A Sampling of Clips for February 16, 2010

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

CDC Report: H1N1 Has Killed Up to 17,000 in U.S.
FOX News, Feb. 15 -- H1N1 swine flu has killed as many as 17,000 Americans, including 1,800 children, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday.The swine flu pandemic put as many people into the hospital as during the normal influenza season — but most were younger adults and children instead of the elderly, and it was during the months when usually very little or no flu is circulating, the CDC said. (Mentions research by Dr. Andras Bratincsak of Rady Children's Hospital and UCSD) More

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Accused Alabama Shooter Fought
With Neighbors, Told Family She Was Stalked
ABC News, 16 -- Accused Alabama shooter Amy Bishop screamed and cursed at children, instigating confrontations with their parents, according to former neighbors who painted a frightening portrait of an woman accused of a killing rampage. (Quotes Dr. Stephen Shuchter, professor of clinical psychiatry emeritus at UCSD) More

Counselors Have Reservations
About University Waiting Lists
Los Angeles Times, Feb. 16 -- As California's public universities prepare to break with tradition and make broad use of waiting lists in their admissions decisions this spring, high school counselors and even some university officials worry about the emotional toll on students. (Quotes UCSD admissions director Mae Brown) More

Dusty Mirrors on the Moon Obscure Tests of Relativity
New Scientist, U.K., Feb. 15 -- Many of our best tests of relativity come from lunar ranging experiments. Several times a month, teams of astronomers from three observatories blast the moon with pulses of light from a powerful laser and wait for the reflections from a network of mirrors placed on the lunar surface. But now Tom Murphy from UCSD, who leads one of the teams at the Apache Point Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico, thinks the mirrors have become coated in moon dust. More

Stem Cell Births Seen Live
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 15 -- For the first time, biologists at UCSD have identified and imaged the specific region in vertebrates where adult blood cells arise during embryonic development. More

Talk About Safety; Bottles Tell the Story
The Sacramento Bee, Feb. 14 -- Tools such as talking pill bottles are intended to promote drug safety among those who find it challenging to keep track of all the medication in their lives. (Mentions research by UCSD) More

TB/HIV Infections on the Rise for Hispanics
KPBS, Feb. 15 -- The link between HIV infection and tuberculosis has become increasingly lethal. The World Health Organization says TB is now the number one killer of people who have HIV. A new report from the UCSD School of Medicine finds the burden of this co-infection is increasingly falling on the Latino community in Southern California. More

Uncertainty Looms as Local
Marines' Deployment Nears
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 15 -- Two scholars in San Diego, including UCSD professor Barbara Walter, say some of President Barack Obama’s aims in Afghanistan are unattainable and that minimal success may be the only realistic goal. Other analysts say the United States can stand up a legitimate government, but it will take at least a few years and the price in American dollars — and more lives — will be huge. More

UCSD Pole Vaulter Remembered
10News, Feb. 13 -- No fear came from pole vaulting competitors launching off one after the other Saturday at the UCSD track. It was just last September when one of their own, 19 year old Leon T. Roach, died on the very same track. More

Bioengineering to Crop Up When Science Group Meets
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 14 – If the titans of agribusiness are right, the world is on the verge of a major breakthrough in the way food is grown. But if history is any indication, genetically modified crops will need to overcome a lot of skepticism to spark a consumer revolution. (Quotes Maarten Chrispeels, an emeritus professor of biology at UCSD) More

Ig Nobels Ring of Truth as Well as Spoof
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 15 -- As scientific awards go, winning an Ig Nobel Prize probably ranks right up there with, oh, winning your sixth-grade science fair. (Mentions Douglas Smith, an associate professor of physics at UCSD, and then-graduate student Dorian Raymer who in late 2007, made international headlines by successfully grappling with one of physics’ knottiest, if not most notable, problems: Why do stringy things like DNA and garden hoses, extension cords and Christmas lights get so tangled without any apparent help?) More

Colleges Faced with Misuse of Stimulants
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 15 -- Drug misuse isn’t new — educators say prescription stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin have been growing in prevalence on college campuses for a decade. What’s changing is the way students are using the drugs, and the increasing attention colleges are devoting to the matter. (Quotes Richard F. Clark, director of medical toxicology at UCSD) More

Prime-Time Theater:
Ashley Puts the Reality in Revenge
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 12 -- Christopher Ashley is hell-bent on revenge. The man is fierce, he is implacable, he is ... hang on ... we're now being told he is only directing a play about revenge. Tonight at UCSD, Ashley opens "The Revenger's Tragedy," a bloody, irreverent 1606 play that the director is refashioning as a reality-TV-styled sleaze-fest. (In the best sense of the phrase.) More

Issa in Driver’s Seat on Car Safety
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 15 -- Rep. Darrell Issa is using his growing influence and visibility in Congress to lead the charge against carmakers and federal regulators over mounting auto safety problems. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Gary Jacobson) More

Brandon Freeman, 29,
Director of Operations at CommNexus
San Diego News Network, 12 -- Brandon Freeman has been captivated by technology since he was a child. He got his first computer when he was just five years old. Today, the UCSD alumnus uses his business and computer smarts to better San Diego. As the director of operations for CommNexus, a network of communications industry companies, Freeman helps attract, develop and fund companies. More

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