The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 32, Ed. 1 Friday, April 18, 1980 Page: 8 of 40
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$235,000 computer hoped to enhance studies...
continued from page 1
Funding for the machine will be
partly by a new $125,000 National
Science Foundation/Rice
University aid package to eight
Mathematical Sciences and
Electrical Engineering professors,
and partly by a year-old National
Institute of Health grant of
$80,000 to Biochemistry Associate
Professor Florante Quiocho.
Quiocho will pool his grant
with that of the EE and Math Sci
researchers to allow for the
purchase of a bigger, "quite
powerful" machine, according to
Mathematical Sciences Associate
Professor Ken Kennedy, principal
investigator for the NSF grant
proposal.
"Essentially my grant was the
seed money to get some more,"
Quiocho commented, adding that
the new computer is "ideal for
sharing, and separately we would
not have been able to buy one." I
look forward to using it, and to the
collaboration."
"Inhibited" from using the ICS A
computer because of high
computer-time costs, Quiocho said
he plans to use the DEC unit to
continue his Guggenheim
Fellowship-winning research into
the three-dimensional structure of
proteins.
Kennedy and fellow Math Sci
professors John Dennis, Richard
Tapia, James Thompson, and
Mary Wheeler want to use the new
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computer to study aspects of
computer parallelism, while EE
professor Jump and associates
Daniel Hirschberg and James
Sinclair will investigate large-
computer simulations and uses for
algorithms.
Kennedy felt that the new
computer will make a tremendous
difference" in his and his
colleagues' research. "From our
point of view it's absolutely
essential to support the research
we're interested in doing."
Although Jump noted that the
DEC unit will give researchers
"more computing for the dollar," a
spokesman for Kennedy stressed
that use of the present ICSA
facilities will not be cut.
"Everybody's screaming that
we're going to leave ICSA in the
dust," student Keith Cooper said.
"but it's not true. We spent $48,000
at ICSA last year and we'll spend
$88,000 there next year, which
makes us ICSA's biggest research
customer."
Kennedy pointed out that the
computer, a VAX-11/780 with
floating point capability, will aid in
the recruiting of new faculty
members to Rice in a time of
relatively lower salaries. Jump,
too, believed the computer will be
"a tremendous help to recruiting."
Details of time-sharing for the
DEC unit have not beeen finalized
yet, but the professors see that
issue as minor. "We envision the
machine to support other faculty
research as well," Kennedy said.
The DEC computer will be
housed in Abercrombie Lab with
other EE machines. The
Abercrombie renovation should
No surprises in Beer-Bike...
continued from page I
chugging penalties. SRC's
momentary1 lead was forever
smashed by two furious laps from
ninth rider Jay Latham, and team
captain Walter Romanko
anchored the team into a secure
first place with a phenomenal—
under the circumstances—2:11
run.
Lovett, Baker and Hanszen
riders came in 3-4-5 with only two
seconds between each rider, Baker
overtaking Hanszen for fourth in a
spirited stretch run.
Meanwhile, Wiess limped in
over 20 seconds behind the rest of
the field, victims of a tire blow-out
on the first lap.
"Our first rider hit a piece of
glass," Team Wiess captain Mark
Bush said, "and had to get on a
trash bike to finish. There was no
way we could catch up."
A Graduate Student Associa-
tion team gave up the ghost
without fielding a tenth rider, but
performed markedly better than
last year's army-helmetted
brigade.
In terms of excitement, the
women Beer-Bikers clearly beat
the men this year, with the front
position being exchanged by all
five teams in the course of the race
before the Jones Fast Women took
a mid-race lead.
Near the end of the race it was a
two-team contest, with Hanszen's
national-champion swimmer Kay
Snell powering her squad from
third place into contention.
Inspired racing by Helen Travis,
however, held off Hanszen anchor
Anne Hutton.
Brown edged out Baker by
seven-tenths of a second for third
place, but the real squeaker was
between Baker and last-place Will
Rice, with three-tenths of a second
between them.
Will Rice has now won the men's
race three times in the past four
years (SRC won in 1978), while
Jones has won the women's event
for three straight years.
In the unofficial Entrance
Contest, Best Special Effects goes
to WRC's monstrous $200
fiberglass face, while Hanszen wins
Best Soundtrack hands down with
their two huge La Scala speakers
blaring "The Ride of the
Valkyries." Lovett's Winnebago
gang gets the Spirit Stick.
provide more room for it and other
machines, as well as for a small
computer previously donated by
Schlumberger but so far unused
due to lack of floor space.
Against formidable odds, the
School of Social Sciences hopes to
bag a $20,000 NSF grant to match
an equal amount of University
funds from ICSA for a set of six
time-sharing computer terminals,
a remote batch terminal, and two
portable video monitors.
The equipment, to be housed in
a Sewall Hall "Social Sciences
Computing Lab" and connected to
ICSA by a multiplex hardwire
network, will be used primarily by
Social Sciences researchers and
undergraduate students, but will
also be open to any other person
needing a computer "on this end of
the campus," according to Social
Sciences School Dean Joseph
Cooper.
ICSA's Assistant Director
Farrell Gerbode noted that the
NSF science equipment program
under which Rice is applying for
funds has six times as many
applicants as grant winners.
"These aren't particularly good
odds," Gerbode said. "However, I
think they've put together a good
proposal."
Cooper also felt that Rice had
submitted "a very good proposal"
to ICSA, but, he said, even if NSF
turns down Rice's request for
money for the system, "We're
gonna get it one way or another."
A decision on the proposal
should be reached in September. If
NSF grants Rice the needed funds,
installation of the equipment and
training of student monitors will
take place next school year.
"I feel that we don't use the
computer for instructional
purposes to the extent that we
ought to," Cooper declared, noting
that ICSA has "a very fine
computer" but not enough space at
its Herman Brown Building
location to provide for classroom
laboratories.
Cooper was especially
enthusiastic over the possibility for
portable video monitors to provide
regular in-class simulations.
As to where the terminals will be
located, Cooper said, "I have the
space, but I would prefer not to say
where it is until we get the grant."
He added that the lab area "won't
impinge on anybody outside the
Social Sciences."
MOB decision due...
continued from page 1
that their content is not offensive,
Ross replied, "I'm not interested in
banning scripts. I have no
intention of having him (the new
director) send me scripts to censor.
After we have been through the
interview process, it will be clear to
him what I want."
What Ross wants is to field
shows that retain their satire, yet
are less offensive to alumni and
friends. When asked what was
"offensive", Ross said, "What I
consider offensive and what others
consider offensive is completely
different. I got a call every week
this year because someone was
offended by a MOB show." Ross
conceded, however, that the
number of complaints has been
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relatively small. "The MOB has a
huge audience," he said. "I have no
intention of censoring them. What
I want is a high-quality product
that the most people will enjoy."
As far as Ross knows, his
decision will be forwarded to
President Norman Hackerman,
who will then bring it before the
Board for final approval.
Vice President for Administra-
tion and alumni go-between Bill
Akers said that he will not
influence the decision. "What the
students want is what we want," he
said. "It is all up to Dean Ross and
the students."
"They are not going to find
anybody to do the same thing Bert
did—he is so incredible," said this
year's drum major Gary Anglin,
when asked about prospects for a
new director. Anglin is not
disappointed, however. "You have
to keep going with new ideas," he
said. Anglin expressed hope that
the new director will change
emphasis to a greater musical
quality.
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The Rice Thresher, April 18, 1980, page 8
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Muller, Matthew. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 32, Ed. 1 Friday, April 18, 1980, newspaper, April 18, 1980; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245439/m1/8/: accessed June 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.