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Issue 152, Volume 75
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UH takes precautions Students’ cheating remains an issue at educational institutions
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By Amanda Trella The daily cougar From grade school to university campuses, academic dishonesty can be found at almost every education level. However, professors are taking a growing number of precautions to make sure cheating and plagiarism does not occur.
This has caused many students — especially college students — to try and figure out new and innovative ways to not only cheat on an exam or paper, but to cheat the system itself. At UH, many professors have turned to Turnitin.com, requiring students to submit their essays or term papers to the automated online plagiarism detection service, which cross-checks a student’s writing with everything available on the Internet. With this Web site in place, students are no longer able to copy
and paste sections of published work into their assignments and claim it as their own. This isn’t the only way UH professors are trying to end academic dishonesty. Many classes now require students to take exams at testing centers throughout the campus, such as CASA or the CLASS Electronic Testing Center. Nonetheless, students are still finding ways to break the system. “I have seen students write answers on the insides of their see DISHONESTY, page 8
Professor joins elite engineer academy
Center aims for artistic variety
By Neal Dasgupta The daily cougar
By Ashley Evans The daily cougar This season the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts features local and international talent in a variety of mediums. The events cover various creative outlets including film, interpretive dance, laser graffiti and the spoken word. The exhibits and events focus heavily on community involvement and on bridging the relationship between UH and its surrounding communities. “We are excited to roll out a 201011 season that is timely and relevant, while also being celebratory and fun,” Director of the Mitchell Center Karen Farber said. “The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts has identified some key themes that continue to influence our programming over the past five years and beyond.” The season kicks off with OIL, a documentary theater piece by Texas-born artist Amy Patton. The exhibition will be at the Blaffer Art Gallery Aug. 28-Nov. 13. Her inspiration for the work came from the 1927 Upton Sinclair novel “Oil” about the Teapot Dome Scandal during the Harding administration. Patton’s interpretation plays on the “petroleum-based lifestyle” familiar to many Houstonians and the social implications of this way of life. An event close to the heart of the university is the “Life is Living” Houston festival in November which see ARTS, page 6
Kendra berglund The Daily Cougar
The UH Center for Academic Support and Assessment, located on Holman St., is one of many programs initiated to take precaution against academic dishonesty. CASA has a list of rules and regulations that they ask students to be aware of.
KENDRA BERGLUND The Daily Cougar
Keep the change
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he parking meters, shown on Holman St., now offer credit and debit cards as a payment option. Parking meters are located throughout the University campus. The new individual meters offer a 10 hour limit, compared to older meters still located on campus that offer only a two-hour maximum. Time restrictions and hours of operation are posted on the meters.
The Chinese Academy of Engineering recently inducted UH visiting professor Surendra Shah as a foreign member. He is one of only four engineers and the only civil engineer in the world to gain this title in the CAE. “It is a great honor,” UH Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Chair Abdeldjelil Belarbi said. Shah learned of his induction during the 10th general assembly of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in Beijing. China’s President Hu Jintao was in attendance at the assembly. “It is very difficult to be elected as a member and even more difficult to be elected as a foreign member of Chinese Academy,” Belarbi said. To be inducted as a foreign member, one must be the member of the academy of his or her own country — in Shah’s case, the U.S. “Then you must be nominated by five members of CAE,” Belarbi said. “These members must demonstrate that the nominee has made outstanding contribution in their field, and they have made significant contribution to China.” The member’s duties involve advising government and private industries on science and technology issues along with research and development. In a UH release Shah said his main goals are to utilize engineering academies to help find solutions to major problems facing India, China
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Surendra Shah
and the U.S. Shah, originally from India, received his bachelor’s degree in his home country. He received his master’s degree from Lehigh University and his doctorate from Cornell University. Shah will join the UH faculty full time in January after completing his year-long commitment at UH, which involves promoting interdisciplinary research and education on concrete materials. The Chinese Academy of Engineering’s mission is to initiate and conduct strategic studies, provide consultant services for decision-making of nation’s key issues in engineering and technological sciences and promote the development of engineering and technological sciences in China and devote itself to the benefit and welfare of the society, according to its Web site. “The Chinese Academy of engineering, similar to U.S. Academy of Engineering, elects a very select member in their academy.” Belarbi said. “This (induction) is the highest honor an engineer can receive.” news@thedailycougar.com