UO gets $2 million from licensing
Licensing agreements are up from 2002-03, and two
University projects receive national recognition
BY ANTHONY LUCERO
NEWS REPORTER
Last year, the University received
nearly $2 million from licensing in
ventions and became home to two
promising creations. The University
disclosed 40 new inventions and 28
new license and option agreements,
up from 36 inventions and 25 new li
cense and options agreements in
2002-03, according to a University
press release.
The University recognized biolo
gy Professor Eric Selker for finding
the anti-cancer properties of Zebu
larine, a potential anti-cancer drug,
which is currently being tested for
human use. The National Institute
of General Medical Sciences report
ed it to Congress as one of the 10
most-significant innovations.
“I hope it has some value,” Selker
said. “It was just a byproduct of re
search. It’s not what I’d want to be
Known ior.
During a routine lab
procedure, Selker dis
covered he could reac
tivate certain silenced
genes in fungus prone
to DNA methylation.
Methylation is danger
ous in some scenarios
because it can silence a
gene that may control
cell growth or regulate
healthy and unhealthy
cells. His procedure —
picked up by re
searchers at other
universities — has slowed down tu
mor-cell growth from between 32 to
68 percent, according to a Medical
News Today article.
“We’re not much different from
fungus in some ways,” Selker said.
“The only danger with reactivating
cells is that we may reactivate a
harmful one.”
IN RECENT
YEARS
The University has steadily
increased its revenues from
licensing inventions during
the past few years:
1999- $232,000
2000- $312,912
2001- $515,404
2002- $536, 434
2003- $1,788,985
2004 -$1,920,000
Source: Office of Technology Transfer
Another innovation will
enable researchers to study
the realistic movements of
dinosaurs.
DinoMorph is software
that assembles a dinosaur
by its bone structure and
maps skin across the bones
to make a realistic portray
al. Using the dinosaur’s
bone model, the software
can then accurately display
the creature’s movements,
making a dinosaur exhibit
go beyond just showing
fossils to demonstrate how
it moves and even hunts.
Computer and information science
Professor Kent Stevens began work
ing on DinoMorph in 1994 as an un
dergraduate project, when computer
science students used it to be creative
with code. It has blossomed into a ful
ly developed program that renders ac
curate animal movement and has
spawned a company, Kaibridge, Inc.
“DinoMorph has the potential for
a very commercial (application),”
Stevens said.
The University is licensing it to mu
seums for educational kiosks. Using
the animation for film recreations is
among several other possibilities.
“I’m having a lot of fun with Di
noMorph because you can really
study range of motion with di
nosaurs,” Stevens said. “Now we
can find out using this software
about some misconceptions of di
nosaurs’ movement.”
TECHNOLOGY, page 7 A
Students can still travel overseas this year
BY JESSE DUNCAN
FREELANCE REPORTER
Cari Vanderkar, associate director
of the Overseas Study Program, said
it is not too late for students to apply
for study abroad programs that com
mence this winter — the Canberra,
Australia program has a deadline in
November. Also, Australia’s winter
is our summer, she said.
Due to student requests, the Uni
versity is now offering an overseas
program in Ireland. Also new this
year are study opportunities at uni
versities in Taiwan and Singapore.
University senior and Overseas
Study Program peer assistant Krys
tal Murphy spent the 2003-04 aca
demic year studying abroad in Tam
pere, Finland. She lived in a
renovated hotel with students
whose points of origin spanned the
world.
“It was fun to be around so many
international students,” Murphy
said. “The Finnish lifestyle is very
healthy, and Finnish food is very
healthy.”
In Finland, Murphy enjoyed pul
la, a sweet bun; Karelian pies, a rye
crust with a rice porridge inside; and
glogi, a spiced warm drink similar to
cider.
abroad,” Murphy said. “Especially
for Americans, it is important to get
an idea of how the rest of the world
Murphy said she
was exposed to Fin
land’s sauna culture.
Most of the homes
and the building she
lived in had saunas.
READ MORE ONLINE^
For a complete schedule of study abroad
information sessions, visit
studyabroad.uoregon.edu/dates/dates.htm
operates.”
While Murphy
spent an entire
year abroad, the
length of over
seas programs
One Finnish winter ritual is to go
from sitting in a sauna to diving into
a near-frozen lake, she said.
“Any issue that you have, whether
it is financial or whatever, can be
worked out when it comes to study
varies. Students can earn credits that
apply to their major in programs as
short as one month.
Students may also apply for a
ABROAD, page 7 A
IN BRIEF
Man arrested in Corvallis
after allegedly attempting
to kidnap OSU student
Oregon State Police arrested
an Albany man Thursday on
charges of attempting to abduct a
21-year-old Oregon State University
student, state police Lt. Gregg Hast
ings said.
Corvallis police found Aaron
James Evans, 21, in a local
grocery store parking lot Wednes
day night while responding to a
report of suspicious activity. Offi
cers determined that his clothing
matched the description of a
suspect who attempted to kidnap a
woman Wednesday morning, Hast
ings said.
By Thursday, detectives had gath
ered enough probable cause to arrest
Evans on charges of second-degree
attempted kidnapping, first-degree at
tempted sexual abuse and menacing,
Hastings said.
Wednesday’s incident occurred
near 26th Street and Western Boule
vard, about two blocks from where
19-year-old Brigham Young Universi
ty student Brooke Wilberger disap
peared last May.
“Because the area where the
crime occurred was similar for this
attempted abduction and for the
previous abduction, and because
of the fact this person was arrested
related to those charges,” police
will continue to investigate whether
the two incidents are related, Hast
ings said.
While police called Evans a
“person of interest,” he has not
been established as a suspect, Hast
ings said.
Kara Hansen
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