In Bloom

LIKE ANY GOOD botanist, doctoral student Andrea Ottesen loves being down in the dirt with plants. But in her artistic photographs, the plant scientist reveals only the beauty she sees in those botanicals. Ottesen uses photography, digital imaging and other media to create exquisite renderings of flora that range from seaweed to sunflowers to chocolate. Some are highly detailed, others ethereal. All are scientifically accurate. Her remarkable photograph of Irish Moss seaweed won her a first place tie in the prestigious National Science Foundation international Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge. Her work was chosen for a cover of the journal Science (and the cover of this issue of Terp).

Even several of Ottesen’s Maryland professors have been immortalized in her work, in the form of art that reflects their contributions to plant science. After Ottesen earns her Ph.D., she plans to focus on how crop and horticultural land management practices affect public and environmental health. And she will continue her art. “Great science will always be made more accessible to so many more people through great art,” Ottesen says. —ET

Illuminating Energy Savings

UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS are installing 5,000 new volumetric light fixtures in hallways across campus, a move that will significantly reduce energy consumption and costs. The lights were first tested on the ground floor of the A.V. Williams Building last fall. Nine hallways were used as a test bed, with some painted differently to reflect light better and others having the lights dimmed slightly. In addition to energy use being carefully monitored, faculty and staff were asked to provide feedback on the quality of light available.

The energy-efficient lights and decreasing light levels proved to be a winning combination, says Marlowe Leafty, who headed the project for facilities management. The ultimate goal, Leafty says, is to lower the amount of energy needed to safely illuminate hallways in all campus buildings. When the new lights are installed, it will cost just $18 an hour to illuminate every hallway on campus, saving the university almost $5.6 million in energy costs over the next 10 years and reducing carbon emissions by 80 percent.

For the very latest on projects and initiatives that are making the University of Maryland a showcase for sustainability, see Interpretations on Page 36 or go to www.sustainability.umd.edu. —TV

Growth Spurt

Reading about Maryland is great, but seeing and hearing about exciting research and events taking place is out of this world. That’s exactly where we have introduced new media outlets—on the World Wide Web. It’s our way of extending the classroom walls and reaching out to the community.

Information Makeover Who says a new home page can’t be exciting? Take the latest technology, throw in several new features, add lots of curb appeal and you have a brand new homepage at www.umd.edu. Advanced features and a host of multi-media tools improve navigation and help users get the information they want faster. The most popular links can now be found in the Discover Maryland section. Audio, video and slideshow clips in four new sections engage users the moment they arrive at our online home. This redesign completes phase one of a project that will ultimately improve the look and functionality of all university sites. Stop by and see how we look.

Knowledge Download It’s everything you love about downloading, but with an academic edge—and it’s absolutely free. Check out the University of Maryland section of iTunes U at www.umd.edu/iTunesU for presentations, performances, lectures, demonstrations, debates, tours and even Fear the Turtle videos. iTunes U is based on the iTunes Store, where millions of people already get their music, movies and TV shows. Maryland faculty can now post content they create for their classes, and administrative departments can add clips of newsworthy events. Download what you want, then use your MP3 player, Mac or PC to watch, listen and learn at your convenience.

UM on YouTube Maryland’s latest public service announcement (left) and winning entries from last year’s Sci/Terp video competition are just some of the clips now playing on Channel UMD2101, the official University of Maryland video page hosted by YouTube. The popular Internet site has become the primary destination for viewing and sharing online video clips. Subscribe today at www.youtube.com/UMD2101 and be one of the first to watch newly uploaded clips. Anyone can join. Viewing and subscribing are free.

Strategic Plan Approved

A sweeping strategic plan that will chart the course of the University of Maryland for the next decade and beyond was recently approved by the University Senate and President Dan Mote.The 10-year plan—to be implemented in stages beginning this fall—was prepared by a steering committee that received significant input and feedback from alumni, faculty, staff and students over a period of almost seven months.“Every segment of our university community helped in preparing a bold, ambitious plan that will transform this institution immensely,” says Provost Nariman Farvardin, who chaired the committee. Readers are encouraged to go to www.sp07.umd.edu to view the entire document.

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