Netiraskan
Federal funds may
back UNL research
By Jeremy Fitzpatrick
Senior Reporter__
Final touches arc being put on proposals
that could bring about $4 million in
federal funding to Nebraska for three
research projects involving UNL.
The projects, part of EPSCOR, or the Ex
perimental Program to Stimulate Competitive
Research, will be submitted to the National
Science Foundation Feb. 21. The foundation
will review them and announce its decision on
whether it will fund them next fall.
The First project, led by David Sellmyer,
director of the center for materials research and
analysis at UNL, will be aimed at discovering
new magnetic film, high temperature super
conductors and at miniaturizing technological
components. It will cost S3.3 million over three
years.
“Basically with all of these,” Sellmyer said,
“we arc designing new materials with very fine
structural features that may have interesting
and useful technological properties.”
The second project, headed by John Golbcck,
an associate professor of biochemistry, will
examine the role of metals in biochemical
reactions. The project will be aimed at finding
industrial uses for naturally occurring chemi
cal reactions, and will cost S2.07 million over
three years.
“Once we know how plants do these things
(biochemical reactions), we can apply that to
industry,” Golbeck said.
The third project, which will study animal
behavior in communication, feeding and re
production, is led by Alan Kamil, a professor of
biological sciences. It will cost $2.13 million
over three years.
“The major thrust of this proposal involves
understanding behavior, evolution and neuro
physiology (in animals), all at the same time,”
he said.
Three states — Kansas, Nebraska and West
Virginia — are competing for EPSCOR fund
ing. Nebraska became eligible for the research
funding last year after it was classified as a
state without a “significant record in research
activities.”
Gov. Ben Nelson has asked for $650,000 in
emergency spending from the Nebraska Legis
lature for EPSCOR this year. LB 1022, the bill
containing the requested appropriations, has a
hearing Thursday before the appropriations
committee.
Andrew Cunningham, assistant director of
the governor’s policy research office, said Nelson
was firmly behind the program.
“The governor sees this as a very significant
opportunity for the state to focus its research,”
Cunningham said. “He has made it a priority
and put it in his mid-year budget and state of the
slate speech.”
Nelson has proposed funding part of his
$650,000 appropriation for EPSCOR with
$260,(XX) left over from a $520,000 surplus
from the College of Business Administration
addition.
But University of Nebraska President Mar
lin Masscngale asked the Legislature’s Appro
priation Committee last week to spend ail of
the $520,(XX) surplus on new equipment for the
CBA addition. Members of the committee raised
the possibility that the surplus could be used to
help fund the building of a new hazardous
waste treatment facility at the University of
See EPSCOR on 5
UNL official calls bill setting
teaching minimums expensive
Six credit hour requirement
for professors could lead
to hiring of more personnel
By Mike Lewis
Staff Reporter____
If the Nebraska Legislature passes a bill
requiring professors to teach six credit
hours a week, it could cost the University
of Nebraska millions of dollars, a university
official said.
Michael Mulnix, executive director of pub
lic relations at the University of Ncbraska
Lincoln, said LB1044 failed
to consider the full range of
people it would affect.
The bill, introduced by
Sens. Ron Wilhcm of Papil
lion, and John Lindsay and
Daniel Lynch, both of
Omaha, would require all
faculty with assistant professor rank and above
at Nebraska public poslsecondary schools to
teach at least six credit hours a week. If passed,
the bill would go into effect beginning July 1,
1993.
Many NU professors arc appointed for non
insp-uctional purposes only, Mulnix said, in
cluding library faculty, county extension agents
and departmental and campus administrators,
as well as professors who only research.
“You can’t imagine how disruptive it is ...
to teach six credit hours a semester,’’ he said.
The university would have to hire additional
people to work in its libraries and take over
research, Mulnix said. In addition, the bill
would kill the Cooperative Extension Service,
he said.
Federal grants and other outside funding
could be harmed because of the decrease in
research time, according to a fiscal impact
statement recently released by UNL.
Also, medical students and faculty often do
not work under a credit hour system, said
Randal L. Haack, assistant vice president and
director of budgets and analysis.
Instead, students spend lime with patients in
a hospital under the supervision of a faculty
member who is also a doctor or surgeon, Haack
said. The unitof time measurement is different.
Haack said he was coordinating a response
to LB 1044 from all four NU campuses.
See BILL on 3
1.2 million gallon aquarium
may be planned for Centrum.
Page 6
Johnson, U S. hockey team
magic on court. Page 7
Prince sets record. Page
10
INDEX
Wire 2
Opinion 4
Sports 7
ME 9
Classifieds 12
i--mm - n i n—m
Staci McKee/DN
Lowell Moser, a professor of agronomy, spends most of his time
reviewing data and helping his graduate students. Moser just received
the Sunkist award for his teaching and his studies in range management.
Home-grown
Award honors professor’s efforts
By Lori Huff
Staff Reporter
Although his achievements seem lim
itless, UNL agronomy professor
Lowell Moser doesn’t boast. •
Moser rcccndy was named the first Sunk
ist Fiesta Bowl Professor of Agronomy at
the University of Nc- -
braska-Lincoln by the
NU Board of Regents.
He deemed it a “hum
bling experience.”
“I have mixed feel
ings,” he said. “I’m very
pleased, but it is hum
bling when you look at all the good people
around.”
Moser was recommended for the special
professorship by Irv Omtvedt, vice chancel
lor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natu
ral Sciences. 1ANR news service quoted
Omtvedt as saying, “We arc extremely pleased
that someone as highly qualified as Dr.
Moser is the first recipient of this award. His
accomplishments epitomize the selection
criteria.”
The criteria in the selection process in
cluded productivity as a scholar, contribu
tions in teaching and research, leadership
and service contribution to the university.
In addition to Moser’s regular salary, he
See MOSER on 3
Legislators pass living will bills
By Cindy Kimbrough
Senior Reporter
State legislators passed two bills
in final reading Monday that
recognize Nebraskans’ rights
to direct their own medical treatment.
LB671, the living will bill s'pon
sored by Sen.
David Landis of
Lincoln, passed by
a vote of 34-9.
The bill recog
nizes living wills
in directing medi
cal treatment if a
person becomes
terminally ill or reaches a persistently
+—~ T~- r~, " A. .~ -- — - • -
vegetative stale.
The original bill, introduced last
session, allowed for recognition of
both a durable power of attorney and
a living will in directing medical treat
ment.
A living will gives the attending
physician specific instructions on what
medical treatment will be allowed or
acceptable.
A durable power of attorney, in
stead of instructing the physician, gives
a third person the power to make the
decisions of what direction treatment
should follow.
An additional section of LB671
for Nebraskans without a living will
would allow the attending physician
to decide whal lo do with a patient in
an incapacitated slate.
According to the bill, the doctors
would follow a chain of command lo
make the decision to end a patient’s
life or let the patient live on life
support.
The section was dropped from the
bill when senators voted for an amend
ment, proposed by Sen. John Lindsay
of Omaha, to drop the clause.
The durable power of attorney
clause also was dropped from the bill,
this lime by Landis, lo let the question
be decided by another terminal ill
ness bill, also introduced last session.
See WILL on 3