TECHNICIAN
Hate thy neighbor?
Learning about the black press Richard Owen, chair of the Louisiana Tech University journalism department, will visit campus to talk about the power and the influence of the black press. His talk will be in Tomkins G0123 at 1 p.m. today. Owens is an expert on the history that brought about African American publications, and his talk will analyze the oppressive social conditions that prompted journalists and activists to start the first black newspapers. The talk will include aspects of American history, sociology, psychology, political science and music studies.
Celebrating Brazilian culture The Office of International Services showcased Brazil Wednesday at Caldwell lounge as part of their cultural events series. The event explored Brazilian food and dance and included presentations about the country’s culture. Brazilian exchange students were on hand to help. OIS has also put on similar events focusing on India, China, South Korea, Turkey and Iran.
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R
oss Jackson, a fundamentalist Christian preacher compares Bible verses with a student on the Brickyard. “It’s a great place to preach. It’s a learning environment, there’s young people, young people are usually apt to recieve the truth and be saved and people that are older... We preach on and in Churches and everywhere but this is a great place to preach, it’s a ton of people here. Why not?”
TEDxNCSU: right around the corner
Ceramics are used to create a wide variety of technologies, including body armor, fuel cells, spark plugs, nuclear rods and superconductors. The process for creating high-density ceramics used to take hours, but thanks to an N.C. State professor, a method taking only seconds has been developed. The process also requires less energy. Jay Narayan, John C. Fan Distinguished Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at N.C. State discovered a way to selectively “sinter,” or compress ceramic powder into certain shapes and published his work earlier in February.
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Research leads to cutting-edge classroom Staff Writer
UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State are partnering to host the Immigration Matters Forum at the James B. Hunt Library today from noon to 5 p.m. UNC-CH’s Center for International Understanding organized the lineup of speakers and presenters, which includes Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice; Anna Navarro, a CNN correspondent; and NCSU ’12 alum Saul Flores will present on his project the Walk of the Immigrants.
Ceramic research offers many benefits
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Jessica Hatcher
Immigration Matters Forum comes to Centennial Campus
The world famous Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference is coming to N.C. State in local form Saturday, March 23. Named TEDx, the program was created by TED to provide TED-like conferences that are local and self-organized. N.C. State’s version of TEDx, TEDxNCSU, is in its fourth year and will be held at the James B. Hunt library on Centennial campus. Much like the original TED conferences, TEDxNCSU will feature guests addressing a wide range of topics within the research and practice of science and culture, often through storytelling.
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Justice calls for greater appreciation, understanding of the Constitution Josué Molina Staff Writer
An associate North Carolina State Supreme Court Justice visited campus Wednesday to discuss the rights that United States citizens are not using. Mark Martin, senior associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, was a guest lecturer for a Legal and Regulatory Environment class in Nelson Hall Wednesday morning. Martin focused his lecture on the idea that Americans don’t use the rights they are granted by the United States Constitution, specifically concerning how trials by jury are an infrequent occurrence. Students should participate in discussions with their peers and teachers about the Constitution to preserve the current jury system, according to Martin. Students should get involved by discussing which rights should be protected and also have less apathy for issues pertaining to rights. Martin said trials by jury are not being used as often as they once were and people are not taking advantage of a jury made up of peers. This idea is unique to the Unit-
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ed States because we are the only nation that allows a jury made up of citizens. “The jury system sets us apart,” Martin said. “What if you are accused of a crime and one judge is in front of that court room? Think about the bias, one person is deciding guilt or innocence.” Martin also said he would rather take his chances in front of jury than a judge, which is an opportunity only Americans have. Martin said he’s noticed juries have been used less frequently and plea bargains are becoming the normal procedure in criminal cases. “The system is under attack and not used as often as is used to be,” Martin said. “Somebody is charged with a more serious crime but in order to not take court time...the charges are eventually resolved administratively.” Martin also cited too few court rooms and insufficient funds to bring in jurors as reasons for a decline in jury trials. Martin emphasized the jury may not exist in the future. He said that the preservation of the jury system is in the hands of groups, like N.C. State students, that are active in the community. Citizens should think about the future of the system before they are in situation where they will depend
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Mark D. Martin speaks at a Legal and Regulatory Environment class in Nelson Auditorium Feb. 27.
on it, according to Martin. The lecture concluded with questions from the audience that involved controversial topics like gay marriage and the legalization of marijuana. Briana Sauer, a senior in accounting, said Martin’s speech added a human element to the legal system because it matched a face to the North Carolina judiciary. “Having him speak to us and have the potential for interaction humanizes it and it makes the law more tangible,” Sauer said.
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Researchers in the First-Year Writing Program implemented a new flexible classroom layout which encourages alternative teaching styles and decreases costs. The Flexible Classroom Project is a joint effort between Susan Miller-Cochran, associate professor of English and the director of the First-Year Writing Program and Dana Gierdowski, a doctoral candidate in communication, rhetoric and digital media. The purpose of The Flexible Classroom Project is to give instructors more flexibility, engage students more in the writing process, and lower costs, according to Gierdowski. To accomplish these goals, project designers made furniture in the classroom mobile and eliminated in-class computers Miller-Cochran added. “We wanted to make all of the furniture mobile so that things can be adjusted depending on the class,” Miller-Cochran said. “Instructors can arrange the classroom furniture whichever way they choose.” The pilot classroom is Tompkins 126, which is used for English 101 classes. The classroom features moveable chairs, tables, whiteboards, several LCD screens, and a wall of windows. It has been used for three semesters now. Jenna Shouse, a freshman in first year college, was in the classroom for an English 101 class. “I liked that we could move around the chairs and tables. It made class less stale and more interesting,” Shouse said. Michael Cartwright, a sophomore in microbiology, was another student who had class in the flexible classroom. Cartwright said the classroom helps students analyze and work with digital media. “Overall, it was a very relevant and well-designed classroom, Cartwright said.” It made the digital age that we live in easier to interpret because each type of media was available to work with and easily accessible through the provided technology.” Having mobile furniture and teaching aids allows for a decentralization of the classroom, MillerCochran explained. Laura Giovanelli, a lecturer in the First-Year Writing Program, prefers the flexible classroom for this reason. “I don’t always have to be in the front of the classroom,” Giovanelli said. “The design breaks down the
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Fight to lower tuition and fee 39% increases Include more student 20% feedback into adminstrative decisions Rush the basketball 18% court more after wins Better representation in 12% the Association of Student Governments Lead more philanthropic 12% ventures
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