|
|
|
> MSU News
Research Roundup at MSU-Bozeman (#215)
December 23, 2002 -- By Annette Trinity-Stevens and Evelyn Boswell, MSU Research Office
Countdown for Columbia
Several MSU students and scientists are hopeful that the shuttle Columbia will blast-off as scheduled on Jan. 16. Scheduled to fly last summer, the 16-day science mission will include an MSU experiment to test whether a common bacterium becomes more toxic in space. Pseudomonas bacteria have been found in shuttle water supplies, and NASA is concerned about astronauts getting sick, said MSU microbiologist and project director Barry Pyle. The MSU team leaves for Florida's Kennedy Space Center starting Jan. 8. Last week, NASA moved the shuttle from its hangar to an open pad under unusually tight security because the crew includes the first Israeli astronaut. To read more about the experiment, go to http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/sts-107/107_pyle.pdf.
Christmas cheer
Hundreds of MSU students have reached out to others this holiday season, says Kathy Tanner with MSU's Office for Community Involvement. Sixty-five students went to a Bozeman teen center, for example, and joined middle-school and high-school students making Christmas cards for homebound senior citizens. They also wrote to servicemen and women. Other students wrapped gifts and collected toys. Some decorated rest homes and served meals there. Others worked at the local food bank. Several students helped with "Santa Paws" events at the Bozeman and Livingston Humane Societies. The Office for Community Involvement holds a monthly "Day of Service" for continued opportunities. The next events will be Feb. 22, March 29 and April 26.
Captive audience
Inmates at the private prison in Shelby love learning about nutrition, says Jamie Vowell, MSU Extension Agent for Toole County. Vowell brings in rubber food, and they learn about portion sizes. They also enjoy learning about parenting, health and how to find research-based information for themselves. Vowell started helping at the Crossroads Correctional Center when female prisoners were housed there during the expansion of the Montana Women's Prison. The women are gone now, but Vowell continues to work with the men. "I absolutely love it," she said. Vowell said her main reason for going is because most of the prisoners have children. If she can help the prisoners become better parents, it may keep their children from following in their footsteps.
Health steps
If you follow the Surgeon General's advice about getting 30 minutes of exercise daily, that translates into roughly 10,000 steps a day. How to keep track? A pedometer, of course. But how accurate or long-lasting are those devices, which sell for between $5 and $50? Dan Heil in the MSU health and human development department is finding out. Using a grant from a company that makes pedometers, Heil has recruited people to wear 10 different brands of pedometers for several months to see which perform the best. Although the project is product testing, Heil said it fits well with his research interests that involve using pedometers to evaluate people's physical activity levels.
Evelyn Boswell, (406) 994-5135 or evelynb@montana.edu
|
|
|
Email this article
