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October 2, 2017
Garden offers additional features, expanded plots at new location
THE MERCURY | UTDMERCURY.COM
STORY BY: SARAH CHAN | STAFF WRITER PHOTO BY: NADINE OMEIS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER In 2015, student volunteers petitioned to keep the Community Garden in the wake of construction through its plots. This year, they’re operating an updated, expanded version of that garden. This past year, 117 Comets volunteered with the Garden. Altogether, they managed to harvest 680 pounds of organic produce, due to new features such as the greenhouse and weed barrier. The Community Garden functions as a way to introduce both experienced and new gardeners to gardening in a practical way. When the Office of Student Volunteerism had to move its Community Garden to Phase 1, Mackenzie Hunter, interim director of the OSV, incorporated several new features to improve and expand the production of their produce. Part of the Community Garden’s upgrade was the addition of a greenhouse, which helps in planting new vegetation and nurturing seeds into seedlings.
→ SEE GARDEN, PAGE 12
EMAC junior Delaney Conroy (left) and Associate Director of Energy Conservation Thea Junt work in the Office of Student Volunteerism’s Community Garden which was relocated to Phase 1 in 2015.
GRAPHICS BY: ANTHONY MCNAIR, ETHAN CHRISTOPHER | MERCURY STAFF
Center expands research Professor featured in documentary opportunities, potential ‘Stopping Traffic’ examines roots, modern implications of human trafficking New advanced imaging equipment available
MICHAEL STOUT | MERCURY STAFF
Jimmy Gowrisanker, director of Research Core Facilities, talks about new equipment capable of viewing live tissue cells at the Olympus Discovery Center. The Center opened on Sept. 13 with a ribbon cutting ceremony in the NSERL building. CINDY FOLEFACK Mercury Staff
One year and nearly $3 million in the making, the Olympus Discovery Center provides new imaging systems expanding research opportunities for students, faculty and outside researchers. The Center, housed in the basement of the Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory, allows researchers to utilize live cell imaging capabilities. This means students can administer medications to lab animals or inject substances into cells and see the results in real time, increasing the accuracy of the data. Additionally, the equipment includes two confocal microscopes, one of which allows students to view fluorescent molecules and emissions using a laser, while the other allows students to perform high-speed and high-resolution imaging through a spinning disk. Students can also observe molecular interactions using total internal reflectance fluorescence, which allows small regions of compounds to be viewed by
exciting its surface molecules. Director of Core Research Facilities Jimmy Gowrisanker said he hopes the time and money put into the Center will pay off in the long run, and believes the lab is well-equipped to do that. “One of my goals is for this lab to be set up in such a way that it’s marketed outside the university as well,” he said. “Hopefully this will foster cross-university collaboration, which can bring in money that will be put back into the Center.” Olympus representatives teach two to three hour group training sessions for those wanting to use the lab, with instructions on how to properly use the equipment. This gives faculty time to focus on their research and allows students to begin working faster. In addition to the training, researchers also have to pay a fee averaging $24 per hour for equipment use. UTD alumna Grishma Pradhan uses the Center for her ongoing research and said she is thankful for her training, which helped her understand not
→ SEE OLYMPUS, PAGE 12
WILLIAM LEGRONE Mercury Staff
A UTD professor is featured in a documentary focusing on the human sex-trafficking trade and the exploitation of minors. Human trafficking is second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime, and generates billions of dollars from those that it exploits. Drawing on his historical expertise, Assistant Professor of Historical Studies Ben Wright spoke about the difficulty of combating modern slavery compared to that of historical slavery in the documentary “Stopping Traffic.” “Human trafficking is illegal. We’re looking at tracking an illegal enterprise. This is actually the difference between historical slavery, where it was legal and we got explicit records and insurance companies,” Wright said. “It was out in plain sight. It’s not anymore.”
Because of the covert nature of modern slavery, Wright said he feels it was especially important for him to take part in the documentary and call for today’s youth to take action. “There is a chronic need for more and better research. One of the things I try to tell students to do is … no matter what is that you’re studying, use the expertise of what you’re studying and apply it to this issue, because we need more brainpower,” he said. Wright first became involved in the documentary around three years ago when the director approached him with the aspiration to create a movie about human trafficking. In the years following, Wright provided his insight on modern slavery for the movie. Wright is one of 16 cast members in the final cut of the film, providing historical context and a broader scope on human trafficking. Although he sees it as a good way to call on the next generation, initially Wright
STOPPING TRAFFIC | COURTESY
“Stopping Traffic,” directed by Sadhvi Siddhali Shree, was released on Sept. 29 and discusses the spread human trafficking.
was cautious about being interviewed for the documentary. “There’s a lot of material about modern
→ SEE TRAFFICKING, PAGE 12