---
NEWS 3A
THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2008
ART
Ryan McGeeney/XANSAN
Ryan McGeorge/KRMSAM
A new art installation highlighting aspects of biodiversity is currently on display at the Natural History Museum on campus. Works are hung in the stairwell throughout six levels of the building.
Biodiversity on display
Natural History Museum exhibit features student artwork
BY BRANDY ENTSMINGER
bentmings@kansan.com
In a large mural titled "Momento mori," Anson Stancliffe depicts a man on a throne of dead monkeys surrounded by other dead animals.
Stancliffe, a Lawrence senior who prefers to be known as Anson the Ornery, said the piece illustrated how the theory of evolution led people to value themselves above other animals and to ignore the importance of biodiversity.
The pieces in "Biodiversity is..." represent a wide variety of materials and styles. Two of the artists are students at the University and the rest are either from Lawrence or the Kansas City area.
"Momento mori" will be displayed as part of "Biodiversity is...a new exhibit in the main stairwell of the Natural History Museum that features seven artists' interpretations of biodiversity. The museum will hold a grand opening with free food and music from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. tonight.
Artist Daniel Coburn created three sculptures for the exhibit. Photos of the sculptures are hanging in the stairwheel because the sculptures themselves are made of perishable materials, including eggs and octopi. Coburn said the pieces were part science fiction because
they explored how he thought species would evolve to survive human interference, such as pollution. He also played with the idea of how animals could evolve to take over the earth.
Kathryn Hunt, Memphis, Tenn., senior, submitted three pieces that represented different varieties of algae. She created the pieces in a textile class with beading and embroidery. She said she found inspiration from the colors and shapes of bacteria.
"I'm inspired by the oddest, most random things." Hunt said.
Illustrator Sara Taliaferro contributed a piece that featured a clump of tallgrass prairie surrounded by playing cards. The cards include symbols of resources that aren't being used in sustainable ways, such as oil and land, illustrated by an oil barrel and a bulldozer.
Taliaferro said the cards were similar to the capture list cards about Iraq, which ranked the U.S. government's most-wanted terrorists.
The variety of pieces in the exhibit act as supporting points for the overall theme. Thomas Hardy, Salina senior and president of the Natural History Museum Student Board, said people had become aware of global warming but didn't realize that warming decreased biodiversity.
This was the first project for the Natural History Museum Student Board, which was created last January. Tristan Smith, director of exhibits for the museum and advisor for the board, came up with the idea.
Smith said he wanted the students to invest in a project at the museum so the board would become more than an events committee.
The board selected artists for the exhibit after evaluating proposals for artistic skill, relevance to the topic and ability to provoke thought. Once selected, the artists provided statements to go with their work.
Students from a variety of majors and backgrounds volunteer on the board. Hardy said it was beneficial for the exhibit because members used their individual skills to contribute. English majors were able to help edit artist statements and write descriptions for the pieces while graphic design majors worked on promotional materials.
"We all kind of do our own little things." Hardy said.
"Biodiversity is..." will be on display until February. Hardy said the board would announce the next exhibit at the opening.
— Edited by Brenna Hawley
TECHNOLOGY
Text messaging distracts drivers Cell phone could have distracted L.A. engineer
BY JOCELYN NOVECK ASSOCIATED PRESS
One day last summer, Jim Messer, a Florida attorney, was nearly run off the road by another car. When he recovered, he says, he was able to see the other driver texting on her cell phone, balancing it on the wheel.
Despite a general belief on the part of researchers and authorities that texting at the wheel, like other driver distractions, could be jeopardizing lives, only five states and the District of Columbia currently ban all drivers from doing it.
"There's gotta be a law against this," Messer thought. But there wasn't — not in his state, anyway. He's been working since then to get one passed.
Now investigators are looking into whether texting may have played a role in the disastrous California train crash that killed 25. Two teenage train buffs told a TV station that the engineer, who was killed, sent them a text message a minute before the crash. A phone was not found.
Traffic Institute, says the crash risk was doubled when a driver looked away from the road for two seconds out of six.
phone or playing with the radio, can distract a driver. A researcher who worked on the 2006 study, Charlie Klauer of the Virginia Tech
VEIL (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
But a 2006 government study found that distracted drivers of all sorts were involved in nearly eight out of 10 collisions or near-crashes. And everyone knows that checking e-mails or sending a text message, just like talking on a cell
more freedom than the media portraits.
For now, there is no data directly tying text messaging to traffic accidents. Though fully 74 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 use text messaging, according to the Pew Research Center, it's a phenomenon that's only a few years old.
"There are very traditional families, and your father controls your life. And there are families that encourage you to pursue higher education and pursue a career," she said.
Despite a globalizing and modernizing world, Islamic culture still remains rich with time-honored traditions. In order to remain pure, women aren't allowed to converse in public with unrelated men. It is common to rely on family and friends to set up meetings, but technology has offered a new method of searching for a spouse:
language online newspaper.
CAMPUS
"Each society, each family has different views on divorce, like in any country. My family is okay with divorce. It is always an option," she said.
Though media coverage of the middle east has increased in recent years, a woman's role in marriage is a facet of Islamic culture still often misunderstood in the West.
Alsomali, whose sister is divorced, said the divorce rate didn't reflect everyone in the country. In some areas of Saudi Arabia, like the Baha province, the divorce rate is as low as nine percent, she said.
text messaging.
Foxes adapting to college Wild animals learning how to live on KU campus
When it comes to relationships, Al Buhayri said she would like to date like Westerners, bu Alsomali said she would prefer the traditional method of going through her parents to find a spouse. Much as it is in the U.S., divorce is an accepted part of society. In Saudi Arabia, the divorce rate is up to 62 percent, according to Arabianbusiness.com, an English-
BY JOE PREINER jpreiner@kansan.com
Rausch said a greater understanding of these women would increase cultural awareness on campus.
When people visit the University, they expect to see many campus landmarks like the Campanile and Fraser Hall. What they don't expect to see is a fox.
Some foxes, which students have recently spotted around Memorial Stadium, can usually be found just east of Spooner Hall.
Robert Timm, mammal curator at the University, said the man
Edited by Mary Sorrick
made environment on campus created a unique situation for local animals.
"We have created a very artificial habitat here," Timm said. "Some animals do well
Other animals Timm has seen on campus include rabbits, opossums, foxes and skunks. Timm said that during the past few years several fox litters have been born on campus.
ture's habit of being awake during the day.
Sgt. Troy Mailen of the KU Public Safety Office said it wasn't uncommon to see all types of wildlife on campus during one late-night shift.
He said there was also an occa-
"They are almost like people. You can get so close to them and they are always interacting."
Many kinds of animals can be seen on campus throughout the day.
JAY CAMPBELL Springfield, Mo., senior
with it while others do not."
sional bobcat sighting on west campus. The majority of the animals aroundcampus are nocturnal, making the late night and early morning hours a student's best bet for sightings.
Timm said the most common animal was the gray squirrel, which students could see anytime during the day because of the crea-
The high-traffic conditions inherent in a university setting can cause problems for wildlife.
Timm said most of the animals that were hit by cars were the young and inexperienced ones. He said that most of the time, animals on campus avoided traffic
Most of the wildlife people see around campus have one thing in common — they are scavengers. Timm said foxes, opossums and squirrels often made meals of things such as discarded burger buns and leftover fries.
Jay Campbell, Springfield, mi. senior, said the squirrels in particular really entertained him.
effectively.
"They are almost like people," Campbell said. "You can get so close to them and they are always interacting."
Over the years, Timm said, the land Lawrence sits on has gone through many changes with increased construction and suburban sprawl.
Capt. Schuyler Bailey of the Public Safety Office said wildlife rarely caused problems on campus.
He said he was glad to see some of the animals adapting and surviving.
"I think they add a tremendous amount of ambiance," Timm said. "It's wonderful to see that the cities haven't displaced them all."
He said most people usually ignored the animals or were not concerned about them.
Edited by Scott R. Toland