TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 I SERVING TEXAS A&M SINCE 1893 I © 2015 STUDENT MEDIA I ©THEBATTONLINE
THE
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THE BATTALION I THEBATT.COM
Remote-controlled roaches
Insect technology could improve surveillance and response
By Connor Smith
w t is either breakthrough science or the
stuff of nightmares, but remote-con
trolled cockroaches are now possible.
-A- The mechanical engineering depart
ment at Texas A&M has teamed up with
entomologists in order to develop remotely
controlled cockroaches.
Control of cockroaches has been per
formed before by stimulating the roaches’
antennae. The research conducted at A&M,
however, hacked the cockroach nervous sys
tem to direct it in any chosen direction — a
feat that could one day see cockroaches used
as surveillance and emergency response tools.
Liang Hong, mechanical engineering pro
fessor, said using the roach nervous system
has advantages over using its antennae. In this
new method of control the cockroaches are
outfitted with a small “backpack” that con
tains many components such as a lithium bat
tery power source and the electrodes that are
implanted into the roach’s nervous system.
When signaled, the electrodes send a pulse
of electricity into the cockroach ganglia,
which then throws off its normal walking
pattern. By choosing between the left or right
ganglia, the researchers can make the roaches
turn in a direction of their choice. By going
directly into the nervous system, the cock
roach can’t rely on its other senses like it did
COCKROACH ON PG. 2
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Sydney Farris — THE BATTALION
Highest court
hears case for
Confederate flag
license plate
Texas filing prompts questions of the
boundaries of free speech, discrimination
By Josh Hopkins
The United States Supreme Court began hear-
^ ing a free speech case Monday regarding Texas’
rejection of a license plate that featured a Confeder
ate flag.
The license plate was initially introduced by the
Sons of Confederate Veterans in 2011 but was re
jected by the state. Now, four years later, the Su
preme Court is hearing the case that has sparked
debate whether the flag, which many feel is rep
resentative of racism and discrimination, should be
allowed to be displayed
Texas offers a selection of more than 350 spe
cialty license plates which drivers can order in lieu
of regular license plates for an additional fee. After
Texas rejected the submitted design, the Sons of
Confederate Veterans contested the rejection on
First Amendment grounds. Nine states allow for a
similar specialty license plate.
Mary Penrose, law professor at Texas A&M,
said the discussion about the license plate revolves
around different interpretations of the flag.
“So the state of Texas took testimony and
said, ‘Well a lot of people see that Confederate
flag and attribute to that flag racism, slavery, all
of the negative parts of the Civil War,’ which
undoubtedly is one viewpoint,” Penrose said.
“But individuals that are seeking this license
plate are looking at a different view of the Civil
War, and looking at their ancestry and their
family heritage and they have a different view
points.”
CONFEDERATE FLAG ON PG. 3
With 24-1 record, Aggies
snare top national rank
Hunter Melton leads the A&M baseball team in RBIs with 18.
Aggies travel to San Antonio for
date with UTSA
By Andre Perrard
Twenty-five games into the season,
Texas A&M baseball has 24 wins and
a No. 1 national ranking.
The SEC planted the top three teams
in the Collegiate Baseball poll released
Monday, led by A&M. No. 2 LSU and
No. 3 Vanderbilt round out the top three.
Pitcher Grayson Long earned co-SEC
Pitcher of the Week honors Monday for
the second time in three weeks. In a 4-2
win against Alabama Friday, Long struck
out 14 of the 23 batters he faced to move
to 5-0 in his last five starts.
At 5-1, the Aggies lead the SEC stand
ings. They suffered their first loss of the
season Saturday, but also set an SEC re
cord for wins in a row with 24 during
their weekend series with Alabama. Now
that the winning streak is over, the Aggies
look to start a new one Tuesday in San
Antonio against UTSA.
For UTSA (13-10), Trent Bowles is
a player to watch, with 11 doubles and
10 RBIs on the season. Jesse Baker leads
the team in home runs (four) and also has
13 RBIs to his name this season. Matt
Hilston has the most RBIs with 16.
The Aggies (24-1) come in as the
hottest team in college baseball, featur
ing eight players who have more than 15
RBIs, led by Mitchell Nau, Ryne Birk
and Hunter Melton, who each have 18.
UTSA ON PG. 4
Cruz seals
spot as first
presidential
candidate
Profs weigh in on candidate's
place on political spectrum
By Wade Feielin
Sen. Ted Cruz became the first Re
publican to announce his candidacy
for United States president in 2016 on
Monday.
George Edwards III, university dis
tinguished professor of political science,
said Cruz’s stance is heavily right-wing,
conservative and in line with Tea Party
ideology.
“Today he said, ‘Look, I don’t like
same-sex marriage, I don’t like the Af
fordable Care Act,’ so it’s clearly a hard-
right, small-government stance, which is
not in the mainstream of American public
opinion, which isn’t to say that it’s right
or wrong — everybody can figure that
out on their own,” Edwards said.
Edwards said the Republican primary
electorate — the Republicans who actu
ally vote in primaries — is much more
conservative than the typical Republican
and even more so than the typical Ameri
can. He said it doesn’t matter in the long
run that Cruz differs from most of Amer
ica because of those to whom he must
appeal.
Ted Cruz is the first candidate to
announce a presidential run.
Wendy Keeney-Kennicutt teaches chemistry courses
through Second Life, an online virtual world.
Q&A: Inside a virtual chemistry classroom
The Battalion reporter Lenae
Allen sat down with Wendy
Keeney-Kennicutt, a chemistry
professor with a doctorate
in chemical oceanography.
Kennicutt conducts a virtual
Chemistry 101 class using the 3D
computer program Second Life.
THE BATTALION: How long
have you been at Texas A&M?
KEENEY-KENNICUTT: Since 1975,
and I started teaching in the
chemistry department in 1984. I
love teaching General Chemistry
101 and 102.
THE BATTALION: What is the
program Second Life? How did
you come to use it?
KEENEY-KENNICUTT: They call
it a 3D program, but it's really
a 2 1 /2-D program because 3D
really makes a lot of people
uncomfortable or sick. You can
see its perspective. My avatar
was "bom" in December 2008.
We have a virtual Heldenfels,
where we are doing our National
Science Foundation project.
The program platform is made
of islands and we have a few
bought by Texas A&M. Ecology,
the college of medicine and
nursing, agriculture, they all have
"islands." The vet school also
makes their students work in
Second Life. Our place on Second
KEENEY-KENNICUTT ON PG. 3