SPORTS: Construction on the new gymnastics facility breaks ground, p. 3
ENTERTAINMENT: Read one writer’s discontent with a boring summer, p. 5
Reveille The Daily
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 151
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Think before you INK
Local tattoo artists’ advice: Ask questions Joshua Jackson Staff Writer
C
rosses, prayer hands, infinity symbols and quotes — these four images are some of the most frequently tattooed pieces, according to Baton Rouge tattoo artists. While there is nothing wrong with the aforementioned symbols, tattoo artists say they prefer to deliver work that yields more original ideas. The owner of High Resolution Tattoo, known as Kurtus P, said Christian-related symbols and lettering are “paying the bills right now.” The South is heavily religious, and Kurtus P found many teenagers and young adults have decided to express their beliefs permanently. Michael Lamotte, an artist at Body Images Tattoo Clinic, encourages customers to be as original and open-minded as possible with their decisions. Body Images is one of the oldest tattoo shops in Baton Rouge and has seen many patrons enter and exit its doors, but its mission has always remained the same. “We want to give our customers something that makes them stand out from the rest of their
Thursday, July 24, 2014
RESEARCH
Students awarded prestigious fellowship Eight recipients mark most in LSU history Lauren Guillot Contributing Writer
The National Science Foundation has recognized eight LSU students and recent graduates as 2014 Graduate Research Fellows, while three other students received honorable mention. This marks the most LSU students to receive the fellowship in a single year. Graduate students who receive the NSF Graduate Fellowship are granted a stipend of $32,000 annually for three years along with a $12,000 scholarship to assist in paying tuition and fees. According to the NSF website, the fellowship provides students with the opportunities for international research and professional development. LSU President F. King Alexander congratulated the current and former students who were awarded the fellowship in a
TATTOOS, see page 2
FELLOWSHIP, see page 7
TECHNOLOGY
Website, app allow drivers to plan around traffic Features may cut traffic congestion Renee Barrow Staff Writer
A recent update to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development website allows users to take advantage of new ways to look at traffic. The website, 511la.org, features streaming video as opposed to the old static-image cameras. According to the website, this is true of all camera locations except those around U.S. Route 90 and the Greater New
Orleans Bridge. Associate professor of civil and environmental engineering Brian Wolshon said the new DOTD website may help with the public’s perception of problems on the road. “People don’t like to sit in traffic, but at least if you can tell them why, they’ll understand a little better,” Wolshon said. The site also gives drivers the option to select another route if they know there are problems along their usual paths. Its mobile application, Way to Geaux, allows users to access the information anywhere. Most people do not appreciate the science and engineering
that goes into designing traffic systems, according to Wolshon, whose work focuses on transportation engineering. “You want to balance getting people where they want to go quickly with safety and environmental factors,” Wolshon said. Wolshon said the intersection of Airline Highway, Siegen Lane and S. Sherwood Forest Boulevard is a good example of an efficient traffic system change that isn’t always well received. On westbound Airline Highway at Siegen Lane, drivers are able to turn left unopposed. This is a maneuver that normally requires going against the flow of traffic.
“There’s an old adage in traffic engineering that we don’t solve problems — we just move them to a different location,” Wolshon said. There is also an economic angle to traffic studies, Wolshon said. If there is a high-traffic area where people are likely to be injured or with a high rate of property damage, more money is spent there. “There may be project where you spend $10 million,” Wolshon said. “But you’re earning back $100 million in benefits.” Contact Renee Barrow at rbarrow@lsureveille.com
DOTD’s app, Way to Geaux, provides users with nearby traffic advisories while they travel.