^ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 20T5 I SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 I © 2014 STUDENT MEDIA I ©THEBATTONLINE
Tanner Garza —THE BATTALION
SILVER TAPS
flr-
SPORTS
July 31,1994-Nov. 26,2014
Sarah Anne Yager paee4
Ross Volunteer urges students
to attend Silver Taps
An Open Letter to the Aggie Family,
Howdy, Ags. To those who’ve returned
back to Aggieland this semester, welcome back!
At this institution, we talk a lot about selfless
service; willingly and joyfully sacrificing our
time and resources
while expecting
nothing in return In
fact, this university
and its traditions are
rooted in service
and self-sacrifice;
just take a walk
through the MSC.
Throughout our
history, Aggies
have found ways to
boldly serve this na
tion, state and most
importantly, their
fellow man.
Silver Taps is the - "
most special and
intimate tradition
on this campus. It
is traditions like this
that make being
an Aggie special and the Aggie family real. To
simply be in attendance is the most selfless act
you could perform for the loved ones of your
fellow Aggie. The gesture of standing in total
darkness with your fellow Aggie on a Tuesday
night is powerful and greatly appreciated by the
visiting families. When there is no elbow room
on the grass in front of the Academic Building,
and the only sound is the wind through the
Century Tree, it’s easy to see what the Aggie
family is all about.
Unfortunately, We again must perform the
amazing act of solidarity that is Silver Taps. At
tendance for Silver Taps is traditionally strong in
September because of the Fish Camp groups and
the excitement that accompanies the beginning
of a new year. Slowly but surely, the numbers
dwindle until only the Corps and a few truly
dedicated Aggies come to share in the embrace
of the families. We owe it to our brothers’ and
sisters’ families to be standing there when we tell
them that we cared about their loved one and
what they did with their life.
To be clear: There is nothing “in it for you.”
Silver Taps is solely another medium through
which Aggies experience the hidden joy and
value in the tradition of selfless-service.
In the past, the square area between Nagle,
Bolton Hall, the YMCA Building and the
Academic Building was full of Aggies stand
ing together to honor those at Silver Taps; that
was when the university had significantly less
students. How much larger could our symbol
of respect be with a student body of 50,000
Aggies?
Please, on behalf of the families of the fallen, I
ask that you carve 30 to 45 minutes out of your
busy life on a Tuesday night to be an engaged
member of the Aggie Family. The simple fact
is that surrendering that time to the grieving
families is what Silver Taps, being an Aggie and
selfless service is all about. Show up at Academic
Plaza on Tuesday night. The ceremony starts
precisely at 10:30 p.m.
Your presence alone is an amazing act of
compassion and selflessness.
How many people would you want to com
fort and serve your family at Silver Taps?
when
10:30 p.m. Tuesday
where
Academic Plaza
An honor guard from
the Ross Volunteer
Company will march
to Academic Plaza,
where its members
will fire three rifle
volleys. Buglers from
the Aggie Band
will play a special
arrangement of
"Taps."
Respectfully and dutifully at your service.
Firing Squad Commander ’ 15
Ross Volunteer Company
M. BASKETBALL
SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Texas A&M junior guard Danuel House has
earned SEC Player of the Week honors after
his performances in wins over Auburn and
Vanderbilt. House averaged 17.5 points per
game and shot 72.7 percent from 3-pomt range
to help move the Aggies into second place in
the SEC standings.
Shelby Knowles—THE BATTALION
Alaa Elwany and his team received a grant for $500,000 from NASA in order to
pursue research on shape-memory alloys, or "smart metals."
NASA grant funds
'smart metals' project
Professor's team works
on shape-memory alloys
By Spencer Davis
hree Texas A&M
professors are pursu
ing crucial research
■ on shape-memory
alloys — materials that can
mend their shape in response
to their environment.
Shape-memory alloys are
popular in a range of indus
tries including aerospace and
health, and their develop
ment was accelerated last
month when NASA awarded
a $500,000 grant to the A&M
team to study their produc
tion. These alloys, sometimes
called “smart metals,” are
lightweight materials that can
be deformed and restored to
their original shape when heat
is applied.
“These are materials that
literally have a memory,” said
Alaa Elwany, principal inves
tigator of the team. “If it is
subjected to some tempera
ture or some abnormal stress
then it regains its original
shape.”
These alloys are already
being used as heart stints in
cardiovascular surgery and
are replacing complex parts
in airplane engines, said Ray-
mu ndo Arroyave, a materials
science professor and team
member. In fields that re
quire complicated machines
and precise movement, fewer
moving parts often mean less
failure.
These special alloys are
produced by a process of ad
ditive manufacturing, better
known as 3D printing, that
allows advantages otherwise
not feasible by conventional
techniques.
“The advantage of addi
tive manufacturing is that it
provides the flexibility to ba
sically design the shape you
need to meet the functional
requirements,” Arroyave said.
The problem, Elwany said,
has been perfecting the 3D
printing manufacture tech
nique.
“It’s a material that has a lot
GRANT ON PC. 3
ENVIRONMENT
A&M works to relocate
Kyle Field bat population
Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION
As part of the bat relocation efforts, "bat houses" have been
built in order to conserve the free-tailed bat population as
they are forced from Kyle Field.
Conservationists
question environmental
issues, removal continues
By Spencer Davis
When completed, Kyle
Field’s renovation will
seat 102,500 screaming foot
ball fans as the largest stadium
in the SEC. However, the
renovated stadium will no
longer welcome some of Kyle
Field’s quieter inhabitants —
250,000 Mexican free-tailed
bats.
The native bat population
has lived in the crevices of
Kyle Field since it was built
87 years ago. Texas A&M
and Manhattan-Vaughn have
sought to relocate the bat
population since the stadium’s
renovation began in the fall of
2013.
Cleaning up after the bats
costs A&M approximately
$150,000 per year, said Phillip
Ray, chief business develop
ment ofticer of Texas A&M.
“The total cost to under
take bat-exclusion measures
throughout the redeveloped
Kyle Field is not yet deter
mined,” Ray said.
While university officials
question the cost of cleanup,
some conservationists ques
tion the environmental costs
of getting rid of the bats.
Thomas Lacher, a bat ex
pert and conservation bi
ologist in the Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries Scienc
es, said the bat exodus from
BATS ON PG. 2
Manziel
enters
treatment
facility
By Milkyas Gashaw
w Heisman Trophy winner and for-
mer A&M standout Johnny Man
ziel checked into a treatment facility
early Wednesday morning.
“Johnny knows there are areas in
which he needs to improve in order
to be a better family member, friend
and teammate, and he thought the
offseason was the right time to take
this step,” adviser Brad Beckworth
said in his statement.
FILE
Johnny Manziel
Beckworth did not specify the type
of treatment sought by Manziel or
how long he would remain at the fa
cility. The news comes on the heels of
a rookie season in which Manziel saw
action in only three games — throw
ing for 175 yards with zero passing
touchdowns and two interceptions —
and was fined by the team for missing
treatment on his injured hamstring
prior to the Dec. 28 season finale.
Cleveland Browns general man
ager Ray Farmer came out in support
of the Browns quarterback.
“We respect Johnny’s initiative in
this decision and will fully support
him throughout this process,” Farmer
said. “Our players’ health and well
being will always be of the utmost
importance to the Cleveland Browns.
We continually strive to create a sup
portive environment and provide the
appropriate resources, with our fore
most focus being on the individual
and not just the football player.”
Manziel came into the NFL as a
polarizing figure, stemming from his
playing days at Texas A&M. After he
became the first freshman in NCAA
history to win the Heisman trophy,
Manziel became instant news, with
media outlets from across the coun
try covering him at his every move.
Some argued that Manziel became
just as polarizing and as talked about
as another former Heisman trophy
winner, Tim Tebow.
When Manziel entered his final
season at A&M in 2013, the Aggies
received buzz as national title con
tenders and Manziel was a candidate
to win back-to-back Heisman tro
phies. The Aggies finished 9-4 with
a dramatic victory in the Chick-Fil-A
bowl over Duke and Manziel again
returned to New York as a Heisman
finalist, though Horida State’s Jameis
Winston took home the award.
As his NFL pro day came and
went, the draft buzz was all about
where Manziel was going to go in
MANZIEL ON PG. 2
CAMPUS
BOARD OF REGENTS
The Texas A&M Board of Regents
will meet Tuesday afternoon in
a special telephonic meeting to
possibly announce the names
of the finalists for the position
of the president of Texas A&M
University. The meeting will take
place at 5:30 p.m. in the Board of
Regents annex of the Memorial
Student Center.