A Sampling of Clips for
April 2nd, 2007
* UCSD faculty and staff may obtain a copy of an article by e-mailing the University Communications Office
Urgent Need for Aussie Eyes in the Skies
The Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion, March 31 -- Australians are inspired by human space flight, but more importantly we are one of the world's great observers of planet Earth from space. The economic and security value of this information is untold. (Written by Tony Haymet, director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD, and vice-chancellor for marine sciences at UCSD) More
Southland's Dry
Spell Could Get Worse
Los Angeles Times, March 31 -- Nature is pulling a triple whammy on Southern California this year. Whether it's the Sierra, the Southland or the Colorado River Basin, every place that provides water to the region is dry. It's a rare and troubling pattern, and if it persists it could thrust the region into what researchers have dubbed the perfect Southern California drought: when nature shortchanges every major branch of the far-flung water network that sustains 18 million people. (Quotes Hugo Hidalgo, a hydrologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD) More
Gene Switches On Repair in Liver
Scientific American, March 31 – UCSD researchers may have identified a master switch that activates the liver's ability to heal itself, suggesting a route to better treatments for liver diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis. Mice that lacked the gene showed a marked deterioration in their livers and lived shorter lives than normal mice. More
Converging Minds
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 1 – Nineteen San Diego scientists, including UCSD researchers, will dive into human embryonic stem cell research thanks to the first round of grants issued under California's $3 billion stem cell initiative. Known as the Leon Thal SEED Grants, $46 million will be distributed over two years to 74 scientists in California to quickly broaden the talent pool and push the boundaries in the controversial, still-nascent field. More
Hope in Stem Cells Lures Family Abroad
The Press-Enterprise, April 2 -- Scientists say that 10 years from now the outlook for patients suffering from spinal cord injuries, brain damage or debilitating diseases such as Parkinson's could be very different. Stem cell research might yield miraculous cures. But 10 years is too long for one Menifee mother. (Quotes Prof. Lawrence Goldstein, director of UCSD’s Stem Cell Program) More
UCSD Rows
to First Cal Cup Victory
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 2 – The UCSD men's varsity was five, maybe 10 minutes from launching its boat onto Mission Bay ahead of yesterday's Cal Cup grand final at the 34th annual San Diego Crew Classic. And there was a slight problem. The Tritons already were trying to become the first team in school history to win the Cal Cup. More
Taser Study Explores
Effects on People, Why Some Die
North County Times, April 1 -- A study underway in San Diego is aiming to determine why some people who are shocked with electric stun guns die, while others suffer no ill effects. The research team, which includes staff from UCSD and San Diego State University, originally wanted to use average people for the study. More
UC-Merced Hopes
to Lure Large-campus Rejects
Contra Costa Times, March 30 -- The University of California, Merced has a new strategy to attract students: do a two-year stint in the fledgling San Joaquin Valley campus, and then transfer to one of the system's better-known schools. The "Shared Experience" program will allow about 1,000 students who narrowly miss admission to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine or UCSD to attend the Merced campus for two years, and then finish their studies at a more established school. More
Taking Up Residence
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 2 – On Jan. 18, UCSD fourth-year med student Amy Chen learned that she was accepted to do her ophthalmology internship and residency in Los Angeles – just what she wanted. That was the good news. The bad news was that her soon-to-be-husband, Bryant Sheh, who was studying internal medicine at the school, wouldn't learn where he'd be assigned until March 17. More
Term Limits Law
Change Likely to Go on Ballot
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 1 – It started out as a straightforward plan to slow the constant legislative turnover created by California's term limits law. But a proposed ballot measure has evolved into a vehicle to allow legislators who would be forced out of office next year to prolong their stay by as long as six years. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Thad Kousser) More
Two S.D. Sites Make Finals of Urban Prize
San Diego Union-Tribune, March 31 -- Two San Diego redevelopment projects – one with a large commitment of direct public funding and the other without – have been named finalists along with 21 other North American projects in the Urban Land Institute's annual Awards of Excellence program. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Steven Erie) More
Jewish Student Center on Hold Again
San Diego Union-Tribune, March 31 -- A long-planned center for Jewish students at UCSD has been delayed again, this time by a Superior Court judge who said a formal environmental study must be conducted before the project can proceed. More
Computer Lane
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 1 – Cars now have sensors that enable them to “see” obstacles and warn the drivers. They respond to vocal instructions to turn on the radio or turn up the air. They give driving directions out loud. There's even a car that pretty much parallel parks itself. Can the ejector seat be far behind? (Quotes UCSD psychology professor Hal Pashler) More
Antibiotic Resistance:
The Problem Keeps Multiplying
North County Times, March 31 -- Before the discovery of antibiotics in the 1940s, little could be done for patients with bacterial infections. People either recovered on their own or died. The problems of the past are returning gradually, courtesy of the new "superbugs," bacteria untreatable by most antibiotics. (Quotes Victor Nizet, an associate professor of pediatrics in the infectious diseases division of the UCSD School of Medicine) More