Off my chest
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Ask DOC JOE and Katy Ann accuracy The California Aggie strives to ensure that all of its facts and details are accurate. Please bring any corrections to our attention by calling (530) 752-0208.
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Doc Joe is a psychologist and attorney who has consulted with and advised people of all ages. Katy Ann is a licensed marriage and family therapist who, like Doc Joe, has counseled and advised people of all ages. The discussion and advice offered in their column is not offered as a clinical recommendation or as a substitute for clinical treatment. Rather, Doc Joe’s and Katy Ann’s comments are intended to stimulate thought, often with a sense of humor. Sometimes they agree; sometimes they don’t. So, read on … Dear Doc Joe and Katy Ann, A bit about me: I have a bilateral hearing loss and use hearing aids. I hear some sounds and have pretty clear oral language, but my preferred language is ASL. I am 24 years old, and work as an elementary school teacher of children with hearing impairment (HI). I love my job! I’ve been in a relationship with Joseph, a graduate student in genetics, for a year. I believe that we love each other, and it’s my hope that we stay together. He says that I’m “wonderful,” “awesome” and “beautiful.” He makes me feel special. But, last night we had a huge fight. After the fight, Joseph stormed out of my apartment. And, he didn’t text me this morning. (He always texts me when he gets to work.) I am afraid that we will break up over this fight. Here’s what happened. Last night
when we were eating dinner, Joseph made a comment that he couldn’t understand me. I tried to joke back, saying, “Of course not, my mouth is full of food.” But, he didn’t smile. So I added, “I wish you learned sign language.” Joseph responded, “I don’t have time, with work and classes. I’d never be able to learn it.” Then, it went downhill from there. He commented that I always seem happier when I’m with my signing friends. He said that my friends and I seem to “joke and laugh a lot.” Then I said, “Maybe you’d be happier with someone else.” (Why did I have to say that?) Then he got up, and stormed out. As he left, he said, “That’s not it … ” I want Joseph to love me because of my deafness, not in spite of my deafness. He’s commented many times that he loves to watch my hands. I do think that he loves me. But, I need to be valued and accepted for who I am. Is there hope? Tammi, in Illinois Dear Tammi, Katy Ann: I think that there is hope. I am sensing that he loves you. But he does seem resistant to trying to learn sign language. As I understand, sign language is your primary social language. I wonder if he un-
derstands that … Doc Joe: … He may be stubborn about that. Or, maybe he believes that he lacks time or ability to learn sign language. These days, there are some online American Sign Language classes, as well as some iPhone and iPad applications that might get him started. There are also ASL classes at community colleges and community centers, taught at various day and evening times. Katy Ann: Tammi, I often say “follow your heart.” That applies here. You need to know that he loves you because of your gifts, not in spite of them. Doc Joe: … And I am sensing that Joseph's frustration relates to communication problems, rather than admiration problems. Doc Joe: Katy, this may be more about the fight, than about the love. Katy Ann: I am wondering about that, also. Tammi, you will often hear Doc and I comment that a fight is not a reason to break up. It’s a reason to stop being stubborn, and for each member of the couple to try and address the needs of the other person. Doc Joe: … And making up can be nice … Katy Ann: That, too. And, please share this letter with Joseph:
See ASKDOC, page 5
Science&Technology
wednesDAY, december 5, 2012 3
The california aggie
Obesity gets 0wn3d Researchers help fight childhood obesity using video games By ALLEN GUAN Aggie Science Writer
Obesity has never been a problem historically until recently. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, obesity has nearly tripled since 1980. Nearly 100 million Americans are now considered obese. This staggering number comes primarily from poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle that has become the norm in our society, and video games only bolster this problem. Most video games still use the traditional controller-and-console setup in which a person can sit and play for hours on end. Combine that with excessive snack foods that have no nutritional value, and you generally get obesity as the end result. With the help of a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the Get Up program — a collaboration between the UC Davis School of Education, Foods for Health Institute and Play4Change — wants to combat this epidemic by using video games as motivation for children and teens to live healthier and more active lifestyles. The project is currently under development. Started in September of this year, the team is working closely with a group of kids from
Sacramento, Calif. between the ages of 11 and 14 to help develop an algorithm that can be used for the game. The goal is to teach the kids better habits through positive reinforcement, and it also helps researchers study the importance of identity in children. “Once this idea came in, I started looking for grant opportunities, and found the perfect call out for cyber learning to educate kids … A lot of children don’t get health education within their daily curriculum, so we’re working with an afterschool program in Sacramento to educate kids,” said Sara Schaefer, associate director of children's health and education programs at the Foods for Health Institute at UC Davis, and the lead director of the study. “The way we’re thinking it will work is the kids will have an avatar, like in The Sims, but the avatar [within the game] will be affected by the kids’ behavior outside the game.” Schaefer also adds why the group of kids were chosen. "This age group is selected due to the fact that middle school students, ages 11 to 14 (pre-teens and young teens), are at a critical stage where they are on the one hand making more of their own physical activity and nutri-
tional choices than elementary school children, but on the other hand not fully shaped in terms of their identities or behavioral patterns." The game’s interface is currently a concept. It will translate from a survey-based system to a digital system later in the development, and will use specialized accelerometers that record the daily activities from the number of steps to the amount of sleep a child gets. The recorded data is then wirelessly transferred to a database in which researchers will analyze and input the information into the game. This directly builds up an avatar’s abilities such as increased speed, strength, or even disease immunity. The project is currently experimental. Over the next two years, the project team hopes to understand and develop a game that can be used for a larger population. “We’re hoping that based on the things we find out here, we can expand and start creating different kinds of games. [We] then figure out what kinds of kids are motivated by what kinds of games,” said Cynthia Carter Ching, an associate professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs at the UC Davis School of
See OBESITY, page 5
End of rain, end of reign New study shows climate change drives collapse of Mayan civilization By OYANG TENG Aggie Science Writer
For over four centuries, the rains came regularly and plentifully, nourishing the growth of one of history’s great civilizations. Rising from the jungle floor of parts of present-day Mexico and Central America, ancient Mayan cities bustled with activity, sustained by abundant cropland and governed by a complex social and political order. And then, the skies began to dry, leading to political discord, economic upheaval and ultimate collapse. At least, that’s the story the stones tell. By comparing millennia-long rainfall records from a natural mineral formation in Belize, with glyph records carved into stone monuments by the area’s former inhabitants, a multidisciplinary team of researchers has provided new evidence that climate change played a central role in the disintegration of Classic Maya civilization, which lasted from approximately 300 to 1000 CE. The results of the study, published in the Nov. 9 issue of Science, address what has been a longstanding mystery surrounding the disappearance of a scientifically advanced society whose peak population may have reached up to 10 million — far more people than live in the region today. “Ultimately we hope this will help us understand the question of what causes civilizations to persist and what causes them to come apart,” said Bruce Winterhalder, a UC Davis
courtesy
A multidisciplinary team of researchers, some from UC Davis, provide evidence that climate change played a central role in the collapse of Mayan civilization. The results of the study were published in the Nov. 9 issue of Science. anthropologist who participated in the study. According to Winterhalder and his colleagues, the demise of the Maya appears to have come in two stages. The first was a prolonged period of political instability likely triggered by a decline in agricultural productivity. They believe that the shift in climate tipped the balance on a society whose dense urban populations were already putting high demands on the political system as well as the surrounding environment.
“Imagine slowing down the flow of the water in the California aqueduct to L.A.,” said lead author Douglas Kennett, a professor of environmental anthropology at Penn State University. “You have a population built up on that specific flow of water. With the L.A. example, you’d also have to reduce the flow of semi trucks into the city carrying food. What we’re interested in is how that destabilizes the social and political fabric.”
Some responses on #1reasonwhy suggested the problem is not very serious and even claim that the hashtag makes things worse by promoting passivity. Some Victoria tweeters “jokingly” suggestTrang ed that most of the women were actually men trying to impress a handful of women, no doubt inspired by the outdated phrase, “There are no women on the internet.” One of the more disturbing comments stated, “I look at #1ReasonWhy and I laugh at all the feminists who think Sexism is dead. No, not they matter. If you were good really. It was swept under in your field, you wouldn’t be the rug and buried. Whether misrepresented.” Oddly enough, this came it was covered in fear of repercussions or simply be- from a supposed “game crecause the behavior was ator in the making.” Yet many considered “acceptable,” it of the negative tweets come is still here and resides in from people who are not what I used to consider a even in the gaming industry. These responses did not free-thinking industry: vidsurprise me. Compared to eo games. In response to a tweet from my own experiences and Kickstarter’sLukeCrane,“Why observations with some are there so few lady game cre- video game communities ators,” Twitter hashtag #1rea- and the internet in general, these fesonwhy lists male develvarious answers as to Any attempts to log in were met opers deal why females with accusations of being “an with internet misogin the video attention-seeking slut.” yny on a game indusmagnified try seem so scale. Many rare. When I delayed a League of Legends female developers are also match with my friends to read gamers, which means that about the uprising against unfortunately in both the video game industry sexism, gamer community and I expected something simi- their workplace, they face lar to EA Games’ harsh treat- sexism. Some, like blogger ment of their employees durCuppycake on The Border ing crunch time. The stories and rea- House Blog, deal with the sons I read appalled me. most ridiculous harassAccording to Twitter user @ ment. Cuppycake’s expeSweetPavement, one reason rience in the game indusis “Because if I succeed, I’m try has been less than posiexceptional. And if I fail, I’m tive. She persevered despite proof that women shouldn’t the sexism she experienced. However, at a certain point be in the industry.” Some female develop- she could no longer cope. According to her blog ers may not even make it “My More-Thaninto the industry. Tweeter @ post GabrielleKent recalls a time #1ReasonWhy,” a massively she “Once heard an Art man- multiplayer online (MMO) ager say, ‘We don’t need any gaming forum banded up more women, they’re more against Cuppycake when an trouble than they’re worth,’ unspecified company hired her. Probably in disbelief of as he viewed applications.” Even if a developer be- her competence, the MMO comes successful, if she is forum community attacked female, tweeter @reynold- her for being female, claimsphobia’s observation still ing that she slept around to stands — “Because you can’t climb her way to her job. One of her friends leaked just be a ‘game developer.’ No, you will always be a ‘fe- photos of her to the angry internet mob. The mob male game developer.’” Sadly, if a male tries to ad- boycotted any games she dress the issue, they often worked on and left threats face similar abuse, accord- through voicemails and ing to tweeter @ZachBrosz, posts. The company did not who says, “Because just for even remove her account sticking up for female gam- when she asked, and left ers, I’m seen as a ‘traitor’ to it up while she herself was the male gaming society. banned. Any attempts to log in were met with accuThat or a white knight.” Although “trolling” re- sations of being “an attensponses, for the sake of in- tion-seeking slut.” While Cuppycake’s case citing conflict, populate the #1reasonwhy hashtag, bordered on the extreme, at times it is hard to tell the there are many small midifference between trolls croaggressions that exist at and individuals who actu- the video game consumer/ ally believe in what they See SEXISM, page 5 tweeted.
Discontent tweets
See MAYAN, page 5
The soils giveth, and the soils taketh away Study highlights impact of accelerated erosion on carbon cycle By OYANG TENG Aggie Science Writer
Unraveling the complex pathway that carbon takes on its endless migration from atmosphere to soil and back to atmosphere has been one of the outstanding challenges of earth science, made all the more complicated by human activities such as agriculture. A recent study by researchers from Belgium and the U.S. has provided new measurements of how agriculturally-driven changes to the landscape can act as both a source and a sink for atmospheric carbon. Specifically, the researchers quantified for the first time the longterm net storage, or sequestration, of carbon in the soil due to agriculturally-induced erosion over an entire drainage basin. The results show that the capture of carbon in eroded soils partially offsets the net emission that clearing
courtesy
A recent study from Belgian and American scientists provides evidence that soil erosion sequesters carbon. The study was conducted by analyzing the soil in the Dilje Basin in Belgium, an area that has been cultivated continuously for the past 6,000 years. land for cultivation produces in the first place. But the study also showed that over the course of 500 years, roughly half of the stored carbon is re-released into the atmosphere — a finding that has important implications for understanding both the past and fu-
ture role of human influence on the climate. “We know erosion is bad for crop productivity and for ecosystem functioning, but when it comes purely to the carbon balance, then we’re saying that erosion actually helps with carbon being sequestered,” said
co-author Johan Six, a professor in the UC Davis department of plant sciences. “But there is also a source that seems to be significant in the longer term.” Clearing native vegetation for crops has significantly accelerated the rate of erosion by increasing the exposure of soils to the winds and waters that carry it downhill. The impact of such accelerated soil erosion on the carbon cycle has been contested within the scientific community, in part because of the difficulty in measuring all of the processes tying the fate of eroded soils to organic carbon. Organic carbon in the form of dead plant material accumulates in the topsoil, where microbial decomposition returns it to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. The rate of decomposition — and, therefore, the stability of the soil carbon
See SOIL, page 5
By ALAN LIN
Aggie Science Writer
The advent of the smartphone is pretty remarkable. Whether we like it or not, the constant access to wireless data via satellites changes the way people interact with the world around them. Additionally, with the ease that GPS programs can be integrated into smart phones, it’s virtually impossible to get lost. Then the iPhone 5 came out with iOS 6 and we’ve all heard the horror stories about people being led down streets that didn’t exist, against 1-way traffic, or, god forbid, being a few minutes late because a traffic feed failed to update properly. Fortunately, there’s Waze — a mobile app that provides an open-source, crowd-sourced solution to iOS 6 Maps and Android users frustrated with their default map options. Waze is a crowd-sourced map application. This
means that it compiles data from all of its users into a constantly updating database. The database includes live traffic data, road conditions, road changes and even notable disturbances like police checkpoints, photo-enforced intersections and accidents. Additionally, Waze provides a beautiful user interface that automatically switches between day and night modes for easier viewing, provides turnby-turn voice navigation, and even informs users of nearby gas prices. The voice navigation will even work when the phone is locked, so you can put it in your cup holder and listen to directions without ever looking at your device. Waze is available to any lost Aggies via the app store or Google Play. Even better, all of the benefits are available free of charge. ALAN LIN can be reached at science@ theaggie.org.
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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword PuzzleAggie The california Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 Hit bottom? 6 Irritate 10 Excessive elbow-benders 14 Put down 15 Sandy color 16 World’s largest furniture retailer 17 Fibs 20 Author LeShan 21 “Bad” cholesterol letters 22 Scrooge creator 23 The first film it aired was “Gone with the Wind” 24 Inauguration Day events 25 Seductive peepers 29 Barnyard sound 32 A car with this is often easier to resell 33 What quibblers split 35 Asian on the Enterprise bridge 36 Deadens 39 Spanish hand 40 Seagoing mil. training group 42 Montgomery native 44 His, to Henri 45 Like large cereal boxes 48 Online suffix with Net 49 Some dashes 50 Like test papers awaiting grading 53 __ chi ch’uan 54 Swell, slangily 57 1963 Elvis hit with the lyrics “You look like an angel ... but I got wise” 60 Leave out 61 Signaled backstage, perhaps 62 “The Da Vinci Code” star 63 Shake, as a police tail 64 TV’s tiny Taylor 65 Typical O. Henry ending DOWN 1 Black Friday store event 2 Term paper abbr.
By Ken Bessette
3 Excel input 4 Part of i.e. 5 Easily heard herd leader 6 Feeble cry 7 German “I” 8 “Dragnet” sergeant 9 Useless 10 Jockey’s wear 11 Steinbeck migrant 12 Suffix with four, six, seven and nine 13 Say freshly 18 __ Dantès, the Count of Monte Cristo 19 PayPal “currency” 23 Brook fish 24 On point 25 Cap’ns’ subordinates 26 Make used (to) 27 Apollo’s birthplace, in Greek myth 28 __ culpa 29 Home of the Hurricanes 30 Cuban-born TV producer 31 United 34 Pile up
Tuesday’s solved Tuesday’spuzzle Puzzle Solved
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37 Mideast political gp. 38 No different from, with “the” 41 De Beers founder Rhodes 43 When “They Drive,” in a 1940 Raft/Bogart film 46 Cat of many colors 47 Demand from a door pounder
3/3/10
48 Vindictiveness 50 Superstar 51 Pixar clownfish 52 Alamo competitor 53 Ocean motion 54 Done, to Dumas 55 Questions 56 “__ in Show” 58 __ gratia: by the grace of God 59 Mich.-based labor group
Sudoku
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page fIVE
The california aggie
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 5
Academic Senate approves changes to two majors By JESSICA GRILLI Aggie News Writer
In order to accommodate shifts in student enrollment, the chemical engineering/materials science dual major will be discontinued and the microbiology major’s name will be changed. Enrique Lavernia, dean of the College of Engineering, said the conclusion to discontinue the dual science major was reached after assessing dramatic decreases in the number of students graduating in this major. Students will be able to complete a chemical engineering major with the new materials science minor instead. Lavernia also assured that these changes to the College of Engineering
will have no negative impacts on the students currently in the program. “No course would be eliminated, as the dual major consists entirely of courses already offered in engineering. All of these courses would continue to be offered. There are no courses dedicated solely to this major,” Lavernia said. In addition to the discontinuation of the dual major, the decision was made to change the name of the microbiology major to “microbiology and molecular genetics.” “Faculty in the microbiology department requested the name change to ‘microbiology and molecular genetics’ to more accurately reflect the activities undertaken by faculty in the department,” said Matthew Traxler,
professor of psychology and member of the Academic Senate. Bruno Nachtergaele, chair of the Academic Senate, agreed that renaming the major would result in a more positive correlation with those activities involved within the major. “The rationale was to make the new name reflect a de facto evolution in the reality and future goals of the department offering the major,” Nachtergaele said. “This name change was therefore supported by the senate, with the strong suggestion that the department reach out to the graduate groups not based in the department that cover the same or similar topics at the graduate level.” JESSICA GRILLI can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
DOCJOE
MAYAN
Cont. from page 2
Cont. from page 3 With the collapse of the political infrastructure of Mayan society came the end of monument building, inter-city commerce, dynastic alliances and rivalries — but not all of Mayan culture. It was only later, when a severe drought struck the region between 1020 and 1100 CE, that the remaining population was largely wiped out. To obtain a high-resolution record of rainfall in the region inhabited by the Maya, researchers examined a stalagmite formed from dripping rainwater inside a cave near the ancient Maya city of Uxbenka. Radioisotope dating of uranium and thorium gave the age of the stalagmite, while analysis of oxygen isotope ratios — rainwater is relatively enriched in the heavier form — provided the rainfall record, with variations on timescales of less than a year. The second data set came from the Maya themselves, in the form of hieroglyphic inscriptions left on raised stone monuments called stelae. Containing what amount to political histories of successive Mayan periods, marked by
Doc Joe: Joseph, from one Joe to another, you’re a lucky guy. Try learning ASL. These days, there are many ways to start learning it. If you’re a grad student in genetics, you’re a smart guy. Your efforts will be appreciated. Katy Ann: Meanwhile, Joseph, you might apologize for stomping off. I find that even the happiest couples have some big arguments. Doc Joe: She teaches HI kids and she’s awesome. Joseph, you’re a lucky guy. Katy Ann: There you have it. If you’d like to get Ask Doc Joe & Katy Ann advice, please contact us at askdocjoeandkatyann@aol.com. Include your name, state of residence and your question, along with a brief description of the situation.
OBESITY Cont. from page 3 Education, and the principal investigator for the project. “Right now, we’re looking at the sort of game with an online environment, like [the game] Glitch, where it’s open-ended and continues to change with new levels or new worlds, so we can keep kids motivated and playing.” The game has similarities to World of Warcraft, where players gain levels and unlock achievements with more training. The only difference is the physical connection to the real world. “As long as there is a connection between the out-of-game experience and in-game experience, it could work, but there also has to be a proper reward system. Maybe it would work with kids, but there would need to be more of an incentive,” said Otelo Contras, a third-year aerospace engineering major and an avid gamer. Due to the project being in the developmental stages, its fine details have not been finalized. Luckily, the team has Robin Hunicke, a designer that has been involved with several projects such as The Sims, Journey and Boom Blox for the Wii. Together, the project team is hoping to move to the next stage after Christmas. ALLEN GUAN can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
SEXISM Cont. from page 3 player level. Choosing to be a team-supporting character that thrives behind the frontlines in an MMO marks someone as feminine. If someone asks about the identity of the player, if the player is female, somehow that “makes sense” and becomes the norm. When someone states that they are a girl or woman, a mixture of “tits or GTFO” or “A/S/L” comments usually follow. For those who are unfamiliar, these inter-
CARBON Cont. from page 3 — is affected both by the transport of the soil downhill, as well as its burial under successive soil layers. In addition to downhill burial, newly exposed, carbondeficient soils become available for carbon inputs from new crop plantings. By analyzing measurements of soil depth and age in the Dilje basin in Belgium, a region that has been continuously farmed for 6,000 years, Kristof Van Oost, from the Catholic University of Louvain, and colleagues tracked the fate of organic carbon in soil by reconstructing the movement of soils in the basin over the entire 6,000-year period. The results, showing a net carbon sink for all of the erosion-related processes measured, appeared in the Nov. 20 issue of the
net catcalls mean “show your tits or get the fuck out,” and “Age/Sex/ Location.” When moderately pretty girls purchase “manly” video games like God of War, usually the clerk asks if it is for a boyfriend or a younger brother. I have made the mistake of using a microphone in Team Fortress 2 and watched my credibility go down the drain because of assumptions that I was female. While many people would consider it better to remain genderneutral, when someone states that she is female it tends to lead to a disproportionate amount of
campus judicial report Five more minutes A first-year student was referred to Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) for cheating on an exam after time was called in an economics course. The professor saw him talk with a friend and change his answers on the exam after the exam period had ended. When meeting with a judicial officer, the student denied cheating, but admitted to working on the exam after time was called. He agreed to one year of probation, special seating arrangements for all future exams and community service as sanctions. Probation means that the student will likely be suspended or dismissed if he is found in violation again, but he retains his right to a formal hearing if he disputes the charges.
You were warned A fourth-year student was referred to SJA for submitting an assignment in a University Writing Program course that contained plagiarism. When meeting with a judicial officer, he admitted to plagiarizing despite receiving handouts
on plagiarism at the beginning of the quarter. He agreed to Deferred Separation and community service as sanctions. In addition, he received an “F” grade on the paper. Deferred Separation means that if he is again referred to SJA for any kind of theft or misappropriation, he has the right to an informal hearing with a judicial officer but has given up his right to a formal hearing.
Don’t let history repeat itself A first-year student was referred to SJA for using a cell phone to cheat during an exam in a history course. The class was warned that having cell phones out during the exam implies cheating. When meeting with a judicial officer, the student admitted to using a cell phone during the exam for reasons other than cheating. He agreed to censure as sanction out of benefit of doubt. In addition, he received zero points on the exam. Censure is a written notice of a violation of policy. If he commits another violation, he will receive further discipline.
changes in leadership, wars and other major events, the stelae are also exquisitely dated. And because the Maya adhered to a precise, astronomically based calendar system, the dates recorded for each of these events, as well as the dates of the completion of the stelae themselves, could be correlated precisely to the climatological chronology deposited in the stalagmite. “The Maya area is unique in having so many written texts that are absolutely dateable and locatable in space,” said Martha Macri, a UC Davis linguist and professor of Native American studies who provided the hieroglyphics database used for the correlation. The glyph record, comprised from widely distributed sites, allowed investigators to see the synchrony of both the rise and fall of the Classic Maya. The period from about 300 to 700 CE, during which the Classic Maya were flourishing, was anomalously wet. With few major rivers that could be tapped for irrigation, the Maya depended on the seasonal rains to keep the good times going. But beginning about 700 CE, the climate became noticeably, but not catastrophically, drier. Nonetheless, symbols for warfare be-
gin to increase in the glyph record, perhaps a sign of increasing competition for scarce resources. This was attended by rapid turnovers in ruling families, signaling political instability, and perhaps a loss of faith in the divine mandate of the rulers who were now powerless to bring back the rains. The authors of the study say there is still much more to be done to untangle the social and ecological dynamics that drove Mayan society. Still, what they have learned so far may already provide a cautionary tale. “People are always asking the question, what does this tell us about ourselves? It tells us we ought to be fairly cautious about our assumptions of the stability of our economic system and culture in the face of natural change,” Winterhalder said. “Just prior to the collapse I can imagine that the leadership of these city states were quite confident, looking out over their realm, and seeing productive agriculture, and scientists, and armies, and monuments going up, and just thinking, ‘Man, this is going to last forever.’ And three generations later it was gone.”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Jennifer Harden, a soil scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, called the PNAS study “a pioneering effort” which definitively establishes the mechanism of erosion-related carbon sequestration. “The carbon models even today are not addressing this whatsoever, so this article is going to really, really help,” Harden said. One of the remaining challenges in quantifying the impact of agricultural erosion on the worldwide carbon cycle is the variability in soils and rates of erosion across different geographical areas. In addition, long-term climate change would also affect the stability of buried soil carbon. “What we know less about is how the role of lateral distribution of topsoil on the global carbon cycle may be differ-
ent in different ecosystems, in systems experiencing different types of erosion, and how this can be affected by changing precipitation regimes under the anticipated global climate change scenarios,” wrote Asmeret Berhe, a soil scientist at UC Merced, in an email comment on the Dilje study. Six said the new results add a new appreciation for the impacts to the carbon cycle that can already be expected in the future, given that the majority of the sequestered carbon from agriculturally-related erosion has happened only within the last 150 years. “All of that buried carbon — in the future, we’re going to see it coming out,” Six said. “So it has implications for the future. Because now it maybe doesn’t look as bad, but in the future it could look much worse.”
negative responses compared to when someone states that he is male. It seems as though these microaggressions at the player/consumer level might infect the future members of the video game industry — that is, if players choose to pursue that path. However, despite all the disheartening stories, there are other hashtags such as #1ReasonMentors, which gives advice to aspiring female developers, and #1ReasonToBe, which informs people about why game developers chose their career, despite the potential for
OYANG TENG can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
OYANG TENG can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
harsh treatment. Tweets of thanks drown out the trolling tweets in #1ReasonWhy. The few trolling tweets remembered and recorded by other bloggers and writers will remind forward-thinking game companies of which toxic individuals to avoid hiring. Although I have read many sobering stories on these hashtags, I believe it was for the better. Sharing these experiences spreads awareness and shows solidarity for female developers who have often been told to keep silent. As well as helping current female developers, the hashtags al-
low aspiring developers, both male and female, to connect with people already in the industry. Aspiring developers may also learn how to deal with sexism in the industry and fight it, instead of just ignoring it like so many in the past have done. For more information, search Twitter hashtags #1ReasonWhy, #1ReasonToBe and #1ReasonMentor. Also, you can read Cuppycake’s full blog post at borderhouseblog.com/?p=9712. VICTORIA TRANG is an avid gamer and self-identified gaming scholar. She can be reached at science@ theaggie.org.
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SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES DO NOT WORK
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The california Aggie
wednesday, decEMBER 5, 2012
Men’s soccer season in review Aggies’ season ends on a bittersweet note
Brian Nguyen / Aggie
Matt Sheldon fends off CSU Northridge during the Big West Conference Championships. UC Davis finished with a 10-7-4 overall record and an 8-4 record in the Big West Conference.
Men’s soccer By VEENA BANSAL Aggie Sports Writer
The men’s soccer team’s season ended on a solemn, yet encouraging note a couple of weeks ago at home. The team ended its season with a 1-0 loss to South Division Championships, Cal State Northridge. UC Davis finished with a 10-7-4 overall record
and an 8-4 record in the Big West Conference. The team played very well against CSU Northridge in general, but was unable to recover from an early goal from Matador Sagi Lev-Ari at the 15:45 mark. LevAri put away his 14th goal of the season on an assist from Chris Smith. Smith passed the ball to Lev-Ari in the middle of the field, who fired a hard shot at the crossbar for the 1-0 lead. Junior goalkeeper Omar
Zeenni recorded two saves and several players fired five shots at the goal, but the team was held at zero goals for the entirety of the game. In the 40th minute, freshman forward Eric Budniewski’s strike from outside the 18-yard box was knocked away by Matador goalkeeper Michael Abalos. Sophomore forward Brian Ford and junior forward Alex Henry came up with incredible shots but, unfortunately, were hindered by Abalos.
In spite of its class, the team remained in contention for a spot in the NCAA Tournaments, but were not selected. “It was pretty disappointing,” Henry said. “But we had a great season and look forward to playing better next year.” With that, the flashback of memories of the team’s impeccable soccer season commences. The team started its season with many draws, with four games extending into double overtime. The Aggies developed a solid dynamic and established their confidence with ties against top teams, such as San Francisco and Denver. Subsequently, however, the Aggies were dealt their first loss, 3-1, at home against UCF. UCF managed to score all three of its goals in the final twenty minutes of play, which was a clear indicator that the Aggies still had improvements to make in their game plan. Following a strong win over Tulsa, the team experienced a rough patch for several games. SMU scored late in the game to top the Aggies 1-0 and Saint Mary’s took the lead away from the Aggies relatively early in the game and also handed UC Davis its second defeat in a row. The team dropped its Big West opener against the Matadors with a 2-0 loss. The Matadors struck early with two big goals within the first sixteen minutes of play. The Aggies, fortunately, ended their losing streak at three with a 3-1 victory over UC Irvine. Juniors Alex Aguiar and forwards Kevin Schulte and Pat Reese each scored a goal to cap-
ture their first Big West victory of the season against the Anteaters. The team truly took their game to another level with an incredible all-around effort and solid defense. With that, the Aggies launched a phenomenal four-game winning streak, all of which were Big West matchups. Schulte scored a goal against UC Riverside and Aguiar and Henry shut down Cal State Fullerton to win 2-1. Without a doubt, one of the most memorable victories was against nemesis UC Santa Barbara. In front of a seasonhigh of 1,344 fans, Henry lined up a direct free kick at the 84:50 mark on the right wing. He sent a ball into the penalty box, but the shot curled into the upper left corner of the goal and over the hands of goalkeeper Oscar Mansker. The Aggies fell to Cal Poly, but came to defeat top-seed Sacramento State and UC Santa Barbara 2-1 in double overtime. The Aggies officially took over the number one spot in the Big West to clinch the North Division title with a 2-1 thriller over Sacramento State. The Aggies shut out Cal State Fullerton 2-1 with goals from sophomore forwards Matt Sheldon and Ian Palmer to advance to the final against CSU Northridge. “We had a great season,” said coach Dwayne Shaffer. “We are going to stick to our game-plan this year and work for next year so that we can achieve better results in the future.” VEENA BANSAL can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
campus
chic By STEPHANIE B. NGUYEN Aggie News Writer
Myra Orgain, third-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major Hometown: Orinda, CA Spotted in front of Peter J. Shields Library The Aggie: What are you wearing? Orgain: “The shoes are from Modcloth, the skirt is from A Pretty Penny in Oakland, the sweater is from Therapy in Berkeley and the blouse is vintage. My watch is Coach and my rings are all vintage.”
How did you decide what to wear today? “Partly the weather and partly my mood.” Where do you find inspiration? “Right now, I’m channeling a more classy mood. I’ve been watching a lot of Downton Abbey, so the early 1900s and a lot of film.” What is your favorite winter accessory? “Sweaters, beanies, knit things.” STEPHANIE B. NGUYEN can be reached at campus@theaggie. org.
Stephanie Nguyen / Aggie
Stephanie Nguyen / Aggie
reuse.
reduce.
Stephanie Nguyen / Aggie
recycle.