THE DAILY COUGAR E!
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Sophomore guard is the Nixon Cougars can believe in /SPORTS
Artists collaborate to make over Houston /LIFE & ARTS Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Issue 84, Volume 74
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TODAY’S WEATHER
3-day forecast, Page 2
Hi 70 Lo 41 www.thedailycougar.com
Liana Lopez The Daily Cougar
Faculty gathered in Room 232, Phillip Guthrie Hoffman Hall to discuss energy initiatives that will factor into the UH’s push to gain flagship status as a research university as well as projects to be submitted for federal stimulus funding.
UH to seek corporate sponsors Administration stresses research relations with energy, health industries in meeting By Allison P. Smith The Daily Cougar UH is in a good position to benefit from the changes in the energy and health industries, UH Vice President of Research Donald Birx said to several hundred faculty members at the UH energy meeting Monday. Several researchers and experts in wind and solar energy will draw more research dollars to the University, Birx said. “There is a lot of competition in this field, but there are also more funding opportunities since the ’80s,”
Birx said. The faculty meeting addressed University of Houston’s place as a flagship energy research university. “We have this one chance, and we cannot do this alone,” UH President and chancellor of UH System Renu Khator said. The University is working to involve industry in its research objectives, but if UH can’t prove that it can achieve flagship status, then the people and resources will not come back 10 years from now, Khator said. Corporate partnerships should not
mean compromising the University’s goals and agendas, she said. “We have goals and resources. We will not change our goals, but our resources will remain flexible.” Khator said in regards to the University’s obligation its industry partners. Birx said that UH has strategic strengths, being in the energy capital of the world and having a super research cluster in energy and renewable resources. “We have a lot of strengths, but we just don’t know how to tie that in with industries,” Birx said. He called this one of the major reasons UH doesn’t get the research funding that it should. UH needs to bring the researchers
UH to remember prof in memorial By Josh Malone The Daily Cougar Gregory Cahill, former associate professor of biology and biochemistry at the University of Houston whose collogues describe him as being gifted in both research and with his students, will have a memorial service held in his honor on Feb. 13 after his death last month. “He was one of the most energetic and professional researchers I’ve known, and a great teacher who held a natural affinity with students,” said Stuart Dryer, John and Rebecca Moores Professor and chair of the Department of Biology and Biochemistry. “I was proud to work with him.” Described as an avid
outdoorsman with a strong interest in rafting and hiking, Cahill was at Bush Intercontinental Airport on Dec. 23 waiting to catch a flight to visit family in Minnesota when he passed away. Cahill had been previously struggling with his health and the cause of death has not been released. He was 50 years old. Credited as being an invaluable contributor to the field of biological clock cycles, Cahill used genetically altered zebra fish that glowed in the dark, research that is used in the study of human sleep disorders and mental illnesses. Cahill, whom Dryer described as “meticulous and a perfectionist” in his research, was said to have had a similar ability in the classroom, as well. “He was extremely personable
and industries together where there are mutual benefits and innovations in nanomaterial, finding ways to use waste gasses and building models that employs solar energy during the day and wind energy at night, he said. “We need to start developing UH energy and make it a reality by next year,” Birx said. The UH-led Lone Star Wind Alliance is a cooperative partnership between corporations, such as the Houston Advanced Research Center, British Petroleum, Huntsman and Shell Wind, and several universities, including the University of TexasAustin, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. The goal of this partnership is to
research wind energy, train faculty and develop undergraduate research, Birx said. Another major step was the purchase of an industrial research facility. Schlumberger Complex, a 550-acre complex, will serve as the future site of the UH Energy Research Park, Provost John Antel said. “We are going to extend (Schlumberger) buildings 4 and 7, both about 500,000 square feet, and extending Wheeler (from Schlumberger) to the campus to meet the Energy Park,” Antel said. The Energy Research Park will add more facilities and space for the see ENERGY, page 3
UC holds tournament for Madden NFL ’09 By Bill Barajas The Daily Cougar
Photo courtesy of the Department of Biology and Biochemistry
Gregory Cahill was born July 17, 1958, in Mankato, Minn. A memorial will be held Feb. 13 at A.D. Bruce Religion Center. and quick with a smile. With his students, he had the ability to push his students hard but in the kindest possible way,” Dryer said. see CAHILL, page 3
Super Sunday delivered one of the most memorable finishes in Super Bowl history when Ben Roethlisberger threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes for the go-ahead score. After such a climactic finish, NFL fans will spend the next seven months wallowing in a depression sure to accompany the long offseason that lies ahead. The University Center has cooked something up to help with those NFL blues. On Wednesday, the UC will host an EA Sports Madden NFL ’09 tournament that is free for all UH students who would like to participate. “The tournament will be held in the UC Chili’s Too on the ground floor at 6 p.m. Students may sign up when
they show up to the event or go to the game room at anytime leading up to the tournament,” said Scott Godley, director of events and traditional programming for the UC. Godley said he picked Madden NFL ’09 because of its far-reaching fan base. “The game has somewhat of a cult following. It has a legacy,” Godley said. The game will be played on the Xbox 360 console to avoid any excuses from gamers claiming “the game does not run well” Godley said. The tournament will begin with only one console, but depending on turnout, the UC will rent another if needed. UH teamed up with the Association of College Union International (ACUI) to bring the tournament on campus, and it will mark the first time “Madden see MADDEN, page 3