Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

OSU selected to participate in Beckman Scholars Program

Luisa Clausen News & Lifestyle Editor

Oklahoma State University reinsures its strong commitment to expanding undergraduate research.

OSU has been selected to participate in the 2023 Beckman Scholars Program (BSP).

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation’s Beckman Scholars Program awards institutions with funding to support six student-mentor pairs through a 15-month research experience. Two students will be selected to participate each year throughout the course of the three-year award term. Six student/mentor pairs per institution receive $21,000 per Student

Striking attendance failure on Friday doesn’t help wrestling

and $5,000 per Mentor.

College of Arts and Sciences will house the institution-level award.

Faculty mentors from the Departments of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Chemistry, Integrative Biology and Physics were selected after a meticulous and diligent vetting process.

“This is a prestigious program that allows OSU students to learn and grow alongside an accomplished faculty member,” said Dr. Rachael Eaton, OSU BSP director and program manager for CAS student research. “Students will be offered such an impactful opportunity to receive mentorship from scientists who are not only dedicated to advancements in the lab but who have also demonstrated a commitment to mentorship and developing student researchers.”

See Scholars on page 3

Adam Engel Editor-in-Chief

ARLINGTON, Texas — A leisurely walk around the park became a warning. No one walking the concourse with a beer in hand.

No vendors peddling hot dogs, popcorn or peanuts.

Only a smattering of orange spread behind home plate. A nice discrepancy to the thousands of green seats. No folks in those green seats. Empty.

A crowd of 2,084 witnessed No. 11 OSU beat No. 6 Michigan, 24-15 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

It appeared to be a crowd worse than a midweek Septem-

ber matinee for a hypothetical last place Texas Rangers squad. The home plate mat placement naturally limited seating areas. Still, light attendance.

Nearly 10,000 less than the attendance for last year’s Bout at the Ballpark, an OSU-Iowa dual. Consider this: OSU home dual attendance hasn’t dipped less than 2,000 since COVID-19 caused crowd restrictions. Worst home crowd before COVID-19? Pittsburgh in December 2016 — 1,818. You don’t grow the sport with an exponentially less attendance. You fail, and it declines. A lot. This neutral site was originally a home site for OSU. Instead, the allure of an MLB ballpark called.

See Friday on page 3

Wright takes over final minutes, fends off Texas Christian rally

midcourt and threw it to Kalib Boone for a dunk.

That heads-up play was one of many by Wright, who took over in the final minutes of OSU’s 79-73 win over No. 15 TCU in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Bush Assistant Sport Editor

John-Michael Wright acted instinctively.

Moussa Cisse blocked TCU guard Damion Baugh’s layup, sending it to the baseline. Wright barely grabbed the rebound while teetering on the out-of-bounds line, and he hurled it over his shoulder without looking.

Caleb Asberry caught it at

From the stands, Wright’s pass looked like it was intended for Asberry, who caught it in stride. Coach Mike Boynton said his team is taught to throw the ball as far from the basket as possible in that scenario, but he praised Wright for the wherewithal to connect with Asberry.

Wright would have liked to take credit, but he said he didn’t even see Asberry when he threw it.

“I was just hoping somebody was there,” Wright said. “I just wanted to get it past half court, so I threw it as hard as I could.”

In the first half, Wright scored nine points, all 3-pointers, and Boone, who finished with a careerhigh 25, had 12 in the opening half. By early in the second, the Cowboys (14-9, 5-5) built a 19-point lead.

Then here came TCU (17-6, 6-4) and turnovers.

The Horned Frogs went on a 20-3 run in less than seven minutes and cut the lead to two. Over that stretch, the Cowboys committed six turnovers and shot 1-for-6 from the field.

At the 5:09 mark, TCU took its first lead.

“Honestly, the message is stop turning the ball over,” Boynton said. But for Wright, the coaches had a personal message.

See Wright on page 4

Courtesy of OSU

OSU is one of just 14 institutions across the country selected as a Beckman Scholars program awardee.

Chase Davis

John-Michael Wright (51) “controlled the offense” and scored eight points in the final five minutes of OSU’s 79-73 win over No. 15 TCU on Saturday in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Braden

Column

Cowgirl basketball: OSU kicks into high gear for win at TCU

Calif Poncy Staff Reporter

Heading into the fourth quarter of its matchup with TCU, OSU was in a tie game with the winless in Big 12 play Horned Frogs.

Despite being deadlocked heading into the quarter, The Cowgirls pulled away, primarily because of the play of Taylen Collins and Cassidy De Lapp, defeating TCU, 77-65.

The story of the game for OSU before the final frame was its usually explosive offense being slowed to a halt by the Horned Frogs. OSU was 2-17 from beyond the arc during the

first three quarters, and also turned the ball over eight times, which is uncharacteristic of the Cowgirls, who rank amongst the nation’s best in assist-toturnover ratio.

“Another unorthodox game for us, but like I’ve said, we will take it however we can get it,” coach Jacie Hoyt said.

De Lapp and Collins in particular stepped up for the Cowgirls, coming up with huge rebounds in big situations down the stretch.

“Super impressed with Cass and Tay, they did it in different ways. Sometimes their guards finding them, and their offensive rebounds, they had very timely ones and tough finishes,” Hoyt said.

In the fourth quarter, OSU returned to its usual offensive form, breaking a 54-54 tie by opening the quarter on an 18-5 run, and making two of four from beyond the arc.

Their win over TCU marks the second time this week the Cowgirls have closed out a close game in the final minutes, all while missing crucial role player Clair Chastain.

These wins with a short-handed team show the depth Hoyt has brought to Stillwater in just one season, and the first-year head coach thinks the additional crunch-time minutes for players further down the rotation is a positive going forward.

“Pressure creates diamonds, and those kids that are playing right now

that maybe wouldn’t if we had Clair are being forced to grow up,” Hoyt said.

The Cowgirls’ win over the Horned Frogs vaults them to 6-5 in the Big 12, keeping them well within striking distance of one of the top four seeds in the conference tournament if they can take care of business throughout the remainder of the season.

Each win will be crucial for OSU going forward if they want to be in the NCAA tournament come March, and in the Big 12, no game, not even one against the team last in the standings, comes easy.

“A win, is a win, is a win,” Hoyt said.

Mia Ledbetter

Jacie Hoyt and the Cowgirl basketball team completed a conference sweep against TCU with a 77-65 win on Saturday afternoon.

Friday...

Continued from page 1

“I think the people that are involved in this really have a personal goal to host the NCAA Championships,” OSU coach John Smith said. “It’s a beautiful place. It’s a great arena. It would be a great opportunity for wrestling.”

On paper, 2023’s event could be viewed as inferior to its 2022 debutant. No U.S. Olympians or other stars from the U.S. National Team last year. And it wasn’t a battle between longtime rivals; Cowboys and Hawkeyes.

Instead, quiet applause accompanied pyrotechnic blasts. It all felt

artificial. Sure, that’s the purpose of an event like this. It’s wrestling. Duals in unconventional settings are trending.

Michigan wrestled Campbell at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in November.

The Wolverines battled North Carolina at the Tar Heel’s ballpark two days later. Anything to sell tickets. Hard to do if a crowd like Friday night shows.

A failure to draw massive crowds.

Product on the mat took a hit, too. Michigan wrestled without three starters and made way to a Wolverine beatdown at 141, 149 and 165.

Weather didn’t help, either. Ice covered most of the Dallas-Fort Worth area until Friday, when the sun shined and temperatures hovered around 50.

“We’re in the south,” Smith said.

“When it snows and there’s ice, people get scared. We’re not up north. I think it’s just the layout and the timing.”

Local high schools competed in wrestling districts on Friday and Saturday, making a trip to the ballpark difficult.

“I got two boys wrestling this weekend,” Smith said. “It wasn’t a perfect time.”

Former Cowboy Kyle Crutchmer sounded on off on Twitter, too.

“Have to do a dual like this Sunday at 2 p.m.,” he wrote. “Friday at 7 is terrible timing.”

Growing the sport became the idea behind the event. Hard to do so when thousands don’t show. Hard to do so when the event occurs four hours from OSU and about 1,150 miles from Michigan’s campus.

A scheduled Sunday dual against Missouri eliminated the opportunity for a Saturday dual, like it was last year. Smith said the Missouri dual was

scheduled before the Bout at the Ballpark and Friday was the available date.

Barriers parallel to the first and third bases prevented fans from outfield seating. As close as home plate, the better. Teams also didn’t watch from the platform. They stood in the dugouts. Not everyone could see. That’s where the jumbotron is used.

“Depends on where you’re at but if you’re up on the rail you can see it,” OSU 165-pounder Wyatt Sheets said.” Who knows if the event will continue. It could. But if hosting the NCAA Championships is the goal, it starts with getting more than, 2,048 butts in the seats.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

Molly Jolliff

Two days after the Bout at the Ballpark, 5,108 fans filled Gallagher-Iba Arena for OSU’s win over Missouri on Sunday afternoon.

Continued from page 1

“When they started making runs, my coaches came to me in the huddle and was like, ‘Just be the voice out there, slow everything down, make sure we get a good shot, if you have a

gap – attack,’” Wright said. So, he did. Wright immediately helped tie the game with an assist to Boone for a dunk, then Wright hit a jumper the next time down the court to force another tie. Next possession, it was Wright again. He hit a three from the top of the key to take the lead back. Wright extended the advantage on the next play with a layup.

This time, the Cowboys weren’t giving up the lead.

“(Wright) was a little bit hesitant earlier in the year to do those type of things,” Boynton said. “Part of it is coming in and embracing his role as a secondary scorer. Probably took it too far. We still need him to find his aggressive points in the game.”

Wright scored eight points in the final five minutes, finishing with 17, his third most this season.

A point guard’s job varies. Sometimes it’s points, other times it’s facilitating. But on a night when guards Bryce Thompson and Woody Newton combined for seven points in 57 minutes, it was Wright who had to score late.

“Just trying to control the offense was what I was really trying to do,” Wright said.

Carson Toulouse

OSU guard John Michael Wright scored 17 points and helped the Cowboys win their third straight with a 79-73 victory against TCU on Saturday afternoon in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

OSU’s Fire and Emergency Management Administration degree earns No. 1 ranking

Administration earned a top ranking from College Rank. This degree prepares future leaders in homeland security jobs, fire and emergency management, educators and research scholarship.

An OSU degree recently earned a No. 1 spot.

OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology’s Doctorate in Fire and Emergency Management

OSU established the program in 1996 as a Master of Arts with a specialization in fire and emergency management within political science. Three years later, the degree shifted to the Master of Science in Fire and Emergency Management Administration. That curriculum features

public policy, human dimensions of disaster leadership, terrorism and strategic administration and organizational management.

“The Fire and Emergency Management Program at Oklahoma State University has been crucial to my success as a practitioner and academic,” Brian O’Neil FEMP Ph.D. candidate, said.

The future professions possible because of the degree deal with the mitigation, preparation, response and recovery from the adverse effects

to exposures to technological, natural and social hazards.

OSU’s degree program focuses on strategic policy, leadership, counterterrorism, human dimensions of disaster and organizational behavior.

“The program’s professors form a perfectly constructed team with expert knowledge in all aspects of the fire service, emergency management, disaster sciences, risk theory, public administration and organizational behavior.”

O’Neil said. “The program has allowed me to interact

with emergency professionals worldwide, significantly enhancing my understanding of my profession.”

College Rank assesses accredited programs and universities for their rankings based on affordability, program accreditation and potential salary after graduation. University of MarylandBaltimore County, Jacksonville State, New Jersey City University and George Washington followed in the top five.

news.ed@ocolly.com

Adam Engel Editor-in-Chief

Scholars...

Continued from 1

Dr. Jeanette Mendez, OSU provost, said the university is excited to be one of just 14 institutions across the country selected as Beckman Scholars program awardees.

The award goes to institutions that demonstrate commitment to undergraduate research in chemistry and/or biological sciences. Alongside a commitment to research, OSU has also shown a commitment to diversity and inclusion, which makes the university stand out as an awardee institution.

“OSU shares the [Beckman] Foundation’s mission to support excellent science that is the endeavor of all, regardless of background,” the OSU Beckman Foundation proposal team stated. “OSU’s commitment to undergraduate research is demonstrated by our diverse and wide-reaching network of programs that support undergraduate research excellence.”

This is the first time OSU has received this award and Dr. Erika Lutter, associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics who served as the faculty lead on OSU’s BSP proposal team, said this is an amazing opportunity for OSU to be able to offer such a prestigious program for the students who will become future STEM leaders.

“I have received several grants in my time, but this one is extremely special,” Lutter said. “I think I am most excited because this is an award for OSU, not just for my department and my college.”

Students pursuing a medical or doctorate degree are encouraged to apply for the program. No previous research experience is required. Applications are now available and are due March 24. More information about OSU’s Beckman Scholars Program can be found on the OSU BSP page. news.ed@ocolly.com

Applications for the Beckman Scholars Program are due March 24, and can be found on the OSU BSP web page.

Bonding over Butter: How OSU’s Beta Tau Rho butter churning club came to be

gag gifts with her family each Christmas, and one year, her mom gave her a gift that led to a new friendship and a whole lot more butter.

Payton Little Staff Reporter

Every family seems to have their own unique traditions when it comes to holidays.

What OSU student Darby Guinn did not know was how a tradition would completely change her college experience.

It may seem that butter churning has gone the way of the dodo. With so many supermarkets and grocery stores stocking the commodity, the practicality of butter churning has seemingly become nothing more than a piece of history. However, two OSU students have come to flip that narrative and created one of the most unique clubs to grace the campus.

Guinn and Kate Barclay are bringing butter churning back to OSU one jar at a time through Beta Tau Rho, the butter churning club. Guinn, a sophomore majoring in industrial engineering and management, serves as the president while her friend and co-founder Kate Barclay, a junior majoring in hospitality and tourism management and accounting, acts as the vice president for the organization.

The two of them had mutual friends and knew of each other before starting up the club, but it was actually butter-churning that made the duo as close as they are today.

“Darby was a mutual friend of mine or a friend of my roommate, so I walked in and I expressed how I needed dinner that night,” Barclay said. “ I had an option for rice, but I needed something to go with it. Butter is great on rice, so I say something like ‘Oh, I need butter,’ and Darby exclaims ‘I have a butter churner’ to my solution of not having butter.”

The two then went to Braum’s to pick up heavy whipping cream, instead of actual butter and made butter that night for around five hours. As the butter churned, the two got to know each other better, ultimately creating a carefully churned friendship.

The story of Beta Tau Rho takes even more time to come together, almost like making butter itself. Guinn exchanges

“For Christmas, my family does more of like a gag gift exchange thing,” Guinn said. “My mom got me (drew her name), and she was like ‘you eat butter all the time, so you can just make your own butter.’ She got me a butter churner as a gag gift. Little did she know not even six months later, Kate and I came up with the idea to have a butter churning club.”

The idea was pitched to the Student Government Association soon after, and the fall 2022 semester saw the first launch of Beta Tau Rho.

Beta Tau Rho meets on Thursday nights to churn butter, listen to guest speakers and meet new people interested in the club. Jars can be provided for those without their own jars, and marbles are mixed in with the very few ingredients used to churn butter. These marbles help in the churning process, while also creating a fun, unique clanging sound that echoes throughout the room piercing through conversation and music. At the end of the process, attendees get to keep their own butter creations and even spread the love on bread if available.

Throughout the club’s short existence, Guinn and Barclay have seen the club grow in support and number.

“I think it’s definitely grown and gotten into random parts of campus, which is really exciting because obviously, we’re not associated with any college or any specific major,” Barclay said. “It’s really just whoever wants to come to churn butter can come and churn butter.”

The two look forward to the future of Beta Tau Rho, as the organization will be showing students how to make garlic butter, maple butter accompanied with pancakes and even Texas Roadhouseinspired honey cinnamon butter.

Students can follow the Instagram page okstate.butter for updates on new events and guest speakers.

The butter crew left one final message for those looking to attend in true Beta Tau Rho fashion.

“You butter be there next time.”

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Jaiden Daughty

The butter churning club started in the fall of 2022 and meets on Thursday nights to churn butter, listen to guest speakers and meet new people interested in the club.

Sharks attacked 16 people off Florida in 2022, topping the rest of the world

Lisa J. Huriash South Florida Sun Sentenial

FORT LAUDERDALE,

Fla. — Sharks bit 16 people in unprovoked attacks off Florida’s waters last year, marking the highest reported number of bites than anywhere else in the world.

Florida again had more reported bites than anywhere else on Earth, according to researchers with the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File, which documents shark attacks each year.

One of those was the attention-grabbing case in the Florida Keys when a Texas woman punched a shark to set herself free. “I felt like I was in a ‘Jaws’ movie at that moment,” Heather West said at the time.

As in previous years, the U.S. had the highest number of bites, and Florida again made up the most in America. None of Florida’s 16 unprovoked bites was fatal, but two resulted in amputations. Florida made up 39% of bites in the U.S., followed by New York, which had eight bites, or 20%.

The rest of the states where people suffered shark bites in 2022 were Hawaii (5); California and South Carolina (4 each), North Carolina (2) and Texas and Alabama, with one bite each.

Still, the number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide decreased in 2022, tying with 2020 for the fewest number of reported incidents in the last decade, according to the study.

There were 57 unprovoked bites in 2022, most of which happened in the United States and Australia. Of these, five attacks were fatal, down from nine deaths in 2021 and 10 the year prior.

The study noted the reduction in the number of last year’s bites may reflect the documented global decline of shark populations. “Generally speaking, the number of sharks in the world’s oceans has decreased, which may have contributed to recent lulls,” said Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Florida Program for Shark Research, said in a prepared statement.

The numbers were indeed higher in previous years. Florida saw 32 attacks in 2016

and 31 attacks in 2017. Historically, unprovoked attacks usually occur in August and September, according to the report. Most of the predators were the bull, blacktip and spinner species of sharks.

The International Shark Attack File focuses on unprovoked bites in its annual report and does not highlight attacks “that may have been prompted by mitigating circumstances, such as fishing lines cast in the direct vicinity of the incident or the presence of chum in the water.” There were 32 additional bites in 2022 that had been intentionally or unintentionally provoked.

Seven of Florida’s 16 attacks last year were in Volusia County, home to beach cities such as Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach. Monroe County, which includes the Keys, had four attacks. Palm Beach, Brevard, Martin, Nassau and Pinellas counties each had one attack.

In the Florida case when the Texan battled the shark for her limbs at the Dry Tortugas National Park near Key West in January 2022, Heather West said at the time: “I knew it was a battle for the foot — and one of us was gonna win, and

one of us was gonna lose. And honestly, I didn’t expect that I was gonna be the winner of this.”

She told reporters she tried to kick the shark with her good foot, but her flippers were a hindrance, so she cussed at the shark, and then slammed its face with both fists. That’s when the shark decided to let go.

West had been bitten by a lemon shark, known to rarely attack humans, according to the study. The incident marked only the 11th known unprovoked attack from this species, researchers say.

The U.S. had only a single unprovoked fatality in 2022 when a snorkeler went missing along Keawakapu Beach in Maui, Hawaii.

Other fatal attacks in 2022 happened in Egypt’s Red Sea, and South Africa. In both countries, two people were killed. The deaths in Egypt happened on the same day less than a mile apart and are thought to have been from the same shark, possibly a tiger shark.

As terrifying as the thought of a shark is, experts say the chances of being bitten by a shark remain “incredibly

low.” According to the World Health Organization, drowning is the third-leading cause of accidental death worldwide, and coastal features such as rip tides and strong currents pose a greater risk to beachgoers than sharks.

There are still precautions snorkelers and swimmers can take: The International Shark Attack File recommends removing reflective jewelry before entering the water, don’t swim at dawn or dusk, swim with a buddy, and avoid areas where people are fishing.

What are the odds of being bitten by a shark?

“We’re hesitant to provide stats on the likelihood of being bitten while in the water because there are no reliable estimates for the number of people who visit beaches each year, locally or globally,” said Jerald Pinson, spokesman for the Florida Museum of Natural History. Still, “generally speaking, your risk of being killed by a shark is 1 in 4,332,817. Put another way, you’re 47 times more likely to die from a lightning strike.”

news.ed@ocolly.com

Lethal fentanyl poisoning is real.

The drastic increase in opioid overdose deaths is largely due to fentanyl poisoning. Illegal fentanyl is cheaper than most other drugs on the streets and is being intentionally substituted into cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and drugs like counterfeit Adderall®, Percocet® and Xanax® as well.

Learn the facts and protect those you love.

Courtesy of Tribune

A bull shark inspects a photographer, coming close to the camera, during a shark dive off the coast of Jupiter, Fla., on Feb. 12, 2022. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

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Daily Horoscope

Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency

Linda Black Horoscopes (TNS)

Today’s Birthday (02/07/23). Your follower list grows this year. Practice keeping your word to build your confidence and reputation. Adapt your household around winter changes, before creating a springtime masterpiece. Your professional work takes another direction this summer, before autumn investigations reveal unimagined treasure. Communication is your superpower.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 7 — Slow to assess conditions. Impulsive moves could risk expensive accidents. Listen and observe. Unusual options merit investigation. Prioritize health and strong physical performance. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 7 — Relax and scope out the situation before taking action. Creative visions and current realities don’t match. Wait for developments. Discover spontaneous fun and romance.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is an 8 — Home draws you in. Make domestic repairs and upgrades as needed. Take advantage of an unexpected opportunity or bargain. Enjoy something delicious with your family.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is an 8 — Listen before speaking. Don’t get pushy. Wait for later to proceed. Potentially dangerous conditions lie ahead. Practice diplomacy and tact. Context is decisive.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 7 — Inhibit the urge to show off. Don’t buy toys right now. Keep your budget. Costs are higher than expected. Consider consequences before choosing.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 7 — Take extra care of yourself. Temporary confusion could blind you. Mistakes could get expensive or unpleasant. Consider personal priorities and potential consequences. Rest and recharge.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is a 6 — Slow to review plans and adjust for changes. Work out details in private. Keep secrets and confidences. Avoid controversy or noise and get productive.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 6 — Illusions dissolve to reveal the unvarnished truth. Be careful not to break anything. Advise others to take caution too. Discuss possibilities. Schedule actions.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 7 — Don’t get too hasty with a professional project. Prepare carefully before launching. Consider consequences to avoid upset or controversy. Seek team support as needed.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 7 — Slow to assess conditions before setting off. Hidden truths reveal themselves upon investigation. Guard against accidents. Study best options. Consider alternative or unusual ideas.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 7 — Review numbers before committing to a purchase. Temporary impulses could cause lasting upset. Do the homework. Research for best value. Wait for better conditions. Collaborate.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 7 — Share support with your partner. Clean messes. Do what you said. Simplify objectives and take one at a time. Talk about dreams and possibilities.

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Lewis

Solution

Darryl Gonzalez