3M Boosts Engineering Google Sales V.P.’S Donation Opens New Chair, Helps Research

PUT UP YOUR DUKES How the blood ban started ... Pugilism takes the ring as SJSU’s club The SJSU employee who protested blood drive boxers prepare for Saturday’s Fight Night. discrimination inspires a historical comparison. See SPORTS, page 6. See OPINION, page 5. VOLUME 130 ISSUE 29 61˚/ 46˚ Spartan Daily CHANCE OF thespartandaily.com SHOWERS SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2008 FREE SINCE 1934 TEACHER OF THE YEAR $3M boosts Engineering Google sales V.P.’s donation opens new chair, helps research By TARA DUFFY the College of Engineering at SJSU, Staff Writer said she was “thrilled, pleased and delighted” about receiving the $3 Omid Kordestani, SJSU alumnus million gift from Kordestani. and Google senior vice president of Wei said an example of a multidis- global sales and business develop- ciplinary program is bioengineering, ment, has donated $3 million to SJ- which combines the colleges of engi- SU’s College of Engineering. neering and science. An example would The gift establishes the Kordes- be like putting a microchip in the retina tani Endowed Chair, according to a of a blind person — combining the two news release. disciplines to understand problems and “When someone endows a chair, determine solutions, she said. we can hire a faculty member, and “Offering these programs, stu- ANNE RIGOR / SPARTAN DAILY it’s paid for,” said Joy Leighton, who dents will have opportunities to study ABOVE: Karen Singmaster, who was awarded this year’s “Outstanding Professor Award,” wrote chemical compounds for her Chemistry 1B students is the director of communications for these subjects that they may not have Wednesday morning. BELOW: Singmaster sits in the chemistry lab in the basement of Duncan Hall. the College of Engineering. “This been able to otherwise,” Wei said. faculty member will be in the area of Wei went on to say that Kordes- multidisciplinary programs.” tani is “innovative and creative.” According to a news release, “He really cares about San Jose Kordestani moved to San Jose in State. He worked on campus. He had Honored, modest 1979 from Tehran, Iran. In 1984, a really full experience,” Wei said. Kordestani earned a bachelor’s de- “This is exciting. He inspires a lot of gree in engineering from SJSU, and our students here.” he earned his master’s degree from Damien Chong, 29, a senior me- and born to teach the Stanford Graduate School of chanical engineering major, said he Business in 1991. is very grateful that alumni (are) con- By ELISHA MALDONADO istry professor since 1988 and the 2007-08 re- Forbes magazine listed his 2006 tributing back. Staff Writer cipient of the Outstanding Professor Award. net worth at $1.9 billion. “He sets an example for myself,” She hadn’t told anyone about her award, “When people give gifts, it sup- Chong said, “if I am someday able to To fi nd her, one must trek into the abyss except for her family. ports new areas of research,” Leigh- contribute back to the college.” that is Duncan Hall. “I am very embarrassed (about the award),” ton said. “Multidisciplinary is a fairly Kordestani also gave the com- Upon discovery of the building’s basement, Singmaster said as she laughed, putting her new area.” mencement address at SJSU’s gradu- one could fi nd her sequestered in a faraway face into hands. “As you can see, I have an Belle Wei, the Don Beall Dean of ation ceremony in May 2007. corner. offi ce in a very far corner of the world. I get Atop her head sit short coils of curly gray to hide here quietly. This is a safe place. The hair. She speaks quickly and with the slightest other safe place, believe it or not, is that lecture hint of a Puerto Rican accent. Her glasses sit hall.” squarely on her nose, and her hands move in She provided a scientifi c example for her Symphonic sounds synchronized motion with her words. She is Karen Singmaster — an SJSU chem- See CHEM, page 6 ARTHUR MARKMAN / SPARTAN DAILY grace Concert Hall By TARA DUFFY has worked at San Jose State since Program off ers students opportunity to teach in China Staff Writer 1986 and is also a clarinetist. Professor Brian Holmes wrote the By LIZA ATAMY philanthropic in nature,” said Joy one month at Tsinghua Univeristy, electrical engineering major, it was A hush fell over the audience as composition of “Concerto for Brass Staff Writer Leighton, director of communica- China’s MIT equivalent.” an experience he said he would like the house lights went down in the Trio and Orchestra,” which was also tions at the College of Engineering. The summer program is open to to relive again this year. Music Building Concert Hall as the performed during the fi rst half. The SJSU students have the oppor- “It is sponsored by the Wang Foun- all majors at SJSU, and students who “I wanted to gain a better un- SJSU Symphony Orchestra began to Peninsula Symphony originally per- tunity to spend three to four weeks dation and students get to participate are accepted, will receive a $300 derstanding of rural Chinese cul- play Wednesday night. formed the piece in 1999. this summer to teach conversational in two different sessions.” scholarship from the College of En- ture,” Weinerth, 23, said. “For At the beginning of the symphony “I wrote this piece nine years English and to “implement poverty According to Leighton, the pro- gineering, according to its Web site. them, I wanted to make a difference there were about 150 people in the ago,” Holmes said. “I thought it was alleviation projects” in some of Chi- gram was launched in 2006 and has Students undergo a four-day ori- — whether to help them with their audience, and 55 people performed quite wonderful. I haven’t heard this na’s most impoverished regions. been modifi ed with an optional one- entation at Tsinghua University, and English or inspire them to come to in the symphony orchestra. piece in nine years. Janet did a lot of The Summer Service Learning month program for the upcoming are then sent to their assigned sights America.” Some of the 19 instruments that expressive things in the tempo.” Program at the SJSU College of summer session. to teach English for two weeks, ac- Weinerth said his biggest respon- were featured included blaring trum- Holmes has been a professor in Engineering is part of the college’s “Students not only have the op- cording to the Web site. sibility was creating his lectures. pets, soft violins, a lilting harp and a the physics department at SJSU for Global Poverty Alleviation Initia- portunity to teach English,” Leigh- Last summer, four SJSU students “You have to be ready to teach,” rhythmic bass. the past 25 years. Holmes has pub- tive, according to its Web site. ton said. “They can also learn about were accepted into the program, The orchestra was all dressed in lished 18 compositions and has also “We promote programs that are Chinese culture and Mandarin for and for John Weinerth, a senior See CHINA, page 6 black. played horn with the San Jose Sym- During the fi rst half of the con- phony, according to the concert pro- cert, trumpet player Walker Beard, gram. French horn player Michael Walker Holmes hopped up on stage to INSIDEthe and trombone player Steve Harreld shake hands with Beard, Walker, A place called home for a ‘bouquet’ of cultures stood front and center, as Janet Aver- Harreld and Averett after their per- Daily ett conducted the orchestra. Accord- By DINA BASLAN It was hazy early in the semester, night as residents and their guests ing to the concert program, Averett See MUSIC, page 2 Staff Writer but spring is here now, and budding made colorful paper fl owers com- friendships are sprouting in the In- plimenting the theme of their coffee SPARTANS This is part two of a story that ternational House. night — “spring” was in the air. ELIMINATED ran on Monday, March 10, 2008. And so were fl owers Tuesday Arianna Agresti from Italy, There’s no Cinderella story for Nkemka Egboho, a Nigerian-Amer- SJSU women’s basketball as ican, Lucille Marshall from Britain, they lose to Fresno State in the Jon Yim a Chinese-American and WAC quarterfi nals. Michelle Grigg from Australia were See SPORTS, page 3 among around the 30 students at the event. They brought their own cul- CHARLIZE tural bouquets along with them as they spoke about their experiences THERON ... living in the International House. Is the leading actress in “Sleep- It took Agresti, a junior interna- walking.” Read what a Daily tional relations major, and her friend critic, and Theron, have to say about 24 hours to get to California, about the movie. she said. Her fl ight from Milan was See STUDENT CULTURE, page 4 cancelled and her luggage “shred- ded” until she fi nally made it to her INDEX new home at about 3 a.m. Classifieds.............................4 “We realized it was the I-House because of all the fl ags,” Agresti, Columns..............................5 21, said, “and we thought, ‘Oh gosh, Crossword,Sudoku...............4 DINA BASLAN / SPARTAN DAILY this looks like a really quiet place.’ Sparta Guide.............................2 San Jose gives that impression. It’s ARTHUR MARKMAN / SPARTAN DAILY Sports.......................................3 I-House residents and guests make fl owers out of pipe cleaners Th e SJSU symphony orchestra sprang to life at the commands of the Student Culture .........................4 and tissue paper for the spring-themed coff ee night. HOUSE See , page 2 conductor, Janet Averett, Wednesday night.

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