If one were to hold this crystal in one’s hand it wouldn’t seem like much. Only two hundred by four hundred microns in size, it would seem to be about the size of a small grain of sand. Indeed, it may even be too small to see without straining the eyes. Despite this, the zircon crystal is the oldest piece of the earth ever found, dated to 4.4 billion years old. As impressive as this may be, it resonates even more considering that the Earth itself is about 4.5 billion years old. Yes, this piece of zircon is only around a hundred million years younger than the Earth.

The ancient crystal was not found, as one would expect, in some remote area of tumultuous geologic activity, but on an Australian sheep farm in the Jack Hills region. This is not the first time that the region has produced extremely old samples of minerals, but it is the oldest by a wide margin. The crystal was one of many samples which researchers took in 2001, intending to test a new, more accurate, means of finding the age of crystals. The search was certainly worth it.

A notable trait about zircon is that it can not form in a magma without significant pressure. This suggests that, when the crystal formed, there was already a crust. This is a significant jump back from previous estimates of the crust’s age. Further, the crystal had a distribution of oxygen isotopes and other impurities which suggested the possibility that it formed in water. Needless to say, the implications of liquid water existing so early in the Earth’s history are interesting to say the least.

The most interesting discoveries are not always the ones which need large, flashy experiments. Indeed, many of the most high-profile experiments serve only to give evidence for what has already been repeatedly proven or observed. Sometimes great things can come from a tiny crystal from a sheep farm.

MasterPhysics, WileyPlus and other online homework solutions are used for many classes at Michigan Tech. They are supposed to provide easier management of grades for large classes, allowing students to get instant feedback and improve learning. However, many at Michigan Tech feel this is simply not the truth. In a survey we found that 70 percent of all students surveyed found WileyPlus, MasterPhysics and other online solutions to pale in comparison to pen and paper homework, often citing issues with answers that are correct being marked as incorrect, a frustrating interface and overall vexation at the cost and use of the system.

However for the school, the perceived benefits of online homework solutions seem to outweigh student outcry and annoyance. Large classes are usually the focal point of online homework solutions, most costing about $100 not including the already pricey textbooks. Our survey found over 70 percent of students thought online homework was harder to use and greatly disliked compared to traditional  pen and paper homework. When it came to the question of whether it helps them learn, surely an important element for colleges, the same bleak diagnosis was given with again 70 percent of students polled stating it did not help them learn.

Technology was supposed to make learning more efficient and students better prepared, however that is not the case. Technology now serves as a greater distraction and hindrance. From Facebook and other social media sites, texting and constant updates, technology has brought an inability to focus. A Slate.com title reads “You’ll Never Learn: Students can’t resist multitasking, and it’s impairing their memory.” Another from The New York Times read, “A Focus on Distraction,” and NBC News found that students couldn’t resist being distracted for even two minutes.

A study at UCLA backs this up, finding that when taking notes paper beats the computer. In both experiments conducted, a test 30 minutes after the lecture and a test after review time, students who used paper did better. A University of Central Arkansas study conjectured that students may also remember and have an easier time getting assignments done with paper instead of online homework as it reflects traditional modes of due dates and methods.

Scientific America gives a likely explanation to all of this in their article “The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens.” They found that when reading a physical book or doing homework on paper, the brain creates a mental map similar to those of terrains and environments. Thousands if not millions of years of evolution go into this adaptation, compared to the computer which has been in family homes for less than 30 years.

Both our survey and studies reflect the same thing, online homework does not present much benefit. This, combined with the expense, reflects a poor system pushed by publishers with a financial interest to the detriment of students.

In case you haven’t heard of it, Twitch Plays Pokemon (TPP) is the newest social experiment that’s exploding in popularity all over the internet. TPP is a live stream of the game Pokémon Red Version that is played by the viewers of the stream. It parses commands from the chat box and inputs them into the game. TPP has been likened to the Émile Borel quote that “with an infinite number of monkeys and an infinite number of typewriters, one will type Shakespeare’s plays.” The key differences being that instead of an infinite number of monkeys we have about sixty-thousand viewers, and instead of an infinite number of typewriters we have one emulator. TPP started off as a social experiment but has evolved into an integral part of the internet subculture. It’s no longer about seeing if the game can be completed with an anonymous viewer base; it’s now about the story the viewers have created to fit with their own actions.

The creators originally intended for it to have a small viewer base, and to have those viewers work together to complete the game. An average of sixty-thousand viewers is anything but small; most teamwork and coordination is impossible at this volume of inputs. The lack of teamwork is evident when you see how many actions that have been made that are detrimental to completing the game, like many of the higher leveled Pokémon being released.

Admittedly, the griefers (players who intentionally impede progress) could support the argument that TPP is just a social experiment. With any group of people, individuals who impede progress have to be expected, and seeing if those obstacles could be overcome with teamwork is a valid social experiment. However, the fanbase has even made the griefers’ actions viral– there’s a remembrance day for all of the Pokémon that were released: Bloody Sunday. There’s even a few admittedly silly religious belief systems that were spawned by TPP, complete with Facebook and Wikipedia pages, such as the Helix Fossil.

TPP is so viral that no event has gone unnoticed by the fanbase. Google Image searching “Twitch Plays Pokemon” will yield an absurd number of results with hardly any of them being actual gameplay. All of this fanart shows that TPP is no longer about seeing if a large, anonymous viewer base can complete the game, but about the story these anonymous people can create out of the actions of the viewers.

On Saturday, March 1, the Superior Wind Symphony played to a crowd at the Rozsa Theatre their concert titled Flights of Fantasy. Both the theme and the performance were fantastic. Fantasy in music refers to variations on Fantasia, which is a style of music with loose structure and a very improvisational feel, and pieces based on fiction.

A variety of pieces were performed, including:  “Fantasy for Piano and Wind Ensemble,” by Alec Wilder featuring a piano solo by Eponine Zenker and “Acrostic Song,” by David Del Tredici, based off of a poem by Lewis Carroll titled “Life is but a Dream” about a young girl named Alice, whom “Alice in Wonderland” was based off of. While the theatre was not packed, most likely because of the weather, the concert was a success.

Perhaps the most touching piece played was “Heart of the Morn” by H. Owen Reed, a prolific composer who passed away only a few weeks ago at the age of 104. The piece is taken from his opera “Peter Homan’s Dream” which is rather like “Oklahoma!” but for Michigan as director Mike Christianson put it. The piece begins slowly with almost haunting percussion and moves into a gorgeously full wind piece.

The Superior Wind Symphony is comprised of students at Michigan Tech who are not music majors and come to play for the sake of music. They come from many departments across campus. Their next concert is April 19, titled Musical Offerings.

When the wind blows across the Portage Canal for those few valuable weeks before Jack Frost comes and turns it from a liquid to a solid, the Sailing Club of Michigan Technological University takes full advantage of the opportunity to practice their hobby.

The Sailing Club is the student-run, coed club devoted to sailing the waters of the Upper Peninsula and testing their talents around the Midwest at various regattas. As part of the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association, the club has visited various locations in Wisconsin, Northwestern University, Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City and sailing spots in Minnesota. Last fall the club even traveled to New York to compete in a regatta on Long Island.

 Despite the amount of traveling and the competitions, the club is opened to all undergraduate and graduate students of all sailing abilities, plus professors and community members who wish to climb aboard and test their skills. The club even offers coaching and lessons in hopes of getting more people involved.

 There is a time commitment that goes along with the club though. Although the season only takes place in the fall, members have to be committed from when school begins through early November as the club strongly encourages the members to get to at least two if not three practices a week. Future members should keep this in mind when fall semester scheduling begins in March.

Practices are right in Michigan Tech’s backyard on the Portage Canal. The club launches the boats down the road between the Super 8 and the Houghton Waterfront Pavilion so it is only a short walk from campus. The club sails mainly one of their six Collegiate 420’s in competition, but also calls a Hobie 16 and two Lasers part of their armada.

If taking to the seas sounds like fun to you, visit the club’s website at (sailing.student.mtu.edu), check out their link on Michigan Tech’s Involvement page or show up on one of their cruising days, which in the past have been held on Saturdays in the fall. To participate on the race team there is a due of $100 but this covers an entire year of using the boats.

Looking for an exciting, fun winter challenge? The participants in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC) 2014 are this week!  The Keweenaw Research Center (KRC) and the Michigan Tech Dept. of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics are hosting the challenge that started on Monday March 3rd and wraps up this Saturday, March 8th.

The SAE CSC is an engineering design competition for college and university student members to reengineer existing snowmobiles to reduce noise and emissions with the intent of designing acceptable snowmobiles for usage in environmentally sensitive areas such as National Parks. The CSC is typically an “engine” competition however the underlying theme has remained consistent to engineer a clean and quiet trail sled.

The modified snowmobiles will compete in a variety of events including static display, fuel economy/endurance, handling, cold start and design. Several of the participants include not only Michigan Tech student teams but also North Dakota State University, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Northern Illinois University, Clarkson University and University of Wisconsin teams to name a few.

There are several events scheduled during the week-long event including a few opportunities for spectator viewership. On Tuesday, March 4th at 10 a.m., the grand opening event includes the NSF Electric Sled Range Test and Endurance Run to Copper Harbor, starting from the KRC T3 location.

On Wednesday, March 5th there will be a snowmobile public display from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Copper Country mall for spectators to see the reengineered machines up close and personal.

Saturday, March 8th at 10 a.m., there will be a Polaris Acceleration and Objective Handling Event as well as a ZE Acceleration and Load Test at the KRC Test Course at 11 a.m. The challenge event will conclude with an awards banquet Saturday night at the MUB Ballroom beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Even with these fun-filled demonstration events there are also are additional learning opportunities with technical talks and presentations throughout the week from industry personnel on different topics such as precious metals and catalysts to sound quality.  This week’s event is sure to be a thrilling fun time for participants and spectators alike. Safe and fun riding this week!

Last Friday, I left my room in Wadsworth Hall to enjoy a nice, quiet lunch at McNair Dining Hall. It is often the least busy there and there is a nice view of campus. I make it up the hill and head to the main entrance, but the door is locked and there is a sheet of paper taped to the door that directs me to swipe in another entrance. However, since I live in Wadsworth Hall, I am unable to enter the door to the dining hall or swipe in any nearby door.

Since there is a draft whenever someone opens the door to the dining hall, I understand they’d prefer students to swipe in at the door nearby it. I also think most students would prefer to make it inside the warm residence hall as soon as possible and make their walk outside in the cold, snowy weather shorter. This would not be an issue if students who lived in any of the residence halls on campus could swipe in all three residence halls.

My friends who live in Douglass Houghton or McNair Hall are sometimes frustrated that they can’t get a midnight snack at the Cafe in Wadsworth Hall. Though the cafe is open until 1 a.m. most days, the main entrance to Wadsworth Hall locks at 12 a.m. and you must be a Wadsworth resident to swipe in.

I think the most pertinent issue for those who live in McNair Hall is that even during blizzards with negative 30 degree wind chills, they have to walk from McNair down the slippery sidewalk to their classes on campus. If they could walk down the hill and swipe in the eastern-most entrance of Wadsworth Hall, they could simply exit at the western-most Wadsworth exit, cross the street, and enter at Fisher. This would spare students the unnecessary extra exposure to the UP winter climate.

From the opening ceremony with a malfunctioning ring to police officers singing Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics were an event to remember. By poking fun at their own opening ceremony blunder, the Russian hosts drew an impressive end to the Winter Olympics on Sunday, Feb. 23 by sharing their sense of humor with the world.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, the host country took advantage of familiar ice, snow and everything in between by finishing atop the medal count race with an impressive 33 medals. Among those 33 podium finishes were 13 golds, which was also the most of any nation. The United States checked in at second place of the medal count, with Norway, Canada and the Netherlands rounding out the top five.

Team USA consisted of 230 athletes competing in all 15 sports. Among them, 13 Olympic athletes are from Michigan. Remarkably, the Upper Peninsula has good reason to be proud of its own Nick Baumgartner, a two-time Olympic snowboard cross competitor who just returned from Sochi.

Baumgartner spoke to a large crowd at the Finlandia University Paavo Nurmi Gym in Hancock on Wednesday, Feb. 25. During his speech, Baumgartner talked about his recent Olympic experience as well as his experience at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the X Games and other competitive experiences. Moreover, Baumgartner shared with the public his story about how a kid from the UP could make it to the Olympics.

Like most people who grew up in the frozen tundra of Northern Michigan, snow found Baumgartner, and he has done pretty much everything there is to do with the fluff. Snowboarding just came along like the daily newspaper. “I love testing myself and love being the best at something,” Baumgartner said.

Thirty-two-year-old Baumgartner began snowboarding at the age of 15, which is a relative graybeard in a sport where most of his competitors picked it up before they started school. That’s not the only competitive disadvantage he faced – instead of a 14,000 ft mountain, he had only the 400 ft Ski Brule Resort hill. Plenty of naysayers pointed out the same thing.

“That’s a reason to come back, work my butt off, go out there, make it happen, and then say ‘You guys, see, it can be done,’” Baumgartner said.

In Sochi, Baumgartner placed fourth of five in the first heat of snowboard cross on Feb. 18. Hampered by lack of training time on the course, he hit the snow (literally) on that first heat on the course.

“I went faster than I ever did, and I wiped out so hard,” he said. “I overshot a jump, landed at the start of the next jump.”

The accident led to his first concussion and the end of his medal pursuit for 2014.

Baumgartner was feeling down until he checked the comments on his Facebook page. “There were 450 people that immediately took time out of their day to say something nice to me so I didn’t feel bad,” Baumgartner said. “To have that, I could have been dead last, to know that there were that many people around here that were proud of me.

Baumgartner had to overcome numerous obstacles and setbacks, including competing with a broken collarbone., but h will definitely be trying for a third Olympics trip in 2018. “I’m going to be 36 years old, I’m going to have a lot less hair, but I’m going to try to win another medal,” he said. “If I don’t, heck, I’ll be a three-time Olympian, even if I don’t win a medal. The one thing I’ve learned about myself is, if I’m having fun, and I’m enjoying myself. It’s good.”

“I thought it was really inspiring to hear about somebody up here to go to the Olympics,” said Zack Tarvainen, a resident from Chassell. “I really liked how he found determination – how he failed but kept working hard.”

Baumgartner’s story inspired many people, especially those who persisted in their dreams. As he said on Wednesday, “Tell people to follow their dreams. They can make their own opportunities in life – play hard, dream big, become!” By virtue of all the athletes like Baumgartner, even the Sochi Winter Olympics ended, their spirits will continue inspiring millions of us, giving faith to people for their pursuits of dreams.

While the word “drone” often comes with a negative connotation due to the military’s use of this technology for surveillance, Michigan Tech students and faculty are working to change that view. The Intelligent Robotics Laboratory (IRL) housed in the EERC and the Michigan Tech Research Institute in Ann Arbor are working together with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to create a system of drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), that will aid in transportation maintenance.

Director of the IRL, Dr. Timothy Havens, explains the premise of the project in greater detail.

“We are currently funded by Michigan Department of Transportation to investigate the role that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can play in infrastructure inspection, including bridge and culvert inspection and traffic monitoring,” Havens said. “The project personnel consists of scientists from both the Michigan Tech Research Institute in Ann Arbor and the main Michigan Tech campus in Houghton.”

Third-year electrical and computer engineering student Josh Manela is one of the students working under Havens here at Tech.

“My project that I’m working on right now is looking at different types of small onboard computers and microcontrollers such as Arduinos or Raspberry Pis,” Manela said.

The UAVs map the environment they fly over in a few different ways, using both regular cameras and a laser radar system.

“My lab, the Intelligent Robotics Lab, is developing a sensor-fused system that uses LIDAR (laser radar), video cameras and inertial sensors that are able to collect three-dimensional image information about a scene and the accompanying software algorithms that process the data into an accurate and usable form,” Havens said. “Our goal is to create a system that is able to do three-dimensional simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), which is one of the fundamental robotics challenges.”

The team faces many challenges due to the newness of the technology.

“A lot of work has been done with terrestrial robots in two-dimensions, but flying robots in three-dimensions is a whole new can of worms,” Havens said.

In addition to the MDOT project, Havens’ lab team is working on another UAV project that will further their capabilities in the air.

“The Intelligent Robotics Lab also has a project funded by an MTU Research Excellence Fund Award that is looking at how groups of UAVs tied together with internet cloud computing can cooperate to achieve goals,” Havens said. “The projects are really interesting and we are having a lot of fun.”

An increasingly diverse student body has long been well-recognized as a potential treasure for universities. As a result of Michigan Tech’s constant efforts to promote diversity over 14.2 percent of Tech students, as of the fall of 2013, are international and this figure is still continuously growing.

Following the blossoming of Michigan Tech’s diversity is the question of how to integrate these differences among students from all over the world to maximize the benefits for the whole university community. Many student organizations have been working on this integration for years, but the International Club is an exceptional  example of one of them.

The goal of the International Club is to promote better understanding and closer relations between international and domestic students and between the various national groups of international students themselves.

“While other international student organizations, especially national groups, mainly focus on sharing their own cultures and cultural activities, International Club aims to play the role of an integrator, uniting the diverse international and domestic communities into a big family,” said Cassy Tefft, Advisor of the International Club. “Our goal is accomplished by means of discussions and exchange of opinions among the various international groups in our regular meetings, as well as through cooperative activities throughout the year.”

With participants from a broad range of cultural backgrounds, the International Club has successfully held many campus-wide, student-oriented events, such as game night and holiday parties. Among all, International Night is the most well-known to students. The theme of this year’s International Night, which will be held on March 23, is “Travelling Across the World” as introduced by Jessie Zhang, Vice President of International Club.

“During that night, we’ll provide diverse food and fashion shows prepared by a great many of international students from various countries,” Zhang said. “The event will be a cultural feast for our audience which will enable them to travel across the world in hours. Remarkably, even our tickets are designed as boarding passes for this extraordinary travel.”

Zhang specifically recommended the music of International Night, which will combine music from different countries, all performed by ADDJ Tommy Garret, a Sound Design student. As DJ for this year’s International Night, Garret said, “It is a great experience to see so many people together and perform in front of so many international students who grew up with listening to different music.”

“This performance is a challenge but also a chance to me. People always say mathematics is a universal language, but for me, I feel music is the universal language because we don’t have to learn it and we were born with it. I want to bring people from different cultures together through my music, which is my passion,” Garret added.

While International Club, together with many other international and domestic groups, is devoting their time and efforts for the upcoming International Night, this week the organization released its first issue of their monthly newsletter – Globe. Globe is an additional effort of the International Club to arouse awareness and promote events focused on university diversity at Michigan Tech.

“The newsletter is divided into different sections for different cultures on campus. It is one of our new trials to benefit more students with the university diversity. The newsletter creates a chance to get the diversity exposed to more,” said Ashima Chhabra, President of the International Club.

It’s the rich life experiences of diverse international and domestic groups that make Michigan Tech such a vibrant and enriching campus community. The diversity deserves to be treasured because it is our academic, cultural, economic and physical differences that make us who we are. Thanks to the hard work of student organizations like the International Club, Michigan Tech students are doing so much more to foster an environment that is accepting and collaborative. Our commitment to diversity, inclusion and engagement has never been stronger.