The Daily Beacon

Page 1

Follow us: @DailyBeacon

Deli provides new taste for Fort Sander’s area

Vols ready for season to begin

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

PAGE 6 T H E

Issue 10

E D I T O R I A L L Y

Sunny 0% chance of rain HIGH LOW 92 71

I N D E P E N D E N T

PUBLISHED SINCE 1906 http://utdailybeacon.com

Vol. 118 S T U D E N T

N E W S P A P E R

O F

T H E

U N I V E R S I T Y

PAGE 5 O F

T E N N E S S E E

UT awarded engineering grant for research Wade Scofield Staff Writer Earlier this month, The National Science Foundation (NSF) and United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced a five-year endowment to UT with an $18 million award to build an engineering research center. UT was selected in this extensive process because of the talented group of researchers at UT and partner universities, strong industry support and announced national importance of modernizing the power transmission system. More than 100 institutions submitted pre-proposals, which were eventually narrowed down to 40 proposals and then to 11 site visits. Finally, the NSF and DOE selected four schools to collaborate on the center: UT as the lead institution, along with Northeastern University, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Tuskegee University. Called the Center for Ultra-wide-area Resilient Energy Transmission Networks (CURENT), the grid is billed as a revolutionary step in how the nation allocates its energy efficiently. The center’s website, curent.utk.edu, lists the vision for CURENT as a “nation-wide or continent-wide transmission grid that is fully monitored and dynamically controlled in realtime for high efficiency, high reliability, low cost, better accommodation of renewable energy sources, full utilization of energy storage, and accommodation of responsive load.” “Technically speaking, a smart grid allows much greater flexibility in power system operations, improved efficiency, simpler integration of renewable resources, new load controls and increased reliability,” Dr. Kevin Tomsovic, electrical engineering and computer science department head, said. “What this means is there will be lots of new, exciting, breakthrough research, ‘pioneering work,’ taking place in the electric power and energy area at UT.” Fred Wang, professor of

electrical engineering and computer science, said. “There are opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate research opportunities. In addition, many more industries will be interacting with us, creating more opportunities for students.” Leon Tolbert, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, said, “Several states have standards of percent energy renewal, but no one has looked at how we control the grid.” “Education is a key component of the center and we will have a host of outreach activities, research experiences for undergraduate students as well as a large team of graduate student researchers,” Tomsovic said. “Students will have the opportunity to both learn about this field and contribute to the state-of-the-art. Less directly, but perhaps more importantly for our students, this adds greatly to the reputation of UT. CURENT establishes UT as a leader in power system engineering and showcases UT as a rising star among engineering colleges.” “This will bring a lot of visibility to our program,” Tolbert said. “CURENT will bring higher caliber graduate students as well as more industries looking to hire our graduate and undergraduate students. Additionally, our students working with CURENT will be very active. We hope to have high school students and teachers come to our center and have our students go to middle schools and high schools to talk about electrical engineering.” The NSF-DOE award and upcoming five-year development of the CURENT smart grid are steps in the university’s process in becoming a top 25 public institution. Combined with the newly constructed Min Kao Building, CURENT is expected to draw some of the most outstanding undergraduate and graduate electrical engineering students in the country to Knoxville, give UT students some unique opportunities and help shape the future of the way the United States allocates and monitors energy.

Joy Hill • The Daily Beacon

Students walk past Ferris Hall on a sunny Monday, Feb. 14. Ferris houses UT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, to which the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy recently awarded an $18 million endowment for a new engineering research center.

Pro wakeboarders visit UT team

After a 10-minute ride, the Red Bull truck and accompanying UT team pulled up at the river ready to jettison their speed Staff Writer boat and hit some wake. Eleven riders crammed into a boat and, after a pit stop for This past week, Red Bull USA professional wakeboarders Adam Errington and J. D. Webb hit the water with the UT fuel, made their way up the river as equipment was sorted and wakeboard team ahead of the final stop of the 2011 MasterCraft checked. First into the river was UT wakeboarder Ben Dorton, senior Pro Wakeboard Series at Volunteer Landing. Arriving on Volunteer Boulevard near the UC, the UT team in forestry and wildlife. Though still recovering from a previous was greeted by the Red Bull truck, complete with two large knee injury, Dorton impressed onlookers with his wakeboarding skill. amplifiers, turning the street into an open party. In charge of the Errington handed boat and creating the out Red Bull to wake was 21-year-old intrigued passers-by, Brad Riddick, junior and Red Bull worked to in accounting and make sure the Vols finance and president enjoyed the hospitality. of the UT wakeboard After a 20-minute team. wait and a vast conAfter Dorton rode sumption of the energy the wake for a bit, the drink, they were all rest of the UT team fired up and ready to performed under the go. tutelage of Errington Four of the riders and Webb. jumped into the back of Webb said he was a truck and the rest folimpressed. lowed by convoy to the “Everyone riding team’s moored today is killing it. It’s MasterCraft speed boat really cool to ride at Volunteer Landing. with a bunch of peoWebb, 24 from ple you’ve never ridOrlando, Fla., has been den with before,” wakeboarding for 15 Webb said. “It’s great years and was excited just to watch everyto hang with the UT one progress, give team. He said he them some tips and always loves coming to hopefully they’ll Knoxville. progress to that next “I’ve always had step.” great experiences After a couple here,” he said. “You hours on the water, it guys have a great setup was time to head down by the river. It’s a back in, with Webb joy to ride here. I hope having some sage I can pass on some tips advice for the to the UT team and Tennessee riders. maybe get them riding “Always have fun, with a little bit more keep them teeth confidence.” showing, smile and Errington, 23 from George Richardson • The Daily Beacon Orlando, Fla., is a rising Shota Tezuka does a flip over the wake while competing in the 2011 don’t take it too seristar in wakeboarding MasterCraft Pro Wakeboarding Series on Sunday, Aug. 28. The ously — it’ll ruin it,” and has gone from Series brought many of the best names in wakeboarding to Webb said to the strength to strength Knoxville, including two Red Bull team riders who spent the week team. After a successful since he was crowned with members of the UT wakeboarding team day out on the river Rookie of the Year in the Vols packed up their equipment and looked forward to put2007. He agrees that Knoxville is a great place to come ride. “This area has some great waterways and lakes, and it’s ting their skills into action. The Red Bull pros set their sights always a pleasure to come here and also sweet that we can hang on glory at the weekend’s MasterCraft Series finale. The UT team will be in action again at the Boomsday Rail with the UT team and maybe give them some tips,” Errington Jam II on Neyland Drive Sept. 6 at 1 p.m. said.

Jaime Greig

Polygamist hospitalized after fasting The Associated Press HOUSTON — Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs was hospitalized in critical condition Monday after telling corrections officers he’s fasted in the weeks since receiving a life sentence for sexually assaulting underage followers he took as spiritual brides, a prison official said. The 55-year-old head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who has a history of refusing to eat while incarcerated, was stable, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Michelle Lyons told The Associated Press. It was uncertain how long he would be hospitalized. Jeffs attorney Emily Detoto told the AP her client “hasn’t been feeling well” and was taken to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler on Sunday night. She declined to elaborate. Lyons said Jeffs told corrections officers he’s fasted in the time since his conviction earlier this month, though it was not immediately clear how long he’d gone without food before being hospitalized. During Jeffs’ trial, prosecutors used DNA evidence to show he fathered a child with a 15-year-old and played an audio recording of what they said was him sexually assaulting a 12-year-old. Both were among 24 underage wives who prosecutors said Jeffs collected. Court documents show Jeffs tried to hang himself in January 2007 while awaiting trial on rape charges in Washington County, Utah. He also threw himself against the walls of his cell and banged his head, although he later told a mental health expert he really wasn’t trying to kill himself. During a visit with a brother that same month that was videotaped by jail officials, Jeffs said he’d been fasting for

three days and remained awake during the night. Days later, he was taken to a hospital and given medication for depression. The court documents said he’d lost 30 pounds, was dehydrated and suffering from sleep deprivation. Jeffs also had to be temporarily force-fed in 2009 while in the Kingman, Ariz., jail. In Texas, Jeffs has been in protective custody, which is among the most restrictive forms of imprisonment in the state. He was to be alone in his cell daily, not be involved in any work programs and to be out of his cell only to shower and for recreation by himself. Jeffs is among only 85 inmates in the 156,000-prisoner Texas corrections system to be assigned protective custody. The life sentence was the harshest possible for Jeffs’ convictions and he isn’t eligible for parole until he is at least 100 years old. He had been in a Huntsville prison immediately after his trial, then was moved last week to the Powledge Unit outside Palestine, about 100 miles southeast of Dallas. Former church members have said Jeffs likely would continue to lead his Utahbased church from inside prison and that his followers likely still revere him as a prophet despite the considerable evidence presented at his trial showing he sexually assaulted girls as young as 12. The basic principles of Jeffs’ fundamentalist sect are rooted in polygamy, a legacy of early Mormon church teachings that held plural marriage brought exaltation in heaven. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the mainstream Mormon church, abandoned the practice in 1890 as a condition of Utah’s statehood and excommunicates members who engage in the practice.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
The Daily Beacon by UT Media Center - Issuu