Monday, February 24, 2014

Page 1

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 22

since 1891

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2014

Undergrads Social venture ideas spotlighted at Ashoka U Exchange Participants discuss develop intersection of social entrepreneurship and passions higher education across fields By KHIN SU

Interdisciplinary students blur the lines between science and the humanities By RILEY DAVIS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

When she is not pole vaulting for the track and field team or overseeing the Women’s Peer Counselor program at Brown, Hanna McPhee ’14 is doing what many other seniors are doing — completing her thesis. The only difference for McPhee is that when she encounters problems, she doesn’t have a department to turn to for help. Her independent concentration, titled “Biologically Inspired Design,” is an amalgamation of biology, engineering and arts courses. For many students like McPhee at Brown, studying science in the “traditional” sense is not enough. She wanted to do something with science that allowed her to solve problems and use her creativity to help people, she said, so she decided to create her own concentration to achieve that goal.

SCIENCE & RESARCH

An interdisciplinary legacy Brown’s traditional science program is something the University prides itself on, highlighting its status as an internationally ranked science research university on its website. On the “Science at Brown” webpage, visitors find information on how Brown consistently ranks in the “top five Fulbright Fellowship-producing research institutions nationally,” and on the number of Undergraduate Teaching » See SCIENCES, page 4

STAFF WRITER

As social entrepreneurship gains prominence around the world, 650 faculty members, students and social entrepreneurs from nearly 25 countries descended on Brown’s campus this weekend for the fifth annual Ashoka U Exchange to share ideas about creative solutions to complex issues. “This is the only place where students can sit next to university presidents and share their ideas as an equal about what the future of higher education should look like,” said Marina Kim, co-founder and executive director of Ashoka U.

The conference began Thursday at the Omni Hotel with a panel featuring President Christina Paxson, Mayor Angel Taveras, Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, and Diana Wells, president of Ashoka U. The panel revolved around collaboration between higher education institutions and their surrounding communities. The conference comprised keynote panels of speakers, other smaller workshops and a variety of talks. The conference’s goal was to showcase the best examples of social innovation initiatives and ideas from 150 universities, Kim said.

Tomorrow’s talent Friday’s panel, entitled “Tomorrow’s Talent,” featured six social entrepreneurs who shared stories of their inspiration and success, TEDtalk style, to a full audience in the

Narragansett room of the Omni. Aaron Hurst, an Ashoka fellow and founder of Imperative, an organization that helps individuals find passion in their careers, sought to address the question, “What is the meaning of work?” “Universities have a responsibility to teach students about what their purpose is for their work,” Hurst said. Without a purpose, he added, people in the early stages of their careers are “at a disadvantage.” David Castro, founder and CEO of I-LEAD and an Ashoka fellow, expressed a different vision of what college should be. “College is not a place, a test or a building,” he said, but rather a “human learning community.” I-LEAD brings the college learning experience to local churches, hospitals and community centers in low-income neighborhoods, advancing the idea that college is a process that can take place anywhere, he said.

The next generation of leaders should embrace “those thousands and thousands of learners who right now are not at the table,” Castro added. Rafael Alvarez, founder and CEO of Genesys Works, an organization that provides training to high school seniors and helps place them in internships, said the nonprofit aims to transform the lives of “kids without options.” Rebecca Garcia, co-founder of CoderDojo NYC, said her organization also targets youth. Operating on an annual budget of less than $2,000, CoderDojo NYC gives youth the opportunity to attend technology education workshops, where they learn about topics such as building websites, video games and apps. She encouraged young social entrepreneurs to generate “ideas that start small and grow.” In addition to youths, the 1.8 » See ASHOKA, page 3

GYMNASTICS

Bears claim second consecutive Ivy title Walters ’16 wins solo honors, with Shnayder ’14 and Moran ’17 finishing third and fourth By CALEB MILLER SPORTS EDITOR

Diana Walters ’16 launches into the air, flips and sticks the landing, beaming as her teammates mob her and the crowd erupts. It was a scene that seemed to repeat itself with each Bruno performance in the packed Pizzitola Center Sunday as the Bears ran away from the field at the Ivy Classic with a season-high 193.375 to capture their second consecutive Ivy League championship. The dominant team display was highlighted by Walters’ first-place finish in the individual all-around competition. The talented sophomore followed one

personal best with another, setting career highs in every event to amass a 39.000 all-around score. But Walters’ routines were not the only fireworks from the Bears. Michelle Shnayder ’14, last year’s Ivy all-around champion, wrapped up her impressive record at the Ivy Classic with a third-place finish in the all-around. Close behind Shnayder, but on the other end of her collegiate career, Caroline Morant ’17 continued her remarkable first-year campaign by winning the vault and finishing fourth in the all-around. “It was truly a group effort,” said Rebecca Freedman ’14. “As a senior captain, I could not have asked for a better way to leave a legacy.” Bruno’s day opened on the bars, where Walters led the squad with a second-place 9.775. Bar specialists Alexandra Chretien ’16 and Tori Kinamon ’16 buoyed the Brown total, Chretien » See GYMNASTICS, page S3

EMILY GILBERT / HERALD

Danielle Hoffman ’15 and the Brown gymnasts had cause to celebrate this weekend, setting personal records en route to an Ivy League victory.

M. BASKETBALL

Overtime thriller highlights Bruno’s weekend action By ALEX WAINGER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

inside

A weekend filled with tension, drama and late-game heroics boiled down to a split for the men’s basketball team. Columbia came back from an 11-point deficit Friday to beat the Bears by two with a pair of last-second free throws. Bruno took down Cornell the next night

in a nationally televised game that went into overtime.

Friday: Columbia 70, Brown 68 In the first game of the two-day road trip, the Bears (14-10, 6-4 Ivy) traveled to the Levien Gymnasium to take on the Lions. Rafael Maia ’15 was sidelined by a shoulder injury, so Leland King ’17 made his second career start for Bruno. The Bears jumped out to an early lead that grew to nine points when Steven Spieth ’17 sunk a hook shot. Spieth collected seven points and six rebounds on the night. Columbia’s Meiko Lyles responded to

Spieth’s pretty post move with a trey. The Lions’ ball movement often left Bruno scrambling and resulted in a number of open looks from downtown. Columbia (17-10, 6-4) managed to knock down 9-of-23 from beyond the arc — better than most teams fare against Bruno — led by Lyles, who shot a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point territory. A layup by Dockery Walker ’15 gave Bruno a one-point lead heading into the half. Walker has taken a backseat to King in the rotation in recent weeks, but with Maia out, the junior forward played 15 minutes and picked up nine points and five boards in his time on the court.

In the second half, neither team could build a lead. Walker hit a jump shot, extending Bruno’s advantage to four points with 12 minutes left in the game. But a dunk and a layup plus a foul gave Columbia a one-point lead just two minutes later. With a minute left, the game was tied at 68. Spieth missed a trey that would have put Bruno ahead with just 18 seconds remaining. The Lions’ Maodo Lo collected the defensive rebound and was fouled by Spieth, after both players dove after the loose ball. With the Lions in the bonus, Lo sank both free throws to give Columbia a two-point edge with 14

Commentary

Science & Research University neuroscientists reveal the neural correlates of working memory

Increased environmental knowledge can improve STEM education’s economic benefits

Feldman ’15: Michael Sam’s future as the first openly gay NFL player

Sundlee ’16: Journalism about Sochi focuses on fluff more than substance

PAGE 8

PAGE 8

PAGE 7

PAGE 7

weather

McGonagill ’14 and Kuakumensah ’16 break school records for threepointers and blocks

ticks remaining. On the other end of the floor, King missed a potential game-tying jumper. Walker collected the offensive board and the Bears quickly called timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Spieth inbounded with a long overhead pass to Sean McGonagill ’14. McGonagill tried to maneuver into a more manageable shot but was defended well and forced to chuck up a 30-foot prayer that fell short. The Lions came away with the win after scoring the last six points of the game. Despite the loss, the Bears had a reason to celebrate in the middle of the » See M. BBALL, page S2 t o d ay

tomorrow

34 / 17

30 / 21


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.