6A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
THURSDAY,FEBRUARY 13,2003
Disc golfers practice in park
By Kevin Wiggs
kwiggs@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The disc flies to the chained goal. It hits the goal and drops in as the thrower celebrates. The group then collects its discs and walks to the next goal.
This group is earning college credit in a disc golf class at the University of Kansas.
The class is held at Centennial Park, Ninth and Iowa streets, and the grade is based on attendance and one paper. There are 33 students enrolled in the class that begins March 11, with seven vacant spots.
Joseph Proffitt, Lawrence senior, took the class in 2001 and said it was a great way to relax in the sun while earning a credit hour.
"It didn't seem like a class," he said. "We just walked around the park throwing discs and talking with friends."
Tyler Harnett, Overland Park sophomore, said he agreed the class was easy, and playing with friends improved the experience.
"The teacher just takes attendance, and that's pretty much it," he said. "I had my roommates meet me at the park, which made it even better."
Harnett said disc golf might not be for those looking for intense competition.
"I wouldn't take it again," he said. "I like competition, and this is just a walk in the park."
Proffitt said he had considered taking the disc golf class again, but didn't have time this semester.
"It's a good life-long activity," Proffitt said. "We often stayed after class and played another round, and I met a lot of really cool people. I would encourage anyone to take it if they have the extra time."
Courtney Kuhlen/Kansan
Students with extra time can enroll in the class, though the limit on the number of the department's classes students can take depends on the students' schools. The department recommends students check with their individual schools.
David Peterson, Ames, Iowa senior, braves the cold and squeezes in a round of disc golf at Centennial Park, Ninth and Iowa streets, before his afternoon class.
Linda Conner, senior administrative assistant of Undergraduate Services, said College of Lib
eral Arts and Sciences students could take any of these types of classes up to four times.
— Edited by Amber Byarlay
By Amy Potter
apotter@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Professor easing diabetic life
A diabetic's life is filled with insulin shots and blood sugar monitoring. One University of Kansas professor is trying to simplify that daily task.
Linda Olafsen, assistant professor of physics and astronomy teamed up with Mark Arnold, a University of Iowa professor, to develop a new optical blood glucose sensor that would eliminate the need to stick the skin for blood samples when obtaining blood sugar levels.
The monitor will be worn like a patch, most likely on the forearm. It will use asemi-conductor, a chemical element that conducts electricity, that will emit infrared light that will pass through fluid underneath the skin.
Some of the light will be absorbed by the glucose. The detector then determines the blood sugar level by figuring how much light the glucose absorbed.
"We're trying to develop
something that in the end will be more convenient and less painful." Olafsen said.
Olafsen's device would make it easier for diabetics to check their blood sugar levels throughout the day because they wouldn't be sticking their skin, she said.
Calkins checks her blood sugar level by drawing blood from her forearm. She said older blood glucose monitors required puncturing skin on the side of your finger, which could be quite painful.
Diana Calkins, St. Louis junior, has type-one diabetes. Her daily routine includes insulin shots after every meal and a checking her blood sugar level three or four times a day.
She said she liked doing it better on the forearm.
"It doesn't hurt at all but still gives you an accurate test," Calkins said. "The more often you can check it and the easier it was, the better it would be. It's important to maintain tight control."
Olafsen and her research
team are in the project's beginning stages. In about five years they will start testing the device on animals and eventually humans.
The researchers received a four-year grant for $2.5 million from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
The cost of the device is not yet determined, but Olafsen said it should be comparable to current glucose monitors. She said it might cost more because of the convenience it offers.
Olafsen has diabetic family members and friends, which makes the project she is working on that much more meaningful.
Calkins said the possibility of a new glucose monitor might be beneficial to diabetics.
"The positive thing about diabetes is all the technology is changing so fast," Calkins said. "It makes me hopeful that there will be a cure and a way to treat it better."
— Edited by Amber Byarlay
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