Professor promotes electric car use | Campus | Indiana Daily Student

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

Professor promotes electric car use

IDS | April 03, 2013

Paul Pancella discussed his experience with creating and operating an electric car in his speech Wednesday.

The Western Michigan University professor of physics installed an electrical engine into his car, replacing the car’s failing engine.

“I’ve always been interested in the use of energy worldwide and through a physics point of view,” Pancella said.

In 2007, Pancella inserted an electrical engine into his car and attached it to the transmission. His car has run smoothly since then.

“His speech brought in his own personal experience, and I enjoyed that,” said Rob de Ruyter, biophysics and program in neural science professor at IU.

Pancella made an initial investment of $15,000 into the project, and he projects after driving 38,000 miles on his new engine, he’ll break even.

He’s also reduced his gasoline consumption by greater than 30 percent.

Electric cars benefit drivers because through time, they will save money with an electrical engine rather than a gasoline-powered one, Pancella said. He said the engine also decreases the reliability on oil and other non-renewable resources for energy.

“The limited supply of oil is an increasingly large issue,” Pancella said.

de Ruyter described one of the difficulties the innovation faces as it attempts to find success on the commercial market.

“It is my opinion that what has to happen is for the battery’s power storage to improve,” de Ruyter said. “Once that starts to happen, the flood gates will open to many more people.”

Another issue is cost. Electrically powered cars generally cost more than gasoline-powered cars and take longer to refill. Ultimately, though, electrical engines provide a clean source of energy that oil cannot, he said.

“If I can do it at a reasonable cost, major manufacturers should be able to as well,” Pancella said.

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Leading Primatologist discusses evolution of emotions | Campus | Indiana Daily Student

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

Leading Primatologist discusses evolution of emotions

By JOHN BAUERNFEIND | IDS
POSTED AT 11:29 PM ON APR. 2, 2013  (UPDATED AT 11:33 PM ON APR. 2, 2013)

Hosted by the Patten Foundation Lectures, Sarah Hrdy gave the first of her two scheduled lectures in Bloomington this week to a full audience. In her lecture, titled “The origin of emotionally modern humans: How did humans become such ‘other-regarding’ apes?” she discussed psychological and emotional evolution in humans.

Hrdy is the professor emerita at the University of California-Davis.

Constance Furey, associate professor of the department of religious studies, is a member of the Patten Foundation Committee, who chose Hrdy to speak.

“Her work is so wide ranging, and it’s relevant to humans,” Furey said. “Her work is very non-deterministic.”

Hrdy, a leading anthropologist, focuses on primatology.

“We were here before we were warlike,” she said, commenting on the overall theme and message of her speech. Essentially, early humans developed social learning before warfare and violence.

Hrdy hit on many points throughout her lecture, discussing in depth the similarities and profound differences shared between apes and humans concerning cognitive abilities.

“There are differences,” Hrdy said in her speech. “In terms of social learning, communication and theory of the mind, humans and human children have performed better.”

Aaron Stalnaker, associate professor of the department of religious studies, was a member of the packed audience.

“It was fantastic,” Stalnaker said, referring to Hrdy’s speech. “Her argument regarding impulses was compelling.”

Hrdy talked at length about initial impulses and how they were formed and developed, and how they acted as stepping stones in humans differentiating themselves from apes.

“By focusing so much on warfare we forget about more common occupations, like childrearing, that were much more important in initial impulses,” Hrdy said.

Hrdy will speak again at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Maurer School of Law Moot Court Room. The title of this lecture is “From Mr. Mom to Deadbeat Dads.”

“She (Hrdy) really shows how much of a significant factor diversity is,” Furey said.

via Leading Primatologist discusses evolution of emotions | Campus | Indiana Daily Student.

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IU BFCA commemorates Black History Month | Campus | Indiana Daily Student

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

IU BFCA commemorates Black History Month

By JOHN BAUERNFEIND | IDS
POSTED AT 01:41 PM ON FEB. 25, 2013  (UPDATED AT 04:05 PM ON FEB. 25, 2013)
IU’s Black Film Center Archive is doing its part to commemorate Black History month, delivering a series of film screenings every Wednesday night during February.

“Holding these kinds of programs is a great way to let people know that we’re here, to invite them in,” said Brian Graney, archivist for the Black Film Center Archive. “It gives people an idea about what kinds of programs and films fall within our scope.”

BFCA has co-sponsored with the History Department, Black Law Students Association, Indiana chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists and the department of African American and African Diocese Studies. The BFCA both coordinates and hosts the screenings. 

The films, four of them this month, have also been shown at the Monroe County Library in partnership with Delta Sigma Theta Alumni Association, and with Ivy Tech Community College.

BFCA had previewed films before selecting the four for their Black History Month screenings, looking for films that unearthed a forgotten piece in history.

“As a movie, it does a really good job of vividly documenting an area of history that might not come across as forcefully in another form,” Graney said.

The topics covered in this month’s screenings have ranged from the Memphis sanitation workers strike to the history of the black press.

“These films help us to reconstruct our past,” said Michael Martin, director of the BFCA. “It’s important that they’re not forgotten.”

BFCA, located in Room 044B of the Herman B. Wells Library, is having one more screening this month, next Wednesday. 

The upcoming screening, titled “Struggles in Steel,” follows the history of discrimination towards black steel workers.

“These films address important issues during the long history of race relations in this country,” Martin said. “In doing so, we both have a better appreciation of our past that also illuminates the present.”
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Flowers adorn iconic sculpture | Campus | Indiana Daily Student

Posted on January 18, 2013 by

Flowers adorn iconic sculpture

By JOHN BAUERNFEIND | IDS

POSTED AT 12:00 AM ON JAN. 18, 2013  (UPDATED AT 12:00 AM ON JAN. 18, 2013)

With his left hand perched atop his piano and his right hand playing the keyboard, the Hoagy Carmichael Landmark Sculpture rests in a comfortable spot next to the IU Cinema.

A flower is often found in the bronze statue’s hand.

The flower is not a part of the sculpture. Rather, a real one is placed through the statue’s slightly open hand and on its fedora.

“Generally it’s IU patrons that walk along and pick one off — like our mums or our petunias — and puts it there,” said Mike Girvin, campus division manager for IU Physical Plant.

Girvin said his first year at IU marked the same year the sculpture found a permanent home in Bloomington. Still, Girvin said his department had no role in the placement of the flowers and maintains he has never personally placed a flower on the statue.

The flowers and the people who place them on the sculpture often change. Except for winter, Hoagy sees a different flower each season.

“Generally, I’ve seen every different flower that we’ve grown in his hands at one time,” Girvin said.

IU normally grows an array of flowers such as tulips and petunias in the spring and mums in the fall.

The statue was constructed in honor of Hoagy Carmichael, a Bloomington native and IU alumni.

Though Carmichael earned his law degree from IU, he decided to pursue a career in music after graduating. He led IU’s band, appropriately named Carmichael’s Collegians, and went on to become an acclaimed jazz composer. Carmichael’s song, “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening,” won him an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1952.

Michael Macaulay, who also grew up in Bloomington, said it was a year-long process to sculpt the statue. The flower, however, has been consistently maintained.

“They just keep reappearing because now it’s turned into a tradition,” Macaulay said.
The statue has its own WordPress page, which includes pictures of the sculpture in different settings, from different angles and with different items in its hand.

“The only thing that has consistently appeared has been the rose or the red flowers in his hand,” Macaulay said.

 

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Question answered by The Sports Guy – Grantland

Posted on January 14, 2013 by

The following is my question that was answered by the Sports Guy on the Grantland Blog, January 11, 2013.

Q: Is Robert Griffins injury the first example of a player/coach/team being criticized for letting an injured player continue to play following all of Goodells changes to player safety? If this injury happened 3-5 years ago Griffin would be lauded for playing through the pain. Philip Rivers played the 2008 AFC Championship game with a torn ACL and was praised for it. Though Griffin does use his legs a lot more than Rivers does, the situations are similar. Is the era of the play-through-pain tough guy gone?—John B., Bloomington,

INSG: The short answer: No way. I think people just love Griffin. They didnt want to see his career risked or endangered in any way. If you think of him like an action movie hero, it makes more sense. Hes reckless, hes exciting, he keeps finding danger, he keeps you on your toes … theres just something about the way Griffin plays that makes you feel like youre a nervous parent watching your ninth-grade son playing a high school game against bigger kids. I watched Redskins games for four solid months without any real interest other than, “Its especially fun to watch Robert Griffin. I hope he doesnt get hurt.” And every time he scrambled — even if you picked against the Redskins in your picks pool, even if you wagered against him, even if you were going against him in fantasy — as soon as he started getting a little too ambitious and thinking to himself, I know that big safety is coming at me, but maybe I can get by him, you were thinking to yourself, NO, RG3! GO DOWN! JUST GO DOWN! while secretly hoping he didnt go down and tried to deke the guy.In general, 2012 turned into the Season of Player Safety — we thought about it constantly, we felt guilty about it most recently, upon hearing the profoundly discouraging news of Junior Seaus CTE diagnosis, we fretted that we werent doing enough, we spread blame around, we wondered why nobody who ran the league truly started caring about this stuff until the last couple of years. But I dont think that affected how people reacted to Griffin on Sunday. Phil Rivers earned our respect in 2008 — I think that still happens five years later. Ben Roethlisberger practically played with a broken rib jutting through his torso — we didnt expect anything less because hes Big Ben, tough dude, plays through anything. Peyton Manning decided to keep playing football after four neck surgeries, which sure seems dangerous — and yet, I cant remember anyone vehemently protesting. Meanwhile, Jay Cutler left a 2010 playoff game with a knee injury even though he could have limped around and kept playing. Remember what happened? He got raked over the coals by just about everyone. So it depends on the guy.In Griffins case, he wanted to keep playing. His team didnt trail for the first 50 minutes of the game, and his coach believed just having a hobbled Griffin out there gave the Redskins the best chance to keep that lead. Oh, and the Redskins were paying the best knee expert on the planet to stand on their sideline and help them with this ongoing decision. Note: Andrews claims they didnt ultimately listen to him. Who knows? I watched every play of that game with Mays and Jacoby from Grantland; we didnt even have the “Should they pull Griffin for Cousins?” conversation until Seattle went up by seven. They said no. I said yes, but only because I thought Cousins had proven himself in a similar situation. But I was waaaaaaaaaay more nervous than usual, and really, its because I love watching Griffin play football. Its the same reason there was a disproportionate amount of venom toward Mike Shanahan for keeping him out there and the Redskins for being the umpeteenth NFL team that was too cheap to have a respectable field for a playoff game. They jeopardized someone we liked watching.

via The Sports Guy make his divisional playoffs picks – Grantland.

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Device aids in child DCD treament | Campus | Indiana Daily Student

Posted on December 8, 2012 by

The word “phantom” can describe an illusion, but there is no mistaking the results of the Phantom, a force feedback virtual reality device that helps treat youth with Developmental Coordination Disorder.
 
It was developed in part by professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science Geoffrey Bingham.

“The technology that we use to train these kids is a computer graphics display that is connected to a phantom-omny,” Bingham said. “And that’s a desktop robotic arm, essentially.” 

Bingham likens the Phantom to a virtual version of a toy commonly seen in pediatric waiting rooms, one that contains a board with wires and beads.

“The task is like that except you have to do the pushing of the beads using a stylus, like a pen or a pencil,” Bingham said. “So, the idea is you’d be placing it on the wire behind the bead and then pushing the bead along the wire.”

Bingham got the idea of using the Phantom from Andy Hanson, a former chair of the computer sciencedepartment, who introduced him to the device.

Winona Snapp-Childs, a member of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, has worked with Bingham in testing the Phantom.

“It immediately became obvious to us when we were allowed to play with it for the first time that this could be a very nice therapeutic tool given the right circumstances,” Snapp-Childs said.

The Phantom is hooked up to a computer screen that displays the virtual wires and beads. Each move the Phantom makes is seen on the computer screen.

The goal is to keep the bead, controlled by the Phantom, on point with the diagram on the computer screen, which looks like a roller coaster. The test lasts about 10 seconds, but it can be increased in difficulty. The magnetic attraction can be made stronger or weaker, the latter making it more difficult to keep the bead on point. 

“The point of the test is that children with developmental coordination disorder would never be able to do this,” Bingham said. “They’d be coming off the wire all the time and then having to find it again, and it would be incredibly frustrating.”

Bingham said 5 to 6 percent of children are affected by the disorder, which is similar to autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. 

After he began research on the subject, Bingham said he had a revelation.

“When I encountered this, I recognized myself right away, I’m DCD,” he said. “I flunked handwriting all the way through grade school, and I didn’t read my first book until I was in junior high school. It was torture.”

Bingham said studies have linked reading and writing, as children with poor handwriting tend to also have reading issues. 

The disorder can also ramify, creating social and emotional problems, though it does respond to therapy and remediation.

“There’s no known cause for it, which makes it hard to diagnose,” Snapp-Childs said.
That may be the next task in addressing the issue of DCD, she said, as diagnosing seems more plausible than curing it. 

“Generally these kids are intelligent,” Bingham said. “There’s no known physiological basis for the problem. Their problem is that they’re clumsy.”

Device aids in child DCD treament | Campus | Indiana Daily Student.

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IU Women’s Soccer Dominates Sycamores | IUSportCom

Posted on September 16, 2012 by

As the mellow sunset drifted away over Armstrong Stadium, the Indiana Women’s Soccer team defeated in-state rival Indiana State by a score of 3-1 on Wednesday, improving their record to 5-2-1 for the year.

The Hoosiers scored first as Lisa Nouanesengsy hit a cross from the right side of the box into the center of the net from six yards. The Hoosiers amassed thirteen shots in the first half, seven of them on goal, and played stifling defense; the Sycamores got their first shot of the match in the last minute of the half.

“We dominated the first half in every category except goals,” said Indiana Head Coach Mick Lyon. “We created a very good number of chances for ourselves.

The Sycamore’s scored right off the bat in the second period, as Aubrie Musselman of Indiana State headed a cross to knot the score at one.

“With them coming out [of halftime] down one, their going to come out and push you,” Lyon said. “I felt like the first ten to fifteen minutes we weren’t as focused as we needed to be.”

The apparent lack of focus led to only one shot on goal in the first fifteen minutes of the second period for Indiana.

Lyon explained, “Sometimes when you’re playing so well and creating lots of chances for yourself, players then start thinking, ‘well let’s start doing something different,’ when we should keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

Indiana scored in the 76th minute to break the tie, scoring on a rebound in front of the goal. Awarded a corner kick after Indiana State was handed a yellow card, Jessie Bujouves scored on the third attempt inside of the penalty box. Indiana State’s goalkeeper, freshman Erin Mitchell, blocked the first two shots by Indiana players, but failed to block Bujouves’ shot.

The Hoosiers controlled the ball for the rest of the period, capping the game off with a made penalty kick by Orianica Velasquez. The victory over the Sycamores was the Hoosiers’ last non-conference game of the season. Conference play begins this weekend, as the Hoosiers face off against the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Head Coach Mick Lyon believes his players are ready for Big Ten play.

“I’m excited about the Big Ten, and it will be a tough start against Michigan,” Lyon said. “Right now I think our offense is firing with multiple weapons. I also think our defense has really grown over the last few weeks as well.”

The Hoosiers backed up Lyon’s beliefs, attempting a total of twenty one shots while holding the Sycamores to a mere five. Wednesday’s game was a good indicator of what the Hoosiers have to do to be successful this year. Maintaining focus is the Hoosiers’ key for success, as well as offensive and defensive prowess that will culminate in conference wins.

IU Women’s Soccer Dominates Sycamores | IUSportCom.

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