inauguration address silences student spectators

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, students drifted in and out of Union Court. Some were just there to grab a bite to eat or kill time before class. But others were waiting to watch the historic inauguration of America’s first black president.

Just before noon, Union Court and the Strafford Room filled with students who fell silent as Barack Hussein Obama took his oaths as the 44th President of the United States.

“It was great,” said sophomore Brandon Fitts. “Everything was so still and quiet during the speech and then, after, everyone returned back to their lives.”

Obama delivered an inaugural address that was eloquent yet grim and fitting to the times. Obama acknowledged the grave circumstances the country is facing—the high costs of health care, the war against terror, Iraq and the weakened economy. But he also spoke of hope, resilience and, of course, change.

“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America,” Obama said to much applause, both in Washington, D.C., and in the Strafford Room.
For many students, this was the first inauguration they had watched or been interested in.

“It will be the most important in my lifetime,” said freshman Justin Wolbert, who voiced his main concern as ending the war and is looking forward to the next few years. Despite the solemn nature of Obama’s address, the general atmosphere at the inauguration and inside the MUB was optimistic.
“People have been comparing him to Kennedy, based on people’s enthusiasm,” said junior Aimee Lockhardt. “It’s the same feeling as in the ’60s.”

Though students are hopeful for a positive change in the world, they also realize that Obama faces many difficult challenges.

“There’s only so much a president can do,” said senior Jeff Constock. “If he does half the stuff he says he’ll do, I’ll be impressed.”

If Obama can accomplish everything he has promised, “he will be a hero,” said senior Becky Noyes.
After the speech was finished, the Union Court and Strafford Room emptied rather quickly as people returned to classes, homework and other everyday activities, but the optimism lingered.

“Anything can be possible,” said senior Alice Kirega. “Ten years ago, this was more of a theory. Who knows what can happen in the future.”

pipe dream no more: methane pipeline project completed

There is going to be a new power source in town, and it’s coming from a place you might not expect.
The EcoLine pipeline, which will pipe enriched and purified gas from Waste Management’s Rochester landfill to UNH’s cogeneration plant, was completed over winter break. This brings the school one step closer to becoming the first university in the nation to use landfill gas as a primary energy source.

The gas is purified at a processing plant in Rochester at Waste Management’s Turnkey Recycling and Environmental Enterprise Facility. It is then piped underground 12.7 miles to UNH’s cogeneration plant.

The plant captures waste heat normally lost during the production of electricity and uses the energy to heat the buildings on campus.

Landfill gas should replace commercial natural gas in the cogeneration plant in February once the Rochester processing plant finishes testing.

The project will pay dividends to the wallet and the environment.

“Financially, the project will stabilize campus energy costs,” said Paul Chamberlin, assistant vice president of UNH’s Energy and Campus Development Division. “That’s an important benefit in light of the recent instability in the energy costs.”

Environmentally, landfill gas is classified as a renewable energy source. The carbon-neutral gas will replace nonrenewable commercial natural gas.

“The project dramatically reduces our use of nonrenewable fossil fuel with all of the associated benefits,” said Chamberlin. “Over the life of the project, it will also reduce our carbon footprint and, for the region, the amount of pollutants emitted into the atmosphere.”

The first testing of the pipeline, held on Jan. 13, didn’t go smoothly. Rochester residents reported smelling what seemed to be gas, but it turned out to be methyl mercaptan, a harmless odorant added to odorless gases such as natural gas.

“There was never a public safety risk and the valves were closed in less than three minutes,” the university said in a statement. There have been no incidents since.

The final price tag for the project has surpassed the original estimate of $45 million due to increases in the cost of energy and materials following the economic downturn, according to Chamberlin.

“Unfortunately, we were placing orders and starting into construction when prices were going up,” he said.

The EcoLine project has been years in the making. The school spent three years developing and testing the pipeline idea. Construction began in August 2007. —Thomas Gounley