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volume 132, number 18
wednesday, february 20, 2013
Davis bikes to work the most, survey says Historical developments promote bike-friendly culture By MEREDITH STURMER Aggie News Writer
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011 Community Survey, approximately 16.6 percent of workers in Davis bike to work — the highest percentage of any city in the country. The survey found that out of 29,663 workers, 4,923 are considered bike commuters, with a margin of error of 1,927. However, the survey only asked about a single method of transportation for the longest section of a commute, so it does not take into account those who utilize a bike for part of their commute or may only bike to work several days a week. The survey also does not take into account students biking to campus, even if they are employed on campus and technically bike to work. Nevertheless, the ranking is still a favorable one for Davis, home to the U.S. Bicycle Hall of Fame and often referred to as “The Bicycle Capital of the U.S.” According to David Takemoto-Weerts, bicycle program coordinator at UC Davis Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS), a number of factors contributed to the development of such a bicycle-friendly culture in Davis. In the 1950s, Davis’ status as a small college town with flat topography, mild weather and a compact nature made bicycles a viable form of transportation for many residents. However, bikes became a significant part of campus and community life starting in 1959, when newly appointed chancellor Emil Mrak began working toward his vision of a bicycle-friendly campus. Former Chancellor Mrak insisted that every building on campus feature bike parking in front of the building as opposed to in a less-accessible location. According to Weerts, many architects at the time were — and even today are — resistant to the idea of in-
corporating bike parking into the design of their buildings. “That [bike parking] was very visionary,” Weerts said. Gates were built around campus in 1967 to prevent vehicular traffic from traveling through campus, another cycling milestone under Mrak. However, Weerts also cited the importance of former UC Davis Professor Frank Child in developing the town of Davis into the bicycle-friendly city it is today. In 1963, Child proposed that the roads be “striped” to eliminate conflict between increasing numbers of both motorists and cyclists. Although this was already common in European cities, Child’s idea, a novel and controversial one in the U.S., was instrumental in the development of something often widely incorporated into urban planning efforts today — bike lanes. According to Weerts, the bike lane was essentially innovated in Davis, thanks to Child and many candidates running for Davis City Council in 1966, who ran on a “Pro-Bike Lane” platform. In 1967, striping began on all arterial roads such as West Covell and Russell Boulevard. Changes were made to traffic laws and the vehicular code regarding the rights of cyclists and the rules they must abide by. These efforts have contributed to Davis being one of the safest and desirable cities for bicycle commuters in the nation. “Since 1987, only two bike fatalities have occurred in the City of Davis,” Weerts said. There are numerous bike shops in Davis as well to suit the needs of bicycle commuters. “We specialize in helping people get to and from work by bike, especially students,” said Dave Grundman, assistant manager at B&L Bike Shop. “That’s our
See BIKE, page 2
News iN Brief
How to survive an asteroid impact
Float ideas needed for Picnic Day Davis residents are invited to fundraise and plan for the Picnic Day Parade on April 20. Five neighborhood float committees will participate in creating floats for the event. On Sunday from noon to 1:30 p.m., there will be a meeting at
Central Park to discuss float ideas. For more information, email the Central Davis organizer Julie Langston at atjlangston311@ gmail.com. — Claire Tan
Davis looking for natural resource commissioners The City of Davis is currently accepting applications from those interested in being part of the Natural Resources Commission. Applications are available at City Hall or can be downloaded from the City of Davis website, and are due Feb. 25. The city council will appoint commissioners on March 5. The Natural Resources
Commission meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Monday of every month at City Hall. Commissioners uphold the preservation and management of natural resources, as well as recommend policies for the city to abide by regarding recycling, waste management and the like. — Claire Tan
Brett Burns leaves position as ASUCD Business Manager Brett Burns, the ASUCD Business Manager, will leave his position within the Association, as he has accepted a position as Senior Assistant Dean for Administration at the UC Davis School of Law. Burns joined ASUCD in February 2012 as Business Manager, working with various members of the Senate table and Unit Directors to ensure financial stability within the Association, according to the ASUCD website. Graduating in 1995, Burns is also a UC Davis alumnus, with a bachelor’s in sociology and economics with an emphasis in organizational management. He was also involved in the development of the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) and previously served as the Executive Director of Auxiliary Services. “Since joining UC Davis in
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1998, Brett has contributed his time and talent to improving student leadership, student governance and student success in a variety of capacities,” said ASUCD President Rebecca Sterling in a Feb. 19 email to members of the Association. “Brett’s contributions will be missed, but we are confident that his dedication to improving student success and UC Davis will continue in his new leadership role.” Brett is likely to make his transition part-time in March, and will then begin working at the School of Law, effective April 1, according to the email. Sterling and Burns are currently developing a process to select an interim manager and replacement. This will be announced shortly. — Muna Sadek
Nathan Chan / Aggie
Many Davis residents bike to class and work every day. The U.S. Census Bureau found that 16.6 percent of residents bike to work.
Retired UC Davis professor publishes book about asteroid-devastated Earth By JOYCE BERTHELSEN Aggie Features Writer
Last Friday, asteroid DA14 zipped by Earth at a recordbreaking distance of about 17,000 miles from the Earth’s surface. That same day, a surprise meteor streaked across the sky and rained fireballs on Russia, causing a shock wave to blast windows, trigger car alarms and injure civilians. But in an alternate world, it was the asteroid that collided with Earth and ripped our planet of civilization. Retired UC Davis professor Thomas Cahill published his first novel of a trilogy, Ark: Asteroid Impact, telling a story about a post-apocalyptic world. This science fiction begins in Davis and centers on Californians trying to survive the devastating effects of an asteroid impact and rebuild civilization. “I’ve always been fascinated by the effects that asteroids have on the Earth and especially the extinction of the dinosaurs,” Cahill said. “And the question came to me, ‘What if the same thing happened now, but instead of dinosaurs, we have people who are clever enough to somehow survive?’” Ark: Asteroid Impact was published in December of 2012, just in time for people to wonder what could have happened if a large asteroid had hit the Earth instead of the smaller meteor last Friday. The novel tells the story of a shattered civilization, wiping out most forms of plants and animal life on Earth. In order to portray a realistic post-apocalyptic Earth, Cahill said he based a fictional story on science. “It’s fictional, but the science is solid,” Cahill said. “I tried to do the best science possible using
Forecast Nice and cool for the rest of the week so wear those nice colorful gloves and scarves and enjoy the nice sunny days. Perfect for a nice hot cup of cocoa between classes. Roberto Martinez, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team
results from the previous extinctions.” Cahill has authored plenty of academic articles and book chapters. He retired from UC Davis in 1994 as a physics professor after joining the university in 1967. Cahill is still active in his field with his current research expertise in the impact of aerosols on climate change and from highways and rail yards. Part of Cahill’s work has involved protecting the visibility at U.S. national parks and monuments
James Kim / Aggie
through the aerosol network. He also helped evaluate air at the excavation project after 9/11 and has worked in nuclear physics and astrophysics. “One of the most compelling things about Tom’s writing is, because he has the physics background, he actually goes in and makes sure the physics is as close to reality as possible,” said Sean Barberie, a fourth-year physics major. Barberie has been working with Cahill for two years as a studentemployee doing physics work focused on aerosol science. To make the book even more realistic, Cahill said that every place the characters travel to are places he has been to, including Cheyenne Mountain. He said that this allows him to describe each place accurately and realistically. Starting in Davis, the novel begins with 20 UC Davis survivors, including physicists.
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“As the book develops, you start having other groups, who have either by luck or skill, somehow survive, so you start seeing them put together a new society,” Cahill said. “And of course, the Earth is the new ark. The Earth is very badly damaged. It’s in an Ice Age right now. So you see them re-crafting the Earth.” Cahill’s science-packed and realistic novel almost serves as a “Guide to Surviving an Asteroid Impact.” He begins with descriptions about a mine at 2,500 feet in Eureka, where the survivors take refuge. “If you heard that an asteroid is going to strike, the first thing to understand is there will be tsunamis all around the world,” Cahill said. “The first thing is to get away from the ocean. The second thing you’ll learn is that when the thing strikes, it puts ash in the sky and that cuts down the sunlight, and the Earth gets very, very cold. So the second thing you have to survive is cold.” Ark: Asteroid Impact is Cahill’s second novel, following Cahill’s first book published last October. Cahill said he started writing for fun after he retired, writing a few pages at a time and getting feedback from friends. He said that Ark: Asteroid Impact was published after much encouragement from friends. “[The book] sounded good,” said Glen Erickson, a retired UC Davis physics professor. “It sounded like something that could do well. He asked me some questions about the astronomy, which I knew a bit more than he did. I know that he enjoys writing and I presume that he does a fairly decent job at it.” Cahill began writing the novel about a year and a half ago, finishing last November. He said that he was inspired to write the book because of the growing scientific
See ASTEROID, page 2 Want to improve your resume? Come to Alpha Kappa Psi’s “Resume Hacking Workshop” in Olson 146 tonight at 7 PM! Bring a copy of your resume to be reviewed by the premier professional business fraternity on campus. Amanda Nguyen
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daily calendar dailycal@theaggie.org
WEDNESDAY
the John Natsoulas Gallery. An open mic will follow the main performance.
Lego Building Contest 1 to 2 p.m. Kemper Lobby Join the UC Davis Engineering Joint Council and compete in teams of four for the grand prize of four $25 Amazon gift cards. Teams will compete in various tasks and will be evaluated based on speed, accuracy and more. Anyone can form a team, but only eight teams will participate.
Circle K International Sixth General Meeting 6 to 7 p.m. 6 Olson Interested in doing community service, developing leadership skills and gaining friendships? Then come out and see what the club has to offer you.
THURSDAY Free Breakfast 10 to 11 a.m. Student Health & Wellness Center, Conference Room 2 Join the Teaching Kitchen for a free and balanced breakfast. Learn how to make an eggs primavera breakfast wrap and a vegan scramble. Eating breakfast helps refuel your brain to get you ready for your studies and tests. Reserve your seat and sign up today via Health-e-messaging at shcs.ucdavis.edu/hem.
Biomedical Engineering Departmental Seminar Series 4:10 to 5 p.m. 1005 GBSF Come down for a presentation by faculty candidate for the mechanistic modeling faculty position Dr. Sven van Teeffelen as he talks about “The Dynamical Cytoskeleton Regulates Morphogenesis in Rod-like Bacteria.”
Poetry Night Reading Series 8 to 10 p.m. John Natsoulas Gallery Come down for an artful evening as Edythe Haendel Schwartz performs her poetry at
FRIDAY Backcountry Film Festival 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Brunelle Performance Hall Come celebrate the human-powered winter experience with the Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival for seven unique films ranging from features of the steep slopes of Alaska to the deep powder of Japan. Advance tickets are $12, available at either Outdoor Davis or online at snowlands.org, and $15 at the door.
Urinetown - The Musical 8:10 to 9 p.m. 607 Pena Drive Join us for an evening of musical whimsy directed by Steve Isaacson, musical directed by Jonathan Rothman and choreographed by Pam Lourentzos. Urinetown is a satirical comedy musical that pokes fun at the everything, from government bureaucracy and the legal system to corporate America’s mismanagement and social irresponsibility. Tickets are $18.
SATURDAY Urinetown - The Musical 8:10 to 9 p.m. 607 Pena Drive Join us for an evening of musical whimsy directed by Steve Isaacson, musical directed by Jonathan Rothman and choreographed by Pam Lourentzos. Urinetown is a satirical comedy musical that pokes fun at the everything, from government bureaucracy and the legal system to corporate America’s mismanagement and social irresponsibility. Tickets are $18. To receive placement in the AGGIE DAILY CALENDAR, email dailycal@theaggie. org or stop by 25 Lower Freeborn by noon the day prior to your event. Due to space constraints, all event descriptions are subject to editing and priority will be given to events that are free of charge and geared toward the campus community.
was -30, -50 [Fahrenheit] with the windchill. There were a lot of layers involved that day.” According to Coleman, who commutes from Woodland, keeping an eye out for motorists is important regardless of the weather. Safety issues are often the number-one concern of potential bike commuters, Weerts said. “Know the rules of the road,” Weerts said. “Understand that they apply to bikes and learn how to ride in traffic.” Weerts also emphasized the importance of understanding when it is appropriate to “take the roadway” while biking. On a road without a bike lane and a lack of space for a cyclist and motorist to safely travel side by side, such as at the intersection of Russell Boulevard and Fifth Street, it is legal and safer for the cyclist to move into the center of the lane. Prospective commuters concerned about what type of bike is best for just commuting need not worry too much about investing in a fancy road bike, as these are often magnets for theft. A used bike from a bike shop is ideal, and the only sorts of bikes that should be avoided are those purchased directly from big-box stores such as Target or Wal-Mart, according to Weertz. “We call those BSOs,” Weerts said. “Bicycleshaped objects.”
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Cont. from front page core demographic.” Grundman also noted the affordability of commuting by bike, making it a desirable option particularly for students. “Whenever gas prices go up, we see a lot of people coming in looking to save on transportation costs,” Grundman said. However, a number of other factors have still contributed to the decline of biking as a primary form of transportation among students, faculty and other Davis residents. Davis bike commuting figures began dropping in 1990, due to increasing numbers of Davis workers commuting from outside of town because of the rising cost of housing and living in Davis. Weerts cited the 1992 student referendum in which students voted to include the cost of Unitrans in their student ASUCD fees as a significant reason fewer students regularly used their bikes as a form of transportation. All trips on Unitrans were and are still free, and many students opted to take the bus as opposed to biking even for very short distances. The perceived ease of commuting by bike in Davis is also relative depending on one’s own experiences. “I’m a recent transplant from Alaska, so commuting down here is a breeze,” said Dave Coleman, service manager at Davis Wheelworks bike shop. “The coldest MEREDITH STURMER can be reached at city@ weather I’ve commuted in theaggie.org.
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ny, your professor hands you your test. The corner of the blue book tells you, in big red numbers, why Sean you are without equal. Lenehan Your grade is less than zero Memory percent. Your written answers are so vile, so repugnant, and so absolutely wrong that they merit negative points. You must be dreaming. You are. Thankfully, the test had not happened yet. I still ot too long ago, I de- had time to study — and cided to stop sleepI made damn sure I did. I ing. I needed to get made sure I slept too. more stuff done. These familiar night The recent flood of midmares often deliver a terms and papers had message about our waksomething to do with it. ing world, easily decodBut more than that, I was ed through some amateur rebelling against the seven- psychoanalysis. But maybe day segments that dictate they can say more. our waking consciousness. Dreams like these are When I did sleep, I wasn’t anomalous — they stay waiting until tomorrow’s with us. They’re so bizarre, light. I was collapsing inor frightening, or othervoluntarily, whether it was wise remarkable that we reappropriate or not. These member them. Most othindiscriminate naps made er dreams fade soon afbeing awake seem as odd ter waking, or seem not to as being asleep. have happened at all. Lunchtime slumber It seems forgetting made the morning feel dreams is a necessary aslike yesterday. I ate tacos pect of resting the mind. for what must have been Deep, dreamless sleep esbreakfast, at 2 p.m. At one tablishes a neat boundary point I was working from 9 between the real and unto 5 — the other 9 to 5. real, between days of the I was doing more, week, between light and though darkness. maybe not Trading doing bet- They’re so bizarre, or frightening, this organiter. I mar- or otherwise remarkable that we zation of our veled at thoughts remember them the effort and memit took to ories for inform sensomnia may tences aloud, as did friends lead to having tacos for I met on campus. breakfast at 2 p.m. That In any event, I was was a confusing, if delicertainly processing cious meal. memories of my daily The very funny Dick experience differently. Cavett once noted that If sleep is a punctuation we don’t really create our of our daily lives, then my dreams either. Everything own frantic existence must in them is new and surhave been something like prising. This might be what Morse code. makes nightmares so dis I was not rested, which ruptive. We are not in conmade me feel unprepared, trol of the stories we live which made me anxious, while asleep. which made me more un What we do control, to likely to sleep. Though, this the extent our work allows did lead to some memoraus, is when we go to bed ble dreams. each night. It seems logical Consider the following that anxiety and restlesspremise: ness in the waking world You are sitting, lead to nightmares in sleep. inconspicuously, in the We can avoid these interback of class when your ruptions by resting on a professor singles you out. regular schedule. Your responses on the Routine sleep offsets written exam are without a very real cost of walkprecedent. ing around half-awake. A She thrusts her hand, recent study by Harvard clenched tightly about your found that sleep-deprived blue book, high above her employees cost American head. This work is peerless, companies approximateshe exaggerates loudly. No ly $63.2 billion per year. one should be capable of Putting in long hours may this. be working dumb, not Faceless heads turn working hard. slowly toward you. You The waking world can sheepishly arrange your be a challenging place. But features in a way you spending too much time hope conveys modesty. here may hurt us more You quietly congratulate than help us. It had me yourself. worried I got an F-minus Your professor continon my geology exam. We ues, about how in all her have to acknowledge the years and all that, she has obvious fact that taking a never read anything quite break is necessary. With like it. She harangues the that, I’m going to close my class on the proper metheyes. ods of studying, of diving into the material. You SEAN LENEHAN still doesn’t know what know, really getting into it. he got on his exam. He can be reached at Following more ceremo- splenehan@ucdavis.edu.
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the same phrase over and over, “omelette du fromage,” which is (someLeo what) French for “cheese Ocampo omelette.” Some He can’t wish his mom a shake good morning, and worse, he can’t even properly insult his big sister, who literally takes pleasure in his suffering. nly I would hap- She adds to the headpen to catch the ache and confusion by weirdest fucking mocking him and chantepisode of “Dexter’s Lab” ing “That’s all you can say” while all alone at four in over and over in an unthe morning. The uni- bearably shrill voice. verse loves to fuck with At this point I begin to wonder if it’s just a coincime like that. Earlier, we were in the ga- dence that these two storage getting drunk around ries are so eerily similar. an old television set that It feels like a strange we had accidentally set on kind of deja vu. An unexfire. It didn’t take long be- plainable quirk in reality fore some of us started tell- meant specifically to freak me out a little. ing ghost stories. As embarrassing as it is Is the universe trying to admit, ghost stories still to tell me something? Is scare the shit out of me. something dreadful about Even if they are obviously to happen? Do I still refake or made up, they still member how to talk propstealthily penetrate deep erly? Is something watchinto my mind and hide ing me? there until I’m all alone Or am I just too damn high? and vulnerable. There was one story in Vexed and dumbfoundparticular that I immediate- ed, Dexter tries to return to the comfort of his lab, but ly found pretty disturbing. According to the “true” of course it is locked and story, one day some high voice-activated. No matter schooler was driving how hard he tries, every his girlfriend home af- time he opens his mouth to speak, ter school. he can’t They had anybeen hav- As in, people will do what makes say ing an ar- them happiest/benefits them thing except “omgument, the most. elette du so he got fromage.” on a long, S i n c e deserted stretch of road and sped this is not the correct passthe car up to over 90 mph, word, the computer thinks which he knew would piss someone is trying to break into the lab. For security her off. At that point, though, purposes, it goes into selfthey both noticed some- destruct mode. one running alongside Sirens start wailing their speeding car. The and lights start flashing, runner smiled and waved and a timer starts countat the girlfriend, and then ing down the seconds till detonation. ran off ahead of them. It caused her to have Dexter realizes that some sort of heart attack. there’s absolutely no hope Upon waking up, all she in deactivating the meltcould say was, ironically, down, so he gives up and “You’re acting crazy,” over falls to his knees. He starts and over. These apparent- crying and yelling, but of ly were her last words to course all he can say is her boyfriend during their “omelette du fromage.” His sister Didi comes fight. Naturally, I came home in, and even though the too paranoid and too room is already in chaos, she points and laughs drunk to sleep. The house was empty so at her sorry little brothI turned on the TV to keep er on the floor. Her highme company, and an epi- pitched “That’s all you can sode of “Dexter’s Lab” was say” joins the screaming alarms. just starting. “Dexter’s Laboratory” is The entire episode I’d a seemingly harmless ’90s been waiting for the socartoon about a redhead- lution. I needed Dexter ed kid-scientist with cool to figure out how to fix gadgets. The episode be- his condition so he could gins, innocently enough, get us both out of this dewith Dexter trying to learn mented rut. Only then would I be French. But being an American, able to shake the certainhe wants shit done fast. ty that something terrible So he invents for himself a was about to happen to device that talks to him in me. French in his sleep, which, There’s a big explosion according to cartoon logic, and the screen goes dark. should make him fluent in While everything else fithe foreign language upon nally shuts up, Didi can still be heard chanting waking up. But something goes “that’s all you can say” terribly wrong with over and over and over. the Subconscious Discographic Hypnotator, Go ahead and make fun of LEO OCAMPO’s and upon waking up overactive imagination at gocampo@ Dexter can only repeat ucdavis.edu.
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Doin’ It Green ... in the Coho As Recyclemania goes into full swing, it probably wouldn’t hurt to go over the basics of handling your waste. Let’s start with the example of the average lunch brought from home. On this fine Wednesday, let’s assume our model student has a sandwich in a tupperware container, a Yoplait yogurt, baby carrots in a plastic bag, an orange and an iced tea purchased at the CoHo. When they’re done, what will they do with their excess food and packaging? First off, they will certainly be bringing their tupperware home to reuse it (hooray!). The plastic cup for the tea can be recycled (but if this student decided on a fountain drink, those paper cups can be composted.) Their yogurt container has to go to the landfill because only plastics No. 1 and No. 2 can be recycled on campus. To find out what plastic you have, look at the number in the middle of the three-arrow triangle. However, if this student was not on campus but at some other place in the city, they could recycle it because the City of Davis recycling program accepts plastics Nos. 1 through 7. Ideally, this student brought a reusable metal spoon from home, but if they didn’t, then perhaps they picked one up at the CoHo. All the utensils, napkins, plates, bowls and cups at the CoHo can be composted, just like the peel from an orange or any leftover carrots or food material. Fun fact: CoHo straws can be put in compost containers because they are made of plant materials and have been certified by the Biodegradable Products
Institute and meet composting standards! Not-so-fun fact: Products labeled “biodegradable” sound like they should be compostable, but this is often a form of greenwashing and these items do not always break down easily in a composting facility. If you ever buy any of these products on your own, be sure to check that they are actually certified as compostable. The last decision lies with the plastic bag. It can be reused multiple times or it can be thrown in the landfill bin. Some types of bags can be recycled at special collection sites, which are often located at grocery stores. However, the best decision would be to use a small reusable bag or container, or at least a paper bag, which can easily be recycled or composted — your choice! So to sum it all up: All types of food, paper and paper products are compostable along with the CoHo utensils and straws. Only No. 1 and 2 plastics are recycled on campus, but the city of Davis recycles No. 1 through 7 plastics. Luckily, aluminum and paper are recycled everywhere! There are some things that simply have to be thrown out, but otherwise please recycle and compost as much as possible, using the CoHo signs for guidance. However, the best method is to reuse or to not use at all. Buying items with less packaging is much greener than recycling or composting and is certainly better than sending even more to the landfill. You don’t need to be a hippie and only eat organic, local, fair-trade food out of Mason jars, but a little bit of thought about waste can go a long way.
“[Cahill] talks about it, and he would get excited about some parts he’s writing and explain it to me,” Barberie Cont. from front page said. “It was good fun.” knowledge of the extinction of the The second part of the trilogy is worlds from previous events and his scheduled to come out next summer, love of science fiction when he grew according to Cahill. Right now, Ark: up as a boy. Asteroid Impact is available in digital
ASTEROiD
form and paperback. “It’s fun to read,” Cahill said. “I kept [passing out copies] but eventually I was giving out a lot, so I decided to [publish it]. Fortunately, other people like it too.” JOYCE BERTHELSEN can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
The california aggie
Science &Technology
wednesday, february 20, 2013 3
Warming up to climate change Study highlights role of soil microorganisms in carbon dioxide emissions By OYANG TENG Aggie Science Writer
In some ways, understanding the effects of global warming comes down to measuring how microbes respond to warming soils. Through their incessant work in breaking down plant and animal matter, microorganisms drive the respiration of gases such as carbon dioxide from the planet’s thin “skin” of soil cover. These emissions account for more than 10 times the carbon dioxide produced by human activity. It’s well known that as temperature increases, the rate of chemical reactions typically increases along with it. The same is true of the biochemical reactions carried out by microbes, which metabolize organic compounds in the soil and respire carbon dioxide as waste. Hence, higher temperature means more respiration, which means more carbon returned to the atmosphere. Another, less-understood factor controlling the flow of carbon dioxide from the soil is the efficiency with which microbes use carbon — that is, the ratio of carbon incorporated into their cell
structure and the amount respired as waste. Slight changes in microbial efficiency, brought on by changing soil temperatures, could potentially have a significant effect on the total release of soil carbon dioxide. With this in mind, University of New Hampshire microbial ecologist Serita Frey and colleagues set out to measure the efficiency of microbial communities in soils in response to both short and long-term warming conditions. The study, published in the Jan. 20 edition of Nature Climate Change, contained two main findings. The first finding was that for more complex, hard-to-break-down carbon compounds, microbial efficiency goes down as temperature increases, meaning that more carbon dioxide is respired as waste. This wasn’t unexpected. Theoretical predictions show that higher operating temperatures in the molecular machinery needed for metabolism reduce overall efficiency in microbes. But the second result showed that in soils artificially warmed for 18 years, the drop in efficiency from further temperature increases was much lower than in controls. In other
words, microbial communities shifted in response to long-term warming, becoming more efficient in their use of carbon. Since current climate models don’t account for this particular efficiency parameter, the study results could mitigate the long-term predicted increases of soil carbon dioxide emissions. “It all depends on what timescale you’re looking at,” said co-author Johan Six, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences at the time of the study. “We’re finding more and more that there’s quite a bit of difference between what happens in the short-term versus the long-term. It might well be that many systems are a lot more resilient than we think at this point.” To measure microbial efficiency, the researchers added four easy-totrack synthetic compounds to artificially warmed soils. The compounds roughly approximate the range of complexity found in natural soils, ranging from glucose, a simple sugar, to phenol, a component of the lignin found in wood. Each compound was
See CLIMATE, page 5
Not just a disease of the mind New research connects genetics of schizophrenia with cardiovascular disease By KYLE SCROGGINS Aggie Science Writer
Ole Andreassen, a professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, published an article on Feb. 7 in The American Journal of Human Genetics in which he definitively connected high rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) with schizophrenia. The news of the connection between these diseases is not new; it is a well-established fact that schizophrenic patients are two times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than the general population — a correlation known as having high comorbidity. However, Andreassen helped pioneer a new technique in genetic analysis showing that several of the mutated genes active in one disease are also present in the other. “I hope to change the way we view psychiatric disorders and make people realize that they are system disorders, affecting the whole body,” Andreassen said. “Unfortunately, that requires better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the disorder … We have to realize that there is a high number of underlying genetic factors — not one schizophrenia gene.” The primary research method Andreassen utilized involved genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in order to observe single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Researchers compared the genomes of subjects in a “healthy” control group with the genomes of patients
suffering from CVD and separate patients with schizophrenia. There was an additional subgroup of patients with both CVD and schizophrenia. Genomes are constructed of four components called nucleotides (A, T, C and G), which are arranged in specific orders that determine function. “SNPs are small changes in the genome sequence, such that some people have the genotype AT, while others are TT, and others are AA,” said Chuck Langley, a professor of genetics at UC Davis. Andreassen’s study looked at the SNPs of the research subjects and correlated regions of their genetic codes that were likely to harbor a mutated gene. “The innovative aspect is the development of new statistical tools and applying them to the huge GWAS available, which is a true “genetic epidemiology,” Andreassen said. His new method utilized these statistical tools in order to quantify the high level of comorbidity between CDV and schizophrenia, making it possible to identify locations of mutations that are common to both diseases. A gene that affects multiple traits is known as a pleiotropic gene. Andreassen was able to identify 10 possible pleiotropic genes highly associated with schizophrenia and CVD. The same genes that are thought to cause schizophrenia are also responsible for affecting blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, type 2 diabetes, body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).
However, though some of the same genes implicated in schizophrenia may be responsible for contributing to CVD, their presence alone does not necessarily account for the high rates of the CVD within schizophrenic patients. One possible explanation lies in the constant interplay between genes and external environment. “The significantly higher rate of smoking among mental health consumers and the side effects of antipsychotic medications cannot be ignored as possible factors,” said Alyssa Parsons, a mental health worker at the Yolo Community Care Continuum. “What’s interesting about this situation is that nicotine does have beneficial effects on psychiatric conditions. For example, it reduces anxiety and irritability.” However, a plethora of research has proven the multitude of detrimental health effects caused by smoking, not the least of which is CVD. Furthermore, according to Parsons, a pretty big portion of the antipsychotics prescribed by psychiatrists cause massive weight gain, as well as a slew of other health problems. Plenty of research has also gone into connecting obesity with CVD. Andreassen’s article proves that the factors connecting schizophrenia and CVD are genetically heritable; however, it is impossible to extricate this genetic heritability from the environmental factors common to most schizophrenic patients. KYLE SCROGGINS can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
By NICOLE NOGA Aggie Science Writer
Let’s all be honest with ourselves. Drinking is a reality of college and a lot of times, college students do not always make the best decisions. Driving after a long night of partying or hanging out at the bars may seem like a good idea, especially if you think you’ve sobered up in the early hours of the morning, but nothing beats a second opinion. Enter the pocket breathalyzer. What is a pocket breathalyzer? Pocket breathalyzers are portable devices that measure your blood alcohol content (BAC) level. They let you know how much you’ve had or if you’ve simply had too much. How much does it cost? The cheapest kind attach to key chains and are about $8. The kind that you can install in your car cost quite a bit more. Those range from a few hundred dollars to over $1,000, but add the benefit of preventing your car from starting if your BAC is over the legal limit. How does it work? Portable breathalyzers work just like police breathalyzers. You blow on the mouthpiece and wait for the results. Usually a light will indicate whether you are under the legal limit or not. Some have red, yellow and green lights to let you know where you stand. For college students who do not have a lot of money, the small cost of a pocket breathalyzer may be well worth it to prevent the huge expense, pain and inconvenience of an accident, a DUI or, especially in Davis, a BUI. NICOLE NOGA can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
whose light we see today might not even exist anymore by the time their light reaches us. This leads me to another bizarre quirk that’s widely Alan accepted in some circles Lin of physicists. The speed of light in a vacuum is constant. This is still the case even when we have a moving reference point. And now it gets weird. While it’s easy to say, “Oh the speed of light is constant! That makes calculas an undergraduate tions on tests easier,” it’s scientist, amateur cy- still counterintuitive if you clist and chronic pro- think about what speed is. crastinator, I concentrate a If we consider that we lot of my thoughts on the live in a universe defined subject of time. I’m curious by four dimensions, (x, y, z about many things related and time) then things can to time: the most pressing change their respective poof these concerns is usual- sitions in the universe over ly finding out where all of a period of time and we get mine went and what to do speed as a measure of this with what little remains. change. But let’s pretend President’s Day weekend is we’re physicists and play a particularly good exam- around with some of these ple of this phenomenon in ideas. which I seem to blink, and Suppose you’re an obthen it’s Monday again. server. This shouldn’t be Otherwise, I usually con- hard; it’s not wildly differsider things that are very ent from what you norimpractical. mally do. In this situation, Stars are funny. They’re you might be standing still, big, hot and a train and for the goes by at most part, When we get sentimental, step 60 mph. A outside and look at the night sky, person on very far away. So we’re not just looking at a pretty this train far away throws a ball arrangement of lights that things at a speed of like light 10 mph in take somewhere on the the same direction as the order of hundreds of thoutrain’s motion. To you, the sands to billions of years stationary observer, this to reach us. Just consider ball moves at a stunning those distances, when it 70 mph. The situation is takes light less than a secordinary, but now I present ond to circumnavigate the another ordinary situation! globe. You are now hypothetiIt makes for something cally observing this ball interesting: When we get from the train. If you had sentimental, step outside no knowledge that this and look at the night sky, train was moving, but obwe’re not just looking at served the ball, you might a pretty arrangement of logically perceive it as movlights. We’re looking at a ing at 10 mph. veritable intergalactic hisOkay, I’ve established tory lesson. We’re seeing, that I can be really, really from one reference point, boring. Why does any of the state of affairs of things this matter? as they were in our neck of If light behaved like this the universe before dinoball and moved with insaurs were a thing, before creased speed from a movEarth was a thing, or even ing source, then some imbefore our neck of the uniages from the same distance verse was a thing. Some of these stars See LIN, page 6
A matter of time
A
shade. Only about 100 animal species call this place home, yet the saguaro cactus thrives here, often growing to heights of 60 feet. Harsh climates are ofHudson ten indicative of very small Lofchie plant and animal species. Small size allows better temperature regulation and less water consumption, so it’s strange that a plant can reach such a size here. It has developed a slew of defenses to protect it from the weather and other interested parties. Sharp spines and a thick wax coating prevent water loss and prevent ven if you don’t be- birds from poking holes that lieve in evolution, you would dry the plant out. can’t deny that there Yet this plant also has to are some truly amazing or- reproduce, and so once a ganisms that populate our year, it produces hundreds planet. And if you don’t be- of small, highly sugary lieve in evolution, I have fruits to entice birds to eat some choice words for you them and carry the seeds far ... another time perhaps. away, preventing compeWhen you ask someone to tition between parent and offspring. think of Some peothe most These leaves then turn ple think that majestic yellow, die and fall off, cockroaches creature on earth, per- leaving the rest of the plant are the most resilient of haps they salt-free all terrestriwill say the lion, or the Bengal tiger, or al life on earth. But drop that cockroach into a bucket of maybe the orca. If you ask this same per- salt water and see how long son about the smartest or- it lasts. Even the most hearty ganism on earth, maybe of trees wither and die when they will say the dolphin, an exposed to salt water, but not ant colony, or in rare cases, so for the the red mangrove. they might say humans. The While most trees require pattern I have noticed is fresh water to survive, the that when anyone is asked red mangrove makes its about the most amazing or- home on the sandy shores ganisms on earth, no one of tropical regions across ever thinks to mention the the planet. This habitat results in the the mangrove plants. I can name three plants roots being completeoff the top of my head that ly submerged in salt water are as beautiful as a tiger, every high tide. While this as strong and resilient as would kill any other teran orca and as well adapt- restrial plant, pores on the ed to their environments as roots, along with a specialhumans. And one of these ized vascular system, transin particular, is my person- fer all of the salt within the al all time favorite ... but I’ll plant to a few sacrificial leaves. These leaves then save that surprise for later. The saguaro cactus. It in- turn yellow, die and fall off, habits one of the harsh- leaving the rest of the plant est regions on earth, the salt-free. This is comparaSonoran Desert in Arizona. ble to a pack-a-day smokNighttime temperatures er growing special artercan reach freezing, some- ies that transport all the times dropping below 32 smoke harmlessly to a few degrees Fahrenheit. During strands of sacrificial hair. the day, temperatures can See LOFCHIE, page 6 reach 135 degrees … in the
The House Always Wins
E
theme clues that need to be pronounced (sort of like in a picture puzzle) for them to make sense. Here's how they work: CCCC = four C's = Foresees = TELLS THE FUTURE, AAAA = four A's = Forays = MILITARY ATTACKS, TTTT = four T's = Forties = CHILLY FORECAST FOR RELEASE MARCH 25, 2010
classifieds
4 wednesday, february 20, 2013
The Aggie Has Comics???
angela.yuan@me.com
by Angela Yuan
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Events Looking to start March off with a bang? Then prepare to dodge, dip, and dive all night long at IM Sports’ Dodgeball Palooza in the ARC MAC on March 1-2. Join a women’s, men’, or CoRec team and compete in a 6v6 team tournament, or partner up to play in the 2v2 tournament. Register online between February 18 and 25. Registration is $30 per team, and is free for players competing in the 2v2 tournament. Teams with the best costumes will be judged and picked to be our Costume Contest Champions with team pictures on the ARC Wall of Fame.
Meetings Are you interested in a health related field? Join C.H.E. and learn more about our pre-health organization! Meetings every Tuesday at 7:10pm to 8:00pm. For more information, contact Fabiola Sanchez at fsanchezmartinez@ucdavis.edu. See you soon!
Websites/Internet Overpopulation is sexually transmitted. http://population.sierraclub.org/ population/
House for Rent 4 Bedroom 2 Bath House for Rent on Sycamore Lane. $2300/mo. Please call 415-948-8278 for more info. 3 bedroom 2 bath. House for rent next to campus; $1,600/mo. Please call 415-948-8278 for more info.
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TO THE ANARCHIST-HIERARCHIES SUCK BUT I LIKE WHEN YOU ARE ON TOP OF ME, ADORATION, LIL B Thank you for being my life’s greatest friend. Happy Valentine Day, Elizabeth Orpina, with love, now and forever, Adam Khan.
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Julius Ceasar, Pompeii, Mark Antony, Cleopatra, King, and Jezebel Lawless all want to wish Uncles Chris and Nes and Aunt Chloe HAPPY V-DAY. NOW BACK TO THE PARTY. BE MINE ANNIE, SARAH, & RYAN :]
LIL BLACK BEAR LOVES HER POOH BEAR- Chavelita La Negrita
[JK + JP] Love you twitch!!
Th@NkZ Bl0b 4 F1x!nG mAH B1k3! <3
I love my new roomie, Cammy! - JK
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword PuzzleAggie The california Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 Torah holders 5 Dishonorable types 9 Gets off the road, in a way 14 Spear or pepper follower 15 End of grace 16 Sound portion 17 On the briny 18 Pro __ 19 Spills carelessly 20 CCCC? 23 Amount consumed 24 Yokel 25 Bird was one, briefly 27 Hemingway’s Santiago, in the story’s title 32 Pontificate 35 Jessica of “Good Luck Chuck” 38 Relieve 39 AAAA? 42 “Get outta here!” 43 Coward of the stage 44 Clarifying words 45 Inchon native 47 “__ never work!” 49 Deli option 52 Hunk 56 TTTT? 60 Santa __: Silicon Valley city 61 Fuzz 62 DEA agent’s discovery 63 Big jerks 64 Ocean predator 65 Penultimate fairy tale word 66 Used up 67 __-do-well 68 Information __ DOWN 1 Valuable violin 2 Like baked dough 3 Prepared to speak to a tot, maybe
By Jeff Chen
4 Overhead projection? 5 Monopoly 6 Eastern nurse 7 Discourage 8 Messy situation 9 Many a Matisse 10 Doozy 11 It’s added to natural gas 12 Use a rag on 13 Coast Guard pickup 21 Olympic event since 1968 22 Wolf pack member 26 Poi essential 28 At an impasse, as the Senate 29 Medieval club 30 More than wonders 31 Egg site 32 Trans-Siberian Railroad city 33 Moneyed, in Madrid 34 Banned apple spray
3/25/10
Tuesday’s puzzle Wednesday’s Puzzlesolved Solved
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36 Soap ingredient 37 Indonesian island 40 Invalidate 41 España feature 46 “Finally!” 48 __ sauce: seafood serving 50 Polymer introduced by DuPont in 1938 51 Blazing
3/25/10
53 Like a babe in the woods 54 British __ 55 Childbirth symbol 56 Equine sound 57 Smog, e.g. 58 Make smooth, in a way 59 Fairy tale opener 60 Items used by good buddies
Sudoku
EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS. Get paid $10-20 for completing easy 6090 min. experiment. Perform group decision-making task. Payment determined in part by individual success. Register: www.experimetrix2.com/ ucdesp. One time participation only. You must be at least 18 years old. Sports Medicine & Rehabiliation Internship Hands-on experience, career development UCD Athletic Training staff accepting applications from dedicated individuals interested in becoming Student Athletic Trainers. Apply at Athletic Training Facility, Hickey Gym (752-0647) or Pavilion (752-7515) http://ucdavisaggies.cstv. com/school-bio/ucda-ath-train.html Deadline March 1, 2013
Personals To my favorite OKC darlings: Happy V Day riootgrrl, masondixonjar, and Beyoncesaurus, Love Journogrrl. TO CHACHI MY ONE AND FURRIEST MEOW MEOW BONZO TO HANNAH, YOU ARE 2 CUTE THX 4 EVRY THNG
Hard
Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.
wednesday, february 20, 2013 5
The california aggie
INSIDE THE GAME with
J.T. Adenrele
Aggies route Santa Clara twice, split the weekend at Stanford Invitational Wagner highlights Aggie offense batting .500 on the weekend By ALLI KOPAS Aggie Sports Writer
Lucas Bolster / Aggie
The UC Davis men’s basketball has all the ingredients it needs to be a successful team. Senior Paolo Mancasola distributes the ball, sophomore Corey Hawkins makes the shots and junior Ryan Sypkens drains the threes. Sophomore J.T. Adenrele brings the size, the presence in the paint and the power. The Roseville, Calif. native has started every game for UC Davis this season and has led the team in points four times, including a career high of 23 against Stanford early in the season. Adenrele is averaging 12.2 points per game and his record of 33 blocked shots is the most on the team. He sat down with Aggie Sports Writer Kim Carr to talk about how he bulked up for this season and how the team’s outlook is for the year. The Aggie even got some bonus interview material from Adenrele’s mother, Bernadette, featured here. What brought you to UC Davis? Family, actually. I had always wanted to go to a big city for school but when one of my family members got sick and ended up in the hospital I realized it wasn’t going to work out that way if I wanted to stay close to my family. Yeah, it’s pretty obvious that this team has good chemistry on the court. How are things outside of the gym? Awesome. Obviously we have our little cliques but when we’re all together it’s always just hilarious. It’s only good times with these guys. So you must be the funniest guy on the team then? Haha, no, I wouldn’t say that. Actually, Olivier’s pretty funny. Tyler’s hilarious too. I mean I can go all the way down the list. There’s a whole bunch of funny guys on the team. You guys are in good contention for the Big West Conference Tournament. Are you excited for Anaheim? Of course. It’s what we’ve been working so hard for. I’m really excited. Did you really think this team would be in this spot after last year? Yeah, I really did. You know, during
CLIMATE Cont. from page 3 “tagged” with a heavy isotope of carbon so that researchers could track how much of each compound was incorporated into microbial biomass, and how much was respired as carbon dioxide. Using this method, the team showed that microbial efficiency is inversely related to temperature in some compounds but not others. Since glucose can be directly assimilated by most soil microbes, its utilization showed no sensitivity to changes in temperature. But phenol, which must be broken down by microbial enzymes into less complex molecules before it can be used, showed a 60 percent drop in efficiency as temperature was increased from five to 25 degrees Celsius.
the summer when we were over in France we were playing really well and winning against some great teams. When we came back, we started having individual workouts and really working hard as a team. As long as we keep working, we’ll keep winning. Speaking of workouts, what is your weight regimen like? Haha, first you have to get the Nigerian food in you! What’s in Nigerian food? Some Jollof, some plantains, and a lot of beans. You know it’s mostly the food with a little bit of weights here and there. You know, 10 pounds here and there, a little bench pressing and just let the food do the rest. So just a little bit of weights then? Honestly, the summer between my freshman and sophomore year, Coach Les really wanted me to get bigger and stronger. In the weight room I really took that to heart every day. It was a lot of hard work and some Nigerian food. So does your mom still do all of your cooking? She does. She usually brings something down for me! Does he do his own laundry? Bernadette: He does! And he can cook and clean the house too. So what’s it like when you’re on the road and you have to room with someone else? Do you have a favorite road roommate? Well, during the season it’s always Josh. We’re paired for the season. So are you guys lucky enough to get your own beds or do you have to share? Haha, we get our own. I don’t think Josh and I could fit in one bed. I want to ask your mom something. He told me he’s never played a day of football in his life and I was shocked. I think he would make an incredible tight end. Bernadette: No football! I wouldn’t let him! J.T.: Yeah, I was a soccer kid until we moved to Roseville. I did play a little flag football there, but then my coach decided to start a bas-
“I think their key message about incorporating some critical elements of microbial physiology into soil organic models is spot on,” said Josh Schimel, a microbial ecologist at UC Santa Barbara. “Soil microbial communities are enormously complex. So the question is, how do we capture some of the dynamics of those communities that are really important in regulating global carbon cycling?” In order to study how those dynamics might play out over the longer term — what Six called “the legacy effect” of warming on bacterial communities — the researchers conducted the same measurements on soils taken from plots warmed by underground coils at a research site in Harvard Forest. For soils that had been continuously warmed five degrees Celsius
ketball team and asked me to join. I said, ‘sure,’ and that’s how I got into basketball. So it hasn’t always been about basketball for you then. What did you actually want to be when you were a kid? Actually, I always wanted to be an engineer. My dad’s an engineer and my first year I was a civil engineering major but I had to change to managerial economics because it was too much with basketball. Are you hoping to go into the NBA after Davis then? You know, I’m not sure. I’m thinking about it. I’m also looking into playing abroad. I’m not ready to give up basketball just yet. So I’ve seen Corey do the Dougie before the game a couple of times, but I’ve never seen you dancing. Do you have any moves? Well, I’m usually too focused before the game to dance but, I do have some moves. What’s your favorite, then? I don’t think I have a favorite. I think it depends on what mood I’m in, I guess. So you just default to the sprinkler then? No! Not the sprinkler! That’s cheesy. Do you think we’ll be seeing a UC Davis Men’s Basketball Harlem Shake video? Ooh... I’ll ask the team. I think Bozner would be really into that. Well, you guys get to play on ESPN2 in a couple of weeks. Are you excited for that? Oh, absolutely! March 7. It’s against Long Beach State too, so we’re looking to pull the upset on national television. Bernadette: You’re going to be on TV? UC Davis is going to be on national television so everybody’s going to be watching! You’ll probably be here though I imagine. J.T. Yeah, mom, you’ll be here in the gym. It’s a Thursday though so Dad will have to watch from home. It’s going to be awesome though. —Kim Carr
above ambient temperatures for 18 years, further heating in the range of 10 to 25 degrees showed a much smaller decrease in microbial efficiency compared with the control soils which had not been previously warmed. One of the remaining challenges is resolving the exact causes underlying this change in microbial efficiency. The study’s authors aren’t certain whether the change is due to physiological adaptations by existing microbes or a wholesale change in the species composition of the microbial community. “You might imagine that you get a change in organisms living in the soil, maybe different species or maybe changing physiology in some way to deal with the change in resource availability,” Frey said. OYANG TENG can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
Going into yet another away tournament for the weekend, the UC Davis softball team traveled down to Palo Alto to compete in the Stanford Invitational against Santa Clara, CSU Bakersfield, in addition to the tournament host and 20th-ranked Stanford. Although the team split the double headers on both days of the weekend, the Aggies recorded losses in a nail-biter against Cal State Bakersfield and against an all-around solid Stanford team. “Any time we drop a game, I have higher expectations. We had some bright moments, and then some moments where we had to focus on [our] intensity,” said coach Karen Yoder. Although the Aggies’ performance may not have fully met expectations, junior Chandler Wagner’s bat proved to be a force which motivated the team throughout the long weekend. Wagner batted an enviable .500 on the weekend going 4-8, highlighted by a double and a triple in the Aggies’ second outing against Santa Clara. Saturday — UC Davis 7, Santa Clara 2; UC Davis 0, CSU Bakersfield 2 To begin the weekend of play, the Aggies (3-3) matched-up against the Santa Clara Broncos (0-4). Relatively little offensive action took place for both teams until the bottom of the second inning when a series of walks and timely stolen bases by the Aggies resulted in the addition of four runs to the board. The very next inning, the Broncos retaliated, scoring a run off of one big fly. However, sophomore pitcher Justine Vela was able to contain the damage after retiring the next two batters on a groundout and a fly out. A couple batters later, Vela ended the inning, striking out her final batter of the inning swinging. The third proved to be a productive inning, as the Aggies added another three runs to create a substantial lead of 7-1. The inning was highlighted by a sacrifice fly by senior Kelly Schulze which scored sophomore Kayla Tyler from third, followed by a clutch double from sophomore Cassandra Ginnis which resulted in another two runs. Only in the top of the fourth did the Broncos challenge the Aggies’ seemingly insurmountable lead of six runs as they added another run off of Vela. After this slight hiccup, the rest of the game was smooth sailing for the Aggies as Vela gave up zero hits in the last three innings to close out the victory with a final score of 7-2. Going into their second game of the tournament, the Aggies (4-3) took on CSU Bakersfield (0-6) to close out their first day of play. The first three innings proved to be offensively slow as neither team was able to convert until the bottom of the fourth when the Roadrunners added their first run to the board off of an RBI fly out after a leadoff triple. The Roadrunners added their last run to the board in the sixth to accomplish a 0-2 win over the Aggies. Although the entirety of the game the Aggies made contact in the batter’s box, they were unable to find hits off of Roadrunners’ pitcher Kelsie Monroe, who gave up only three in total to get the complete game shutout. Sunday — UC Davis 14, Santa Clara 1; UC Davis 0, Stanford 8 On the second day of play, the Aggies diverted their attention from their loss the previous night in preparation for their rematch against the Santa Clara Broncos. After giving up two hits in the first inning, freshman Leah Munden came back in the second, striking out her first two batters swinging, and popping out
the third for a much-needed onetwo-three inning. The Aggies took the early lead in the third, capitalizing on wild pitching and an error by the Broncos to help add their first run to the board. In just the next inning, the Aggie bats came alive on a twoout rally initiated by junior Chandler Wagner’s RBI double. The next at-bat, freshman Cat Guidry, kept the rally alive, sending Wagner home from second on an RBI single. The Aggies’ rally continued as freshman Jasmine Lee’s single furthered Guidry to second, and then third on a Bronco error. Subsequently, Lee moved herself into scoring position by stealing second, only to be driven in by the always-reliable bat of sophomore Krista Bava, who added two RBIs off of a double to left center. The monster fourth inning ended with five hits and four runs recorded for the Aggies, making the score 5-0 going into the top of the fourth. The Broncos added their first run to the board in the fourth, capitalizing on an Aggie error. Again in the fifth inning, the Aggies took advantage of untimely errors by the Broncos to add another three runs to their lead with two hits. In the final inning, the Aggies drew blood once again adding another six runs to their already substantial lead. Sisters Christina and Cat Guidry, both freshmen, each recorded singles in the inning, as well as both crossed home to add to the Aggies’ lead. The pièce de résistance, which would cap off an offensively stellar game for the Aggies, came from the bat of none other than Wagner. A triple to right field from the junior second baseman would add two more runs for the Aggies, while also placing her in scoring position for the single by Cat Guidry. Schulze also made her presence known in the sixth, doubling to score two and to finalize the resounding score of 14-1. With an offensively exciting game for the Aggies behind them, they then transitioned to their final matchup which pitted them against the tournament host and 20th-ranked Stanford Cardinal. Vela, who assumed the pitcher’s circle against an intimidating Cardinal lineup, found herself in a pitching duel with Stanford freshman Kelsey Stevens through the first three innings. Vela recorded three strikeouts through three, while Stevens recorded four strikeouts and added another three in the fourth inning. Vela was replaced by senior Jessica Thweatt in the fourth after giving up a big fly, three walks and a single to make the score 2-0 in favor of the Cardinal. The Cardinal offense proved to age better with time, scoring five runs in the concluding inning to close out the tournament with a final score of 8-0 against the Aggies. Lee proved to be the only batter capable of hitting off of Cardinal starter Stevens as she recorded the sole Aggie hit on the game. The 20th-ranked Cardinal’s record would become 10-2, as the Aggies’ record fell to 5-5 after a long weekend away from La Rue Field. Up next for the Aggies is a challenging weekend in Clearwater, Fla. to compete in the NFCA Leadoff Classic where they will compete against numerous East Coast opponents. As for what the Aggies need to improve on in preparation for next weekend, Yoder mentioned experience and being ready for game situations. “Overall, just executing when the game is on the line, that is the key thing,” Yoder said. “We had our chances this weekend and we just need to do a better job and be ready for those moments and be ready to execute.” ALLI KOPAS can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
6
the california aggie
wednesday, february 20, 2013
Students play sports with cultural significance Hurling, racing dragons clubs preserve traditions By RITIKA IYER
Aggie Features Writer
Many Aggies have found ways to express their respective cultures or explore new ones while at Davis through club involvement. As sports often stem from different cultures, student-run clubs work to preserve, maintain and practice these traditions. “I think its really important [to be involved in cultural clubs] because being in the U.S., we are in a melting pot,” said sixth-year environmental biology and German double major Sarah Kimpel. “If we are melting too much, we are going to lose our heritages. Cultural clubs are important for students to keep heritage important.” Two organizations that partake in sports with a cultural significance are the Davis Culchies Hurling club and the Davis Racing Dragons. The Davis Culchies Hurling club, started in 2010, practice and compete in the 3,000-yearold Irish Gaelic sport of hurling. This ancient field sport, still played competitively today in Ireland, is best described as a mix of several modern-day American sports. “It’s like field hockey and lacrosse with baseball and soccer mixed in,” said Kimpel, the club captain. “It requires the skills of a lot of different things. You need to have a lot of agility and eye coordination because it’s considered the fastest field sport.” A hurley, similar to a field-hockey stick but made of ash, is used to move the sliotar, or ball, in the game. Played on a field as wide as a football field is and twice the length, hurling requires two H-shaped goals on either end of the playing ground. There is a net under the cross of the goals with a goalkeeper for each side, somewhat similar to today’s soccer. If a player scores in the net, they will receive three points and one point is received for any ball thrown over the net. There are many ways the ball can move, including hand passes, kicks, pulls on the ground with the hurley, and in-air hits. Players can run with the sliotar in hand for a maximum of four steps, or run while bouncing or balancing it on the hurley. Goals cannot be scored by hand passes. The club currently has seven members and is open to all UC Davis students and employees, not just people of Irish descent. “We don’t have any formal process for joining,” Kimpel said. “Most of us are just ‘ir-ish.’ There is definitely no cultural heritage requirement. Right now we will just take anyone that can hold a stick.” Since hurling season is in winter and spring, the team practices every Friday at 4 p.m. at Russell Field. The team generally plays anywhere from three to six games every year
lin Cont. from page 3 would reach the same stationary point faster or slower than others depending on if their source was moving. Let’s pretend the speed of light is additive to a moving source’s speed. If I were next to an intersection observing two objects about to collide, then things would appear different to everyone involved. If one of the objects was a car moving toward me and the other object was a motorcycle on a collision course with the car from a different road, but not any closer to me, then I’d see the car before I saw the motorcycle. The car would see the image of the motorcycle before I did, and to me, would maneuver to dodge for no apparent reason. This is an oversimplification for demonstration’s sake, but it represents a qualitative example of why the behavior of light is at least worth some consideration. Another example of why light’s behavior is hard to follow is as follows: suppose there’s a hypothetical aircraft traveling at half the speed of light. This craft is struck by lightning bolts simultaneously at both the front of the nose and the back at the tail. To an outside, stationary observer looking directly at the side of the plane,
lofchie Cont. from page 3 Scoreboard: hypothetical evolution, 1. Emphysema, 0. And now for my personal favorite, the plant of nightmares (of flies), the Venus flytrap. The flytrap occupies one of the deadest environments on the planet — the salty, hot, humid, oxygen-deprived, nitrogendeficient, stagnant bogs of the Everglades. There are only a few species of plant that have evolved to live here, and most of them are carnivorous. The Venus flytrap is the casino of the plant world. It provides enough enticing reward to keep the flies coming back for more, but on a long enough timeline, the house always wins. The plant has developed such a precise and exact method of feeding that even after millions of years, its primary prey, the fly, has still not evolved to avoid the flytrap’s deadly allure. Let’s take this casino metaphor a little further. Flytraps produce nectar inside
against UC Berkeley and Stanford University, among other occasional teams. The game dates and locations are determined by the California Collegiate Gaelic Athletics Association (CCGAA), a location and age-specific organization under the umbrella program of the Gaelic Athletics Association. Kimpel is part of the CCGAA board, a group of college students that help with hurling team development, community outreach and fundraising. “We are helping other schools develop teams,” Kimpel said. “Over Memorial Day weekend, we are hoping to fly ourselves out to Purdue for nationals, where we can play against tons of teams on the East Coast.” Apart from the competitive nature of the sport, Kimpel said there are many other positive aspects to being part of the team, like the influence of Irish culture on members. “... Hurling is a nice way to get in touch with a cultural heritage. Even though it might not be your heritage, it is one to get involved with in general,” Kimpel said. “With hurling, you have the option to learn about a new culture, and maybe that will help you develop more of an identity.” Another athletic club with a cultural influence is the Davis Racing Dragons, a group started in 2004 dedicated to the art of dragon boating. “Dragon boating is a sport that originated in China over 2,000 years ago,” said third-year electrical engineering major and team head coach Ryan Chiang. “It’s essentially traveling in a large canoe that weighs about one ton, used in history for celebratory events. Over the years, it developed to be a more competitive sport, and people have been more dedicated to mastering the craft of paddling.” A standard-sized dragon boat is designed to fit 20 people in 10 rows. Although seemingly similar to rowing, dragon boating requires competitors to paddle on both sides in the direction the boat is moving, as opposed to paddling in a backwards fashion. Since the paddlers cannot see how far the finish is and are solely focused on paddling, there is a drummer in front of them to make calls for different types of strokes. In the back, a steersperson helps physically guide the boat with an oar, totalling the full boat capacity at 22 people. The club currently has about 50 active members that compete against other dragon boat teams across the state. “For our club, we don’t have tryouts,” Chiang said. “You just express your interest and we will show you the ropes. If you like it, you can join.” The team attends about five competitions both bolts would hit the plane at the same time. However, to someone at the center of the plane, the light from the bolt that hit the nose would reach them quickly, while the light from the bolt that hit the tail would struggle to catch up. To the passenger, one bolt struck the plane before the other. But if the speed of light isn’t changing as reference points move around, then what’s happening? With the moving observer, we’re changing the distance that light must travel despite the fact that both lightning bolts started equidistant from the observer and radiated outwards at the same speed. The idea is that for the speed of light to remain constant, either time or distance must change depending on the frame of reference of the observer. The long and short of this is that in the universe, there shouldn’t be such a thing as absolute time or absolute distance because a moving clock will keep time at a rate different than a stationary clock. This keeps the speed of light constant for all frames of reference. In all likelihood, for the amount that I still don’t understand, I spend far too much time thinking about time. ALAN LIN is just profoundly confused himself and can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
their traps, which entices insects to come feed … the promise of a sugary payout is more than enough to bring insects through the door. Unfortunately for the insect, this is often a one-way trip. Should the fly escape with its life, it will be none the wiser that it has had a close brush with death. When the fly returns time and again, the odds begin stacking in the plants’ favor. Enough flies escape that future generations are not wary of the plant’s scent, but the plant takes more than enough victims to sustain itself … much like a casino. The flytrap, like the casino, is so successful not because it wins every time, but because it loses strategically and often enough that the flies keep playing the game. We humans like to believe that we animals make the rules, but the reality of the situation is that plants have been around far far longer than we have, and will still be here long after the strongest tiger, the biggest orca and the smartest dolphin are all gone. HUDSON LOFCHIE dreams of having an army of flytraps at his disposal. Until then, he can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
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The Davis Culchies Hurling Club practices every Friday at 4 p.m. on Russell Field. every season, from May through November. These competitions are also known as dragon boat festivals and are similar to swim meets, where many teams gather and race in heats. “We usually do have two boats,” Chiang said. “[To decide who competes,] we evaluate every member based on their athletic experience and dedication to our practices. We have our primary boat and then a secondary boat, with the primary having more experienced members.” In one specifically important race called the College Cup, the Davis Racing Dragons compete against all the other UCs, Stanford University, San Francisco State and San Jose State. Chiang said that the UC Berkeley dragon boat team is currently the team’s closest rival. “The other races are very fun, but this college race specifically is very close to our hearts,” said Kristin Wong, third-year food science major. “Last season, we beat Berkeley. That sense of accomplishment that we did something with a specific group of people is something I will cherish a lot.” All of the festivals are planned and held by the California Dragon Boat Association (CDBA), which is also responsible for opening up a racing facility in Alameda for fourhour Saturday practices. The CDBA makes sure that there are dragon boats, paddles and safety gear available to the team, and also takes care of boat maintenance and cleaning. “We try to maximize our efforts [in Alameda] since there is no available body of water near
us,” Chiang said. “We usually have conditioning sessions two to three days a week to maintain a high physical level.” Along with water practices and conditioning, the team has weekly general meetings in Wellman Hall on Thursdays from 7:15 to 8 p.m. All club events are open to all UC Davis students. Like any sport, dragon boat racing has a competitive side to it, but also acts as a social activity for students. “Being apart of something bigger than yourself is what this sport really embodies,” Wong said. “This sport ties every kind of aspect of your life together because it connects to our emotional, relationship and physical levels. It embodies everything in my life and ties them together into this one group of people.” Overall, whether it is the Davis Culchies Hurling club or the Davis Racing Dragons, diversity is everywhere on campus. For an athletically and culturally enriching experience, students are welcome to join one of the several international sporting clubs on campus. “Whether it’s dragon boat or any other club, there is nothing to lose by joining,” Chiang said. “In any cultural club, there is usually a sense of strong community, not only bonding by what culture we are assimilating [toward], but just by being friends and going to the same college and sharing interests.” RITIKA IYER can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
