The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 16, 1996, Image 2
^ Great Jewelry & Gifts From the Home Planet /Ion & Sat 10-5 Tues-Fri 12-6 Pabis $289 Page 2 • The Battalion MUSEUM REPRODUCTIONS -INCENSE AMETHYST CATHEDRALS -CHIMES BEAUTIFUL STERLING SILVER JEWELRY Enroll now for Spring classes Tired? mtUKD OUT ? SICK? ■MO ElMEnnYTr Gail Marie’s Self Healthful Living & Relaxation Classes Learn to: Relax • Sleep Better • Feel Better • Look Better • Eat Better; Break Bad Health Habits, Find Self Confidence and live a Healthier life 25 Yeiu^i Experience Call Gail Marie at (409) 774-4686 Place Your Ad In The Battalion Call 845-0569 London Frankfurt Madrid $309* $349* $375* WE CAN GET A EURAILPASS TO YOU WITHIN 24 HOURS VIA FEDEX! We Sai Student Tickets that allow STAYS UP TO ONE YEAR. Plan your Summer Early CALL TODAY! Council Travel 2000 Guadalupe St. Austin, TX 78705 512-472-4931 httpgAvww.ciee.org/cts/ctshome.htm We are eurail experts! A N FOUNDATION ???Interested in Aggie Athletics ? ? ? The 12th Man Student Foundation is now accepting applications for next semester! Positions available: Secretary Membership Swimming Special Activities Basketball Tennis Newsletter Publicity Baseball Volleyball -Soccer/Track m Golf/Softball Football Organization/Hall Representative Those interested in applying may pick up a description of positions and application at the 12th Man Foundation office in the Koldus Building room 109. Due by Thursday, April 18 in the 12th Man Foundation office. Interviews will be scheduled April 22-16. Attention Students Force Dates for English 210 & 301 The Department of English - Writing Programs Office announces forcing for graduating seniors only for techni cal writing courses (English 210 and English 301) in Blocker 224 on the dates below: Summer I and Fall Semesters Wednesday, May 1 Thursday, May 2 Summer I Only Friday, May 31 Fall Semester Only Thursday, August 29 Summer II Only Wednesday, July 3 Forcing Hours 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Graduating seniors must bring a signed letter from their aca demic advisor on departmental letterhead indicating the semester of graduation. Seats will be available for the semester of graduation only. The Writing Programs office does not guarantee seats to graduating seniors in any class, including English 210 and English 301. However, we will do whatever we can to accommodate students who come to our office during announced force dates. Once again, we will not be able to force students who do not come in during force dates. No forces will be done during pre-registration. For more information see our Web page at this address: http://engserve.tamu.edu/files/writingprograms/rulesforforcing.html Caivirus Tuesday • April 16, news BRIEFS High school science projects shown today The Junior Academy of Science, a statewide competition sponsored by the Texas Academy of Science in which high school students pre sent original research projects to be judged by university scientists, will be held today and Wednesday on the Texas A&M campus. Twelve students will receive medals and certificates for their projects, and two overall winners will advance to the national Ju nior Academy of Science in Washington, D.C. Winning projects at past acade mies include "Tne Use of Naturally Occurring Antimicrobials to In crease Shelf Life of Tortillas" and "Mechanisms of Disappearance of Salmonella on Cutting Boards." The academy is hosted by the A&M Center for Mathematics and Science Education, and activities are slated to occur in the Rudder Tower Complex. Nubian Festival awards held Sunday The Texas A&M MSC Black Awareness Committee and the PanHellenic Council hosted the Nubian Festival awards ceremo ny Sunday. The BAC, the PanHellenic Council, the National Associa tion of Black Journalists and Zeta Phi Beta and Delta Sigma Theta sororities gave awards for student accomplishments. The Academic Excellence award, requiring a 3.75 grade- point ratio, was given to Brian Bell, a sophomore chemical engi neering major, and Jeridith War ren, a senior psychology major. The Reginald Broadus award, requiring a 3.25 grade-point ratio and dedication to leadership and community service, was awarded to Steven Traylor, a junior finance major, and Tamara fenkins, a freshman general studies major. Cracks in the sky: Three A&M professors study aircraft hazards The Aggies have been researching ways to improve airplane structures By Eleanor Colvin The Battalion Improving the efficiency of aircraft and devel oping better estimates of their structural life is the goal of three Texas A&M professors who are studying the hazards of cracks in aircraft. Dr. David Allen, a professor of aerospace engi neering who has studied aircraft cracks for 15 years, said A&M’s research on this topic is unique and helpful because it involves strong theoretical and mathematical approaches. "Designing with more confidence will be a significant benefit of our research." —DR. DIMITRIS LAGOUDAS Associate professor of aerospace engineering “The models used in the past were expen sive,” he said. “They were not accurate enough to be used as good predictors of the dangers of cracks.” Because cracks have caused one-third of all aircraft crashes in the past 20 years, Allen said his goal is to develop structures that will last longer and repair schedules for older aircrafts. The cracks being studied are often not visible, Allen said. They measure from 1/3 of an inch to 1 foot long. He said the small cracks, if monitored, are usually not problematic. “There are cracks in roads, bridges, cars and aircraft,” he said, “but we’re fortunate that most of them aren’t critical cracks. “We don’t want to imply that the na tion’s fleet of planes is unsafe because of this — because it’s not. We simply want to make it better.” Dr. Dimitris Lagoudas, an associate professor of aerospace engineering whose work concentrates on the environment’s effect on aircraft aging, agreed that improving aircraft quality is a top priority that will have benefits beyond safety. “Designing with more confidence will be a significant benefit of our research,” he said. “Stronger designs should increase the operat ing speeds and engine efficiency of crafts, and that should decrease costs and travel time for consumers.” Dr. Jay Walton, a professor of mathematics and aerospace engineering, said the research is innovative because environmental effects have not been seriously explored before. “Environmental processes, like oxidation, cause aging and some safety problems,” he said. “We work with chemical engineers to study models ol how oxidation occurs that are more realistic thar, simplified versions studied in the past.” Walton, who derives equations that estimate how cracks grow, said the research should edu cate aircraft industries about monitoring and re pair options. “Because it may be ex pensive to fix cracks or unsafe not to,” he said, much information as possible so they can draw the best conclusions.” Allen said their experimental models can help industries establish more efficient maintenance programs because they estimate how rapidly cracks spread and how often they should be monitored. Increasing the intervals between maintenance or repair, he said would reduce the cost of aircraft operations in general. We're looking for the most interesting & awesome look ing guy to win The 1996 Texas Man of the Year. If we pick your man, boyfriend, brother, etc , you'll win a $300 shopping spree at FOLEY'S. If you win, you'll receive: *One year representation by the largest modeling agency in the Southwest - The Intermedia Model & Talent Agency *A photo shoot with a top fashion photographer Contest is open to all males ages 1 6 to 40 and live in Texas or currently attend a Texas college. Simply pick up an entry form between April 14th thru April 28th at your local FOLEY'S in the Young Men's Dept., or mail in a non-returnable photo (headshot or full length) with your name, height, weight, age, address, phone number, and name of person who referred you to this contest to: TEXAS MAN MODEL SEARCH • Intermedia • 5353 W. Alabama #222 • Houston, Texas 77056 • (713) 622-8282 The Battalion Sterling Hayman, Editor in Chief Stacy Stanton, Managing Editor Stew Milne, Photo Editor Michael Landauer, Opinion Editor Tara Wilkinson, City Editor Tiffany Moore, Night News Editor Gretchen Perrenot, Night NewsEww Amy Collier, Aggielife Editor Nick Georgandis, Sports Editor Dave Winder, Radio Editor Toon Boonyavanich, GraphicsEmt* Brad Graeber, Graphics Edhor Staff Members City Desk - Assistant Editor: Lily Aguilar; Reporters; Marissa Alanis, Pamela Benson,Elew Colvin, Johanna Henry, Lisa Johnson, Michelle Lyons, Heather Pace, Kendra S.Rar mussen, Erica Roy, Wes Swift, Courtney Walker, & Tauma Wiggins Aggielife Desk - Assistant Editor: Amy Uptmor; Writers: Rachel Barry, Kristina Buffi" Amber Clark, Jonathan Faber, James Francis, Libe Goad, David Hall, Jeremy Hubble, John LeBas, Amy Protas, Wes Swift & Alex Walters; Page Designer:He len Clancy Sports Desk - Assistant Editor: Tom Day; Sportswriters: Kristina Buffin, Phil Leone,fw Nance, Nicole Smith & Wes Swift; Page Designer: Jody Holley Opinion Desk - Assistant Editor: Jason Brown; Columnists: H.L. Baxter, Rob Clark,Eiin Fitzgerald, Jason Glen, Shannon Halbrook, Aja Henderson, Elaine Mejia,Cl« Miller, Jeff Nolen, Chris Stidvent, Dave Taylor, Jeremy Valdez & Kieran Watson Photo Desk - Assistant Editor: Tim Moog; Photographers: Rony Angkriwan, Aim Browning, Shane Elkins, Dave House, Gwendolyn Struve, Cory Willis & Evan Zimmerman Page Designers - News: Asad Al-Mubarak, Michele Chancellor, Jody Holley, Jill Mazra Tiffany Moore & Gretchen Perrenot Copy Editors - Brian Cieselman & Amy Hamilton Visualization Artists - Terry Butler, Michael Depot, Dave Doyle, Ed Goodwin, lolm Lemons, Jennifer Lynne Maki, Quatro Oakley, Gerado Quezada, James Vineyarc & Chris Yung Office Staff - Office Manager: Kasie Byers; Clerks: Abbie Adaway, Mandy Cater,Am her Clark & Anjeanette Sasser Radio Desk - Will Fdiclcman & Dave Winder News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University:' the Division of Student Publications, a unit of the Department of Journalism. News offices are in 013 Reed McDonald Building. Newsroom phone: 845-3313;Fa« 845-2647 Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsemenl byTht Battalion. For campus, local and national display advertising, call 845-2696. Ef* classified advertising, call 845-0569. Advertising offices are in 015 Reed McDC- aid and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 84 5-2678 Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick upa^ gle copy of The Battalion. Mail subscriptions are $20 per semester, $40 per school)® and $50 per full year. To charge by VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Exp® 1 call 845-2611. The Battalion (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday duringtho® 1 and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer session* (except on University holidays and exam periods), at Texas A&M University- Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77840. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald Building, Te® A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. MSC Wiley Lecture Series ■ The Congressional and Presidential Roles George Mitchell Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Arthur Schlesinger Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian Dan Quayle Former U.S. Vice President Moderator: Margaret Warner, News Hour with Jim Lehrer 8 p.m., April 17,1996 • Rudder Auditorium • Texas A&M University Tickets available from the MSC Box Office • (409) 845-1234 • Students $5, $7, $9 • Non-Students $9, $12, $15 Persons with disabilities, please call 845-1515, three days in advance, to inform of your special needs. By Johi The Ba S tv st A Bever about ' permit The: and pi A&M s the thi lishme Man so res enough undera cated, c Dr. the Ah gram i Life, s: drink t most o lem wi howe’ k>l m stude don s an e read peer a gro eral out mar tast< or f Lisa Tr major,