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Saturday, April 6, 2013
Renowned Human Rights And Civil Liberties Pioneer Congressman John Lewis To Address Rensselaer Graduates At 207th Commencement
Retired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, Xerox Chairman and CEO Ursula M. Burns, and Microsoft and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Pioneer Patty Stonesifer Also Will Receive Honorary Degrees May 25
TROY, N.Y., April 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-GA) - one of the nation's most dedicated and courageous civil rights leaders - will address Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduates at the 207th Commencement May 25, 2013. He will join a group of high-level business, military, and nonprofit foundation leaders who will participate in the graduation ceremonies.
Lewis will receive an honorary degree, along with Retired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, Xerox Chairman and CEO Ursula M. Burns, and Microsoft and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pioneer Patty Stonesifer.
"Congressman Lewis is indeed a 'profile in courage,' an extraordinary example of the power of an individual to change the world," President Shirley Ann Jackson said. "At about the same age as our students, he stood up for what was right by sitting down at lunch counters, walking across a bridge in Selma, and marching on Washington. In doing so, with a persistent commitment to non-violence, he helped lead our nation through the civil rights era to a new day. Long considered the 'conscience of the U.S. Congress,' for more than a half century he has remained steadfast in his pursuit of equality, justice, and fairness for all. We are honored to have this Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and true American hero address the graduates at Rensselaer."
"We also look forward to honoring and hearing from three other influential leaders in corporate America, the military, and the foundation and nonprofit sectors," President Jackson added. "As chairman and CEO of Xerox, Ursula Burns has led the transformation of a Fortune 500 company, and the conversation on the importance of inviting young people to pursue math and science careers. As former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen guided the U. S. armed services through a shift in mission and in culture. As Chair of the White House Council on Community Solutions, and a pioneer in Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Patty Stonesifer has remained focused on creating access, reducing inequities, and expanding opportunities for others. Each has been global in reach and profound in impact, and we are honored by their participation in our Commencement."
Congressman John Lewis:
Before he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the Fifth Congressional District in Georgia in 1986, Lewis compiled an impressive track record that led many civil and human rights leaders to call him one of the most courageous persons the civil rights movement ever produced. Roll Call magazine once said, "John Lewis ... is a genuine American hero and moral leader who commands widespread respect in the chamber."
As a young man from Troy, Ala., Lewis was inspired by the activism surrounding the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a student at Fisk University, Lewis organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in Nashville. During the height of the civil rights movement, from 1963 to 1966, Lewis was named chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he helped form. SNCC was largely responsible for organizing student activism in the movement.
While still a young man, John Lewis became a nationally recognized leader. By 1963, he was dubbed one of the "Big Six" leaders of the civil rights movement. At the age of 23, he was an architect of and a keynote speaker at the historic March on Washington in August, 1963.
In 1964, Lewis coordinated SNCC efforts to organize voter registration drives and community action programs during the Mississippi Freedom Summer. The following year, Lewis helped spearhead one of the most seminal moments of the civil rights movement.? Hosea Williams, another notable civil rights leader, and Lewis led more than 600 peaceful, orderly protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., on March 7, 1965, intending to march from Selma to Montgomery to demonstrate the need for voting rights. The marchers were attacked by Alabama state troopers in a brutal confrontation that became known as "Bloody Sunday," which helped hasten the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
After leaving SNCC in 1966, he continued his commitment to the civil rights movement as associate director of the Field Foundation and his participation in the Southern Regional Council's voter registration programs. Lewis went on to become the director of the Voter Education Project. In 1977, Lewis was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to direct more than 250,000 volunteers of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency.
He was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 1981, and was elected to Congress in 1986. He is Senior Chief Deputy Whip for the Democratic Party in leadership in the House, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, a member of its Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, and ranking member of its Subcommittee on Oversight.
Lewis holds a bachelor of arts degree in religion and philosophy from Fisk University, and he is a graduate of the American Baptist Theological Seminary, both in Nashville.
He is the recipient of numerous awards from national and international institutions, including the highest civilian honor granted by President Barack Obama--the Medal of Freedom, the Lincoln Medal from the historic Ford's Theatre, the Golden Plate Award given by the Academy of Excellence, the Preservation Hero award given by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Capital Award of the National Council of La Raza, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize, the President's Medal of Georgetown University, the NAACP Spingarn Medal, the National Education Association Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Award, and the only John F. Kennedy "Profile in Courage Award" for Lifetime Achievement ever granted by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
Lewis is the author of a new book titled Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change (2012), and his biography is titled Walking With The Wind: A Memoir of the Movement (1998).
Retired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen:
Admiral Mullen graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968, and received a master of science degree in operations research from the Naval Postgraduate School and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
He served as the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, from 2007 until 2011. He was the principal military adviser to President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, as well as two Secretaries of Defense.
He led the military during a critical period of transition, overseeing the end of the combat mission in Iraq and the development of a new military strategy for Afghanistan. He advocated for the rapid development and fielding of innovative technologies, championed emerging and enduring international partnerships, and advanced new methods for combating terrorism - all of which directly culminated in the operation which targeted Osama bin Laden.
As Joint Chiefs Chairman, he spearheaded the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." In addition, he successfully led the matrix, consensus-based, complex organizational model of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Mullen has deep experience in leading change in complex organizations, executive development and succession planning, diversity implementation, crisis management, strategic planning, budget policy, congressional relations, risk management, technical innovation, and cybersecurity. He and his wife, Deborah, remain staunch advocates of veterans and their families on a broad range of issues including drawing public attention and institutional focus to the challenges of post-traumatic stress, combat-related brain injury, military suicide, care of the wounded, and veteran homelessness.
Prior to becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Mullen commanded at every level in the Navy, including three ships, an aircraft carrier battle group, and a fleet. His final four-star command was in Europe for NATO. His fleet experience culminated in his assignment as the Navy's highest ranking officer, the 28th Chief of Naval Operations, from 2005 until 2007.
Xerox Chairman and CEO Ursula M. Burns:
The first African-American woman to be named CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Burns earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic University of New York University, and joined Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern. She later assumed roles in product development and planning, as the company was securing its leadership position in digital document technologies. From 1992 through 2000, she led several business teams, including the company's color business and office network printing business.
In 2000, Burns was named senior vice president, Corporate Strategic Services, heading up manufacturing and supply chain operations. Alongside then-CEO Anne Mulcahy, Burns worked to restructure Xerox through its turnaround to emerge as a leader in color technology and document services. In April 2007, Burns was named president of Xerox, expanding her leadership to also include the company's IT organization, corporate strategy, human resources, corporate marketing, and global accounts. At that time, she also was elected a member of the company's board of directors.
She was named chief executive officer in July 2009 and shortly after, made the largest acquisition in Xerox history, the $6.4 billion purchase of Affiliated Computer Services, catapulting the company's presence in the $500 billion business services market and extending the company's reach into diverse areas of business process and IT outsourcing. On May 20, 2010, Burns became chairman of the company.
In addition to the Xerox board, she is a board director of the American Express Corporation and Exxon Mobil Corporation. Burns also provides leadership counsel to community, educational, and nonprofit organizations, including FIRST - (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), the National Academy Foundation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the U.S. Olympic Committee. She is a founding board director of Change the Equation, which focuses on improving the U.S.' education system in science, technology, engineering, and math. In March 2010, President Barack Obama appointed Burns vice chair of the President's Export Council.
Microsoft and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Pioneer Patty Stonesifer:
A longtime leader in the technology, foundation, and nonprofit arenas, Stonesifer is a graduate of Indiana University. She is president and CEO of Martha's Table, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., focused on providing food, nutrition, education and other support to help individuals and families break the cycle of poverty. She also advises business, nonprofit, and government leaders on strategies for reducing inequity. In 2012, she completed a three-year term as chair of the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents.
In the 10 years prior, she was the founding CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She continues to serve on the Smithsonian Board of Regents, as well as on the board of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. She is involved in several education efforts including America Achieves Advisory Board, Hope Street Group Advisor, Raise DC Executive Team, and Circle of Allies and Champions for the National Council of Youth Leaders.
In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed her as chair of the White House Council on Community Solutions, which was charged with identifying community-level solutions to address the nation's biggest challenges. Other nonprofit boards on which Stonesifer has served include the Seattle Foundation, the GAVI Fund, One.org, the Seattle YWCA, the Center for Global Development, and the Broad Institute.
Before joining the Gates Foundation, Stonesifer spent two decades working in technology, culminating as senior vice president at Microsoft. She is on the corporate boards of directors of Amazon.com and Miraval Resorts, and formerly served on the boards of Alaska Airlines, Kinko's, and Viacom.
Stonesifer served as a member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations General Assembly Special Sessions on AIDS.
President Jackson To Lead May 24 Commencement Colloquy With the 2013 Honorands: "Leading Cultural Shifts: Courage, Creativity, Commitment"
On the eve of Commencement, Rensselaer will convene for the 2013 President's Commencement Colloquy. The honorands will participate in a discussion - titled "Leading Cultural Shifts: Courage, Creativity, Commitment" - led by President Jackson. The Colloquy, open to the Rensselaer community and the general public, will be held in the Concert Hall of the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) on the Rensselaer campus, beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 24.
For more details on Commencement, go to www.rpi.edu/academics/commencement/index.html
This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.
SOURCE Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/renowned-human-rights-civil-liberties-pioneer-congressman-john-133000189.html
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Friday, April 5, 2013
Audi And T-Mobile Bring New Data Plans To Drivers As Low As $15/Month
T-Mobile has always been the data provider behind Audi’s Connect infotainment system, which some would call the best connected car system on the market. But the two companies have announced some new data plans which could help Audi owners save a buck or two on connectivity. The new plans let customers purchase unlimited data for $30 month-to-month, or sign up for yearly contracts at a discount ? $324 for a year, $600 for two years, or $450 for 30 months. That last one brings your monthly cost as low as $15 per month, and even less if you count the 6-month free trial the car comes with. Previously, Audi Connect owners were limited to a $30 month-by-month payment. This is yet another step toward connected car ubiquity. Almost every car manufacturer is looking at how they can better integrate our digital lives with our driving lives. And though it’s changing rapidly, the car industry isn’t going anywhere. Companies like Ford and BMW have already opened up their systems to third-party developers, and more OEMs are sure to follow suit. But before developers can start thinking past the mobile ecosystem, and even past wearables like Google Glass, into the future of the connected car, more OEMs need to take a note from Audi and ensure that wifi-enabled drivers are getting the most bang for their buck. Audi’s system includes SiriusXM radio, Google Earth and Google Voice, and a full host of apps like weather, news, etc.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/pKiG4Z1b_nw/
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Green Pea galaxies could help astronomers understand early universe
Thursday, April 4, 2013
The rare Green Pea galaxies discovered by the general public in 2007 could help confirm astronomers' understanding of reionization, a pivotal stage in the evolution of the early universe, say University of Michigan researchers.
Reionization occurred a few hundred million years after the Big Bang as the first stars were turning on and forming the first galaxies. During this period, the space between the galaxies changed from an opaque, neutral fog to a transparent charged plasma, as it is today. Plasma is gas that's electrically charged.
As for how this happened, the prevailing theory holds that massive stars in the early galaxies produced an abundance of high-energy ultraviolet light that escaped into intergalactic space. There, the UV light interacted with the neutral hydrogen gas it met, blasting electrons off the hydrogen atoms and leaving behind a plasma of negatively charged electrons and positively charged hydrogen ions.
"We think this is what happened but when we looked at galaxies nearby, the high-energy radiation doesn't appear to make it out. There's been a push to find some galaxies that show signs of radiation escaping," said Anne Jaskot, a doctoral student in astronomy.
Jaskot and Sally Oey, an associate professor of astronomy in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, have found that the Green Peas could hold that evidence. Their findings are published in the current edition of the Astrophysical Journal.
"The Green Peas are compact, highly star-forming galaxies that are very similar to the early galaxies in the universe," Jaskot said. "Our analysis shows they may be leaking ionizing radiation."
The researchers focused on six of the most intensely star-forming Green Pea galaxies, which are between one billion and five billion light years away. They studied their emission lines as observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Emission lines show how light interacts with matter, and in this case, they helped the astronomers understand the relationship between the stars and gas in these galaxies.
The emission lines told Jaskot and Oey how much light the galaxies absorbed. Then, to determine how much light was there to start with, they ran models to estimate, for example, how old the galaxies are and how many stars they contain. The galaxies, the researchers determined, produced more radiation than the researchers detected, so they infer that some of it must have escaped.
"An analogy might be if you have a tablecloth and you spill something on it. If you see the cloth has been stained all the way to the edges, there's a good chance it also spilled onto the floor," Jaskot said. "We're looking at the gas like the tablecloth and seeing how much light it has absorbed. It has absorbed a lot of light. We're seeing that the galaxy is saturated with it and there's probably some extra that spilled off the edges."
Jaskot says the Green Peas are exciting candidates to help astronomers understand a major milestone in the development of the cosmos 13 billion years ago.
###
University of Michigan: http://www.umich.edu/
Thanks to University of Michigan for this article.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127584/Green_Pea_galaxies_could_help_astronomers_understand_early_universe
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Thursday, April 4, 2013
Civilian hospitalized after shooting at Fort Knox
WAVE
Fort Knox, Ky., home to the Army's Human Resource Command, remained on heightened security Wednesday, April 3, after a reported shooting on base.
By M. Alex Johnson, staff writer, NBC News
A civilian employee died in a shooting that occurred Wednesday afternoon in a parking lot at the Army base at Fort Knox, Ky., an Army spokesman said.
The base was briefly locked down and remained on heightened security Wednesday evening.
The victim, who was an employee of U.S. Army Human Resources Command, was transported by ambulance to Ireland Army Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the statement read.
"Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command are investigating a personal incident and not a random act of violence," said Chris Grey, spokesperson for the independent Army investigative agency.
The victim name is being withheld until family members are notified.
The shooting occurred shortly after 5 p.m. ET near the Army's Human Resource Command, which is headquartered at Fort Knox. The base was placed on full lockdown, but it was lifted early Wednesday evening, the official said.
Police are looking for a 5'9'' black male with black hair and brown eyes, the statement read. It is believed he may be using a black Yamaha motorcycle for transportation.
The military base, which sprawls over 170 miles in three counties about 30 miles south of Louisville, Ky., is separate from but adjacent to the famous federal gold depository.?
Courtney Kube and Becky Bratu of NBC News contributed to this report.
This story was originally published on Wed Apr 3, 2013 9:45 PM EDT
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Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Report predicts ever-bigger Lake Erie algae blooms
This Oct. 5, 2011 satellite photo from a NASA website shows algae blooms swirling on Lake Erie. A study released Monday, April 1, 2013 said the warming climate and modern farming practices are creating ideal conditions for gigantic algae formations on Lake Erie. The shallowest and southernmost of the Great Lakes, Erie contains just 2 percent of their combined waters but about half their fish. (AP Photo/NASA)
This Oct. 5, 2011 satellite photo from a NASA website shows algae blooms swirling on Lake Erie. A study released Monday, April 1, 2013 said the warming climate and modern farming practices are creating ideal conditions for gigantic algae formations on Lake Erie. The shallowest and southernmost of the Great Lakes, Erie contains just 2 percent of their combined waters but about half their fish. (AP Photo/NASA)
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) ? It was the largest algae bloom in Lake Erie's recorded history ? a scummy, toxic blob that oozed across nearly one-fifth of the lake's surface during the summer and fall of 2011. It sucked oxygen from the water, clogged boat motors and washed ashore in rotting masses that turned beachgoers' stomachs.
It was also likely an omen of things to come, experts said in a study released Monday. The warming climate and modern farming practices are creating ideal conditions for gigantic algae formations on Lake Erie, which could be potentially disastrous to the surrounding area's multi-billion-dollar tourist economy. The shallowest and southernmost of the Great Lakes, Erie contains just 2 percent of their combined waters but about half their fish.
According to the report, which was compiled by more than two dozen scientists, the 2011 runaway bloom was fueled by phosphorus-laden fertilizers that were swept from corn and soybean fields during heavy rainstorms. Weak currents and calm winds prevented churning and flushing that could have short-circuited its rampant growth.
The combination of natural and man-made circumstances "is unfortunately consistent with ongoing trends, which means that more huge algal blooms can be expected in the future unless a scientifically guided management plan is implemented for the region," said the report's lead author, Anna Michalak, of the Carnegie Institution for Science.
The U.S. and Canada limited the use of phosphate laundry detergents and cracked down on Great Lakes pollution from industry and municipal sewage systems four decades ago. Those policies led to a drastic algae drop-off in Lake Erie, which had been declared all but dead. But algae began creeping back in the mid-1990s, and the blooms have gotten progressively bigger.
They consist largely of blue-green strains that are poisonous and cause skin irritation. Measurements in 2011 found that concentrations of a liver toxin they produce were hundreds of times higher than levels approved by the World Health Organization for drinking and recreational waters.
The building blocks of algae blooms, particularly phosphorus, are well known. The newly released paper was compiled by experts from a range of disciplines to determine why the 2011 bloom got so huge and whether it's a harbinger of things to come. At its peak, that bloom covered 1,930 square miles, making it more than twice as big as the freshwater sea's second-biggest bloom on record, which happened three years earlier.
Published in the online version of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the report said soil management practices in the region's corn and soybean fields are partly to blame.
One such practice is no-till farming, in which seeds are planted in small holes and the ground is not plowed. While it helps the environment by preventing erosion, no-till farming keeps fertilizer in the upper soil. Other culprits include the application of fertilizer in the fall, when the ground is bare, and the spreading of manure on the surface, instead of into the soil. Together, they leave huge volumes of phosphorus where it can be easily washed into streams and eventually, into Lake Erie.
That's what happened in the spring of 2011, when the area was slammed by heavy storms.
The bloom formed that July around the mouth of the Maumee River, on the lake's western end near Toledo, Ohio. Under normal circumstances, choppy waters might have diluted the phosphorus and broken up the bloom. Instead, a calm spell enabled it to keep growing.
By October, it had zoomed past Cleveland ? more than 100 miles to the east ? and penetrated the lake's central basin, where decomposed algae had already created an oxygen-deprived "dead zone" lethal to most fish and other aquatic organisms.
Scientists are studying how the algae outbreak might have affected fish populations but have reached no firm conclusions, said Jeff Tyson, Lake Erie program administrator with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Numbers of the lake's most prized sport and commercial species, walleye and yellow perch, have dipped in recent years in the fertile western basin. But because so many factors affect them, it's uncertain what role ?if any ? the algae has played.
The lake's algae cover was about 90 percent smaller during drought-stricken 2012. But the scientists analyzed computer models and concluded that as the planet warms over the next century, weather that fueled the 2011 mega-bloom may become "the new normal," Michalak said. The report noted that storms generating more than an inch of rain could happen twice as often, and that wind speeds are dropping.
Slowing climate change would require action on a global scale. But significant cuts in Lake Erie's phosphorus levels could be achieved with different fertilizing techniques, the scientists said.
"A lot of management practices that were put in place in the '80s improved things for a while, but we're shifting into this warmer world and we need new practices," said Allison Steiner, a University of Michigan atmospheric scientist and member of the study team.
Nancy Rabalais, executive director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium and an expert on dead zones who didn't participate in the study, said its findings are consistent with climate change scenarios she projects for the upper Mississippi River basin, where flooding caused high algae concentrations two years ago. Nutrient runoff also is causing toxic algae blooms in the Gulf of Mexico's Barataria Estuary, she said.
Another group of scientists convened by the International Joint Commission, a U.S.-Canadian agency that deals with boundary waters, is developing recommendations for solving Lake Erie's toxic algae problem. A draft version is scheduled to be released for public comment in May, said Raj Bejankiwar, the team leader.
"Simply put, we have to reduce phosphorus inputs into the lake," he said.
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