News briefs

Campus News

The real “Rain Man” to visit UVU

With more than 9,000 books memorized, Kim Peek, the inspiration for Dustin Hoffman’s character in the Oscar award-winning movie Rain Man, will be at Utah Valley University to share his unique ability this coming Monday.

Peek, along with his father, will give insight about his unusual brain and then have some fun with the audience by allowing them to test his knowledge on Feb. 2 at noon in the Grande Ballroom in the Sorensen Student Center.

Peek is a savant, which means he has mental handicaps, yet has a unique brain that can store information in an astounding way. For example, he is capable of reading eight full-size books within a day and can recount the information nearly word for word. At 57 years old, Peek is known as the “walking Google” for the vast amount of information he’s accumulated.

“Kim is an extraordinary human being who has an extremely busy schedule,” said David Smith, vice president of academics of UVUSA. “We are so honored for his willingness to come to our University and visit with our students.”

Peek has traveled around the country sharing his gift and celebrating the wonders of human existence. Peek is a Utah resident and was recently honored at the Salt Lake City Public Library for the 20th anniversary celebration of Rain Man.

Top-ranked U.S. business school to recruit at UVU

The University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business, the top-ranked business school in the nation, will be at Utah Valley University to recruit students in an information session on Friday, Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. in the Library auditorium, LI 120.

USC’s undergraduate business program has been ranked No. 1 for the past 12 years and its MBA program is second best according to U.S. News & World Report.

“The school has been impressed in the quality and caliber of our students and would like to have them more aware of and enrolled in their programs,” said Girard Hardy, UVUSA student senator for the Woodbury School of Business.

This will be the Woodbury School of Business’ first time holding a recruiting event from the Moore School of Business. The event is the only one of its kind since neither BYU nor U of U will be hosting the school.

“They chose UVU because of the caliber of students that typically graduate from our University,” Hardy said.

Several students enrolled in the graduate program at the Moore School of Business came from UVU, BYU and University of Utah, especially in the International MBA (IMBA) program. Hardy said prospective students should look into this program since it can help students make connections in their chosen field in this global economy.

A representative of the Moore School of Business will present more information about the school and will answer questions following the presentation.

New Library hours offered

Based on student input, the Library will begin offering longer hours. The new hours will now be the following:

Monday – Friday 7 am – 12 am

Saturday 8 am – 7 pm

For a complete list of hours and scheduled closing dates, visit the online calendar www.uvu.edu/library/.

National News

STUDIES FIND MERCURY IN HIGH FRUTOSE CORN SYRUP

Traces of Mercury have been found in high fructose corn syrup and reports are beginning to surface that the Food and Drug Administration was aware of the contamination since 2005 and did nothing to prevent continued consumer exposure. Even small amounts of mercury can be extremely unhealthy. Some of the most popular foods in the United States contain high fructose corn syrup, including soda, jelly, juice, candy, and yogurt. However, the Corn Refiners Association is disputing the study results. More research is needed to determine exactly which foods are affected. Some of the top brands tested are Hershey’s, Quaker, Hunt’s, Manwich, Smucker’s, Kraft, Nutri-Grain, and Yoplait.

FLORIDA COUPLE WELCOMES HOME CLONED DOG – A Florida couple who preserved their yellow Labrador retriever’s DNA before dog cloning was possible was able to clone their beloved dog in South Korea. Edgar and Nina Otto of Boca Raton cloned the puppy from cryogenically frozen DNA that was carried by a surrogate mother.

The puppy, named Sir Lancelot – Encore is a carbon copy of the couples dog Sir Lancelot who died of cancer in 2008 after living for eleven years. Before Sir Lancelot became sick, the Ottos paid $155,000 in an auction to win a chance to clone their pet through a California company called Bio Arts International.