THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2017
NEWS
>> KU MEDICAL CENTER
3A
Researchers get updated facility
BY DANAE DESHAZER
On the corner of 39th Street and Rainbow Boulevard in Kansas City, Kan., stands 205,000 square feet of laboratories and rooms to foster new research on liver disease, reproductive sciences, neuroscience, diabetes and proteomics, which examines structures of proteins and how they can be used to treat diseases.
The $57.2 million Kansas Life Sciences Innovation Center opened Jan. 23. The center not only offers a larger space, but also higher quality machinery and options for faculty than the previous facility.
Peter Smith, neurological sciences program director, said that the center's structure also allows for a team science approach.
"There is a change in the direction of research." Smith said. "We are all moving away from the independent researcher sitting alone at his telescope late at night. That model is certainly not what we expect of our people right now. What we have now are teams, groups of people that
have complimentary backgrounds and approach problems from different perspectives"
The new center houses 60 laboratories — approximately one lab for every professor — and has 300 total occupants. Twenty-three new
professors were recruited from throughout the nation, said Paul Terranova, vice chancellor for research.
As part of a statewide effort to push the limits of research, the state will
quate space and conditions, including constant leaks, contamination and air conditioning problems.
Another need for the new center was created by the recent expansion of research programs. Yvonne Wan, liver program director, said that
"We are fully equipped to do any type of research we want to do. There are no limiting factors."
fund the first five years of the center. The KU Medical Center will fund the final 15 years from research grants. Also, the Hall Family Foundation donated $27 million to provide up-to-date equipment.
The previous facilities had been used since around 1970. Before the new center was built, Smith said the scientists were limited by inade-
YVONNE WAN Liver program director
over the past three years, the liver program added eight researchers, causing interactions to become less frequent. Wan said they needed a centralized location to achieve
a higher caliber of research
"The bottom line is that now we have a state of the art facility and we can compete with other first class institutions." Wan said. "We are fully equipped to do any type of research we want to do. There are no limiting factors."
Smith said at the R.L. Smith Mental Retardation Center, he had
45 investigators working on projects at seven different sites. With the new center, 80 percent of the investigators can work in one area.
"We have a culture of collaboration and cooperation, which is very difficult to establish if all of your people are in different locations." Smith said. "Now, we can achieve lot more."
Smith said that it is exciting to see a new priority on research after he saw the KU Medical Center slow down its forward momentum.
"It is very gratifying after seeing things stagnate for a while," Smith said. "We have gone through a realignment of perspectives. We are seeing ourselves as a valuable player in the state and community, technology and understanding, and a major force locally, regionally and nationally."
Kansan staff writer Danae De-Shazer can be contacted at ddeshazer@kansan.com.
- Edited by Kelly Lanigan
EDUCATION
Proposed bill gives veterans free tuition
BY JOE HUNT
Veterans no longer serving in the military won't have to pay for college tuition in Kansas if a bill proposed by the Student Legislative Awareness Board is passed.
The bill, called The Returning Heroes' Education Act, would require veterans to meet certain criteria. A veteran must have been honorably discharged on or after Jan. 1, 2000, be a resident of Kansas, be a high school graduate or equivalent and not have served more than 10 years of active duty.
Veterans would not be required to attend a publicly owned institution, and the state would not pay for classes that were repeated or not required for graduation.
"It would keep me from re-signing with the Army if it passes," Crook said. "I wouldn't lengthen my commitment."
Dustin Crook, Olpe sophomore served in Iraq from February 2004 to February 2005 and is still in the Army. He said better education benefits for veterans might change that situation.
A lot of support has already
been raised for the bill because it would be beneficial for those who have served, said Ian Staples, Student Legislative Awareness Board director and Lawrence senior.
"Currently, veterans can receive a variety of benefits, but they're mostly geared towards a government stipend." Staples said. "That's pretty lacking."
While the bill would help veterans, Sergeant Erich Schorr at the Lawrence Army and Army Reserve Recruiting Station, 2233 Lousiana Ave., said that if it was passed, it would not affect his approach to recruiting.
Staples said the proposed bill was based on the Kansas National Guard Educational Assistance Act. The Act provided similar assistance to 514 people in the National Guard this year. A large portion of the funding for the bill came from state lottery ticket revenue.
Kansan staff writer Joe Hunt can be contacted at jhunt@kansan. com.
Edited by Will McCullough
New Harley store rolls into Lawrence
》 HOGS IN THE PHOG
Crystal Brennan, O'Fallon, Mo., senior, said she had inherited a love for Harley-Davidson motorcycles from her family. She said she had not yet heard about the Riverfront Harley store, but she said she planned to visit the store now.
ABILENE — A minivan involved in a deadly crash on Interstate 70 may have been carrying illegal immigrants, immigration officials said Thursday.
The van was packed with 10 people and stripped of all but its front seat when it overturned Wednesday east of Abilene, killing one passenger, said Carl Rusnok, a spokesman for the Bureau of immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ACCIDENT Deadly crash reveals possible illegal aliens
"Almost all the passengers had nothing to sit on and no safety devices," Rusnok said.
"The bottom line is: This is characteristic of a smuggling van. The alien smugglers have no regard for human life. They
"A lot of our customers already come from Lawrence, and we've had a lot of growth with our business here in Topeka." Patterson said.
The Kansas Highway Patrol identified the victim as Cesar A. Rodriguez, 32, of Guatemala.
Patterson said Harley-Davidson had grown partly because Harley provided a community as well as bikes.
try to maximize their profits by putting as many people as possible inside a vehicle."
Brennan said Harley fans liked to gather together, and the Riverfront store might give Harley fans in Lawrence that opportunity.
"One thing that's unique to the Lawrence store is that we are a smaller store," Patterson said. "We think that's important because the Harley-Davidson bike is a real personal product."
The driver and his eight other passengers, all but one from Mexico, were injured but refused treatment, the patrol said.
He said business at Riverfront had been better than expected to this point, but that it was too early to determine if the store was successful.
"It's a unique product that brings a diverse group of people together," he said.
"Harley sold lifestyle." Campbell said, "as well as a pretty damn good motorcycle."
He also attributed the growth partly to the reputation the company has developed.
The 1998 van had South Carolina plates. Geary County Sheriff's Department Under-sheriff Carlos Roman said the victims told him they were traveling to the Kansas City area for work.
Kansan staff writer Matt Erickson can be contacted at merickson@ kansan.com.
increased its sales 20-fold from 1984 to 2004, though the growth has slowed somewhat since then.
Rick Campbell, editor and publisher of Motorcycle Industry Magazine, said Harley-Davidson
All the survivors were in the custody of immigration authorities Thursday. Rusnok said criminal charges were possible.
— Edited by Ryan Schneider
Owner Mike Patterson said his Topeka dealership had needed to expand, and that Lawrence was the right market for him to tap into.
Associated Press
BY MATT ERICKSON
Lawrence motorcycle lovers will no longer need to leave town to look for Harley-Davidson cycles. A new dealership has brought Harleys and their distinct, rumbling engines to north Lawrence.
"Would I do it again?" Burnett asked in regard to directing and producing. "I don't want to do it again but I probably will."
» COMMUNITY THEATER
Riverfront Harley-Davidson, 608 N. Second St., opened in mid- December.
sions, talent and energy of KU theater students. Stephen Ferrell. Perry senior, plays one of six roles in the play.
Student oversees entire production
BY BETHANY BUNCH
As Adam Burnett talked with crew members before a dress rehearsal of his play, "The Sensualist," on Wednesday night, technicians joked that he had been writing plays since he was 2 years old.
"The Sensualist" will be performed this weekend and next weekend at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St.
Burnett,
Topeka junior,
is both directing
and producing
"The Sensualist,"
a feat that his
crew members
said was almost
unheard
of because of the
amount of work
it took.
Ferrell described the play as "whole-gratifying" — as opposed to "self-gratifying" — because cast and crew members worked together and depended on each other.
"As a theater major, this is what our lives are," Burnett said. "It is difficult, but I love doing it so that takes the stress away."
Burnett traveled for two months throughout Europe last summer, regularly attending the theatre
Burnett said it is rare that the play is being produced the way it is, which is without any existing company or producer. The entire play is being produced under $2,000. With the exception of a $300 grant and a $200 donation, the money came from Burnett's savings.
What:
"The Sensualist"
From actors to technicians, the play depends only upon the pas-
When:
Feb. 2, 3, 9 and 10
at 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 11 at 2:30 p.m.
Where:
Lawrence Arts Center,
940 New Hampshire St.
All performances are free to the public
I love doing it because I love the work and love working with these people"
He said watching Anton Chekhov's play, "The Seagull," in London altered him.
Burnett will enter the production in a number of festivals for the summer, including the New York City Summer Play Festival, the New York International Fringe Festival and the Minnesota Fringe Festival.
"Iwasirrevocably changed," Burnett said. "The intense, visceral answer to the play breathes in me still, reminding me why I live my life in the theater and, most importantly, why the act of creation for the stage continues to
"The Sensualist" is Burnett's fifth play to be produced. This is the third time he has directed a full-length play.
thrust me forward with great passion."
Kansan staff writer Bethany Bunch can be contacted at bbunch@kansan.com.
Edited by Kelly Lanigan
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