University of Wisconsin Platteville - Pioneer Yearbook (Platteville, WI)

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26 FEATURES PLATT MAP indicates variety of statistics by Susan Polebitski As I entered Main 118, I anticipated seeing some small graphs containing some basic information on the univer- sity, which had been titled the PLATT MAP. Turning to look at the wall, I be- came awed by the actual size of the chart. Production Level Audit Through The Master Academic Profile tPLATT MAPt is a culmination of 150 interrelated nu- merical facts which describe the Uni- versity of Wisconsin-Plattevllle. The chart encompasses an area the size of two blackboards and contains statis- tics on faculty, majors, curriculum, programs offered, students with a ma- jor. and program costs. The facts are broken down into both college and de- partmental levels. Initially proposed by an ad hoc com- mittee on academic planning, the map was formulated to help each academic department learn more about them- selves. It provides a mirror image of each department, and illustrates where each department stands in com- parison to all the areas represented. So far, the Map has been used mainly by the Academic Planning Committee for formulation of future programs. It is hoped that once department members understand the interrelationships of the chart, they will use it to make their areas more productive. Facts for the Platt Map were gathered from U.W.-Platteville files and central communications in Madison. Statistics for .the past three years are listed and then averaged to provide an overall view. One problem is the fact that since this chart is so current, new facts must be compiled yearly to keep the map updated. This requires continual re- search and planning; currently Neil Wirth is the full-time staff member re- sponsible for the organization of the map. According to Wirth, the overall cost of the product is unestimitable because of the man hours ... computer hours combination. Other schools have used charts similar to this and found suc- cess with the program. Although the idea is basically a management tool, it will be used to increase productivity rather than to eliminate problem areas. Center encourages llittle people' by Cheri Dray If you have ever been in the vicinity of Garner Hall's basement, you have probably heard the sounds of chil- dren at play or seen the Hlittle peo- ple who frequent the Day Care Center. The Day Care Center is a student-run, state-regulated facility which is available to children of the students, the faculty and the staff of the university. Peggy Vanderloop, an elementary education major with a minor in early childhood develop- ment, is the director of the Day Care Center. Her staff consists of 21 work-study students or Hteachers as the kids call them. The Center is run on a Hdrop-in ba- sis, that is, the children come and go at all times during the day. Snacks are provided twice a day and a hot lunch program is also avail- able. The Day Care Center is not merely a llbabysitting service. It offers the children valuable learning exper- iences through a variety of planned activities. One such activity this year was a program, developed by Peggy Vanderloop and Sharon Shutz, which focused on emotions. It was designed to help the children learn about feelings. The program format was expanded to include learning about colors, shapes, and parts of the body. Outdoor activities, art pro- jects of all kinds, and musical sing- alongs are also incorporated into the various daily schedules. During the Christmas season, WSUP-TV 5, taped a segment with the children which was used during the Badger Camp Telethon. The Day Care Center is a pleasant experience for the children who go there. They are not merely biding time while their parents are away, but are learning and growing as indi- viduals.

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Farms Provide Students, Farmers With Experimental Information by Chris Petersen A talk with Charles DeNure, dean of the College of Agriculture, revealed interesting news about University of Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneer Prairie Farms. The facility, located six miles from the UW-P campus, is a 600- acre horticulture and agronomic demonstration for the students and tri-state area farmers. The herds and crops financialIy sup- port the farms daily expenses. Seventy milking cows produce approximately 26,000 pounds of milk per cow a year, and about 600 hogs are marketed an- nually from 12 sows. From the 35 ewes and two rams, 60 lambs are born each year. Thirty-six head of cattle in the beef unit have their calves in April and May. Most of the calves are sold at market weight, or are used as lab ani- the community without a Par Course is rare, unlike the United States which has only 98 as of Au- gust. 1977. Two are located in Wis- consin, and the UW-P facilities are the only ones open to the public. At the beginning of the fall semester in 1977, between 250 and 300 peo- ple per day were testing their skills in various exercise skills including calis- thenics, isometrics, and just plain running. Par Course is designed through a three-dimensional pro- gram tbeginner, sport, and champi- om that allows the finest athletes or biggest burnouts to achieve equiv- alent benefits. Sincere effort and a certain degree of self discipline are the only requirements for progress. The one and three-quarter-mile track and eighteen exercise stations provide a diverse, challenging, and fun physical fitness program for those who care to stay in shape. mals for the meat classesx Serving a four-state area, the Bull Test Station places beef bull calves on a test for 140 days for gain-ability weight tests. The test is started in December and the annual sale is held in May. A maximum of 180 bulls can be tested with a majority of breeds represented. A two-year-old guernsey, Plateaco Fay- vors Daisy, made All-American last year. The judgment is made nationwide by the American Guernsey Cattle Club and is based solely on appearance. Pla- teaco Fayvors Daisy, named for Platte- ville Teachers College, was bred and raised by UW-P students and Dr. Wil- liam Hoffman. Half interest was sold to Hously, a breeder and herder in Ten- nessee, where Plateaco is already number one in milk production. Five hundred acres of various crops, vegetables, flowers, and orchards of cherry, plum and many varieties of ap- ples make up the horticulture unit and crops laboratory. Pioneer Prairie Farms was purchased in 1958 and dedicated in 1960. The new machine maintenance and storage shed was started in October 1977, and was completed in January 1978. Its 1500 square feet of storage area in- cludes a preventative maintenance area for use during the winter months. Director of the farms, Phillip Wyse, and v Dairy Herdsman, Mark Sherry, are cur- rently in charge of the farm. In addition to working with faculty and students, both also do some teaching. FEATURES 25

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University purchases electron microscope by Nancy Peters As freshmen in General Biology we all looked at typical cells under a micro- scope with a magnification of 100 times. Imagine increasing this by 1,000 times, or even 10,000 times. Platteville has recently acquired the equipment that will make these mag- nifications possible. The equipment consists of an electron microscope and accessory apparatus necessary for it to work. The microscope is ca- pable of magnifying up to 100,000 times the original size with a resolu- tion of 4.7 Angstroms. One Angstrom is a unit of measurement equal to the size of one hydrogen atom or 00000000001 meter. Observing such detail can lead to a fuller under- standing of the object being viewed. An electron microscope is a very deli- cate and precise instrument. This mi- croscope is very refined and complex. Just as the name suggests, electrons are used in the microscope. Electrons are emitted from a source and direct- ed to the specimen by special magne- - tized lenses. The lenses focus the electrons to a specific area of the specimen. A special screen is used to convert the electron wavelength into the visible light spectrum that the hu- man eye can perceive. The difference in the shading of the image is due to the density of the substance the elec- tron strikes. Pictures taken of the im- age may be used for study. Quite a bit of special and accessory equipment is necessary to obtain and maintain peak performance of the mi- croscope. Pumps are continually run- ning to keep the unit in a complete vacuum. Another piece of equipment keeps distilled water flowing through the instrument to both cool and cleanse it. The specimens for examination under the microscope must be prepared with special techniques and equip- ment. Because electrons must pene- trate the specimen, extremely thin sections must be made of the speci- men after it has been prepared. The sections are 400-500 Angstroms thick and are cut on a microtone us- ing finely sharpened diamond or glass knives. Metallic stains must also be used because of the use of electrons. Depending on the nature of the speci- men, various other techniques may be used. All of this equipment is housed in a specially designed complex in Boebel Hall. The complex includes rooms that house the auxiliary equipment and the microscope which is eight feet high with a six foot by six foot base. Also included is a complete darkroom for development and print- ing of electron micrographs tpictures taken of specimens under the micro- scopey The entire complex is tem- perature and humidity controlled to help assure precise conditions for the microscope. The price of all this equipment is sub- stantial. The microscope itself costs $40,000; the additional accessories add another $15,000 plus to this to- tal. The biology department is not the only department which will utilize the instru- ment. The chemistry, physics, and geo-science departments of the Col- lege of Arts and Sciences, and the Col- lege of Agriculture are planning pro- jects for which the electron micro- scope can be used. Dr. Marilyn Tufte, of the biology de- partment, is in charge of the micro- scope complex. She was chosen be- cause of her extensive work in electron microscopy during her graduate stud- ies. Dr. Tufte hopes to have a work- shop or training session scheduled for students and faculty next fall. A course will eventually be developed teaching the basic principles and techniques of the microscope and a l'hands on poli- cy will be encouraged. This is consid- ered to be a very uncommon practice at undergraduate level. Dr. Tufte believes that an undergrad- uate curriculum should include stu- dents use and participation with this kind of equipment. She feels this is an important factor in developing and in- creasing future competence of stu- dents in various scientific disciplines. UW-Platteville should feel very fortu- nate to have such a complete and up- to-date facility of this kind available for student use. It will provide unique edu- cational opportunities and open new dimensions to experiences in biology. FEATURES 27