ARIZONA SUMMER
The circus is in-tents Big thrills under the big top come to Tucson.
WILD CAT TUCSON, ARIZONA
JULY 6-12, 2011
MONSOON, page 6
dailywildcat.com
Even under the sun, work goes on By Bethany Barnes ARIZONA SUMMER WILDCAT While it may be a dry heat, it still takes some adjustments to make sure work gets done around campus in the summer. For those at CORE Construction, who are working on Árbol de la Vida Residence Hall and Likins Hall, adjusting to the warm weather is old hat. “It’s hot but it’s not that big a deal,” said Tim Roley, project manager at CORE Construction. To cope with the weather, Roley said, workers scale back their hours, and a typical construction worker in the summer will kick off the day at 4 a.m. and wrap up at 1 p.m. The only thing they can’t do during the day, Roley said, is pour concrete. To adjust, they pour it at night. Facilities Management Director Chris Kopach said many of his employees have to deal with extreme heat, including heating, ventilation, and air conditioning mechanics that work on the roofs. To stay functional and safe in the heat, Kopach said it’s important to make sure employees stay hydrated and informed about summer safety issues such as sun protection and hydration. Several capital improvement projects are
taking place at the UA while students are away. In addition to the ongoing construction of the two new residence halls, crews are performing maintenance on Coronado Residence Hall, repaving Tyndall Avenue and beginning construction on a new scoreboard for Arizona Stadium. Sixth Street will be closed to through traffic because of construction on the new scoreboard for two weekends that have yet to be determined, according to a press release from Planning, Design and Construction. The closure is due to the delivery and installation of 55-foot tall steel pipe columns that will support the scoreboard. It will require two large cranes to place the columns and the closure is due to the size of both the cranes and the columns. Motorists will be detoured to Speedway or Broadway boulevards while those wishing to visit the UA or Sixth Street businesses will be directed through campus around the construction, according to the press release. But employees aren’t the only living things fighting against the elements. The UA landscape can’t just grab a bottle of water to stay hydrated. Kopach said Facilities Management regularly checks to make sure the campus’ computerized irrigation system HEAT, page 2
Rebecca Rillos/Arizona Summer Wildcat
Workers with Borderland Contruction Company prepare to repave Tyndall Avenue in the heat. Many adjustments have been made to make sure workers and students stay cool around campus.
Student-developed robot making waves
The Facebook factor
Company archiving all publicly-posted information as part of employment screening By Eliza Molk ARIZONA SUMMER WILDCAT
Photo courtesy of Erick Johnson
The Autonomous Cooperative Underwater Robotic Vehicle, or A-CURV, takes a test dive in a swimming pool. Eduardo Moreno’s new brand of robot will be low-cost and could conceivably administer underwater services to the Navy, film crews, the Department of Homeland Security and rescue missions.
New A-CURV device can operate underwater and on land By Amer Taleb ARIZONA SUMMER WILDCAT Last summer, Eduardo Moreno began restructuring the world of underwater robotics. Bolstered by the support of the Ronald E. McNair Summer Research Program and pushed by the abrupt departure of his assigned mentor, the senior studying mechanical and electrical engineering began the brainstorming process that eventually lead to the Autonomous Cooperative Underwater Robotic Vehicle, or A-CURV. Underwater robots are utilized for a variety of tasks, including environmental and scientific data gathering, inspection and assembly of submarine facilities and equipment, Moreno said.
Moreno’s new brand of robot will be lowcost and could conceivably administer underwater services to the Navy, film crews, the Department of Homeland Security and rescue missions. Moreno has already showcased his work at a number of venues, including stops in Anaheim, Calif., and New Orleans. The A-CURV could also come in handy when cleaning up catastrophes. “Recently, we witnessed the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a large man-made disaster that has devastated the Gulf Coast,” Moreno said. “The severe lack of underwater technologies necessary to stop the disaster became apparent to the world.” Ninety percent of the parts and raw material were ordered online, some segments
being outsourced from Mexico, Moreno said. The first prototype cost roughly $8,000 and to follow through with the project (a stipend to work full time, pay for hardware and software costs, etc.) Moreno estimated he would need a minimum of $40,000. Although he’s received help from several donors and organizations, about 75 percent of the project has been paid out of pocket with Moreno’s scholarship money. “After the summer ended, I realized how large the scope was of this research project and knew that I was in need of a team,” Moreno said. He drafted a letter to the College of Engineering asking for sponsorship of a senior design capstone project. He’s now ROBOT, page 2
Those considering posting photos from a wild Vegas vacation may want to reconsider, now that an employment screening company will be archiving all Facebook information left public for its use. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is allowing Social Intelligence Corp. to keep files of Facebook users’ posts as part of a background-checking service for screening job applicants . The corporation, a screening company that helps employers find viable employees by gathering their public information from the Internet, is archiving this information to provide a verifiable chain-of-custody in case it is ever needed for legal reasons. Susan Ferrell , an Associated Students of the University of Arizona legal services adviser and adjunct assistant law professor at the UA , said that if an individual posts something on the Internet in a public space accessible to anyone, they lose their right to privacy. While the company could not use a Facebook user ’s image to sell something without their consent, she explained, it can archive information a user shares publicly. FACEBOOK, page 3