xt7h1834515q https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7h1834515q/data/mets.xml University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Kentucky University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies 1995 volumes. Call Number: LD2762.9 .K38c. Accession Number: 2018ua049 journals LD2762.9 .K38c English Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection University of Kentucky Odyssey Magazine Research -- Kentucky -- Periodicals Education -- Research -- Periodicals Research -- Kentucky Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research, Winter/Spring 1995 text images Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research, Winter/Spring 1995 1995 1995 2026 true xt7h1834515q section xt7h1834515q

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U N lVERSlTY
OF KENTUCKY Office of the President

Universny of Kentucky
Lexmgton, Kentuck} 506m 2
ZSwINH

Dear UK Graduate Program Alumni and Friends,

With this issue of ngsﬁgy, we are welcoming the alumni of
University of Kentucky graduate programs to our readership.
For those who have read Qdyjjgy_over the years and are
familiar with the section titled ”Honorable Mention" which
features some of our graduates in every issue, it is evident
that alumni of our graduate programs are both accomplished
and diverse. These are individuals who, in their academic
careers and many in their post—graduate activities, have
demonstrated a keen interest in the type of research and
academic endeavors regularly featured in Qdyssgy.

We are delighted to be able to send our graduate alumni
University of Kentucky's research magazine and to keep you
informed of some of the exciting developments underway in our
research programs at the University. I hope you enjoy
reading Qdyssey and hope, too, that you will let us hear from
you. We are pleased to be in touch with the graduate alumni

again.

For our regular subscribers, your interest in our magazine

over the years has been most appreciated. Thank you for your

good comments and your support of the University of Kentucky.
Best wishes,

ﬂex/#7

Charles T. Wethington,
President

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ODYSSEY 4

“Human beings consist mostly of elemen ts that were formed

inside generations of stars that died before the earth was born.

If you were to trace back the history of atoms in your body,
you ’dfind that the typical atom has been in a star a couple of times.

We’re all part of the cosmos. ”

The H ttbble Space Yeleseope. latmt'herl in 1990. (lime/oped a problem with its 2.4-
meter primary minor, which has now been uprated. The large flat objects are
solar panels to power the instra meals.

“The space telescope is a time ma—
chine. We ca it easily see galaxies
that were around at the time the
Earth was formed four and a half
billion years ago. In studying qua—
sars, we can almost look back to the
creation of the universe itself. ”

tained lrom speetral analysis—the
examination oli light. To get sueh
data. a spet‘tt’ometet‘ is eonneeted
to a teleseope. This instrument
uses a type of prism to separate
light into its et )lors. A spectrometer
also prt )dttees t‘ttttuet‘teal data le ml
the intensity ol' light at Various
\x'a\'elengths.

"All \\ e ean do is look at the light
we t'eeeiVe in mi the stars." l"erland
says, "The instruments on hoard
the spaee teleseope ean disperse
the light into a rainbow speetrum.
and tlten \\ e ran look at eharaeter~
istits oli the speetrum to try to
determine the emnpositton oli the
material that emitted the light.”

l le sat s that this type t )lanahsis.
ealled remote sensing. is pre\ alent
m eltettttstt‘t and also in national
delense \\t)t‘l\'. Spy satellites are
.tltle to look at t‘elleeletl light lrom
helm\ and determine the enmpo-
stttut‘t ()li [lie material that t‘L'llet'tetl
the light,

“Colors ha\e dillet'ent intensi—
ties.” lierland says, “lit lust looking
at lto\\ mueh red light. as opposed to hltte
light. eomes ol'l'something. \\ e ean inter what
kind oli t‘otkt' surlaee it eame l'rom. And this.
by itsell’. is “hat \\e Use to determine the
eotttposition ol asteroids aemss a solar st'si

tent." @

Q) The Question of Quasars

Quasars. \er‘y distant galaxies. lurk at the
edge of the ohsetValile uni\ erse. approxr
mateh' In to 13 hillion light years away.
Beeause they‘re so lat ;t\\;t}. Fet‘lattd ex!
plains. the light that reaehes us l'rom them has
been travelling a long time. l’aradoxiealh'.
\\’hat the quasar astronomers see today may
haVe no relation \\’ltat.soe\'er to the ohieet that
exists at that point today.

"’l'he idea of quasars is that alter the Big
Bang \\'hen the universe hegan its expansion.
galaxies hegan taking shape," Ferland says.
“The formation ol‘ galaxies was similar to the
eondensation of raindrops in a eloud; our

Milky Way Galaxy. for example. is a collec-
tion of a trillion stars all held together by their
own gravity."

Ferland says that because of the HST the
time has never been better to do the type of
work that excites him the most—to study the
first stages in the formation of what becomes
a galaxy. "The space telescope is a time
machine. We can easily see galaxies that were
around at the time the Earth was formed four
and a half billion years ago. In studying
quasars. we can almost look back to the
creation of the universe itself." a

Q We Are Made of Space Stuff

So what have astronomers discovered about
the composition of the material that has
emitted light from the depths of space? The
short answer is. the material is almost 100
percent hydrogen and helium. The long an—
swer is more interesting.

“Ninety—nine percent of what‘s in the solar
system is hydrogen and helium." Ferland
says. "The things we're made of—carbon.
nitrogen. calcium. iron. etc—constitute less
than one percent." The fact that we are
“element heavy" gives us. Ferland says. a
distorted sense of the cosmos. “We think of
calcium and iron and so forth as making up
most of what‘s around us. but if we look very
far into the heavens we see that that‘s just not
true.“ Even an object seemingly as massive as
Jupiter. lierland explains. consists of nothing
but hydrogen (94 percent) and helium (six
percent). A star. he continues. is gas all the
way through.

“If you went in one side of a star. you'd pop
out the other side in a few hours without
hitting anything solid in between. A star is
held up only by gas pressure." Ferland adds
that the gas of a star is, however. very dense.
"A cup full of the center of the sun would
weigh about 300 pounds. but it‘s still a gas
because it's so extraordinarily hot. It‘s 50
million degrees Fahrenheit at the center ofthe
sun.

In fact. Ferland points out. were made of
star stuff ourselves. "Human beings consist
mostly of elements that were formed inside
generations of stars that died before the earth
was born. If you were to trace back the
history ofatoms in your body. you‘d find that
the typical atom has been in a star a couple
of times. We‘re all part of the cosmos.“

° _ «a»
6 Fireball over Jupiter \ '

"It‘s only in the past 23 years or so." Ferland
says. "that people have realized how fragile
the Earth is." He makes this statement in the
context oftalking about the spectacular space
show last July on jupiter. Several comets
plunged into the planet. causing a raging
fireball which could be seen over the far
edges oflupiter. Because the planet rotates
so quickly—once around about every 10
hours astronomers could soon see the part
ofthe planet that had been hit. “It looked like
a huge tidal wave." Ferland says. “jupiter is
mostly liquid hydrogen. so when the comets
hit. they created waves that swept out and
across the planet. It was a very dramatic
sight,"

One result ofthejupiter collisions has been
a renewed concern about our planet being
suddenly bombarded with outer—space stuff,
Ifjupiter can be hit. surely planet Earth is a
possible target too.

“The concern is a reasonable one." says
Ferland. “ and all you have to do if you want
to worry a little is look at the moon. You can
see all those craters on the moon. The hope
has been that whatever made those craters
wont happen to us." He points out that there
are lots of asteroids whose orbits cross the
Earths orbit. "It‘s not so much that they are
going to hit us as that we‘ll just hit each other
as we‘re orbiting around the sun."

What can we do about this potential calam-
ity? “There's been a tremendous effort to
make very. very careful maps of the sky and
try to detect everything that comes anywhere
near the Earth‘s orbit.“ Ferland says. "By

continual on page (J

“A star is gas all
the way through.
If you went in
one side of a

star, you ’d pop
out the other side
in a few hours
without hitting
anything solid

in between.”

3 ODYSSEY

taking pictures from day to day and making
calculations. you can figure out the motion of
comets and asteroids. their speed. We knew
two years in advance that there would be this
collision with Jupiter; it wasn‘t a surprise,"

But what good would it do us. the question
could be asked. to know that in a couple of
years a sizeable comet is going to smash into
our planet? Enter Project Space Warn. which
sounds like science fiction but is. Ferland says
reassuringly. “rock—solid science.”

"The purpose of Project Space \X’arn. which
Congress has just given a tenfold budget
increase. is to do something about a comet or
large asteroid headed our way." Eerland says.
“And we know enough now to stop it,"

The idea. Ferland says. is to cause whatever
is hurtling at us to veer off. if only slightly.
from target Earth. "It‘s like a rifle bullet shot
from 10 miles away." Ferland says. “lf it‘s

coming straight at us. all we

C
‘ l/Vhdt “Obably happened to have to do is get it to miss a little

the dinosaurs is that their

bit."
The scenario Ferland imag—

entirefood Chain collapsed. ines involves a combination of

American and Russian spacei

ATW animals that had bOdy craft. armed with nuclear weap—

weights over 40 or 50
pounds died. Only very
small animals survived. ”

ODYSSEY 6

ons. which would be launched
toward the intruding comet or
asteroid. When the spacecraft
are close enough to the object to
affect its trajectory. they would
self—detonate. causing the object
to be thrown off its earthward
course. “You wouldn't actually destroy it—
you‘d just kind of elbow it to one side so it
misses us."

To calm the nerves of anyone thinking that
such drama in the cosmos is soon to occur.
Ferland points out the fact that the odds of a
good—sized asteroid hitting us anytime soon
are heavily in our favor. "The Earth only gets
hit about every St) to 100 million years." he
says.

%.
‘
~v

The Death of the Dinosaurs

It was just such a direct hit. some ()3 million
years ago. however. that may have led to the
extinction of dinosaurs along with other ani—
mal and plant species. In fact. Ferland says.
this is now the leading theory to explain the
relatively sudden disappearance of dinosaurs
on Earth.

The theory goes that a giant meteorite——an
asteroid—struck the Earth. exploded. and
sent its debris high into the atmosphere.
forming a dense cloud. The effect ofthis huge
cloud of dust was that sunlight was blocked
out and much Vegetation died. as well as
animal species that depended on this vegeta-
tion for food. Eventually. the cloud fell back
to earth. settling debris that was primarily clay
containing an abundance of iridium. platiA
num and osmium (a hard metallic element).

This theory was proposed after scientists
discovered. in 1980. a numberofsites around
the Earth where layers of clay containing this
unusual combination of elements—much
more common in meteorites than in the crust
of the Earth?“ ere found Geologists ana—
lyzed these clay deposits and found that they
were about (iﬁ million years old. remarkably
close to the time ofthe mass extinction of the
dinosaurs as shown by fossil records.

“What probably happened to the dino—
saurs." says Ferland. "is that their entire food
chain collapsed, Any animals that had body
weights over +0 or it) pounds died. Only very
small animals survived.“ Small creatures such
as rodents who could forage for seeds and
nuts could live. however. and the fossil record
shows that such creatures did survive.

Ferland says that this theory has been given
more and more credence in the past 13 years.
“And five years ago." he says. “the impact
sight was discovered—just offthe coast of the
Yucatan Peninsula. There‘s a large crater
about it) miles across." He says that it‘s been
known for l() years that the asteroid hit water
because the layered debris also offers evil
dence of tidal waves at the same time. “The
collision sent off a huge tidal wave across a
thousand miles of the earth. That in itself
probably killed anything in its path.”

@ The Death of the Sun
and the Earth

Planets and stars. like animal and plant
species. also become extinct. Our sun. as—
tronomers say. will die a gentle death: It will
gradually puff itselfout into interstellar space.
Because it is made only of gases. they say. it
is using Lip its fuel and will continue to have
a harder and harder time holding itself up.
One result of the sun's accelerated effort will
be that it will continue to get brighter (It‘s 10
percent brighter now than it was three or four
billion years ago). so that long before the sun
dies, Earths oceans will boil, Limestone rocks
will melt. (Iarbon dioxide will go back into the
atmosphere producing a runaway greenhouse
effect. And then the Earth will become as
uninhabitable as our neighbor Venus.

"Venus today is a thousand degrees Fahren—
heit on the surface." Eerland says. “The green—
house effect on Venus has turned it into an
inferno. The Earth will be like that in about

two billion years." 0

Will We Be the First
Martians?

Long before the oceans on Earth boil and
the icecaps melt. Mars will be a very hospi—
table place. Ferland says. He believes Mars is
the obvious choice for our new home after
living on Earth becomes impossible.

When the first pictures of Mars were re—
ceived from Viking I and Viking 11 in 19"().
scientists reported that the planet had many
topographical features similar to those on
Earth, Mars has polar caps that are larger in
winter and smaller in summer. There are
canyons. the Valles Marineris. for example.
which make the Grand (Ianyon look like a
glorified pothole in comparison. And there
are river beds as long as the Mississippi or the
Nile.

"There used to be rivers on Mars." Eerland
says. "There are regions with very large lakes
or oceans. The question is, '\\"hat happened
to the water?‘

“The most favorable view. for us. of what
happened to Mars is that it was very earthlike
for a few billion years but is now locked in an
Ice Age." Ferland says. This could have hap~
pened ifthe tilt ofthe planet changed enough
over time so that the planet‘s atmosphere was
literally frozen to the ground. "As soon as the
atmosphere freezes and drops to the ground,
then the greenhouse effect will totally disap—
pear and you can‘t get it started again natu—
rally." says Eerland.

Part of this favorable view is the very
important assumption that there is still water
on Mars: it is simply locked underground.
“\Ve think that the water is probably perma~
frost—five or 10 feet below the ground."
lierland says. “This would be extremely good
news if it‘s true because it means that when
the first people go to Mars they will have a
fairly accessible water supply—they wont
have to bring it along with them.

“The second thing is that we would have a
very good chance of reversing the condition
of the planet. There may already be primitive
algaes on Mars today; if not. we can bring
them there and get them started. This would
convert carbon dioxide, which is there today.
back into oxygen. Then you could start trying
to melt the permafrost and get the atmo-
sphere back upAa process called
terraft )rming. "

When it‘s pointed out to Ferland that he
said [when people go to Mars. not if,~ he
becomes even more effusive about that pros—
pect “People will go to Mars probably by the
middle of the next century. There will probv
ably be a permanent colonization of Mars
within .200 years." he predicts.

By then. Ferland says. we will have in—
creased our knowledge of the universe in
wonderfully unimaginable ways, "The uni—
verse isn‘t stranger than we think." he says.
“At this point in time. it's only stranger than
we can think." 0

“People will go to
Mars probably by
the middle of the
next century.
There will prob
ably be a perma-
nent colonization
of Mars within
200 years. ”

7 ODYSSEY

Drawing [Jr/(11m Wis/m

- . , Cult all
D0111 801116 /) of M1; anrillﬁgsmen
Body ork '

by A ngela forms

, / n current popular culture our identities
" [by I are defined by the product on the auc—
/ q " tion block. Femininity and masculinity trans—
A , mute overnight much to the whims of fad.
/ But fads have an origin. and fashion design-
ers who have revived the waif "'l'wiggy” look. for
example. aren‘t playing guessing games.
/ "Designers invest a great deal of money in sniffing
" out cultural currents." says Susan Bordo. l‘K‘s new
()tis A, Singletary (Ihair in the Humanities (William
l’reehling in the Department of History also holds the
Singletary Chair). “They work with prevailing fantasies
and anxieties to create images that don't simply imprint
“ ' themselves on us. but reinforce powerful feelings that
already exist."
Hence the popularity of supermodel Kate Moss. who
is the “)()s epitome of skinny at five feet seven inches tall.
105 pounds. She is child—like. wistful vacant. and. to
Bordo. represents the continuing power of ideals of female
passivity. But to the young women who emulate her. says
Bordo. Moss strikes a different chord. “To them. she represents
not a backward—looking image of femininity but the epitome of
contemporary ‘cool.‘" Bordo says. “Besieged by the pressures of
modern life to be successful superwomen yet afraid of being
seen as aggressive feminists. they are a torn and anxious
generation of women. Kate Moss—or rather. the illusion of
Kate Moss—seems unconscious of all that. above it all. She
even claims to eat whatever she wants! But the reality is
that the young women who worship her often suffer
.. from eating disorders."
Conversely. men are barraged with images of
7 / hyper—masculine bodies. toned and bulked up.
. resurrected images of masculinity from the past.
/ I" “The simultaneous appeal of waif~like females and
powerful male bodies signifies that at least on the
level of our bodies. traditional gender roles
remain compelling. As much as our culture plays
I, with androgyny. the majority of consumers still
r’ find comfort in clear gender difference." says Bordo.
/ who taught a graduate course on masculinity last
/ 1' semester at UK.

/ r ,r Contemporary culture. however. sends mixed mes—

sages. Ads depict women bulking up. too. “Nobody
/ . :- knows anymore what it means to be a man or a
‘5'] woman." says Bordo. “The old maps don‘t work. and
the new terrain is uncharted and confusing,”

\_ Bordo has authored two books and edited
another. all of them dealing with the interre—

' ‘ lationship of culture. body. and gender.
\“ , Unbearable Weight. published in 1995. dis—
i‘fl" cusses how women have suffered from
internalizing negative cultural attitudes to—

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“Nobody knows anymore what it means to be a man or a woman, ”
says Bordo. “The old maps don ’i‘ work, and the new terrain

is uncharted and confusing ”

ward the body. particularly women's bodies.
Anorexia and bulimia are among the conse~
quences of Western cultures discomfort with
the "matter" of the body. and especially with
female appetite and desire.

Outmoded Images

In her current research. Bordo is exploring
gender and the body from the perspective of
masculinity and the male body. In the past.
men have been offered two main models—
warrior and provider. But in a modern world
where war is more a test of technological
savvy than a battle of brawn. the old set of
rules no longer applies. The "provider." as
well. serves as a vestige of an outmoded
world in which women were not yet a force
in the public arena.

"Such models are physically harder on
men. but psychologically clearer." Bordo says.
“Manhood is tested and either confirmed or
withheld from those who fail or from those
who are excluded—as African—American men
have been excluded throughout much of I S
history—from the proving~ground of mascu-
linity."

\X'ith the publication of Robert Bly‘s Iron

joint in 1990. the Men‘s Movement, a kind of

reclamation of manhood attained through
male camaraderie and seclusion. was first
publicized. The movement spawned discus—
sion among men who. like women 50 years
ago. reexamined and began rejecting conven4
tional ideas of what it means to be a man.

Although Bordo supports Bly‘s questioning
the cultural construction of gender. she criti—
cizes the movements heavy reliance on clasA
sic myths that hark back to the days of knights
and dragons. "Rekindling the fire of some
mythical past is problematic. Pumping—up the
muscles of the male imagination on old
power—archetypes only serves to encourage
further division between the sexes." she says.
Much of the male bonding