4A THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
MONDAY. AUGUST 15. 2005
EDWARDS CAMPUS
Jayhawk Central adds 'real campus' feel
MICHAEL PHILLIPS
mphillips@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
OVERLAND PARK - The KU Edwards campus became more like its Lawrence counterpart last weekend with the opening of Jayhawk Central, a casual meeting place for students.
The building, 12520 Quivira Rd., is home to the KU bookstore and a coffee shop and has room for a food vendor. A basement floor has been reserved for research by KU faculty.
"We wanted to create a place where students can meet with each other before and after class, and socialize a little bit more than they've been able to," said Bob Clark, vice chancellor of the Edwards Campus.
Grand opening festivities started Thursday night with an appearance by women's basketball head coach Bonnie Henrickson.
After fielding questions about next year's team, Henrickson urged the crowd to check out the bookstore and
get some gear.
"It doesn't matter how old you are, it's all about the gear," she said, joking.
Kids activities were set up outside as well, including a moonwalk, bungee run and an appearance by the spirit squad.
Friday night the campus played host to a free concert by the Midday Ramblers.
Bob and Betty Becker brought their 5-year-old grandson, Nathan Hassed, to the Thursday night activities.
"The expansion is one of the greatest things to happen to this area." Betty Becker said.
The Edwards Campus has tripled in size over the past two years, and Clark said that Jayhawk Central was a natural extension of that growth.
"Students have told me already that this feels like a real campus now, and that's exactly what we wanted to achieve," he said.
A survey conducted in 2004 allowed students to provide input on the new building and what would be included.
the bookstore and cafe area. The cafe area provides seating for 80 people spread out over a lounge atmosphere. The area also has wireless internet access, as well as satellite radio and television.
The building is divided into
"Most of our students are working, and this gives them an opportunity to come in and get refocused on their classes." Clark said.
Classroom size at the Edwards Campus increased last August with the opening of Regnier Hall, a 82,000-squarefoot building with classrooms, offices and an auditorium.
That auditorium played host to Henrickson's speech, as well as the concert by the Midday Ramblers, Thursday evening. Both buildings are adjacent to the campus' main parking lot.
The KU bookstore will serve more than just students. Clark said that 26,000 cars would drive by the building on Quivira Road every day, which will be open to non-students as well.
Rylan Howe/KANSAN
Bonnie Henrickson, KU women's basketball coach, greets Maria Heath, 2, and her parents, Juan and Stephanie Heath, Thursday outside Jayhawk Central on the Edwards Campus. Henrickson signed autographs and spoke at the beginning of Jayhawk Central's grand opening weekend. Jayhawk Central is the third building to open on the Edwards Campus, in Overland Park.
- Edited by Nate Karlin
SCIENCE
Government to fund fuel cell research
BY TRAVIS ROBINETT trobinett@kansan.com KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The University of Kansas' Transportation Research Institute may use $14.5 million it received from the U.S. Congress to fund projects on new fuel sources.
The institute will receive slightly more than $2.4 million annually for six years. Many researchers will compete for the money.
"We've been working on this for about two years," Stuart Bell, dean of engineering, said. "To see this step of that effort be completed was very gratifying."
ter for Research to determine how the money is best distributed, said Jill Hummels, public relations director of engineering. They will evaluate the projects currently under way and determine which have the greatest potential.
Bell will work with the KU Cen-
Trung Nguyen, professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, specializes in fuel cell research. Most of the funding for his research comes from the National Science Institute. He looks forward to the additional funding, he said.
Nguyen said the limited funding he had before did not allow for work on major fuel cells or devices.
"Now with more money, I can
move to different areas and use different fuel cell systems," Nguyen said.
According to www.utefuelcells.com, a fuel cell combines hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air to generate electricity continuously. Many things can be powered by fuel cells, including vehicles. Fuel cells produce heat and water and are more environmentally friendly than gasoline.
Nguyen uses solid oxide fuel cells, which operate at around 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. With additional funding, he plans to instead use proton exchange membrane fuel cells. They perform at a more convenient temperature, 175
degrees Fahrenheit. Nguyen said.
Fuel cell cost has decreased over 300 percent during his 18 years of research, Nguyen said. But fuel cells are still expensive because they use platinum. Researchers can replace many other fuel cell components with cheaper materials, however, and thereby further reduce the cost.
Although Bell has not yet decided how all of the money will be dispersed, he said Nguyen will likely receive some of it.
"Fuel cells were certainly something we had in mind when we started all of this," Bell said.
- Edited by Erin Wisdom
NATIONAL Lines at airports may speed up
WASHINGTON -The federal agency in charge of aviation security is considering major changes in how it screens airline passengers, including proposals that an official said would lift the ban on carrying razor blades and small knives as well as limit patdown searches.
called for a broad review in hopes of making airline screening more passenger-friendly.
The Transportation Security Administration will meet later this month to discuss the plan, which is designed to reduce checkpoint hassles for the nation's 2 million passengers. It comes after TSA's new head, Edmund S. "Kip" Hawley,
An initial set of staff recommendations drafted Aug. 5 also proposes that passengers no longer have to routinely remove their shoes during security checks. Instead, only passengers who set off metal detectors, are flagged by a computer screening system or look "reasonably suspicious" would be asked to do so, a TSA official said Saturday.
Any of the changes proposed by the staff, which also would allow scissors, ice picks and bows and arrows on flights, would require Hawley's approval, this official said.
The Associated Press
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