■ stentorian
vol. XXXII, issue 2
the north Carolina school of science and mathematics
September 2012
stentorian@ncssm.edu
Political speaker series invites
discussion of key election issues
By: Jordan Harrison
Professors Peter Feaver
and Bruce Jentleson spoke at
NCSSM on the foreign policy
position of the two main
presidential candidates on
Septl 12.
Congressman Brad Miller
also spoke about financial
issues on Sept. 24, and NC
State professor Andy Taylor
will hold a domestic policy
talk on Oct. 11.
These professors and
politicians participated in
an on-going speaker series
sponsored by instructors Mark
Dubois and Kyle Hudson.
Said Dubois, “One purpose
[of the series] was to inform
students of key issues in the
election. 1 wanted to find a way
as a community that we could
have a relevant discussion
about these issues...because
the election is not something a
lot of classes would address.”
Feaver and Jentleson largely
answered student questions,
but student awareness in the
discussion was mixed.
“I think there are a few
students [at NCSSM] who
are news junkies and are very
much informed about current
events, although students have
such busy lives otherwise
that they find it hard to stay
informed,” said Dubois.
Senior Cyrus Homesley
attended the foreign policy
debate, noting that both
speakers’ knowledge of the
subject was “extremely high.”
The Sept. 12 talk focused
mainly on foreign policy in the
Middle East.
“Generally, [the talk was
about] foreign policy dealing
with Iraq and Afghanistan,”
said Homesley. “They were
really in-depth with each
argument. They brought up'
facts that I w'as unaware of”
“I asked about the
significance of the Russians
and the Chinese voting against
the United States concerning
U.N. Security Council
resolutions about the use of
force to aid the Syrian rebels,”
said senior Paul Kushner.
“My response was much more
focused on Syria then I would
have liked, although they did
expound on that situation very
well.”
“I was particularly
interested in Syria and asking
the question, what does it look
like in a post-Assad world?”
said Dubois.
Miller represents NC
District 13 in the House of
Representatives and serves
on the House Committee
on Financial Services and
the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology. His
discussion focused on financial
policy and on the creation
of the CFPB, or Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau.
Miller spoke largely on the
reasons behind the housing
market crash in 2007 and about
the need for more consumer
protections legislation.
“Some people bought
houses they shouldn’t have
bought,” said Miller, “but the
majority of people’ who got
subprime mortgages qualified
• for subprime mortages. They
were people who already
owned their homes who
borrowed money against
them...[Brokers] were getting
paid by consumers and banks,
and they got paid more for
rates borrowers did not qualify
for. That struck me as a breach
of faith.”
“Here’s what the market is
supposed to do—it’s supposed
to squeeze and get consumers
the best deals. That obviously
is still not happening with
banking,” said Miller.
Miller received questions
from students on a range of
topics from STEM education
to partisanship in the current
political cjimate.
“I don’t want politics to be
between a party that wants a
corrupt oligarchy and hates
gay people and a party that
wants a corrupt oligarchy and
is okay with gay people,” said
Congressman Brad Miller
Miller. “I want politics to be
about how the economy works,
which is how people’s lives
work.”
Taylor is an American
politics expert and a political
science professor.
“I requested he think about
Courtesy of bradmiller.house.gov
discussing Medicare, Obama’s
handling of the economy,
taxes, and the debt ceiling,”
said Dubois.
According to Dubois,
NCSSM held a similar series
of talks four years ago before
the 2008 eledtion.
Neil Armstrong dies twenty days after Curiosity landing
By: Rosalia Preiss
Just weeks after the
landing of NASA’s new Mars
rover, one of NASA’s brightest
stars fell. 20 days after the
landing of Curiosity, astronaut
Neil Armstrong passed away
due to complications from a
cardiovascular operation.
Armstrong is best
known as the first man
to walk on the moon.
On July 21, 1969, he
stepped off the Apollo
11 on to the surface
of the moon, stating
the iconic words “One
small step for man,
one giant leap for
mankind.”
Armstrong was
not the only NASA
veteran to pass away
in 2012. Janice Voss,
director of the Kepler Space
Observatory, Alan Poindexter,
the pilot of the first two trips
to the international space
station, and Sally Ride, the first
American woman in space,
died this year.
Upon his passing,
Armstrong’s family issued this
statement: “For those who may
ask what they can do to honor
Neil, w e have a simple request.
Honor his example of service,
accomplishment and modesty,
and the next time you walk
outside on a clear night and
see the moon smiling down at
Neil Armstrong’s footprint on the
Courtesy of N,
you, think of Neil Armstrong
and give him a w ink.”
NASA is continuing
to move forward with new
discoveries with the Mars
Rover project.
Curiosity, NASA’s newest
rover, launched from Cape
Canaveral on Nov. 26, 2011,
and made its first landing
on Aug. 6, 2012. The rover
traveled over 350 million miles
to reach its targeted touchdown
site.
The goals of the Curiosity
rover include investigating
the climate and geology of
Mars, assessing whether or
not the selected field site
has conditions favorable for
microbial life, examining the
role of water on Mars, and
studying planetary habitability
in preparation for possible
human exploration in the
future.
Photos released by NASA
from the Curiosity rover
depict the stunningly rugged
landscape of Mars. The rover
captured Mount Sharp, its
primary photography target,
on film..
Curiosity gave NASA
a glimpse at the incredible
variety in terrain on Mars, with
■gravel fields, impact craters,
dunes, and gaping canyons
between hills and mesas.
Scientists discerned
distinct layers in the
photographs, including clay
like minerals that only form
in the presence of water. By
studying the composition of
the stratified rocks, scientists
hope to gain knowledge: on
the former environment of the
red planet.
Even at full speed, it will
take the rover at least 100 days
to reach its final destination.
During this time, one can
expect more discoveries about
Mars and its planetary climate,
both in the past and now.
Curiosity takes its third drive on Mars
Courtesy of NASA