A Sampling of Clips for January 25^th, 2010

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

Teen Drinking May Cause Irreversible Brain Damage
NPR, Jan. 25 -- For teenagers, the effects of a drunken night out may linger long after the hangover wears off. A recent study led by neuroscientist Susan Tapert of UCSD compared the brain scans of teens who drink heavily with the scans of teens who don't. More

National Book Critics Circle Prize Nominees Are Chosen
The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 23 -- Man Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel and National Book Award finalists Jayne Anne Phillips and Bonnie Jo Campbell were among the nominees announced Saturday night for the National Book Critics Circle prize. Glueck's "A Village Life'' and National Book Award finalist Rae Armantrout ("Versed'') were poetry finalists. Armatrout is on the UCSD faculty. More

By Focusing on Planes, Terrorists Take a Calculated Risk
Los Angeles Times, Opinion, Jan. 24, 2010 -- Why do terrorists continue to target airplanes when other transportation systems are less heavily secured and other modes of attack have proved successful? Targeting civilian aircraft still makes sense, from the terrorists' point of view, for at least five reasons. (Co-authored by Barbara F. Walter, a professor of political science at UCSD’s Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies) More

Salty Harmonics: Blue Whales are Singing Deeper
Brisbane Times, Jan. 25 -- Something curious is going on with the songs of blue whales in oceans all over the world. The whales are singing their same old songs, but year by year they are all shifting the frequency lower, according to a study co-authored by researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. More

Similar story in
Detroit Free Press
Seattle Times

The Growing Reality of Aquaculture
Discovery Magazine, Jan. 22, 2010 -- Globally, aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production system, increasing by 8.8% per year since 1985, according to a 2007 report by the FAO. (Written by Joel Barkan, a graduate student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

How Facebook Can Help You Lose Weight
Sun Sentinel, Fla., Jan. 23 -- Researchers say there's another powerful use for Facebook and other social-networking systems: They can help you lose weight. That's one idea professor James Fowler of UCSD explores in his book with Nicholas A. Christakis: Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives (Little, Brown and Company, $25.99). More

NASA Astronaut Visits Mason High School
Cincinnati Enquirer, Jan. 22 -- "When you work hard, you can get wherever you want to go!" This was the advice shared by NASA astronaut Megan McArthur during her visit to Mason High School on January 15. For McArthur, space was where she wanted to go, and in May, 2009, she was one of seven astronauts who traveled aboard the space shuttle Atlantis to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. McArthur is an alumna of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. More

San Diegans Witness Devastation and Recovery in Haiti
KFMB, Jan. 24 -- Signs of life are beginning to emerge in many communities in Haiti, and local volunteers are there to offer assistance. (Quotes Dr. Colleen Buono and Dr. Christian Sloane, both emergency medical physicians affiliated with UCSD Medical Center) More

Similar story on
10News
San Diego News Network
North County Times

$23.6 Million in Extra Pay
Cincinnati Enquirer, Jan. 22 -- By storing up hundreds of hours of overtime and unused holiday, vacation and sick days, 359 members of the Cincinnati Police Department may receive more than six months' extra pay when they retire at a cost to taxpayers of more than $23 million. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Steve Erie) More

Baja Smugglers’ Use of Boats Rising Rapidly
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 25 -- On any given night, small fishing boats from Mexico are puttering up the San Diego County coast, unlighted and so dangerously overloaded with human cargo that their hulls are barely above water. (Quotes Wayne Cornelius, director emeritus of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at UCSD) More

Her Struggle With 'Extraordinary Measures' Disease
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 24 -- Alicia Blackington is a rare individual. That hasn’t always been a blessing. She was diagnosed with Pompe disease, a gradual and often fatal weakening of the muscles controlling movement and breathing. (Quotes Jan Panyard-Davis, a clinical nurse coordinator at UCSD Medical Center, where Blackington is one of only five Pompe patients) More

Campaign Financing Strictures Overturned
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 22 -- The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday opened the floodgates for corporations, labor unions and other wealthy interests to pour unprecedented sums into political campaigns, from U.S. Senate races to elections for local office in San Diego County. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Gary Jacobson) More

War Vet's Great-Niece Rights Great Wrong
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 24 -- Augustine Quevas, a Santa Ysabel tribal member who served in the Army Air Forces during World War II, was captured by the Japanese and survived the Bataan Death March only to die when a torpedo sank the Japanese ship on which he was held prisoner. Now, more than 60 years later, Karen Vigneault, a great-niece who pieced together Quevas’ story from family lore, wants to honor his memory with the medals he would have received, among them a Purple Heart. (Quotes Abraham Shragge, who teaches history at UCSD) More

San Diego Science Festival Returns for 2010
North County Times, Jan. 25 -- The region's science community is teaming up for the second year with business, political and community leaders for a months-long celebration of science that begins in February. The festival is being organized by UCSD, with community support, including the San Diego Padres. More

Students Run UCSD Venture Capital Fund
San Diego.com, Jan. 25 -- When Lada Rasochova was a grad student a few years ago at UCSD’s Rady School of Management, she wished the school had an entrepreneurship program that would give students hands-on experience working with startup companies. Rasochova is the new director of entrepreneurship programs at Rady (and a UC Discovery Fellow) and is creating a center that won’t be a physical building but a collection of programs. The first one is the Rady Venture Fund, launched on January 11, and the first fund of its kind in San Diego. More

La Jolla’s Lineup Features Some Local Gems
San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 24 – It’s one thing to trust your instincts. If you’re the artistic director of a major regional theater, it takes a special kind of confidence to follow your fever dreams. (Mentions UCSD alumnus Jefferson Mays) More

San Diego Schools' New Testing Idea: No Child Left Unmeasured
Voice of San Diego, Jan. 24 -- San Diego Unified wants to measure how much each student grows from year to year, creating its own way to judge whether schools are succeeding. It is part of a national push that has educators turning to different tests and new ways to crunch data. Here, the school board is keen to measure whether every child makes a year of growth. (Quotes Julian Betts, who heads the UCSD economics department) More

UCSD Pursues 'Extraordinary' Despite Budget Cuts
San Diego Daily Transcript, Jan. 22, 2010 -- The chancellor of UCSD said that the school is struggling with state budget cuts, but is moving on with its mission. More

* Subscribe with In the News and receive our clips automatically