Campus New Briefs
Water seminar slated for Monday, Jan. 5
Franklin M. Fisher of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Jane Berkowitz Carlton, and Dennis William Carlton, professor of microeconomics, will be speaking Monday at 2:30 p.m. in Room 101 of the Engineering Building.
The topic of the water initiative seminar will be “Liquid Assets: The Economics of Water in the Middle East.” The event is sponsored by the Utah State University Water Initiative. For more information, see the USU Water Initiative’s Web site at http://www.usu.edu/water/seminars or contact Jack Schmidt at 797-1791.
Bookstore extends hours for first week
The Utah State University Bookstore has announced its hours for the first week of Spring Semester.
During the first week, the Bookstore will be opened extended hours to accommodate student needs. The store will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. It will then open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
No mad cows in Utah, says Ag. dept.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed that none of the beef under the current BSE recall was distributed to retail stores in Utah. During the latest technical briefing with U.S. Government Officials on the BSE case, the USDA reported that approximately 80 percent of the recalled meat product was distributed in the states of Washington and Oregon.
The remaining 20 percent was distributed to small retail outlets in six other states and one U.S. territory.
“The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food’s meat inspection program has been awarded the USDA’s highest possible rating-Category I,” said Utah Commissioner of Agriculture Cary Peterson. “Few other states’ inspection programs have earned this distinction.”
Student-built rocket launches successfully
The Unity IV, a rocket built by undergraduate students from Utah State University and BYU, launched Dec. 2 at the Hill Air Force Base Test and Training Range, southeast of Wendover, Nev.
Approximately 30 students from USU and BYU worked on the 20-foot rocket which team members believe is the largest rocket ever designed, built and launched by university students.
“This is a great learning opportunity for the students,” said Paul Mueller, the Unity IV adviser from USU. “Our students are given the chance to participate in hands-on research which has given several of them terrific job opportunities.”
At 385 pounds, 20 feet long, 17 inches in diameter, and with approximately 2,500 pounds. of thrust, the rocket climbed to 4,100 feet above the ground before deploying parachutes and landing near the launch rail. The launch rail was built by students from material donated by the Space Dynamics Laboratory and was mounted to a large flatbed trailer. The rocket carried an onboard camera that relayed live video, and the U.S. Air Force tracking cameras also followed the flight.
“This is a valuable experience that will prepare me for work in industry,” said David Omer, a USU mechanical engineering junior. “I am proud to be part of this project and I am especially proud of the collaboration between Utah State and BYU to make this project a success.”
Poinsettia preservation instructions given
Individuals interested in prolonging the life of their holiday poinsettias can do so by following a few guidelines, said Jerry Goodspeed, Utah State University horticulturist.
Goodspeed recommends poinsettias be kept in a minimum of six hours of indirect sunlight each day and be kept from freezing temperatures.
He said the plants should be watered when the soil is dry two to three inches down. In addition to water, Goodspeed said he recommends an all-purpose, water-soluble fertilizer be applied once a week to keep the plants healthy.
Goodspeed said poinsettias can be maintained until about March or April with proper care.