Latest news with #ValparaisoUniversity
Chicago Tribune
13-07-2025
- Science
- Chicago Tribune
Up, up and away: Valparaiso University, 4-H partner for weather balloon liftoff
Kids and balloons are a classic. Saturday morning, the pairing reached new heights with a heavy dose of science in tow that nobody minded as area 4-Hers partnered with the meteorology department of Valparaiso University to launch a weather balloon in the name of education. Eight 4-Hers and some younger siblings held the white, 8-foot diameter balloon and its payload tethered to Earth with gloved hands as VU meteorologists topped off the helium. 'We're going to close the tank here,' said VU staff meteorologist Leanne Blind. 'Let's see what the weight is: 4.5 kilograms.' 'That is 12 pounds straight up,' translated her colleague Christopher Phillips, visiting assistant professor of geology, meteorology and environmental science. 'A very large baby weighs 11, 12 pounds, so if you can imagine a very large baby loaded into the sky.' Part of that baby weight was a collection of student experiments the kids selected the evening before. They chose gummy bears, marshmallows, a Lego astronaut, and a sour cream container full of fruit with the intent of later studying how the different layers of the Earth's atmosphere affected the items. 'I did popcorn kernels,' said 9-year-old Ava Spoljarik, a member of the Morgan Sodbusters 4-H Club. 'It might pop, I guess.' She and her siblings, 11-year-old Owen and 7-year-old Audrey, came with their parents, who are VU alumni. Their mom, Ashley Spoljaric, studied meteorology at VU and now serves as superintendent of Porter County's Weather and Climate Science Project. Porter County 4-H Extension Educator Jennifer Myers said the project is currently tiny, so they jumped at the invitation from VU's Dan White, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, to get involved in the launch. 'It's very hands-on STEM,' Myers said, 'whereas a lot of STEM' is more work with a kit. NearSpace Education funded the project, and it is just one of several this year. 'We try to do about 10,' said VU Professor of Meteorology Teresa Bals-Elsholz. 'This past year was incredible. We did 12 in one week. We did three in a day for four days.' That work was part of a study of atmospheric rivers on the West Coast. The body of water most concerning for Saturday's launch was Lake Michigan. The balloon was predicted to burst once it reached a diameter of 25 feet at an altitude of approximately 75,000 feet. 'We've never had one land in the lake,' said White. 'It will be back down on the ground in about two hours,' he added. 'An hour-and-a-half before it bursts, the parachute will slow it down.' 'Are you guys going to do the weather and climate science project next year?' Myers asked the Spoljarik kids. 'Probably,' Owen replied. 'Should have done it this year, but I lost the battle,' said his dad, Scot Spoljaric. 'We're going to take lots of pictures when I find this,' White promised. The specimens were to be on display at the Porter County 4-H Building for the kids to check on Monday, but unfortunately, the balloon was lost in Lake Michigan. 'Our predictions were for it to land between I-94 and Highway 31, east of Benton Harbor,' White wrote in an email Saturday night. 'Unfortunately, the winds above 65,000 feet were quite a bit stronger than we predicted, switching from southwest to easterly, and the burst height was higher than we wanted. The result is that the balloon and experiments landed in the lake about a mile west of St Joseph, Michigan. We were not able to find any evidence of it from the shoreline.' What they do have is data recordings showing the balloon reached a height of 79,000 feet. The lowest recorded temperature was -49 degrees. It then warmed to -18 degrees at the burst height in the stratosphere. It rose 900 feet per minute for 90 minutes and then dropped under the parachute at 2,000 feet per minute, or 22 mph for about 45 minutes. What they don't know is if that popcorn ever popped. That remains a question for next year's weather project.
Bloomberg
02-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Junk-Rated College's $54 Million Bond Deal Sees Delay in Pricing
A bond sale by Valparaiso University, a private college in Indiana, has been delayed, according to people familiar with the matter, as its niche structure faces a smaller pool of buyers. Lead underwriter JPMorgan Chase & Co. had targeted a pricing date of June 18 for the $54 million deal, according to the roadshow for investors. The negotiated offering, which includes tax-exempt and taxable debt, is now expected to price the week of July 7, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Spokespeople for JPMorgan and the university declined to comment.
Chicago Tribune
23-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Dedicated crowd beats the heat for lakes seminar in Valparaiso
A small but dedicated audience braved the heat Saturday for the annual Living With Lakes Seminars at Rogers Lakewood Park in Valparaiso. Various exhibitors, including Woodland Savanna Land Conservancy, Repower Indiana, and Shirley Heinz Land Trust staged information booths that attendees could peruse in between the four featured lectures. Talks included Valparaiso University Associate Professor of Geography Jon-Paul McCool's lecture on a geological perspective on the lakes, Midwest Biological Survery founder Nathanael Pilla's lecture on how 'Everything is Connected to Everything,' and Valparaiso University Chemistry Professor Julie Peller's talk on micro and nonoplastics and their impact on the environment and public health. Sam Carpenter, executive director of the Hoosier Environmental Council, was the final speaker of the day, focusing on protecting Indiana's water. He started by asking the audience if they knew where Indiana's water quality ranks. 'We are number 50,' he confirmed to murmurs from the crowd of about 35 that remained from a height of 50 earlier in the day. He gave Indiana Gov. Mike Braun credit for taking first steps in developing a comprehensive water plan for the state, but said, 'What they aren't really talking about is water quality.' Carpenter said so far, the state is just focused on industrial water use. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation bought up 12,000 acres, 'and then they realized, 'We don't have enough water to support this,'' Carpenter said of plans downstate. He said there had been talk of building a pipeline to bring up to 100 million gallons of water per day from the Wabash River to the LEAP district. That prompted the audience to bring up data centers, referring to efforts by QTS to bring two large centers that would total nearly 800 acres to Wheeler. Carpenter said a data center can use the same amount of electricity as a medium-sized city. 'We need to be very smart and cautious about this,' he said about accepting such a project, as efficient means of cooling the water used should be top priority. When asked what they were concerned about, the audience also brought up stormwater runoff from new subdivisions. Carpenter informed them that local municipalities' hands are tied by Indiana House Bill 1037, which prevents local entities from enacting into law any stormwater runoff standards on new construction that are more stringent than state laws. Developments less than one acre are exempt even from that law. 'If you're dredging a stream or a lake or a river that's very expensive to do,' Carpenter said. If a developer isn't required to do it, the costs get shifted to the public. 'We see those costs passed on to us. We see those costs on our water bills.' He also referred to a study recently released by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce about the state's water supply. 'They're really just thinking about water and where is the water supply to promote industry and economic growth,' Carpenter said. Robyn Skuya-Boss, new chapter director of the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter, was invited to say a few words. He acknowledged the club's activity in the region had fizzled in recent years and told the audience he was looking to re-engage folks here. 'It's no mistake that our communities are in crisis at the same time that our environment is in crisis,' he said. While most in the crowd were older adults, VU undergraduate research students junior Connor McMahon and senior Emily Broniewicz were part of just a handful of young attendees. They were heartened by the age of the crowd. 'It's kind of inspiring a little bit,' Broniewicz said. 'It can be disheartening that young people sometimes think they have to fix everything.' One of the older guard, George Smolka, of Griffith, admitted he was much more active in other environmental organizations in the past. 'I don't go on a regular basis anymore.' The retired biologist and organic chemist was bothered that the audience didn't ask more questions. 'The environmental movement needs a lot of work,' Smolka said. 'They've got to get some guts.'
Chicago Tribune
21-06-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
NWI groups concerned about plastic waste share ideas
Environmentalists from Highland, Michigan City, East Chicago, Hobart and Valparaiso gathered Wednesday at Valparaiso University to start working together on ways to address the proliferation of plastic waste. 'There are others locally that are in the fight with us, that are interested in fighting with us and sharing resources,' said Ellen Kapitan, an organizer of the Plastic Reduction Alliance of Northwest Indiana. Unlike many other materials, plastic waste can be problematic because of 'forever chemicals' that don't biodegrade. 'All this plastic is really harming our health,' said VU chemistry professor Julie Peller, a local expert on plastics. There have been various efforts across the country to address plastic waste, but industry lobbyists have been effective in blocking them, she said. In Indiana, for example, an industry-friendly state law zip-ties local governments' hands when it comes to attempting to restrict the use of plastic bags. That doesn't stop local nongovernmental groups from asking stores to offer discounts to people who bring their own bags, however. Peller showed an image of plastic netting being used to hold grass seeds in place. Using plastic isn't necessary, she said. 'We're seeing a lot of neurodevelopment problems in children,' Peller said. 'We need to stop exposing our children to plastics and their additives.' Plastic has been found in various human organs, she said. 'What we're finding is what we haven't encountered before,' Peller said. 'There's about seven grams of plastic in our brains,' researchers have found. That's equivalent to a standard single-use water bottle without a bottle cap, she said. 'While recycling is part of the answer, it's not the main solution we need,' Peller said. The 'reduce, reuse, recycle' mantra puts 'recycle' in third place for a reason. Even the labeling of plastics is problematic, VU chemistry lecturer Christina Davis said. The numbers that identify various types of plastic are surrounded by a triangle of arrows that would seem to indicate they can be recycled. But that's not always true, she said. Davis has led teams of students to Marquette Park in Gary and Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton to gather samples of plastic waste. Last year, it took just 15 minutes to gather 1,500 pieces of plastic at Marquette Park. This year's haul, gathered June 5, is still being counted. 'In a short time, we were able to gather a year's worth of plastic to do research on,' Davis said. There was enough of the waste to fill at least three Mason jars and much of a fourth one. 'We found so many nurdles this year compared to last year. It was a huge increase,' she said. Nurdles are the tiny pellets sold to plastics manufacturers to be melted down to form various products made at the factories. The students gathered about 10 grams of nurdles in that short visit, Davis said. VU senior Emily Broniewicz, of Hickory Hills, Illinois, helped with the collection, using a 5-micrometer sieve to let the sand drop away from the larger plastic waste being gathered. She took Peller's introductory environmental justice course her first semester and was hooked. The group gathered Wednesday discussed various ways to work together on addressing plastic waste. 'What can we brainstorm and do collectively?' Peller asked. Perhaps the solid waste districts in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties could work together on a campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags. Perhaps farmers' markets could be encouraged to reduce their use. Various other ideas were thrown out, too. 'We're all about partnering and learning to grow together,' Peller said. Sarah Tubbs, vice president of the alliance, said there will be a community cleanup of a 2-mile stretch of Porter County Road 600 N between Ind. 2 and County Road 400 E. 'We'll have cute little vests for you to wear to keep you safe,' she said. Cleanups along roadsides typically gather waste in plastic trash bags to be picked up and disposed of afterward.
Chicago Tribune
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Of Notoriety: Newspaper columnist turned TV commentator Gary Deeb dead at age 79
Before the advent and proliferation of the internet as a widespread information and communication change factor for the media landscape (around 1998 by my recollection), newspapers, television and radio continued as the trio that reigned supreme. Having graduated from Valparaiso University in 1992, I'm grateful I had a taste of 'the golden years' for media known as the decade of the 1990s. For Chicago and spanning to borders far beyond, there was media personality Gary Deeb as the caustic gatekeeper of all things TV, radio and media reporting about what and who to watch and when and where to listen. Deeb died at age 79 on May 17. His obituary was quietly published in his original hometown newspaper, The Buffalo News, the same newspaper that gave him his start as a radio and TV columnist in 1970 (the year I was born). His first editors took a chance on him, considering he hadn't had any college or journalism experience. Less than 10 lines long, the first line of his published obituary reads that Deeb 'passed away peacefully.' It's an interesting phrase of words: a familiar string and accurately assigned to most as symbolic of a quiet and gentle transition. In contrast, the career and temperament of Gary Deeb was very much the opposite. In 1973, Deeb moved to Chicago and was hired by the Chicago Tribune as the new radio and TV critic. By age 30 in 1973, his column was syndicated, and like his immense popularity and power in the media industry, his syndication numbers grew and expanded, extending for a wider reach than Chicago. He was young, brash, crass, to the point and often sarcastic and mean-spirited. When his column was added as a new feature in April 1982 to The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Washington, the newspaper touted: 'TV Columnist Added! Television reviewer Gary Deeb has been described as arrogant, snippy, opinionated, demanding and a host of other adjectives, some printable. He has his defenders, too. He is the best and brightest TV critic in print today. He is the Ralph Nader of reviewers.' Time magazine dubbed him 'Terror of the Tube' and further categorized him in 1975 as 'the sour, crude ravager of the medium' after Deeb described that year's prime time season TV lineup as 'devoid of innovation, creativity or diversification, freighted with drivel, sanitized doggerel and phony rotten garbage.' He was indifferent about ABC's series 'Kung Fu,' saying it 'exploits the mass audience's craving for blood and guts,' yet loved NBC's 'Real People,' an hour-long salute to everyday personalities hosted by Sarah Purcell, Skip Stephenson, Byron Allen and young Peter Billingsley, and very much despised NBC's 'Little House on the Prairie,' describing the latter as 'cloying sweetness and padded dialog.' He loved 'the tiny slice of life's underside' that was the ABC sitcom 'Taxi' but had few kind words for brother and sister duo Donny and Marie Osmond and their ABC variety show. Some of Deeb's most cutting criticisms were saved for Chicago's local on-air news personalities from news anchors to the weather broadcasters of TV and radio. Most famously, he said our Hoosier claim-to-fame TV news and NBC 'Today' show icon Jane Pauley 'has the IQ of a cantaloupe.' Even his own future Sun-Times gossip columnist colleague Irv 'Kup' Kupcinet wasn't safe from Deeb's poison pen. Deeb described Kup and his broadcast counterpart Jack Brickhouse as 'simpletons' and found their constant banter and chitchat annoying and distracting from the commentary they were supposed to provide when announcing Chicago Bears games. Sportswriter George Castle, who I worked with for 20 years at The Times of Northwest Indiana, worked with Deeb as a nighttime copyboy at the Chicago Tribune when he was just beginning his journalism career. Castle always said Deeb's column was entertaining to all, as long as it wasn't them he was describing in his adjective-heavy prose. In today's era of journalism, no columnist could write with such a harsh slant about people and subjects. I know firsthand that Kup did not find Deeb amusing or entertaining. Though I never met or knew Deeb, I did know Kup and would visit him with my parents at his Lakeshore Drive apartment during his final years before his death at age 91 in 2003. 'Deeb was a twerp' was Kup's description of his newsroom desk neighbor. (Though Kup mostly wrote from home and left his newsroom needs to longtime assistant Stella Foster.) Deeb and Kup became co-workers in 1980 when The Sun-Times courted Deeb away from the Tribune by offering him his own secretary and an assistant by the name of Robert Feder, the latter who would assume Deeb's column duties from writing about media news while writer Phil Rosenthal took over as the Sun-Times TV columnist. Deeb eventually left newspapers in 1983 for a coveted TV broadcaster position with Chicago ABC 7 as the TV and radio media commentator. He left his TV position in 1996 and returned home to Buffalo retiring at age 50, and then later moving to Charlotte, North Carolina. He was married and divorced twice. The last time Deeb's name made news headlines was in 2003, when the Chicago Reader's columnist Michael Miner was tipped off that Deeb had netted several thousand dollars by selling his personal archive of letters and correspondence from Chicago media notable names and national media personalities like John Chancellor and Morley Safer, among others. When asked to comment, Deeb had no comment. He is survived by his sister Elaine Lamb and stepdaughter Kyla Lee. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
