Oregon Daily Split/Page 9 http://www.dailyemerald.ccM Monday, April 21,2003 Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Volume 104, Issue 136 One Luke stays put, one says he may go The star duo could be splitting up as Luke Ridnour submits his early entry letter to the NBA Peter Hockaday Sports Editor One Luke is staying, one Luke could be going, but both Luke Jackson and Luke Ridnour are happy with their deci sions about the NBA Draft. Ridnour submitted a letter to the NBA requesting early entry into June’s draft, while Jackson decided not to test the NBA waters and will return to Oregon for his senior season. Both players an $ nounced their decisions at a press con ference on Friday morning. Ridnour has not hired an agent, which means he can reverse his decision any time until he hires an agent or before the June 19 deadline, one week before the draft itself. “The best thing about the NBA Draft is that you can explore your options any time up to the week before,” Ridnour said. “I’m just going to pray about it a lot and try to make the right decision.” Ridnour will begin workouts with indi vidual teams next month. The most im portant date on his upcoming calendar * will be June 4, when he will head to Chicago for the NBA’s pre-draft camp. At that event, Ridnour will be able to get a Turn to Lukes, page 10 However, If students still feel on* prepared to pick next year’s crop of V 'V 5 iCjffi Ht -Tlfc.utM.Mt. W'S/ #'/;' I urn to A&UO pa&6 o Lindsay Sauve Emerald Chemistry Professor Jeffery Cina (center) collaborates with his research assistants Travis Humble (left) and Mary Rohrdanz. Professor receives $35,000 award Chemistry Professor Jeffrey Cina is one of only 184 people to be awarded a 2003 Guggenheim Memorial Foundation award for his work in science Lindsay Sauve Family/Health/Education Reporter Like a beam of light against the black background of the night sky, chemistry Professor Jeffrey Cina’s research has caught the eye of the scientific community. Through his work with ultrafast electronic energy transfer, Gina is making signif icant scientific headway in understanding photosynthesis, the mysterious process that, gives plants life. In recognition of the value of his work to the intellectual com munity, the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation awarded Gina with a 2003 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship Award on April 10. Gina’s research focuses on how atoms move during chemical processes. Specifically, he uses ultrafast spectroscopy to exam ine how molecules interact with light. Gina and his research assistants send short pulses of light, moving at many trillionths of a second, through matter and record how molecules rotate. Gina is one of only two people in the Northwest to be awarded the Guggenheim this year, and only 184 people out of 3,200 applicants from the United States and Canada were given this prestigious award. The Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was established in 1925 by Simon Guggenheim, a former U S. senator, in honor of Turn to Award, page 8 Weather: Today: H 55, L 40, showers likely / Tuesday: H 60, L 40, evening rain, light wind I On Tuesday: People around the community prepare for annual Earth Day festivities Arsonist strikes six residences One of six fires on Friday caused an estimated $35,000 in damage to a West University residence Caron Alarab Safety/Crime/Transportation Reporter Half a dozen fires were set to West University neighborhood residences and trash bins in a se ries of mysterious arson attempts early Friday morning. The Eugene Police Department is seeking the public’s help in obtaining leads. EPD spokeswoman Kerry Delf said detectives don’t have any suspects at this point and do not know how many people were involved, but there is evidence that the fires are related. All six fires were set within a two block area be tween Patterson and Alder streets and between East 15th and East 17th avenues, and although there were no reported injuries, Delf said arson is a serious offense. “It may seem like a minor thing when trash bins are set on fire, but it can be very danger ous,” she said. “And there were people in some of the residences.” Shortly before 4 a.m. on Friday, an arsonist set a fire at an occupied residence at 1644 Hil yard St., reportedly damaging the back porch area before residents were able to extinguish it. One resident, University freshman Chris Lans ing, said the fire appeared to have been started in a pile of cardboard beer cases near the door way to the porch. “I originally thought someone had just flicked a cigarette in there, but that wasn’t it,” Lansing said. At 4:39 a.m., police and fire personnel re sponded to a report of a trash bin fire at Serenity Lane, a drug and rehabilitation center located Turn to Arson, page 6 Chess-ed to impress Adam Amato Emerald Brian Shartz, who has played with the UO Chess Club for several years, focuses intently on his next move during a game at the Fishbowl. The UO Chess Club meets once a week to match wits in a game that incorporates strategy, maneuvering and practice Reporter’s notebook Jacquelyn Lewis Pulse Editor UO Chess Club members work out together one night each week, but they don’t pump iron or pound the pave ment. Instead, they exercise their minds. The group meets every Wednesday during the school year at 6 p.m. in the EMU Fishbowl. I sat across from club mem ber and sophomore computer and information science ma jor Ross McClure at the most recent gathering — as he slow ly, deliberately plotted my demise. “Look at the board,” he growled, exasperated, eying my king. “I’m trying to help you!” But there was no helping me. Given McClure’s 14 years of practice, the competition was over before it had even begun. Turn to Chess, page 5 Adam Amato Emerald University graduate student Stephan Dickert adds his 20 years of chess-playing experience to the UO Chess Club.