THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013
PAGE 9A
ACADEMICS
Cuts in grant money lead to end of KU-Haskell research
REID EGGLESTON .
reggleston@kansan.com
An integral part of the ever-expanding web that connects University of Kansas resources to students at Haskell Indian Nations University has recently fallen victim to the grant-funding chopping block.
The Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement program ended this year, capping a decade of providing Haskell University students with opportunities to work in University research labs.
A program funded by the National Institutes of Health,RISE focused particularly on promising Haskell students who wanted to pursue interests in biomedicine research and go to graduate school.
Dennis O'Malley, the former director of the program at Haskell University, thinks fondly of the students who have found a life's passion in their time as liaison to both the University and Haskell.
"We've helped two students that became SELF scholars complete the program and become competitive students in engineering and one current PhD in toxicology at KU that found something special in the program and is now working on NIH grants," O'Malley said.
Slight academic resource changes at Haskell forced the program to its extinction, including the closing of a math lab related closely with the RISE program, which was intended to make scholars ready for college algebra competency.
But the link between Haskell and the University is far from severed. In fact, five other federally funded groups devoted to research in the
life sciences are thriving. Among these is the Bridge program at the University of Kansas, which helps facilitate students from Haskell make the transition to four-year universities.
"We provide programs to build interests and enhance success in sciences with the goal that students will complete their degrees, go to grad school and become a research scientist," said James Orr, a molecular biology professor and director of the Office for Diversity in Science Training.
"What RISE did was provided opportunities to students that planned to stay at Haskell."
JAMES ORR
Office for Diversity in Science Training director
But the various NIH-funded programs operate a little differently, each bringing unique opportunities to Haskell students who attend a university where teaching faculty rarely do research.
Marvin Wesstops, a fifth-year student at Haskell, looks back in his last two years as a student in the Bridge program with fondness.
“It’s definitely given me some direction. Everyone in the program is really geared towards grad school, and the people that work in my lab will always help me out if I ask, ‘Hey, what’s going on here?’” he said.
Wesstops said he was originally
spurred in his scientific pursuits by the allure of compensation.
"They offered a paid internship, and I needed to work," he said. "The only requirement was that I'd taken a chemistry class and there was a lab available that I wanted to work in, so it all just kind of came together."
The Bridge program is aimed at students involved with large-scale public university research who would like to transfer to a more research-intensive school like the University before completing their undergraduate degree.
"What RISE did was provided opportunities to students that planned to stay at Haskell" Orr said. "But the only science degree offered there is in environmental science."
In a sense, Bridge gives Haskell students a taste of whether a big university might be more suitable for their academic interests, while RISE focused on bringing that research drive back to Haskell. So which has turned out to be the better approach for engaging this minority research population?
Bridge's 14 years on campus with grant extensions on the horizon speaks for itself. Ultimately, Orr is satisfied that these students are getting a science education that inspires them to dig deeper no matter the program he is affiliated with.
"I've always had an interest in helping students achieve their goals, and particularly in assisting students that have not had as many opportunities," he said.
- Edited by Sarah Kramer
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Chyehenn Sun Eagle, a junior at Haskell Indian Nations University, participated in the Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement. The program ended this year after budget cuts and changes to academic resources at Haskell.
HEALTH
All-nighters may affect more than just your grade
JOSE MEDRANO jmedrano@kansan.com
With exams and projects beginning to pile up, students become more acquainted with all-nighters. But going a full night without sleep just to cram for an exam may do more harm than good, taking a toll on both your mind and your body.
Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown are co-creators of the YouTube channel "AsapScience" a channel which provides weekly videos about fun and interesting topics in science. In a recent video called "What If You Stopped Sleeping?" they discuss how sleep deprivation has been tied in with cardiovascular disease, weight gain, depression and other negative side effects.
But not all of the effects occur so far in the future.
David Dinges, PhD, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, told Science Daily that "dopamine may increase after sleep deprivation as a compensatory response to the effects of increased sleep drive in the brain." While this may sound appealing, Moffit and Brown explain that this increase in dopamine leads to the shutting down of regions in your brain that
are responsible for making decisions, leading to impulsive behavior.
Moffit and Brown also said that the body begins to suffer from exhaustion after a day without sleep which slows reaction time, reduces cognitive abilities and may cause partial visual impairment.
After consecutive all-nighters, the way the body metabolizes foods also changes and the immune system may begged to weaken. Three days of no sleep can lead to hallucinations, said Moffit and Brown.
"I usually stay up two or three nights a semester, but I don't really keep track."
ALEESHA ATWOOD Kansas City, Kan., sophomore
The amount of sleep that a student gets also correlates with their lifestyle or study habits.
"I usually stay up two or three nights a semester, but I don't really keep track," said Aleshea Atwood, a
sophomore from Kansas City, Kan. Atwood also said that she rarely pulls all-nighters to finish an essay or study.
A study published in the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Journal shows that one all-nighter is not detrimental to health in the long run, but chronic sleep deprivation can cause major health issues.
The damage to your health is not the only reason to avoid all-nighters. A survey of 120 students at St. Lawrence University in New York found that "students who have never pulled an all-nighter have average GPAs of 3.2, compared to 2.95 for those who have."
A study published in BMC Genomics showed that sleep deprivation throws off the circadian rhythm in the brain and heart, which makes it harder to return to a normal sleep cycle. A few nights of improper sleep may require a week or more to return to a proper sleep cycle of six to nine hours a night.
All-nighters may help you complete an unfinished assignment, but the affects on your mental and physical health, as well as your grades, outweigh the benefits.
Edited by Sarah Kramer
LAWRENCE
Downtown bar offers free transportation as part of Tuesday night special
of Tuesday night special
Quinton's Bar and Deli is the place to be— whether it is a Tuesday or Saturday night, the bar offers an indoor and outdoor atmosphere with an abundance of drink specials, and now you have a way of getting there for free.
Located at 615 Massachusetts Street, Quinton's is well known for their sandwiches and bread bowl soups. Those looking for a place to party on Tuesday nights can count on "Quinton's Quuesday." Specials include $2 vodka drinks, $2.50 big beers, $2 kamikaze shots and now a party shuttle
to and from the bar.
Last Tuesday, Quinton's began running a party bus shuttle to and from their bar. From 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Tuesdays, the bus will pick people up and provide them with safe and quick transportation to the bar.
Jamakee Blackburn, Quinton's assistant general manager, said they are trying to figure out the most effective route.
"We have been calling each Greek house and picking up people at certain stops," he said. "It's not only for Greek people though, we are trying to branch out to apartment complexes, as well as people on Kentucky and Tennessee Streets."
The bar draws a fairly large crowd on Tuesday nights. The party bus picked up almost 60 people on the party, which
was only their second week in operation. Quinton's is looking forward to continuing the party bus and increasing interest among the Lawrence community.
Though the bus only runs on Tuesday nights, the bar is also popular among ladies on Saturday nights, offering free cover at the door until 11 p.m. and $2 aquatini shots all night long.
Your group can get your group on the route by calline (785) 842-6560.
"I can't wait to try the party bus," Emily Philbin, a junior from Omaha, said. "Instead of worrying about a ride home, me and my friends can hop on the bus and not worry about walking home late at night."
Dani Brady
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