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(07/14/03 1:14am)
Three students were given scholarships July 7 in memory of Won-Joon Yoon, an IU graduate student from Korea who was killed July 4, 1999 in an act of extremist violence outside the Korean United Methodist Church.\nEducation doctoral student Edward Brantmeier was awarded a $2,000 scholarship. Senior Christine Lim and doctoral student Ana Correia were awarded $500 scholarships. Doctoral student Erjen Khamaganova, of Russia, received a book prize.\nThe scholarships were established in Yoon's honor in 1999, according to an IU news release. The scholarship provides financial support for IU-Bloomington students who have exemplified tolerance and understanding across racial and religious lines through service, personal commitment, academic and future potential. The winners were honored July 7 at a reception hosted by Interim President Gerald Bepko. \nCorreia, an education student from Portugal, said she plans to use her scholarship to help fund her research on conflict in cross-cultural teams. She said the main purpose of her work is to gain an understanding of how people from different cultures successfully work and learn together. When she came to IU, she said she noticed that teamwork was not always easy for international students, and she wants to change that. \nCorreia said she will share her research with teams, facilitators, managers and educators to better understand the issues and problems that emerge in a cross-cultural team. \n"The goal of my study is to help people live, interact, work and learn in a world of peace and differences," Correia said.\nLim, of the Phillipines, is an undergraduate in the Kelley School of Business. She worked as the CommUNITY Educator for Eigenmann Hall last spring and will be returning in the fall. Currently, she is organizing an event with the Asian Culture Center called "Asian Cultures around Campus."\n"As far as I know, I am the only student from the Phillipines here at IU," Lim said. "Of course I've met many Filipino-Americans, but I find that I stand out from the rest of the international students because I don't have any social support from my native homeland in terms of language and the like."\nLim said she has discovered that most Americans, including Filipino-Americans, have stereotypes of what a Filipino should look like. She said she has heard Americans call Filipinos "FLIPS" or "Little Island People," both of which offend her.\nPrior to transferring to IU last fall, Lim lived in Singapore. She said she experienced many negative reactions there from people when she told them where she was from. \n"I constantly have to prove to myself that I can break those stereotypes in the society I live in," Lim said.\nWhen she came to America, Lim said she was surprised to see how segregated the international students are from American students. She said she sees a lack of communication and a gap between foreigners and Americans.\nLim will be facilitating one of the Conversations of Race programs this fall. She also has been involved in campus activities such as the National Day of Silence, the Hate Crimes Vigil, Night of Noise and the Conversations on Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lim said she hopes that through her work and these programs she can have a positive, long-lasting impact on students.\n"One has to have the guts to stand up, be open-minded, immerse themselves with other cultures, and step out of their comfort zone in order to work toward a peaceful society," Lim said.
(11/12/02 4:27am)
After turning down an estimated $50,000 worth of work because he couldn't keep up with the demand, Justin Greis realized he needed help.\nGreis, a 22-year-old MBA student in the accounting program, recruited his buddies -- Dan Jess, Chris Andrus, Dan Veatch and Tyler McPheeters -- to help him start BrainOrbit. The company helps clients with small-scale enterprise resource planning, creating CD-ROMs, Web sites, training and small business solutions.\nFor Greis, it all started the summer before his first year at IU. Greis participated in the Intensive Freshman Seminar and had so much fun that he decided that he wanted to work at IFS the following summer. Greis was paired with Lynn Jamieson, department chair of the recreation and park administration in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. He created a CD-ROM to be used by Jamieson's IFS class. \nNoticing Greis' savvy computer skills, her husband, Steve Wolter, director of the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands, asked Greis to design a few simple Web sites and CD-ROMs.\nGreis continued to develop training programs and course Web sites for about one year. The National Park Service, which runs Eppley, was impressed with his work and continued to offer Greis more projects.\nThis is when Greis turned to friends Jess, Andrus, Veatch and McPheeters. On July 19, BrainOrbit was officially created. \nBrainOrbit specializes in working quickly and efficiently with clients to create high-quality Web sites, with attention to detail for small businesses at an affordable price.\n"Web sites are our generation's way to finding out what services businesses provide," Greis said. Greis also said that he works hard to translate an individual business' "feeling" into its Web site.\n"Our idea of a 'perfect contract' would be a job that brings in about $10-15,000 and takes one month to complete," Greis said. "The site would include front end graphics, back end programming as well as client interaction.\n"Our business is about public perception. Companies want to be well received."\nGreis is CEO of BrainOrbit and spends a good deal of time each day working on his business. He attends class in the mornings and spends his afternoons meeting with clients. His evenings and weekends are spent on schoolwork and working on projects for clients. \n"Sleep is a rarity for the BrainOrbit team," Greis said of the demands of school and work.\nAndrus is an IU senior majoring in accounting and finance. Andrus is BrainOrbit's chief financial officer. \n"One of the good things about BrainOrbit is that there is no overhead, so what we make is basically pure profit," Andrus said. "We work from home and use our own computers."\n"And my dad tries to get us jobs," joked Andrus.\nJess is also an IU senior majoring in marketing. Jess is BrainOrbit's chief marketing officer and is in charge of recruiting clients for the company. He stimulates demand by producing and sending brochures to potential clients. \nMcPheeters is an IU senior majoring in computer information systems. He is BrainOrbit's chief technology officer. McPheeters and Greis met in a programming class. Greis describes McPheeters as, "the smartest programmer I have ever met."\nVeatch, an IU senior majoring in operation management and computer information systems, is BrainOrbit's chief operational officer. Veatch is in charge of internal issues. He is also in the process of re-designing BrainOrbit's Web site. \nBrainOrbit is working for 10-15 clients right now. Between classes, homework, tests and group meetings, the officers of BrainOrbit try to meet each Sunday to discuss their work. In addition to the officers, BrainOrbit works with five full-time independent contractors who work on programming for their clients.\nStarting their own company has provided the BrainOrbit team with important real-world business experience while using the skills that they have learned in the Kelley School, Greis said. He said some of the most important things they have learned so far are how to deal with taxes, how to maximize profits and most importantly how to deal with customers and people in general. \n"In our 'real world' business our clients sometimes call at 2 a.m. freaking out about a misplaced comma. It's hard for us as students," Andrus said.\nAndrus said his accounting classes, in particular financial accounting, has helped him develop the skills he uses most in his job at BrainOrbit. Greis cites his honors I-CORE class as having helped him the most. \n"We created a sushi business from scratch and it helped me in starting my business from scratch," Greis said. \nMcPheeters agreed and said that his X201 Enterprise Technology course helped him prepare for his role at BrainOrbit.\nBut the BrainOrbit team does not see their company lasting forever. Upon graduation, all of the members of BrainOrbit, except for Greis, are looking to work at a "real job." Yet, each member will retain control of their share of the business. Greis hopes that in about two years BrainOrbit will be bought out by a larger corporation. \nThe team agreed that they do not think this will be a problem because none of them put any money into the creation of BrainOrbit. They think this will make it easier to grow away from the company. In the end, the team will have retained valuable experience, money, and most importantly life-long best friends. \n"We understand each other and work well together," Greis said as the other four agreed. "That is what makes our company work"
(10/25/02 5:24am)
This weekend, the Astronomy Department will bring out Bloomington's brightest stars.\nThe first ever Astrofest is a combination of three events for the public, students and alumni, including a rededication of the Kirkwood Observatory, IU's second WIYNfest and also a celebration of astronomy professor Frank Edmondson's 90th birthday. \nThe original observatory was built in 1900 and dedicated on May 15, 1901. Daniel Kirkwood, considered one of the best astronomers of his time, analyzed the orbits of asteroids and associated them with Jupiter's orbit.\n"If there was a Nobel prize in the 19th century, he would have won it," astronomy department chair Richard Durisen said. \nThrough the years, the wooden dome, which opens in order to view the sky, has warped due to Indiana's inconsistent weather, resulting in difficulties in using the telescope. Durisen said due to the telescope's sheer age, its parts were in desperate need of cleaning and polishing.\nBut because the observatory is considered a historical monument, it is required that the observatory's original structure not be destroyed or severely altered during restoration. Durisen said the telescope was taken apart completely for cleaning and polishing.\n"It was a shame we couldn't change (the dome) to aluminum because wood doesn't last very long," Durisen said.\nThe Wisconsin Indiana Yale National Observatory has been planned since the WIYN agreement was signed in 1990. The telescope, which is located near Tuscon, Ariz., was built by IU, along with the University of Wisconsin, Yale University and the National Observatory. With groundbreaking only two years after the original signing, Durisen said WIYN was a result of, "an incredible coordination of different resources."\nWIYN does not solely belong to IU. The University is only entitled to 17 percent of the viewing time, which is done through a computer. The viewing time was determined by the amount of money that each organization contributed to the project. In total, WIYN cost about $14 million, of which IU contributed $3.4 million. But the University continues to pay about $100,000 per year in maintenance and operational costs.\nThrough the use of WIYN, astronomy professors are able to bring science to the classroom in real time. Undergraduates mainly use WIYN solely for research data in the classroom, while graduate students and professors use WIYN for research and observational techniques. WIYN allows students a first hand look at the sky, something that is difficult to show in a textbook. \n"It makes astronomy so much more exciting," Durisen said.\nPlanning for Astrofest began last spring after Yale University ran a similar event successfully. On Friday, the Kirkwood Observatory will be open to the public, concluding with an evening star party, where graduate students will operate the telescope. Saturday will host a series of astronomy talks, posters by graduate students presenting their research, and ending with an inside look at the WIYN telescope.\nProfessor Edmondson's 90th birthday was Aug. 1, but he will be celebrating again at Astrofest. Edmondson served as chairman of the astronomy department for more than 30 years from 1944 to 1978. Edmondson played a pivotal role in the development and site selection of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories. He also ensured that IU was a founding member of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. The astronomy department is holding a banquet, by invitation only, Saturday night in Edmondson's honor.\nGraduate student Steven Margheim said he is extremely excited for Astrofest. \n"I am excited about the rededication of the Kirkwood telescope because it represents the completion of nearly two years worth of renovation work during which time the telescope was unavailable," he said. \nMargheim is eager to share his research about exploding stars with the public.\nProfessor Kent Honeycutt said he is excited to see past students from different generations unite under a common bond at Astrofest. He expects about 40 to 50 alumni will attend the event. \n"This is a good number of returning students, as the department currently has about 25 undergraduate students and 14 graduate students," Honeycutt said.\nHe said he recommends students attend the event if they have a chance. It is not every day that students are exposed to such a "technically excellent telescope." \nIf students are unable to attend, Durisen said the Kirkwood Observatory is open for public viewing every clear Wednesday night when classes are in session. Another great way to make use of both the WIYN telescope and the Kirkwood Observatory is to enroll in an astronomy course. \n"It is an exciting time for the astronomy department and IU, and Astrofest is a great time for us to reflect on our past achievements, share in our exciting present, and hopefully prepare for an amazing future," Margheim said.
(04/17/02 4:41pm)
Athena is an independent cycling team composed of fourth-year rider Mavourneen Ryan and rookies Allison Ware and Anna Schwartz. Ryan has been a part of every Athena team and feels the team gets stronger each year. \nRyan, a senior, met Ware, a junior, over the summer, and they began training as soon as the academic year began. Ryan and Ware then met Schwartz, a sophomore, in mid-November. Although Ryan and Ware were well into their training, Schwartz began an intense training program and was soon on pace with the team. \nA typical workout for team Athena consists of not just one, but two workouts.\nThe first workout is always held on the track, where, earlier in the semester, the team focused on sprints and exchanges. After qualifications, the team's focus shifted to pack work. To practice riding with the pack, the team focused on maneuvering, catching the pack and breaking out of the pack.\nThe second workout is held on the rollers after the track, which is where the team works on its form and sprints. \nWhen the weather is nice, and the team members can coordinate their busy schedules, they try to go for road rides. While most students relax on the weekend, the members of Athena ride for distance. Last week, the team completed a 100-lap set on the track to prepare for race day.\n"I think that our team has meshed really well," Ware said. "We're all really good friends, and we like what we're doing." \nWare also said one of the best parts of being on the cycling team is the new people she has met. On race day she will be cheering for more than just her team. \n"There are so many great girls out there on bikes that it will make the race so much more fun," Ware said.\nAthena relies heavily on videotape to make it a better team. The riders taped exchanges while practicing for qualifications and planned to watch their performance in the practice race as well as races from past years.\nThe riders don't have a special diet, but they do abstain from drinking alcohol. Everything else is fair game. \n"It comes to a point no matter what you put in your body you're going to burn off," Ryan said. \nIn general the team eats a lot of cereal, trail mix and power bars. The team members always make a point of drinking more water than they think is necessary so they do not become dehydrated. \nAlthough the team only has three riders, the riders don't feel it's at a disadvantage. \nTeam captain Ryan feels the team's strongest asset on the track is the way the girls' personalities mesh. She said they often joke that Ware is the attitude of the team, Schwartz is the enthusiasm and Ryan is the patience.\nAlthough the team placed 14th in qualifications, it knows the real test is April 19. In the individual time trials, Athena was one of only a small number of teams to have two riders in the top 20. Ware finished 18th with a time of 2:51:62, and Ryan finished 20th with a time of 2:52:00. \nIn the Erickson points standings, the team is currently in 9th place, with a total of 103 points.
(04/02/02 6:59am)
Every February, the IU community hosts Spirit of Sport, which features non-stop sports competition, fitness activities, aquatic events, as well as special events and demonstrations. The event showcases the Recreational Sports program as well as raises money for the Indiana Special Olympics and provides students with valuable leadership experience. \nSince 1976 the SOS all-nighter has donated more than $262,500 to the Indiana Special Olympics, making it the group's largest fundraiser. This year the Delta Pi chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma, also known as "The Skulls," assessed how committed the pledges were to the fraternity's vision of brotherhood, community involvement and philanthropy by sponsoring the Johnson County Rockets, a basketball team for the Special Olympics. \nThe Skulls invited their six pledges to join them in supporting the basketball team. The Skulls were extremely pleased that all of their pledges came to the event, giving them the largest fraternity attendance with 25 members in all.\nBefore the event, the pledges met to help design posters for each kid on the team, as well as posters for the entire team. \n"It wasn't mandatory for them to come, but by turning up, they showed us their commitment," said senior member Matthew Carr. \nMany parents of the children on the team were extremely moved by the Skulls' support, some even cried. During the game each kid selflessly shared the ball - giving everyone a chance. \n"I had numerous parents come up to me and thank me for organizing our sponsorship of the team," said senior member Rob Lather. "The kids were very happy to see a huge crowd cheer them on."\nFreshman Skulls pledge J.T. Petelik likes this method of testing new members. \n"I thought initiation was going to be all about drinking," he said. "After hearing of people going to the hospital because of frat initiation, I didn't think I wanted any part in the greek system." \nPetelik said he has since changed his mind. He found out about the skulls and has since realized that initiation should consist of actual brotherhood activities that a fraternity is "supposed to do."\nCarr said there is a special connection between the fraternity and the kids. Both the Skulls and the kids are trying to fit in. \n"We are different from your average fraternity and therefore not as well accepted," Carr said. "I feel like we are just like these kids, striving to exist.\n"An event like Spirit of Sports gives people a real opportunity to see the true benefits that one community can give to another. We had a ball cheering the kids on and everyone had giant smiles on their faces. I don't think there was anybody who wasn't happy"