When Jenna Johnson, 2004 alumnus, left Miami to work on The George Lopez Show in Burbank, Calif., she had no idea that she’d feel so close to home despite being on an entirely different coast.
“I had no idea where I was going to stay or how I was going to make it, but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Johnson said, “Being young and na
A parade of academically fueled research projects by students took center stage in the University Center and the University Green last Thursday for an exhibition that provides students opportunities to apply classroom experience to real world issues.
The 9th Annual Citizens Board Research and Creativity Forum (RCF) showcased a slice of the research that takes place across UM’s five campuses daily.
From a study scrutinizing child safety devices in automobiles and the level of parental responsibility to research on spinal reparations in rats that could ultimately contribute to a cure for spinal paralysis in humans, this program not only covered the gamut of knowledge but also tied in relevancy to issues in everyday society.
The Office of Graduate Studies sent out more than 3,000 invitations throughout the neighboring Coral Gables area inviting residents to come and observe the accomplishments of the students.
“This program has allowed our neighbors insight to what the University has to offer in research possibilities,” Jim Fatzinger, chief coordinator of RCF, said.
According to Fatzinger, in the last few years, the forum has taken off as a high student participatory event. The reason for that is the consolidation of the Graduate Student Association and the Undergraduate Inquiry Research connection.
“This, coupled with an increase in cooperate recognition, has caused an explosion in participation since 2002,” Fatzinger said. “This project is practically the best kept secret in town mainly because of the lack attention paid by other students.”
RCF was initially created to nurture students in preparation for future presentations.
Now the forum is open to both undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines. Long, descriptive abstracts passed out at the entrance described projects based on original work, either published or unpublished.
During the forum, faculty judges evaluated projects on display and offered feedback.
In many cases these students used the forum to make a trial run to gain experience they will later use when representing UM at national conferences in their field. On Friday, an awards banquet was held for all of the participants.
“This is a definitely an opportunity for students and faculty to combine ideas and findings that are important today,” Fatzinger said.
According to Fatzinger, each first place winner will be awarded $100, which, in the end totals approximately $1,900. The winners had a wide range of projects, displaying the all-encompassing nature of the forum.
Among the winners were Seanna Cronin, who won the undergraduate Art category with an underwater photography display of South Florida and Australia. Jennifer Gilliam took first place in the undergraduate Sociology, Philosophy, Education and Communication category with her documentary on the West Grove.
The event showcased more than 200 active research initiatives in areas such as cancer research, diabetes research, paralysis, entrepreneurship, engineering, marine science, art and music.
“The projects you see here are the ones you will be reading about in the future,” Caroline Caperton, RCF project chairperson, said.
>> For more information, visit www.miami.edu/rcf.
Larry Nolan can be contacted at l.nolan@umiami.edu.
Dear V,
I think I’ve fallen in love with this guy my class. He’s really cute and all, and we get along really well, but he’s graduating this semester, but I’m not. I would like to pursue something, but it might be a waste of my time and potentially heart-breaking because we have so little time together.
Lost.
Dear Reader,
Oh, the irony of lousy timing! You know that awesome clich
Cookie Monster Trims Down
The South Beach Diet, the Hamptons Diet, the carb craze: It’s all about the healthy frenzy. In fact, so much so that Cookie Monster, Sesame Street’s blue monster, will be trimming down on the chocolate chips and chowing down on some healthier vegetables. Has it really come to this?
Women and Drama
Hand in hand, the drama ensues on and off the screen has the five ladies of Desperate Housewives are apparently in a tiff over the May cover of Vanity Fair. Teri Hatcher isn’t supposed to go to wardrobe first and Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman can’t be seen be seen when the cover is folded in its original position.
VH1 goes back its roots!
Thank god for VH1 and their full month of new programming for April, titled “April Music Month.” It’s about time that a music-motivated channel actually has programming based on music. Let’s hope all the hype is true.
Deaths
Frank Conroy, esteemed author from the University of Iowa, died this past week at the age of 69. Conroy passed away in his home from Colon Cancer.
Dale Messick, the creator of comic character “Brenda Starr,” died at the age of 98, in her home in California. The “Brenda Starr, reporter” comic strip ran in more than 250 newspapers.
In its third year, arteam
Most students spend their summers studying, working or acting as if they were bums, lounging in whatever site their body finds comfortable. With only three weeks of school left, EDGE proposes four cities to vacation to, not for a few weeks or even a month, but just long enough to enjoy the surroundings. Located in four different states, one on the opposite side of the country, the cities each have something to offer to the young and trendy generations. Wherever you go, remember that it will be summertime, and the living will be easy.
Joanna Davila can contacted at j.davila1@umiami.edu
Close: Charleston, S.C.
Not quite so alluring at first, especially when driving in a Super Yellow from the airport, a visitor eventually finds out that Charleston is all about charm. A historical town, Charleston is filled with old wooden structures, historical landmarks and even some eerie ghost stories from the previous hundred years. There is some appeal other than old buildings and a history lesson, though. Intertwined with the College of Charleston and numerous streets of shops, places to nosh and even bars; old is perfectly blended with new. Reminiscent of cities such as New Orleans and even a tiny bit like New York where streets are loaded with shops and eateries one right after another, Charleston is the perfect escape.
Closer: Savannah, Ga.
Another southern city, Savannah is full of history, historical monuments and beautiful landscaping. Quiet and peaceful during the day, visitors can take a carriage ride, walk by the water or cozy up in a one-of-a-kind bed and breakfast. There are other attractions, like the beach, shopping, and even Jekyll Island, where an old hunting lodge has been turned into a resort, but Savannah is the place to just lay back and relax. That is, of course, unless you’re strolling the bars at night, which have been known to get rather rowdy. If you get tired of relaxing, Atlanta, Jacksonville and even South Carolina are just a few hours away.
Far: San Diego, Calif.
The perfect spot for a visit to the West coast, San Diego offers a myriad of places to go and things to do. Located in southern California, visitors can “flee” to Mexico for some tequila and original Mexican food and be back in time to party with the local scene downtown. Surrounded by colleges and universities, San Diego is a young city, catering to twentysomethings and visitors looking to have fun. Then, of course, there is the beach; it is California. Aside from the fun, San Diego is one of the richest and most culturally influenced cities in the state. Infused with the Mexican culture yet modern in structure, San Diego has general appeal. As far as more commercialized attractions, well, there’s Lego Land.
Closest: Delray Beach, Fla.
An hour or so north of Miami is a pristine beach, beautiful waves and a laid-back beach town. Upscale in a non-snobby sort of way, Delray Beach is a perfect beach vacation spot without all the drastically tacky souvenir shops, over-priced beach rentals and trashy surf bums. Full of class and well-balanced fun, the few-blocks town of Delray is a subtle look at how other Florida beach towns were before they became
Intramural sports are immensely popular at the University of Miami. Groups of friends form teams to compete in varieties of sports and have fun. Some teams, like Boss Players, the three-time fall flag football regular season champions, play to win titles and leave a legacy.
Four buddies, all sophomores, decided to collaborate with some freshmen on their floor to form an intramural squad. What began as a chance for former high school athletes from a multitude of athletic backgrounds to get some exercise turned into a football dynasty thanks in part to a unique game plan.
Adam Donnelly, Evan Pike, Jeremy Rose and J.T. Thompson consider themselves to be the founders of Boss Players. They decided to attack the seven-on-seven, no contact sport with proper game planning and execution.
“We have a pretty intricate play-book,” Donnelly said. “We run two base plays and rely on improvisation from our quarterback, Brian O’Reilly, who is the only one on the field who doesn’t know the plays.”
Although O’Reilly does not call the shots, he is vital to Boss Players’ success. After getting the snap, the former high school soccer player is supposed to scramble and find open receivers, who are running designed routes.
Donnelly said O’Reilly is the best player in the league and can be directly linked to the team’s fall season success.
“We focus on putting people in the right place,” Donnelly said. “Brian is
great at that. That is why he’s better than anyone else. You can’t play zone against us because he will find an open receiver eventually.”
A highlight for Boss Players was participating in the Swamp Bowl,aflagfoot-ball tournament in Gainesville where the winner of UM’s preseason tournament competes against University of Florida teams and other in-state schools.
The team did well, winning one game before dropping the next two by thin margins in the double elimination tournament. Boss Players is off to a rough start this spring, with a current record of 3-2 because of a pair of losses to Smuggling Yo-Yos. The squad will get another shot at revenge Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on the IM Fields.
“Steve McClung, one of our best players, missed the last game,” he said. “Having him back will help us contain their pass rush, which did well against us last time.”
The team does not limit itself to flag football. Boss Players play co-rec softball, football, indoor football, volleyball, men’s softball and basketball. It has accumulated a couple of championships in those sports as well.
With several members graduating in the next year, there is talk of the Boss Players tradition being carried on.
“Every year we talk about stopping after winning a championship,” Donnelly said. “There has been talk about keeping it going after we’re gone, but they would have to recruit new players in the fall.”
Eric Kalis can be contacted at e.kalis@umiami.edu.
Every week, baseball Head Coach Jim Morris will answer questions from readers. Send any questions you might have to
e.kalis@umiami.
edu.
How disappointing was it to only come away with a split against ORU after winning the first two games?
It was very disappointing. We didn’t play as well as I feel we could have played.
Chris Perez looked very sharp on Friday. Do you see his role changing as we head down the stretch? Might he
work his way back into the rotation?
He could possibly work his way back into the rotation or become our closer. As long as he keeps pitching the way he has, we will find a spot for him to pitch in.
The team is dealing with various injuries. How has that affected the depth that UM baseball prides itself in?
It has definitely affected our team. We lost some players to the draft last year and before this season started. It especially affected us this last weekend when we didn’t have our 3-4-5-6 hitters. Anytime that happens, you’re going to be affected offensively and defensively.
With two ACC road series coming up, what changes in the team’s preparation have been made, since back-to-back road series are uncommon for your team?
The first thing is to pack long underwear. It’s supposed to be cold in Virginia. We have to really worry about ourselves first and go play well.
Did any of the players and/or coaches try to play an April Fool’s Day joke on you?
The marketing department, led by PA announcer Jay Rokeach, tried to give my car away for an auction. They didn’t fool me for a second. Some people, players and fans, couldn’t believe that I would put my car up for auction. But I didn’t go for it. They had a couple of them fooled, though.
With the annual Spring CanesFest coming up on Saturday at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, the football team still is loaded with uncertainty. Several key positions, including quarterback, are up for grabs, but one position Head Coach Larry Coker does not need to worry about is wide receiver.
The Hurricanes are loaded with wide outs this year, with Lance Leggett, Ryan Moore, Sinorice Moss, Darnell Jenkins, Akieem Jolla and tight end Greg Olsen returning and the addition of red shirt freshman Khalil Jones into the fold. Jones was particularly impressive during Tuesday’s practice, as he made a couple of nice downfield grabs.
The receiving corps willbe anchored by Leggett, who is sidelined for the spring with an ankle injury. Moore’s resurgence from an injury-rid dled sophomore year is vital, as well as continued growth from Moss, Jenkins and Jolla.
“I like this group,” Coker said. “I like Khalil. I wish we had Lance Leggett,
obviously, healthy, but he is going to be outstanding. I have been very impressed with Ryan Moore and Sinorice and Darnell Jenkins and all those guys with the way they’ve stepped up.”
Coach Curtis Johnson said the veteran receivers have come a long way from their freshmen campaigns.
“There’s nothing like playing time,” Johnson said. “The more you play; the more you practice, the better you’re going to get. Those guys are very attentive. They’re always around, watching film, and they always do the little things.”
While the quarterback competition between Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman, which Wright still holds a slight edge in, will garner most of the headlines this spring, the receivers want the college football world to know they plan on putting up robust
numbers in 2005.
“I think we have one of the deepest corps,” Moss said. “Some of the young guys are coming along real well…it’s looking pretty good.”
Eric Kalis can be contacted at e.kalis@umiami.edu.
The University of Miami baseball team may be down, but it is certainly not out.
Despite less than expected performances in the last two series against Georgia Tech and Oral Roberts, the ‘Canes are still moving forward with their sights set on competing for the ACC title and ultimately a chance at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
A four-game series with Oral Roberts ended in a split, as the Hurricanes were unable to attain a victory in the last two games. The loss on Sunday was their fourth out of the past six games.
“I wasn’t really happy that we were unable to play well the last two games,” said Head Coach Jim Morris. “I’m disappointed with the way we’re progressing right now as a team because I don’t think we’re playing as well as we could play.”
The team has experienced a number of setbacks with key players being hurt and unable to contribute. Sophomore
outfielder Jon Jay and sophomore third baseman Danny Valencia both experienced minor injuries that have been keeping them out of commission.
“We need those guys that have been hurt to get healthy again and make their way back into the lineup,” Morris stated.
It is likely that Jay and Valencia will return for the Virginia Tech series this weekend; however, no definitive conclusion will be reached until it is certain they are capable of returning to the game in peak physical condition. Although the line-up has not yet been determined, the pitching rotation will involve Cesar Carrillo, Brandon Camardese and in the No. 3 position, Ricky Orta.
The Hurricanes will be devoting practices to preparing for their third away series and fifth ACC match-up of the season.
“The team is still dwelling on the weekend’s losses so we will be working on making the necessary adjustments and coming together as a team this week,” Morris said.
Miami has never before played the
Hokies and will have to take on the new opponent in temperatures predicted to range in the 40s and 50s this weekend.
“Every time you go somewhere new, you have to make adjustments. In our case, it will be the fact that it’s cold, which is something we’re not used to,” Morris said. “We’ve worked in those conditions before so it shouldn’t be a huge problem.”
The ‘Canes rank fourth in the ACC baseball standings while Virginia Tech trails in the 10th position. While the gap would suggest the Hurricanes have nothing to worry about, preparations and training are still being taken with the utmost seriousness. Scouting reports and film are tools that the coaching staff will be observing to tailor to the club’s style.
“The most important thing is that all of our guys get healthy,” Morris said. “Then we can get settled down, define roles and have the players doing a good job in their position.”
Stacey Arnold can be contacted at s. arnold@um iam i. edu.
If you don’t already know, Peer-to-Peer (P2P) applica
Studying the history of the United States, we realize that there are many instanc
