Vector april issue

VECTOR EDITOR:
Table of Contents
Jose Parakkat

Modern Technology Articles............2-8 VECTOR OFFICERS:

Roden.................................................9-10 Layout – Kaitlin Decker

Advertising - Isaac Aggrey
Articles – Sope Lanlehin
Vectortainment.....................................11 Secretary - Charlotte
Friedley
Webmaster - Michael
Non-themed Articles.....................12-14
Janusa
Cartoonist - Matthew Leos
Society News..................................15-18 Distribution - Jen
Nordhauser

VECTOR STAFF:

Jason Erasmo Castro D.

Get your thoughts and ideas published in UT’s Kristen Parrish
only student-run engineering newspaper! Jeff Wang
Christopher Lam
Michael Rodriguez
You’d be amazed to realize how many peo- Jonathan Le
ple would love to read about your thoughts,
comments, ideas, and even beliefs.

A special thanks to SEC,

Advertising in the Vector is a great way for the Cockrell School of
companies to get their name out to students. Engineering and ECAC.
If you are interested in getting your word out in
the Vector, contact us at
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Vector
1 April 2010

F
or me they started out as
those “alternative” com-
puters, ones that you’d
find in the dark, dusty corners of a
school computer lab. They were
blocks of metal and glass that
the random passersby might not
have looked at twice. Later, they
sported fruity colors and attractive,
translucent shells, perhaps prompt-
ing kids to start pressing buttons
on their keyboards until their
screen inevitably froze. Boy, Mac
desktop, you’ve come a long way.
It is amazing how far Apple
computers have come in the tech-
nological world, even within my
own relatively short lifetime. A
Mac desktop has traditionally been
the awkward younger brother of
the PC, the watered-down version
for school use or for the kids at
home. Now, Mac towers and all-
in-ones dominate the multimedia
sphere of computing and fiercely
rival Windows machines in the
home computing market. In fact,
Macs are currently considered
more reliable than PCs because
they are virtually immune to vi-
ruses that plague many computer
users today.
Personally, I have always been
allured by the shiny factor that a
Mac flaunts, at least, after they
threw out the boxy cream or black
box idea. Growing up, whenever I
passed a Mac that sported frosted,
fluorescent plastic in a fun bubble
shape or the simplicity of a stark
white hemisphere sprouting a thin
screen from a metal arm I had to
marvel at the, well, cuteness of
Growing pains
T h e evo l ut i o n of th e Mac
the gadget. A design ahead of the just isn’t the Mac for a specific
computing curve is a continuing consumer’s wants in their personal
selling factor of Apple devices in system.
general, and the company has had
the most time to play around with As I type this article up on my
the design of the desktop. I’m not own Mac desktop, I am happy
saying that fluorescent, bulky com- to have experienced the growing
puters should be the norm because pains of Apple machines, though
they’re cute, but they certainly I still depend on PCs every day
have laid down an interesting path for the more number-crunching
for modern Macs to go on. I kind and programming elements of my
of miss the more outlandish de- computing life. It is nice to have
sign, but the sleek aluminum-and- found a middle ground between
glass exterior of the current iMac the two, where Macs have finally
generation does inspire a sort of matured enough to work in com-
awe that all the necessary parts can plement to equivalent Windows
fit in there. systems. Even so, I can’t help but
applaud Mac desktops for grow-
PCs, on the other hand, have ing up so quickly after quite a few
maintained a more utilitarian awkward baby steps.
look because of their utilitarian
purpose, but at least some design - Jen Nordhauser
customizability has been
introduced to Windows-
based machines for
personal use. Cus-
tomizability is actually
my main problem with
Apples in general, where
the company is either
selling a model that fits
your needs, or they just
don’t have what you’re
looking for. The rule of
thumb there, I suppose,
is that once a model that
matches your ideal sys-
tem becomes available,
wait another generation
(for a major price reduc-
tion) and get it before it
is replaced by something
you don’t need. Most of
the time that will work,
but sometimes, there
Vector
April 2010
2
 Changing how we interact
T h e i m pact of soci a l m ed i a
T
he internet has revo-
lutionized the way we
communicate today.
In the early 2000s, myspace and
blogs were starting to catch the
public eye. Now
there’s a wealth of
new ways to com-
municate - there’s
Pretty sure no one is interested in
facebook and Twit- 10 updates a day about how much
ter and Digg, oh
my. With a wealth you miss your girlfriend/boyfriend.
of forums and
avenues for public
Or wish you had a girlfriend/boy-
communication and friend.
showing off our
identities, how have
all these avenues affected us?
I’m a nerd - not just a regu-
lar nerd either, I’m an electrical
engineer. Since I spend most of
my day with a computer, or with
other people who spend most of
their days with computers, I have
a few things to say about the state
of the internet. I’ll be honest, I
missed the boat with myspace and
blogs--always thought myspace
was creepy and never thought
I was interesting enough for a
blog. I have a facebook account
which is parent friendly, because
my mother, whose only previous
experiences with computers before
2010 had to do with Fortran in the
80s, somehow also has one. My
dad is too cool for facebook, but
we are connected on LinkedIn.
Twitter doesn’t appeal to me--I’m
not even interesting enough for
140 characters--and I’ll admit the
“occasional” reddit surf (sorry, I’m
over digg). Growing up with the
internet (kind of… we kept dial-up
Vector
3 April 2010
at home until after I left for col-
lege), I definitely see the appeal of
all these countless tools that inte-
grate the internet with the social
- social/professional networking,
[micro]blogging, content aggrega-
tion etc. I was reading an article
in the New York Times the other
day (I probably saw it on reddit)
about a courier who had his bike
stolen, tweeted about it and stole
it back from the thief because one
of his friends had seen the post
and tweeted back. Ok, that’s pretty
cool.
There are plenty of positives to
having all these tools - but what
has it done to us as a society?
What will it do to my brother, who
had this access to all this stuff
starting in high school (I only be-
came aware of all this in college…
I mostly blame our 56k connec-
tion)? The concerns for society
I have when I’m looking at my
facebook news feed or seeing the
latest updates on reddit or read-
ing someone’s blog (with an open
comments section) are always the
same.
For one, the internet seems
to really empower some people.
Something about the anonymity
of a screen name and an avatar
seems to give plenty of people the
nerve to say things they would
never say--I sure
hope--in person.
The combination
of how easy it is to
type something and
submit it with the
lack of interaction
with real people
makes people do
and say rude, racist,
and other kinds of
terrible things. Does
this carry over to real-life; are we
more impatient and ruder because
of how we’re used to treating
people on the internet?
And what about how the inter-
net is making us all narcissistic?
Pretty sure no one is interested
in 10 updates a day about how
much you miss your girlfriend/
boyfriend. Or wish you had a girl-
friend/boyfriend. Either way, blogs
and twitter have also been empow-
ering anyone who can type with a
sense of entitlement to publiciz-
ing their opinions about politics,
money and religion. Everyone’s
entitled to their opinion, but some-
how everyone acts so much more
entitled on the internet, does this
translate to real life?
I’m also often taken aback
about how little it seems that we
value privacy in our internet lives.
I closely monitor what I post or
what gets posted about me online
(thanks, Mom!). A lot of us clean
up our online lives as we get older
and start to worry about getting
jobs - a reported 45% of employ-
ers use social networking sites to
screen candidates. Beyond the in-
appropriateness of our online pro-
files, the issue of privacy extends
to identity theft - and plain old
theft too, as location awareness
and microblogging combine to
help burglars plan their next hits.
Earlier this year, Sarah Palin had
her e-mail account hacked from in-
formation found in a google search
on her name. In a world where
we’re debating national ID cards
and government disrespect of citi-
zen’s privacy, why are we so eager
to hand out personal information
where anyone can see?
Since most of these technologies
haven’t been around more than a
couple years, I don’t think we’ll
be able to fully see the effects on
society. However, I’m sure when-
ever historians figure it out, I’ll
find the link to some blog about it
along with dozens of riled up com-
menters on my content aggregator
of choice.
-Kristen N. Parrish
Vector
April 2010
4
 Web Politics
H ow th e i nte r n et i s cha n g i n g th e face of po l it i cs

F
irst, the radio con- victory. Politicians now have to be might seem ideal, but the multi-
nected former President more careful than ever with their plicity of news sources may actu-
Roosevelt to the people image, but the internet is a two- ally have harmful implications.
of the United States through his way street. Political campaigns The lack of accountability on the
fireside chats (how novel it must have responded by creating their internet allows bloggers to easily
have been to suddenly be able to own viral advertisements, provid- mislead readers. And if everyone
hear the country’s leader speak!). ing them a free advertising me- starts reading different, increas-
Than a few decades later, televi- dium. Another clear indication that ingly personal and biased news
sion lent us its sight and proved politicians recognize the internet’s sources, people could become in-
its power in the creasingly polarized
Kennedy-Nixon in their views. The
debate when Political campaigns have responded by cre- internet allows us to
voters watched a ating their own viral advertisements, pro- hole ourselves into
weary and tired our belief systems
Nixon contend viding them a free advertising medium. and isolate ourselves
with a well-com- into communities of
posed Kennedy. like-minded people.
Make-up and Civil discussions
body language quickly became power is the impressive record- may be harder to come by as we
recognized as a crucial factor in breaking fundraising campaign may not even be able to debate on
“winning” a debate. Fast forward President Obama ran in the 2008 the same premises or facts.
about fifty years, and now, we election known for its internet
have the internet exhibiting all based campaign contributions. In the end, what kind of repu-
sorts of new and surprising effects According to the Federal Election tation will historians give the
on politics. Commission, President Obama internet? Is the internet going to
pulled in over $750 million in the have a positive or negative impact
The immediacy of information 2008 election cycle - compare that on society? Is it giving everyone
the internet provides allows us to to the total of both candidates in a voice? Or is everyone getting
share what we have seen or read to the 2004 campaign: $653 million. lost in a white noise? Whatever
our friends and family. How many the case, the internet is unlikely
of us still have not seen the amus- The internet has also brought to bring on a political apocalypse.
ing “Evolution of Dance” or the about a democratization of report- Society will inevitably adapt, but
inspirational “Free Hugs Cam- ing. New sources of news that still, it is fascinating to observe the
paign” videos? The ubiquity of come in the form of blogs, opin- side effects of a technology that
viral videos is becoming a force to ion pieces, and compilations of has become a part of our genera-
contend with in the political world. articles are all over the internet. tion’s daily lives.
Former Senator George Allen of Examples are the increasingly
Virginia became an example when reputable Huffington Post, a news -Christopher Lam
he turned into a victim of his own website that also features a collec-
words when he used the racial slur, tion of blogs, and user-submitted
“Macaca,” to refer to someone news content communities such as
of Indian descent. Up until then, “Digg” and “Reddit”. Increasingly,
Allen had a comfortable lead in information can not only be ac-
polls, but his long-shot opponent, cessed by everyone, but be created
Senator Jim Webb, pulled an upset by anyone. This sort of equality is

Vector
5 April 2010

E
very day children get up,
eat breakfast, and go to
school. At school, chil-
dren are required by the United
States’ law to read the Pledge of
Allegiance. This all too familiar
oath goes as so: “I pledge alle-
giance to the Flag of the United
States of America, and to the
Republic for which it stands: one
Nation under God, indivisible,
with Liberty and Justice for all.”
However, I have found there to
be one sore spot with this com-
monplace recitation. That is “one
Nation under God.” It is not that
of the religious implication, for
the majority of the nation has a
religious entity they esteem highly,
but that of the phrase “one Na-
tion.” As Americans, we are led to
believe in this collective view of
our people. One only has to look
to our nation’s pecuniary pieces
that are inscribed with the say-
ing “e pluribus unum,” which is
translated as “one of many.” Con-
sequently, one may find the blatant
American social phenomena to be
united we stand?
Q ues t i o n i n g A m e r i ca n u n it y
the disunity under the guise
of unison.
First of all, we need to
have an understanding of
the definition of “social
phenomena”. Britannica
Encyclopedia defines social
phenomena as “all behav-
ior, which influences or is
influenced by organisms
sufficiently alive to respond
to one another.” In our
American culture we find
that “behavior” to be that of
division.
Looking closely at the roots of
the American social phenomena
we can spot divisive aspects in
the nation. The United States is a
developed nation, characterized by
progressive ideologies and accept-
ing values on the whole. And in
America, we find ourselves in a
liberated and freethinking world
where there are groups satisfying
every possible speculative posi-
tion. Even if no such group yet
exists, we as Americans, have
the sovereignty to create our own
group to develop and voice our
stance on a particular issue. How-
ever, this idea of freely allying
one’s self with particular sides of
issues defies the “One Nation” un-
der which our forefathers wished
to unite this country. One way this
ideology applies is the universal
issue of warfare. One only has
to look back at the Vietnam War
or even more recently the War in
Iraq. During both of these wars,
we see the nation divided between
those supporting the war effort in
defense of our nation’s honor and
dignity and others who see the war
as a vicious creature of destruction
and death for a frivolous cause.
One would think that when a
nation is at war that its people
would support the cause whatever
its cost to the country, but we have
seen that is not so. And although it
may seem like an attack on our sa-
cred freedom of expression, I find
our liberty to act out, protest, and
generally communicate what we
wish to share to be a valuable en-
tity, but also one which can some-
times tear apart the strength of the
nation. We claim we are a nation
united by our diversity of choice,
yet we demonstrate that our ideals
are not bounded by a true sense of
community. Ultimately our unique
culture--as Americans--suffers for
it.
I am not saying that groups
supporting one issue or the other
are bad, as we all know there
are multiple sides to every story.
Ideological groups of Americans
espouse new ideas and knowledge
that contribute to society; howev-
er, with the straining pull of such
a menagerie of groups in opposite
directions the nation experiences
decentralization of support by its
people. As this movement away
from unity continues, ironically
we’ll continue to hear the small
voices of school children to praise
our nation’s flag with one hand
over their heart with the words,
“one Nation.”
-Charlotte Friedley
Vector
April 2010
6
 the story of music
T h e evo l ut i o n of m us i c to th e d i g ita l a g e
“
Oh, sorry. What was that?
I was plugged in.” How
many times a day do we all
go through this scene, either as the
student chillin’ with our favorite
tunes or the annoyed friend trying
to have an actual conversation?
Often enough for me to squeeze
this cheap introduction into this
article at least. So what are we
talking about here? Well what
exactly has gone on with music up
until today’s world of ubiquitous
digital music? Enough to build an
industry around it since the earliest
civilizations, that’s what. From the
pure majesty of a bird song, to the
pulsing beat of an Austin dance
club, music perseveres across
boundaries and time, spreading
the flavors of past cultures and
building new futures. To take a
look back on the different medias
for music is to get just a little taste
of life back in the
day, and to think of
new medias for this
universal language
is to think into the
future.
So we all know
the basics of how
music is made.
You bang a drum,
you play a horn,
you sing a song,
or whatever tick-
les your fancy and
voila! (no, not the
viola) You sud-
denly have music,
albeit not necessarily good mu-
sic. But the real magic of music
is being able to spread it beyond
Vector
7 April 2010
the immediate act of playing it.
Although some musicologist (yes,
it’s a real profession) would prob-
ably debate this, I’ll go ahead and
say that the first viable method
for spreading and archiving music
beyond merely singing/playing to
others and hoping they remember
it was written music. Whether it’s
the modern system of western mu-
sic using the staff, key signatures,
etc. or whatever systems for notat-
ing music are used in other parts
of the world, the ability to write
down music and have someone
come along a few centuries later
and play it note for note is truly
amazing. Of course you can’t
walk into a crowded room, place
a musical score in the middle,
and hope that this will somehow
convey the beauty of your music
to everyone (unless you’re in the
music building that is). One way
or another, this requires someone
having to go ahead and play the
music live. Of course, in today’s
world we’ve gone far beyond just
live music. Recording technology
has changed everything (score one
for engineers!!!).
Of course though the actual
science behind each iteration of
true sound recording is different,
they all follow similar principles.
Some mechanism picks up sound
waves and by either electricity or
mechanical action, this is recorded
in anything ranging from the wax
cylinders that they used back in
the old days to a top of the line
hard drive. Suddenly you’ve got
the ability to flick a switch and
play back music recorded years
earlier and across the world. And
you can play it to a stadium full
of people or with the privacy of
headphones, a pretty impressive
feat I’d say. This advent of re-
cording technology also opened
a whole new dimen-
sion of sound editing
to music. Analog
signal can be altered
mechanically through
clever recording and
editing tricks. An old
physics professor from
high school would
tell my class about his
old days as a sound
engineer and how
they could create cool
phasing effects by
wiggling the tape as
it ran over the rewrite
needle and all the dif-
ferent arrangements of
mics and filters they could use to
change the sound during a record-
ing session. And of course digital
signal allows for even more acces-
sible editing, with entire software
suites available to mix and do
crazy stuff to music or even allow
for the creation of entirely elec-
tronic music.
We’ve come a long way. Live
music is still alive and well, but re-
cordings have clearly become the
lifeblood of the music industry and
culture today. When you’re scroll-
ing through your huge collection
of music (all of it entirely legally
obtained, of course) on your mp3
player, just take a moment and
think of how many CD’s, vinyl
records, stacks of sheet music, or
living musicians your collection
would comprise. Such a techno-
logical marvel of music, a piece
of culture so important to every
civilization, cannot fail to affect
humanity in profound ways. So
work hard engineers and remem-
ber that there are many ways to
change the world. Advancement
in recording technology has made
music more accessible than ever
so just imagine how future tech-
nology will continue to change
the face of culture. It may not be
a cure for cancer, but remember
“Music hath charms to soothe the
savage beast”.
-Michael Rodriguez

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Vector
April 2010
8
 roden
Re - en g i n ee r i n g yo u r ex pe r i en ce s i n ce 2 0 01
F
ounded barely a decade
ago on the forty acres, the
Roden Leadership Pro-
gram has evolved into one of the
most active student organizations
on campus. Despite its small size
and unusual structure (it doesn’t
support a hierarchy) the Roden
Leadership Program has managed
to substantially impact the Cock-
rell School of Engineering in more
ways than one. Roden’s recent
emergence into more recognized
and mainstream ‘active’ student
organizations can be attributed
to its members’ (also known as
Roden Scholars) shift in focus
Rodens presenting research opportunities at UT at a Freshmen Engineering Workshop session
Vector
9 April 2010
from behaving largely as a think-
tank and gravitation towards being
an execution-oriented organiza-
tion with fresh vision and broader
scope each semester.
Roden has always strived to
implement quality projects and
events that could positively affect
engineering students with varying
interests. In the past we organized
an interdisciplinary dinner where
top students and faculty collabo-
rated to develop innovative, inter-
disciplinary projects that could be
used as potential undergraduate
research projects for the College
of Undergraduate Studies. We
have been organizing a Freshmen
Engineering & Transfer Students
workshop every summer right
before Fall Gathering in order to
supplement incoming students’
orientation by dispersing more
information about research oppor-
tunities, campus perks, recruiting,
extra-curricular avenues etc.
We are the only organiza-
tion to introduce an annual Case
Study Competition in the Cockrell
School to promote interdisciplin-
ary collaboration and thinking.
Want to develop and commer-
cialize a GPS-based navigation
device for the visually impaired?
How about revamp Dell’s complex
supply chain to
minimize procure-
ment of conflict-
minerals and
Mission Statement:
promote socially
responsible sourc- “To a make a positive impact on the world
ing of minerals in
Africa? Perhaps around us by developing leadership in our-
you would like to selves and inspiring leadership in others.”
design your own
MMORPG that
channels revenues
generated from in-game virtual
economies to real-world social
problems and present your solution
to CEOs of Fortune 500 compa-
nies. This competition has offered
all that in a span of just 3 semes-
ters. In addition to this, we hosted
a competition called Rodennova-
tions to redesign a portion of the
landscape in the engineering block
last spring semester.
Interesting Fact: You are able to
enjoy this magazine by virtue of
the same initiative (Rodennova-
tions) that was undertaken a few
years ago. At the time, Rodenno-
vations aimed at the reviving and
revamping the engineering news-
letter. We’re proud to say that the
Vector has certainly come a long
way since then!
This month we will be kicking
off the “We Change the World”
lecture series. This series of lec-
tures is designed to inject a spirit
of entrepreneurship in the Cockrell
School and demonstrate to stu-
dents how they can leverage their
education to innovate and push
the frontiers of technology thereby
actuating tangible change in the
lives of people around them. Our
first speaker was Mr. Jack Tyler -
CEO and founder of the Jack Tyler
Engineering Company based in
Tennessee. This lecture will be
held on Thursday, April 1st, in the
BME Seminar Room at 6 pm.
The Roden Scholars also held
a Town Hall meeting on Tuesday,
April 6th. This Town Hall present-
ed the rationale behind devising
and implementing our projects, but
more importantly, getting YOUR
feedback regarding these ideas.
We also want to learn about the
problems you see in the Cockrell
School and what ideas you have to
address them.
Finally, we are also looking for
highly motivated individuals to
become new Roden Scholars. By
applying to the Roden Leader-
ship Program, you are welcom-
ing the chance to join a student
organization that will change the
way people think about engineer-
ing students on this campus and
profoundly influence the engineer-
ing ‘experience’. As a member,
you will greatly refine your leader-
ship and teamwork skills. If you’re
interested, we encourage you to
download our application at roden-
program.org.
The mission of the Roden Lead-
ership Program has always been
the improvement of the Cockrell
School of Engineering with the
utmost integrity and intensity
through periods of both exuber-
ance and crisis. It is only with
your support that we make these
projects a huge success and take
the Engineering Experience to the
next level!
-Sahil Jain
Vector
April 2010
10
 Vector
11 April 2010
 elevators from hell
I
n my opinion, the UT cam-
pus resembles an incredibly
lively and intellectually
stimulating little town. I’m certain
that it’s a view that is shared by a
lot of the ‘citizens’ of this town.
However, one aspect of it that sure
depresses the heck out of me is
the plain evil that seems to engulf
every single elevator on campus.
Tell me, how many times have you
taken the elevator anywhere on
campus and walked out of it radi-
ating with optimism? Okay, it’s a
rhetorical question. So, counting
on your fingers is a little unneces-
sary.
However, picture yourself in
an elevator that stops at a random
floor on your way to whichever
floor you intend to get out on –
generally, the people coming in
seem to be happy and jovial, but
the moment they enter into that
confined space that is the eleva-
Why a re th ey so a w f u l?
tor, every ounce of happiness from
their face evaporates faster than
you can say ‘engineer’. The most
you can get from even the closest
of friends you meet in an elevator
is a pursed-lipped ‘hello’ rather
than the animated “Hey, What’s
up!!” anywhere else on campus.
My point is that elevators on
campus, particularly the ones on
the engineering side do not quite
facilitate any human emotion
besides intense depression. This is
rather unfortunate because stud-
ies show that the average human
spends about eight days of their
life in an elevator. That is eight
days of your life standing in one
spot staring at its insipid, color-
less walls, silently pleading for the
doors to open. The world could
certainly be a better place if you
put those eight days to some use.
This could be range from some
creative endeavor to merely enter-
taining your co-
passengers.
I believe that el-
evators have the po-
tential to become the
most intellectually
invigorating work-
spaces at college
campuses around
the country. Perhaps
that is a bit of a
stretch, consider-
ing that we haven’t
yet heard of ground
shattering innova-
tions originating in
elevators. However,
it is a shame that we
don’t put such time
to better use.
I recently came across an article
about “60 things to do in an eleva-
tor” and decided to have some fun
with it. It suggested things like
“make car noises when anyone
gets on or off”, and “offer name
tags to everyone getting on the el-
evator” or “break into song, sing-
ing ‘Mary had a little lamb’ while
continually pushing buttons.”
One of my favorite suggestions,
however, was to stand facing the
direction opposite to the door of
the elevator. I actually tried this
out numerous times with varying
degrees of hilarity. During one of
those times, I managed to con-
vince a group of six people walk-
ing in that they would be getting
out the other way. The looks on
the faces every subsequent incom-
ing person was priceless!
On a more serious note, it prob-
ably is worth your while to do
something more than just pray the
doors would open sooner than it
should. Just yesterday, I decided
to start talking to one of my fellow
passengers and found out that he
actually was my long lost lab part-
ner from some obscure program-
ming class. It made my day.
To close, I’d like to reinforce
the possibility that every single
elevator ride you take can po-
tentially be life changing. Joey
Ramone, a member of the band
“The Ramones”, which is often re-
garded as the first punk rock group
once said, “I once told this writer
a story about how I met these guys
in an elevator and found out we
all had the same last name, so we
decided to form a band.”
-Jose Parakkat
Vector
April 2010
12
 my name is jason
T h e o n e a g a i n s t th e m a ny
I
just saw “My Name is
Khan” at the movies. It is a
cool Bollywood production
that deals with an individual that
has Asperger’s Syndrome. At the
end, we find the main character
bringing a country together to help
out suffering individuals at a small
church building in the middle of
a hurricane-devastated town. He
felt compelled to go help be-
cause when he was down and out,
“Mama Jenny” and “Funny Hair
Joel” were there for him. The im-
age of the pale and downtrodden
being greater than the vivid and
powerful was most uplifting.
I also remember watching
“Little House on the Prairie.” The
show brought to light how impor-
tant the small church in the center
of town was for the community.
The small church building served
not only
as a
place for
worship,
Veiled are the seeds of individuality that
but also define each and every one of us as a self.
where
children We hide behind masks
gathered
to be ed-
perception that we are different from true
ucated. It nature.
was here
where
the local
government held their business
meetings. Local, state, federal and
international news were shared
here. I find it interesting that we
have access to news and happen-
ings from the most remote places
on this earth, yet we have become
all the more distant. Words such
Vector
13 April 2010
as “global” and “international”
have not served to bring us closer
together, but have weakened our
sensitivity to the needs of others.
The concept of church was
founded on the principle that
individuals should all look out for
the needs of each other. When the
original church was founded, it
was written that they continually
devoted themselves to fellowship
and to breaking bread. Everyone
kept feeling a sense of awe. When
is the last time that we had an
“awe” moment? They were to-
gether and had all things in com-
mon, and they began selling their
property and possessions and were
sharing them with all, as anyone
might have needed. Day by day,
continuing with one mind in the
church building and breaking
bread from house to house, they
in order to give the
were taking their meals together
with gladness and sincerity of
heart, praising God and having
favor with all the people. Isn’t it
funny how church has also be-
come globalized? I miss that little
church in the center of town.
I find it amazing how self-
serving individuals control thou-
sands of people’s opinion in these
mega-churches that are popping up
everywhere. They buy up stadi-
ums or build expensive modern-
ized buildings in order to attract
the masses into their folds. There
is even one made of glass some-
where in California, if I am not
mistaken. I wonder if these indi-
viduals are really devoting them-
selves to fellowship, to sharing
everything, to being of one mind
and caring for the needs of others.
Is their “awe” moment attributed
to the touched heart or the cold
stones (or glass) their buildings are
made of? Is there a difference?
A veil to hide the complete
truth becomes a key that opens the
Gehenna of our existence. Many
attempt to keep us enslaved while
professing liberty and freedom.
Veiled are the seeds of indi-
viduality that define each and
every one of us as a self. We
hide behind masks in order
to give the perception that we
are different from true nature.
Makeup, hair dye, jewelry
and a host of other disguises
become part of our persona
as much as how big our nose
is or how white our face
appears. We have awkward
ears, and we hang earrings on
them that a gymnast could train
on; silicone and plastic to make
bigger; scalpel and saw to chop off
the ugly. These are but a few of the
ways one alters or tries to modify
who one “is”. Our media tells us
that all over the world oppres-
sion and tyranny reign supreme
because the interest of the few out-
weighs that which is most impor-
tant and necessary for the many.
We are appalled at the indifference
of those “out there,” yet we live
comfortably with the insensitive,
cold, altered nature of our
community.

“My Name is Khan”

portrays an individual who
was weak and different, yet
the strength of his character
and power of his presence
were made ever apparent by
his most beautiful kind heart
and good deeds. Part of the
message of the movie was
that the traits instilled in us
by our grandparents, parents,
preachers, and teachers at
an early age are essential in
the development of who we
are as individuals amidst a
community. The power of the
small church in the center of
the town should symbolically
represent the power of the
heart to adhere to the teach-
ings of the old. I pray that I
can be a “Mama Jenny” or
“Funny Hair Joel” to some, if
not to all. My name is Jason.
-Jason Erasmo Castro

Vector
April 2010
14
 Society News
AIChE
The American Institute of Chemi-
cal Engineers (AIChE) will be
hosting our semi-annual McK-
etta’s Picnic in honor of Dr. John
J McKetta. AIChE would like to
invite all UT engineers to attend.
Dr. McKetta taught at The Univer-
sity of Texas at Austin for 44 years
and served as the Dean of the
Cockrell School of Engineering
for seven years. When he retired in
1990, he gave a million dollars to
the Department of Chemical Engi-
neering and raised another million
dollars from alumni. In 1995, on
his 80th birthday, the University
of Texas renamed the chemical
engineering department “The John
J. McKetta Center for Excellence
in Chemical Engineering.”
Currently, Dr. McKetta still serves
as Professor Emeritus and Joe C.
Walter, Jr. Chair Emeritus of the
Cockrell School of Engineering at
The University of Texas at Austin.
He also calls each of his former
students on their 65th birthday.
Through his kindness and dedica-
tion to his students he maintains
great relationships with alumni all
over the world.
Dr. McKetta grew up in Penn-
sylvania where he worked in the
mines besides his brother and
father and witnessed the dangerous
environment people worked in to
produce energy. A book written by
a chemical engineer inspired him
to study chemical engineering and
spend his life researching ways to
Vector
15 April 2010
generate energy most efficiently.
A coal mining cap on top of his
desk motivated him to work hard
his whole career.
Dr. McKetta has become an in-
ternational authority on the ther-
modynamic properties of hydro-
carbons. He served as an energy
advisor to Presidents Nixon, Ford,
Reagan, and Bush, and has pub-
lished over 400 papers and written
or edited 87 books. He was also a
founding member of the National
Council for Environmental Bal-
ance, as well as President Rea-
gan’s appointee to the Acid Rain
Precipitation Task Force. With
the help of his UT students, Dr.
McKetta predicted the first ac-
curate method for determining the
temperature profile of a flowing oil
well or gas well.
Dr. McKetta’s most recent accom-
plishment is his 68-volume “Ency-
clopedia of Chemical Processing
and Design.” He spent 25 years
working on it, and many of his
students contributed to the ency-
clopedia as advisors and authors.
-Paula Timciuc
SAE
The Formula SAE (Society of
Automotive Engineers ) team has
made great progress in preparing
for the upcoming competition in
Detroit. With the 2010 car being
sprung and running on its own
power at the end of the fall semes-
ter, most of the spring semester
has been focused on engine and
suspension tuning, as well as
redesigning various components to
decrease weight. The 2010 engine
is producing 50% more torque and
power than the 2008 engine. The
rear uprights were redesigned to
improve their stiffness-to-weight
ratio, and the rear braking sys-
tem is being converted from dual
outboard rotors to a single inboard
rotor to reduce unsprung mass in
the rear suspension.
We are also extremely proud and
excited to have completed UT’s
first aerodynamics package, featur-
ing front and rear wings. Aerody-
namics will give us a competitive
advantage over many schools and
help us achieve our goal of plac-
ing within the top 10 at the FSAE
Detroit competition. The 2003 car
(Hubs) has provided an excellent
testing platform for developing the
aero package for the 2010 car, and
has enabled the team to gather data
on the effects of aerodynamics to
present at the design event during
the Detroit competition.
The remainder of our testing
schedule leading up to the De-
troit competition is focused on
achieving the best reliability for
the endurance event. The endur-
ance event is 13.66 miles long and
is worth 400 out of 1,000 points.
Since 60% of all of the teams at
competition do not complete their
endurance runs, a successful en-
durance performance is vital for a
Top 10 finish.
Our design report has been sub-
mitted to Detroit for judging, and
is possibly one of the best in the
team’s 28 year history. The 2010
cost report is being compiled and
will be submitted April 1. The
2008 car has been brought back to
life and is providing a second for
training our younger drivers. In or-
der to improve our drivers’ skills,
we have been training at local
autocrosses with previous UT cars.
The last few days of spring break
were spent driving at UT Arlington
with their FSAE team. During the
next month and a half, we expect
to have all body work and tuning
completed and have scheduled an
official unveiling of the 2010 car
on April 22 at 6 PM in the T-Room
of the ETC building.
If you are interested in becoming
a sponsor or making a contribu-
tion to The University of Texas at
Austin Formula SAE team, please
contact us at sponsors@longhorn-
racing.com or visit our website at
longhornracing.com.
-Grace Foree
Freshmen
Society of Automotive Engi-
neers
Theta Tau
Theta Tau is the nation’s
oldest and foremost co-ed
professional engineer-
ing fraternity, originally
founded in 1904. The Psi
Beta Chapter of Theta Tau,
established at UT in 1991,
is a diverse and energetic
group of engineering stu-
dents engaged in a wide
variety of social, campus,
professional development,
and community service activi-
ties. One of our primary means of
developing professionalism among
our members is by inviting profes-
sional engineers (often our own
successful alumni) to speak about
their careers and share their experi-
ences.
In a way similar to other fraternal
organizations, engineering students
can gain membership into Theta
Tau after they have shown that
they would be valuable members
of the organization. Interested
students participate in Rush, a
three-week period at the start of
each semester where prospec-
tive pledges are introduced to the
chapter and invited to ask ques-
tions about the fraternity and take
part in social events along with
active members. At the end of
Rush, those who are still interested
become pledges, and participate
in a process complete with plenty
of social activities and educa-
tion in the history and traditions
of the fraternity. At the end of
the semester, those pledges who
have demonstrated the qualities
desired in our members (through
participation in chapter events and
interactions with the actives) are
invited to membership.
Theta Tau is perhaps best known
for hosting the Rube Goldberg
Machine Contest. Rube Gold-
berg, an American cartoonist, was
famous for his series of popular
cartoons that illustrated complex
devices designed to perform a
simple task in indirect, convo-
luted ways. Every year, Theta Tau
sponsors the local “Rube Gold-
berg” competition at UT. Contes-
tants are presented with a simple
challenge such as juicing an
Vector
April 2010
16
 society news
orange, assembling a hamburger,
changing a light bulb, or dispens-
ing hand sanitizer. We encourage
organizations on campus to reg-
ister to participate in the spring
semester (during E-week) because
it is a great opportunity to apply
the engineering skills learned in
the classroom in a fun and practi-
cal way. The top three finishers
are award cash prizes, and the
winner advances to the national
competitions. In addition, partici-
pating teams get the opportunity
to network with corporate contest
sponsors.
If you have any interest in pledg-
ing, participating in the Rube
Goldberg Machine Contest, or any
questions about Theta Tau in gen-
eral, please contact Lacy Bishline
at labishline@mail.utexas.edu or
visit us on the web at http://www.
engr.utexas.edu/thetatau/.
-Justin Chandler
ASME
had to meet different people and
work together as a team yet hav-
ing fun at the same time! Two
weeks into the semester we hosted
a dodgeball social to vent out all
that frustration that was already
building through school. At the
beginning of February, ASME
began to prepare for the annual
Engineer’s Week. Through a lot of
determination and passion ASME
managed to win the first place for
Best Large Organization for the
fifth year in a row! In the month
of March, spring break allowed
ASME to take a breather from
school. Broomball is another
social that we enjoy a lot. It really
brings the members together and
allows them to just have some fun
on the ice. ASME is also a regular
participant in volunteering events
such as Engineering Day at the
Mall and Explore UT. We feel that
it is very important to give back
to the community and show the
future generations how engineer-
ing can be really fun. Throughout
the semester ASME hosts general
meetings every two weeks provid-
ing the members with free food
and a corporate speaker in order
for them to understand what it will
be like in the real world. ASME
is a fun organization where there
are plenty of opportunities to have
fun and plenty of opportunities to
learn more about engineering.
-Betty Liu
NSBE
You may have seen them around
campus in clothing bearing a
distinctive lightning bolt and torch
logo. You may have seen them
building houses for Habitat for
Humanity. You may even have
seen them downtown bringing a
little engineering fun to the Aus-
tin Children’s Museum. Who are
these people? They are the Nation-
al Society of Black Engineers, and
they are always looking for the

The American Society

of Mechanical Engineers
started out with a bang as
we rolled into the spring
semester with a S’Mores
Social to welcome back
all of our members from
their winter hibernation
from school. We also
hosted a scavenger hunt,
which entailed running
around campus searching
for specific landmarks.
This even allowed the
members to be placed into
a situation where they

Vector
17 April 2010
next thing they can do to positive-
ly impact their community. This
year, NSBE has something big go-
ing on. Most school organizations
have meetings or conferences with
each other to share their experienc-
es, network, and get fresh ideas. In
spring 2010, NSBE members will
be attending a national conference
that is, for the first time, interna-
tional. Toronto, Ontario, Canada
will be welcoming an influx of
college students and alumni for the
first major NSBE event beyond
U.S. borders. The UT chapter will
be representing the University of
Texas at Austin in a truly global
setting. The conference will focus
on delivering NSBE members
information about what they can
do to not only assist their own
communities, but be part of a
worldwide effort to apply NSBE’s
mission of community service,
academic integrity, and profes-
sional success to a global scale.
The theme for this landmark event
is “Engineering a Global Impact”
and will focus on inspiring stu-
dents to consider what good works
they can do with their education,
not only for themselves, but for
people around the world. The
convention will occur in April, and
NSBE members are prepared to do
UT proud. Wish them luck!
-Lauryn McFarland
SP2E
The Society of Plan II Engineers
is a group composed of engineers
who are majoring in both Plan II
and one of the engineering disci-
plines. SP2E provides prospec-
tive and current Plan II engineers Brown and Dr. Joseph Goldstein
with socializing opportunities and received the Nobel Prize in Medi-
academic support to maintain san- cine or Physiology for their work
ity and build a sense of community in uncovering the mechanisms
among double majors who share of cholesterol metabolism. Their
a rigorous and time-consuming findings led to the development of
course load. statin drugs, the cholesterol-lower-
ing compounds that today are used
As with many societies, we hold by 16 million Americans and are
invaluable advising sessions that the most widely prescribed medi-
allow our members to pick the cations in the United States.
brains of older and wiser liberal It was a once-in-a-lifetime oppor-
arts/engineering majors in order tunity for our members to freely
to understand degree requirements discuss topics relevant to their
and overlapping credit hours. profession with such a distin-
The main social activities are guished individual. These din-
hosted formal dinners where ners not only keep the members of
members have the opportunity to SP2E connected, they also allow
interact--in a more personal set- us in-depth looks at important and
ting--with a distinguished member groundbreaking developments in
of the Society. From renowned UT the engineering field.
professors to elected officials in -Will Gorman
D.C., various invited speakers pro-
vide students with the opportunity
to discuss perspectives on current
and future wartime issues as well
as innovative technologies in the
medical field.
This semester SP2E has already
hosted two successful dinners pre-
sided over by Dr. Michael Brown
and Chancellor Francisco Cigar-
rot. Our first dinner of the year
occurred on March the 4th with Dr.
Brown.
Dr. Brown graduated in 1962 from
the College of Arts and Sciences
of the University of Pennsylvania,
with chemistry as his major subject
and then, in 1966, Dr. Brown went
on to receive his M.D. degree from
the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine. In 1985, Dr.
Vector
April 2010
18