A Sampling of Clips for February 3, 2010

* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office

Is the 'Avatar' Concept Really Possible?
CNN, Feb. 3 -- Scientists say we are many decades, even centuries, away from making the kind of sophisticated interaction shown in “Avatar” possible, if it can be done at all. But the fundamentals of components required to create this complicated system of mind-controlled avatars are already in the works, and have useful applications in medicine. (Mentions research by Jaime Pineda, cognitive neuroscientist at UCSD) More

The Bigger Kahuna: Are More Frequent and Higher
Extreme Ocean Waves a By-Product of Global Warming?
Scientific American, Feb. 2 -- It is only a matter of time before another storm blows extreme waves across coastlines and adds to already massive flooding and erosion. Bigger and more frequent extreme surf, on top of rising sea levels, are the forces behind this damage, according to a study published January 18 in the journal Coastal Engineering. And, based on early results from other research, this phenomenon may not be limited to Oregon and Washington State. (Mentions a paper to be published in the Journal of Coastal Research, by Richard Seymour of Scripps Institution of UCSD) More

Poet's Choice: "Money Talks" by Rae Armantrout
The Washington Post, Feb. 3 -- I wrote "Money Talks" in the fall of 2008 when we were hearing that the banks that had grown "too big to fail" were about to fail unless our representatives voted to give them huge subsidies. (Written by Rae Armantrout, professor of poetry and poetics at UCSD) More

Ocean Robots to Explore Mysteries
Reuters, Feb 1 - Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD are developing swarms of miniature robotic ocean explorers that will help plug gaps of knowledge about key ocean processes. More

Pregnancy-Related Deaths Rise in California
New America Media, Feb. 3 -- The mortality rate of California women who die from causes directly related to pregnancy has nearly tripled in the past decade, prompting doctors to worry about the dangers of obesity in expectant mothers and about medical complications of cesarean sections. (Quotes Dr. Thomas R. Moore, chair of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at UCSD) More

Flawed Autism Study Retracted
Fox6, Feb. 2 -- The prestigious British medical journal The Lancet on Tuesday formally retracted a highly controversial study that had linked the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism and gastrointestinal problems. (Quotes UCSD's Dr. Bret Pickering) More

Climate Change Challenges
KPBS, Feb. 2 -- As part of our monthly series on ethics in science and technology, we'll discuss the e-mail controversy and its effect on the science and the scientists of climate change. Joining me now are my guests. Ralph Keeling is director of the CO2 Program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. More

South Korean Teachers Take a Lesson from Local School
North County Times, Feb. 2 – Twenty-eight Korean elementary school teachers, plus nine high school teachers, arrived Jan. 13 to study at the Global Leadership Institute, a graduate school for foreign professionals at UCSD’s School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. More

Teaching Teachers to Teach the Gifted
San Diego News Network, Feb. 2 -- But many teachers demonstrate their unwavering commitment to their students by acquiring the special training and special credentials to help keep gifted youngsters interested in schools. Many of the classes, including those in the certificate program offered by UCSD Extension, are designed to accommodate teachers’ demanding schedules and to enhance their teaching credentials. More

Google Funds Research on Mobile
Sensing at UW, Energy Efficiency at UC San Diego
Xconomy, Feb. 2 -- With all the froth around big tech company earnings, device announcements, and mobile app stores, it’s refreshing to see some long-term research in computing being funded. Google announced today it has awarded $1.35 million ($900,000 up front) to the University of Washington for work on mobile data collection for public health and environmental monitoring, and $100,000 to UCSD, for research on energy efficiency. More

UCSD Hosts Career Development Night
San Diego Daily Transcript, Feb. 2 -- People interested in finding jobs in the technology industry can attend the annual UCSD career development night to be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23 at the UCSD Extension Sorrento Mesa Center. More

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