Author: Sara Blair Matthews

Jen Lassen
News Editor

Although it often seems like we’re stuck in “the Bubble,” University staff and students are finding ways to break out.

On Nov. 5 in Charles A. Dana Engineering from 6 to 9 p.m., over 25 teams of student entrepreneurs will be pitching their business ideas in the University’s first “Beyond the Bubble” competition.

With students from all class years and a variety of majors involved, they will pitch their ideas, and from there the final six teams will present to a panel of alumni judges on campus on Nov. 12. The first place team will win a prize of $1,500 to help finance their business idea as well as one year free shared desk space in the Entrepreneur Incubator located downtown in the Dewitt Building.

“Bucknell’s inaugural ‘Beyond the Bubble’ Business Pitch Competition adds a new feature to a rich ecosystem of entrepreneurial opportunities and programs for students,” said Steven Stumbris, director of the University’s Small Business Development Center.

Along with this new event comes a new class, MIDE 375: “Should We Start this Company?,” that was developed and instructed by Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Erin Jablonski.

“Several teams come from this class centered in entrepreneurship. In the class, students generate new business ideas, and product or service design and development through business planning,” Stumbris said.

There is evident and documented student interest in entrepreneurial success. For discovering this interest at the University, research was conducted based on the 2011 Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) survey of incoming first-year college students.

“In response to the question ‘How important is becoming successful in a business of my own?,’ the percentage of Bucknell students responding ‘essential’ or ‘very important’ was 35 percent,” Stumbris said.

This competition also builds upon the high interest from last spring’s Venture Plan Competition, which involved 31 University students on nine teams.

“A team of current students, ‘SoloSticks,’ was the second place winner, and they continue to develop their product for a roll out to campus this academic year,” Stumbris said.

Discover more at https://www.facebook.com/chewingforacure.

“At the ‘Beyond the Bubble’ competition, I am excited to meet more passionate young entrepreneurs like me. I strongly believe that my pitch, BuckSell.com, will change Bucknellians’ lives and make the University a better and more environmental friendly place,” Thomas Zhu ’14 said.

“The diversity of ideas is amazing. Students will pitch ventures ranging from a Bucknell-themed mini-golf course to language learning software, and from a chemistry-inspired microbrewery to a clothing line inspired by one student’s Nigerian heritage,” Stumbris said.

 

Amanda Ayers
Managing Editor

The University’s radio station, WVBU, will be hosting an Election Night event in the Bison on Nov. 6, which will feature a mix of live debates, discussion, entertainment and video elements. The festivities will begin at 7 p.m. and last until approximately 11 p.m., depending on the results of the election. The event will be simulcast via 90.5 FM and WVBU’s web stream at www.wvbu.com.

“The idea was to host an event that is unique and informative both in person and on the radio,” WVBU Station Manager Alex Alam ’13 said. “We’re really excited about the combination of video and live discussion, but as a radio station, we wanted to also focus on the experience for those listening but not in the room.”

The debate aspect will take place on a stage in the Bison and will feature three debates between students affiliated with every major political club at the University. There will be live interviews with faculty and professors from various backgrounds and political orientations, as well as prerecorded interviews from those who cannot attend the event but still wanted to contribute. Finally, live results will be shared as they come in, assisted by commentary written by students in a journalism writing class.

“Our hope is that the debates will foster interesting and relevant conversations about the political landscape. Our ultimate goal is really to start a conversation that lasts beyond just the night of Nov. 6. The implications of this election will probably affect Bucknell students more than many realize right now,” WVBU Co-Music Director Charlie Geitz ’15 said.

The event is designed to have a structured format, but could nevertheless have unpredictable moments. For example, the moderators will use questions prewritten by WVBU, but the debate will also be shaped by the students who attend as well as by what is said in the debates.

Alam and Geitz want this to be an opportunity and outlet for students to voice opinions that they may otherwise have been hesitant to share. They are strongly encouraging and hoping for audience participation. They want to facilitate serious conversation and interaction between students around campus and encourage anyone interested in getting involved in any way to email Geitz at cmg020 or to either of them during the event on Election Night.

“A lot of traditional media coverage not only is from one political viewpoint, but is also very one-sided, since people just watch instead of speaking as well. So we wanted to create a new type of political event, one that can be a real conversation without feeling forced or simply self-affirming,” Alam said.

“I have been encouraged to see that many Bucknell students have been engaged in this year’s campaign, and I think it’s great that WVBU is going to provide a campus venue for information about the national election results as they unfold next week,” said Scott Meinke, Associate Professor of Political Science.

Sara Blair Matthews
News Writer

Walter Isaacson commented on innovative historical figures, the importance of education and the future of technology in his conversation with Jim Cramer on Oct. 27 in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts. The event took place at 9 a.m. and was featured in the University’s Homecoming Weekend activity lineup. The majority of the conversation focused on Isaacson’s new biography “Steve Jobs.”

“Bucknell connects the liberal arts with technology. People who understand both have the key to success,” Isaacson said.

Isaacson touched heavily on how Steve Jobs viewed the world as well as how he has shaped his company. In regards to the upcoming election, Jobs said he was fed up with the Democratic party and its disregard for businesses. Jobs believed that businesses are the backbone for creating jobs, and he thought that the government’s unnecessary regulations make it difficult to conduct business.

“If you have a real passion for your products, it triumphs a passion for profit,” Isaacson said about Jobs.

With Apple, every four to five years Jobs tried to do something out of the box. He also decided to focus on four products to ensure they were beautifully crafted and correctly executed. Jobs saw himself as an artist and insisted on maintaining the integrity of his products, even when it meant a lost profit.

“I learned from my dad that when you’re an artist, you care about the parts that are unseen,” Jobs said to Isaacson.

“As an owner of Apple products, I found Walter Isaacson’s discussion about his Steve Jobs biography to be very thought–provoking. I hadn’t thought about my MacBook Pro or iPod Nano in the ways that Mr. Isaacson described, which is essentially that my laptop is a product of the convergence of the liberal arts and the sciences, which both Steve Jobs and Isaacson value deeply. In retrospect, I totally agree,” Josh Wilson ’15 said.

Isaacson also relayed that it was very difficult for him to remain unbiased throughout his interviewing process with Jobs.

“You become emotionally wrapped up and know a thousand times more about everything,” Isaacson said. “You rarely get the opportunity to know what somebody is thinking.”

“This lecture gave me much more respect for Steve Jobs and his legacy. I never gave much thought into what goes into making Apple products, and now I have much more appreciation for the company as a whole,” Sam Robinson ’15 said.

Isaacson also talked about the commonalities between the subjects of his biographies.

“All three [Jobs, Franklin and Einstein] thought out of the box,” Isaacson said. “Franklin was an innovator on many levels … and Einstein’s fingerprints are on everything–space travel, television, lasers, the atomic bomb, etc.”

Isaacson, chairman of the board of Teach for America, commended the University for its strong contribution to the program.

“Bucknell boosts creativity, and it is one of the biggest schools for Teach for America,” Isaacson said.

Isaacson argued that even though our higher education system is still the strongest in the world, our elementary and secondary systems have dropped dramatically in rankings over the past fifty years.

“Now our education system is seventeenth or eighteenth on the international rankings, and the gap is widening … every kid deserves a decent shot to be educated and to succeed,” Isaacson said. “The transformation of education will come from innovation. America is like a gyroscope. Just when you think it’s going to turn over, it turns back.”

Siobhan Murray
Writer

The website BuckSell.com will open to the campus community as a tool to buy and sell goods and services locally on Nov. 10. The project is the work of University students Thomas Zhu ’14, Jesse Dondero ’13, Alik Kurbanov ’14, Troy Ren ’14 and Nicole Papaleo ’14 who started the company Esperon Technology, LLC and began work on the website in January of this year. Their goal is to make a “one stop shop” for students to exchange books, clothes, electronics, household items, tickets, vehicles and other services such as rides, tutoring, jobs and volunteering. Students who wish to participate in the earlier Nov. 5 private launch can email contact@bucksell.com.

Who were the creators of Buck$ell?

Thomas Zhu: “Five current Bucknell students, including me, started a company this year. I am the co-founder and chairman of the board. Jesse Dondero is the CEO, Alik Kurbanov is the COO, Troy Ren is the CAO, Nicole Papaleo is the CMO. We tried different ideas at the beginning. Then I proposed this idea, which is to start a website to help Bucknellians to buy, sell and exchange used goods and post services on a more user-friendly online platform.”

Jesse Dondero: “We also have a whole marketing team that includes Jen Lassen ’15, Sam Schlitzer ’14 and Elise Perazzini ’15.”

What exactly would you describe it as: a website, message center app, etc.?

Dondero: “I would define the website as a much more intuitive version of Message Center with many more capabilities.”

Zhu: “We would like to create a free and easy to use online platform to help Bucknellians to save money from traditional online shopping and selling. For example, every year students need to sell used books and household stuff (lamps, chairs, etc). Instead of letting other dealers collect them and resell to students to gain a big profit, students can directly sell and buy from other students. Our mottos are ‘Make a quick Buck? Sell your stuff!’ and ‘One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.'”

Is the service free?

Zhu: “All Bucknellians who have an ‘.edu’ email address can register and use our services for free. We will also engage Lewisburg small businesses with students as well. The Bucknell community will get the first-hand news or discount about Lewisburg area enterprises. We want to help small business owners and boost the local economy.”

Where did the inspiration for such a great tool came from?

Zhu: “I got this idea from my personal experience. Every year I have to go to all the websites to buy books and also sell them at a very cheap price to dealers in the end. Beside books, I usually buy stuff online. The shipping cost and all the extra paper boxes make me feel that I am wasting money and killing trees. On the other hand, Message Center cannot provide pictures and I always receive product information that I don’t need. If I need a ride, I need to go to LC to check the physical board. Some of my friends also want to keep privacy on what they buy and sell instead of sending a message to the whole campus to find a seller or buyer.”

Dondero: “If you want something for your downtown house or dorm room, such as a TV, it can be difficult or even unreliable (referring to Craigslist or local classifieds) to find someone offering that good. Also, Buck$ell is a great place for people to go on and list services, such as tutoring, as there is a review function for people to rate the quality of the service they received.”

Can you describe the development process?

Dondero: “We began to determine the needs of the site as well as build the business plan, and in the beginning of September hired a development team, operating both in the US and India, to begin the programming process. It has been a fun and exciting process that I recommend anyone who is given the chance to pursue takes.”

Can you tell me a little bit more about your company?

Zhu: “The company name is Esperon Technology, LLC. Esperon means ‘hope’ in Esperanto, which is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. We came together because of the passion for being young entrepreneurs in the 21st Century and we were inspired by our distinguished alumni at Professor Gruver’s leadership conferences in New York City and Philadelphia. Also we are very grateful to the great resources and strong support from the University faculty and administrators and Bucknell SBDC.”

 

Kerong Kelly
Writer

The massive 12-hour event, Relay for Life, is to be held in the field house on April 28. The goal is to raise awareness for cancer research and to support the survivors of the disease.

“We’re really excited for Relay to get things going and we really hope to get a lot of people involved and raise awareness for cancer,” Mackenzie Yaw ’15 said.

The Relay for Life planning committee is working on a number of engaging activities; such as concerts by University a cappella groups, volleyball teams and games and the attendance of vendors such as Starbucks and Dominoes to cater during the event. During the event, there will also be a survivorship ceremony, where survivors and speakers will present their experiences and hopes for the future in cancer research and support.

“It’s a really good way of involving the campus community through service,” Janie Whelan ’16 said.

The planning committee, comprised of about 70 members, has started to meet on a regular basis to discuss possible themes and activities in order to increase attendance. They would also like to involve the sororities and fraternities more so than last year.

“This will be my seventh year participating in this event and I am so excited to see what Bucknell is planning,” Liz Baldwin ’16 said.

Daniel Park
Writer

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone came to the University to deliver an inspirational speech about his past and what he sacrificed to achieve success in modern society. He gave his lecture at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 23.

He started off with various jokes about his past life, making references to his family, and finally delved into more serious topics ranging from failure, opportunity, creativity, technology and empathy. Stone then questioned the concept of “what’s next?”

The beginning of the event revolved around his past life, like how he had become obsessed with the idea of web design and how he first came to the idea of starting his own company that revolved around web design and blogging.

“Although everyone was criticizing our ideas and constantly told us it was dumb and a waste of time, we were out to have fun and constantly innovate,” Stone said.

Despite being constantly put down for his ideas on designing a blogging website, he emphasized the point that the perspective of others should not influence every decision or action you decide to take.

“Twitter was to be not the triumph of technology, but the triumph for humanity. It definitely had a different motto than a company like Google, where technology was the resolution to all problems.”

He made references to Google after the bizarre events he experienced during his visit to Google headquarters, such as an employee of Google recording every show on TV simultaneously.

The last thirty minutes or so was Q and A not only between the speaker and Biz Stone, but also the audience.

“Privacy and liberty … are people giving up privacy? If all information is digitized the ability to be anonymous is gone. Do you see this as a glass half full or half empty?” assistant professor of management Jordi Comas said.

“All of it is our choice. Technology in a sense makes us super humans capable of doing the incapable. Holistically, humanity is testing the boundaries of how much we should share. What is too much or too little? The point is, we are in control,” Stone said.

Comas continued to ask questions on privacy issues like government involvement and the  extent that our freedom of speech holds.

Many other members of the campus community were also eager to ask questions about Stone’s opinion on various social networking topics.

Bucknellian-President Bravman Homecoming Q&A

Jen Lassen

News Editor

News Editor Jen Lassen ’15 sat down with President John Bravman to discuss the “We Do” campaign that will launch this Homecoming Weekend. A first in University history, the campaign is ultimately about the learning that goes on at the University between students and faculty.

Besides raising money, what is the main goal of the “We Do” campaign?

“Campaigns have many goals. One, of course, is to increase the resource base of the University, but it’s also to build a large and sustainable network of alumni and volunteers that will be engaged in this campaign. At a place like Bucknell, it’s a place for students; we’re a student-centric undergraduate institution. To enable that, we also need this group of alumni to be engaged like never before.”

How much planning has gone into this campaign, and when did the planning commence?

“It has been about 10 to 12 months of very active planning. The University has talked about it before I got here; the campaign was announced in 2007 but delayed by the economic downturn and delayed again by presidential transition. So the campaign has been talked about for a while, but what it’s become has been a very intensive project over the last year. We actually did in 10-12 months what might typically be done in 18 months, but I strongly felt that we couldn’t wait anymore.”

What long-term effects do you foresee for this campaign?

“Long-term effects are to provide additional opportunities for students and faculty, and to put the University on a stronger financial footing. It is, on the one hand, amazing what our University does with our core financial resources, but our endowment is quite low compared to almost all of our peers. Our core financial strength is well below that of our peer and aspirant institutions. This will only be our third major comprehensive campaign; many of our peers have had four, five, six … When we launch this weekend, it will be 16 years between public launches. At many schools, that’s probably double the intervals they’ve seen. We want to provide our faculty the full set of resources that they need and deserve to deliver the best education in the country.”

What response do you predict the campaign will receive?

“The people we’ve talked about it with are very excited. As we’ve shared that faculty and staff have generated for the campaign, captured only in part by our theme of ‘We Do,’ people are very excited by it. It has traditional components of endowment for financial aid, endowment for faculty and construction of buildings, but on top of that, we’ve also added goals in six academic areas [the Creative Campus Initiative, the Global Learning Initiative, the Human Health Initiative, the Management Education Initiative, the Residential Learning Initiative and the Sustainability Initiative]. That’s a fairly new concept that we’ve built for Bucknell. I certainly hope [the campaign] will start strengthening the financial resources of the University, to build some of the buildings we need, and to really launch these initiatives.”

Where will the campaign go beyond the University?

“We’ll have three years of road shows in 10 to 12 cities. In the calendar year 2013 starting in January, we’ll be in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston and New York. We’ll be taking faculty and students on the road with us. I predict that it will be 10 to 12 major city events, 30 to 50 smaller events around the country and hundreds of individual visits.”

What does “Homecoming” mean to you?

“I love the phrase ‘Homecoming.’ It’s a great phrase. We really believe it’s not a cliché because in some measure, we want our University to be a home for alumni forever. It becomes a home typically somewhere during their freshman year, but we want it to be a home for people throughout their lives.”

What are you most looking forward to this weekend?

“I’m most looking forward to telling stories about what we do for our students, why we want to raise this resource base for our students and faculty and, quite frankly, bragging about how our faculty and students work together … that’s always a great, fun time.”

Sara Blair Matthews
News Editor

You’ve said in the past that Twitter was founded on simplicity. Why do you think that is especially important now that our society is so focused on multitasking?

“I don’t really believe in multitasking. I think you can do one thing well at a time. With regard to Twitter, maybe I’m obsessed with simplicity because I’m actually not that smart. I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. But I also believe, from a higher altitude look at this stuff, that constraint really breeds creativity. The simpler or more constrained something is, or the less resources you have, the more imagination it takes to respond, and I’ve always thought that. When I was a little kid, I would go to the restaurant and we’d flip over the menus to draw. I would ask my mom, ‘What should I draw?’ I just didn’t know what to do on the blank piece of paper. She would say, ‘Draw whatever you want,’ and I would say, ‘I can’t think of anything!’ If she would say, ‘Just draw a truck,’ at least I had an idea of a place to start … so simplicity breeds more creativity, and I really don’t believe in multitasking.”

What are your long term goals for Twitter?

“I don’t work there any more, so my long term goals are that they just do incredibly well without me. But I guess a better way of saying that is I hope that if Twitter is to be a triumph, it’s not to be necessarily considered a triumph of technology, but rather a triumph of humanity. I hope it becomes a symbol of what people can do when they coordinate and collaborate more than celebrated for its algorithms or its data centers.”

If you had to do it all over again would you do it the same way?

“I would probably do it the same way because I think that there was so much joy and fun in the early days and the way we approached it. If I wasn’t having fun, then I wouldn’t have stuck with it. Even though there were so many problems, we weren’t technically ready for the success we had and an easy answer would be I would do it by investing first in infrastructure, I still wouldn’t change it. What made it work was the joy we were having when we did it.”

Christina Oddo & Sara Blair Matthews
Arts & Life Editor, News Editor

In his lecture “How To Be Successful,” which occurred in Trout Auditorium on Oct. 22, Richard Zare claimed that problem solving is the key to a successful life. He also asked whether or not problem solving could be taught, and continued to question this throughout the lecture.

He offered TIPS, standing for Thought Process, Information, Plan and Solution. These steps involve thinking about the problem, as well as highlighting key words involved in its solution.

After considering TIPS, Zare explained that through further research he learned you need to “decompose the problem into smaller problems,” and to “think of similar problems you can solve” if the problem is too difficult.

Zare said that in order to get better at solving problems, you need to actually solve problems. It is not sufficient enough to just read a book about problem solving. In this way, intervention on a teacher’s part may not necessarily help the student. Zare emphasized that at some point, everyone will be a teacher, whether it is in a parental, office or academic setting. He noted that it is important to keep in mind that students need to learn through practice rather than mere observation.

“I learned to enjoy what I am learning and stop stressing over school,” Olivia Cohen ’14 said. “He was a really great speaker and had the audience fully engaged.”

In regards to problem solving strategy, Zare highlighted working backwards as well as the importance of immersing yourself in a problem. He related personal experiences where he obsessed and dreamed about problems and ended up solving them through these creative methods.

Problem solving is all about attitude, and the “willingness to play with reality.” He promotes the questioning of assumptions.

Zare also spoke about his love for solving seemingly challenging problems. He challenged the audience to a coin problem, a US states problem and a few optical illusions. He also talked about his problem solving correspondence with friends across the country and how they take joy in attempting to stump one another.

Zare encouraged the audience to “celebrate the joy of ‘aha!’ … a thrilling moment of discovery.” He also emphasized the importance of failure.

“Let failure be your guide to success in problem solving,” Zare said.

Zare received his undergraduate and graduate degree at Harvard University, and he has been working at Stanford since 1977.

 

Brianna Marshall
Writer

Homecoming 2012 promises to be extremely entertaining for alumni as well as faculty and students. Campus has been buzzing with activity in preparation with the construction of the tent on the quad and other additions such as the “We Do” banners hanging on the windows of the Elaine Langone Center. With activities ranging from concerts to athletic events, there is sure to be something for everyone to enjoy this weekend.

While alumni-focused events with limited student attendance are a key component of Homecoming Weekend, there are many interesting opportunities for students. Uptown is hosting a concert featuring Vertical Horizon, famous for their 90’s hit “Everything You Want,” tonight at 9 p.m. Other musical events include a concert by Corey Harris tonight at 8 p.m. at the Campus Theatre and, for those who were lucky enough to win a ticket in the student drawing, Norah Jones will be performing in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

Saturday is a fun-filled day of events starting with a conversation at 9 a.m. in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts between Jim Cramer, host of “Mad Money” and Walter Isaacson, bestselling author and biographer of Steve Jobs. A Q&A session with Ana Aguilera Silva ’14, Mairead Smith ’13 and Chris Spahr ’13, led by President John Bravman, will follow. 

The University Celebration and Pre-Game Showcase, featuring the work of faculty and students across many academic disciplines, will be held at 11 a.m. at the Practice Field.  The Homecoming football game against Colgate will follow at 1 p.m. Also at 1 p.m. will be music, theatre and dance performances by students and faculty are being held in Natalie Davis Rooke Recital Hall. For those who are interested in a more interactive experience, an arboretum walking tour, led by Associate Professor of Geography Duane Griffin and Associate Professor of Biology Mark Spiro, will leave from the Bertrand Library at 2:30 p.m.

Although the campus has become well-aware of “the public launch of the largest fundraising campaign in Bucknell’s history,” as described by Bravman, Homecoming Weekend is a great way to promote campus involvement and highlight all the work students and faculty do every day. Bucknell Student Government (BSG) is among the many student organizations that are represented at these events.

“BSG is honored to be a part of the many wonderful activities and happenings of this special weekend. They recognize and appreciate how important this weekend is as it welcomes home Bucknellians and kicks off a campaign launch, which is incredibly important to Bucknell’s future,” said BSG advisor and Associate Dean of Students Kari Conrad.