Northern Iowan t h e u n i v e r s i t y o f n o r t h e r n i o wa’s s t u d e n t - p r o d u c e d n e w s p a p e r s i n c e 1 8 9 2
JUNE 29, 2012
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VOLUME 108, ISSUE 58
FRIDAY
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA
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NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG
PRICE LAB SCHOOL
Judge says Regents can close Price Lab UNI says it will continue with plans to close lab school; plaintiffs plan appeal KARI BRAUMANN Executive Editor
The University of Northern Iowa can continue with its plans to close Malcolm Price Laboratory School, according senior district court judge Alan Pearson’s ruling Monday. The decision comes from a lawsuit filed by 37 area parents, educators and community members against the Iowa Board of Regents this spring. UNI said it would close Price Lab in a round of budget cuts announced in February, and the BOR approved the decision. However, the plaintiffs argued that the BOR did not have the legal authority to close Price Lab. They referred to Chapter 256G, passed by the Iowa legislature in 2010, which changed “Price Lab and the Center for Early Childhood Development Education into the state’s Research and Development School,” according to the petition filed by attorney Thomas
BRANDON BAKER/Northern Iowan
Malcolm Price Laboratory School is pictured in early 2012. After the University of Northern Iowa announced plans to close the school by July 1, 2012, a group of community members, educators and parents filed a lawsuit against the Board of Regents arguing that the board did not have the power to close the school.
Frerichs in March. Time was of the essence as the hearing took place Monday, June 16, less than two weeks before the school was slated to close at the end
of the month. During the hearing, Pearson said “there is no wisdom of Solomon here,” according to live blogging done by Jeff Reinitz of the
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Pearson said no matter how he ruled, one side would likely appeal his decision, according to the Courier. Frerichs argued that
UNI had a legislative mandate to run Price Lab as the state R&D school once Chapter 256G took effect. Jeff Thompson, attorney for the BOR, said the legislation “was clear that Price Lab was separate from the R&D school,” according to the Courier. He said Price Lab was only being considered as a site for the state R&D school, and was only mentioned in the legislation as being considered as the home for the school. In his rebuttal, Frerichs argued that UNI was trying to change the concept of the R&D school as indicated in the legislation, and opting for a “think tank” model went against the “legislative intent,” according to the Courier. According to the Facebook group Keep Price Lab Open, the plaintiffs have 10 days from the date of the ruling to appeal the decision and will likely do so.
SUMMER CAMPS
Students’ sumo robots duke it out at UNI summer camp CODY GRIMES News Writer
Miniature robots duked it out in the sumo wrestling ring last week as their young builders looked on. For the third year, the University of Northern Iowa Physics Department hosted a beginning robotics camp for students in grades eight to 10. The one-week camp, which took place June 18-22 in Begeman Hall, focused around the construction and modification of mini sumo robots. The week culminated in a public demonstration and battle between the robots the students built at the camp. Dale Olson, UNI professor of physics, coordinated the camp with the assistance of Jeff Wallace, a student in the physics graduate program and president of the UNI Physics Club. After instruction by Olson and Wallace, the students used their own skills to modify and battle their
robots on playing fields 30 inches in diameter. Onboard computers and near-field sensors assisted the autonomous robots in their battle to knock their competitors out of the ring. The 12 camp participants trekked to Cedar Falls from as far away as Ohio and Minnesota. Some campers were local students from the Cedar Valley and surrounding towns. Wallace said that the recent reduction of funding to the physics department didn’t deter students from enrolling in the camp. “Budget cuts haven’t impacted these kinds of activities. We’ve seen 12-14 participants for the last three years,” said Wallace. Jaspar Nitzsche of Ohio explained that the robotics camp at UNI is only his first of the summer. “I am involved in a Lego robotics camp in Ohio. Anything involving robotics and computers, I’m interested,” said Nitzsche as he
worked on modifying code for his robot. Sierra Thomas, a high school freshman from Waterloo, has been involved with and interested in computer science for a long time. “In middle school, sixth to eighth grade, I became interested in robotics and physical sciences. I’d like to be a computer programmer and work on automated machinery,” said Thomas. One can find sumofighting robots on campus at other times of the year as well. The UNI Physics Department teams up with the North American Robotics Association, or NARA, and hosts the MiniSumo Robotics Invitational every spring. The sixth annual camp, held earlier this year, drew a record 30 builders and 32 robots. For more information on the annual competition, visit www.narobotics.com and www.physics.uni.edu.
Courtesy Photo
Dale Olson, UNI physics professor, assists a summer camp student with her robot in Begeman Hall during the week of June 16.