Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxliv, no. 75 | Wednesday, September 30, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891
In DNA, a distant cousin discovered By Emily Kirkland Contributing Writer
A research team led by a Brown professor has shed new light on the evolutionary history of bilateral organisms. In a study published last week, the team, led by Assistant Professor of Biology Casey Dunn, used a San Diego supercomputer and new DNA sequencing techniques to establish Acoelomorpha flatworms as our most distant bilateral relatives. This collection of tiny, soft-bodied worms has puzzled researchers for decades. Like humans, flatworms are bilateral: Their body plans are symmetric. Scientists had struggled, however, to determine just how closely these flatworms are related to us and to all other bilateral animals. The team’s research proved that these flatworms represent the first creatures to split from a long-dead ancestor common to all bilateral animals. Though previous researchers had posited that Acoelomorpha might have been the first to branch off from the bilateral group, no one had ever marshaled enough data to make a definitive statement. The team, which included 17 researchers from six different countries, used a technique known as expressed sequence tags to examine 1,487 genes — ten times more than previous studies of Acoelomorpha’s ancestry. In order to analyze such a large number of genes, the team needed new software, which was written expressly for the study. The researchers also needed the help of the supercomputer, which logged more than 2.25 million processor hours on the project. When the study began, the researchers knew the topic was a difcontinued on page 3
Targeting Asia, U. finds big bucks abroad By Sydney Ember Senior Staff Writer
The University is aggressively seeking support in India, China and the rest of Asia as part of the Campaign for Academic Enrichment’s international fundraising effort. With the help of regional advisory councils established in 2007, the University has surpassed its international fundraising goals. Despite otherwise grim economic
reports in the past year, international fundraising has been “quite successful,” said Vice President for International Advancement Ronald Margolin, adding that the positive gains are a direct result of continued overseas outreach efforts. “We’ve been doing great in fundraising,” he said. “We’ve been raising more every year.” The aggressive international push has raised $90 million, more than doubling its original goal of raising
more than $40 million before the end of the Campaign, Margolin said. The overall campaign, which surpassed its $1.4 billion goal earlier this year, wraps up in 2010. “We have had great success in international fundraising,” Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98 wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. The regional advisory councils — along with President Ruth Simmons’ “aggressive international travel schedule” — have fostered more di-
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rect connections with alumni, parents and corporations abroad, Margolin said. Their establishment coincided with an effort by the University to raise its international profile. “We’ve used the councils as a sounding board for ideas,” he said. “Internationalization is remaining a very strong component for the University.” In March, the University will continued on page 4
Film project brings alums back to R.I. By Monique Vernon Staf f Writer
It represents a homecoming of sorts. “Tanner Hall,” a film set amid Rhode Island’s picturesque landscape and historic architecture, brought its creators — Francesca Gregorini ’90 and Tatiana von Furstenberg ’91 — back to the birthplace of their friendship.
FEATURE Jesse Morgan / Herald
The Bears tied two games in double overtime over the weekend. See Sports,
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Saint-Vil ’10 wins Rhody’s tiara By Kate Monks Contributing Writer
Many things come to mind when one thinks of Brown: the New Curriculum, esteemed professors and trendy clothing among others. Beauty pageants aren’t usually in that list — but they soon may be. This past year, two undergrads — Deborah Saint-Vil ’10 and Caitlin Gorham ’10 — made appearances
in local pageants in Rhode Island. Saint-Vil came away from this summer’s Miss Rhode Island pageant with a $1,000 scholarship. The pageant — which consists of an interview, talent competition, swimsuit and evening gown showings and onstage questions — is a part of the larger Miss America pageant, which, according to the organization’s Web site, “exists to provide personal and professional oppor-
tunities for young women and to promote their voices in culture, politics and the community.” Saint-Vil said she has been a fan of the Miss America pageant for a long time and used to watch it with her grandmother. She had always planned on competing when she got older, and the state competition was her entrance into the pageant continued on page 2
The independent film is the brainchild of the two best friends and filmmakers. Filmed in various locations throughout Rhode Island, the film tells the coming-of-age stories of four girls at a boarding school. The movie was “a great excuse for us to go back to a place we love,” Gregorini said. “It felt amazing to come full circle.” To capture “the natural beauty and architectural value” essential to creating a timeless movie, producer Julie Snyder suggested the filmmakers look toward Rhode Island, von continued on page 2
Panels compare abuses of humans, animals By Nicole Boucher Contributing Writer
Zhuo’er Wang / Herald
inside
Posters on the Main Green compare animal cruelty to human rights violations.
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The image of a seal being clubbed by its captor seemed out of place under the bright sun on the Main Green Monday afternoon. The panel, one of many such scenes, is meant to connect past human mistreatment and ongoing animal exploitation through images that shock — and oftentimes disturb. The exhibit, called the “Animal Liberation Project,” is sponsored by the Brown Animal Rights Club and is on display until Oct. 1. The panels
were developed by a youth outreach sector of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, peta2, that travels to college campuses across the nation to advocate for animal rights. On display are 12 panels showing graphic images that suggest abuse of animals is comparable to human rights violations. One panel depicts nearly identical images of a human hand and an animal paw grasping a fenced-in enclosure with the word “imprisoned” running between the two. Another panel shows a dog stretched out on a table, cut open
and connected to wires. The panels explicitly parallel the mutilation and bondage of animals to similar abusive treatment of people. The members of peta2 hope the exhibit will “break down the barriers between species” and spur increased animal rights advocacy, according to their press release. BARC brought the exhibit to the center of campus with the intention to educate students on animal abuse. “We hope that people go away understanding that we are all the same in continued on page 3
Higher Ed, 3
Sports, 5
Opinions, 7
hands to yourself Tufts passes a regulation to ban sex acts when a roommate is present.
splitsville The women’s soccer team had mixed success in its weekend matchups.
negotiation time Simon Liebling ’12 urges students and faculty to speak out for BDS benefits.
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