thebattalion ● thursday,
september 30, 2010
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2010 student media
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Photo illustration by Josh McKenna, Stephen Olmon — THE BATTALION
The Fightin’ Texas Aggies face off against the Oklahoma State University Cowboys at 6:30 p.m. this evening in the first conference game for both 3-0 squads. The Cowboys will pit one of the country’s top offenses against A&M’s tenth-ranked defense on ESPN, broadcast from Boone Pickens Stadium.
inside Student reaction to editorial Check out A&M student reaction to Tuesday’s editorial, “Shooting raises alarm, disarm campuses” in response to the UT incident, on pages 9 and 10.
news for you nation &world Mexico cartel arrests Mexican marines captured 30 suspected Gulf cartel members and seized an arsenal of weapons during two days of raids in a northern border state torn by drug gang battles, officials announced Wednesday.
money Official accused of selling U.S. boat A government official in the U.S. Virgin Islands has been accused of selling a boat that belonged to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. The statement Wednesday from the U.S. territory’s justice department alleges Jose Berrios sold a 22-foot Boston Whaler marine patrol vessel for $1,500. Associated Press
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Flies offer insight into sleep disorders Alex Randolph Special to The Battalion In a corner lab on the third floor of Biological Sciences Building West, A&M professor Paul Hardin and his coworkers study the most delicate of test subjects: Drosophila melanogaster—the fruit fly. However, the research done with these fragile flies is on biological clocks and their relation to human physiology, an issue nearly everyone, especially shift workers, frequent flyers and night-owl college students can relate to. “These biological clocks control pretty much all of our physiology, our metabolism and many aspects of our behavior,” Hardin said. “Their purpose is to synchronize our internal environment to the external environment.”
Hardin’s lab is involved in finding the genetic basis of biological clocks, also called circadian rhythms. He said fruit flies are studied because they have a 10-day life cycle, which allows the researchers to identify mutations much more quickly than a test subject with a longer life cycle. As odd as it might seem, fruit flies are also used in the lab due to their similarity with humans on a molecular scale. “The genetic make-up of biological clocks is very similar in humans and flies. So what we find in flies is almost certainly going to be relevant to the timing mechanisms in humans,” Hardin said. Hardin said his work is of great interest to the National Institutes of Health. He received a grant funded by a branch of this organization, the Institute for
Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The Institute funds grants related to problems with the nervous system, such as advanced sleep phase syndrome, delayed sleep phase syndrome and insomnia, as well as depression and bipolar disorder. The grant itself was awarded to Hardin’s lab for a five year period and will go to pay for the students and post doctoral associates that carry out this research. Parul Agrwal, a graduate student from India, spends most of her day in the lab. “I work on a project to identify enzymes that may play a role in the timekeeping mechanism. I work with the flies directly, and once I see certain results, I will move on to observation on a molecular level,” Agrwal said. Wangjie Yu, a post-doctoral researcher, said he enjoyed working
Vehicle safety includes more than driving, security Prevent theft
Thomas Levitt The Battalion Car thieves seize the opportunity to take valuables left in the open, but students can protect themselves by using secure defensive measures. Lt. Craig Anderson of the College Station Police Department said a few simple tips and common sense can help keep items safe. “Students can protect themselves by locking their doors, taking valuables out of their vehicles and by hiding their valuables in the trunk of their vehicles.” Anderson said: “Do not place purses or other valuables under the car seat. Many times they still stick out and the thief can see it. The majority of thieves are opportunistic and if valuables are left in a vehicle, and/or left in plain sight then thieves will more than likely attempt to burglarize the vehicle.” Burglars traditionally target items such as GPS systems, mp3 players and laptop computers, cell phones, wallets, purses, money and stereos. Some students already take precautionary measures before leaving their car. “Every time I leave my car, I always make sure that any
Mackenzie Kilgore — THE BATTALION
electronic equipment of value is hidden out of sight or is taken out of the car,” said Anneesa Castaneda, junior construction science major. Signs around campus remind students to take measures to secure items in their cars to prevent theft. “Lock my doors, hide my belongings, basically I do what the signs tell me,” said Katherine Skinner, freshman telecom media major.
◗ Always lock your vehicle ◗ Have all malfunctioning locks on your vehicles and residences repaired. ◗ Remain alert and aware of any suspicious activity. ◗ Do not leave valuable items in plain view. ◗ Unplug chargers and cables to GPS systems, iPods, etc. ◗ Do not approach people that are acting suspicious, call the police. ◗ Try to get a description of the persons.
in Hardin’s lab. “The Center for Biological Clocks Research [at Texas A&M] is one of the best places to study the biological clock worldwide,” Yu said. Hardin said the new drug targets resulting from the research in his lab could affect not only the medical world, but the business world as well. Americans lose quite a few hours to jet lag for every long distance trip. Sleepiness and poor concentration on the job creates thousands of dollars in losses and damages every year. “Some of these proteins that we might identify with this research could be targets for drugs that could help in medical conditions caused by the biological clock,” Hardin said.
Q&A
Professor shares theater advice Tim Bardin Special to The Battalion Roger Schultz is a professor of theater arts in the performance studies department where he has been teaching acting, directing, and theater history and dramatic literature classes for 25 years. He has also been active as an actor, director, designer and producer in professional, community and educational theater. Schultz discusses why he teaches theater, how studying theater teaches students about life and gives advice to students considering a career in theater. Q: Why do you teach theater arts? A: Teaching, directing and producing theater combines my personal, spiritual, political, aesthetic and educational agendas. Theater is about life. It is about what it means to be or exist. If I had to pick my job, I would choose the work I do now because when I teach theater and a light comes on in a pair of eyes, even if it is just one, that is a good thing. Q: What would you suggest to someone considering a career, professional or scholastic, in theater? A: Read, read, read as much as possible. Observe and enjoy life. Learn the distinction and correlation between life and theater. Q: How can studying theater benefit someone? A: Good theater and good literature is about life in general. It is not about long ago and far away. It is about today. Plays like Oedipus the King and Hamlet, although they were written hundreds of years ago, are still relevant today because they are about life. Studying these plays, and theater in general, gives insight into life. See Q&A on page 8
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