A Sampling of Clips for April 6^th, 2009

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

Team Regrows Neurons
Controlling Movement in Rats
U.S. News & World Report, April 6 -- Using genetically engineered cells and a virus as a delivery method, UCSD researchers were able to regenerate a type of nerve fiber in rat brains that controls movement. More

Similar story in
Forbes

Scientists 'Discover' Source
of Wisdom in the Human Brain
Daily Mail, April 5 -- Scientists have discovered the source of wisdom in the human brain, it was revealed today. UCSD experts have pinpointed the part of the brain that guides people when they are battling with difficult moral dilemmas, according to a study. More

Was the US Recession
Caused by the Oil Shock of 2007-08?
Financial Times, April 3 -- The US economic downturn of 2008 was caused almost entirely by the surge in the price of oil up to $147 per barrel last summer. That is the fascinating conclusion of economic modelling by professor James Hamilton of UCSD. More

Navy Lt. Florence B. Choe, 35,
El Cajon; Killed by Afghan Soldier
Los Angeles Times, April 8 -- Her colleagues at Naval Medical Center San Diego were not surprised when Lt. Florence B. Choe volunteered for duty in Afghanistan, even though it meant a year away from her husband and their young daughter. Choe, a UCSD alumna, was pure Navy. More

City, County Pensions Alive and Kicking
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 6 – Investment losses are mounting for pension systems across the country, and the funds run by the city and county of San Diego are no different. They've lost a combined $4.3 billion in assets over the past eight months – a drop that, barring a miraculous market turnaround, will require more and more taxpayer money to erase in coming years. (Quotes Allan Timmermann, a finance professor at UCSD) More

Human Heart Capable of Making Muscle Cells
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 3 – In a finding that may open new approaches to treating heart disease, Swedish scientists have succeeded in measuring a highly controversial property of the human heart: the rate at which its muscle cells are renewed during a person's lifetime. (Quotes Dr. Daniel Blanchard, chief of clinical cardiology at UCSD’s Thornton Hospital in La Jolla) More

Scientists and Investors Mingle at Summit
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 4 – A sort of debutant ball for high-tech scientists unfolded in La Jolla this week in an effort to introduce the region's top professionals and their cutting-edge ideas to venture capital investors from across the country. (Mentions Steven Briggs, a professor of cell and development biology at UCSD and UCSD alumnus J. Craig Venter) More

Fish Barcoding Could Help Conservation
KPBS, April 6 -- Local scientists are using the genetic equilvalent of barcodes to track California fish species. UCSD marine biologists Ron Burton and Phil Hastings are using a new technology that combines DNA identification with barcoding...in this case biological barcodes that match animal DNA to specific species. More

S. California can be
Center of Universe – if Stars Align
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 6 – At a time when the economy is collapsing, debt is rising, home prices are plummeting, the state budget is imploding and jobs are being axed, it's nice to read a book that starts with the word “Smile.” Especially when the rest of the title focuses on you and me: “Smile, Southern California, You're the Center of the Universe." (Quotes Steve Erie, a professor at UCSD, who helped get the book published at Stanford University Press) More
 
Amazing Place, Race for Michigan
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 6 -- Michigan coach Mark Rothstein kept his promise, returning to the Crew Classic after an eight-year hiatus, and his sixth-ranked varsity women rewarded him by upsetting No. 4 Washington by 2½ seconds to claim the first Jessop-Whittier Cup title in school history. UCSD won the men's Cal Cup, which is for the next cut of crews not invited to the Copley Cup. The carrot is the winner gets a lane in the Copley Cup the following year. More

Termi-Nation
San Diego Union-Tribune, April 6 – Termites are not much loved, primarily because they're blamed for an estimated $5 billion in property damage in the United States each year, most of which isn't covered by homeowner's insurance. (Mentions research by Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

IBM Gives $2M Mainframe to UCSD Center
San Diego Business Journal, April 6 -- IBM and UCSD have teamed to launch the Center for Next-Generation Digital Media, which will explore technologies to power tomorrow’s virtual worlds. IBM donated an advanced $2 million mainframe computer to the effort. More

UCSD Honors 5 Faculty
Members with Excellence Award
San Diego Daily Transcript, April 3 -- Five members of UCSD faculty were recently honored by the UCSD Chancellor’s Associates for excellence in teaching, research and community service. More

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