VOL. 99 COVERING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN SINCE 1901 NO. 50
SP01TS
Running of the plays
The Nebraska football team fine-tuned its play
calling routine against Kansas to make for a
smoother handling of die clock. PAGE 7
. n e
Native Son
Pop musician and Lincoln native Matthew Sweet
takes off in a new direction on his new album, “In
Reverse.” PAGE 9
TUESDAY
November D9
Gonna Be
Mostly sunny, high low 23.
Heather Glenboski/DN
FROM TOP: THE MUELLER PLANETARIUM, in tlw University of Nebraska State Museum,
features laser light shows every weekend. This weekend included a Halloween show,
with songs such as “Monster Mash,” and the “Ghostbusters” theme song.
JACK DUNN, PLANETARNIM coordinator since 1971, works the computer system that
controls the laser light shows.
' * \ ^
Laser light and music creates a little-known art form at UNL
By Veronica Daehn
Staff writer
A little-known art form has been around for
more than 20 years at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln.
And despite its lack of publicity, it looks
like the flashy art is here to stay.
Each weekend beginning in September,
laser light shows brighten the otherwise dark
walls of Morrill Hall’s Mueller Planetarium.
“Laser display is an artistic medium,” said
Jack Dunn, laser light show programmer and
planetarium coordinator for UNL. “It’s an inter
pretation of music, and you can have fun with
it.”
' The planetarium puts on five laser shows a
weekend and about 20 shows a month, Dunn
said.
All laser shows are set to music, and most
center on a music group or musical theme.
Dunn said he watches the Billboard music
u
Laser display is an artistic medium, it’s an
interpretation of music, and you can have fun with it.
Jack Dunn ^
Laser light show programmer and planetarium coordinator
charts to keep up on what is popular because
music trends change so often.
There is some music, though, that is time
less. Dunn said he knows there will always be
an audience for groups like The Doors, The
Beatles and Pink Floyd.
Audiences for those shows are interesting
because there is a wide age difference, Dunn
said. The Beatles attract both high school stu
dents and people older than age 60. J . .
Laser shows with The Doors and Pink
Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” also get audi
ence members of all ages.
Dunn said he tries to schedule the more
popular shows on weekends.
Having an audience at each show is crucial
because ticket sales play a large role in the plan
etarium workers’ salaries, as well as operation
costs. A separate fund pays for equipment for
the planetarium, Dunn said.
Please see LIGHTS on 3
Teachers
College
up to par
with goals
By Eric Rineer
Staff writer
After taking a look at a report assessing
teacher education nationwide, some UNL
Teachers College faculty members said they
were pleased with how the college was operat
ing.
The report, released by the American
Council on Education’s Presidential Task
Force on Teacher Education, sent a message to
institutions to put teacher education higher on
their agendas.
Some of the recommendations made by the
36-member task force, which included NU
President Dennis Smith, were:
t:Ensure that graduates of teacher educa
tion programs are supported, monitored and
mentored.
■ Clarify the connection between educa
tion of teachers and the mission of the institu
tion.
■ Ensure that teacher education programs
have the equipment, facilities and personnel to
educate future teachers in the use of technolo
gy
Keeping up with technology would be a
challenge the Teachers College would continue
to face, said James O’Hanlon, the college’s
dean.
Ensuring the student teachers are success
Please see TEACHERS on 3
Waste site
ease ruling
overthrown
ByJakeBleId
Senior staff writer
The state Supreme Court ruled Friday that
a district court judge was out of his jurisdic
tion when he ordered two state departments to
avoid threatening action against a private
company hired to build a low-level radioac
tive waste site in Nebraska.
The departments of Environmental
Quality and Health and Human Services sent
a letter in 1996 to US Ecology, the private
development firm seeking to build a low
- level radioactive waste site in Boyd County,
stating their intention of denying the firm’s
application for a construction license, the
court opinion said.
uS Ecology responded by asking
Lancaster County District Court to issue a
' judgment on the case, the results of which the
state Supreme Court overruled Friday.
Please see WASTE on 3
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