A Sampling of Clips for 
April 18, 2003

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

Panel Tells NASA to Improve Inspection of Shuttle Tiles
Washington Times, Apr. 18 – An independent panel urged NASA yesterday to improve its inspection of the thermal protection tiles that line the wings of its space shuttles. They singled out NASA's inspection procedure because it might have overlooked damage that contributed to fiery accident. Investigators believe a breach formed on Columbia's left wing 81 seconds after launch on Jan. 16, allowing gases to penetrate the orbiter during re-entry. (Quotes Michael Wiskerchen, associate director of the California Space Institute at the University of California, San Diego).
http://www.washtimes.com/business/20030418-82944115.htm

Minority Admissions Rise in UC System but Fall at UCLA
Los Angeles Times, Apr. 17 – For the second straight year, the University of California has admitted a greater proportion of underrepresented minority students than at any time since a ban on affirmative action in admissions took effect. But the overall percentage of underrepresented minorities -- and African Americans in particular -- declined this year at UC's most competitive campuses, UC Berkeley and UCLA. A chart shows figures of California high school senior admissions for eight UC undergraduate campuses including University of California, San Diego.
* No link available online.

La Jolla to host May U.S.-North Korea talks
San Diego Union-Tribune, Neil Morgan, Apr. 18 – A delegation of six North Korean policy advisers is scheduled to confer in La Jolla with a dozen U.S. advisers, chosen for their experience in international negotiations. They will likely discuss nuclear-related threats that have risen since President Bush promoted truculent North Korea to his axis of evil. North Koreans requested the meeting through University of California, San Diego’s International Relations and Pacific Studies professor Susan Shirk, a China specialist who has led an annual security dialogue for Northeast Asia, backed by the U.S. government, for the past 12 years. To the extent that it draws attention to IR/PS, the forum could serve the interests of UCSD and Peter Cowhey, dean of the Graduate School of IR/PS of UCSD, in broadening the school's image as the premier academic center for Pacific studies.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/morgan/20030418-9999_7m18morgan.html

California colleges suspend programs in China
San Diego Union-Tribune, Apr. 18 – The University of California suspended its programs at Peking University and Beijing Normal University in Beijing yesterday and ordered the immediate return of 44 students because of the mysterious respiratory disease known as SARS. Six University of California, San Diego students are preparing to return from China and Singapore. The university will help their students make travel arrangements and set up options to complete their studies, possibly through correspondence or independent study, said Mary Dhooge, dean of UCSD's international education.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/fri/news/news_1n18cancel.html