October 18, 2006

Hell and its Afterlife: Comparative and Historical Perspectives

A symposium, sure to delight the intellect, will explore the topic of hell as depicted through time, cultures, and the written word. The event is sponsored by the Tanner Humanities Center and will be held Oct. 23-25 at the Alumni House. Isabel Moreira and Margaret Toscano, both U of U professors, and Megan Armstrong, former U professor, are convening the symposium. The ambitious agenda includes discussions on topics ranging from “Why the Idea of Hell Seduces Us (and Whether We Should or Shouldn’t Resist)” to “Family and Gender Dynamics in Hell,” and “Hell in Pop Culture.” The symposium will culminate with the annual Sterling W. McMurrin Lecture on Religion and Culture, presented by Carlos Eire, Riggs Professor of History and Religious Studies at Yale University. Eire is a National Book Award winner and author of, Waiting for Snow in Havana (2003). He will speak on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. in the UMFA Dumke Auditorium. For a symposium schedule, visit www.hum.utah.edu/humcntr. For more info call 581-7989.

David Korten to bring Message of Earth Community

Monday, Oct. 23, 1:30-3 p.m.
Old Fine Arts Auditorium (not UMFA)

“We stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future . . . . To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth Community with a common destiny.”
~Earth Charter, crafted by David Korten (2000)

David Korten, author of the bestsellers When Corporations Rule the World and The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community, will speak at the U on Monday, Oct. 23 at 1:30 p.m. in the Old Fine Arts Auditorium. He will address his ideas that we must move from an “empire community” and its tie to corporate globalization, to a new paradigm of “earth community.” He argues that corporate consolidation of power is merely a contemporary manifestation of “Empire”—the age-old organization of society by hierarchies of domination resulting in fortune for the few and misery for the many. Korten also makes the case that an economic and environmental “perfect storm” is fast approaching. He claims that a convergence of climate change, the fast approaching peak and decline in oil production, and the financial instability inherent in an unbalanced global trading system will bring an unraveling of the corporate-led global economy, resulting in a dramatic restructuring of every aspect of modern life. Korten’s idea is that this crisis can be turned into an opportunity to bring forth a new era of “Earth Community.”

U of U sponsors of Korten's visit include the Environmental Studies Program, College of Architecture + Planning, Environmental Humanities Program, and the Wallace Stegner Center. For more information, contact Natasha McVaugh-Seegert at 585-3536 or envst@envst.utah.edu.

U of U and U Tokyo Team Up to Study Cosmic Rays in Delta

The University of Utah is partnering with the University of Tokyo to figure out why their separate, decade-long experiments using different technologies to count the number of ultra high-energy cosmic rays reaching Earth have come up with such mutually incompatible results. According to Charlie Jui, professor of physics at the U, Japan’s AGASA cosmic ray observatory has detected 10 times the number as Utah’s High-Resolution Fly’s Eye. Using the largest telescope array in the Northern Hemisphere, located near Delta, Utah, U of U and Japanese researchers are designing the experiment together and will use both technologies (The U of U uses fluorescence detectors while the Japanese use scintillation detectors) to look for and measure rare cosmic rays emanating from space.

This week, more than 575 picnic table-sized particle detectors will be distributed three-quarters of a mile apart, forming a square grid, which will be used to measure the footprint of the particle showers. The $17 million array project will begin operation in 2007 and will have a life span of about 10 years.

To learn more, check out the podcast interview with Charlie Jui at www.utah.edu/podcast. Download to your MP3 player or listen from your computer.

New Chief Named for U Hospitals & Clinics

Thomas L. Miller has been named the chief medical officer of University Hospitals and Clinics. Miller has served as executive director of the ambulatory clinics and as an associate professor of internal medicine at the U’s School of Medicine since 2003. He takes over for Neil K. Kochenour, professor emeritus of obstetrics and gynecology, who retired from the position in June. Miller received his bachelor’s degree from Colorado College and his medical degree from George Washington University. He completed his internship and residency at the U, where he served as chief resident of internal medicine.

FYI Mystery Photo Contest!
What is it? Where is it on campus?

Photo by Roger Tuttle

Send your answer (be specific!) to FYI@ucomm.utah.edu by noon on Thursday, Oct. 19 for a chance to win win two tickets to the Utah vs. UNLV football game on October 28.

The winner will be randomly selected from the pool of those submitting the correct answer. The winner will be listed in the next FYI News due out Nov. 1.

Thanks to the Athletics department for providing the prize!

This contest is open to U of U faculty and staff only.

Letter to the Editor: Campus recycling: What is to be done?

All loyal Ute fans love to see Utah drub BYU on the football field, but where are those same loyal fans when it comes to other issues that are, arguably, more important in the greater scheme of things? How about something like, say, recycling? Too boring? Perhaps, but it is an issue crucial to the future of the planet—the only one we have (at the moment).

BYU has been drubbing Utah in recycling efforts every year since 1990, when the School Down South implemented a comprehensive campus recycling program. BYU’s program is one of the most successful in the country, serving as a model for other universities and communities.

Yes, yes, recycling can be expensive and inconvenient, but it has been shown to offer significant payoffs, both monetary and environmental. In BYU’s best recycling year (1995), the program paid off all the debt accumulated from setting it up, and, to boot, yielded a surplus of more than $220,000! (See BYU Magazine, Summer 2002 http://magazine.byu.edu/print.php?a=1024)

As a sample of what the program can, and has, accomplished, consider the “fate of uneaten BYU meatloaf” (apparently, some people still eat meatloaf): According to the source noted above, after a trip through a food pulper, leftovers from campus eateries are combined with other sources of “green” waste (trees, lumber, ground clippings, etc.). The mix is cooked at 140 degrees for three to six weeks, creating a compost that, when used to enrich the soil, can reduce water usage by 33 percent. Think of what the U could do to “slow the flow” and save money and H2O if we had a similar waste recycling system in place. While the U recycles about 17 percent of its total waste (according to the article in the Chrony, “Push for recycling edges forward,”10-10-06), that is a mere 1,105 tons out of 6,500 tons of garbage! Compare that to BYU, which, in 2001 recycled 1,234 tons of paper, 282 tons of metal, and 1,297 tons of compost. (Perhaps they should stop serving meatloaf.)

So where are we, the University of Utah, the state’s flagship institution of higher education? Getting beaten to a pulp by our neighbor to the south, that’s where.

What is to be done? If everyone on the U of U campus made an effort to encourage individual recycling efforts—not only of paper, but also of cardboard, glass, paper plates/cups, and aluminum cans—department by department, building by building, the U could slowly build the momentum needed to edge forward a little faster, no?

Try it. It will be good for U.

Linda Marion
U of U Alumni Association

For information about how you can help with the U's recycling efforts, contact:
ASUU Board of Recycling Office
Phone: 581-2788
Fax: 581-6882
recycling@asuu.utah.edu
http://www.asuu.utah.edu/wiki/Recycling

Upcoming on Campus...

• Jurassic Garden After Dark
Oct. 19-30, (Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays), 6-9 p.m.
Red Butte Garden will be open for crafts and games, fire barrels and puppet shows, and jack-o-lantern contests. The dinosaurs, which invaded the garden in May, will be there too, but only until Oct. 31 when they will become extinct. Wear a costume if you like. For admission information, call 581-4747 or visit www.redbuttegarden.org.

• College of Nursing Career Fair
Thursday, Oct. 19, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Representatives from local health care agencies as well as several branches of the military will be available to share employment opportunities with nursing and pre-nursing students. Meet in the Eccles Health Sciences Education Building, Alumni Hall and 2nd Floor Atrium. For more information, contact Sue Onwuegbu at 581-5109 or sue.onwuegbu@nurs.utah.edu.

• Outdoor Recreation Celebrates 30 Years Serving Students
Friday, Oct. 20
Did you work or volunteer for the Outdoor Recreation Program between its beginning in 1976 and now? If the answer is yes, they want to hear from you! Help find others who worked or participated in their programs, and plan to attend a party to celebrate the milestone on Friday, Oct. 20 at the Jewish Community Center. To make a reservation or to update your contact information, contact Rob Jones at rjones@campnet.utah.edu or Brian at brian.wilkinson@campnet.utah.edu, or call 581-8516 .

• Art for a House of Mathematics
A New Book by Anna Campbell Bliss
In conjunction with the monthly gallery stroll on Oct. 20, Ken Sanders Rare Books (268 South 200 East) will present Anna Campbell Bliss, from 6-9 p.m., to celebrate her new book, Art for a House of Mathematics. The book documents Bliss’ art installation in the Cowles Mathematics Building on Presidents Circle. The “intersections” of art, science, and technology provided the focus for the commission for the Cowles Building extension, which Bliss won in a national competition. Bliss’ installation includes 100 18-by-18-inch laser-etched and screen-printed anodized aluminum panels. Seeking connections between nature and the constructed environment, poetry, and math, Bliss says, “Boundaries are artificial. Often the most exciting ideas emerge at the intersection where more than one discipline meets.” Bliss is nationally known for her purist color work and her experimentation in color-field theory. Her work hangs in museums and collections in Utah and throughout the nation.

• The Wilderness River Trail: The Echo Park Dam Controversy
Sunday, Oct. 22, 3 p.m., Olpin Union Theatre
A free screening and discussion of the film The Wilderness River Trail will be presented on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 3 p.m. in the Olpin Union Theatre. The film, made in 1952 by Charles Eggert, depicts a river trip down the Yampa River through Dinosaur National Park. It was used by the Sierra Club and others in what became the first successful environmental campaign to stop the building of a dam. The screening will be hosted by Roy Webb, multimedia archivist in the Marriott Library’s special collections. For more information, call 581-3421.

• Sexuality and Social Justice
Monday, Oct. 23, 1-3 p.m., Hayes Christensen Theatre, Marriott Center for Dance
The College of Social Work’s Diversity and Social Justice Lecture Series: Allies for Equity, presents a film, which utilizes diaries, letters, photos, interviews, and personal memoirs to bring women of the past back to life, shedding new light on the role of women in shaping America.

• Community Forum Meeting
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 5 p.m.
The U’s next quarterly meeting for neighbors to discuss issues affecting neighborhoods near campus will be Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. at 540 Arapeen Way in Research Park. For more information, call 585-9244.

Bulletin Board

• Sharpen Your Knife!
Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest
On Tuesday, Oct. 31—Halloween Day—the Campus Store will host its annual pumpkin-carving contest for campus community teams of one or two people. A maximum of 20 teams will be registered for the event. Campus Store gift certificates will be awarded for 1st place ($300), 2nd place ($200) and 3rd place ($100). Pumpkins will be provided by the Campus Store and carving will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with judging immediately following. Contestants must provide their own carving materials and pumpkins will be judged for carving only. While candles and electrical illumination are allowed, no painting or additional materials like costumes or props are permitted. Carved pumpkins will be on display in the Campus Store until 4 p.m. on Halloween Day. Entry forms and contest rules are available online at www.bookstore.utah.edu or at the Campus Store customer service desk starting Oct. 16. Entry deadline is Oct. 27.

• For Faculty—New Designation Now Available: Undergraduate Research Scholars
The new designation, Undergraduate Research Scholar, to appear in the awards section of the transcripts of graduating students, was approved by the trustees this past spring and will be awarded for the first time to students who are graduating in December 2006. Faculty are asked to notify undergraduates involved in research or creative work about this new transcript designation. Guidelines and the application are available at www.ursd.utah.edu.

• For Staff—Staff Council Needs You
Staff Council represents the staff at the U of U and needs to fill alternate positions. The deadline for applications is Oct. 23. Apply online at www.utah.edu/staffcouncil.

• KUER Goes Digital
According to an Oct. 10, 2006, article by Sheena McFarland in The Salt Lake Tribune, KUER FM 90, which caused a brouhaha when it stopped broadcasting its popular classical music programs in March 2001, may resume the old format. That’s because KUER is broadcasting not only in traditional analog radio, but also in High Definition (HD) Radio—a new digital broadcast system that allows radio stations to broadcast stronger, clearer signals. HD Radio also enables stations to broadcast multiple formats on the same bandwidth, meaning the station may decide to broadcast an all-classical format again. But to hear HD sound requires using an HD Radio, which currently costs from $300 to $1,500 (although those prices are expected to drop). KUER Station Manager John Green says he’s hoping to make a decision about bringing back the classical music programs within the next six months. According to the Tribune, a total of 12 stations in Utah currently broadcast in HD Radio. Several other continents, including Europe, Asia, and Africa, have used HD Radio for years.

• The Block U in Photos
At the game between Utah and TCU on Oct. 5, a half-time ceremony “unveiled” the newly-renovated Block U on the mountain. To see a video of photos taken during different stages of construction, visit www.utah.edu/fyi/blocku/flashmovie.html (flash file) or www.utah.edu/fyi/blocku/media/renewUmovie.mov (Quicktime file). To see the same photos taken during the construction (in no particular order), visit www.utah.edu/fyi/blocku.

• Photos: Four for a Buck
The vintage photo booth on the first floor of the Utah Museum of Natural History is, according to www.photobooth.net, one of only seven of its kind left in Utah—the others being located in K-marts and malls around the Salt Lake Valley. At four shots for a dollar, it’s a good bargain. Tim Lee, an exhibit designer at the musuem, says many of his friends use the photo booth for their MySpace pages. “It’s a MySpace underground,” he says. Patti Carpenter, public relations director at the museum, reminds everyone that, although the photo booth costs a dollar, the museum exhibits are free with a UCard.

• Desktop Yoga
For loosening neck muscles, relax your neck and shoulder. Lower your left ear toward your left shoulder, feeling how the right side of your neck stretches. Repeat on the other side. For loosening hamstrings, sit on the edge of a chair, stretch out one leg on the floor with foot flexed and toes pointed toward the ceiling. Gently lean forward from the hips until you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh. Repeat with other leg.

• President Young to Appear on KUED
On Sunday, Oct. 22, at 5:30 p.m., Michael K. Young will be the guest on Utah Conversations with Ted Capener, a public affairs program on KUED-Channel 7. For more information, visit www.kued.org/productions/conversations/.

Call for Nominations

• Youth Leadership Awards
Nominations due Friday, Dec. 1

Each year, the U honors outstanding students in grades 7 through 12, from across the state of Utah for their dedication to social action, positive change, and building bridges among cultures and communities. Nominations are now open for students who demonstrate these attributes in Utah communities. The nomination letter should include the student’s accomplishments in the three areas mentioned above. Each award recipient will be honored with a plaque and monetary award at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration cultural performance at Libby Gardner Hall on Jan. 15. The nomination form is available to download at www.diversity.utah.edu/yla07form.pdf. For more information, contact Leo Leckie at 581-7569.

Study Participants Wanted

• Marriage Transition Study
Are you engaged to be married within the next six months? Would both you and your fiancé be interested in participating in an IRB-approved marriage transition study? The study will show how different types of marital relationships develop and change over time, and will identify factors that may influence this development. The study will follow people over the first two years of their marriage. Financial compensation will be provided. For more information, contact Allison Vaughn at 581-3176 or Maija Reblin at mreblin@gmail.com.

• Genetic Counseling Study
If you are a mother or father between 35 and 50 years old, you may qualify to take part in an IRB-approved study to improve genetic counseling. You will be asked to watch a videotape of a prenatal genetic counseling session and answer questions about your reactions to the tape. The study will take about 2.5 hours and you will be paid for your time and effort. For more information, call 581-4920.

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