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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 61

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Raimondo, Fung to face off in gubernatorial election

Regunberg ’12 narrowly loses to McKee in race for lt. governor, Elorza secures democratic vote

By ISABEL GENSLER & JACK BROOK METRO EDITOR & STAFF WRITER

Over 144,000 Rhode Islanders cast their votes yesterday in the primary elections, according to the R.I. Board of Elections. Nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties have been chosen for the general election at both the federal and state levels. Incumbent Gov. Gina Raimondo defeated Matt Brown and Spencer Dickinson in a landslide for the Democratic nomination for governor with 57.2 percent of the vote, according to the New York Times. Brown received 33.5 percent of the vote, while Dickinson received 9.3 percent. Mayor of Cranston Allan Fung defeated Patricia Morgan and Giovanni Feroce for the Republican nomination for governor with 56.4 percent of the vote to Morgan’s 40.1 percent and Feroce’s 3.5 percent, according to the Times. A four-term mayor known for his fiscal reform, Fung is running on a platform that aims to cut down on corruption and

IAN STEVENSON / HERALD

Incumbent Gov. Gina Raimondo celebrated her primary election night victory at Union Station Brewery. She defeated Matt Brown and Spencer Dickinson with 57.1 percent of the vote.

strengthen work requirements for welfare recipients, according to his campaign website. “You know what this means — get up tomorrow and work even harder,” Raimondo said during her acceptance speech. “November is around the corner, and I am fired up! Because we have a real race ahead of us.” Raimondo reminded voters that Fung opposes her administration’s job-creation policies and would not have the courage to stand up to President Trump. In the 2014 gubernatorial election, Fung narrowly lost to Raimondo, but current polls show them evenly matched this time around, according to WPRI. “Tonight, all of you have spoken loudly and clearly that you are ready to take back our state from the insiders, the big shots, the connected,” Fung said in his acceptance speech to cheers. “The hardworking Rhode Islander is going to be at the front and center of every decision we make. You need a break.” In his concession speech, Brown pledged to support Raimondo in her reelection campaign. “We were outspent 13 to one. I wouldn’t have done it different,” Brown told The Herald. The race for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor was hotly » See ELECTIONS, page 3

Debuted mural highlights Narragansett tribe New UCS The Avenue Concept’s new 32 Custom House installation features indigenous history By ELISE RYAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

ASHLEY KNEBEL / HERALD

The 32 Custom House Street mural features Lynsea Montanari, an educator at the Tomaquag Museum, holding an image of Princess Red Wing.

INSIDE

A new mural on the east-facing wall of 32 Custom House Street in downtown Providence began illuminating the cityscape this month, as Baltimore-based artist Gaia completed work on “Still Here,” a largescale work commissioned by Providence non-profit The Avenue Concept. Covering the entire facade of the building, the mural features a woman in a patch of bright-yellow sunflowers, strawberries, cattails and red-winged blackbirds. This woman is Lynsea Montanari, a member of the Narragansett tribe and an educator at the Tomaquag Museum in Exeter, Rhode Island, according to a press release issued by The Avenue Concept. Her eyes are directed straight ahead at the passing cars of Memorial Boulevard, the Providence River and the pedestrians on South Water Street, and she tenderly holds a black-andwhite photograph of Princess Red Wing, described by the Tomaquag Museum’s website as a “Narragansett/Pokanoket Wampanoag historian and educator” who founded the museum sixty years ago.

Gaia bases his work “heavily in community and historical facts,” said Nicholas Platzer, the 2-D program manager for The Avenue Concept. His planning process, Platzer explained, includes researching the location, reaching out for community support and searching for active community members — such as Montanari — whom he involves in his composition and design process. The wall is located close to Weybosset Street, “named for an indigenous footpath, and a trading location that later became one of the first custom houses in America,” the Avenue Concept press release explained. This process made Gaia, an internationally renowned muralist whose works adorn buildings in major cities such as Seoul, Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, and London, the perfect candidate for this project, Platzer said. The owner of the wall — a retaining wall that once belonged to a building that stood in what is now a parking lot — wanted a mural that was figurative but told a story with “layers and depth to it,” Platzer said. Gaia focused on “erasure,” Platzer said, paying particular attention to the experiences of indigenous people in Rhode Island. This inspired The Avenue Concept and Gaia to reach out to the Tomaquag Museum, which immediately joined the project as part of their sixtieth anniversary » See MURAL, page 3

leadership outlines plans for year Tahir ’19, Pelsinger ’20 talk Campus of Consent Bill, Project Tampon, bias-reporting form By MELANIE PINCUS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Undergraduate Council of Students held its first meeting of the 2018-19 academic year Wednesday night. The meeting, which lasted about half an hour, featured introductions from executive board members, an explanation of the council’s plans for this year and an overview of some of its past work. UCS President Shanzé Tahir ’19 discussed three initiatives the council pursued last year — the Campus of Consent Bill, a new form for biasrelated incident reporting and Project Tampon. The Campus of Consent Bill, first passed in spring 2017, aims to promote » See UCS, BACK

WEATHER

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

NEWS Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele joins campus as Watson Institute faculty fellow

SCIENCE & RESEARCH Study uncovers function of giant cancer cells in cancer development, remission

COMMENTARY Okin ’19: Self-care should be crucial component of success, not a break from work toward goals

COMMENTARY Calvelli ’19: Students should approach shopping period like long-term “home improvement”

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Former RNC chairman joins Watson Graduate school task force Michael Steele will lead series of study groups on role of political parties, voters as faculty fellow By KATHERINE BENNETT SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele will join the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs as a faculty fellow and lead a series of study groups this fall semester, the University announced in late August. Steele previously spoke at Brown before the 2016 presidential election and was a guest speaker in Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez’s ’83 P’18 study groups this past academic year. Steele was RNC chairman from January 2009 to January 2011. During his term as chairman, the GOP won eight governorships and five seats in the Senate, and took control of the House of Representatives, according to Politico. His term was also marked by concern about the RNC’s finances. In recent years, Steele has emerged as an establishment Republican who has publicly criticized President Trump, according to an interview with Steele published in the Washington Post.

perspective about American politics, said Edward Steinfeld, director of the Watson Institute. Steele not only “relates very well with students, he’s excellent at being open to many different perspectives and encouraging discussion, simultaneously being willing to state his opinion but also listen to what other people are saying,” Steinfeld said. In addition to his political credentials, Steele’s personal background as a black Republican from a largely liberal jurisdiction has also shaped his views, he said. “Even people from your own community sometimes look at you like you have three heads because you’re not of the same accepted political party as everyone else,” he said. For Steele, this experience helped form how he engages in politics. “How do you rise above it, how do you not look at that particular ugly side of politics (and let it) drag you deeper into that abyss? Rather, rise as far above it as you can to set a different tone and create a different message,” he added. Steele’s presence comes in the midst of a continuing debate about freedom of speech and ideological diversity on college campuses. The Stephen A. Ogden Jr. ’60 Memorial Lecture’s decision to invite Jeb Bush

not to promote conservative speakers per se any more than it is to promote liberal speakers, but what we do want to promote is as diverse a group of voices as possible. … Diverse in political views, diverse in experiences, diverse in gender, diverse in background,” he said. “The idea is to try to model deeply ecumenical but deeply diverse articulations,” he added. For Caroline Deitch ’20, vice president of SPEAK, Steele’s group represents a “great step forward” in bringing a larger spectrum of ideas to campus. “The entire point of SPEAK is to run the political spectrum, to get voices from every angle, because the more voices we have, the more ideas we have, the easier it is for any individual student to understand what they’re looking for in their political lives,” she said. “What we are looking for at the end of the day is for Brown to bring in as many voices (as) possible in a safe and respectful way.” Ultimately, Steinfeld hopes that students will see habits of “open, tolerant, spirited debate about public policy issues” modeled by Steele and all of the Watson Institute’s faculty fellows. Steele “has very strong opinions formed by years of experience in the field … but at the same time (has) this fantastic ability to listen,

improves advising resources

ANH-LISE GILBERT / HERALD

Future initiatives include digital CV repository, faculty workshops on graduate student advising By ERIC CHOI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF GAGE SKIDMORE

Michael Steele served as Republican National Committee Chairman from 2009 to 2011. Steele brings experience in politics, public policy, law and the media to the Watson Institute in his role as a faculty fellow. Steele’s study group, “The Disman- prompted a flurry of opinions pieces to respond respectfully, to encourtling and Rebranding of American in the The Herald arguing both for age diverse views, to be willing to Politics,” will focus on the “political and against his invitation. When con- sit down with somebody who has a environment that we are currently servative journalist Guy Benson came totally different opinion and respect in, from the reaction that voters are to campus in February last year, 18 that person’s knowledge, respect that having towards candidates and the students writing for bluestockings person’s experience and try to come respective parties, to how the parties magazine voiced concerns ahead of to some kind of common conclusion and the political leadership them- the lecture that Benson would mount or at least try to learn,” he said. “This selves are responding to voters,” Steele an absolute defense of free speech, is the kind of thing that we’d like to said. Steele’s study groups will run The Herald previously reported. promote. … Particularly now, given from October through November and A study published last March by how divided not just the United States will include visits from guest speak- the SPEAK Coalition at Brown found but so much of the world is.” ers such as Jason Johnson, a profes- that 94.5 percent of speakers hosted “What I’m hoping to get out of it sor of political science at Morgan at Brown leaned left ideologically. is learning how this generation … State University and a commentator “Institutions like Brown, which look at their democracy, look at their for MSNBC. Along with his group are venerable institutions, must be … republic, look at the nature of polistudy sessions, Steele will take part in a place where intellectual debate and tics, and then learn from them what two discussions in late October and discussion, differing perspectives and they want to do with it,” Steele said. mid-November on the 2018 midterm points of view must be allowed to be Steele hopes that students will leave elections. These discussions will be heard and experienced,” Steele said. his study group with an understandco-hosted by Perez, according to a Steele’s presence on campus ing of politics that is “not necessarily University press release. doesn’t represent the University’s as black and white as they think it is” With his experience in politics, subscription to a particular ideol- and perhaps discover that they are public policy, law and the media, ogy, but a commitment to a diversity “more like Donald Trump than they Steele brings to the table an in-depth of voices, Steinfeld said. “Our goal is are willing to appreciate,” he said.

Anne is having a difficult time. Working as a teaching assistant and finishing another chapter of her dissertation is taking a toll on her. After Anne ignores her advisor’s initial advice, her advisor turns to other alternatives, such as recommending she graduate early with a master’s instead of a PhD or submit shorter pieces more frequently. Anne, discouraged by the suggestions, meets with the department chair to tell them that her advisor is unsympathetic and controlling. This is one example of a Graduate School case study that faculty members can use as a resource for doctoral-student advising. Case studies like these are some of the many resources published by a Graduate School task force aimed at improving the advising system. The task force — composed of eight University faculty members and staff from the Graduate School — spent the last year developing best practices for doctoral-student advising at the University and curating resources from other institutions on advising, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Thomas Lewis said. The results of the task force’s meetings can be found on the Graduate School’s website, which includes resources for faculty members, graduate students and directors of graduate studies. For example, faculty members are encouraged to meet regularly with their advisees, prepare advisees for a wide of range of careers and be open about any challenges students might face. Lewis added that the new advising materials are part of a multi-pronged strategy to “normalize” conversations on how to improve advising and alternative career paths. Another Graduate School initiative in the pilot phase focuses on creating a Brown Graduate Digital CV for graduate students “to keep track of their activities, whether it’s conference participation, the teaching that they’re doing (or) other kinds

of professional development activities,” Lewis said. The aim of the new initiative is to lower the hurdles to accessing resources on graduate advising, Lewis said. With a declining job market for entry-level assistant professor positions, “how do we support our students for a wide range of career trajectories?” Lewis added. According to the 2015 graduate student climate survey conducted by the Office of Institutional Research, doctoral students rated their programs’ responsiveness to student concerns with a score of about 4.14 out of five. “Beforehand, it felt like programs were sort of on their own to try to figure out what best practices were,” said Kate Carey, director of the behavioral and social health sciences doctoral program, who was also a member of the task force. The goal of the task force was to start conversations in different departments about what their advising practices should look like, Carey added. Although graduate students were not included on the task force, the group received feedback on its work from student organizations such as the Graduate Student Council, Lewis said. Through discussions, the task force chose resources on advising and mentoring that would be helpful for faculty and graduate students, said Professor of Applied Mathematics Bjorn Sandstede, a member of the task force. “We also didn’t want to reinvent the wheel because there’s a lot of discussion about advising and mentoring across the U.S.” Some resources that the task force chose were sourced from other institutions, such as the University of Minnesota, and academic journals such as “Nature.” Sandstede explained that brevity was crucial in choosing these resources. “If you give a faculty member a 100-page document and say ‘Read this. This is everything you need to know about advising and mentoring,’ they don’t have the time to do it.” Other future initiatives include holding workshops on advising for faculty and increasing data transparency for graduate programs, Lewis said. “Just because you have a PhD doesn’t mean you have the training to advise graduate students,” Carey said.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 • PAGE 3

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Study brings new insights on cancer research, treatment » MURAL, Research shows large cancer cells can lead to progression of cancer, remission By EUGENE HRABARCHUK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Polyploidal cancer cells, also known as giant cancer cells, have been brought into the spotlight as new research suggests their previously unknown involvement in cancer development and remission. Researchers found that normal cancer treatments led to an increase in these giant cancer cells, and this prompted research into exactly what their function was, said Michelle Dawson, assistant professor of molecular pharmacology, physiology and biotechnology. Other people have looked at polyploidal cells before, but most clinicians had viewed them as “dead-end cells” as they do not undergo mitosis, Dawson said. A polyploidal cancer cell, which is 10 times the size of a normal cancer cell, has multiple chromosomal copies, Dawson

said. The giant cell undergoes amitotic budding, when it splits and produces a “normal” cancer cell with an abnormal number of chromosomes. So, if there are more giant cells, this can cause cancer cells to proliferate, she added. “These cells are present in more aggressive types of cancer tumors,” said Deepraj Ghosh, postdoctoral research associate in Dawson’s lab. “They have been more resistant to chemotherapy drugs and act like a cancer stem cell, giving rise to a higher population of cancer cells, making them harder to treat,” he added. “It turns out that within a cancer cell population there are 1 to 2 percent of these giant polyploidal cells that exist,” Dawson said. If cancer is treated with common chemotherapy, such as Taxol or radiation, the number of giant cancer cells increases to between 20 and 90 percent, she added. “We have looked at breast and ovarian cancer, and the amount of polyploidal cells varies initially, but treatment is what gives rise to five to 10 times more of these cells,” said Botai Xuan, a PhD candidate in the lab.

COURTESY OF MICHELLE DAWSON

Polyploidal cancer cells, referred to as giant cancer cells, can undergo amitotic budding, releasing normally-sized cancer cells into the body.

» ELECTIONS, from page 1 contested. Incumbent Daniel McKee pulled off the win with 57,343 votes to the 54,955 garnered by Aaron Regunberg ’12, according to WPRI. Paul Pence won the Republican nomination uncontested. Incumbent Mayor Jorge Elorza handily gained the Democratic nomination for mayor of Providence with 58.6 percent of the vote with 99 percent of precincts reporting by press time, according to WPRI. Elorza defeated community activist Kobi Dennis and nonprofit president Robert DeRobbio, who received 24.2 percent and 17.2 percent, respectively. Dramatically out-fundraising his opponents, Elorza assured voters he would focus on finding a sustainable solution for Providence’s $2 billion financial obligations, according to the Providence Journal. In the race for U.S. Senate, incumbent Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., secured the Democratic nomination with 76.8 percent of the vote against 81-year-old activist Patricia Fontes, according to the Times. Whitehouse has built a reputation as a leader of climate-change reform in the Senate and as a vocal critic of the Trump administration. For the Republican nomination, Robert Flanders ’71 defeated Roque De La Fuente with 87.7 percent of the vote, according to the Times. In his campaign, Flanders has promised to put the state

above partisan politics and to be unafraid to speak his mind. Two U.S. House seats were on the ballot yesterday, and incumbent Rep. David Cicilline ’83, D-R.I., bested Christopher Young for the Democratic nomination for House District 1 with 77.9 percent of the vote and 99 percent of precincts reporting as of press time, according to the Times. Patrick Donovan defeated Frederick Wysocki for the Republican nomination with 78.3 percent of the vote and 99 percent of precincts reporting as of press time. For House District 2, both Republican Salvatore Caiozzo and incumbent Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., ran uncontested. Of the 38 state Senate seats up for grabs, only 13 of the nominations were contested. In the state House primary, which had 75 seats up for election, 20 nominations were contested. Peter Neronha received the Democratic nomination for attorney general uncontested. For the general treasurer race, incumbent Seth Magaziner received the Democratic nomination, and Michael Riley won the Republican nomination, both uncontested. Both candidates for secretary of state also ran uncontested, with incumbent Nellie Gorbea receiving the Democratic nomination and Pat Cortellessa garnering the Republican nomination.

TINA YANG / HERALD

Another problem is that there are so many cells in tissues that the likelihood of finding the 1 percent of cells that are polyploidal is not high, Dawson said. It’s only during late-stage cancer or after treatment that there is an observable amount of these cells. Polyploidal cancer cells form through endoreplication, a defective form of mitosis, where the cell clumps up rather than separating normally, Dawson said. They also form through “cell fusion,” where smaller normal cancer cells group together. Cell fusion increases substanitally when cancer is treated with high-dose Taxol, she added. Literature shows that these giant polyploidal cells survive after treatment, which increases production of non-polyploidal cells that can “restart” the tumor, Xuan said. Even though the focus has been on breast and ovarian cancer, polyploidal cancer types do not seem limited to specific cancers, Dawson said, adding that more research is needed. The difference between normal and giant cancer cells can be better understood through the tortoise and the hare

analogy, Dawson said. “(The smaller normal cancer cells) can move around pretty fast, but they cannot move directionally,” she said, while the giant cells have direct paths and can transport more cancer overall. Since there are multiple subtypes of cancer cells, including polyploidal cells, it is very difficult to treat an entire cancer population, Xuan said. By studying these giant cancer cells and their function, researchers can improve treatments and have better diagnostics than those used in the past, said Benjamin Tang, assistant adjunct professor at the University of California at San Francisco. “(We need to) isolate for these polyploidal cells, which would allow us to get a more in-depth understanding of the molecular composition of these cells,” Xuan said. “It’s a very exciting study, as it explores aspects of specific cancer cells that we typically don’t look at,” Tang said. There are a few companies looking into using drug-loaded nanoparticles for cancer treatment, but more research is needed, Tang said.

from page 1

celebration. “If we’re going to depict this history of this indigenous community here, we don’t want to just be doing it in a vacuum — we want to partner with someone in that community who can speak to the history,” said John Taraborelli of The Avenue Concept. “A city without public art is kind of ridiculous,” Platzer said and emphasized the ways in which public art “inspirespeople and gets (them) to stop — even for just a minute.” Camille Champ, a front-of-house supervisor at the Knead Doughnuts Custom House location, described the mural as “absolutely breathtaking,” acknowledging the number of people she has witnessed admiring the mural on her drive into work. “That’s what public art does — it kind of interjects itself into people’s lives,” Platzer said, adding that it is different than art found in a gallery or a museum, which requires an individual to intentionally look at art. Other murals commissioned by The Avenue Concept include those by Polish street artists BEZT, “She Never Came,” and Natalia Rak, “Adventure Time,” which face each other in the parking lot at the corner of Mathewson and Washington Streets. Another new mural, by The Avenue Concept’s 2018 2-D Resident Local Artist Sam White, “Party Shark — Seals Galore,” continues the nonprofit’s rotating mural project on the facade of the Providence National Bank, where it will remain for one year. This is the third mural to be introduced to this wall, replacing Umberto Crenca’s “Takes All Types.” Taraborelli hopes that this mural will help to spread the visibility of not just the nonprofit, but also the city of Providence, as The Avenue Concept installations have previously garnered a large presence on social media.“The ones we’ve done until now have been kind of tucked around corners, and you have to go look for them, but this is one that just tens of thousands of people are going to drive by or walk by every day … that visibility is huge for us,” he said.

SCIENCE & RESEARCH PAGE 4 • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

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Student-launched satellite Smart pillow talks to users, improves sleep thesis project successfully orbits earth Senior focuses on inclusive design, collection of user’s sleep pattern data By CATE RYAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF MCKENNA CISLER

The satellite, outfitted with LED lights, passes over Providence twice a day. Soon, residents will be able to see the flashing lights in the night sky.

BSE’s EQUiSat cube satellite blinks over Providence twice daily, tests viability of batteries By CHRIS SCHUTTE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Since its successful launch and deployment earlier this year, the Brown Space Engineering’s EQUiSat cube satellite has been continuously transmitting information down to Providence. A team of students at BSE has been collaborating on the project since its conception nearly eight years ago. As the team receives and records data from EQUiSat, BSE is already in the preliminary stages of preparing their next big cube satellite project, which is tentatively set for mid-2021, said current Project Manager Jacob Leiken ’20. Due to its lengthy and, at times, arduous construction, seeing the satellite’s launch has made the ever-growing list of team members proud of their project. Hunter Ray ’17, the project’s former team manager, was tasked with delivering EQUiSat to Houston to prepare for its launch and deployment this summer. “I was a little nervous having to hold onto it. … I got some funny looks on the airplane,” Ray said. In Houston, EQUiSat underwent final tests and was loaded for launch. Ray met other BSE alums to watch the launch. EQUiSat was launched around 4:40 a.m. May 21 and was deployed into orbit July 13. “It was pretty exciting not only for us to see how far we’ve come but for (the alums) to see their dream become a reality,” Ray said. As intended, the satellite passes over Providence about twice a day. “That’s the mission … the primary (goal) is to get people excited about it and try to show people the flash” of the satellite’s LEDs, said McKenna Cisler ’20, technical lead of the team. But its current orbit has been taking the satellite over Providence during the daytime, making it invisible to people on the ground, Leiken said. Though no one has seen EQUiSat’s flash yet, as it orbits around the Earth, the times during which it will pass over Providence will gradually enter the night, allowing its flash to be fully visible, he added. EQUiSat’s initial project of testing the potential of lithium iron phosphate batteries to be used in spacecraft has seen success in its mission. The batteries, which power the satellite’s LEDs, have shown that they can function in

the harsh conditions of space. “We’ve also been getting data that confirms that they are charging and discharging normally, handle the cold temperature well and don’t get too hot or fail to dissipate heat when providing a lot of current to the LEDs,” Cisler wrote in a follow-up email to The Herald. BSE is currently working on improving the ability of its ground stations to receive and analyze transmissions from EQUiSat, Ray said. There are currently two stations, with one currently in Rome and another in construction on top of Barus and Holley, Leiken said. EQUiSat currently has a web app and a mobile app that display its current location, allow users to interact with a model of the satellite and provide a complete history of its transmissions. Notifications can also update users whenever EQUiSat is over their current position, Leiken said. The team has received positive feedback from the ham radio community, which isable to pick up EQUiSat’s transmissions from around the world as it passes by. Transmissions have even been received in Saudi Arabia, Leiken added. The satellite is also being used by the team as a symbol for the BSE outreach program. BSE plans to teach younger students about space engineering and use EQUiSat as an educational tool to illustrate scientific concepts such as magnetic fields, Cisler said. The team is working on lesson plans and hopes to create an afterschool program for further outreach. “Space is accessible: We built this, you can look up and see the stuff in space; it’s easily done,” Cisler said. Leiken added that many children dream of being astronauts when they grow up but may abandon that dream due to the lengthy and grueling process. BSE’s success shows that people can have a connection to space without having to go into space, he said. While BSE still has time to collect and analyze data from EQUiSat before it burns up in the atmosphere, the team has already begun construction on its next satellite and is brainstorming ideas for its new focal point of research, Cisler said. One of the ideas being discussed is the implementation of a robotic arm with a camera that could lead BSE to build an aptly named “SelfieSat”, he added. “We put one of the cheapest satellites in orbit. … We’ve already had a ton of mission success,” Cisler said.

Restless nights spent tossing and turning may soon be a thing of the past. Together with a team of undergraduates and CS faculty, Tiffany Chen ’18 created a smart pillow that can read users’ sleep patterns and give recommendations for improvement. With ongoing work from Jiaju Ma ’21, a RISD dual degree student, the pillow is improving its accuracy and expanding its capabilities. The project began last fall, when Chen arrived on campus inspired by a summer spent interning at Microsoft and began planning a senior thesis with Assistant Professor of Computer Science Jeff Huang. With other members of Huang’s research group, Chen delved into the idea of personal fabrication, making everyday products that adapt to different users’ needs and environments. Chen’s early ideas were based on the notion of inclusive design and were particularly inspired by a personal ex-

there that we could put some sensors inside,” Huang said. Additionally, the pillow concept would allow them to combine different tracking devices such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and even pressure sensors. The team hoped that the pillow would be able to recognize whether a user typically slept on their side or back, for example, and then to “correlate that with when they wake up, how restful they feel,” he said. After coming up with this concept, the team needed to design a way by which users could gather data from the pillow and receive the pillow’s recommendations. The answer was not a screen. “It’s not a good idea to be using computers before bed … the light makes it harder to fall asleep,” Huang said. Chen then did research to figure out the best way for users to interact with the device, ultimately deciding on voice user interface as the best approach. The interaction with a voice UI also allows the sleeper using the pillow to “calibrate” it by declaring when they are on their back or side. After this calibration, the pillow can learn on its own and track which position the user is in even when they are sleeping, Huang said. The team used Botsociety, a tool that enables the creation of conversa-

mentorship in the CS department.” Chen graduated in the spring with degrees in Computer Science and Economics, but the pillow project will be continued by Ma, who studies industrial design and computer science. Ma received an Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award to work on the project this summer and will continue his involvement throughout the school year, he said. This summer, Ma worked to improve the prototype by building a sensor pad to cover the surface of the pillow, connecting it to the sleep recommendation engine and making the whole system more portable. His work allows the pillow to more accurately read the users’ movements and position, suggest sleep changes and then follow up to see if those recommendations helped improve sleep. The group hopes to have a singular sleep recommendation engine that can be used in a variety of ways through different devices, Huang said. Currently, the group has an app on the Google Play store called “SleepCoacher” which can be integrated with the pillow or used as a standalone app. They are still working on bringing their program to iOS. Overall, the intention of the project

COURTESY OF JEFF HUANG

Tiffany Chen ’18 developed the smart pillow with the help of undergraduates and Computer Science faculty. After Chen’s graduation, Jiaju Ma ’21, a RISD dual degree student, has expanded the pillow’s capabilities. perience — getting a piercing on her right ear and being directed not to sleep on that side as it healed. She thought that if a smart sleep device could help her in that moment, it might be able to help others who experience different sleep impediments, including sleep apnea and other conditions. While sleep-tracking devices exist — smartphones and Fitbits, for example — the group believed that these technologies may not monitor all aspects of sleep as seamlessly as something within the bed could. “We settled on a pillow … there’s enough cushion in

tional scenarios that arise between a user and device, to diagram out what pillowtalk between the user and the pillow would be like, she said. While making the prototype of the pillow, Chen said she relied on skills she had learned in her computer science and introductory engineering classes at the University. Though she didn’t end up pursuing an engineering degree, the intro classes she took taught her about building the circuits that now underlie the team’s pillow. She added that the key to the success of her project was “trial and error” and “a lot of good

is focused on “finding insights about human technology interaction versus creating something we can monetize,” Chen said. “Our goal is just to have as many people use it as we can,” Huang said, adding that “we want to make something that anyone can make or get cheaply.” In the future, the team plans to enter its work into the computer science research symposium“User Interface Software and Technology” and further develop the capabilities of the pillow itself, Ma said.

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o c e a n s tat e p r i m a r i e s

SATELLITE DINING ANDREWS COMMONS

Pizza: Spicy Sausage and Garlic, Assorted Roasted Mushroom Po’ Boy, Curry Bar, Make Your Own Salad JOSIAH’S

BLUE ROOM

Dumpling Bar, Jalapeño Burger, Quesadilla Station

Acai Smoothie Bowl, Turkey Chili, Aloo Saag

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Cajun Turkey Cutlet, Pork Chili, Cajun Spiced Tofu, Green Bean and Potato Salad

Veracruzana Fish of the Day, Lemon Rice, Palak Saag, Roasted Turnips, Pork Vindaloo

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

BBQ Beef Sandwich, Baked Penne in Roasted Red Pepper Cream, Onion Rings

Cajun Pasta with Chicken, Quinoa Pilaf with Peas and Sundried Tomatoes

sudoku

GUS REED / HERALD

Rhode Island voters trekked through heavy rain to cast their ballots in Wednesday’s Primary Elections. The victors for each party will face off in the Midterm Election on November 6, 2018.

Q U O T E O F T H E D AY

“

If we’re going to depict this history of this indigenous community here,

crossword

we don’t want to just be doing it in a vacuum — we want to partner with

”

someone in that community who can speak to the history.

— John Taraborelli of The Avenue Concept

See MURAL on page 1. CORRECTIONS An earlier version of a Sept. 12 Herald article, “University archaeology professors present summer findings,” stated that S’Urachi is an island off the west coast of Sardinia. In fact, S’Urachi is on the west coast of the island of Sardinia. An earlier version of this article also misspelled the name of the Shara mountains. In addition, the article previously stated that Yannis Hamilakis, professor of archaeology and professor of modern Greek studies, excavated skeletons while in Lesbos. In fact, Hamilakis excavated a skeleton on a different archaeological project in mainland Greece. The Herald regrets the errors. An earlier version of a caption that appeared online with the Sept. 10 article, “Primary for lieutenant governor highlights health care, campaign finances,” misidentified lieutenant governor hopeful Aaron Regunberg as the lieutenant governor. The Herald regrets the error.

calendar TODAY SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER MARCH

5 9

16 23

18 25

19 26

20 27

Starla Improv Workshop 7:00 A.M. Salomon 001

Electrical and Computer Engineering Seminar 11:00 A.M. Engineering Center 125

Workshop: Effective Academic Reading 12:00 P.M. Salomon 003

CareerLAB’s Class of 2022 Welcome Carnival 3:00 P.M. Main Green

TOMORROW EY-Parthenon Coffee Chats 11:00 A.M. Blue Room

Anthropology Talk by Javier Urcid, Brandeis University 12:00 P.M. Giddings House 212

Brown Hack Health 2018 5:30 P.M. Engineering Research Center, Hazeltine Commons

Talk by Argentine Writer Federico Spoliansky 5:45 P.M. Rochambeau House

COMMENTARY PAGE 6 • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

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COMMENTARY THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 • PAGE 7

Let’s change the way we think of self-care REBECCA OKIN staff columnist My most resolute commitment this summer was to dutifully neglect my glasses as much as possible. I read, I scroll, I write emails, yet — against the constant pleading of my mom —I disregard the brown frames that sit somewhere in my room. When I first got the prescription for my reading glasses freshmen year, the optometrist revealed to me that there is a connection between fatigue and not wearing your glasses. You use energy performing those weird squinty gestures when you aren’t peering through the altered lens. It makes you tired. I was tired a lot of the time. Meanwhile, I spent much of my time catastrophizing everything that comes after College Hill. A particularly dark image includes me, a fifty-foot cliff and only my English degree to soften the fall. I read (articles about the job prospects for liberal arts students), I scroll (Handshake job openings), I write emails (to all the BrownConnect contacts in the directory). Most of the time, I do these things sans glasses. It took all summer, but ultimate-

ly I came to understand the necessity of living life through my lenses, and it’s already alleviating my fatigue. Yet, there is an irony apparent in my simultaneous glasses-neglecting and future-tripping: I’m neglecting something that could improve my current well-being while obsessing over how to guarantee a happy future. Now, I

pursuing our goals and instead saw it as a vital ingredient in our overall success and well-being? Self-care, as it currently stands, represents the idea of taking moments of escape from stressful situations to preserve one’s well-being. A quick Google search associates the term with the active endeavors of “stepping

remembering to wear my glasses while searching for jobs online to realize that we should revamp our conception of self-care. Rather than a break from striving toward our goals, caring for ourselves should always been seen as an inextricable step in achieving them. Endeavors such as eating healthier and getting more sleep are not sepa-

Rather than a break from striving toward our goals, caring for ourselves should always be seen as an inextricable step in achieving them.

don’t intend on using this column to debate the value of over-thinking life post-Van Wickle Gates or that of dismissing the present for worries about the future. Rather, the irony I found actually presented a new conception of self-care, one that I can confidently get behind this year. What if we stopped thinking of self-care as a break from

back,” “taking the time,” and engaging in a “daily practice”. It’s no wonder that the suggestion of self-care on a SciLi night stacked with assignments is typically met with an eye-roll: How can we reconcile the time demands of selfcare while ignoring the pile of work in front of us that needs to get done? It took the very literal example of

rate from our efforts toward becoming successful CEOs and industry leaders. Instead, they are a part of getting us there. By understanding self-care as a essential component in the process of achieving our aspirations, we allow ourselves the chance to actually realize our dreams. This isn’t to say we should indulge

in a Netflix binge whenever we have a big work night ahead of us. In fact, we need to dismiss the pampering notion of self-care in order to take it seriously as a necessary element of our work. If we differentiate the concept of taking care of oneself versus overindulging (which is certainly okay at times), perhaps we will be more willing to recognize its critical importance. Simply, permitting “self-care” a substantive place in our to-do lists toward our goals means that we approach them as healthier and more attentive individuals, ones who might accomplish and thrive even more in those positions. While we cannot prepare for the exact obstacles that might come our way, we can prepare our future selves by developing abilities to handle these situations. In slowly implementing vitalizing moments of selfkindness into our schedules, we fortify ourselves with the necessary mental and physical stamina to overcome challenges.

Rebecca Okin ’19 can be reached at rebecca_okin@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

Shop for classes like you shop at Lowe’s AIDAN CALVELLI staff columnist “Shopping period” has always struck me as being too consumerist a term, too readily embracing a transactional conception of education. An education has to be earned, not bought. But, because my philosophical objection won’t get the University to rename its long-standing tradition, my only option was to double down on the term we’re given. That’s why I now think we should shop for classes like we’re shopping at Lowe’s. (Or if you prefer Home Depot, fine. As long as it’s a home improvement store, we’re on the same page.) At this point, you might be thinking: Lowe’s? Really? When’s the last time I even went to a Lowe’s, let alone thought of it as a model for my college education? Those are reasonable questions. (Though it’s unreasonable to go more than two weeks without visiting a Lowe’s.) Indeed, to many students, shopping period might seem more like shopping at Amazon. There are innumerable choices, you add items to a “cart” that always gets too big and the reviews never seem to match the product. Or maybe students see class shopping as akin to clothes shopping. You try a bunch of things on, see how they fit and then buy what you think you need to round out your wardrobe. The clothes shoppers are on to something, especially regarding ‘fit’: You want your clothes, like your classes, to go well together, to be

distinct from what you already have and to be a reflection of yourself. But there’s still something missing in the analogy. Clothes get grown out of, they go out of style and their importance is somewhat superficial. Courses, on the other hand, can inspire lifelong learning, touch on eternal themes and carry intrinsic value. Fortunately, shopping-as-Lowe’s presents no such conundra. At a home improvement store, you’re tasked with designing and furnish-

frameworks — those are what an effective shopping period gets you. First, you should install your floor, choosing the core classes on which you can build. Then you can find an accent rug, a course that highlights new dimensions of your academic interests. And to round things out, perhaps you should invest in a bit of wall art, a course that is all your own and explores new passions. And if you don’t study interior design at the Rhode Island School of Design and all this decorating

how desperately you need a new shower curtain). So, what’s the practical advice that’s hiding somewhere in this simile? It’s that courses don’t exist in a vacuum, and you should consider how each semester’s classes fit into the scope of your education. When evaluating classes, people normally ask questions like: Is this class interesting? Will I enjoy taking it? By the Lowes-ian approach, however, the questions should be: How does this class help me reach my educational

Indeed, to many students, shopping period might seem more like shopping at Amazon. There are innumerable choices, you add items to a “cart” that always gets too big and the reviews never seem to match the product.

ing the place you live — a beacon of steadiness and stability in your life. Lowe’s is neither transient nor trendy, not the kind of place you’d buy some gadget like a whipping siphon that you use once to impress a girl and then forget about. In class and at Lowe’s, you’re looking to build a foundation for the rest of your life, an academic and personal home base. Accents and complements, installations and

sounds like too tall a task, don’t fret: Lowe’s associates (aka Meiklejohns, advisors and peers) can help you choose the right products — classes — for the job of educating yourself. Even with this assistance, though, the ultimate task of homebuilding falls on you, the shopper. Sadly, just imagining going to Lowe’s won’t fill your cart with the perfect batch of courses for the semester (but it will remind you of

goals? Will it create a foundation for future learning or shine new light on a topic I’ve already studied? Does this class fill a gap in my intellectual portfolio? Et cetera. Answering these questions is undoubtedly harder than choosing classes whose Courses@Brown descriptions most catch your eye. Yet doing so is still vital. The classes you shop for (and ultimately take) ripple through far more than just the

two weeks of shopping period. College courses — whether by virtue of the content or of the best friend you might meet in your seminar — can create the foundation for lifelong learning and knowledge. That’s the privilege of shopping period: We’re given time to explore the consequential choices that comprise an academic career and ensure they’re the right ones. So, if you think of your courses as nothing more than little gizmos that make Jeff Bezos rich, then shop with a short-term outlook, focusing only on immediate pleasure or interest. But if you want to see every class you take as contributing to a wider and more meaningful educational experience, take the time to shop with a long-term, “home-improvement” view, recognizing that a college experience well-spent can be a launching pad to a life of meaning. As the Lowe’s motto goes, “never stop improving.” Whether you’re furnishing your dorm room or deciding how best to broaden your mind, these words will never fail as a guide. And if this article has inspired you to go to Lowe’s, do me a favor and return my wood paint stain. I got dark walnut instead of ebony, and it’s really ruined the aesthetic of my computer table.

Aidan Calvelli ’19 is not, but wishes to be, a Lowe’s associate and can be reached at aidan_calvelli@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald. com.

NEWS THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

Indie rock band Yo La Tengo graces Columbus Theatre Federal Hill venue hosts sold out performance by decorated, prolific 90s indie rock ensemble By ANNABELLE WOODWARD SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Tuesday night, fans filled Columbus Theater to see 90s indie rock band Yo La Tengo — the creation of New Jersey husband-and-wife duo Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley — perform simple, sleepily ambivalent love songs and encourage audience members to exercise their civic duties. Started in 1984 by Kaplan and Hubley (now ages 61 and 58, respectively), Yo La Tengo is a 30-year-old sonic experiment with a major cult following that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The band has released an album every year since 2013, each of which has defied the contemporary era’s indie archetype by staying faithful to the outfit’s emotional moorings. The couple’s newest album, released March 16 with Matador Records, is called “There’s a Riot Going On” — a coy reference to the 1970s funk band Sly and the Family Stone’s cynical, political album by the same name. Tinged with gentle philosophical undertones, the album contains tracks like “She May, She Might” and “For You Too” that offer the listener a what-will-be-will-be sense of acoustic understanding. “I am just some guy / Maybe I could be that guy?” sings Kaplan softly in “For You Too,” a song whose operative word is “maybe.” Yo La Tengo is a tight act on stage

COURTESY OF ALTERNA2

Yo La Tengo, an experimental rock band founded in 1984 by married couple Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, has maintained a devoted cult following over the years. Fans packed into Columbus Theatre to see the band — completed by bassist James McNew — perform. — serious and utilitarian in the way it handles its instruments. There’s no “How are we doing tonight, Providence?” fanfare when the band opens; the lights flick on and the pair begins digging into a long instrumental piece that incorporates gutteral howls, radio static and the buzzing of cicadas as it builds. When Kaplan begins to sing muted lyrics in his mid-century-documentary-narrator voice, the crowd goes wild. An elderly woman in front of me whispers to her neighbor, “Is that other guy playing a massive violin?”

The “other guy” she referenced is James McNew — Yo La Tengo’s 14th bassist. He’s been with the band since 1992 and is sometimes credited for establishing them as a contemporary genre mainstay. After a half dozen songs, Kaplan finally addressed the audience — “Providence! It’s been a while since I’ve been here. Maybe it will be a while till I come back,” he said with characteristic ambivalence. Comically awkward, all of his sentences tumbled out lopsided: “When I was in middle school there were these footlights on our

think realistically possible. Crouching, Kaplan held the guitar upside down and waved it around as he played, looking more like a contortionist than Slash. After the band said goodnight and exited the stage, the crowd cheered them back on only to receive a strangely executed talking-to, which preceded the band’s cover of Sun Ra’s “Nuclear War.” “I’m not really sure what elections you have going on here,” Kaplan said. “But I’m going to take this opportunity to attempt to tell people to vote.”

MEAL PLAN

» UCS, from page 1 a “culture of consent,” by mandating trainings for Category III groups, Tahir said. The bill is now being enacted and Tahir hopes that it will be “fully implemented” by the spring, she added. The council will also look to implement a new form for bias-related incident reporting this year, a project that some UCS members helped develop last year. Project Tampon has aimed to provide free menstrual products in University bathrooms since its launch in fall 2016. In spring 2018, UCS proposed that the Department of Facilities Management take on the administration of the project. However, it remains unclear whether the initiative has been adopted by Facilities Management. Though former UCS President Chelse-Amoy Steele ’18 wrote in a June 1 email to the general body that she had “worked with Brown University Facilities (Management) on an implementation plan for Project Tampon that will start in the fall of 2018,” the University could not confirm those plans this summer. In a June 15 email to The Herald, Director of News and Editorial Development Brian Clark wrote that “there is nothing definitive to share at this point in terms of agreement on a plan, a timeframe or other details,” though “Facilities (Management) has certainly been working with UCS to discuss the possibilities.” Clark was not able to confirm by press time whether the initiative’s status has changed as of this fall. Though

stage,” he said, pointing to the footlights at the edge of the stage. “Kind of like these footlights here, so I’m distracted. Were there footlights in your schools?” No one responded. Though the band is most often lauded for its ability to manufacture tranquility and, in the words of Pitchfork writer Ed Harvey, “sonic care,” it clearly has some serious rock-and-roll chops. In the second half of the set, it played early headbanger favorites like “Sugarcube,” and Kaplan’s electric guitar-playing defied what one might

changes

STEP ONE:

Choose a Meal Plan.

REMINDER:

T DAY THE LASEA L PLAN

TO MAKE M EDNESDAY, CHANGES IS W

SEPT. 2 !

VIEW OPTIONS AT BROWN.EDU/FOOD

• You can ADD a new Meal Plan at any time during the year • You can make one CHANGE per semester. Fall deadline is 9/2 • Meal Plan CANCELLATIONS for the whole year are due by 9/2

STEP TWO:

Let us assist you!

EMAIL DINING_SERVICES@BROWN.EDU OR CALL 863-3343 WITH QUESTIONS

• Changes can only be made in person weekdays from 9:00AM to 4:00PM at the Brown Dining office located at 144 Thayer Street (Sharpe Refectory). ASHLEY KNEBEL / HERALD

President of the Undergraduate Council of Students Shanzé Tahir ’19 outlined the council’s past projects as well as announced its future plans. Tahir said that Project Tampon was “all set to go” as a Facilities Management program at last night’s meeting, she later wrote that “UCS is looking into Project Tampon’s sustained implementation” after being informed by The Herald of the June 15 correspondence with the University. The council will also pursue new initiatives this year, including working to improve community accountability through a focus group that will examine how best to prevent harm on campus, Tahir said. UCS will also support the #FullDisclosure campaign, a movement to make public the information about the use of legacy status in admissions . A referendum asking the University to disclose information about legacy admission garnered 81 percent of the vote

in March’s UCS and Undergraduate Finance Board elections. The council is “really working closely with administrators to get more progress on that,” Tahir said. At next week’s meeting, the council will hold internal elections for several open positions, including historian, secretary and alum liaison. Students interested in joining the general body and becoming voting members of UCS will now have to collect ten signatures from their peers and attend two general body meetings to be eligible. Previously, students were required to collect 100 signatures to do so. Tahir emphasized that the council welcomes community feedback. “We really do want to hear your thoughts and your input and your ideas,” Tahir said.

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