A Sampling of Clips for January 15^th, 2010

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

Morphine Shows Promise Against Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Los Angeles Times, Jan. 14 -- Early administration of morphine to military personnel wounded on the front lines during Operation Iraqi Freedom appears to have done more than relieve excruciating pain. Scientists believe it also prevented hundreds of cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, the debilitating condition that plagues 15% of those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. That conclusion is based on findings published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. They suggest that a simple treatment can stop a single horrifying event from escalating into a chronic, incapacitating illness. (Qoutes Dr. Murray Stein, a UCSD psychiatrist) More

California Creditors Dread IOUs With Aid Plea Failing
Yahoo! News, Jan. 13 -- California’s hopes are fading for federal help in closing a projected $19.9 billion deficit that has caused the lowest-rated state’s borrowing costs to rise 24 percent in three months. “We recognize they have enormous problems,” David Axelrod, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said in an interview. “But we can’t solve all of those problems from Washington.”  (Quotes Gary Jacobson, a political scientist at UCSD). More

Danforth-led Algae Biofuel Research Wins $44M in Stimulus
MSN Money, Jan. 13 -- Research efforts led by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center toturn algae into renewable energygot a $44 million boost Wednesday. U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced Wednesday the investment of $78 million in federal stimulus money for advanced biofuels research and fueling infrastructure that will help support the development of a clean sustainable transportation sector. The National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts, led by the Danforth Center, is getting $44 million of that to commercialize algae into a biofuel. (Mentions UCSD) More

UCSD Sees 2 Percent Increase in Applicants
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 14 -- A record number of students applied to UCSD for the fall, despite a 32 percent tuition increase and course reductions stemming from state budget cuts. The numbers mean it will be harder for students to get into the system’s most popular campuses. UC guarantees admission to all California high school graduates who meet academic eligibility requirements, but not to the campus of their choice. UCSD received 48,073 freshman applications, a 2 percent increase over last year. Applications from transfer students rose 28 percent, making UCSD the third most popular in the system, behind UCLA and UC Berkeley. More

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On the Move
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 14 -- It’s the economy, Pat Jacoby said as she stepped down this month after 20 years as community outreach director for the UCSD campus and 15 years as the UCSD Medical Center public information director. “It just seemed time,” said Jacoby. “It’s a depressing era at the University of California systemwide — so many cutbacks, so many furloughs. The topmost university in the world has been hard-hit by the economy and the Legislature’s failure to make education a priority.”
On June 17, 1969, Jacoby made her mark on local history as one of a pioneer group of ladies who lunched at the U.S. Grant Hotel’s tony Grant Grill, breaking its long-standing “men only until 3 p.m.” service rule. The ladies’ coup was subsequently recognized on a plaque posted in the hotel. More

UCSD Studies Aid in Keeping Buildings Safe
KGTV, Jan. 14 -- It's conventional wisdom among California seismologists that Southern California will be hit by an earthquake similar to the one that hit Haiti. Though it is clear there will be damage, it won't be anything like what Haiti is dealing with, thanks to advances in building standards. Structural engineering research being done throughout the University of California system is advancing the understanding of how to keep buildings safe during strong earthquakes. Much of that work is being done at UCSD. "In Haiti, we are dealing with structures that are similar in a way to the construction we used to do 100 years ago here in the U.S.," said Jose Restrepo, professor of structural engineering at UCSD. "Those are structures that do not incorporate any seismic design provisions that are very precarious where they are built." More

Another Viewpoint
Fiji Times, Jan. 11 -- Numerous studies indicate that increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases generated by people since the beginning of the Industrial Age have accelerated global warming. Notable scientific organisations such as the American Geophysical Union, an international scientific membership organisation that reviews many scientific research papers, and the US National Academy of Sciences, concluded several years ago that the earth's temperatures are likely rising due to human activity, even accounting for the climate's natural variability. Members of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) upgraded their 2001 conclusion in 2007 on human activity's impact on global warming from "likely" to "very likely." (Quotes Naomi Oreskes, a science historian at UCSD) More

Relief Efforts for Earthquake Victims in
Haiti Include Fund-Raising and a Memorial Service
La Jolla Light, Jan. 15 -- San Diego-based relief efforts under way Friday for the victims of Tuesday's devastating earthquake in Haiti included fund-raising and charitable donations -- and a memorial service for a former UCSD student who died in the quake. (Mentions UCSD student's relief efforts to help victims of Haitian earthquake) More

KUSI Medical Report: Aneurysm Screening
KUSI, Jan. 13 -- Each Wednesday during Good Morning San Diego, KUSI provides the latest research, advice, and health information. More than 10,000 people die each year from aneurysms, with seniors at the highest risk of developing the disease. But now they're being offered a crucial screening through the Screening Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Very Efficiently (SAAAVE) Act, which includes aneurysm screening for seniors as a Medicare benefit. Dr. Niren Angle, Chief of Vascular Surgery at UCSD, was here with more info. More

New Fund Gives Students VC Experience
San Diego Daily Transcript, Jan. 13 -- Graduate students with venture capital interests and aspirations will begin playing a key role in financing startups as part of the new student-assisted fund at UCSD. The Rady Venture Fund, launched earlier this week, is designed to teach business students about the investment process. A team of students will vet prospective companies, make investment recommendations and monitor portfolio companies while taking courses in venture finance, investment analysis and fund management. More

UCSD to Complete $568 Million in Construction Projects by Mid-2011
San Diego Daily Transcript, Jan. 14 -- More than 300 construction workers, UCSD faculty, staff and students celebrated the “topping off” of a $67 million Health Services Graduate Housing complex Wednesday. More

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