Campus Journal News Thoughts on the Columbia Disaster By Barrett N. Rock Complex Systems Research Center This has been a very bad weekend for all of us connected to the “NASA family” often cited by people interviewed in connection with the Columbia disaster. For us here in New Hampshire, the shuttle disaster seems even more personal, since Christa McAuliffe was a high school teacher at Concord High, and the first signs of trouble on Saturday morning brought a sickening “Oh no! Not again” feeling as I thought back to Challenger and about this timeframe in 1986. I take some comfort in knowing that some good may come of this tragedy, just as it did with the Challenger disaster. My Forest Watch program began in the wake of the Challenger explosion, as a result of a letter that I received shortly after I left NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and arrived at UNH in 1987. The letter, from a colleague of Christa’s at Concord High (Phil Brown, a Concord High biology teacher), asked if I had research connected to NASA which could be used in his classroom. He wanted to put a positive face on the NASA space program, then in shambles following the loss of Challenger. Phil and I met in November of 1987 and January of 1988 to discuss what aspects of my research (remote sensing of forest damage across New England that could be linked to air pollution exposure) might be converted into effective classroom activities. Over the next two years, Phil and I worked together to develop such classroom activities, including the use of MultiSpec and Landsat TM data, field measurement activities, and the selection of white pine as a bio-indicator species of ground-level ozone exposure. Forest Watch was born, and continues today in more than 200 elementary, middle and high schools across New England. In 1994, Forest Watch became the basis for the science and education components of the international science education program called “GLOBE,” involving more than 12,000 schools in more than 100 countries. A very positive connection between NASA and hands-on K-12 science education has resulted from that unthinkable loss. I like to think that Christa and the other Challenger astronauts would be proud. I would also like to think that a similar unforeseen positive impact will be true of the loss of Columbia. Contract negotiations begin Wednesday By Kim Billings Contract negotiations between the administration and the UNH chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) are slated to begin Wednesday, Feb. 12, and both sides are eager to reach a fair and equitable agreement before the current contract expires June 30. “Our goal is to achieve a fair settlement as quickly as possible,” says James Varn, assistant to the provost and a member of the UNH negotiating team. He adds that, unlike past years, the negotiations will be conducted and managed for the USNH Board of Trustees by campus administrators rather than University System administrators. President Ann Weaver Hart wrote in a campuswide letter in January, “We have secured the support of the chancellor and the board of trustees for the responsibility to conduct negotiations and recommend an agreement that 1) reflects the university’s particular mission, 2) responsibly manages the financial and human resources of the university, and 3) is consistent with legitimate public expectations that we will take actions that are defensible under current economic conditions.” The president hosted a luncheon last week for USNH and UNH administrators, representatives of the trustees, and negotiating teams from both the AAUP and UNH. “I am encouraged by President Hart’s statement to reach an agreement by the end of June,” said Stephen Fan, professor of chemical engineering and a member of the AAUP negotiating team. “I look forward to negotiating with our own administration directly. It’s a new approach which I hope will help us achieve our outcome.” Bruce Mallory, who will lead the negotiations on behalf of the administration, said, “The luncheon gave us the opportunity to express our shared goals for a process that could be completed in a reasonable time and lead to a good outcome. As a faculty member and previous member of the bargaining unit, I look forward to working with the AAUP leadership on this task. I can’t think of anything more important for us to do as a community.” Vice President for Finance and Administration Candace Corvey, the third member of the UNH negotiating team, said, “Our objective is to reach an agreement that provides our faculty with a fair and affordable contract in difficult financial times. We will do everything possible within the constraints we are facing.” Warm up the bus! Warm up the bus! By Lori Gula “Warm up the bus” is often heard in the Whittemore Center when UNH hockey teams handedly defeat their opponents. In the 1920s, you would have heard, “Go Bulls!” That’s right. Before the UNH Wildcats became the Wildcats, ice hockey fans rooted for da Bulls. This tidbit of UNH ice hockey history is just one of many interesting facts readers will find in the new book, “Wildcat Hockey: Ice Hockey at the University of New Hampshire,” authored by Elizabeth Slomba, university archivist, and Bill Ross, head of the Milne Special Collections and Archives. The book, recently released by Arcadia Publishing, is filled with photographs and facts that tell the story of UNH ice hockey, its birth in the early 1900s, rise to Division I, journey through the Charlie Holt era, and transition to the Whittemore Center. “We’ve always felt that our hockey collections would be interesting to fans of UNH hockey. We have early team reports, rosters, programs, memorabilia, and photographs. Arcadia Publishing contacted us about doing a history of UNH hockey, and we thought it would be a perfect way to share this special history with fans,” Slomba said. The research begins Both hockey fans, Slomba and Ross started work on the book in February 2002, with discussions about content and chapter layout, and initial researching of images. By late spring and summer, the two were well into selecting images and researching hockey history. They presented their manuscript to the publishers in mid-August. “We did a lot of research into the history of the program and wanted to make sure we covered the milestones. It was a hard job to narrow our selections down to what appeared in the book,” Slomba said. “And it was wonderful to see how the history of the program unfolded through the images – from the humble beginnings of hockey in what is now H-lot, through growth of the men’s team during the 1960s and under Coach Holt, and to the greatness of the women’s program, which started in 1977.” Historical research and book publishing are familiar to both Slomba and Ross. Ross previously published “Durham: A Century in Photographs,” and they did, “Stand Firm and Fire Low: The Civil War Writings of Colonel Edward E. Cross.” The most enjoyable aspect of putting their new book together was selecting the images, Slomba and Ross said. Readers will find a picture of UNH’s first hockey team taken in 1914 (back then, UNH was New Hampshire College). According to the book, the first team finished the season 2-2, competing against the Exeter Athletic Association (1 win, 1 loss), Phillips Exeter (1 loss), and Lowell Textile (1 win). “It was like being in a candy store selecting images from the 1970s – almost every image had some relevance to the history of the program but we could only pick a few. And we had access to the wonderful photographs taken by Lisa Nugent and Ron Bergeron of Photographic Services,” Slomba said. The first game is played In an account of the first game played, a story from The New Hampshire reproduced in the book, reads in part, “The New Hampshire team was outplayed from the start and their lack of practice was shown by the poor team play. Neither team displayed any wonderful playtime, but brilliant dashes down the rink were pulled off several times...” UNH lost 1-5. The team disbanded the next year. In 1924, UNH hockey was here to stay, even though World War II forced a four-year sabbatical because many players left to fight, according to the book. The Bulls changed their name to the Wildcats in 1927 — a wildcat is “small and aggressive” while a bull is “sluggish and more appropriate for a larger school,” The New Hampshire said. And as the authors point out, the players also were practical in that a live wildcat was more portable than a bull. During one season, 11 games were cancelled because of weather. That prompted Harry Batchelder, Class of 1913, to help UNH create artificial ice. In 1955, Batchelder Rink was named after him. The book goes on to document extensively with photos the arrival of the first Canadian to play for the Wildcats (Ken McKinnon), the birth of Lively Snively, the arrival of coach Charlie Holt and the only men’s ice hockey ECAC championship, the arrival in 1977 of the women’s ice hockey team and a 15-0-0 first season, the beginning of the coach Dick Umile era with men’s hockey, the crowning of the women’s hockey team as the 1998 national champions, and the move to the Whitt. Surprising facts uncovered “We learned many surprising facts about the men’s and women’s teams. For example, while researching we would run across mentions of rivalries with many different teams, but never Maine – but then we learned that we never played against Maine until December 1979,” Slomba said. Ross researched most of the work on the early years of the program, and had a harder time finding information about the early teams and identifying photographs. “For example, Bill had to research which players were in some photographs that had been misidentified; he went to rosters, team photographs and schedules to find the information,” Slomba said. “My difficulty was in finding materials on the women’s early teams; the Archives does not have a lot of material or photographs,” she said. To that end, University Archives and the University Museum still are looking for materials related to UNH sports, such as programs, rosters, and so forth, particularly from the women’s teams (especially hockey). The University Museum collects memorabilia and is looking for a women’s hockey jersey from the early years of the team, 1977-1980. “For the men’s teams, we’ve had the wonderful assistance of the Holt family in identifying photographs, which made that part of writing the book so much easier,” she said. The authors said the book has received a positive response. “A lot of people have stories about players and games that were mentioned; a few have pointed themselves out,” Slomba said. “Wildcat Hockey: Ice Hockey at the University of New Hampshire” is available through the Friends of Hockey, Town and Campus and other stores in downtown Durham, the UNH Bookstore, and Special Collections in the library. The book also is available in bookstores in Fox Run Mall and through Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. The Friends of Hockey and Special Collections are receiving proceeds from copies that each sell. A reel deal: Fly-Tying Saturdays begin Feb. 22 By Bill Ross Milne Special Collections As the temperature struggles to climb above freezing, it is not too soon to turn your thoughts to grabbing that fly rod off the wall and heading for a nearby trout stream. Starting Saturday, Feb. 22, Fly-Tying Saturdays, a series of three workshops at the University of New Hampshire’s Dimond Library, will help both beginning and intermediate fly-tiers get ready for the approaching season. Bill Cass, former assistant director of UNH Career Services, is lead instructor for the workshops. A lifelong fly-fisher, Cass was once technical director at Orvis in Manchester, Vt., and taught in its world-famous fly-fishing school. He will be assisted by Bill Ross, head of the Milne Special Collections and Archives Department. They will introduce the basics of fly-tying: the selection of materials and equipment and a number of standard patterns that each participant should master. The workshops will offer intermediate tiers a forum for exchanging fly patterns, ideas, and new techniques. Scheduled sessions are as follows: Feb. 22: Simple Flies that Catch Trout; March 22: Classic and Not-so-classic Trout Flies; and April 19: Streamers, the Big Fish Flies. All sessions will run from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in the Milne Special Collections and Archives Department, on the first floor of Dimond Library. The series is being offered in honor of the late Dick Surette, noted fisherman, fly tier and founding editor of Fly Tyer magazine. Surette’s family recently donated his large collection of angling books and fly-tying supplies to the Milne Angling Collection. In addition, the Danville Chenille Company of Danville, makers of fly-tying materials, will provide tying threads and a variety of chenilles to workshop participants. There is no charge for the series, but a donation of $10 per session is suggested to cover workshop costs. Participants are expected to supply basic equipment and tools, including a vise, bobbin, dubbing needle, and scissors. The workshops will be limited to 12 participants. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. The Milne Special Collections and Archives Department maintains the Milne Angling Collection, one of the largest collections of angling literature in the United States. The collection, which numbers more than 3,500 volumes, is particularly rich in materials relating to fly-fishing for trout and Atlantic salmon, with special emphasis on fishing in New England and eastern Canada. The collection also boasts a vast array of books on fly-tying, rod making, and stream tactics. The collection is open to the public and will be available for use by workshop participants. Talent Search is awarded $2.5 million By Kim Billings UNH has been awarded $2.5 million to continue its outreach program to 1,200 New Hampshire students in grades 6 through 12, who are from limited-income families where neither parent has graduated from college. Educational Talent Search, the UNH program that received a five-year funding award from the U.S. Department of Education, provides students with counseling and education about educational options, careers, college admission and financial aid. According to Marsha Johns, director of the program, ETS provides direct services through 10 outreach advisors who live throughout the state. While ETS typically is funded for four years, UNH’s program earned five years of funding because of its perfect score of 100 from a panel of three nonfederal readers. Funding for this academic year is $506,892. Nationally, the program serves more than 400,000 students. In New Hampshire, ETS is sponsored by the university, and has received federal funding since 1969. It currently provides services to students in 50 high schools and eight middle schools across the state in all 10 counties. According to Johns, data from the 2001-02 program year indicated that 306 of the New Hampshire ETS students graduating from high school in 2002 enrolled at 120 colleges and universities throughout the country. Exhibit features Tibetan children living in exile UNH-Manchester is featuring a photography exhibit titled “Echoes Across the Himalayas: Tibetan Children in Exile.” The exhibit, which runs through May 16, is free and open to the public for viewing during regular business hours. Funding for the exhibit is provided by the Saul O Sidore Foundation. “Echoes Across the Himalayas: Tibetan Children in Exile” features the photography of Barbara Goodbody and Donna DeCesare, and poetry written bystudents at the Tibetan Homes School in Mussoorie, India. The exhibit was coordinated by Barbara Hurd The exhibit presents a compelling view of life for children who have left their homeland in order to learn a culture that is being preserved in exile. The Tibetan Homes School was founded in 1962 by His Holiness the Dalai Lama for the orphans and children forced to flee from Tibet. With the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the deep cultural values and religious beliefs of a whole people have been subjugated. Through its use of English as a primary medium of instruction and its computer lab, equipped with Internet access and live video capabilities, the school works to prepare its students for a global community. UNH-M holds deaf studies series The story of a deaf woman from Cuba and her exploration of cultural identity is one of two presentations that UNH-Manchester will host as part of its spring American Sign Language/Deaf Studies series. The series opens today at 6:30 p.m. with “Passport to Cuba: A Deaf Woman’s Journey” by Ayisha Knight. Ayisha is a multicultural deaf woman photographer from Santiago, Cuba. As a deaf woman whose primary language is ASL, her vision of the world is uniquely focused on hands, eyes, and facial expressions. Ayisha’s heritage includes a white Jewish mother and black Cherokee father. Questions of cultural identity are foremost in her storytelling, poetry, and art. On Friday, March 28 at 6:30 p.m., Ted Suppala, professor of brain and cognitive sciences at University of Rochester will discuss “Understanding Deaf History and the Evolution of ASL through Historical Films.” Suppala will describe his research into the history of American Sign Language from 1817 to the present. His multimedia presentation will include video segments from the archives of Gallaudet University and the National Association of the Deaf. Suppala also will talk about the analysis of historical and contemporary data between American Sign Language, French Sign Language, and Japanese Sign Language. Born deaf to deaf parents, Suppala learned ASL at home. Suppala holds a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the University of California at San Diego. He has been conducting research on ASL for 30 years. The American Sign Language & Deaf Studies Series is conducted in ASL with interpretation into spoken English provided. This series is free and open to the public. Funding for the series is provided by the Saul O Sidore Foundation.