VOL. CLXXIII NO.7
SNOW HIGH 29 LOW 20
TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016
College joins Khan Academy
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Donations fund new academic clusters
B y KELSEY FLOWER The Dartmouth Staff
SPORTS
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OPINION
SHARP SCALPEL, WEAK PAINKILLERS PAGE 4
ARTS
PREVIEW: DAKHABRAKHA PAGE 7
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Comptuer science professors Devin Balkcom and Thomas Cormen created the online content.
B y ERIN LEE The Dartmouth Staff
When Salman Khan, the founder of educational organization Khan Academy, came to the College to speak in April 2012, computer science professor Devin Balkcom was intrigued. After chatting with Khan over lunch, Balkcom volunteered his services to create content for the site and
Dartmouth became the first and only undergraduate institution to partner with Khan Academy. The partnership with Khan Academy entails helping create content for the website, which offers video-based courses in a variety of subject matters. Balkcom and fellow computer science professor Thomas Cormen developed the content for a Khan Academy algorithms course based on Dartmouth’s
“Computer Science 1” course. Balkcom said the Khan Academy course is similar to the last six weeks of the course’s curriculum, which he developed, and is not related to the college’s algorithms class, “Computer Science 31.” “In terms of a course, algorithms can mean different things,” Balkcom said. “AlgoSEE KHAN PAGE 2
Dartmouth has achieved its goal of securing $100 million in philanthropy to establish ten new interdisciplinary groups of faculty members, called “academic clusters,” by the end of 2015. The clusters will focus on crucial world challenges such as global health, poverty and cybersecurity. The endowment was secured in 20 months time, due to three final gifts given in December. The College will match $5 million per cluster, which will be taken from the $100 million gift given to Dartmouth in 2014 to support research, programming, travel and related activities. The full $150 million investment will expand interdisciplinary research, create new courses and offer experiential learning opportunities. The 10 clusters are titled: “Breaking the Neural Code,” “The Jack Byrne
Academic Cluster in Mathematics and Decision Science,” “The Challenges and Opportunities of Globalization,” “Meeting the New Challenges of Cybersecurity,” “Digital Humanities and Social Engagement,” “Global Poverty Alleviation and Human Development,” “Artic Engineering in a Period of Climate Change,” “The Susan J. and Richard M. Levy 1960 Academic Cluster in Health Care Delivery,” “The William H. Neukom Academic Cluster in Computational Science” and “Personalized Treatments for Cystic Fibrosis.” Provost Carolyn Dever said that fifteen proposals were ultimately selected, with ten now being completely funded. The final five proposals are waiting on funding and development. The $100 million in gifts, which included 14 multimillion alumni donations, SEE CLUSTERS PAGE 5
Kata Thai opens as newest restaurant in town
B y SAMANTHA STERN The Dartmouth
Kata Thai Kitchen, the newest addition to Hanover’s food scene, opened Jan. 8 at 6 Allen Street, across from Everything But Anchovies. Named after its owner Kata Chompupong, its name means “cooking pan” in Thai. The restaurant joins two other Thai establishments in Hanover, Tuk Tuk Thai Cuisine and Thai Orchid. The menu features rice, noodle and curry dishes made
using the recipes of Chompupong’s father Champ Champupong, who is the chef. The food is “traditionally flavored,” drawing on the chef ’s training in the Thai countryside, the younger Chompupong said. Pan-Asian dishes – those he defines as being “Southeast Asian to Chinese, anything cooked with a pan or a wok” – are also on the menu, he said, citing yakisoba, a Japanese dish, as an example Kata Chompupong grew up in the restaurant industry. His family’s first restaurant
was located in upstate New York, but the Chompupongs moved throughout Kata’s childhood, opening restaurants throughout Vermont. Their most well-known restaurant, Bangkok Bistro, was known for its Thai fusion cuisine as well as its martinis, he said. When Bangkok Bistro closed, he proceded to open his own first restaurant, Bangkok Minute Thai Café. The responsibility of running the restaurant at 24-years old was a lot to take on and left Kata Chompupong burnt out, he
said. He worked as a DJ and was a general manager at a friend’s club in Burlington, before recently deciding to open Kata. Chompupong’s father suggested Hanover as a location for the new restaurant. He had driven through the town multiple times when touring colleges with his daughter, and sensed that the people were generally very amiable, Kata Champupong said. “Because it’s a small town, if you send things from your heart, they [customers] will
respond well,” Kata Champupong added. Kata Thai uses fresh ingredients, many of which are purchased from Asian markets in Boston, Chompupong said. A large amount of preparation – up to 48 hours – goes into each of the dishes, he said. Chompupong’s cousin is helping him out at the restaurant, and Chompupong is planning on hiring a chef from Los Angeles, he said. He added that he is seeking SEE THAI PAGE 3
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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DAILYDEBRIEFING Dartmouth psychology researcher Stephen Chang and his team have traced cravings to a specific region of the human brain, the ventral palladium, the Daily Mail reports. The project could potentially allow for a better understanding of how to suppress these urges. Through the study, which used rats, the team found that activating designer neural receptors can suppress activity in the region of the brain that triggers cravings. This region associates something a person sees with a particular reward, such as chocolate or fast food. Using designer drugs, the team was able to inactivate the region in rats to suppress cravings. The airline passenger rights law that fines airlines for stranding fliers in planes stuck on airport tarmacs may actually create more passenger delays rather than reduce them, a new study by professors from Dartmouth College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has found. The tarmac delay rule, allows the U.S. Department of Transportation to fine airlines up to $27,500 for each passenger on a domestic flight stranded on an airport tarmac for more than three hours, or four hours for international flights. The study concludes that airlines are now more likely to cancel flights that are delayed to avoid being fined by the Department of Transportation, the Los Angeles Times reports. Thayer School of Engineering professor Vikrant Vaze was a coauthor of the study, which concluded that passenger delays could be reduced if the tarmac rule increases the limit to three and a half hours and if the law applies only to flights scheduled to depart before 5 p.m., when passengers have more options to rebook flights. According to the Harvard Gazette, video game designers from Dartmouth are providing key assistance in a project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The project enlists game designers to help correct digital transcripts of handwritten nature observations by 19th century Cambridge resident William Brewster. Brewster’s work is part of Harvard University’s collection at the Ernst Mayr Library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Dartmouth College’s Tiltfactor, a digital design studio and research laboratory, created two video games for the project. The first, Smorball, resembles video football. Players can earn points by typing in words or phrases that pop up on the screen before they are tackled by the opposition. The second is Beanstalk, a slower-paced game in which correct answers make the beanstalk grow. Through each game, players are helping to interpret and transcribe the scanned pages of Brewster’s work. -COMPILED BY PRIYA RAMAIAH
CORRECTIONS We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016
Professors create online content FROM KHAN PAGE 1
rithms are a particular way of solving certain types of problems.” The website already had some introductory computer science content prior to his joining and an algorithms course was a “natural next step,” Balkcom said. Cormen said he and Balkcom flew to Mountain View, Calif. to visit Khan Academy’s headquarters in March 2014. Developing the online modules took about eight months, Balkcom said. Director of digital learning initiatives at Dartmouth Joshua Kim said the project was part of larger discussions with Khan Academy and well-aligned with Dartmouth’s interest in new tools and technologies. As of a couple months ago, the course was receiving several thousand viewers per month, Balkcom said. He noted the initial introductory computer science material is the most popular part of the course and estimated that five to ten percent of those who finish it progress through the algorithms course. Cormen said the primary audience of Khan Academy is the “pre-college crowd.” Modules include interactive coding challenges meant to capture students’ interest, such as implementing a sorting algorithm to organize data, he said. The course incorporates visual ele-
ments, like graphics and animations, to illustrate concepts on the online platform, Balkcom said. Since students voluntarily choose to take Khan Academy classes and do not receive academic credit, the professors wanted to ensure the course was consistently interesting and exciting, he said. “What’s exciting to college students and high schoolers is not all that different,” Balkcom said. He said that they are starting to bring some of these new elements from the Khan Academy course back into “Computer Science 1.” Kim said math professor Scott Pauls used Khan Academy to “flip” his “Math 3” class as part of the Gateway Initiative, a three-year program redesigning high-enrollment courses. Students in the course watched Khan Academy lectures before class and worked on problems with Pauls during class time. Cormen added that the value of the Dartmouth experience is that students receive feedback from their professors and get to know them personally, whereas Khan Academy is a way to distribute information to those who may not have easy access to it otherwise. Balkcom said the course is not finished, as there are modules they would like to add. These will cover topics such as artificial intelligence and robotics, but there is no set schedule for expanding,
he said. Partnering with Khan Academy fits well with Dartmouth’s commitment to undergraduate teaching, Balkcom said. Some of his own students have taught high school robotics camps and introductory coding and he said he would like undergraduate students to be involved with creating Khan Academy content. Other institutions Khan Academy has partnered with include NASA, Stanford School of Medicine and the Metropolitan Musem of Art. Kim said Dartmouth’s Center for the Advancement of Learning is currently in discussions with Khan Academy to see how to collaborate further. College President Phil Hanlon knows Khan personally, and the people working at Khan Academy are in the same educational technology sphere as DCAL, Kim said. Other online courses Dartmouth hosts include massive open online courses on edX and the Master of Healthcare Delivery Science on Canvas. “All this experimentation we’re doing with different learning technologies is to try to build on those models so every class at Dartmouth feels like a small class,” Kim said. “We think technology can be a bridge to do that, so when we talk to Khan, that’s really the goal.”
TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Third Thai restaurant opens and soy sauce, he said. The younger Champupong also recommended the to target the younger generation with ga pow, a house fried rice mixed with affordable prices. The restaurant will pieces of spicy chicken cutlet. “My food looks different from the be open seven days a week for both other two Thai restaurants,” said lunch and dinner. “Our price points are in an area Champ Champupong. “I make it where you can do take-out every here. I make it fresh daily.” Panniday, come and pa Pace, owner eat every day,” Kata Chompu- “Because it’s a small of the nearby pong said. “It’s a town, if you send things Thai restaurant Tuk Tuk, said quick cuisine, in and out kind of from your heart, they that her resplace.” [customers] will respond taurant is also family-run and Kata Thai uses multigenwill deliver to well.” erational recipes. dorms at the Col“Mom lege as well as -KATA CHAMPUPONG, is a very good residences in the cook,” Pace said. area, he said. For KATA THAI OWNER “She’s a hard those who do deworker, and she cide to eat in, the atmosphere is intended to be relaxing, makes her own recipes. I can’t live without her.” Chompupong said. While Pace was initially nervous Chompupong plans on making every dish consistent and on providing about the opening of a third Thai generous, yet healthy, portion sizes, he restaurant in Hanover, she said she said, emphasizing the flexibility of his soon realized that if it wasn’t this menu. Each dish can also be tailored restaurant, another would open. Tuk Tuk has a loyal and constant customer to suit patrons’ needs, he said. Among the chef ’s favorite dishes base, she said. The restaurant can are the moo ping with sticky rice, also only accommodate 106 people which consists of pork marinated in at maximum, while the College has cilantro roots, garlic, coconut, sugar thousands of students, she noted. FROM THAI PAGE 1
Having another choice is a good thing for customers, she said. Pace said she believes students may enjoy the noodles at one Thai restaurant, the stir fry at another and the curry somewhere else. In addition to serving food, Kata Thai will sell groceries and snacks imported from Asia, the owner said. After solidifying the current menu, Chompupong also intends to sell sushi and bubble tea, he said. The eatery currently does not have a website, but does have a Facebook page onto which photos, menu updates, specials and discounts are posted, said the owner. Dartmouth students can receive a ten percent discount by showing a valid Dartmouth ID. Louise Barias ’18 said she did not particularly like Thai food and is indifferent to the opening of Kata. She noted the lack of other types of offerings, add that, if anything, she’d like to see a Caribbean restaurant. Karina Korsh ’19 said that she is thrilled by the opening of a new Thai restaurant, saying she orders in food about once a week. Korsh said that the existing Thai options in Hanover offer customers different experiences, but added that Hanover lacks “fastcasual” and healthy off-campus options.
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WHAT’S NEW IN THE HOOD
ELIZA McDONOUGH/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
The Hood Museum will be undergoing renovation starting in March.
THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016
STAFF COLUMNIST DANIEL FISHBEIN ‘19
STAFF COLUMNIST IOANA SOLOMON ‘19
The Atrocity of Indifference
Sharp Scalpel, Weak Painkillers
Lack of outrage over Donald Trump’s desire to bar Muslims’ entry to America is a modern example of American indifference. Over winter break, I had the privilege of visiting Israel as part of a Birthright trip to bring Jewish young adults to their biblical homeland. On this trip, my group visited Yad Vashem, the Israeli national Holocaust museum dedicated to the six million Jews who died in the genocide. Along with the graphic footage of Auschwitz-Birkenau and death marches, one aspect of the museum that really struck me was the story of the MS St. Louis, a boat that carried 937 Jewish refugees from Hamburg, Germany to off of the coast of Florida in 1939. Upon arrival, the United States government, under the Immigration Act of 1924 which restricted immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe, denied entry to the passengers, whose trip is now known as the “Voyage of the Damned.” With no place left to go, the boat was forced to head back to Europe. Historians now estimate that a quarter of its passengers ultimately became Holocaust victims. This story struck me not only for the tragedy of the tale, but also because similar immigration exclusion policies have come up in recent news, most visibly in current GOP frontrunner Donald Trump’s statement that he would bar Muslims from entering the country. Out of all of Donald Trump’s political rhetoric, his catchphrase “Make America Great Again” makes me the most sick to my stomach. Our country’s history is marred by both xenophobia and institutionalized racism, blemishes that Trump either chooses to ignore or does not understand. The American people cannot stand for a president who harbors these views, just as the American people should not have stood for the exclusion of the Jews on the MS St. Louis and the subjugation of so many other ethnic groups in our nation’s history. Trump’s desire to bar Syrian refugees from entering the country, calling them “Trojan Horses” that would be accompanied by Islamic fundamentalists, would keep millions of people in a hostile war zone surrounded by the imminent possibility of death.
These Syrian refugees that Trump wishes to bar from the U.S. do not deserve to be stereotyped as terrorists or fundamentalists. Consider the case of Refaai Hamo, a Ph.D. scientist and a Syrian refugee whose story was made famous by the Facebook page “Humans of New York.” After missiles destroyed the compound he had built for his family and killed seven of his family members, Hamo fled with his son and daughter to Turkey but was unable to work without a residence permit. To survive, Hamo drew up inventions and sold them to Turkish engineers who gave him no credit and little money. Hamo also developed cancer, but without insurance and benefits he was unable to pay for a surgery that could be easily performed in the United States. After two years as a refugee, Hamo relocated to Troy, Michigan. While President Barack Obama has dubbed Hamo’s story “inspirational” and has invited him to come as a special guest to his State of the Union Address tonight, Trump would have not permitted Hamo to even enter the country. As informed voters, it is our duty to not just deny Trump’s xenophobia at the ballot box, but to loudly and visibly protest against it. Voice your opinion on social media, talk to those who buy into what Trump has to sell and remember the impact that doing nothing can have. Returning once more to the fateful MS St. Louis, Holocaust historian Ian Kershaw wrote, “The road to Auschwitz was built by hate, but paved with indifference.” Although Kershaw is describing the social situation in Germany that led to the genocide, American indifference directly led to the deaths of many of those aboard that boat. To truly make America great, we must move past the mentality of the Americans who turned away a boat that carried 937 Jews and sent them back to the worst event in human history. Turning a blind eye towards refugees of large-scale atrocities is itself an atrocity. The full version of this is available online.
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The Trans-Pacific Partnership, recently signed by Obama, could restrict the accessibility of medicine in developing nations.
Today, President Barack Obama will give his final State of the Union address. He will likely reflect with pride on how far we have come as a nation and call our attention to the even longer road ahead. He will speak about our revival following the still-recent global financial crisis, about these past eight years’ political milestones and about the pervasive violence and hatred that have yet to be eradicated. He will also likely use his last months of administrative influence and political capital to urge Congress to pursue the legislative initiatives he wishes to see implemented after he leaves office. Among these initiatives is the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The trade agreement, involving the United States and 11 Pacific-Rim nations, underwent extensive negotiations over the last seven years and was finalized on Oct. 5, 2015 . Given Senate-approved fast-track authority in June 2015, Obama signed the TPP along with other world leaders on Jan. 4. In the upcoming weeks, Congress will debate its ratification, and it may be some time before the TPP becomes binding. Since its inception, the White House has fiercely protected this trade deal, endorsing the potential benefits of removing trade barriers, enacting labor standards, promoting environmental preservation and establishing stronger protections for intellectual property rights. However, the TPP has faced quite a bit of intense opposition and for good reason. The TPP’s contenders fear increased off-shoring of U.S jobs and reduced wages, exacerbated income inequality and perhaps most importantly, newer, harsher obstacles in the distribution of generic drugs. A large portion of the TPP seeks to strengthen pharmaceutical patents. These patents, like most intellectual property rights, have certainly been useful in promoting rapid medical advancements and preserving international health security. Ideally, the promise and strength of these patents serve to catalyze innovation, stabilize global markets and increase business competition. However, countries with severe public health concerns, like India, Thailand and several developing African countries, have hitherto been able to bypass trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights. Certain loopholes in the World Trade Organization’s policies and international agreements have allowed for the production of generic counterparts, whose significantly cheaper prices have made treatment of HIV/AIDS and other grave illnesses much more accessible to poor communities. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores reported that in 2008, the “average price of a brand-name drug was $137.90, while the average generic prescription cost $35.22.” With generics costing 30 percent to 80 percent less than brand-name drugs , they are often the only kind of medicine impoverished families can afford. This difference in price isn’t reflective of a difference in quality. Generic drugs are chemically equivalent to their brand-name alternatives — containing the same active ingredients, dosage and directions for use — and just as
effective. They cost less, because according to the WHO, generic drugs are “manufactured without a license from the innovator company and marketed after the expiry date of the patent or other exclusive rights.” These drugs are marketed under a “non-proprietary or approved name” and sell for far less because the producing companies spend less on patents and licensing costs. And, unless they are produced in violation of any other national laws, they can be legally sold. So far, the WHO-administered TradeRelated Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement allows governments to not mandate appropriate labeling and accept generic substitutions. The WHO even claims that competition between brand-name pharmaceuticals and their generic counterparts is a more effective price-lowering tool than government intervention. However, the TPP’s increased protections of intellectual property rights will severely inhibit the production of these generic drugs, limiting access to basic medicine in a lot of developing countries. Of course, the argument against protection of any kind of intellectual property right is a difficult one to make. But when we protect intellectual property rights, we also protect wealth. Because the TPP strengthens patents and magnifies the legal consequences of violating them, it benefits large pharmaceutical companies and hurts poor communities in the developing world. On some level, these protections make sense. The research and development spending required for the invention of a medical product is quite extensive and expensive. Currently, there are an estimated 13,000 drugs found on the global market, of which approximately half are no longer under patent. Considering the costs of producing a drug and bringing it to market, which in 2014 was on average $2.6 billion, it isn’t hard to believe that companies would be less likely to be incentivized into such spending without patent protection. But the solution isn’t just strengthening those patents. Sure, we want companies to keep investing in the research and production of medicine, but not just for those who can afford it. We do have other options, like mandatory collective management or compulsory licenses that allow individuals or companies to use another’s intellectual property if they pay a set fee for the license. We could also simply agree to spend a lot more to subsidize these drugs and sell them to developing countries at prices they can afford. But right now, all we have is the TPP. And that isn’t enough. I’m not saying the TPP shouldn’t be ratified. Free trade has economic benefits backed by years of research and valid data, and the protection of pharmaceutical patents makes sense both in terms of intellectual property rights and in terms of economic incentive. We shouldn’t, however, be premature in our decision to pass the deal and close the books, not before we establish solid solutions that will serve as a cushion to catch those whom the TPP will let fall. We shouldn’t start the surgery before administering the anesthetics.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
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Five more academic clusters still await funding Right now, individual experts on this subject at the College – neurowill endow three faculty positions scientists, computational scientists in each cluster, or 30 new positions and engineers – are largely working total, with the hope of attracting in isolation, Bucci said. While there faculty at the forefront of their fields. are existing people on campus in Dever called the new clusters a all of these departments who are “game changer” when recruiting interested in cracking the neural new faculty. code, it is not their primary focus. “Smart “ I people want to think it’s cruw e a r e r e a l l y cially imporbe with smart “ I f people,” De- serious about engaging tant, in the ver said. spirit of the The faculty Dartmouth as a whole, cluster initiasearch process and Dartmouth students tive, that when will differ for we make these each cluster, in particular, on issues hires we think economics de- related to global poverty, about crossing partment chair department Bruce Sacer- we need to expand not b o u n d a r dote said. just the number of faculty ies,” he said. “T here’s “Practically a very high that are working there, speaking, the standard that’s but the opportunities for faculty have to being set,” he have a primary s a i d . “ T h e students to engage with appointment n u m b e r o f those faculty and with s o m e w h e r e, folks who meet the nature others around the world but it is not enorof the search m o u s , a n d that are working on issues committee and we’re talking spirit of the of global poverty.” to all of them.” cluster initiaIn addition tive is to have to involving -ERIC EDMONDS, that per son new and curhave ties in rent faculty, ECONOMICS PROFESSOR other relevant the clusters will AND INTERNATIONAL departments also engage or schools.” STUDIES CHAIR undergraduBucci ates, students said that he in g raduate thought it programs and professional students would be helpful if the new faculty at the Tuck School of Business, in each cluster were located in physiThayer School of Engineering and cal proximity to promote interaction. the Geisel School of Medicine. Economics professor and internaDever said that while other uni- tional studies chair Eric Edmonds, versities have instituted academic who wrote the proposal for the faculty cluster initiatives, the Col- “Global Poverty Alleviation and Hulege’s initiative is unique in that it man Development” cluster, said that incorporates teaching and curricular he hopes that the work his cluster is components, going beyond a re- involved in will serve as a jumping search grouping. Each cluster will point for more research and student also have its own program funds. engagement in this field. “It’s really important to have The poverty alleviation and program funds and enrich the com- human development cluster is the munity as a whole,” Dever said. “start of helping realize President The interdisciplinary nature and Hanlon’s vision of putting engagedifferent focus areas of the clusters ment on global poverty issues at the will “map the institution very differ- center of the opportunities that are ently,” Dever said. “The faculty sit available to Dartmouth students” within disciplines but connect with Edmonds said. each other on the common question Edmonds emphasized the importhrough very different perspectives.” tance of increasing opportunities for David Bucci, chair of the depart- students to get involved in poverty ment of psychological and brain alleviation research with faculty. He sciences, said that the “Breaking cited the Human Development Felthe Neural Code” cluster, which will lowship offered by the Dickey Center examine how patterns of electrical for International Understanding as activity in groups of neurons give rise an example, but pointed out that to the mind and to emotions, builds the fellowship only supports three on existing expertise at Dartmouth students. in neuroscience, computational sci“If we are really serious about ence, engineering and neurology. engaging Dartmouth as a whole, and New faculty hired for this cluster Dartmouth students in particular, on will bridge these disciplines, he said. issues related to global poverty, we FROM CLUSTERS PAGE 1
need to expand not just the number what we know about the brain to of faculty that are working there, societal issues such as racism and but the opportunities for students to obesity, Bucci said. engage with those faculty and with “It’s a broader implication for others around the world that are putting brain science into practice,” working on issues of global poverty,” he said. Edmonds said, For some clusadding that he “ When the cluster t e r s, s u ch a s hopes to use “Global Poverty new resources call came out, it was Alleviation and to fund student very easy to look at Human Develresearch and opment,” adminbring global that vision statement, istrators reached leaders to cam- and pull out of it what out to relevant pus. faculty members Bucci, who became the ‘Cracking to solicit prod r a f t e d t h e t h e C o d e ’ c l u s t e r posals on top“Breaking the ics they thought Neural Code” proposal.” were important, c l u s t e r p ro Edmonds said. posal, also said -DAVID BUCCI, “The poverty that the clusalleviation proter is a “great PSYCHOLOGICAL posal grew out start” that will AND BRAIN SCIENCES that way out of hopefully be Parkhurst,” he the “seed for DEPARTMENT CHAIR said. “Then I something even put together the bigger.” structure of how Those involved in spearheading it would end up being implemented.” the cluster are proposing a brain Sacerdote commended the adscience institute that would look at ministration on their choice of the the relationship between the brain, global poverty cluster. culture and society, he said. The “Clearly a lot of thought went proposed institute would go beyond into the proposals and the ones that breaking the neural code to apply they chose and funded,” he said.
Faculty were also able to put propose their own clusters, such as the proposal for “Breaking the Neural Code.” “The idea of clusters is that faculty from a variety of departments would get together and identify a variety of areas where they thought there would be synergies,” Sacerdote said. After an external review of the psychology and brain sciences department five years ago, the faculty took the opportunity to create a vision statement, which included a lot of aspirations related to cracking the neural code, Bucci said. “When the cluster call came out, it was very easy to look at that vision statement, and pull out of it what became the ‘Cracking the Code’ cluster proposal,” Bucci said. More than 50 faculty members wrote or contributed to initial cluster proposals, and dozens of professors then collaborated with the Office of the Provost and the Advancement Division to complete donor proposals, Dever said. Each proposal was specifically asked to address diversity in the second round, Dever said. She added that faculty diversity will be kept in mind as the hiring process for the 30 cluster faculty members continues.
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THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016
DARTMOUTHEVENTS TODAY
12:00 p.m.
“How to Make it in Media,” Enterpeneur-in-Residence lunch session with Stu Snyder, General Motors Classroom, Byrne Hall
3:30 p.m.
“Soace Weather as a Compex System: Improving Conductivity Modeling for the Satellite and Assimilation Age,” Ryan MacGranaghan, University of Colorado, Boulder, Wilder 111
4:15 p.m.
“After Herge’s Tintin: Continuing Clear Line 1983-2013,” Manchester Metropolitan University Professor Matthew Screch, Carson 101
TOMORROW 4:30 p.m.
The DEN Speaker Series, Jack O’Toole ‘14, Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network Innovation Center, 4 Currier Place, Suite 107
7:00 p.m.
“Bad Hair (Pelo Malo),” Loew Auditorium, Black Family Visual Arts Center
7:00 p.m.
DakhaBrakha performs a mix of ancient Ukrainian folk melodies and rock music, Spaulding Auditorium
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World music quartet DakhaBrakha to perform By MADELINE KILLEN The Dartmouth
DakhaBrakha, a world music quartet that will be performing at the Hopkins Center on Wednesday, has a sound that is rooted in traditional Ukrainian folk music, but is not limited by that genre — nor by anything else, it would seem. A surprise hit at music festivals such as Bonnaroo and GlobalFest and winner of the prestigious Sergey Kuryokhin Prize for Contemporary Art in 2010, DakhaBrakha describes itself on its website as an “ethnic chaos” group, a title that fits both its sound and aesthetic. “They’re completely arresting to look at,” Hop programming director Margaret Lawrence said. The tall wool hats, long white dresses and thick beaded necklaces that comprise their visually striking performance outfits do not identify the group as belonging to any single culture. Lawrence said to think of the group as art students; their costumes “are something they made up.” “But it was their sound that really knocked my socks off,” Lawrence said. DakhaBrakha is composed of four members: Marko Halanevych,
Iryna Kovalenko, Olena Tsibulska Folk Society seconds Lawrence’s and Nina Garenetska. Together, opinion. “DakhaBrakha is a very energetic they create a tight vocal harmony through the use of an open-throated group,” he said. “They bring in Balkan singing style, Lawrence said. that theater piece to what they’re Dartmouth music professor performing. They explore that inTed Levin said that their heav- tersection of theater and music.” Sun said that folk music itself ily percussion-based sound draws from traditional African drumming. similarly aims to explore an interThe band’s website also lists influ- section between music and commuences from Indian, Arabic, Russian nity. The Folk Society in particular was formed reand Australian cently with this styles. Typi- “The fun of goal in mind. cally, the perLast term, the formances fea- [DakhaBrakha] is going group’s foundture a cello or and being ready for a ers recognized an accordion, that despite the and sometimes total sonic experience fact that many both, to ac- that’s fun and highDartmouth stucompany the energy.” dents have an percussion, interest in folk but they can music, there also use other -MARGARET LAWRENCE, was a lack of string instruopportunities ments, accord- HOP DIRECTOR OF on campus for ing to their PROGRAMMING students to exwebsite. plore those mu“The fun sical interests in of them is goa group setting ing and being ready for a total sonic experience without the time commitment or that’s fun and high-energy,” Law- experience level required by many of rence said. “They just totally whip Dartmouth’s performance groups. up the crowd. It’s totally amazing.” The Folk Society aims to fill that Andrew Sun ’18 of the College void.
Courtesy of the Hopkins Center
DakhaBrakha wears unique outfits to match their eclectic style.
“There wasn’t really a place for people to come together and focus on group playing,” Sun said. “It’s really cool to see the kind of community that grows each week.” Edward Darling ’19 says that this inclusive community is what drew him to join the Folk Society. “I like how the musicians who play folk music are very casual and welcoming,” he said. “There is a whole culture around jamming in folk music.” Jamming is a more improvisational style of music and players have to really listen to one another, Emily Charland ’19, a violin player in the Folk Society, said. She said that she rarely uses sheet music during songs. “You play what sounds good with what’s going on with the rest of the music,” she said. According to their website, DakhaBrakha’s name translates to “give-take” in an older version of the Ukrainian language. The name emphasizes the communal and relational aspect of folk music. Additionally, DakhaBrakha’s melding of cultural elements is characteristic of a trend that is beginning to emerge in folk music everywhere, Sun said. “Even American folk music is becoming more influenced by other world music,” he added. Levin also pointed to this common thread in world music. “World music performers draw from very eclectic sources,” he said. “It’s very evident that this group does that also. This mash-up of world traditions is what’s going on everywhere. The important lesson that we take away from this is that in music, nothing is pure.” Levin also urges students to attend DakhaBrakha’s performance
if possible. “It’s very important to encourage this kind of art, this cross-cultural imagination,” he said. Although the group is Ukrainian and speaks limited English, their performance at the Hop will be in English, Lawrence said. Additionally, local Ukrainians will act as their translators as they visit music classes on campus and conduct a question-and-answer session after their performance. Lawrence said that DakhaBrakha is one of few groups that has no hesitations about visiting Hanover in the winter due to the similarities between New England and Ukrainian winters. Darling noted that New England is one of the better regions in the country for bluegrass and folk music. He said that this stems from the presence of immigrants from Scotland and Ireland, two birthplaces of folk music, in the Upper Valley and the agrarian nature of New England. “Folk music is a very inclusive term,” Darling said. “It is basically just the traditional music of that particular culture.” The universal nature of folk music makes it easy for many different people to enjoy, despite language or cultural barriers, Darling said. Lawrence added that both Dartmouth and the Hop attract people from all cultures and backgrounds. “That’s our experience at the Hop- it doesn’t matter where you bring an artist from, somebody is so overjoyed,” Lawrence said. “We find this to be true time and time again.” DakhaBrakha will perform in Spaulding Auditorium on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS
PAGE 8
SPORTS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016
TUESDAY LINEUP
MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. CANISIUS 7 PM
Men’s hockey snaps Holy Cross’s nine-game unbeaten streak
By MAX KANEFIELD The Dartmouth Staff
Dartmouth men’s hockey kept rolling this weekend (6-8-1), ending the College of the Holy Cross’s (12-7-1) nine-game unbeaten streak, the longest in the NCAA this season. Dartmouth defeated the Crusaders in a 5-2 rout on Sunday after falling in a close 0-1 game against the University of Vermont (912-2) the day before. Against Holy Cross, the Big Green rode a three-goal first period — including two from Brett Patterson ’16 — and stellar play from goaltender Charles Grant ’16 to the win. The Big Green has struggled at times to put the puck in the net, scoring just 2.33 goals per contest. The team’s issues are due in part to its inability to convert power play opportunities into scores. Heading into Sunday’s game against
Holy Cross, the team had connected on just five of their 43 chances, including going 0-4 in their loss to Vermont. On Sunday night in Thompson arena, however, the team finally found its groove, knocking home a power play goal with their first chance. Holy Cross and Dartmouth each recorded 11 shots on net in the first period, but the clear difference between the teams was the play of Dartmouth netminder Grant, who has played some of his best hockey in the past few games. Last weekend, Grant guided Dartmouth to a title in the Ledyard Classic, where he was named Top Goalie of the All-Tournament team. He posted a .50 goals-against-average and a .975 save percentage, topping the conference in both categories. Grant continued his hot streak over the weekend, allowing a lone goal against Vermont and stonewalling Holy Cross for most of the night. He took home ECAC Conference Goaltender
of the Week honors but said that he remains focused on the road ahead. “Confidence is the biggest thing for goaltending,” Grant said. “Any type of award, I appreciate, but to be honest it does not change my preparation for the next week because you are only as good as your last game, and if you dwell on accolades it kind of gets in your head. Just move onto the next week and start practicing.” Grant also received some help from his defense, including on a few shots that were past the goalie and seemingly headed for the net. “Chuck battled and weathered a huge storm early for us” Patterson said. “You are trying to do anything you can to help your goalie out when he’s trying to battle and make saves, but he can only do so much when he’s selling out on the first, second, third, even fourth shot sometimes so you have got to be there to back him up when he’s sliding out of position to make that extra save.”
The win was a great rebound for the team after a tough loss against the Catamounts in which Dartmouth outshot its opponents 39-25. “Well I thought the Vermont game was the best game we played this year,” head coach Bob Gaudet said. “I think on another night that’s a 4-1 win. We were absolutely fabulous from the drop of the puck to the final whistle. We did not score on the power play, but we had some really good opportunities.” The team is currently without Nick Bligh ’16, who is dealing with a shoulder injury that could keep him out for a few weeks. Bligh was named the MVP of the Ledyard Classic and the NCAA’s Third Star of the Week after a five-point effort in the team’s wins over Robert Morris (13-6-3) and then-No. 20 Merrimack (7-9-5). With Bligh out, different players are stepping up. Patterson, who has played all five positions, paced the Dartmouth offense with a career-high two goals against Holy Cross.
“[Patterson] was just fabulous tonight [against Holy Cross],” Gaudet said. “Just every facet of the game. And what goes unnoticed sometimes is the defensive part of his game because he stripped a couple guys in the neutral zone on back checks and turned it around.” Gaudet noted that Patteron has the poise to just possess the puck, which is difficult to do in games, and is a versatile player who plays with tremendous confidence. The Big Green’s win on Sunday snapped the longest active winning streak in the NCAA this season. Before its game against Dartmouth, Holy Cross was unbeated in its last nine games, picking up eight wins and one draw. Now finished with non-conference games for the season, Dartmouth will play back-to-back home games against Clarkson University (8-9-2) and St. Lawrence University (10-7-2) next Friday and Saturday.
Squash upsets Princeton Track and field sweeps Relays By MATT YUEN
The Dartmouth Staff
Dartmouth’s men’s squash team continues its trend of making history by defeating then-No. 11 Princeton University 8-1 for the first time in Ivy League history on Saturday before losing a nail-biter to new No. 1 University of Pennsylvania 4-5. The Big Green took down Harvard University 5-4 in December for the team’s first win against the Crimson in nearly 70 years. Dartmouth’s weekend brings the Big Green to 5-2 on the season. With the victory against Princeton, the Big Green continues its journey to qualify for the National Team Championship Potter Cup. Dartmouth entered the weekend ranked No. 7 in the nation, so the game was crucial for the team to stay in the top eight ranks and qualify for the Potter Cup. “We lost a really tough match to them last year, which we could have and should have won,” head coach Hansi Wiens said. “We knew we were stronger on paper, but you actually have to go in there and win the match. Our team did a great job yesterday.” Although the victory against Princeton was a testament to the improvement in the squash team, the huge crowds on Dartmouth’s sidelines helped turn the tide in the Big Green’s favor. “[Princeton’s game] was probably
the most fun I’ve ever had playing squash just because my friends were there,” Samuel Epley ’19 said. “They were going crazy and having a good time. They were even wearing burglar masks in the stands.” Epley said that playing at home created a positive environment, adding that it was fun to see people come out for squash matches — something that doesn’t happen at every school. “I would like to say thanks to the fans for coming out,” Epley said. “[Playing squash this season has] been pretty much the most exciting thing I’ve ever done.” With the historic victories over Princeton and Harvard fueling their confidence, the men’s squash team was eager to play against Penn the next day on Dartmouth’s home courts. Alvin Heumann ’18 said that the team knew the match against Penn would be close, because Harvard defeated Penn 6-3 and the Big Green defeated Harvard 5-4. “Our mentality last night and this morning was to put everything into it, fight hard, and the results would come,” said Heumann. Heumann added that while the game came down to the wire and ended in a loss, everyone played really well. Dartmouth continues its homestand against Drexel University next Saturday. The full version is available online.
By CHRIS SHIM
The Dartmouth Staff
Dartmouth men’s and women’s track and field teams ushered in 2016 with two dominant team victories at the Dartmouth Relays on Sunday, Jan. 10 at the Leverone Field House. With a sweep of the mid-distance and distance events by the women and a record set by the men, the wins at home marked the sixth straight team victory for the women’s team, which scored a total of 177 points, and the fifth straight team victory for the men’s, which scored 164 points. Although the season is still young, both teams were pleased with how the meet went. “To be honest, we expected to win the team score, but it’s gratifying to do so,” Harwick said. “Everyone was tired after three days of the Dartmouth Relays, but we had some great individual performances.” Leading the men’s side was a new Dartmouth record in the pole vault by Max Cosculluela ’17, who cleared 16-07.50-feet, over a foot higher than the second place competitor. Ben Colello ’18 led a Big Green sweep of the first four places in the 60-meter hurdles, stopping the clock in 8.18 seconds for a new personal best, according to Harwick. The Big Green distance runners
had a strong opening to their indoor track season, sweeping the first three places in the men’s mile and the first four places in the men’s 3,000-meters. Joey Chapin ’16 led the way in the mile, winning in 4:12.60. Julian Heninger ’17 clocked a quick 8:19.66 to take first place in the 3,000-meter race. “It’s hard at the start of the season, after having only done one session on the track preceding the meet, [and] it’s always a bit of shock when the race actually starts,” Will Shafer ’18, who placed sixth in the mile, said. “After the next couple weeks I think the whole distance squad will be a lot sharper and ready to run substantially faster.” Also winning their events on the men’s side were Reed Horton ’19 in the 800-meters, clocking a 1:56.01, Corey Muggler ’17 in the triple jump with 48-07.25 feet and the 4x400meter team of Amos Cariati ’18, Jules Hislop ’17, Zach Plante ’18 and Edward Wagner ’16, which finished in 3:22.43. The women’s team also recorded numerous strong performances. Highlighting the results were two wins by Kaitlin Whitehorn ’16 in the high jump (5-08.50-feet) and the 60-meter dash (7.55). Kaitlin McCallum ’16 and Stephanie Brown ’16 also performed well in the pole vault, both clearing 12 feet.
Whitehorn was especially pleased with her performances at the Relays. “I was hoping to win the 60-meter dash,” Whitehorn said. “I’ve made it to the final every time, but never was able to win it. I was very happy with my performance.” The Dartmouth women also won every mid-distance and distance event at the Relays. Jen Meech ’16 won the 400-meters in 56.83, Aliyah Gallup ’17 won the 800-meters in 2:15.97, Grace Thompson ’19 won the mile in 5:02.61 and Helen Schlachtenhaufen ’17 won the 3,000-meters in a quick 9:51.88. In the other field events and relays, Kayla Gilding ’19 won the long jump with a 17-09.00-foot leap and a team of Gilding, Meech, Katy Sprout ’17 and Sara Kikut ’16 won the 4x400meter relay in 3:54.85. “The point of the early races is rust busting,” Curtis King ’16, who placed third in the men’s mile, said. King added that Chapin’s first place finish is an indicator of success to come in the next few months for the senior runner. Following their strong victories, the men’s and women’s track and field teams will prepare to host the University of Vermont and the University of Maine on Saturday, Jan. 16 at Leverone Field House in Hanover. The full version is available online.