Volume 66, No. 28
THE PAN AMERICAN
June 3, 2010
Largest oil spill may bring local impact By Erin Menendez The Pan American The Gulf Coast oil spill has officially been recorded as the largest in U.S. with President Obama visiting the beaches of Louisiana on Friday to address the situation. The visit followed harsh criticism placed on the government response to the disaster, which has seen oil and gas spewing into the ocean since a BP rig exploded April 20. According to F r a n k
Dirrigl, professor of biology and environmental sciences at The University of Texas-Pan American, the most important issue is containing the spill as effectively as possible
in the shortest amount of time. “Unfortunately, this has not happened. Fish and wildlife have already been found dead in open water and shorelines, and this is just the beginning, the longterm impacts from oil spills on plants, animals, and habitat,” said Dirrigl, who earned a Ph.D. from The University of Connecticut in anthropology. The disaster can have negative consequences on ecology, affecting birds and fish along with invertebrates such as zooplankton, snails, starfish, and shrimp. “It is the small aquatic life that supports the larger wildlife in an aquatic system,” Dirrigi said. “The devastation to what ecologists consider ‘primary producers’ of food chains is unseen by the public.” In agreement, professor of biology Donald Hockaday said, “Louisiana marshes are crucially important nursery areas for marine species.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife released a report, Effect of Oil on Wildlife and Habbitat, detailing specific effects oil spills have on fish such as reduced growth, change in heart, and reproductive impairment. Another concern is potential economic effects the spill could cause. “Everyone loses, families lose loved ones, wildlife and habitat are affected, recreational areas are
ifitwasmyhome.com
WHAT IF? - Ifthiswasmyhome.com allows users to type in a location and compare the size of the oil spill to that area. This shows what part of the Valley would be covered in oil if the spill occurred in McAllen. faced with years of cleanup, and peoples’ livelihood that depend on fishing, shrimping, crabbing, and clamming,” Dirrigl said. “The potential economic impact of the loss of vacation travelers may also be felt by local business and restaurants.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, continues to extend the area closed to fishing, resulting in 25 percent closure of the Gulf Coast that supplies more than 40 percent of U.S. seafood with sales exceeding 2.4 billion. NOAA project oil will reach the shores of Mississippi and Alabama by June 3 due to southwestern winds.
However, oil may be capable of reach South Padre Island as debris washed ashore after hurricane Katrina in 2005, warned Dirrigl. In an effort to stop further damage this week, BP was trying a new method, “top kill”, which required pumping mud into the piping to seal the leak permanently. However, the technique was not successful. While Obama has pushed through a six-month freeze on oil drilling projects to avoid a similar catastrophe, Dirrigl said the most important change is having an established response team in place made up of coordinated government federal and state agencies, private industry, and volunteers.
Two new college deans should be in place soon By Roxann Garcia The Pan American The University of Texas-Pan American is on the grow as the search to fill in two dean positions for the recent split of the colleges of science and engineering continues. Since early May, a total of six candidates have visited the university to show interest in administrative positions for the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Science and Mathematics. The college split will become effective beginning with the fall 2010 semester.
UTPA TOONS: Cartoonist Elias Moran illustrates daily student life.
Search committees – composed of faculty, staff and students – were formed under the direction of UTPA President Robert Nelsen along with the executive search firm of Witt/Kieffer. The firm worked on advertising the positions nationally, identifying those qualified for the jobs, and finally arranging interviews with top candidates. Three hopefuls for each dean position were selected for on-campus interviews and thereupon faculty, staff and students were invited to attend town hall forums to meet and greet with each candidate. Campus visits for the candidates were held May 13-20.
Center for Online Learning Teaching and Technology recives $150,000 grant.
The candidates for the College of Engineering and Computer Science include Miguel Gonzalez, Glen Prater and David Allen. Applicants for the College of Science and Mathematics include Jonathan Campbell, Randy Brutkiweicz and John Trant. Gonzalez attained his doctorate in industrial engineering in 1995 while Prater received his in mechanical engineering in 1987. Allen graduated in 1980 with a doctorate in aerospace engineering. All have been heavily involved in administrative work. Campbell earned his Ph.D. in systematics and ecology in 1982
Local entrepreneur Cynthia Valdez creates online vintage store called Tulle Room.
after also studying biology and anthropology. Brutkiewicz attained his terminal degree in cellular and viral immunology from Michigan State University while also studying microbiology, public health and virology. Trant received his doctorate in zoology from the University of Texas at Austin and also studied biology. “Each candidate that visited our campus was ranked of high caliber. We were fortunate enough to have them visit our campus,” said Javier Kypuros, associate professor of mechanical engineering and head of the search committee for
the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Ana Maria Rodriguez, interim provost/vice president for academic affairs, noted there has been interest and enthusiasm for the dean search, and outlined the importance of the decisions to be made. “The more feedback we have from those who will be primarily impacted, the better the decision making will be,” she said. The decisions will be announced before the fall, and the new leaders will then continue to administer the college split.
en español: Lo que se espera para el mundial que se llevara a cabo este año
How AP test affect the high school psyche.