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2 Tuesday. November 30, aoio | The Red a Black Enthusiastic professor dives into reef research By RYAN PRIOR Fo The Red & Black On an average day in lecture. Janies Porter paces back and forth along a stage at the head of a vast auditorium, gesturing dra matically, waving his hand pre cisely to underline each essential point, and in the process inspires multitudes of University students to care deeply about the earth. He may well be the only University professor that stu dents faithfully applaud at the close of every passionate lecture. All of that passion coupled with his well-known mixture of grace and goodwill enables him to reach students who would have been skeptical of the need to protect the environment. At RateMyProfessors.com, a website known for its often blunt critiques of instructors. Porter’s reviews come in by the boatload, and are uniformly glowing. A typ ical student response reads: ‘This is a course that every student at UOA should take. It opened my eyes to environmen tal issues that affect everyone, to be specific, global warming. Even as a Republican (and anti-tree hugger), global warming has become an issue that is one of the most important to me because of this course. Porter will make you want to come to class.” A recipient of the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship, the highest teach ing award at the University, Porter has established himself not just as a superb teacher in the Odum School of Ecology, but also as a leading researcher in the nation on coral reef decline. His enthusiasm for environ mental issues —and his uncanny ability to communicate it has earned him some unusual oppor tunities to serve as an ambassa dor for ecology to the general public. He has testified before Congress multiple times, and from 2007 to 2008 served as presi dent of Sigma Xi, a prominent national society for scientists. This position earned him a spot on a committee that chose President Obama’s science advis er and the heads of many govern ment agencies, including the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Porter and his multi-disciplin ary team recently received a five year, $2.1 million grant from the CRIME NOTEBOOK Grab-and-run theft reported in Sanford An unknown individual reportedly stole a handful of S2O bills from a Sanford Stadium concession stand dur ing Saturday's football game against Georgia Tech. When police responded, they were told the offender reached over the coun ter and grabbed money before fleeing on foot, according to the University Police report. The exact amount stolen is unknown, but is believed to be around $l6O. Tate Center arrest leads to cocaine charges An Athens resident is facing charges of possession of cocaine after he was arrested in the Tate Center Saturday. Guillermo Ore, 40, was initially placed under arrest at 9:13 p.m. for criminal Peaks Boom Swine* *v Stephah Pasts HCY.ZttRA MAC ove* HC*{ M AGOWM?WMY WOULD A 1,1 Duo lor of w***. look for (, THIIK* MMM i GOPHER K FIYJHG INTO MY („r. ItU ~,h kb iwrncu into nut wmmu. whoon ? t . - ACROSS 1 Policeman 4 Yellow shade 9 Thailand, once 13 Was in debt 15 Felony 16 Deing noth ing 17 In the past IB OM Roman garment 19 Lunch or dinner 20 "Beat itr 22 Ship's pole 23 Relocate Previous puzzle's solution Flililliil n c n*MrlrriM^ U Nj T I t |e M 1 91 L EM E N _V Y 40 Greek letter 41 Measuring device 42 Student 43 Shake one's fist at '45 Inn 46 Agcy. once heeded by J. Edgar Hoover 47 Clothing 48 Briefly remove one's hat 51 Full of remorse U iiaLa r, tfAC (VfOAd VjftO at 57 Like a vine covered wait 58 Lunchtime 60 Bwampcrtt 24 Female deer 26 Dos favor for 29 Bird sanctu aries 34 Parts of speech 35 Mr. Eastwood 36 Just invent ed 37 Melody 38 Support for an injured arm 39 RoScaH response COORTUT Jamu Porr** ▲ Professor James Porter works with elkhorn coral infected by white pox disease near the Florida Keys. About 88 percent of die coral has been destroyed by the disease. National Institutes of Health to study white pox disease, an epi demic first described in 1996 that has devastated vast swaths of coral reefs near the Florida Keys, destroying an estimated 88 per cent of elkhorn coral, according to a recent study. Porter said this Caribbean exclusive coral is “the iconic branching shallow water coral that gives reefs their magnificent structure.” Furthermore, “the disease has been partially respon sible for destroying so much elk hom coral that it has gone from ONLINE Police Documents trespass after it was discovered he was violating a barring notice from all University property, according to the University Police report. As Ore was booked into Clarke County Jail, a “folded paper penny wrapper" was found in his wallet. The wrapper contained “a quantity of white powder,” according to the report. The powder later tested positive for cocaine and Ore was charged according ly. Because he violated the previous bar ring notice. Ore has also been barred from campus for an additional two years, according to the report. —Compiled by Jacob Demmitt The Daily Puzzle 1 2 5 0 " 9 Hi To - ” 12 lift V® HH 2ft r ?n bHbzu no ]?" .12 33 34 ~~'iHpft _ —— 40 ""’""■jjKl |j||| 43 nq “ HHHpft I "“■■■■■lt? 4A 4 V) ~ |||||*.* W S3 S4 B fjk H ■' I ■■ 11/xvio ter 61 Perceive 62 Calendar square 63 Retained 64 Cornered 65 Spicy DOWN 1 Pigeon's sound 2 Possesses 3 Actor Gregory 4 Series of eight piano keys 5 Unrefined 6 Female red deer I 7 Actor Jennings 8 Flowing back 9 Begin to boil 10 Thought 11 “Woe is mar 12 Liquefy 14 appropri ate; consid ering proper 21 Pooches 25 Cereal grain 26 Start 27 Cafe patron's sealing request 28 Of the moon 29 Straighten 30 Grape bear er 31 Bumbling 32 Mysterious 33 Expand 35 Indication 38 Writer of wryly con temptuous works 39 Barack, to Michelle 41 Chatter 42 Harbor town 44 Result 45 _ over, delivered 47 Honking birds 48 Wooden pier 49 Bad guy NEWS the commonest coral in the Caribbean to being on the endan gered species list.” He has lead expeditions to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary for decades, and in 1996 began studying white pox. Fieldwork consists of four annual two-week trips. With most field research taking place in the wanner summer months, and laboratory analysis occur ring in the winter, the project will be a year-round affair through 2015. Besides being what Porter BEER: Students save on drinks >• From Page 1 only days of the year when that beer outsells our craft beer.” Craig Hayes, a junior from Conyers, came to Five Points to follow his typical pre-game tradition. “Pretty much every other weekend I think I go to the liquor store,” he said. “Tonight I’m just drinking with some friends; just got back from Thanksgiving break so I’m just hanging out.” Hayes said drinking at home or at a friend’s house usually tops going out. “Often we’ll start out at somebody's house and then end up downtown or just drink at home and get a little lost in that,” he said. “It's a cost-wise thing and I just like making my own drinks. Going downtown, I just feel like everything is overpriced for the amount compared to what I could get at home.” Jennifer Lee, a graduate student from Fayetteville, was also at Five Points to pre-game. “We’re prepping for tail- 0 yoguri Athens Only Uk .*i iUhI Inriepenck'nt frozen Yorjur.t Shop Chech Out Our New Rotating Flavors! Follow us on ratebook & Twitter to stay up to daft 1 ! | 198 College Avenue 706 354 8351 Sun Wed I I 10.im 11pm Thor Sat I 1 .30am I 7am oyo t 50 Failure 52 "...and they lived happily _ after." 53 _ for; miss terribly 54 Ark builder 55 Oz visitor . 59 Tennis court divider terms "science in action to save an endangered species and a threatened ecosystem," the proj ect beckons scientists to surge forward to the frontiers of knowl edge, handing them a vital chance to study the rare case of “reverse zoonosis,” in which a human pathogen is transmitted to an animal. The same pathogen that causes white pox in elkhorn coral also causes the human dis ease serratiosis, a condition simi lar to staph infection that is a constant burden in hospitals. Examples of diseases that Blackberry SARAH LUNDCREN Tn Kip* Buc* ▲ Charlie Meers stocks shelves at Five Points Bottle Shop, a popular Athens liquor store. gating tomorrow,” she said. “The boys are picking up beer and we’re tagging along. They’re trying to decide if they want one or two kegs.” Lee said buying kegs wasn’t necessarily a tradi tion this season, however. “Since we’ve had so many noon games we haven’t been keg discuss ing, so we’ll just come in and pick up a six-pack and leave.” she said. Daniel Saucedo has worked at Five Points for about three months, and said that particular Friday night crowd had been an unusual mix of people, as both students and out-of town relatives were visit ing. However; even the visi tors to Athens have their favorite Classic City liquor stores. Tim Hand was in Athens to visit friends when he stopped by Five Points. “For me, it depends on what I’m wanting to buy,” he said of his liquor store choices in his hometown. “If I'm wanting to buy wine, I have a store for that. If I’m wanting to buy beer, I have a different store for that, and If I'm wanting to buy liquor there’s a differ ent store for that.” He said this philosophy holds true when he comes to Athens he said he goes to Village Wine and Spirits on the Eastside for wine and said he thought Five Points had decent selections of beer and liquor. spread from animals to humans are common think avian flu, swine flu, malaria and Lyme dis ease —but examples of the reverse are far more rare. According to a 2002 paper co authored by Porter, “This is the first time, to our knowledge, that a bacterial species associated with the human gut has been shown to be a marine inverte brate pathogen.” What is even more surprising is that the disease has accom plished what Porter dubs a "tri ple Jump,” transitioning mysteri ously from a “vertebrate to an invertebrate, from terrestrial to marine, and from aerc v .ic to anaerobic.” Discerning the steps that lead from the human stomach to the bottom of the sea demands solu tions crossing a range of scientif ic disciplines. Besides being an expedition to save fragile ecosystems, it’s an investigation of infectious dis ease that can shed light on trans mission and an exercise in genet ics as the researchers harness the top facilities at the University’s Georgia Genomics Facility. This multi-pronged approach to science is invaluable because it illustrates how advancements in one field genetics empow er other fields ecology and infectious diseases. The generous funding and extensive support is a reward for a decade of piggybacking this vital research off of regular reef monitoring work, a period in which the team discovered the bacterial cause of white pox by a happy accident. “Science advances through mistakes as fast as it does through success. I truly believe that,” Porter said. “A lot of good science is swimming upstream when you believe in your work but the research dollars to prove it are hard to come by.” In a recent lecture at the University, Porter echoed the theme of pushing boundaries in pursuit of knowledge, presenting a point-by-point critique of many political leaders’ inability to lis ten to scientific fact. In the final moments, his voice rose to a thunderous crescendo, “If this class is about nothing else, it is about speaking truth to power. Whatever field you are in, you must stand up for the facts. You must let the truth be heard.” Hand said cost didn’t play too much into his alco hol purchasing. “Really for me it’s about selection. Even if they cost a little bit more. I’ll go there because I just know there’s a better selection,” he said. Lee echoed Hand's com ments about Five Points’ beer selection, but said she primarily came to this store because of its central loca tion and typical customer. “Here, they don’t accept fake IDs. Like, they just don’t fly,” she said. “So you have a lot of older crowd in here versus some of the other liquor stores, which are known as being less stringent. But you also pay for less variety there and it’s usually not as nice a place as here.” Lee said one reason she prefers to drink at home is because of the typical downtown patron. “Since I’ve gotten older I probably stay at peoples’ houses more,” she said. “And I live downtown so If we end up downtown we Just walk ... Even when we do go out, we go to quieter bars, not the ‘go dance it up’ kind of bars." Saucedo said people come to liquor stores so they can plan some chill time with friends. “I think people like to go downtown for the camara derie. You get the service and the atmosphere and everything," Saucedo said. “But you gotta have some thing when you get home, don’t you?”