thursday,october 16,2003
news
the university daily kansan
3A
Erin Cook, Corpus Christi, Texas, sophomore; Krissy Buck, St. Louis freshman; Scott Bernhardt, Overland Park freshman and Megan Shirley, Overland Park freshman, worked to repair a hole in the wall of their 'can'struction in front of Wescoe Hall yesterday.
Jayhawks'Can'struct for charities
Student groups use cans to make campus classics
By Kevin Kampwirth
kkampwirth@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Andy Warhol himself might have been proud.
Yesterday,14 student groups converged on Wescoe Beach for the 2003 homecoming Can'struction Contest.
Each group had to create something out of canned food cans and other non-perishable food items that corresponded with this year's Homecoming theme, "jayhawk Generations: Bringing Back the Classics."
There were 12 teams of frater
"For its third year it's doing pretty well," said Richard Johnson, dean of students. "The contest seems to grow in size every year."
nity and sorority houses, along with a team of Lewis Hall residents and one representing Student Union Activities. This year marked the third year of the 'Can'struction Contest.
Groups were required to collect the cans themselves that they would use in the contest.
The third place team, Sigma Kappa and Delta Chi, trick-ortreated for some of the cans the group used to build a replica of Memorial Stadium and the Campanile.
palm.
"We felt that these were two things that are really monumental in KU history," said Lauren Jesse, Overland Park sophomore.
Team Kappa Kappa Gamma and Theta Chi took a different approach to the theme and constructed a facsimile of the original Jayhawk mascot.
"We thought we'd really get to the heart of the classic theme and bring the old Jayhawk back," said Bethany Taylor, Prairie Village junior.
Team members also threw in a reference to a character they considered one of our generation's classic movie heroes, Indiana Jones, by building a model of Memorial Stadium and putting a sign in it which read, "Memorial Stadium will be Baylor's Temple of Doom."
The winning entry, from team Kappa Alpha Theta and Sigma Alpha Epsilon, was a model of Allen Fieldhouse that the group built with cans purchased at a
local grocery store. The building looked simple enough at first glance,but the project contained a hidden surprise.
"We figured that putting a fog machine inside would add some extra effect," Greg Masenthin, Overland Park junior, said. "It goes along with the whole 'Beware the Phog' saying."
Entries were judged under the same criteria as Tuesday's chalk drawing contest, for adherence to theme, creativity and appearance.
After the contest, all cans and food items used were donated to charity. The Center for Community Outreach delivered the cans to local food pantries throughout Lawrence to help feed the underprivileged.
Researchers test telescope changes
By Amber Byarlay
abyarlay@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Researchers at the University of Kansas are working to bring the cosmos into a more detailed view for those not able to spend $3,000 on a telescope.
The scientists are trying to create lighter-weight, less expensive telescopes.
Bruce Twarog, project researcher and physics and astronomy professor, said they were hoping it would go in both directions, making telescopes cheaper for everyone who wants to do amateur astronomy and providing larger telescopes at the same cost that professionals doing research pay.
The telescopes will be lighter because the materials used to make them are lighter weight specifically the mirrors.
Telescopes use mirrors to gather light and focus it at a single point; an eyepiece is attached at this point and observations are made through the eyepiece. Mirrors commonly found in telescopes are made from large pieces of glass that are filed until they have a desired curve. The glass is then coated with aluminum so it becomes reflective.
Scientists will use a mixture of graphite sheeting and apoxy to create the new mirrors, Twarog said. A mold will be created from glass and the mixture will be heated until it takes the mold's shape.
takes the mirror in one week 40 mirrors could be made using a mold, however filing glass to a desired shape takes about three years. Twarog said.
Being able to make many mirrors means that more telescopes could be made and sold. Selling more telescopes will lower the price of the instruments, Twarog said. The lower weight will decrease telescope cost because lighter support structures can be created.
Telescopes require large,heavy
support structures to hold the instrument. These structures also need a drive motor that will move and tilt the telescope toward a certain object.
The drive and support structure, in addition to the glass mirror, makes most 16-inch telescopes weigh hundreds of pounds. Twarog said. Telescopes are measured by the diameter of the instrument's mirror.
The newer telescopes will weigh roughly 10 times less and cost four times less than the telescopes used now, Twarog said.
To make the lightweight telescopes, astronomers are designing and teaming up with engineering professors and students. The engineers are testing astronomers' plans to ensure the newer, lighter telescopes will be able to withstand environmental pressures said Rick Hale, assistant professor of aerospace engineering. Tests are being done on how the new telescopes withstand temperature, gravity, wind and moisture.
"Our job is actually a support role." Hale said. "We make sure nothing goes wrong while they're observing."
Because older telescopes are heavier, they don't vibrate in the wind, and heavier support structures do not bend significantly when gravity pulls on them. Engineers are testing to prevent these problems with the lighter telescopes. Engineers are also ensuring the materials used to create the new mirrors won't be damaged by rain or temperature. If the materials change size because they absorb moisture or react to temperature, it will affect how well the telescope works, Hale said.
Researchers plan to build a lightweight, one-meter telescope at San Diego State University. The telescope will be used for a year to make sure that it works as well as heavier telescopes do.
—Edited by Abby Sidesinger
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