4A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAIRY KANSAN
THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2009
SCIENCE (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
process of decomposition.
Once in the lab, specimens are tagged, photographed and logged into a database. Before being shelved, they are put in glass jars with a mix of 70 percent ethyl alcohol to ensure preservation. Bentley said the museum used about 10 55-gallon drums of the preservative each year. The alcohol preserves the specimens for upwards of hundreds of years. The museum has to have a special permit in order to buy and use the pure ethyl alcohol.
"You could drink it," Bentley said. "You could literally take a tiny little bit and put it in punch and it
would be like drinking alcohol."
After working
tion for ten years,
Bentley said, he
couldn't even
smell the sharp
scent emitted by
the alcohol.
Bentley said the collection was growing by about 5 to 10 percent each year and that
"People are finding specimens in our collection ... that turn out to be a new species."
ANDREW BENTLEY Collection manager
Bentley said the job of a collection manager had become more
there were about 750,000 fish from 70 countries housed in the collection, and 350,000 reptiles and amphibians.
involved in recent years
He said now he and other collector
"My job as collection manager used to be thought of as a glorified bottle shuffler," Bentley said. "Essentially all you did was shuffle bottles around and fill them up with alcohol."
managers were more focused on research and working with databases.
Bentley offers free tours of the
collection to students, staff, school groups and the general public. He said the materials within the collection were being used for research all around the world.
"It functions very much as a book library," Bentley said. "We get visitors coming into the collection and using material here. We also loan materials out to people. We'll take the specimens out of the jars, wrap them in cheesecloth, wet them down, double seal them in plastic, stick them in a box and ship them out."
Brian Oberheide, Paola junior and wet collection assistant, said the collection's main function was
to act as a research resource.
"They also allow us to compare specimens from the past with recent specimens, and specimens that have yet to be discovered," Oberheide said.
Bentley said new species were constantly being discovered.
"People are finding specimens in our collection that were collected 30 years ago that turn out to be new species." Bentley said.
Bentley said researchers were using data collected in the wet lab to create models to predict the distribution of species throughout time.
"The data now is becoming a lot
more important than the species themselves" Bentley said.
David McLeod, lecturer and doctoral student, said the specimens in the collection were important because the research had reached a global scale.
"Like seeing an original copy of a Shakespearean work or an ancient manuscript, I'm always mindful of the fact that there was someone hundreds of years ago collecting and preserving this animal that I'm now working with." McLeod said. "Where else can you go and see global diversity in one room?"
Edited by Melissa Johnson
TRANSIT
(CONTINUED FROM 1A)
the city received $2.9 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which will be used for such transit-related projects.
Toomay said using alternative fuels was important for two reasons.
"Public transportation can be an environmentally responsible mode of transportation by reducing the number of cars on the road," Toomay said. "Using alternative fuels can further reduce emissions and greenhouse gases."
The city also hired a new public transit administrator, Robert Nugent.
David Corliss, city manager, said Nugent was selected after a nationwide recruitment effort. Corliss said Nugent was selected because of his experience and skill in transit administration.
"Robert has transit experience in larger communities and with communities that have a strong university presence," Corliss said. "He has a strong sense of the value of public transit in a community, including the importance of cooperation with university transit systems."
Nugent said he accepted the offer because the position was a good fit for him.
Nugent said he wanted to help Lawrence increase ridership by promoting the transit systems as a system for everyone.
"I've always liked the university environment," Nugent said. "It was my opportunity to really apply everything I knew about transit."
"I think there's an opportunity to get the people who don't ride or haven't ridden in the past or haven't ridden a lot," Nugent said. "We might be able to get them on board and try it out, see if they like it a little bit. We can probably move forward with that pretty quick."
Nugent said alternative fuels were a good option when the industry could provide a dependable vehicle.
"Some of the manufacturers are producing a very good hybrid electric right now," Nugent said. "They are a little more costly, but so what? On the other hand it's saving us money with the environment."
POLITICS
Toomay said the city was ready to proceed with the purchase of the vehicles and the city commission will officially approve the purchase order this summer.
Maine approves same-sex marriage
Edited by Heather Melanson
BY GLENN ADAMS Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Maine — Jennifer Curran could only sit in the pews of her Roman Catholic church over the years and watch as bride after bride — friends, her two sisters — walked down the aisle.
Now that her home state of Maine has approved same-sex marriage, she's looking forward to inviting them to sit on the sidelines in a congregational church and watch her marry Carolyn Thompson, her partner of nine years.
"It's been such a long time in coming," said Curran, 41, of Falmouth. "I want to stand up in my church, surrounded by friends and family, and say, 'I do.'"
Maine Gov. John Baldacci gestures after signing a gay rights marriage bill in his office at the State House in Augusta, Maine, on Wednesday.
On Wednesday Maine became the fifth state to approve gay marriage in a cliffhanger that was resolved when Democratic Gov. John Baldacci, who hadn't indicated his plans, signed the freshly passed legislation behind closed doors.
New Hampshire's legislature voted soon afterward to allow gay marriage, but Gov. John Lynch hasn't indicated whether he would sign it. If he does or lets it become law without his signature, Rhode Island would be the region's sole holdout.
Both bills specify that religious institutions are not compelled to recognize same-sex marriages.
The vote by the Maine Senate was 21-13, with one lawmaker absent. The bill authorizes marriage between any two people rather than between one man and one woman, as state law currently allows. The House had passed the bill Tuesday.
"In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions," Baldacci said in a statement read in his office. "I have come to believe that this is a
question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage."
The law is to take effect in mid-September but could be sidetracked before then. Opponents promise to challenge it through a public veto process that could suspend it while a statewide vote takes shape.
A professor at the University of Maine, the 64-year old Estler said she sent an e-mail to out-of-state friends and family members Wednesday saying "Oh, my god. The governor just signed the bill."
"But I said, 'Don't make your travel plans for the wedding yet. There's still probably a referendum to go.'" she said.
Legislative debate was brief.
Republican Sen. Debra Plowman of Hampden argued that the bill was being passed "at the expense of the people of faith."
"You are making a decision that is not well-founded," warned Plowman.
But Senate Majority Leader Philip Bartlett II said the bill does not compel religious institutions to recognize gay marriage.
"We respect religious liberties ... This is long overdue," said Bartlett, D-Gorham.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The activist group Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders has targeted all six New England states for passage of a gay marriage law by 2012, noting its porous borders, shared media markets and a largely shared culture.
CRIME
CRIME Gunman fatally shoots student in Connecticut
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — A disguised gunman fatally shot a Wesleyan University student at a popular bookstore near campus Wednesday before fleeing into the downtown of this central Connecticut city.
"At this point in time, we don't have information to suggest that people should be concerned, other than the general vigilance that everyone should use on any given day," Middletown police Lt. Margaret Liseo said after campus
warnings were eased.
Police wearing camouflage and armed with assault rifles swarmed area streets with dogs as they searched for the gunman while Wesleyan officials urged students and staff to remain indoors. The gunman remained at large Wednesday night.
Police said the victim died at Middlesex Hospital. Authorities
would not identify her, pending notification of her family.
Authorities found a wig used by the gunman. Liseo said they also found a gun but haven't confirmed that it was the weapon used in the shooting.
The shooting and manhunt forced police to order hundreds of college students gathered nearby for Wesleyan's annual
Spring Fling to seek refuge.
"This is really tragic," said Darien Combs, a 20-year-old sophomore from Denver. "We went from the height of our mood where everyone was really happy the semester was over to we don't even know what to think. We're just processing"
Associated Press
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