Volume 124 · No. 5
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
EST. 1887
lsunow.com
@lsureveille
thedailyreveille
RESEARCH
LSU chemists develop fingerprint technology
dailyreveille
dailyreveille
THE
American
BY KARA ST. CYR @karastcyrlsu
photos by RUICHEN ZHU / The Daily Reveille
DREAM
Family-owned Bao Vietnamese Kitchen offers authentic, homemade dishes
LSU’s chemistry department has developed technology for sampling fingerprints found at crime scenes. The Infrared Laser Ablation Vacuum System uses an invisible laser to collect small samples of fingerprints. The molecules are sucked through a filter and stored until transported to a forensics lab for analysis. University researcher Fabrizio Donnarumma has worked with many other researchers for years to create a system that can accurately capture samples without damaging evidence. “In the past 100 years, people have been using tape and swabs to sample anything from crime scenes. And we asked ourselves, can you do anything better than that?” Donnarumma said. Typically at crime scenes, forensic analysts will swab
BY MYIA HAMBRICK @MyiaChristine For 30-year-old Chau Huynh, Bao Vietnamese Kitchen is a childhood dream come true. “Ever since I was little, I dreamed of owning a restaurant where I can serve my mom’s Vietnamese food,” Huynh said. Huynh and her family immigrated to America from Vietnam when she was 9 years old. Sitting in her restaurant as music softly plays in the background, she recounts how she thought the move was a vacation at first. Huynh now considers Baton Rouge her home, and met her husband through a local church in the city. “We were childhood friends and just ended up getting married,” she said with a laugh. The food at Bao is inspired by
Huynh’s mother, who didn’t know how to cook when she arrived in the states but quickly learned how because Huynh’s father needed her to. The culture in Vietnam is centered around family, Huynh said, so her mother never needed to learn how to cook there because Huynh’s grandmother would usually cook. Vietnamese food is relatively healthy, but unique and representative of the land it comes from, she said. “Vietnamese food has a balance between the sweet and sour, so with almost every dish you can notice the balance between both,” Huynh said. For example, fish sauce, a staple in southeast Asian cuisine,
see BAO, page 2
see FINGERPRINTS, page 2 STUDENT LIFE
LSU senior crowned Miss Louisiana, will compete for Miss America BY JBRIAAN JOHNSON @JBriaan_Johnson Mass communication senior Laryssa Bonacquisti accomplished a lifelong dream and honored her grandmother’s legacy when she was crowned the new Miss Louisiana on June 24 in Monroe, Louisiana. Bonacquisti, who is also a reporter for Tiger TV, has been participating in pageants since she was a child, she said. “Truthfully, this opportunity is one that I’ve dreamed of for as long as I could remember,” Bonacquisti said. “Growing up as part of this organization, you always dream of winning the state title. The fact that I had an opportunity to do so, and now … competing in Miss America, is something beyond my wildest dreams.” Throughout the competition, Bonacquisti reigned victorious in the talent and swimsuit preliminaries prior to winning the
crown. Bonacquisti’s mother taught her ventriloquism when she was 6 years old, she said. In her act that included singing and yodeling, Bonacquisti featured her two puppets: Lucky and Lucy. “She [my mother] taught me the basics and I picked it up really fast, just like some people do with other activities that they’re meant for,” Bonacquisti said. “It’s been one of the greatest blessings. It’s a different, unique talent, but it’s also one that appeals to people of all ages.” Upon winning the pageant, Bonacquisti was overcome with joy and excitement. The most gratifying takeaway from her victory was her platform gaining recognition, she said. Bonacquisti advocates for awareness of pancreatic cancer, a disease her grandmother battled for seven months. Her strong bond with her grandmother serves as an immense motivational tool in her
pageants, as well as her everyday life, she said. “She’s my motivation,” Bonacquisti said. “Her life represents everything I want to be.” As someone who has participated in pageants throughout her life, Bonacquisti has learned a variety of skills that will help her down her career path and with her time left at the University. “I’ve met people and learned how to speak with individuals,” Bonacquisti said. “I know how to ask people questions, I know how to keep conversations going, and I know how to put together great social media posts, which sounds crazy but that is relevant in everyday of our lives right now.” As the new Miss Louisiana, Bonacquisti will represent the state in the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey this September. With this honor, Bonacquisti knows the weight of the responsibility with the
opportunity before her. “I’m very aware of the responsibility and what’s
coming next,” Bonacquisti said. “It’s coming really fast, and I need to be ready for it.”
photo by STEVEN PALOWSKY / Courtesy of Laryssa Bonacquisti
Mass communication senior Laryssa Bonacquisti practices her talent, ventriloquism, during the Miss Louisiana Pageant on June 22 at the Monroe Civic Center in Monroe, Louisiana.