March 23, 2004 News Releases
Released 3/19/04 and 3/22/04
UTAH STATE NEWS RELEASES FOR 3-22-04
FINAL SOLO RECITALS
AT WASSERMANN FESTIVAL
LOGAN — The final two solo recitals March 26 and 27 at
Utah State University’s Wassermann Festival feature pianists
of international fame, Olga Kern and Misha Dichter. “The
Dallas Morning News” said Kern is “a player of enormous
brilliance and passion, and one who whips audiences into frenzies,”
while the “Tennessean” said Dichter is “a
poet at the keyboard, a truly Byronic figure who demonstrated
the reasons for his membership among the world’s elite.”
Kern performs Friday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Kent Concert
Hall of the Chase Fine Arts Center. Tickets are available at
the door. Adult admission is $10 and students are admitted free,
but in deference to performers and audience members, children
under the age of 6 are not admitted.
Anyone who attended Kern’s last performances at the Wassermann
in 2002, on the heels of her gold-medal winning performance
at the Van Cliburn competition, knows that this explosive pianist
is capable of great moments on the stage, said Dennis Hirst,
Wassermann Festival director.
“The audience response to her last performance was huge,”
said Hirst. “The crowd went wild, and there was an instantaneous
standing ovation. Olga returned to the stage for four encores.”
Finally, Kern turned to the audience and said, “Please,
I cannot play any more.”
Hirst said Kern’s 2004 Wassermann performance should be
equally exciting because she performs in Logan in preparation
for her Carnegie Hall premiere May 1.
Kern’s program opens with a Rachmaninoff transcription
of Bach’s “Prelude, Gavotte and Gigue,” followed
by Brahms’s “Variations and Fugue on a Theme by
Handel, Op. 24.”
Following intermission, Kern presents a strong dose of Rachmaninoff
with “Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42”
and “Lilacs, Op. 21, No. 5.” Rachmaninoff transcriptions
of Mussorgsky’s “Hopak” from “Sorochintsy
Fair” and Schubert’s “Wohin” are also
included. Her program concludes with the fire of Liszt in “Hungarian
Rhapsody No. 2 in c-sharp Minor,” with cadenza by Rachmaninoff.
“This key, with its six sharps, is somewhat daunting to
amateur pianists, and many transcriptions and arrangements of
the piece exist in simpler keys,” program notes by Kelly
Dean Hansen state. “The work is so familiar that everyone
wants to play it, but the original is far too difficult for
anybody but a true virtuoso.”
Dichter’s recital is Saturday, March 27, and also begins
at 7:30 p.m. in Kent Concert Hall. Ticket information remains
the same.
In his program biography, Dichter discusses his dual musical
heritage — the Russian Romantic School and the German
Classical style, and his recital program highlights this heritage,
Hirst said. The German style is showcased in “Sonata No.
7 in D Major, Op. 10, No. 3” by Beethoven and “Faschingsschwank
aus Wien, Op. 26” by Robert Schumann. The Beethoven work
must stand as one of the composer’s most completely satisfying
early works, and the Schumann work is among the composer’s
most sophisticated keyboard works.
Following intermission the pianist provides an all-Russian program
with works by Scriabin, Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff, a collection
of composers Hirst calls “heavies” of the Russian
composing period.
“The diversity of this program is wonderful,” Hirst
said. “Audiences should appreciate the program, and the
final selection by Rachmaninoff includes six of the composer’s
best known preludes and etudes. This is a balanced program that
shows off the pianist’s musical background. There is nothing
the same in the program — it is truly diverse —
much more than one normally hears. It is a varied and rich program
that reflects the artist and his amazing career.”
For information on the Wassermann Festival, contact Hirst at
(435) 797-3257. Information is also available at www.usu.edu/wassermann.
March 22, 2004
Contact: Dennis Hirst (435) 797-3257
Writer: Patrick Williams (435) 797-1354
UTAH STATE
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DO WELL AT JAPANESE SPEECH CONTEST
LOGAN — Four Utah State University students who study
in the Japanese program in the department of languages, philosophy
and speech communication competed at the 23rd annual Japanese
Speech Contest bringing home first and second place honors in
several categories.
Participating students included Cleveland Karren, Tom Kjar,
Jake Geddes and Kelvin Wursten. The students took first place
in the beginning level at the competition and second place in
the advanced level. The students are enrolled in Japanese courses
at Utah State with Neely and Mitsuko Hirata.
According to faculty member Atsuko Neely, most of the state’s
institutions of higher education — including Utah State,
University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Weber State, Utah
Valley State College, Salt Lake Community College, Westminster
College and Snow College — offer Japanese language courses.
Each year, selected students from each of these institutions
gather to compete at beginning and advanced levels.
Contestants at the advanced level must deliver an original five-minute
speech in Japanese on a topic of their choice. Beginning-level
students recite a favorite story.
Beginning-level first-place winner Tom Kjar chose to tell a
Japanese folk tale titled “Horimono no Nezumi-Carved Mise”
and received the highest marks, Neely said.
The advanced-level second-place winner Jake Geddes presented
a personal account of becoming an official referee for ice hockey
games.
The All-Utah Japanese Speech Contest is one of the longest running
contests of its kind in the nation.
“Twenty-three years ago, Utah was a pioneer in recognizing
the importance of providing an enriching environment for Japanese
language education,” Neely said. “First hosted by
professor Masakazu Watabe of BYU in 1980, Japanese educators
in the state have continued to host this unique annual event
on a rotating basis. It serves as a competitive showcase for
students in all of the Japanese language program in the state.”
Support for this year’s event came from the Japan Foundation,
Consulate-General of Japan at Denver, University of Utah’s
department of languages and communication and a number of Salt
Lake City restaurants, including Mikado, Shogun and Kyoto.
For information on Utah State’s Japanese program or the
competition, contact Neely at (435) 797-1365.
March 23, 2004
Contact: Atsuko Neely (435) 797-1365
Writer: Patrick Williams (435) 797-1354
EVANS BIOGRAPHY
AND HANDCART AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
LOGAN – Virginia Kerns, an anthropologist at the College
of William and Mary, and Ripley Hugo, a writer from Montana,
are the recipients of the Evans Biography and Handcart Awards,
the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies at Utah State
University announced March 11. The two authors will be honored
at a public event March 29 at Utah State University.
The March 29 event features short lectures by both recipients.
It is open to the public and begins at 7 p.m. at the David B.
Haight Alumni Center on the Utah State University campus and
will be followed by a reception and book signing.
Kerns is the recipient of the Evans Biography Award for “Scenes
from the High Desert: Julian Steward’s Life and Theory,”
published by the University of Illinois Press. Steward is best
remembered in American anthropology as the creator of cultural
ecology, a theoretical approach that has influenced generations
of archaeologists and cultural anthropologists. Kerns’s
biography considers the intellectual and emotional influences
of Steward’s remarkable career and provides insights into
the development of anthropology during his lifetime. She explores
the scholar’s early life in the American West and his
continued attachments to western landscapes and inhabitants,
with special attention to the ideas and experiences —
especially his memories of place — that gave rise to his
concept of the patrilineal band, which had the effect of reinforcing
the male-centered structure of mid-twentieth-century American
anthropology.
Hugo, a poet and faculty affiliate in the English department
at the University of Montana, is being awarded the Evans Handcart
Award for “Writing for Her Life: The Novelist Mildred
Walker,” published by the University of Nebraska Press.
Hugo is Walker’s daughter. Hugo’s biography of the
author of 13 celebrated novels is also her search for the writing
life of a mother known to her children as a socially correct
middle-class doctor’s wife, rather than as the ambitious,
imaginative, often struggling novelist she was as well. Drawing
on family memories, letters, diaries, reviews and, in particular,
the notebooks that Mildred Walker kept for each novel, Hugo
fashions an absorbing account of how her mother’s characters
emerged in the landscapes she visited again and again, particularly
Montana.
The $10,000 Evans Biography Award, which was established in
1983, recognizes outstanding research and writing of a biography
of a person who lived a significant portion of his or her life
in the region of the West that was historically influenced by
Mormon institutions and social practices.
The $1,000 Handcart Award, established in 1996, is given each
year to a biography of merit, often by an emerging author, that
contributes to an understanding of the Mormon-settled West.
The subjects and authors of the winning biographies in both
categories do not need to be affiliated with the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Evans Awards were endowed by the family of David Woolley
Evans and Beatrice Cannon Evans, both born in 1894. Mr. Evans
spent his adult life as a writer and editor, and in 1943, he
founded David W. Evans and Associates, one of the largest advertising
and public relations firms in the western United States. Mrs.
Evans was a historian and family genealogist who edited the
“Cannon Family Historical Treasury,” a six-generation
history of her father's family. She was also the genealogist
and historian for her mother's family, the Bennions.
The Mountain West Center for Regional Studies was established
at Utah State University in 1986 to advance the understanding
of the Mountain West region through interdisciplinary studies
and to link university expertise with regional needs and interests.
In addition to the Evans Awards, its programs include the annual
Bennion Teachers' Workshop, the Utah History Fair, and the upcoming
Mountain West Symposium on Song and Evans Biography Conference,
both to be held in June.
For information on the March 29 event or on the Evans awards,
call the Mountain West Center at (435) 797-3630.
March 22, 2004
Contact:Glenda Nesbit, (435) 797-3630
Writer: Elaine Thatcher (435) 797-0299
FOUR WOMEN RECOGNIZED
FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO CACHE VALLEY
LOGAN – The Utah State University Women’s Center
will hold its annual Honoring Women Over 65 program and reception
on March 30 at 7 p.m. in the Taggart Student Center Stevenson
Ballroom on campus. Four women will be recognized for their
contributions to Cache Valley. This year’s recipients
are Libbie Baxter Maughan, Elizabeth L. Taylor, Ruth Hobson
and Edna Hinman. The program is free and open to the public.
The first recognition program was held in 1986. The program
serves to counter negative stereotypes sometimes associated
with aging and to create awareness of women who continue to
lead very active and productive lives in later years. These
women are recognized for their past and present achievements
and their commitment to community involvement in Cache Valley.
For more information, call the Utah State’s Women’s
Center at 435-797-1728.
Libbie Baxter Maughan
Maughan established a strong work ethic at an early age, working
on the family farm. This ethic shaped a long and productive
life. She worked her way through college at Utah State in a
time when it wasn’t politically correct to be a “career
woman.” Maughan was a college graduate and working mother
before most women attended college or worked outside their homes.
In 1940, she began her 38-year career at the Utah State Extension
Service, where she retired as executive secretary for the director
of Extension. When most people retire they think of relaxation
– not Maughan. She began an entirely different career,
working in retail at Roskelley’s women’s store in
Logan.
She has volunteered for many organizations, including the USU
Faculty Association (vice president), the Remembrance Committee
for the Extension Service and Faculty Association (chair), Utah
State Secretaries Association, American Red Cross and the American
Cancer Society. As a member of the Utah State Secretaries Organization,
she helped organize an annual Career Day for high school seniors.
For 50 years she enjoyed her membership in the Logan Business
and Professional Women’s club, where she was state officer
and local president. She was also a member of Alpha Chi Omega’s
Mother Club and the American Association of University Women.
Maughan helped organize the Classified Employee’s Organization
and the National Secretaries Week on the Utah State campus.
She is still a member of the Utah State Emeriti Association,
Ex-Libiris Literary Club and the Logan chapter of American Association
of Retired People (AARP).
“Through her work, Libbie has been an example to others
for over 90 years in Cache Valley,” said Janet Osborne,
Women’s Center director.
Elizabeth L. Taylor
Taylor worked for the Cache County School District for 20 years
as a certified resource special education teacher after becoming
interested in helping those with diminished reading skills.
She taught children at Edith Bowen Laboratory School at Utah
State and Summit School in Smithfield, Utah. After her retirement
in 1992, she continued to teach at Utah State University in
the education department as part of a program for preschool
children with reading disabilities.
“Betty is a multifaceted woman who is forever giving her
time and energy to her students and numerous community groups,”
said Osborne. “She is a strong believer in community involvement.”
Taylor has volunteered for many organizations in Cache Valley,
including the Highlands School Library, Beta Chapter of Delta
Kappa Gamma (president and historian), Summit School (CEA representative,
and coordinator and representative of the special education
staff), Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (docent) and the
Cache Valley Reading Council (president and historian).
Taylor received a state conservation award in Wisconsin for
her work on a 4-H water and soil project. She also spent time
as a Cub Scout leader, which gave her the opportunity to be
involved with children and the community at the same time.
She supports many art related entities in Cache Valley, including
the Utah State theatre program, the Old Lyric Repertory Company
and the Utah Festival Opera Company.
Ruth Hobson
Hobson is an outstanding example of an individual who has devoted
her life to the advancement of quality of life for women. She
instilled life long values such as integrity, honesty and dependability
in those she taught.
She retired in 1983 after 43 years of teaching in the Cache
County School District. She spent 22 years at South Cache and
21 at Sky View. In 1970, she was chosen “Outstanding Women’s
Physical Education Teacher” for the state of Utah.
She has been a member of a number of organizations, including
the Big Blue Club, Utah Education Association, Cache County
Education Association and the Logan Golf and Country Club.
Hobson’s influence on her students is evident by the fact
that she still remains very close to her students and their
families.
“Ruth has had a long lasting effect on these peoples’
lives, and they are very grateful to her,” said Osborne.
Edna Hinman
Hinman devoted her talent and expertise to the betterment of
society throughout her life. She spent 46 years in education
serving as a teacher and administrator in six states. In recognition
of her achievements in education, the state of Nevada named
an elementary school after her. She has made a positive difference
in the lives of others, especially those who are less than capable
of advancing their own cause.
Hinman earned a doctorate in educational administration from
Utah State University and returned to Cache Valley upon her
retirement from education in Nevada. She was one of the first
women in the Clark County School District in Nevada to obtain
her doctorate, which she earned at Utah State.
Edna has been an active participant in many organizations, including
Utah State’s College of Education Advisory Board, Cache
Valley Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Utah Alliance for the
Mentally Ill, Utah Division of Mental Health planning commission
and the Utah Vocational Rehabilitation.
She has worked for the Logan City Police and Bear River Mental
Health as a member of the Crisis Intervention Coalition team.
Edna is now on the board of directors of Bear River House and
spends a lot of time there interacting with the patients.
Edna spent her career making new opportunities and roads for
women in education. She is remembered by administrators in her
school district in Nevada as the person who pushed racial integration
into the system, and the person who paved the way for more women
administrators.
“Her efforts have been recognized and there has even been
an ‘Edna Hinman Day’ in Nevada to honor her achievements,”
Osborne said.
March 22, 2004
Contact: Utah State University Women’s Center, 797-1728
Writer: Matt Cardis, (435) 797-1350, macardis@cc.usu.edu
UTAH STATE NEWS RELEASES FOR 3-19-04
CELEBRATING
SUCCESS – UTAH STATE FACULTY MEMBERS RECOGNIZED FOR FULL
PROFESSORSHIP
LOGAN — Utah State University’s tradition of recognizing
and showcasing faculty, student and employee accomplishments
continues with the new Inaugural Professor Lecture Series instituted
this year to honor recently promoted full professors.
“The Inaugural Professor Lecture Series is a joint initiative
between the Office of the President and the Office of the Executive
Vice President and Provost,” said Chris Fawson, vice-provost
of academic and international affairs for Utah State. “The
recognition of faculty who have reached this important milestone
in their academic career provides an opportunity for reflection
upon the contribution these individuals have made to students,
colleagues, their discipline and Utah State University.”
The Inaugural Professor lectures allow new full professors to
showcase their portfolio of academic excellence with family
and friends. The general format of the lectures, hosted by President
Kermit Hall and Phyllis Hall at the University Residence, includes
an introduction by the dean of the featured professor’s
college, followed by a short lecture. After the presentation,
time is allotted for the audience to ask questions and engage
in thoughtful discussion regarding the lecture.
“We’ve asked each of these inaugural lecturers to
comment about what got them to where they are, what the core
of their research is and the value and meaning of it,”
Hall said.
Professors who are in the performing arts may include a short
exhibit or performance, as Professor Tod Fallis from the Department
of Music demonstrated during his lecture, titled “Musician
for a Day.” Fallis assembled his guests, handed them instruments,
and with the help of student assistants, asked them to participate
in a performance of “Shaking the Tree” by Peter
Gabriel.
“I wanted to do something that relates to music, of course,
but include the audience in a meaningful, interactive experience
of performing, listening to and creating music,” Fallis
said. “Watching the joy on everyone's face while playing
was definitely the highlight of the experience for me. I am
sure that those who attended will never forget ‘Shaking
the Tree’.”
Select members of the group, including President Hall and Provost
Stan Albrecht, improvised on two mini-keyboard instruments,
which added to the energetic, laugh-filled and creative learning
exercise that exemplified Fallis’s hands-on teaching style.
President Hall emphasized that Fallis and other new professors
are gaining not only recognition for their advancement, but
also a sense of well-being.
“This lecture series is the first great opportunity in
the next phase of their wonderful careers in academics,"
Hall said. “These lectures help to remind everyone that
academics do come first, and that scholarship, research and
teaching are rewarded and valued.”
New professor Lawrence Hipps, who was featured March 3 in an
Inaugural Professor lecture, echoed President Hall’s sentiments
about the importance of recognition.
“The series makes a definitive statement that Utah State
considers the title full professor to be of real significance
and implies that standards for this should be high,” Hipps
said. “I enjoyed participating in this series because
it forced me to examine my activities from a general perspective
and articulate my visions to a mixed audience.”
All of the previously-featured Inaugural Professor speakers
have enjoyed lectures filled with intellectual exchanges, discussion
and a few good laughs, and the university administration hopes
to continue the trend with future lectures.
“We hope that these lectures not only raise awareness
of the accomplishments happening among our scholars,”
Hall said, “but also build a sense of community among
faculty—a community of interest and intellectual discourse
that we think will help move this fine institution even further
ahead.”
The Inaugural Professor series for this semester consists of
nine featured professors, including: Bruce Miller, Department
of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education; Todd Fallis,
Department of Music; Lawrence Hipps, Department of Plants, Soils
and Biometeorology; James Powell, Department of Math and Statistics;
Charlotte Thralls, Department of English; Nick Morrison, Department
of Music; Paul Jakus, Department of Economics; Charles Carpenter,
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences; and Jefferey Broadbent,
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences.
The next Inaugural Professor lecture will feature professor
Paul Jakus on March 24, 2004. For more information contact Fawson
at (435) 797-0979.
March 19, 2004
Writer: Miaken Christensen (435) 797-5506
Contact: Chris Fawson (435) 797-0979
NORA ECCLES
HARRISON MUSEUM OF ART HOSTS CELEBRATED PAINTER FOR PUBLIC TALK
LOGAN — The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art and the
School of the Arts in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social
Sciences present a public talk by Deborah Remington Wednesday,
April 7, at 9:30 a.m. in the Kent Concert Hall, Chase Fine Art
Center on the Utah State University campus. The presentation,
open to the public and free of charge, draws attention to the
exhibition “In the Spirit of the Times,” which continues
at the museum through July 2004.
Remington was born and educated in Haddonfield, N.J., in 1935.
She later moved to New York City where she was adjunct professor
in advanced painting and drawing at Cooper Union (1972-1995),
adjunct professor in the graduate and undergraduate departments
at New York University (1994-1998) and is now a professor at
the National Academy of Design (1999 to present). Her many solo
and group exhibitions include Oakland Museum of Art, Art Institute
of Chicago and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Additionally, Remington’s
work is in many public and private collections, including the
Whitney Museum of American Art, the Wadsworth Atheneaum and
the Columbus Museum of Art. She has received numerous awards
including a Tamarind Fellowship, Artist-in-Residence (1973);
National Endowment Fellowship (1979); Guggenheim Fellowship
(1984); American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters,
Hassam and Speicher Purchase (1988); Pollock-Krasner Foundation
Grant (1999); and, was elected to the National Academy of Design
in 1999.
“In the Spirit of the Times” demonstrates that the
West Coast Abstract Expressionists were as active as their better-known
New York counterparts during the 1940s through the 1960s. Guest
curator Gerald Nordland selected 60 artworks from the museum’s
collection and wrote an explanatory essay, published in an illustrated
catalogue. Among the artists are Richard Diebenkorn, Emerson
Woelffer, Robert McChesney, Manuel Neri, Deborah Remington and
George Stillman. The exhibition is made possible through a grant
from the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation, with additional support
from the Utah Arts Council.
The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art is located at 650 North
1100 East, Logan, Utah, 84322, (435) 797-0163, Fax (435) 797-3423,
www.artmuseum.usu.edu. Museum hours are Tuesday, Thursday and
Friday 10:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat.
noon-5 p.m.; closed Sundays, Mondays and major holidays. Admission
is free. For more information or to schedule a tour of the museum,
call (435) 797-0165. The museum is accessible to persons with
disabilities.
March 19, 2004
Contact: Jay Heuman (435) 797-0165
Writer: Jay Heuman
DRUM INTO
SPRING AT UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
LOGAN — Percussionists at Utah State University are
featured in a spring concert — Drum into Spring —
in a diverse mix of selections that includes some of the state’s
best musicians. The concert, under the direction of Dennis Griffin,
is Friday, April 2, and begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Kent Concert
Hall of the Chase Fine Arts Center.
Concert tickets are available at the door. Adult admission is
$5, and students with current ID are admitted free.
Among the titles on the program are “Connected Forces”
and “Teamwork” by Lynn Glassock, “Caprice
Diabolique” by Jared Spears, “Concerto for Drumset”
by John Beck, featuring Keith Sorensen on solo drumset, “Invention”
by Mark Ford, “Toccata for Percussion” by Carlos
Chavez, “Overture to the Marriage of Figaro” by
Mozart, and the Percussion Jam, directed by Keith Sorensen.
“As usual, the music performed will bring out the diverse
possibilities of the percussion,” Griffin said. “Selections
range from Mozart arranged for marimbas, to jazz to World percussion.”
The concert also highlights one of the program's outstanding
senior percussionists, Keith Sorensen, originally from Cedar
City, Griffin continued.
“Keith is known especially for being an outstanding performer
on the drumset,” Griffin said. “He plays with the
Utah State Jazz Orchestra and with several local bands. He also
plays professionally as a studio recording musician in Salt
Lake City and elsewhere.”
Sorensen is the featured soloist in the Beck “Concerto
for Drumset.” Griffin said this is an exciting work that
features the drumset in combination with the other seven members
of the percussion ensemble in a variety of settings ranging
from jazz to rock.
“Eventually the soloist has a chance to play an extended
solo,” Griffin said. “Keith has developed into an
outstanding soloist and the audience will particularly enjoy
this moment in the concert.”
Sorensen’s talents are also called upon elsewhere in the
concert.
“Keith has been an assistant conductor of the ensemble
and has worked with the non-majors to prepare ‘Caprice
Diabolique’ and ‘Teamwork,’” Griffin
said. “He will also be involved in what has become a traditional
part of many of our percussion concerts — the Percussion
Jam — where the 20 members of the Percussion Ensemble
will be featured improvising on various instruments from the
Utah State instrument collection. This experience is similar
to what takes place in a drum circle.”
Also performing during the evening is the Caine Percussion Ensemble,
a group comprised of the best performers and sponsored by the
Marie Eccles Caine Foundation. Griffins said a highlight of
the Caine Ensemble is a performance of the Chavez “Toccata
for Percussion,” one of the first percussion ensemble
works to be composed (1951). “The instruments used in
this selection are primarily non-pitched, but members of the
audience will be fascinated by the wonderful interplay of rhythms
in this landmark work.”
Utah State’s percussion ensembles will present an encore
concert April 26, featuring an entirely different collection
of works. That concert will highlight several soloists on marimba
and timpani.
March 19, 2004
Contact: Dennis Griffin (435) 797-3008
SIDEBAR
TO “DRUM INTO SPRING” — CACHE VALLEY IS HOME
TO OUTSTANDING PERCUSSINISTS
LOGAN — Cache Valley is home to some of the state’s
best percussionists and a number of them have awards and recognitions
to back up that claim, said Utah State University faculty member
and percussion program head Dennis Griffin.
A number of Utah State University and Cache Valley musicians
took honors at this year’s Utah Percussion Festival held
at Brigham Young University in February. Utah State student
Sam Bryson of Logan took first place in timpani, and Casey Cangelosi,
Hyde Park, took first place in snare drum at the competition.
Cangelosi also took first place in mallet/keyboard, while Tyson
Titensor of Preston took second place.
Additionally, Tyler Whitesides and Mike Barlow of Logan High
School won first and second place in the high school mallet
division.
March 19, 2004
Contact: Dennis Griffin (435) 797-3008
MEDIA
ALERT: UTAH STATE STUDENTS TO COMPETE IN NASA’S GREAT
MOONBUGGY RACE
LOGAN ? Utah State University engineering students have designed
and built a moonbuggy that will compete in NASA’s Great
Moonbuggy Race Saturday, April 3, in Huntsville, Ala., at the
Marshall Space Flight Center. The team, comprised of undergraduate
and graduate mechanical and aerospace engineering students,
will encounter some of the same challenges conquered by the
original lunar rover team in the 1960s.
The students’ moonbuggy challenge is to design a human-powered
vehicle able to fit into a space no more than four feet by four
feet by four feet that also must be quickly unfolded and ready
to ride, yet light enough for its two drivers to carry. During
the race, the two operators power and drive the vehicle over
a half-mile obstacle course of simulated moonscape terrain.
Graduate student Megan Mitchell and senior Skylar Cox will be
manning the moonbuggy, and although the racers don’t haul
soil and rock, they do encounter many of the same design and
engineering problems faced by the original rover team, NASA
said. The Utah State team must also make sure its moonbuggy
can withstand the punishment of the rigorous course obstacles.
This is the first time the Utah State has entered the competition,
and students are excited about the possibilities the opportunity
brings them.
“We are going to rub elbows with a lot of great schools
throughout the country and this is a great resume builder,”
said Kelly Packard, a graduate student in mechanical engineering
and team leader for the moonbuggy.
The Utah State team designed the buggy using a systems engineering
approach, meaning they looked at everything on the buggy as
one system instead of several smaller systems. Since every action
affects the buggy as a whole, the team decided that by using
this approach it would give the team a unique edge in the competition
and they hope to represent Utah State well as the race begins.
Prizes for the competition are awarded not only for the fastest
vehicles, but also to the team whose design represents the best
technical approach to solving the problem of navigating a simulated
lunar surface. NASA will post high resolution photos of the
competition and have a news release announcing the winning team
the day of the race at http://www.msfc.nasa.gov/news. NASA will
also provide live feeds for television stations the day of the
race.
For more information about the Utah State moonbuggy, or to set
up an interview, contact Dave White, senior research scientist
at Utah State, (435) 797-3692, or Maren Cartwright, (435) 797-1355.
For more information about the race visit http://moonbuggy.msfc.nasa.gov.
March 19, 2004
Contact: Dave White (435) 797-3692
Writer: Maren Cartwright (435) 797-1355
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