Tuesday, February 12, 2013

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Daily

Herald

the Brown

vol. cxlviii, no. 15

INSIDE

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Skeleton dig

Professor leads excavation of Egyptian vaults

Lamar announcement sparks Spring Weekend buzz Some students expressed enthusiasm about this year’s Spring Weekend lineup By Andrew Smyth Senior Staff Writer

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Homes for sale Economists predict rise in house sales will continue Page 8

Squash split Squash wins in match with Dartmouth, loses to Harvard today

tomorrow

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since 1891

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Students seeking refuge from the wrath of Winter Storm Nemo in the Sharpe Refectory this weekend were still buzzing about Brown Concert Agency’s surprise announcement of this year’s Spring Weekend lineup last Wednesday at midnight. Many voiced positive reactions to the act choices, though some expressed ambivalence or disappointment. “Feedback has been even better than I expected, with one senior posting on Facebook ‘Better than our freshman year?’ with a comment trail of affirmative responses,” BCA Booking Chair Emma Ramadan ’13 wrote in an email to The Herald. “That’s more than I ever dared to hope for.”

That year, the lineup included MGMT, Major Lazer, The Black Keys and the rapper formerly known as Snoop Dog. To say rapper Kendrick Lamar will have an enthusiastic fan base when he takes the stage Saturday night would be an understatement, based on the fervor of his fans in the Ratty — perhaps “idolatrous” is the better word. “It was an amazing snag of an artist who is peaking right now,” said Raghava Kamalesh ’14. “He’ll be a huge crowd pleaser and a lot of people will actually know the words to his songs, which is always fun.” The announcement came in the wake of confusion — BlogDailyHerald posted a fake lineup Wednesday morning after the website received an email that had appeared to have been sent from BCA Publicity Chair Raillan Brooks ’13. The subsequent suspense of releasing the names at midnight made the announcement more exciting, said Paige Morris ’16. “When the / / Spring page 2

courtesy of kendrick lamar

Kendrick Lamar, who has a strong student fan base, is expected to be a crowd favorite at the two-day concert in April.

New $2.9 million magnetic tool will further research Brown The 3.8-ton new sends 21 instrument creates a frigid magnetic field for grads to studying molecules Peace Corps By ALEX CONSTANTINO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

While students struggle to stay warm, researchers in the Structural Biology Core Facility are preparing to cool a new device to below minus 454 degrees Fahrenheit. The $2.9 million instrument will greatly expand the University’s capacity to study life at near-atomic levels, according to a University press release. The instrument is one of the strongest of its kind in the country, with a magnetic field strength of 19.97 Tesla, the unit used to measure magnetic flux density. At the core of the instrument is a large magnet composed of 100 miles of wire bathed in liquid helium and surrounded by liquid nitrogen. The instrument, which weighs 3.8 tons, was

lifted by crane through the roof of the facility at 70 Ship St. Feb. 1, according to the press release. Within the Ivy League, Brown’s device, which is expected to run constantly, is now surpassed in magnetic strength only by a 21.1 Tesla instrument shared by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. By comparison, a typical hospital magnetic resonance imaging machine operates at around 1.5 Tesla. The super-cooled temperatures allow the magnet to maintain such a strong field. The new instrument allows “completely different types of research,” said Wolfgang Peti, associate professor of medical science. He likened the new instrument to a “Porsche” compared to the previous instrument, which he compared to a “Chevy.” Peti and other Brown researchers previously had to travel to Brandeis University for days at a time to access a similar tool, he said. Experiments using the device can take / / Magnet page 3 several

The U. slid off the list of the top 25 medium-sized Peace Corps feeders for the first time in a decade By Kiki Barnes Senior Staff Writer

Courtesy of Mike Cohea / Brown University

A crane was needed to transport the University’s new 3.8-ton magnetic device into 70 Ship St. through the roof.

RISD library fuses modern style with old architecture The Fleet Library, recognized as an architectural gem, ranks 50th on a top library list By Alison silver Features Editor

At first glance, the former Rhode Island Hospital Trust Bank building looks much like it did in the early 1900s. The same spherical clock hangs from the high domed ceiling, much like a similar clock hangs in the converted train station in Paris that is now the Musee d’Orsay. The clock is one of several remnants of the historic bank building that decorate the interior of what is now the Rhode Island School of Design’s Fleet Library.

FEATURE

Erik Olson / Herald

Previously the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Bank, RISD’s Fleet Library houses specialized collections and RISD students and features live performances.

A combination of old architecture and modern design, the library recently appeared on the list of “The 50 Most Amazing University Libraries in the World,” released by BestMastersPrograms.org. Recognizing the library’s innovative and preservative use of the original space, the list lauded Fleet Library as “the oldest and most influential independent art library in the United States,” according to a Jan. 16 article in Providence Business News. Carol Terry, director of Library Services at RISD, agreed with the description, noting “it is a pretty amazing library.” The longest-serving head librarian in RISD’s history, Terry attributed the library’s designation to its “unique integration of 21st-century design with a historic building.” The library is “a great example of adaptive reuse,” she / / Fleet page 4

Brown will send 21 volunteers to the Peace Corps this year, said Elizabeth Chamberlain, public affairs specialist for the Peace Corps’ Northeast Regional Office. This marks the first time in the last decade the University has not cracked the list of the top 25 medium-sized colleges and universities nationwide sending graduates into the Peace Corps. But Brown’s absence from the list this year does not indicate a decrease in accepted volunteers — Brown was ranked 25th in 2011 and 22nd in 2008 with 21 Peace Corps recruits both years. The University was one student short of the 25th spot this year. Kathryn Fidler, regional recruiter for the Peace Corps, said she has been “nothing but impressed” with applications from Brown students. She added that Brown students have a unique “commitment and desire to do good in the world.” Over 625 Brown alums have served in the Peace Corps since the organization was created in 1961. Currently, 21 Brown alums are serving as Peace Corps volunteers in 17 different countries, including Guatemala, Ethiopia, Botswana, Rwanda and Jordan, Chamberlain wrote in an email to The Herald. Roger Nozaki MAT ’89, director / / Peace page 3 of the Swearer


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