Utah Statesman Wednesday, April 28, 2010
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USU’s Isotope magazine prints its final issue The science and literature magazine falls victim to budget cuts after seven years trying to bridge the gaps between science and literature. We were trying to show that science was an art.” Aside from the occasional student After seven years of merging submissions, Howard said the magascience and literature, the literary magazine Isotope has turned the final zine received articles nationally and page. With its last issue, Isotope’s edi- internationally, including those from tor, Christopher Cokinos, wrote about professors and scientists. Cokinos his regret and relief at the cessation of compared Isotope to a “Venn diagram” of “nature, culture, science and the publication. muse,” the four words printed In the letter, posted on Isotope’s at the bottom of each website, Cokinos explains that the issue. Among the reason for closing the magazine is subjects approached part of a larger plague, infecting in the publication are many on-campus projects: budget “astronomy, artificial cuts. Besides losing funding for its managing editor, Isotope also lost sev- intelligence, genetic engineering, sexuality, eral grants, which it had applied for. urban ecosystems, restoraSamuel Howard, editorial assistant tion ecology, physics and and graduate student, said the grant math.” money could have kept the magazine A group of people who will afloat for another year. Thanks to be directly donations and affected by the money from subloss will be the scribers, Isotope “Better to go out graduate students had the money to on top, as they of the English publish its final say.” department. issue. Isotope offered a Howard yearly fellowship to explained that – Christopher Cokinos, graduate students one of the things Isotope’s editor that draws Howard that made Isotope to the magazine. unique was the After meeting merger of two with the editors, seemingly opposite subjects. Howard was selected to be a fellow in “We didn’t just get creative writ2008. After Isotope lost funding for ing submissions,” he said. “We were By KASEY VAN DYKE staff writer
its managing editor, Leslie Brown, Howard “stepped in to help get (Isotope’s) final issue ready for production,” he said. Howard said the experience was “great” and all the previous
fellows “appreciated the opportunity,” as well as himself. “It’s the best job I ever had,” he said. “I worked with great people. It was a pleasure while it was going and I’m sad it’s going away. It was great while it lasted.” As for his relief, Cokinos writes that it comes for final certainty. “After a year of swirling changes, indecision (much of that mine) and shifting budget priorities,” he writes, “... I am relieved that the situation has clarified and that the magazine won’t limp along without the support it deserves.” Some of that
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USU team takes second in Imagine Cup By CATHERINE MEIDELL assistant news editor
Four USU students traveled to Washington, D.C., to compete in Microsoft’s Imagine Cup competition and placed second overall for a Facebook application aimed to boost the success of entrepreneurs in third-world countries. The team is comprised of Cal Coopsman and Yiding Han, Ph.D. students in electical engineering; Josh Light, senior in economics, finance and entrepeneurship and
Susanna Beck, who is majoring in general education. The Imagine Cup is the largest software competition in the world, and USU students took home $4,000 in prize money because of their software idea, Aidventure, which can be added by anyone as an application on Facebook. Their second place title was held under University of California-Los Angeles who took the grand prize and will compete in Poland during the international competition, Light said. Purdue University, who took first place, will also compete in
Poland. There were 22,000 competitors in the competition. “I wanted to win the whole thing, and I presented as hard as I could,” Light said. “I could tell the audience was sold on the idea.” Light said that upon arriving in Washington, D.C., on April 23, he and his team were introduced to the area and the competition events. On Saturday morning, the team was prepared to present their idea
- See IDEA, page 4
FOUR USU STUDENTS, from left to right, Cal Coopsman, Susanna Beck, Yiding Han and Josh Light, traveled to Washington, D.C., for Microsoft’s Imagine Cup. The group took second place. photo courtesy of STERLING MORRIS
Inside This Issue
4/28/10 Vocational Rehabilitation, Disability Resource Center and Student Support Services offer support for students to have a successful career in school. Page 9
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Three childhood friends from little league football through high school and college, now getting a shot at the pros. Page 5
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support came from the English department, Caine School of the Arts, College of HASS, College of Science, College of Natural Resources, Marie Eccles Caine Foundation, Mountain West Center for Regional Studies, as well as a grant from the Utah Arts council and funding from the state of Utah and the National Endowment for the Arts. Isotope also had subscribers across the country. Cokinos writes in his letter the proposal for an online version of Isotope. He wrote that, though “deeply appreciative of their kindness, I have reluctantly concluded that I do not wish to edit an online version of Isotope nor to impinge on the already scant time our faculty have during this era of looming course load increases and already overly large classes.” Also, Cokinos expressed a deep satisfaction at the time he spent working with the authors of the submissions, especially scientists, calling the magazine a home for scientists writing poetry, stories and personal essays, as well as making visual art. In his closing remarks, Cokinos thanked everyone for caring about the magazine, concluding with an old adage. He wrote, “Better to go out on top, as they say.” – k.vandyke@aggiemail.usu.edu
First CEU-USU chancellor chosen By RACHEL A. CHRISTENSEN news editor
Joe Peterson, vice president for Instruction at Salt Lake Community College, was named the first-ever chancellor of Utah State University-College of Eastern Utah April 26. Peterson will begin his duties July 1 when the merge becomes official and will work directly with USU President Stan Albrecht. “He’s an excellent fit,” Albrecht said. Peterson was a professor at USU starting in 1982. He has also worked as a faculty member, dean of the arts, interim academic vice president and vice president of Students Services at Dixie College as well as his current role at Salt Lake Community College. Knowledge of the regional campus system, experience as a senior level administrator at Dixie and Peterson’s extensive experience in higher education in Utah make him the right man JOE PETERSON for the job, Albrecht said. The variety in his work experiences will also bring “a broad set of skills” to the job, Albrecht said. The Price native, whose hobbies range from running marathons to reading Latin American literature in Spanish, said he looks forward to being associated with CEU and USU, and their students and faculty. “I know them both and I like them both,” Peterson said. “They’re just wonderful people.” There are many positive things that can be done with
- See CEU, page 3
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