THE DAILY COUGAR Cougars avenge loss, plunder Pirates in home victory /SPORTS
From Shakespeare to Albee, UH performs /LIFE & ARTS Thursday, January 22, 2009
Issue 74, Volume 76
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TODAY’S WEATHER
3-day forecast, Page 2
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Cougars rally for RecycleMania By Kelsie Hahn The Daily Cougar
Mauricio Lazo THE DAILY COUGAR
UH cheerleaders and members of the Cougar Doll dance team provide entertainment at an environmental event on Wednesday at the University Center Satellite.
UH’s colors may be Scarlet and Albino White, but green is the color on Cougar minds as the University launched its first year participating in RecycleMania on Wednesday. RecycleMania pits UH against nearly 500 other universities all over the country in a friendly competition to see which school recycles the most and wastes the least during the next 10 weeks. “We’re looking to make it an event that changes behavior,” staff assistant Vice President of University Service Emily Messa said. “We didn’t want to just focus on the recycling. We’re looking at reducing and reusing and
how to incorporate all of those pieces into our daily lives.” Schools will be recognized in categories such as top recycling per capita, least waste production and highest amount of total recycling. Last year’s RecyleMania recycled 58.6 million pounds total. UH has a strong chance of earning a high rank in recycled materials per capita, Messa said, but the University’s RecycleMania is about more than national recognition. The program is also helping UH organize and formalize how it tracks waste production and recycling, giving the school an idea of how it compares to other universities and how it can see RECYCLE, page 3
White House to prioritize economic troubles UH debates Obama’s $800 billion plan By Heather Duran The Daily Cougar With the inauguration behind him, President Obama’s agenda is set to move toward fulfilling its promise to revamp and revitalize the area that concerns Americans the most — the economy. While the majority of House Democrats and the Senate support his proposed stimulus package, estimated to be more than $800 billion, discussion and debate still surround the plan and experts wonder if this package will be effective enough to help see us out of the recession. UH economics professor Thomas DeGregori emphasizes the need for nationalization of our
biggest and most prestigious banks in order to help solve this period of financial turbulence. “We need to nationalize any bank whose liabilities are greater than its assets,” DeGregori said. Instead of the government handing the bank a check, DeGregori said he wants to see more federal g g DeGregori control of the bank itself. “You don’t pour money into it — you take it over,” he said. UH economics professor Dietrich Vollrath says that instead of a broad governmental take over of the US banking system, a method another country put in place to ensure bank-to-bank lending is
preferable. “In Sweden, the government decided to guarantee the debts of every bank. This will increase lending between banks,” he said. This means that consumers will be able to receive more loans because banks won’t be afraid of collapse, Vollrath said. g g Vollrath The costliest part of Obama’s proposal is a $275 billion tax cut. As written, the plan awards $500 to individuals and $1000 to married couples who file jointly, similar to what the government did last year. “Because we have higher levels of unemployment this year as opposed to last year, I think more people will spend the money they
get back,” Vollrath said. “If you are concerned you might lose your job then you will probably save it, but if you are unemployed, then you don’t have anything else coming in.” DeGregori emphasized the need for other proposals such as spending on infrastructure and investments in healthcare and education. As for U.S. investments for global competition in the workforce, DeGregori said we need to drastically improve our health care system and invest more in science and technology. “International competition means that our government needs a better healthcare system. We’re competing with countries that have a government health care system as opposed to firm health care,” DeGregori said. “This means we lose out because firms will choose to go to another country because
they don’t have to pay for health care.” The U.S. needs to invest more in the sciences because other countries China and India are catching up the U.S. and we are losing our edge in developing new technology, DeGregori said. Vollrath would like to see the money being spent to help us in the long term, but emphasizes the overall importance of immediate governmental action to pull the US out of recession. “There are lots of worthwhile investments and maybe this is the opportunity to make changes for the future,” Vollrath said. “But that doesn’t matter for the short run. There’s not a financial crisis that has ended where everyone walked out of it thinking they got a fair deal.” news@thedailycougar.com
Distinguished UH professor adds to honors Hussain selected for TAMEST board spot By Marc Anderson The Daily Cougar Adding to an already decorated résumé, UH Cullen College of Engineering professor Fazle Hussain was elected to serve a three-year term on the board of directors for The Academy of Medicine Engineering and Science of Texas ( TAMEST) beginning this month. Hussain joins four other directors and is the sole representative from the National Academy of Engineering chosen for the board in December 2008. He said he is proud to have been elected and that he shares
in the NAE’s “deep commitment to space, science and energy.” In addition, he has always been a proponent for UH excellence and hopes to assist in further advancing the University’s standing. H u s s a i n’s research encompasses everything from fluid dynamics and cell mechanics to energy conservation. He first came to UH in 1971 after earning his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Stanford University and completing post-doctoral work at Johns Hopkins University. He holds the title of Cullen distinguished professor and teaches not only engineering, but physics, geosciences and bioengineering as an adjunct professor at Rice University.
At the California Institute of Technology, where he was recently named a Gordon and Betty Moore distinguished scholar, Hussain will be conducting six months of collaborative research in the field of fluid mechanics. Despite his busy schedule, Hussain remains committed to the academy’s goals and the role of significant service to Texas. Under the guidance of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, TAMEST was founded in 2004 to bring together the top researchers from across Texas to foster new collaborations and scientific breakthroughs and garner more government funding. “The founders of TAMEST share a common mission: to elevate Texas as a global leader in scientific research, innovation and
competitiveness,” Hutchison said at TAMEST’s 2008 annual meeting. TAMEST is also a proponent of K-12 education and ensuring adequate preparation for students pursuing science-related fields. “The academy is a participating organization of STEM and is committed to the societal concern of education in the sciences,” said Hussain, referring to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Coalition. By issuing recommendations to parents, teachers and other members of the education system, TAMEST seeks to remedy the problems that schools across the country are facing. Hussain said he considers TAMEST unique in that it does far more than any comparative state
academy in terms of its broad impact not just in Texas but on the nation as well. As evidence, the academy reports that since its inception it has helped bring an additional $900 million of federal research money to the state. This moved Texas to No. 3 in federal research and development dollars received. The academy aspires to ensure both our state and nation remain leaders in the global economy and are capable of addressing the challenges of a changing global dynamic. “TAMEST is dedicated to quality and excellence,” said Hussain. news@thedailycougar.com