Armadillo Futures I
Residents of the greater Wichita area will have to pay closer attention to their feet. That's the conclusion Shockers have arrived at after reading two different news releases, both about armadillos. First, an article in the July 2 El Dorado Times reports that the strange, tank-like creatures are migrating north into Kansas from Texas and Mexico in record numbers. Donald Distler, associate professor of biology at WSU and director of WSU's Biological Research Station in southwest Sedgwick County, confirms that armadillo numbers are high. "They're quite common in Sedgwick County right now. They're almost as common as 'possums."
Armadillo Futures II
In yet another armadillo article published June 18 by the Wichita Business Journal, a psychic in California reports that he can divine a person's future based on - Ready for this? - road kill. And hitting an armadillo, so the WBJ says, presages an ingrown toenail for the driver. Since more armadillos are sure to translate into more people with problem toes, The Shocker stands ready to provide our readers with a list of alumni podiatrists. Here they are: Warren W. Abbot '71, Larry L. Abraham '69, Heidi Hagen-Fantauzzi '90, Cynthia A. Fenberg '77.
DarioNet
Shocker Franklin D. Bosquez '89, professor of communications at the University of Panama's College of Social Communications, is breaking new ground on the Central American Information Superhighway. Last May he started the first virtual newspaper in all of Central America, called DiarioNet, which provides a full buffet of news and commentary to the site's visitors. The project is only a few months old, and already is receiving more than ten thousand visitors per day. Curious? Want to bone up on your Spanish and check out the news from a different point of view? Surf on over to www.diarionet.com and check it out.
Media Blitz
Rachel Hattrup of Wichita is the winner of the largest academic scholarship in Kansas, the $44,000 Clay Barton Scholarship in Business. The Barton School congratulated Hattrup with full-page ads placed in four regional issues of Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report and Sports Illustrated. The ad featured a photo of the scholarship winner and W. Frank Barton fs '49, the business school's benefactor. Both Hattrup's parents, Michael D. and Sarah '84, are WSU alumni.
Executive Class
Kevin Campbell '83/99 is going to miss his Saturday routine - spending all day in a classroom as part of the Barton School of Business' Executive MBA program. Campbell is one of 19 high-potential business managers and executives who made history last spring as the first graduating class of WSU's EMBA program. Targeted for the upward-bound business person, the program offers an intense schedule of courses in an accelerated time frame, meeting on select Saturdays for 22 months. For program specifics contact Bonnie Lida, (316) 978-6019.
A Dog's Life
Emily Weiss, a psychology doctoral candidate at WSU, spends a lot of time with dogs. An animal behavior researcher, Weiss is testing 17 factors to see how well they can predict a dog's suitability as a service dog. Current tests don't reliably predict behavior, which is why half the dogs that enter service training don't make it, Weiss believes. Her research shows promise in singling out predictors for fearfulness, submissiveness, trainability and dominance. One unusual test, a dog's response to a wood sculpture, seems to be a good predictor of both fearful and submissive behavior. A key aspect of the project is that 70 percent of the dogs tested have been adopted; four of them are being used in service roles, two as therapy dogs and two as hearing dogs.
