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Aggies lose by two One man isn’t to blame for Wisconsin loss Page 13
September 18, 2012 www.utahstatesman.com
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Biofuel car sets a land speed record BY KATRIEL WILKES staff writer
A collaboration from the Colleges of Engineering, Science and Agriculture rolled out onto the Bonneville Salt Flats earlier this month. An Aggie-�blue biofuel streamliner set the land speed record in the small-�engine class petroleum-�fuel diesel streamliner division in the World of Speed event held at the flats on Sept. 10. The car’s top speed was marked at 64.4 mph. The car ran off of a special biofuel made from yeast. The project start-� ed six years ago, when the colleges came together and decided to tackle an alternative fuel source to help the transportation sector get away from foreign oil, according to Lance Seefeldt, a professor in the biochem-� istry department. “We discovered the fuel behaved beautifully,� Seefeldt said. “There really are superior fuels that are as good as fuel that you would get at the pump.� Seefeldt said the team went to the flats hoping they could learn how to improve the car they had finished building only two days before. The car passed the safety inspection and they were able to run it on the speed-� way. Around six months ago, the team developed a biofuel they could pro-� duce regularly on a large scale. Alex McCurdy, a third-� year graduate student, has been working to develop the biofuels. McCurdy produced a fuel that could be produced quickly, Seedfeldt said. Seefeldt said the biofuel is amaz-� ing because it leaves a lower carbon footprint than diesel from the pump. “The emissions are so much cleaner than regular diesel fuel,� he said. “It’s just really impressive. The more important feature is that it is
BIOCHEMISTRY STUDENT MICHEAL MORGAN gets ready to drive the “Aggie A-Salt� Streamliner at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The biofuel car was created by USU students from three colleges and runs on yeast made from food waste. Photo courtesy of Lance Seefeldt
renewable. We can make it here at home from waste material that we already have.� To make the fuel, the team took leftover waste from cheese produc-� tion and fed it to yeast. The yeast produces a simplified molecule used in the chemistry to create biofuel, McCurdy said.
“We take a waste product that’s cheap, basically free, and turn it to biofuel,� he said. Although they weren’t aa used this year, McCurdy said his team has created three different biofuels in the lab. “One is made from bacteria, one made from yeast and one made
from algae. It just happened we could produce yeast more profi-� ciently in a larger quantity,� he said. McCurdy said the scaled-�up pro-� duction was about 1000 times more than the first small vial of fuel they were able to make. “It was a lot of years and a lot of research and that wasn’t all that long
ago,� said Mike Morgan, the driver of the streamliner and a senior majoring in biochemistry. “I remem-� ber the first vial and how excited everyone was.� Seedfeldt said they were surprised about how much attention they got
See SPEED, Page 2
Students from all sides gear up for presidential election BY ALLIE HENDRICKS staff writer
As the 2012 presidential election approach-� es, USU students are finding ways to get involved — no matter what side of the political spectrum they’re on. Mike McPhie, a senior majoring in law and constitutional studies and a member of the College Democrats, said he puts a lot of energy and emphasis on getting students registered to vote. “We helped around 200 people register to vote, and we expect many more,� he said. This is McPhie’s first semester back at USU after interning in Washington, D.C., where he studied public policy while interning at the Healthcare Leadership Council. “My experiences there were phenomenal. I've been very interested in bringing back a lot of the things I learned and observed while at the nation's capitol,� he said.
People often tell him that one person can't make a difference in politics. He said there may even be some truth to that, but it is still critically important to be involved. “It’s easy to become disillusioned and cynical about politics, but when more people become aware and active, they are truly capa-� ble of making things better in their communi-� ties, states and ultimately the country,� he said. McPhie said does quite a bit of independent research in order to keep up to date with the political world. He has met several candidates running for office in the state and has been fol-� lowing and promoting their campaigns. American citizens have unique rights and privileges and to take them for granted is tragic, he said. “One vote might be a small measure, but the exercise of civic duty goes much further,� McPhie said. “Democracy hinges on the par-� ticipation of the people.� Students don't have to run for Congress to
STUDENTS AROUND CAMPUS are getting politically involved as the elections near. Many students volunteer at the Cache Republicans or Cache Democrat centers. Photo courtesy of Lance Seefeldt
be involved, he said. They can read a newspa-� per, write a letter to their congressman, take a political science course and vote in November. “Regardless of your background, your major, what you know, your level of interest or your ideology, being politically active is rewarding,� he said. “The only way your voice doesn't mat-� ter is if you don't do anything. Students have proven time and time again that they can be a driving political force, and we're in a great position to do it again.� Nathaniel Johnson, a senior majoring in political science, worked full-�time as an intern for the Chris Stewart for Congress campaign for nearly eight months. He helped plan events such as cottage and town hall meetings and fundraising events, including two events with Glenn Beck. He made phone calls for the campaign, helped with advertising and regularly attending meet-� ings where strategy, finances and policy were discussed. “Being aware and informed of who candi-� dates are is critical for voters to elect high cali-� ber representatives,� he said. “For the past nine months I have done just that — helped voters know more about my candidate.� Natalie Brisighella, a junior majoring in political science, is on the executive board for the USU College Democrats. “Our focus as a club is to create more political awareness and activity on campus and around the Cache Valley community,� she said. She said each member of the College Democrats is involved for their own personal reasons, and they do not necessarily expect anyone else to agree with their views. “We understand that politics may be a heat-� ed issue for many, and that's why so many col-� lege students shy away,� she said. “Instead, the USU College Democrats simply want students to become more informed about the issues, participate and vote in local politics.� The club says it is highly important for the community to know exactly who and what they're voting for when election day comes. “We're not focused on who they vote for, but just that they vote.� Brisighella said.
Brisighella said she believes one of the larg-� est concerns amongst students is voter apathy —s ome students just don't care when it comes to politics. Because they live in a red state, many Democratic-�leaning students don't feel like their vote counts in the election so they simply don't vote, she said. “Whether you vote blue or red or any other color in this coming election, your vote mat-� ters,� said Brisighella. “You are one more stu-� dent with a voice.� Oakley Nelson, a junior majoring in political science, served as a legislative intern for Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. The intern-� ship led to the opportunity for him to serve in the Office of Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert during this past summer, he said. “Some may say, ‘Sure, you helped put up signs and coordinate a county or state candi-� date race, but that's not really a big deal.’� he said. “I take a sense of pride in knowing that I have reached out and made a difference in the future of what my generation will have to look forward to when we take the reins of various areas of leadership in both the public and pri-� vate sectors. Jorge Cabrera, a senior majoring in political science, is the USU campus coordinator for the Scott Howell for Senate campaign and a volun-� teer for the USU College Democrats. His duties for the Howell campaign include getting the student body interested and involved with the campaign, locating interns and volunteers and organizing events for them to attend, assisting with phone banking and canvassing efforts and helping host candidate events in Logan, Cabrera said. “We've been able to spread not only the word on the Howell campaign but about the democratic ideals and the voting process,� he said. “To me, that's a huge thing,� he said. “That means 43 more votes out there for the grab and two more helping bodies.� – abhendrix@pentaracorp.com