THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012
PAGE 3A
NEWS OF THE WORLD
Associated Press
BEIRUT
The Arab League's mission to end violence in Syria struggles to succeed
BEIRUT — A clash between Syrian forces and army defectors erupted Sunday in a suburb of the tightly held capital of Damascus, adding urgency just as the Arab League was extending an observers' mission that so far has failed to end long months of bloody violence.
The two events outlined how an uprising against President Bashar Assad that started with mass popular protests is moving now toward an armed conflict that could draw international intervention — an outcome the Arab League is trying to avoid.
The observer mission is supposed to be the first step toward implementing an Arab League plan to end the Syria crisis. Other points are pulling heavy Syrian weapons out of cities, stopping attacks on protesters, opening talks with the opposition and allowing foreign human rights workers and journalists in.
Thani told reporters after the meeting that the Arab League was launching a new initiative to solve the crisis in which the Syrian government and the opposition would form a unity government with in two weeks to lead to the country through a transitional period in which elections would be held and a new constitution written.
It was seen as highly unlikely that Syrian authorities or the leaders of Syria's scattered opposition would agree to such a plan.
KANO, Nigeria — People in this north Nigeria city once wore surgical masks to block the dust swirling through its sprawling neighborhoods, but swarming children hawked the masks for pennies apiece Sunday to block the stench of death at a hospital overflowing with the dead following a coordinated attack by a radical Islamist sect.
NIGERIA
The Nigerian Red Cross now estimates more than 150 people died in Friday's attack in Kano, which saw at least two suicide bombers from the sect known as Boko Haram denate explosive-laden cars. The scope of the attack, apparently planned to free sect members held by authorities here, left even President Good luck Jonathan speechless as he toured what remained of a regional police headquarters Sunday.
Two terroist attacks in attempt to free sect members, kills 150 in Nigeria
"The federal government will not rest until we arrest the perpetrators of this act." Jonathan said earlier.
Friday's attacks by Boko Haram hit police stations, immigration offices and the local headquarters of Nigeria's secret police in Kano.
Nigeria's weak central government repeatedly has been unable to stop attacks by Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa language of Nigeria's north. The group has carried out increasingly sophisticated and bloody attacks in its campaign to implement strict Shariah law and avenge the deaths of Muslims in communal violence across Nigeria.
ST. MAARTEN
Teenager completes sailing voyage around the world in one year
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten — Laura Dekker set a steady foot aboard a dock in St. Maarten on Saturday, ending a yearlong voyage aboard a sailboat named "Guppy" that apparently made her the youngest person ever to sail alone around the globe, though her trip was interrupted at several points.
Dekker arrived in St. Maarten after struggling against high seas and heavy winds on a final, 41-day leg from Cape Town, South Africa.
"There were moments where I was like, 'What the hell am I doing out here?' but I never wanted to stop," she told reporters. "It's a dream, and I wanted to do it."
The teenager covered more than 27,000 nautical miles on a trip with stops that sound like a skim through a travel magazine: the Canary Islands, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Bora Bora, Australia, South Africa and now. St.Maarten, from which she set out on Jan. 20, 2011.
Unlike other young sailors who recently crossed the globe. Dekker repeatedly anchored at ports along the way to sleep, study and repair her 38-foot (11.5-meter) sailboat.
During her trip, she went surfing, scuba diving, cliff diving and discovered a new hobby: playing the flute, which she said in her weblog was easier to play than a guitar in bad weather.
BEIJING
Beijing's measurements uncover suspiciously low levels of air pollution
BEIJING Caving to public pressure. Beijing environmental authorities started releasing more detailed air quality data Saturday that may better reflect how bad the Chinese capital's air pollution is. But one expert says measurements from the first day were low compared with data U.S. officials have been collecting for years.
The readings of PM2.5 — particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in size or about 1/30th the average width of a human hair — were being posted on Beijing's environmental monitoring center's website. Such small particulates can penetrate deep into the lungs, so measuring them is considered a more accurate reflection of air quality than other methods.
It is the first time Beijing has publicly revealed PM2.5 data and follows a clamor of calls by citizens on social networking sites tired of breathing in gray and yellow air.
Steven Andrews, an environmental consultant who has studied Beijing's pollution data since 2006, said he was "already a bit suspicious" of Beijing's PM2.5 data. Within the 24-hour period to noon Saturday, Beijing reported seven hourly figures "at the very low level" of 0.003 milligrams per cubic meter.
"In all of 2010 and 2011, the U.S. Embassy reported values at or below that level only 18 times out of over 15,000 hourly values or about 0.1 percent of the time," said Andrews.
CAMPUS
Students look to diversify their studies
MARSHALL SCHMIDT
mschmidt@kansan.com
In the midst of a tough economy, students are diversifying their undergraduate experiences to be more competitive in the postgraduation job market.
Dan Simon, a junior majoring in microbiology from Olathe, works in a lab on campus studying Chlamydia, which allows him to gain real-world research experience that employers often look for.
"It's important to make yourself stand out," Simon said. "Lots of students get good grades, but with contributing to original research, you don't just learn, you do."
Since the beginning of his sophomore year, Simon has worked under Scott Hefty, a KU assistant professor of molecular biosciences. While he first worked to learn the technical language and high-level concepts, he eventually took on his own project funded by the American Society for Microbiology Undergraduate Research Fellowship. Only 28 other students in the nation have received funding for projects, and Simon will present his work next year at a national convention in San Francisco.
"Being able to have my own research project has been the most significant experience of my undergraduate career," Simon said.
Simon obtained his current position from making cold calls to professors to see if they had open positions in their lab. After looking into Hefty's previous work and considering his own interests, he
knew he found a good match.
"Professors are really excited when undergraduates are interested in their research and are encouraging and helpful in assisting them participate in research projects," Simon said.
Paul Atchley, associate chair of undergraduate studies and professor of cognitive psychology, thinks flexibility and diverse experience are important for undergraduates.
"What employees are looking for are folks who have skills outside of just their degree," Atchley said. "No student should expect that just taking classes and getting their degree will lead to success."
Atchley suggests students look into studying abroad, service learning opportunities, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, and participating in research, like Simon. These experiences grow students who are flexible, work well with others, and are skilled in information literacy — skills that employees are looking for, Atchley said.
While specialized degrees can teach technical skills, Atchley also recommends graduates increase their capabilities not directly related to their curriculum.
"Thinking critically, the ability to write, and working with information and other people is important," Atchley said. "It's not about learning facts, it's about learning processes. That's what employers need - intelligent, curious, social employees."
In the future, KU is looking to redesign its degree programs to include greater course diversity.
— Edited by Christine Curtin
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