Allendale Fourth of July parade, B3
GVSU helps with
mock rescue, A3
Track members make
All-Academic, B1
Grand Valley Lanthorn
Grand Valley State University
www.lanthorn.com
Thursday,July12,2007
An alternative experience
The Annis Water
Resources Institute helps
students explore science
outside the classroom
By Leslie Perales
GVL Editor in Chief
The Robert B. Annis Water Resources
Institute helps students and faculty of
Grand Valley State University study
freshwater resources in and around Lake
Michigan.
With offices and a dock located in
Muskegon, Mich., as well as a second
dock located in Grand Haven, Mich., the
Institute provides the GVSU community
with learning outside the classroom.
On July 7 Figen Mekik’s Geology
103: Oceans class got to experience
some of the offerings of the institute by
going out on Lake Michigan in the 45-
foot-long D.J. Angus research vessel.
“It takes them out of the classroom
and gives them first-hand experience on
how aquatic science is conducted,” she
said. “The Angus has a lab and there is
always at least one instructor other than
myself to teach the students on board.”
The class covers various other topics,
such as ocean circulation, tides, waves,
tsunamis, deep sea sediments and plate
tectonics, Figen said. The class also
relates topics covered to global climate
change.
Jim Winks, captain and deckhand
aboard the D.J. Angus, chartered
the students into the waters of Lake
Michigan. George Thibault served as
deckhand for the trip and Paula Capizzi
served as science instructor.
“The students get to collect their own
samples and analyze them using a variety
of tests in the lab,” Figen said. “They get
to be active scientists for one day.”
Capizzi, who helped the students
complete lab experiments, said the trip
helps students learn a lot about water
quality and the ecology of a water
system.
“It would bring it a whole lot more into
real life situations, as far as being able to
do the tests and see how they relate to the
water quality,” she said.
Students on the trip were able to
test water quality, dissolved oxygen,
conductivity, turbidity and pH levels
in the boat’s interior laboratory. The
students were also able to complete tests
on temperature profiles, Secchi disk and
Forel-Ule color scale and a Ponar grab to
check for benthics from the deck of the
boat.
Figen said part of the benefit of going
on the boat is being able to see how she
gets some of the information she uses
during class sessions.
“They see how fun it can be and at
the same time how much work actually
See Annis, A2
GVL /Kaitlyn Irwin
All aboard: Science instructor, Paula Capizzi talks to students about their boat trip
around Lake Michigan on Saturday, July 7th.
GV staff
briefedon
keeping
data safe
By Michael Knopf
GVL Staff Writer
Some of the staff members at
Grand Valley State University have
been getting refreshed on how to
protect personal identity information.
Three personal data storage
presentations are being held this
summer to remind everyone how to
handle sensitive information. Those
who deal directly with student's
private information on a daily
basis, such as secretaries and office
personnel, will be the most directly
involved.
The presentations are intended
to help avoid instances such as the
one that occured earlier this summer,
when a flash drive containing personal
information was taken from an office
in Lake Huron Hall. The drive held
more than 3,000 social security
numbers of GVSU English students.
“The incident with the flash drive
was the catalyst to make sure that all
clerical and office technical (COT)
staff is aware of
university policy
data
“Whatever regarding
storage,” said
we can do Mary Eilleen
Lyon, assistant
to protect
vice president
the students for GVSU News
is worth& Information
Services. “One
while.”
thing to note
is that these
instructions are
JILL HAMILTON not new,” Lyon
GVSU STAFF
said.
T
h
e
refreshers
on
information
safety were authorized by Dean
Frederick Antczak of GVSU’s college
of liberal arts and sciences. Recently,
there has been a pattern of crimes on
the Allendale campus and reminding
everyone how to store sensitive
information safely is important,
Antczak said.
“We owe it to the students and
ourselves to be prepared,” he said.
Associate Dean of GVSU's
Biology Department Jann Joesph
has also been involved with the
presentations.
“All of our (COTs), as well as
our AP staff, will be sitting through
these seminars,” Joseph said. “We
are also having another seminar in
the fall for any faculty returning then.
By August, all COTs will have gone
through the seminar,” she said.
Information Techonology staff
member Sherry Barricklow and
Manager of Academic Services John
Klein are leading the presentations.
See Public Safety, A2
GVL / Kelly Begerow
Girl power: 7th grader, Samantha Danielson, from Walden Green Middle School, works with volunteer, Lois Williams, to create parts of her plane during the Science Technology and Engineering Preview
Summer Camp.
Girls learn to fly planes
For two weeks this summer GVSU hosted the 6th annual STEPS day camp for seventh grade girls
By Michelle Hamilton
GVL News Editor
You only need one hand to count
the number of women receiving
engineering degrees from Grand Valley
State University this year.
Out of 58 students graduating from
the engineering program this summer
only four are women. Paul Plotkowski,
dean of the college of engineering and
computing, said this is a lean year for
diversity in the program. The number
of women who major in engineering
at GVSU is usually closer to 10-15
percent, Plotkowski said.
Philip Batty, director of institutional
analysis at GVSU, said there is a
drastic difference between the number
of undergraduate women attending
GVSU and the number of women in the
university’s engineering program.
“I know for a fact that in the
undergraduate class over 60 percent of
(the students) are female,” Batty said.
In any given year from 2001-2006, the
combined total of women and minority
students majoring in engineering does
not even total to half the number of Many of the girls came from West
white males in the program.
Michigan, but some came from as far as
To encourage more diversity in Detroit and Ann Arbor.
engineering and other technology
Volunteer GVSU faculty, staff and
fields, the Science, Technology and engineering students led the campers
Engineering Preview Summer Day through four days full of activities and
Camp has been sponsored by GVSU for building projects.
the past six years. The
Each week, a set of
STEPS program for girls
40 girls participated in
“It’s important to
entering seventh grade is
aviation themed activities
also offered in Minnesota
such as flight simulations,
offer different exand Wisconsin.
a tour with Rapid Air
periences to them airlines and building
STEPS
program
directors and volunteers
so they can decide glider airplanes. Brian
encourage
parents
what they want to Coleman, a senior GVSU
who have daughters
engineering
major,
do.”
with an interest in
helped the girls with a
technology to start
computer aided design
LEE WINKLER
thinking about careers in
project. Working with
PARENT OF CAMPER
physics, chemistry and
the computer programs
engineering before their
helped teach the girls
children enter middle school.
about the new technologies available to
“It’s important to offer different engineering, Coleman said.
experiences to them so they can decide
On the last day of camp, the girls
what they want to do,” said Lee Winkler, earned their pilot wings. With engines
father of 12-year-old camper.
secured inside the hollow glider planes
More than 100 volunteers participated they built, the girls flew their aircrafts in
in each session of this year’s program. groups of four. Members of the Warped
Wings Remote Controlled Flying
Club stood nearby to assist the girls in
maneuvering and landing their planes
with remote controls.
Twelve-year-old Alyssa Ruggles said
she came to STEPS because she thinks
she wants to be an engineer.
“I came to see what engineering was
all about,” Ruggles said.
INDEX
Section A
News..............................A3
Laker Life....................................A4
Opinion...........................A5
Photo Page.................................A6
Section B
Spor ts............................B1
A&E................................B3
M a r k e t p l a ce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B 5