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MONDAY, JULY 8, 2013
VOLUME 100, ISSUE 1
Aztecs have eyes on innovative telescope
campus Sofie Casillas Copy Chief
The San Diego State astronomy department recently announced it received funding to build a $1.5 million telescope to replace the small, 45-year-old research telescope at the Mount Laguna Observatory. The telescope is expected to take approximately a year and a half to construct. Once the telescope is completed, SDSU faculty and students will be able to utilize the new technology. Additionally, a portion of the observation time will be granted to The University of Kansas, the project’s partner and investor. The new telescope, which is the largest in school history, was funded by a bequest from SDSU alumnus and former member of the Mount Laguna Observatory Associate Phillips Claud. When Calud passed away, he left $670,000 from his estate to fund the construction of the telescope. Because of Claud’s financial support, the telescope will be named after him. In addition to Claud, there were many other investors interested in funding the project. The Brenda and Dave Rickey Foundation, a charitable organization, provided $100,000 to the project, which went to purchase raw glass to form the telescope’s mirror. Other investors included The San Diego Foundation, Justin Rennilson, Astronomical Research Cameras, Inc. and donations from SDSU alumni and observatory mem-
A view of the Large Magellanic Cloud. The new telescope will provide astronomers with out-of-this-world technology.
bers. The telescope is expected to have many new features that will help the SDSU Department of Astronomy—which is the only department of its kind in the California State University system—to expand current research projects. SDSU Astronomy Department Chair Allen Shafter said one of the features many people are looking forward to in the new 50-inch telescope is its robotic abilities. These will enable the telescope to be operated remotely, allowing for more precise and thorough research projects. “A robotic telescope will be far more effective than a traditional telescope, and so we can do a lot more with it, even if it is roughly the same size,” astronomy professor William Welsh said. “It’s like the difference between a word processor and a typewriter—both give the same output, but one is a
heck of a lot better.” Because of the telescope’s new features, faculty members will have more time devoted to studying various astronomical objects. “The real advantage of our new telescope will be in the way that it is scheduled, and in the availability of large amounts of telescope time for our faculty to study timevarying astronomical objects,” Shafter said. In addition, the telescope’s ability to automatically record data will benefit faculty members working on time-consuming research projects during the semester. “It is really a pain to work all night, get maybe two hours of sleep, drive an hour to campus, teach and work with students, then go back to the observatory to work all night again,” Welsh said. “This gets old real fast, especially in winter when the nights
courtesy of esa- hubble
are very long. So having the telescope automatically take the data will really help when classes are in session.” Along with its robotic abilities, the telescope will collect approximately 50 percent more light than the Mount Laguna Observatory’s current telescope, allowing for fainter objects to be seen. SDSU astronomy professor Jerome Orosz said the Phillips Claude telescope will have a more advanced optical design, allowing for larger regions of the sky to be seen. Overall, the Phillips Claude telescope will be instrumental in advancing research from the SDSU Department of Astronomy, in addition to searching for different stars and clusters in the Milky Way, finding planets around other stars as well as locating supernovae and novae in distant galaxies.
Book award grant- A.S. announces ed to SDSU sleuth new judicial council campus
campus
Arturo Garcia Sierra
Camille Lozano
Assistant News Editor
Contributor
San Diego State anthropology professor Seth Mallios was honored this summer at the San Diego Book Awards. Mallios received the Best Local Interest award for his book “Hail Montezuma! The Hidden Treasures of San Diego State.” The award was given on June 22 at SDBA’s annual ceremony after three judges scored his book the highest ranking in the local interest category, President of SDBA Kate Gurney said. “The San Diego Book Awards receives many excellent books in the local interest category, including many with a very specific focus or niche topic about Southern California. We hope to increase attention to such local interest books through recognition of excellence in our annual contest,” Gurney said. The book, which chronicles the untold history of SDSU, examines artifacts and stories brought to light through the “digging up” of
courtesy of newscenter
various spots around campus as well as memorabilia donated by of the SDSU community and alumni. Mallios has wanted to examine the campus underground since interviewing for his position in 2000. “I told the faculty I wanted to dig up campus and they were very surprised. They didn’t believe anything was here,” Mallios said. “So BOOK AWARD continued on page 2
San Diego State’s Associated Students appointed one chief justice and six justices to its new Judicial Affairs Council (ASJAC), which was formed as part of the governmental restructure implemented this summer. Criminal justice senior Sean Guardian, who also ran for A.S. president during the spring semester, was appointed chief justice. ASJAC will be replacing the Rules Committee of the previous structure, but it will be much more than its predecessor, Guardian said. “The whole goal for this year is to create something more tangible and extensive to make sure people are using the position,” Guardian said. Guardian said the Rules Committee would essentially review the three requirements A.S. council members are responsible for, which include an hour of tabling for A.S., attending college council meetings and one cultural event on campus. According to the A.S. website, the Rules Committee also reviewed complaints brought against any council
monica linzmeier , photo editor
or board member in relation to ethics, conduct or bylaws. But, ASJAC plans to expand its responsibilities to the campus community. One of Guardian’s ideas is to become involved in the process dealing with students who get in trouble with the university, Guardian said. Guardian said he plans to have his council take the judicial officer training provided by SDSU. COUNCIL continued on page 2
july 8, 2013
monday
Austism study’s practical potential campus
Hannah Beausang News Editor
Researchers at San Diego State have made groundbreaking strides in diagnosing autism. The research, fronted by SDSU and University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral student Aarti Nari and SDSU psychology professor Ralph-Axel Müller, could help target autism at early stages of development. The study incorporated functional and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging methods along with diffusion tensor imaging to investigate links between the cerebral cortex and thalamus. With the use of the different types of imaging, the team examined the functionality and intactness of connections in the brains of patients with and without autism. Sensory information—including vital elements such as vision, attention hearing and motor control—that is processed by the brain enters through the thalamus and is directed to other regions of the brain. Nair said the thalamus has not been examined in-depth during other autism studies because it is housed deep within the brain and is difficult to observe. “It has a pretty crucial role in the brain,” Nair said. “This is a brain region that has surprisingly not been studied much in autism.” Müller, the senior investigator of the study, who has been involved in autism research for more than 20 years, enunciated the importance of the inner brain connections. “It’s been known for a long time that the cerebral cortex is like a map,” Müller said. “When you look at prenatal brain development, these connections between the thalamus and cerebral cortex are actually heavily involved in telling the cerebral cortex how to specialize.” The study revealed that connections between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex of children with autism were affected. The cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain, is crucial in high-level cognitive functions as well as sensory functions, such as motor control. The study examined 50 children ranging from ages 9 to 17 who were recruited from local clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Alan Lincoln, from the community and through advertisements at SDSU and UCSD Visual evidence from the study showed reduced connections that tied in with autism traits and symptoms in the observed children. Nair said autism research is moving toward the investigation of sensory motor skills, which were examined in this study. “If you look at the trend with autism right now, both the changes in the diagnosis and the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual as well as the measures used to diagnose autism, there’s a bigger RESEARCH continued on page 2