The Bucknellian

Paige Bailey
Writer

Associate Professor of International Relations and Political Science Zhiqun Zhu said that President Obama’s recent complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) was a “calculated” move to appear “tough” on China amidst a heated election. Zhu’s commentary was quoted in the international newspaper, “China Daily,” this past month. Zhu teaches courses in Chinese politics and foreign policy, East Asian political economy, U.S.-East Asian relations and international relations theory and is the MacArthur Chair in East Asian Politics at the University. Zhu’s esteem is evident by journalists frequently asking him to give his opinion on current events related to China-U.S. relations.

The complaint to the WTO was specifically aimed at the use of subsidies for auto parts by the Chinese government.

Zhu said it could take as long as two years for Obama’s complaint to make waves. Therefore, Zhu said, this action was clearly a symbolic gesture to appeal to a “certain sector” of society.

This segment of American society is compromised of those who have been “left behind” in globalization, Zhu said. Workers from the American automobile industry are exemplary of the displacement of globalization. Because of the loss of jobs in the auto industry, Obama’s recent announcement was delivered in Ohio, a key swing state that the president will need in November.

Zhu also said that Obama and Romney both make rhetorically tough statements on China to appeal to these “losers” of globalization. This block of voters will be critical for both Romney and Obama in November.

“Professor Zhu’s article illustrates the importance of foreign policy to this year’s presidential election. Being a registered Ohio voter, I am constantly reminded that the primary concern of the election is the economy,” said Andy Watts ’13, an international relations and economics double major. “We cannot forget that our domestic economy is significantly impacted by polices abroad, as well.”

Zhu said America should not exclusively go after China for the economic pains that globalization has wrought. There is the “simple fact” that labor is significantly cheaper in the developing world, and Chinese goods are attractive to American consumers. Because of this, Zhu believes the U.S. policymakers should work toward a more cooperative relationship to promote their mutual economic interests.

“In determining my vote, foreign policy is very important to me … I think it’s a mistake to jeopardize our relationship with China, as both candidates have been doing by way of political ads and complaints to the WTO. China is one of our foremost trading partners and a major world power–if relations turn antagonistic, our trade and security policies could be seriously impacted,” Alex Bird ’13 said.

Zhu made the importance of being “tough” on China clear.

“Obama is not the first to try and appear tough on China … Every candidate has to be tough on China, or they won’t defeat their rival,” Zhu said.

Clearly then, the issue of China will continue to play a role in American political debates, as the country attempts to adjust to the interdependence that has characterized modern globalization.

Kerong Kelly
Contributing writer

Though it was a chilly night, audience members were captivated by Kenan Thompson’s witty remarks and impressions of past characters he has played. Thompson was part of University Activities & Campus Event’s Center Stage Event Sept. 29 held on the Sojka Lawn.

“Kenan was a very good speaker and he made it a relaxed and friendly environment,” Kirsten Fitch ’16 said.

After several personal anecdotes about life as an actor, Thompson opened the floor for questions. A line of students quickly formed, as they raced at the chance to meet Thompson personally. Thompson fluidly interacted with the students and was thoroughly amused when the crowd began singing “’Ray Bucknell.” He even promised to give the University a shout-out on Saturday Night Live.

“I thought he did a good job, though it wasn’t the traditional kind of stand up comedy. It was interesting to see him integrate his life into his routine,” Connor McLaughlin ’16 said.

Other students felt differently.  “It was really disappointing that Kenan really hadn’t prepared anything,” Geoff Barnes ’13 said.  He felt the comedian really didn’t give the audience the time and effort it deserved.

Students especially enjoyed seeing the reenactment of the character, Dexter Reed from “Good Burger.” At the end of Thompson’s performance, students swiftly formed a group around the much-admired comedian, asking for pictures and signatures.

“I haven’t laughed so hard since the first time I first saw ‘Good Burger,’” Kevin Thomas ’13 said.

Thompson effectively wove personal stories and experiences into a comic routine that will forever live in University history.

Elizabeth Bacharach
Senior Writer

Associate Professor of Biology, Chris Martine, has been named the David Burpee Chair in Plant Genetics and Research at the University. Martine, a professor of botany at SUNY Plattsburgh for six years, aided in the creation of the first student chapter of the Botanical Society of America. Martine is the author of two books, many peer-reviewed publications and is in the process of creating the third episode of his series “Plants Are Cool, Too!” which teaches the public about botany in a light-hearted way. The Bucknellian sat down with him recently to find out more about his interest in botany.

As a child, how did you know you wanted to focus on botany when you grew up? What intrigued you about the topic?

“Like a lot of children interested in nature, my first love was animals. I can remember being asked in third grade what I wanted to be, and I said ‘Jane Goodall, the famous primatologist.’ Even though I spent a lot time in my mother’s gardens as a child, I didn’t really see how special plants were until I got to college. That’s when I took courses that helped me to realize that I was not only surrounded by interesting plants full of cool stories, but that my existence as a living organism on this planet owes a lot to their presence.”

What is a typical day like as Professor/Dr. Martine?

“I have a family, so every day begins and ends with them. And I also ride my bike to work each day. Outside of that, nearly every day is different–which is one of the wonderful things about being a college professor and scientist.”

What do you hope to accomplish as a professor here at the University?

“My main goal is to work with Dr. Mark Spiro to establish Bucknell University as having one of the most well-regarded undergraduate botany programs in the country. When someone says, ‘Who is doing great plant-related things with undergrads?’, I want Bucknell to be part of the answer.”

What does it mean to you to be the next David Burpee Chair in Plant Genetics and Research here at the University?

“I am honored to have been chosen for this position for a host of reasons, including the impressive career achievements of the previous Burpee Chair, Dr. Warren Abrahamson. I left a job I really liked (at SUNY Plattsurgh) in large part because this position offers me the potential to make a greater impact in my field than was possible there.”

What was your inspiration for the show “Plants Are Cool, Too!”?

“Seven or eight years ago, I started thinking that one of the reasons why biologically-inclined young people don’t find much interest in plants is that there are no TV shows about them. One can find shows about animals on multiple channels at any time on most days. But, outside of the occasional gardening show, nothing about plants. Certainly nothing that compares to shows like ‘Crocodile Hunter’ or things like that. It seemed to me that there had to be room for a fun and smart show about the cool plants of the world. So I started telling people I wanted to make that show … and be the host of that show.”

Why do you think the world needs to know that plants are cool, too?

“I mentioned in class earlier in the semester the concept of ‘plant blindness,’ the idea that many people don’t really see the plants around them. We all see the green, but it doesn’t look like much else to us. You can walk around this campus over the course of a summer day and find literally hundreds of species of plants, but only if you know how to see them and are willing to look. This is my goal, to help people to see the green stuff that is all around them every minute of every day, because there is an amazing world just beyond our cell phone screens that is worth knowing about.”

What is some advice you would give to University students, those studying botany/biology and those not?

“It’s not just about the grades. It’s about learning new things and becoming knowledgeable. This is a time in your life, maybe the last time, when your number one job is to learn–and our number one job, as your professors, is to help you do that! That is a sweet deal, if you ask me. So use this time to really learn some things, not just check off the boxes and get your degree.”

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

“My broad research area is the ecology and evolution of plant reproduction, so I spend a lot of time thinking about things like flowers, pollination and the movement of seeds. I am also interested in invasive species biology. In recent years, I have used DNA tools to track the evolutionary history of a group of wild Australian eggplant species that exhibit a rare  pollination system, and I am in the process of setting up a study in collaboration with Dr. Beth Capaldi Evans to try and figure out what effect the system has on the bees who visit the flowers. The project includes a field trip to the Outback, of course.”

Olivia Seecof
Contributing Writer

The ManifestAR @ ZERO1 exhibit was simultaneously on display in the Samek Art Gallery at the University and in Silicon Valley in California from September 10-21. The exhibit combined artistic vision and mobile technology to produce works of art that are only able to be viewed through the use of a smart phone or device. This is one of the first times the Samek Art Gallery worked with another gallery across the country to run parallel exhibits.

An app called AR, which stands for Augmented Reality, allows you to scan a code and choose a subject such as a Chinese takeout container with the words “human organ” on it, a monopoly man or even a cloud. The user can then hold his or her phone up around the gallery and see the form he or she chose in the surrounding objects around the gallery. The Samek Art Gallery ran a slide show of videos and pictures of the app, showing that art is not only still, but moving.

“The smart phone exhibit was really awesome because it combined real time viewing on a personal piece of technology with a cross country flair to it,” said Jackie Carpenter ’13.

The Samek’s counterparts in California did similar things in their art gallery. They took their smart phones and traveled to places like the Google and Yahoo! headquarters and used skywriting with green clouds floating overhead. The Samek Art Gallery combined these videos and photos into a presentation located at the back of the Conversations Gallery.

“I loved the variety of people that [the exhibit] brought into the gallery, especially students that maybe wouldn’t ordinarily visit,” said Laura Hildebrandt, a graduate assistant in the Samek Art Gallery. 

Kappa Alpha Theta fraternity held an event in the SAMEK Gallery on Family Weekend.

“The slide show was interesting and stimulating. It allowed conversations to begin among the sisters of Theta and their parents,” Chapter President Christine Ku ’13 said.

The exhibit presented art in a format that people are more familiar with by breaking down traditional boundaries of location and medium of art.

“Once you came in and saw the exhibit here, it really opened your eyes to the possibility of seeing art everywhere. The app can be used anywhere, and it just goes to show that art doesn’t have to be set or structured. It’s really what you imagine it to be,” Carpenter said. 

“I think it was an innovative show that was able to impact many people through its accessible, personal format,” Hildebrandt said.

Daniel Park
Writer

Dr. Hochul Lee of the University of Incheon, Korea talked about the contrasting stances China took in regards to its two nuclear crises in his talk on Oct. 2. The lecture mainly focused on China’s gradual political evolution due to North Korea’s rebellious stance. Lee’s presence has been an important factor in the South Korean government’s foreign affairs, and he has had various research printed by Chinese publications.

His holistic stance on North Korean matters orbits around the sequence of events that has occurred since the early 1990s, which has resulted in the transformation of fundamental Chinese politics.

“The question arises as to why China decided to take a more active role in the second nuclear crises in comparison to the first one. What was the gain they foresaw?” Lee said.

The talk revolved around the nuclear crises that occurred in South East Asia within the early mid 1990s and the early 2000s. The highlight of the lecture was when he talked about why China initially decided to take a passive, “behind the scenes” domestic stance during the first crisis, when in comparison China took a more “aggressive” and proactive diplomatic approach in the second crisis.

The discussion continued over several highly possible insights into China’s security and strategic interests. The preservation of North Korea as a buffer zone, maintaining cooperative relationship with America, the prevention of nuclear domino and the continuation of economic development were all factors discussed over why China decided to implement stronger international policy tactics.

“I emphasize why it was such distinct contrasting behavior from China, although the strategic and security interest existed similarly in the first and second nuclear crises. It wasn’t necessarily purely this sequence of events that caused China’s change from a ‘cautious accommodator’ to a state of ‘constructive architects,’” Lee said.

The evidence provided in his thesis shows that the internal transition of power in Chinese politics was also a major factor in bending traditional Chinese political views.

“Through these head on debates, experiences and encounters by China, they had been persuaded to change their domestic policy because they had realized that their influence could be enormous in global affairs,” Lee said.

The complexity of China’s position in maintaining its alliance with North Korea as well as its goodwill relationship with the United States has put China in a troublesome spot.

“One thing is for certain, the fact that China is trying to pressure North Korea into agreeing with the denuclearization program is definite,” Lee said.