No. 8 (October 29, 2015)

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A student voice of Saint Louis University since 1919

Bill Nye the Science Guy visits SLU

From childhood TV staple to cultural commentator

Thursday, October 29, 2015

A dream, passed on: Alveda King’s pro-life talk By SHRUTHIKA POCHAMPALLY Contributor

A woman of many talents, Dr. Alveda King is more than just the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., presumably the most iconic leader of the Civil Rights Movement of the mid 1900s. On top of being a civil rights activist leader and a woman of color in 21st century America, Dr. Alveda King is also a mother, a best-selling author, and an antiabortion activist, as well as a former member of the House of RepresenAlveda King, tatives and a professor holding a Masters of Arts degree in Business Management. She also happens to be a former actress and songwriter. Alveda is founder of the Alveda King Ministries, a faith-based organization committed to bettering the world through “positive reinforcement in order to lead people to Christ in expectancy of life, family, hope and ‘agape love’ in the global community.” On Oct. 28, Dr. Alveda spoke in the BSC’s Saint Louis Room, first giving a brief overview of her personal history, and then revealing the decisions that encouraged her to turn to a life of God with the Gospel of Life, spread the mission of her family, and be an advocate of anti-abortion. Alveda, above all, is an advocate for, as she coined it, the “pro-woman” movement. According to

Alveda, the political stigmas attached to the terms “prolife” and “pro-choice” have too many implications in the label-oriented 21st century. Instead, Alveda claimed to be an advocate for women. Her reasoning, therefore, was that if you were prowoman, you could not advocate taking away the life of another female through any means, including abortion. Having gone through two abortions herself, Alveda believes that abortion is unjust, primarily because of the question that she repeatauthor edly asked her audience – “who is the lawyer for the baby?” Alveda believes that women do deserve the right to their body, but a baby inside of them is not simply part of their body. A baby is a being of its own, and therefore deserves the same right to life given to all human beings. Alveda, also being part of the acclaimed Martin Luther King, Jr.’s lineage, integrates racial struggles into her opinions on abortion. “The Negroes cannot win if they will not save their children,” said Alveda, quoting her uncle, Dr. King himself, hinting that her uncle not only wanted to see people of color succeed, but to do so by protecting one another’s infants and children - the future generations of influential decisionmakers and activists.

The color of our skin is just on the top, and we are all people below this surface of difference.

SCIENCE GUY: Nye, once a fixture on a children’s television show, has recently been outspoken about various social and political issues related to scientific literacy. His signature bow tie was also present. By LUKE VEST Staff Writer

At 5:15 p.m., students sat cross-legged outside the doors of the Wool Ballroom - an unusual sight. At 6:30 p.m., those same students stood pressed against the doors, engulfed by a crowd of hundreds of students and faculty members, all eagerly anticipating the speaker that hey were about to hear. The doors opened and the patrons passed through like water, quickly getting to their seats in the front row. The speaker who graced their presence minutes later was not a professional athlete, and he was not a movie

actor. He was Bill Nye the Science Guy. Bill Nye is a science educator and a widely recognized figure to the children of the 1990s. He hosted one hundred, half-hour episodes of the PBS Kids program, “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” from 1993 to 1998. Tall and slender with his signature bowtie, Nye energetically performed science experiments and taught viewers about science in simple terms. Complete with a goofy theme song and sound effects, Nye captured the imaginations of a generation. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, he visited Saint Louis University to continue his mission.

Summer reading author, coach By SUSAN NICHOLS Contributor

Following the distinguished Fr. Greg Boyle, from the 2013 summer reading book “Tattoos on the Heart,” Luma Mufleh continues in the summer reading progam’s tradition to inspire an expansive care for humanity and advocate for a life lived in service to others. In the 2015 summer reading book, “Outcasts United,” English journalist Warren St. John spends a soccer season following the inspiring coach, mentor and teacher of Atlanta’s child refugee popu-

lation, Luma Mufleh. The coach herself joined the St. Louis Community to speak about her work on Oct. 22. It is clear that Luma Mufleh believes in the ability of one person to make a difference, even in the face of extreme opposition. In Mufleh’s own words, she is a gay, Muslim, and Arab woman— a combination of factors that led her to seek asylum in the United States after completing her degree at Smith College in Boston. Through this experience, her family dis-

I was able to speak to Nye before his presentation. We talked about climate change, Mars and other topics. “We want you to take the environment into account when you vote,” he said. “This election, 2016, is a chance to maybe control the future of the earth for humankind.” When asked about solutions, he said, “Change could keep going, but it’s up to you.” Nye started his talk by discussing a picture, the iconic Apollo 8 “Earthrise” photo, and how it changed the way we think about the world. He proceeded to tell a story of how his father, a veteran in World War II, met his mother, a code-breaker.

His father’s eccentric interest in sundials motivated Nye to suggest in a NASA meeting that sundials should be included on Mars rovers, an idea which NASA accepted. His funny story transitioned cleanly into a discussion of Mars and its thin atmosphere, leading him to talk about earth’s atmosphere and climate change – all of which showcased his ability to communicate. He then went on to address the great scientific issues of the era. “Change the world.” Nye said this countless times during his presentation, ofSee “Nye” on Page 3

environmental experiment, gets underway

Emily Higginbottham / The University News

Green House: Mayor Francis Slay addressed those present about the Venture, which is a collaboration between SLU and local elementary schools. By EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM Associate News Editor

Outcasts United: Mufleh, subject of the first-year summer reading book, talks with a SLU audience.

See “King” on Page 3

Stumping for change: Green House Venture,

See “Luma” on Page 3

Ryan Quinn / The University News

Ryan Quinn / The University News

At the corner of De Tonty Avenue and Lawrence Street, in the Shaw Neighborhood, sits an unremarkable-looking patch of empty land. But in this small field of grass grows visions of sustainability, urban food production and educating children about growing and adapting to the changing environment.

The plans for this vision, a $4 million Nutrition and Science Education Center, were unveiled on Oct. 28 during a press conference. This vision was started by a nonprofit organization known as The Green House Venture. The project itself has many goals, with the primary objective being supplying a hands-on education for children. For this, the facility will contain a greenhouse, classrooms, an amphithe-

ater, a children’s growing gallery, fish tanks, a food preparation kitchen and a teaching lab. “The Green House Venture represents a substantial investment in this neighborhood that combines sustainability and science, education and health in a hands-on learning environment,” said Mayor Francis Slay, the first speaker of the press conference. He continued, “[It] is a great example

of innovation: fish tanks, a greenhouse, classrooms, a teaching lab; all of the components to draw young people to the marvel of science.” Four elementary schools have signed on to bring students to the green house on a weekly basis: Mullanphy Investigative Learning Center, Saint Louis Language Immersion School, Saint Margaret of Scotland Catholic School and Tower Grove Christian Academy. The students will learn interactively through demonstrations on aquaponic growing techniques, which involve fish breeding, plant fertilization from fish tanks, clay pellet beds and vertical growing. On the outside of the facility, there will be a weather station, an ozone garden, a shade trellis, a climbing fruit garden, a pollinator garden and an aeroponic growth on the rooftop terrace. Students will also learn about sustainability through the facility’s features, including geo-thermal heating, water conservation, composting and solar panels. “It’s meant to be not only a kind of neighborhood effort involving schools that are close enough to actually have children to come in for See “Venture” on Page 3


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