A Sampling of Clips for February 11-12, 2010

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

Some Say Learning Styles Are Myth, Others Say They're Magic
The Washington Post, Feb. 11 -- Learning styles are hogwash. It's not quite that bad. The four authors of a study published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, including Hal Pashler of UCSD, agree that "people differ in the degree to which they have some fairly specific aptitudes for different kinds of thinking and for processing different types of information."  More

Are You Too Smart to Have a Heart Attack?
ABC News, Feb. 11 -- How well a person does on a standardized intelligence test -- in other words, their IQ score -- may be related to his or her risk for having a heart attack, according to a team of researchers who have been investigating the potential link between the brain and the heart. (Quotes Dr. Elizabeth Barrett-Connor of UCSD, who called the study a misleading grab for headlines) More

How Amnesty Could Cost Mexico
National Journal, Feb. 11 -- Much of the debate surrounding comprehensive immigration reform revolves around its effect on the American economy. Will newly legalized workers drag down wages for Americans? Would they be a drag on social services and local budgets? But the biggest loser, at least initially, could be Mexico. (Quotes UCSD economist Gordon Hanson) More

HIV Spread Among Men Traced
CBC News, Feb. 11 --  Scientists have made a key discovery in pinpointing how HIV is transmitted in men who have sex with men. The researchers hope that by better understanding how HIV spreads during human sex, that they'll be better able to stop the epidemic. "By knowing the origin of the transmitted virus, scientists may be able to develop new vaccines, vaginal microbicides and drugs to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted HIV," study author Dr. Davey Smith, an associate professor of medicine at UCSD, said in a release. More
Similar story in
New Scientist, U.K. 
 
Dance Review: Akram Khan Company's First Southern California Stop
Los Angeles Times, Feb. 10 -- Change the “M” in “home” to a “P” and you’ve got “hope.” That simple but effective bit of word play was flashed two times, for emphasis, on the electronic departure sign that served as a setting in Akram Khan Company’s latest dance piece, “Bahok.” The company performs today at UCSD. More

Big Red Machine is Creaking Back to Life
Vancouver Sun, Feb. 9 -- When the Soviet Union collapsed 19 years ago, the entire Russian Olympic infrastructure went with it. (Quotes Russian history professor Robert Edelman of UCSD) More

Most HIV/TB Co-Infections Are In Latinos
KPBS, Feb. 10 — New research by UCSD researchers shows Latinos make up the vast majority of new cases of co-infection of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV. The situation has changed over the last 20 years. More
Similar story in
North County Times

20 SD Schools Given Academic Achievement Award
10News, Feb. 11 -- Twenty schools in San Diego County, including the Preuss School at UCSD, were among 238 statewide recognized by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell Thursday with the 2009-10 Title 1 Academic Achievement Award. More
Similar story in
North County Times
Voice of San Diego

Hives Stayin’ Alive
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 11 -- An anti-waggling discovery, by UCSD professor James Nieh, also may be historic: It’s only the second known example of a sophisticated insect society using “negative feedback” — signals that tell others to stop a behavior. More

New, High-Tech Maternity Center at UCSD
KUSI, Feb. 9 -- Parents-to-be have lots of choices when it comes to having their baby. UCSD Medical Center just recently renovated its maternity center and now offers the most modern care available in San Diego County. Dr. Tom Kelly, Chief, Division of Perinatal Medicine at UCSD, was here to tell us about it. More

Congressional Authority Usurped
San Diego Union-Tribune, Opinion, Feb. 11 -- In striking down the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, the Supreme Court majority has escalated its war on Congress to a new and dangerous level with respect to deciding contested constitutional issues. (Written by UCSD history professor Michael Parish) More

Loss of Stimulus Aid Hurts Ethanol Pump Plan
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 11 -- A San Diego alternative fuels company is scrambling after ethanol politics sideswiped its efforts at securing millions in stimulus funds. (Quotes Stephen Mayfield, director of the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology at UCSD) More

Playhouse's Ashley to Stage 'Revenger's Tragedy' as a Reality TV Show
North County Times, Feb. 10 -- Not long after the grisly drama "The Revenger's Tragedy" hit the stage in 1606, it fell out of favor. Audiences of the day found the buckets-of-blood revenge play too dark and cynical for their tastes. As part of a just-announced appointment at UCSD, La Jolla Playhouse artistic director Christopher Ashley will contemporize the play even further this week with an on-campus production that moves the 400-year-old story into the age of modern-day reality television. More

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