, THE ETRIEVER E E K LY "As long as we have the First Amendment, the people rule. " - Rosa Maria Pegueros, history professor Volume XXXIV, Number 24 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250 Aprilll, 2000 UMBC to Help Research Develop NASA Earth Park Science Center Reaches $70 Million Research Contract Settlement Largest in UMBC History SCOTT DAUGHERTY science as well as providing SARAH ANDREWS Retriever Weekly Staff Writer material for teachers in schools, Retriever Weekly Staff Writer from kindergarten to college," A UMBC-led consortium of said Dr. Henry Plotkin, the future The Research Park universities and private compa­ assistant director of the center. Corporation is now free to begin nies has recently won a $70 mil­ The $70 million will primarily construction after reaching a lion, five-year cooperative agree~ go toward the hiring of the cen­ written agreement last week with ment with NASA Goddard Space ter's faculty. The center will have the community group that has Flight Center. The consortium several full-time researchers but opposed the project for 10 years. will work to develop the Goddard also wishes to attract Nobel-lau­ Under the agreement, the Earth Science and Technology reate scientists to Goddard and to Research Park will be limited to Center in Glen Burnie. UMBC as visiting faculty. five buildings on 41 acres, while This is the largest research "With that kind of scientific Jason Putsche I Retriever Weekly Staff an additional 63 acres will be contract in UMBC history. strength on campus, we will be preserved as a conservation area. "The basic idea is to better enhancing the programs available Destination Imagination Construction will begin this understand the way the climate to students. Graduate students Over 700 elementary, middle and high school students, teach­ year. system works .... That will trans­ will be working with these ers and parents came to UMBC Saturday where the state compe­ The original plan, conceived late into being able to predict the researchers doing thesis tition for Destination Imagination, previously Odyssey of the a decade ago, was for 12 build­ consequences of human activi­ research," said Plotkin. Mind, was held. The creative problem solving competitions ings on 93 acres. Vocal opposi­ ties," said Robert Curran, the Goddard -will house most of involved original plays, musical performances and creation·s from tion came from neighbors who center's future director. "There the researchers for the GESTC in random objects. Jenni Henszey of Maces Lane Middle School, feared the proposed Research are things that humans are doing pre-existing facilities. Some will along with many of the other students, was dressed up for one of to the climate, and we would like perform their research in UMBC the performance art challenges. see PARK, page 6 to understand how these process­ . laboratories though, and the visit­ es work and what their conse­ ing researchers should be able to quences are." teach some classes while per­ Pirate Radio·Experts The GESTC will employ forming their research. satellite and computer-modeling The center wil1 work to technology in its research. The include other UMBC faculty and Encourage Alternative Media center will do much more than students in the research. "There research though. "NASA wants will be undergraduates and grad­ this center to become a mecha­ uate students [who] will be part Prometheus Radio Project to Help WMBC Gain FM License nism for public outreach, about terns major Rob Carlson, the The FCC is looking for sta­ educating the public about earth see NASA, page 8 ANNA KAPLAN Retriever Weekly Editorial Staff PRP representatives are helping tions that have a "viewpoint that the station acquire contacts with couldn't be found on mainstream What's-Inside: Features In light of the . Federal engineers who could in tum help media," said Carlson. Communication Commission's them obtain a license by offering D'Arc and triDish are treating p. 15 recent decision to grant broad­ their experience and knowledge Opinion Jamie Peck talks to casting licenses to low-power in the area. see RADIO, page 7 p. 10 Edward Norton, Alison FM radio stations, representa­ Andrews investigates tives from the Prometheus Radio Stephanie Rawlings and the appeal of Web radio Project visited UMBC during Abby Foster argue over and Autumn Patterson their tour of the Northeast to get A 0 K Gallery Exhibit Elian Gonzalez, while kicks it freestyle with a the word out about this medium, Jennifer Schildroth discuss­ Flaming Lip. es immigrants learning as well as encourage participants English and David Geier of local radio movements to get Challenges Viewers takes on the American health­ Sports involved. care system. p.36 Pete triDish and Joan d'Arc DAVID P. GREISMAN Studies Professor Dr. Leslie briefly went through the history Retriever Weekly Staff Writer Prosterman and Cynthia Wayne, Focus Baseball defeats Towson and of pirate radio and related their the AOK Library's curator of CCSU, tennis looks ahead to own experiences with LPFM, all An experimental exhibit and exhibitions, who worked closely p. 18 the NECs, Ashley Staines con­ the while encouraging involve­ symposium at the Albin 0. Kuhn with Library Chief Curator Tom tinues her tear and Chris ment in alternative media. Gallery includes the gallery itself Beck and a team of American This week Focus brings you all Kerner looks into the Masters as a part of the exhibit in an effort studies, history and visual arts the insights tournament. These activists are not just out and informa­ to promote their own cause, but to reveal bias used in the way students. tion you need College News ... p.2 to help others, like UMBC's own museums display artwork. "We did this in order to raise to vote in the World News ... p.3 WMBC, to obtain an FCC Framing The Exhibition: awareness of [our] assumptions SGA elections. Classifleds ... p.35 license. According to WMBC 's Multiple Constructions is the chief engineer, information sys- brainchild of UMBC American see EXHIBIT, page 7 PAGE2 THE RETRIEVER WEEKLY NEWS Aprilll, 2000 I ehind • the Scenes Police scan tapes for law breakers during William LaCourse Michigan State U. celebration Chapter 1: "And God said let there be electrons and there was electrochemistry." (U-WIRE) EAST LANSING, Mich. - East Lansing police officials started reviewing footage Thursday of celebrations after the KIM OWENS chemistry-related research: MSU men's basketball team beat Wisconsin Retriever Weekly Staff Writer "Everyone has to make measure­ and Florida during the NCAA tournament last ments .... You can't do organic chem­ week. Imagine a family-oriented, ground­ istry without separating and finding out The MSU Department of Police and ed scientist with a keen sense of humor what you've made. You can't do Public Safety and the East Lansing Police Department used video recording equipment who, in his quiet time, enjoys working bio-chemistry without studying the to tape the nearly 15,000 people who filled in his garden. rates of reaction-identifying molecules the streets near Cedar Village Apartments and Dr. William R. LaCourse, an asso­ to see where they fit, etc. Measurement the thousands more who poured into the ciate professor of_ chemistry who has is essential to science." downtown area. The tapes could be used as been intriguing students about the As an only child growing up in evidence to identify people breaking the law. wonders of chemistry since 1992, is Norwich, Connecticut, LaCourse origi­ "There were some individual cases of that scientist. nally planned on becoming an engi­ destruction of property, and there were a few He has taught classes ranging from neer. people that were assaulted," East Lansing Chemistry 100 to a full array of gradu­ He attended Thames Valley State police officer Lt. Thomas Johnstone said. "As far as launching a major investigation, no, ate courses including analytical sepa­ Technical College in Connecticut we're only looking for a few disturbances that ration, electronics for chemists and where he received his associate's happened." advanced bio-analytical techniques. degree in chemical engineering. Mter Johnstone said the department will also To simplify things, he tells students attending Thames, LaCourse decided to use the tapes to review how it responded to that chemistry is a part of daily life. change his major to chemistry and then the masses of people. "Students may not know it, but we use went to the University of Connecticut. chemistry all the time. We can't live His family was poor, and he had to U. Georgia suspends ATO for hazing without chemistry as .it exists practical­ Krista Brocenos I Retriever Weekly Staff walk to school with holes in his shoes (U-WIRE) CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - ly in everything except for time, which His main goal will consist of eliminating because his dad tried to build up his University of Georgia officials said the death of Georgia sophomore Benjamin Folsom runs on its own. Chemistry is every­ the negative side effects associated with character by not filling out scholarship Grantham ill in a traffic accident last week where else." anti-cancer agents. paperwork. was related to a fraternity hazing incident. When he's not lecturing, LaCourse LaCourse's success stories are endless. LaCourse soon quit UConn and Grantham, an Alpha Tau Omega pledge, is. simultaneously involved in many He assisted with the development of a went to work at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals was riding in the cargo area of a sports utility areas of research. One of his main product that allows a sensor in the form of for five years on the development of vehicle driven by a fellow fraternity member areas of expertise involves a technique a watch to measure glucose through the analytical assays.