THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2011
VOLUME 123 ISSUE 137
Athletes gather for 84th Kansas Relays as Big 12 leads first day
KANSAS RELAYS | 12A
The heptathlon and decathon saw winners from Kansas and Iowa State, respectively, highlighting the beginning of the Kansas Relays action.
JAYPLAY | INSIDE
Ready to run? Learn how to train and prepare for a 5K race
Whether an exercise addict or a couch potato, anybody can train for a 5K race. Learn the precautions and preparations that will excel your running knowledge and experience.
WEATHER
TODAY 52 46 Cloudy
FRIDAY 67 45 SATURDAY 62 46 Windy Rain
WWW.KANSAN.COM
Forecasts by University students.
For a complete detailed forecast for the week
see page 2A.
INDEX
Classifieds. 7A
Crossword. 4A
Cryptoquips. 4A
Opinion. 5A
Sports. 12A
Sudoku. 4A
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
Construction crews continue to build the Measurement, Materials and Sustainable Environment Center just south of Learned Hall. Construction is expected to be completed at the end of this year.
Aaron Harris/KANSAN
BY IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kansan.com
Builders are employing some unusual methods in the construction site south of Learned Hall.
Crews are currently pouring cement for the foundation of the Measurement, Materials and Sustainable Environment Center, also called the M2SEC. It will include isolated sections of cement pilings, which will insulate the building from the vibrations of the outside environment, such as traffic. That protection will be important to researchers using extremely sensitive instruments.
"This is a very,very specialized research building," said Mark Muller, project manager for Treanor Architects. "It will be the only one of its kind in the Midwest."
Muller compared the University's M2SEC to the national laboratories at Lawrence Berkeley and Oakridge.
Muller said the new building will not only house laboratories, but will itself be a kind of laboratory for the study of different types of building materials. Researchers working inside will be able to remove specially designed wall panels and replace them with others designed for insulation and heat retention to study their qualities. They will be able to perform similar "plug-and-play" experiments with the windows in some rooms.
According to Muller and the School of Engineering these green design elements qualify the building for LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
be similar to a "huge paperweight," and that researchers would bolt the test engines to it directly.
Engineers from the University will use the specially designed laboratories to research unmanned aircraft, engines and wireless communication. The plan calls for the engine testing lab to be built on a separate foundation so that the forces generated will be isolated from the main building. Muller said the foundation would
"It's pretty complicated," said Glen Marotz, associate dean of the School of Engineering. "it's like a stage dance where everyone has to be doing the right thing at the right time."
One facility is designed to contain a reinforced wall against which researchers will bend and break construction beams and airplane wings for strength-testing. The building will also include an anechoic chamber — a metal, box-like laboratory sealed against electromagnetic signals. Chambers such as these are designed for research in wireless communications.
Sarah Seguin, professor of electrical engineering, said the chamber at the M2SEC will be superior to many others because it will be insulated with a special foam that dampens electromagnetic signals. This would make it valuable not only to her work, but also that of private firms such as Garmin and Sprint.
"There won't be a chamber like this anywhere else in the area," Seguin said.
The construction began in May 2009, and is scheduled to be completed near the end of this year. Muller said the project was currently ahead of schedule, and that a passery could expect to see walls go up over the summer and roofing in the fall.
The $18 million is officially budgeted for the construction. Marotz said most of those funds came in a grant from the Department of Commerce, and the School of Engineering expects to contribute a total of about $6.5 million.
Edited by Danielle Packer
To learn more, visit:
http://www.engr.ku.edu/about/facilities/
buildings html
buildings.html
Construction Funding
$18.8 million
$12.3 million from The National Institute of Standards and Technology grant
- Estimated completion December 2011
$6.5 million raised by the University
- Groundbreaking ceremony May 7, 2011 at 11:15 a.m.
15th Street
M2SEC stands for Measurement Materials and Sustainable Environment Center
- The M2SEC will be used as a research facility.
- The building will be 34,600 square feet, slightly smaller than the Burge Union.
- The M2SEC building will meet the LEED silver standard for incorporating sustainable materials and energy-saving technologies.
Image from Google Maps, information from KU News
STUDENT SENATE
Coalition reports show funds raised and spent in campaigns
BY ALEX GARRISON agarrison@kansan.com
After Student Senate elections completed last week, the two coalitions, KUnited and Renew KU, turned in financial reports to the commission that oversees the elections. The election codes require them to do so. Turning in a report is required, but including all receipts on those reports is not. There is no fundraising or spending cap for campaigns.
KUnited, the coalition that won the presidential and vice presidential race as well as dominated the number of senate seats gained, spent $6,538 on its campaign, according to its reports. KUnited raised $6,486.47 of the total. The remaining $51.53 was not cash on hand in the coalition's account but rather available funds that they did not use, KUnited treasurer Alex Rippberger said.
Renew KU's total sponsorship came to $6,007.59 and the coalition spent $5,676.47 in total. The remaining $331.12 went into a rollover bank account in Renew KU's name, treasurer Sean Elliot said.
Local businesses — especially apartment complexes — were the biggest donors to both campaigns. T-shirts were the largest cost with KUnited spending $2,050 and Renew KU spending $3,555.20.
Edited by Corey Thibodeaux
CAMPAIGN FUNDING
KUnited: $6,486.47
Renew KU: $5,676.47
TOTAL FUNDRAISING
KUnited: $6,538
Renew KU: $6,007.59
Source: Elections commission reports
CAMPUS
University program leads autism research movement
BY ISAAC GWIN editor@kansan.com
His light blue eyes remain fixated on the toy car in his hands as he sits quietly alone in one corner of the playroom. He gives little notice to the activity of the other children playing together a few feet away. By most accounts, the small, 3-year-old boy in the red shirt would appear to be like any other, albeit a little shy. The truth of the matter is more than what can be seen at first glance.
Sam has recently been diagnosed with autism, the social and communicative disorder that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is now being discovered in one out of every 110 children under the age of four in the United States, making it more prevalent than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. This reality brought
about a national surge in autism investigations, with KU's Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training program at the forefront of the movement.
The Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training program, or K-CART is a collaboration between scientists and instructors at the Lawrence and Edwards campuses, as well as the medical center. Its goal is to meet the needs of families who have been affected by autism through education, research into diagnostic and preventative measures, and the utilization of new training techniques designed to best cater to the individual.
RESEARCHING AUTISM Christa Anderson, who holds a doctorate in psychology from KU.
SEE RESEARCH ON PAGE 3A
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