Wednesday, January 31, 2001

Volume 5, Number 70

NEWS IN BRIEF

SPORTS IN BRIEF

WEATHER FORECAST

Today: Partly sunny with chance of rain. Highs around 55.
Wow, that says 55, doesn’t it?

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 30s.
Looks like we’re having a heat wave.

Tomorrow: Cloudy and cooler. Highs around 45.
Guess it’s time to whip out my Garnet thong and hit Parrish Beach.

TODAY’S SHARPLES MENU

Lunch: Turkey meatloaf with mushroom gravy, steamed rice, *vegetable lo-mein, spinach souffle, succotash, cut green beans
**Asian bar

Dinner: Fresh fish, scalloped potatoes, *cajun black beans, pasta & sauce, broccoli, mixed vegetables
**Pasta bar

NEWS REPORT

1) Wales wins British Marshall Scholarship

Jordan Wales ’01, a Senior Honors Engineering Major with a Psychology Minor, has won the British Marshall Scholarship. Jordan is one of only 40 Americans this year to win the prestigious award.

The Scholarship awards complete funding for two years of graduate study in the United Kingdom at a university of the recipient’s choice. Captivated by the convergence of psychology, computer science, and philosophy in Cognitive Science, Jordan withdrew his Rhodes Scholar candidacy to accept the Marshall, affording him the opportunity to pursue Master’s degrees in Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Jordan has published research on evolutionary computation and robot learning. He was also part of the Swarthmore team that developed 1st Place award-winning robots designed to serve hors d’oeuvres and perform search-and-rescue tasks at the annual American Association of Artificial Intelligence Competition.

Established after World War II as a gesture of thanks to the United States for the Marshall Plan’s rebuilding of Great Britain, the Scholarship annually honors intellectually distinguished US students selected for their potential as leaders, opinion formers, and decision makers.

“A close accord between our two countries is essential to the good of mankind in this turbulent world of today, and that is not possible without an intimate understanding of each other. These Scholarships point the way to the continuation and growth of the understanding which found its necessity in the terrible struggle of the war years,” namesake George C. Marshall explained in his address to the first group of Scholars in 1954.

Past Marshall Scholars have included such diverse leaders as US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, best-selling author Peter Kramer (Listening to Prozac), and “surround sound” inventor Ray Dolby.

Jordan had a lot to say about his future plans: “I hope one day to develop intelligent robots that, in their functionality, will be of service to society and that, by the research which endowed them with their faculties, will illuminate something of the nature of the human mind. My studies will enable to me to probe issues of machine consciousness and implicit moral, ethical, and spiritual questions. How can we differentiate between an advanced but non-sentient artificial intelligence and a truly conscious computer? What rights and responsibilities does it have by virtue of its consciousness? Moreover, what are the implications for current scientific definitions of life? These questions will become increasingly significant for the scientific and philosophical ramifications they portend.”

– Jeff Heckelman

2) World news roundup

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 10-8 in support of Attorney General nominee John Ashcroft on Tuesday. Senate Republicans are pushing for a full Senate vote on confirmation by Thursday so that President Bush’s cabinet can be complete as soon as possible, but it is still uncertain whether that will happen. All but one Democrat on the committee voted against Ashcroft – Russ Feingold of Wisconsin came out in support of Ashcroft. Senate approval is all but assured, since Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts abandoned any idea of trying to stop the nomination with a filibuster.

Putting aside differences in the wake of tragedy, Pakistan joined earthquake relief efforts in Western India, but attention has started to shift from searching for survivors to helping the living. Pakistan has fought three wars with India and the nations are currently locked in a nuclear Cold War. Officials have counted 7,148 bodies, but estimates of how high the death toll could rise range from 15,000 all the way to 100,000.

Trailing in the polls, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak boldly claimed that peace is “just around the corner,” leaving the door open for an upcoming meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

A breakthrough technology has been developed to help the elderly and others with poor eyesight take their medication correctly. ScripTalk, a small voice synthesizer, speaks aloud prescription information printed on pill bottles. The wireless technology translates the printed label into speech, literally reading aloud the pill instructions.

Bertelsmann AG chairman Thomas Middelhoff said Monday that Napster plans to start charging subscription fees as early as June or July of this year. Middelhoff said his team researched the proposal and that a survey of 20,000 Napster users shows that “the willingness to pay is given.”

3) Campus events

Lecture by Jaimey Fisher, Visiting Assistant Professor of German, Tulane University
LPAC Cinema, 4:00 p.m.

M & T Bank Information Session
Bond Memorial Hall, 7:00 p.m.

“On Being a Physician: An Alumni/Alumnae Career Panel”
Scheuer Room, 7:00 p.m.

MST3K Showing
Trotter 303, 7:00 p.m.

Film Society Screening
DuPont 161, 10:00 p.m.

Folk Song Sing-Along
Parrish Parlor – West, 10:00 p.m.

SPORTS UPDATE

1) Women’s B-ball keeps rolling

Gretchen Heitz ’04 came off the bench to contribute eight points in Tuesday’s victory over Washington, but none were bigger than the free throw that she hit with ten seconds remaining to give Swarthmore only its second lead of the game. But they proved that the only lead that matters is the one you finish with, as Sarah Tufano ’03 blocked Washington’s final attempt to end the contest at 56-55. Heather Kile ’02 led the charge with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Katie Robinson ’04 chipped in with seven points and 12 rebounds. Tufano added 10 points. The victory brings the team’s record to an all-time best 16-2, 8-1.

2) World sports roundup

Next Sunday’s NBA All-Star game might be without some of its biggest names. Alonzo Mourning and Grant Hill are already out for the season, but they might be joined on the sidelines by starting Western Conference center Shaquille O’Neal, who sat for the second straight game with plantar fasciitis. Also on Tuesday, Vince Carter played only three minutes before leaving with soreness in his knee. Both players’ teammates picked up the slack last night, however. Kobe Bryant scored 47 points, including 23 of 26 on free throws as the Lakers beat Cleveland 102-96. Carter’s Raptors pulled off a very impressive victory without him, stopping the 76ers’ road-winning streak at 13 games. …Early Tuesday reports came out of Nevada that former Celtics coach Rick Pitino was no longer interested in the head coaching job at UNLV. Later Tuesday Pitino himself refuted the reports, saying he was still interested in the job.

3) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests

Today:

Badminton vs. Bryn Athyn, 7:30 p.m.

Tomorrow:

Men’s Basketball vs. Washington, 7:30 p.m.

QUOTE OF THE DAY