LMU Fields Shell Eco-Competition Team

Eighteen seniors in the mechanical engineering program at Loyola Marymount University recently participated in the 2008 Shell Eco-Marathon Americas competition, a contest encouraging students to create a more fuel-efficient ride than the ones driven by the Shell company’s gas-guzzling customers.

LMU didn’t do that bad. Or, that well either. (To be fair.)

The group finished in the middle of the field, 15th out of the 29 schools taking part, but still has light years to go to catch up to the competition. The winning school, Mater Dei High School from Evansville, Ind., created a vehicle that could travel 2,843.4 miles per gallon.

LMU’s vehicle, nicknamed the Roar, went only 313.4 miles per gallon, but that didn’t dissuade the program from future competition. The school plans to keep the competition for their prospective mechanical engineers, at least for the next year.

Silence Speaks to LGBT Cause

On Friday, April 25, students from the Queer Alliance on the UCLA campus organized a National Day of Silence in order to bring more attention to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) issues. Participants in the day of silence wore cloth over their mouths to signify their involvement. They also passed out fliers to answer any questions people had about their actions and gave red ribbons to students supporting their cause.

The event took on special meaning for the students this year since it was held in memory of Lawrence King, a self-identified gay high school student who was slain in Oxnard, Calif., earlier this year. The Queer Alliance organized a ceremony in his honor held at the end of the day of silence.

LACC’s Collegian Garners Seven Awards

Daniel Marlos, Chair of the Media Arts Department at Los Angeles City College (LACC), reported that the Collegian newspaper won several awards, including a “General Excellence Award” at the Journalism Association of Community Colleges’ State Convention held April 3 through 5 at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Los Angeles.

Awards presented to the paper included: “General Excellence Award” in the newspaper category, a First Place Award in opinion writing to Sara Hayes for the top opinion piece in the state entitled “To Drive or Not to Drive,” a First Place Award in Graphics collectively to Ivie Hasegawa, Julio Huerta and Kevin Hidalgo and an Honorable Mention Award to photojournalist Benjamin Simpson.

Judges complimented the Collegian as “an attractive newspaper with generally solid writing … layouts are clear and readable and sometimes inspired with stories and profiles that show outside-the-box creativity.”

—Compiled by Jessica Koslow

USC Annenberg Launches Arts Journalism M.A. Program

Annenberg is launching a new graduate degree program focusing on arts journalism. The program is open to journalists, recent graduates holding bachelor degrees in journalism or one of the arts and experienced arts practitioners. The new nine-month M.A. program connects the fields of arts practice and arts journalism. Applications are being accepted through July 1.

—Compiled by Jessica Koslow