COLUMBINE VICTIM’S INSPIRATIONAL LEGACY, pg. 5
HOUSTON NAMED MOST DIVERSE CITY IN U.S., pg. 7
VOLUME XL, NUMBER 6
www.UHCLTheSignal.com
APRIL 30, 2012
NASA flies students on the Weightless Wonder
JOSHUA OJEDA: THE SIGNAL
The UHCL and San Jacinto College-North team poses with faculty and advisers in front of the aircraft known as “the vomit comet” after completing their first flight. Truett Manning The Signal The goal of education is for students to be able to exercise what they learn in the classroom, but three UHCL students and two San Jacinto College–North students literally got to watch their hard work take flight. NASA held their latest flight week, April 20-28, at Ellington Field. The Reduced Gravity Student Education Flight Program, or RGEFP, is a program designed for undergraduate students to successfully propose, design, assemble, fly and evaluate a reduced
gravity experiment of their choice over the course of four to six months. Christopher Burns and Henry Ascencio, mathematical science majors, and Paul Cusco, a computer engineer major at UHCL, participated in RGEFP along with two students from San Jacinto College – North. “NASA provides the flight weeks because it’s a way to expose students to the engineering design process and to give them a real world look at what it’s like to be a scientist or engineer,” said Rachel Kraft, public affairs specialist at NASA Johnson Space Center. “Our hope is that the experi-
ence of not only flying in microgravity, but of seeing an experiment through all the way from initial conception of an idea to data collection in microgravity, will inspire them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.” Students who wish to participate in RGEFP must first form a group then create and submit a proposal to NASA. The students whose proposal is accepted must work on the projects on their own time. Professors and faculty are able to give students guidance when they run into problems but the research and building of the project is
student led. If selected, the group works with a NASA principal investigator lead for that project to prepare the experiment for flight week. In addition to the NASA official, one university/college faculty member is invited to fly with each team. Burns reached out to one of his past professors, Nathanial Wiggins, professor of mathematics at San Jacinto College-North, to recruit additional students to form a team. “If you pull a team together from independent schools, it shows a willingness to work together that is unprecedented in toSEE NASA, PAGE 10
‘Bully’ shines spotlight on growing problem THE LONG STORY Samantha Samuel form of physical contact. The Signal Joshua Klein, psychology Bullying is one of the oldmajor at UHCL, was verbalest, most traumatic aspects of ly harassed throughout his childhood. In the past, bullying childhood and adolescence. has been dismissed as simply “I was the freak, or at “kids being kids.” This indifferleast that is what I was told ent attitude is now being chalevery single day,” Klein lenged in the new documentary said. “I would go to school “Bully.” dreading the day that would “Bully” directed by Lee follow because barely Hirsch, released March 30, anyone, teachers included, serves as a call to action against ever had anything nice to the abuse of students by their say. It started in fourth grade ALLIANCE FILMS: COURTESY own peers. The documenwhen I was about 10 and Bully victim Alex Libby, 12, featured in the “Bully” documentary. tary follows the lives of three continued all the way until I children throughout the course graduated. I was never hit or of which is fear. It is common for adults of one school year and tells the stories of pushed into lockers; most of what I went not to handle such situations thoroughly, two families who have lost children to through was psychological. I was called leaving the victim fearful of retribution suicide and a mother awaiting the fate of any bad name you can think of almost and left to deal with the consequences for her 14-year-old daughter whose torment every day of the year. Two of the more “tattling.” Although bullying normally led her to bring her mother’s pistol on a popular ones were ‘faggot’ and ‘freak’.” takes place in the absence of adults, it has school bus. Regrettably, bullies do not always stop become even more common for bystandThe film explores the reasons why being bullies once they reach adulthood ers, both child and adult, to not intervene. bullying remains a serious problem, one SEE BULLY, PAGE 10 Bullying does not always come in the
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Ana Gabriela Avendano The Signal Tyler Long, a 17-year-old high school student from Murray County, GA came home from school one night and retired to his room. The next morning, his father found him dead; he had hanged himself. Tyler dreaded the start of school each year; he had been bullied and picked-on since fifth grade until he took his life on Oct. 17, 2009. “Children with disabilities are 60 percent more likely to be bullied,” said Tina Long, mother of Tyler long. “Schools aren’t equipped or trained to deal with disabled children.” “Bully” is a 2011 documentary film directed by Lee Hirsch about bullying in U.S. schools. In the film, Hirsch gives a voice to bullying victims and follows the struggles of victims parents, like David and Tina Long, parents of late Tyler Long, as they mourn the loss of their son as a consequence of bullying and take on the school system that failed him. SEE LONG, PAGE 10
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