NEWSBREAK
Oakwood College Had Science Experiment on Lost Shuttle
akwood College and its student body joined millions of fellow americans in mourning the loss of the Columbia astronauts when the space shuttle exploded during re-entry on February 1. The college had a special connection to the Columbia mission which sharpened the sense of loss experienced by faculty and students.
Courtney Brown (right) and Grace Mbyirukira, students at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, and Ephraim Gwebu (center), Oakwood director of research and chemistry professor joined The Biospace Group, also of Huntsville, to produce a space research experiment for the mission. While space shuttles have carried student experiments for several years, this was a first for Oakwood College.
The research centered around the production of nerve growth factor (NGF). Both Alzheimer's disease and spinal cord injuries cause the loss of valuable nerve cells which do not regenerate. Normally the body produces NGF which promotes cell development, but following the onset of disease or spinal cord injury, NGF is inhibited. Oakwood College students, along with researchers around the world, have been interested in the promotion of nerve cell regeneration which would combat Alzheimer's as well as lead to supporting research that will lead to spinal cord regeneration and prevent paralysis. The experiment was to test the effect of microgavity on nerve-growth-factor treated cells.
Brown and Mbyirukira are both freshmen biochemistry majors. They were trained during the summer of 2002 by Gwebu to prepare the research experiment for the space shuttle. The Columbia, originally scheduled to fly July 19, 2002, was delayed by NASA scheduling difficulties. When the word came to Oakwood to package the experiment for the shuttle's January 16 launch, Gwebu was in Zimbabwe preparing students in international research training. This left the two students to successfully package the experiment and submit it to NASA. "I was very proud of them," said Gwebu.
The Columbia space shuttle left January 16 with more than 80 experiments on-board. These included experiments which directly involved the astronauts as well as those in commercial space provided for international and commercial users. Oakwood College, together with Biospace, an advanced technology company dedicated to human tissue research, worked with Instrumentation Technology Associates (ITA). ITA provides low-cost, multi-user hardware for industry or research organizations which allows them to fly on shuttle missions. The Oakwood experiment was located in the mid-deck area of the space shuttle. While the astronauts activated the equipment once they were in flight, the experiments ran without the flight crew's assistance. Effects on the experiments while in space are recorded once the shuttle returns to earth.
The Columbia space shuttle was in space for just under 16 days and exploded upon re-entry into the earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003. All experiments onboard were lost.
"We thank God for the opportunity of sending our research experiment," said Gwebu. "We mourn with the families and the NASA family on the loss of these highly talented individuals."
Rwanda Pastor Found Guilty By U.N. Tribunal
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) sentenced a former Seventh-day Adventist administrator, Elizaphan Ntakirutimana, to 10 years in prison and his son, G�rard, to 25 years in prison for their roles in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
In a statement about its February 19 decision, the United Nations tribunal said that G�rard Ntakirutimana, 45, a medical doctor practicing at Mugonero Adventist Hospital was convicted of genocide and of crimes against humanity (murder); and Elizaphan Ntakirutimana, 78, was convicted of aiding and abetting in genocide.
"We are saddened by the outcome of this trial," says Ray Dabrowski, communication director at the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters. "The great complexity of this case, the vast quantities of often conflicting evidence, and the continuing bitterness of many who have been caught up in this tragedy have made the tribunal's task a difficult one. As a church, we extend our deepest sympathies to all those whose lives have been shattered by this terrible experience."
Since allegations against Ntakirutimana first surfaced, Adventist officials have urged a resolution of the charges through appropriate legal forums. The church has cooperated fully with both the United Nations tribunal and with defense lawyers for Ntakirutimana and his son.
Elizaphan Ntakirutimana, a Rwandan national who had lived in retirement near Laredo, Texas, since 1994, was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in June 1996. He was arrested in September of that year and extradited from the United States in early 2000 to stand trial in Tanzania. At the time of the Rwandan war, Ntakirutimana served as president of the church's South Rwanda Field.
According to the ICTR, the Ntakirutimanas jointly faced two indictments, the "Mugonero" indictment with five counts and the "Bisesero" indictment with seven counts. The indictments charged the accused with genocide, in the alternative complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide as well as crimes against humanity. The father and son allegedly participated in killings and attacks against "a large number of men, women and children" who sought refuge in the Mugonero Adventist complex as well as in the area of Bisesero, both located in Kibuye Prefecture.
The statement said that the tribunal judges "examined in detail all of the Prosecution's allegations against the accused and found that there was insufficient evidence against either of them on the counts of complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, crimes against humanity (extermination), crimes against humanity (other inhumane acts) contained in both Indictments, and the count of serious violations of to the Geneva Conventions contained in the Bisesero Indictment."
Throughout the 12-month-long trial in Arusha, Tanzania, Ntakirutimana and his son have argued their innocence.
The ICTR said that the judges delivered a unanimous verdict, and, subject to any appeal, the father and son will serve their sentences in the prisons of one of the countries with which the tribunal has an agreement for the enforcement of sentences. The tribunal has now convicted 10 accused and acquitted one.
Adventist world church leaders and the church in Rwanda have made reconciliation--both within the general community and among church membership--one of their highest post-civil war priorities. In March 1998, a series of major "reconciliation conferences" were sponsored by the Adventist Church, and were aimed at promoting frank discussions and rebuilding trust between rival tribes. Adventist minister Esdras Mpyisi, once advisor to the former king of Rwanda, led out in the talks in which representatives from warring factions determined to work together toward mutual tolerance and understanding. -- Taken from Adventist News Network
Colombian Pastor Released
After Nearly Six Months in Captivity
Adventists throughout Colombia and the rest of the Inter-America Division rejoiced as Gonzalo Cardona was released February 6 after being kidnapped nearly six months earlier by guerrillas in Colombia.
Cardona, pastor of an 800-member church in Uraba, an area in northwest Colombia, was abducted August 19, 2002 while traveling in his car with his family.
"I have been reborn, thank the Lord," Cardona declared after his release.
Church members, pastors, leaders and friends welcomed Pastor Cardona with signs and cheers as he and his family arrived in the city of Medellin on February 9. His release followed a special day of fasting and prayer held December 14 by church members in Colombia and around the world (see report in January 2003 Adventist Review).
"He has undergone some stress tests, and has a mild case of malaria due to the unhealthy conditions while being exposed to the elements of the jungle in captivity," said Jose Rojano, communication director for the church in Colombia. "We hope that he will be fully recovered soon. However, his spirits and psychological state are stable."
According to Rojano, Cardona and his family are presently in the southwest of the country to visit family and friends, and will soon be transferred to the Oasis district in Medellin to pastor a church.
During 2002, six church members were kidnapped. All have been released, with the exception of church auditor Dionisio Galindo, who disappeared earlier in the year.--Adventist News Network
News Notes
Virginia Kettering, 95, a leading philanthropist in Dayton, Ohio, died February 17, 2003. Through her personal funds and the family=s Kettering Fund, Mrs. Kettering supported many educational institutions, fine arts organizations, and civic improvements in the Ohio area. With her husband, Eugene, who died in 1969, they built Kettering Memorial Hospital, an Adventist owned and operated institution.
A recent study found that Walla Walla College's contribution to the surrounding communities totals $103 million per year. The study was conducted by an economic consulting firm and specifically looked at the economic impact of the number of dollars spent by the college, its faculty, staff, students, and local alumni.
"It is a privilege to be a part of the Walla Walla community," says Jon Dybdahl, president. "We are proud of the role our college plays both in the economic vitality of our community as well as in the social and culture life of the region."
The Georgia-Cumberland Conference's literature ministry sales totaled 1.1 million dollars in 2002. This is the thirteenth year sales have surpassed the million dollar mark.
Avista Adventist Hospital, Louisville, Colorado, was named among Solucient's 2001 100 Top Hospitals' National Benchmarks for Success. Avista was one of only 20 small community hospitals nationwide to be selected for this distinction.
Wintley Phipps delivered the keynote address at the Martin Luther King Unity Breakfast held in Carson, California on February 4. Sponsored by California State University, the breakfast is held each year to highlight local community groups as well as individuals who are building upon the legacy of King.
Tommy Thompson, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, visited North Hawaii Community Hospital, an Adventist hospital located in Kamuela on the "big island" of Hawaii, in early January. Thompson met with the president of the hospital, toured the facilities, and spoke about health care issues and concerns at a special luncheon.
Correction We incorrectly identified the women's ministries director of the Southern Asia Division in a news item in the February 20, 2003 Cutting Edge edition. The name should have been listed as Hepzibah Kore.
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