LIFE AND ARTS
THEATER
FOOTBALL
Play keeps audiences entertained
Not overlooking the opponent
“The Beaux’ Stratagem” cast takes center stage showing off their acting capabilities.
UH is favored to beat Memphis by double digits, but the squad is not taking its opposition for granted.
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CALENDAR CHECK: 16
Dictionary Day. Celebrate by cracking open that old reference book and learning a new word.
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Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Issue 25, Volume 79
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BUSINESS
ACADEMICS
Trio launches epic company Andrea Sifuentes Staff writer
American merchants lose as much as $190 billion per year from credit card fraud, much of it from online shopping, according to a Forbes report. Alumni William Gomez Jr. and Ripp Motion, along with UH student Oscar Gomez, have started a company, called Epic One, which aims to minimize credit card fraud. Epic One created a technology that will store and secure all credit card information on one card that can only be activated by a fingerprint in order to avoid, and possibly eliminate, credit card fraud. “The company has really evolved from an original idea that put your payment cards into the cloud and every user had one card that represented their cloud wallet,” said Epic One’s co-founder and CEO, William Gomez Jr. “When this concept was introduced to the
founders, it evolved into a credit card fraud solution. The inspiration really came from all the things being put into the cloud, and I asked, ‘Why not credit cards?’” Gomez graduated from UH with a degree in chemical engineering in 2009. At first, he didn’t see himself as an entrepreneur. “Personally, I had no desire to be an entrepreneur until my brother came up with a completely unrelated idea when we were at UH. At that point, I realized I wanted to contribute to society instead of just going to work every day,” Gomez said. His brother Oscar Gomez, who is currently attending UH, is no stranger to the world of entrepreneurship. “The story goes back to me getting into startups during my sophomore year (as) my brother was getting into his chemical engineering career at KBR,” said Oscar Gomez, a computer science BUSINESS continues on page 3
Professor leads fault research Laura Gillespie Assistant news editor
care for the homeless. There are about 8,500 homeless individuals in the city. For those homeless who need to visit the emergency room or otherwise receive health care, high medical bills are a serious problem. “ We have to change that. Families are not able to take care of Emmett them because it is too expensive, so they end up in jail,” Emmett said. Emmett’s focus is to “get everyone preventive care and out of the emergency room and into medical homes.”
In an international collaboration between the University of Balochistan in Quetta, Pakistan, the University of Cincinnati and UH, the U.S. Agency for International Development has awarded a $451,000 grant to research the Chaman Fault in Pakistan, and improve earthquake prediction and mitigation. Associate geology professor Shuhab Khan is leading the U.S. division of the project, while Abdul Salam Khan of the University of Balochistan will lead the project from Pakistan. The project is in part of the Pakistan-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperation Program, a 2012 initiative to encourage collaboration in science and technology between the two countries. “The U.S.-Pakistan Science and Technology Cooperation Program is one of the highlights of the U.S.-Pakistan bilateral relationship. This opportunity will not only support joint U.S.-Pakistan research across a wide range of topics, but will also help bring the fruits of research into the hands of the private sector, increasing technology transfer opportunities and supporting broad-based economic growth in Pakistan,” said Pakistani Ambassador Richard Hoagland in a press release with the Pakistan Embassy. The Chaman Fault is a significant geological fault that runs more than 500 miles through Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is the largest fault in Central Asia, and several significant cities, such as
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RESEARCH continues on page 3
UH alumni William Gomez Jr. and Ripp Motion, along with UH student Oscar Gomez, have brought their dream into reality through Epic One. | Fernando Castaldi/The Daily Cougar
EVENT
Houston’s health heats up conference Veronica Reyes Contributing writer
Coming out can be a cakewalk The National Coming Out Week Cake Walk on Monday in front of the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library gathered support and raised awareness for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, letting them know they are not alone on campus. Aisha Bourderdaben/The Daily Cougar
The University Hilton was abuzz Friday with everything from obesity and mental health to Medicaid expansion and the recent Affordable Care Act at the Faculty Senate’s 15th Scholarship and Community Conference, “Greater Houston’s Health-Urban Healthcare in the 21st Century.” The conference featured a variety of speakers who shared their experiences and knowledge on Houston health. The focus was not just on what needs to be improved, but what the city and UH are currently doing to improve. Speakers included Mayor Annise Parker, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and President and Chancellor Renu Khator. Parker spoke about the importance of obtaining mental health