A Sampling of Clips for 

December 9-12, 2005

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



Bush's Approval Rating Rebounds Slightly
CBS News, Dec. 10 -- President Bush shifted into campaign mode in recent weeks to tout the economy's strength and explain the high stakes in Iraq - possibly helping to boost his job approval rate to 42 percent in the December AP-Ipsos poll. (Quote by Gary Jacobson, a political scientist at UCSD). More

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ABC News
MSNBC
USA Today
Forbes
The Guadian, UK

Backpacks: I Can't
Shoulder the Burden, Mom
US News & World Report, Dec. 12 -- In this week's Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, a research team based at UCSD reported that after they loaded 10 kids with backpacks weighing about 27 pounds-or 20 percent of their body weight-the pressure on their shoulders far exceeded that known to compress blood vessels. That could spell big trouble because plenty of kids carry even heavier packs; some reports put the typical load at 22 percent of body weight. More

Person of the Week, Michael Viscardi
ABC News, Dec. 9 -- Michael Viscardi is a 16 year-old mathematician. He lives in San Diego, and this week he won the prestigious Siemens-Westinghouse science fair competition. He beat more than 1,000 other teenagers. When he was 13, he began to outsmart his mother at math and began taking courses at UCSD. More

Changing Science; Climatology
The Economist, Dec. 10 -- As delegates from around the world meet in Montreal to discuss climate change, what science should inform their deliberations? (Mentions research by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography) (paid subscription required)More

Day 1,000 of Iraq War Holds Uncertainty, Hope
Contra Costa Times, Dec. 11 -- In Iraq, the milestones pile up, along with the bodies. This week, less than two months after U.S. military casualties surpassed 2,000, another milestone arrives: the 1,000th day of America's bloody ordeal in Iraq. (Quote by Gary Jacobson, a political scientist at UCSD). More

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The Detroit Free Press

We Feel Your Pain, and Your Happiness, too
The Boston Globe, Dec. 12 -- Do you ever feel a twitch in your arm as you watch a baseball player wallop the ball? When others cry, do your eyes tear up as well? Do you tense as a TV surgeon slices into an incision? Those are your "mirror neurons" at work. (Mentions research by UCSD's V. S. Ramachandran) More

The U.S. Examines the Candidates
Reforma, Dec. 11 -- Mexico City's Reforma newspaper interviews 10 U.S experts on Mexico who analyze the different political scenarios on the road to the 2006 elections. (Quotes by UCSD's Chris Woodruff and Wayne Cornelius). (paid subscription required) More

Universities in U.S., India
Team for Satellite e-Learning Program
IT News Online, India, Dec. 11 -- The University of Massachusetts Amherst, along with more than a dozen U.S. universities, including UCSD, has signed a three-year agreement with AMRITA University and other Indian institutions to enhance higher education in India through a satellite e-learning network. Microsoft Corp., QUALCOMM Inc. and Cadence Design Systems Inc. will help fund U.S. participation in the program. More

Innovations Battle Natural Calamities
CNETNews.com, Dec. 9 -- Scientists are banking on the convergence of several technology projects, such as an international "light pipe" for high-speed data exchange and even Google Earth, to eventually help predict and mitigate natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina.(Quote by John Orcutt, deputy director for research at Scripps Institution of Oceanography; also mentions research at UCSD) More

Successful Aging is Simply
'Mind over Matter' Says New Study
SeniorJournal.com, Dec. 12 -- A study by UCSD's School of Medicine released today suggests that the perceptions of senior citizens about the aging process depend not on disease or physical disability, but rather on attitude and coping style. More

Connect Honors
San Diego County Innovators
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 10 -- Yulex's out-of-the-ordinary rubber was among eight products awarded the distinction yesterday of "Most Innovative New Product" by Connect, a San Diego business development organization founded by UCSD. More

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NBCSanDiego.com

In-demand Language
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 12 -- In recent years, Chinese has become one of the top foreign languages studied worldwide. Nationwide, about 200,000 students are learning Chinese in settings from small private community programs to university courses, according to a recent report by the Asia Society, a New York-based educational organization. (Mentions UCSD) More

Campuses Get Anti-smoking Grades
San Diego Union-Tribune, Dec. 9 -- The Tobacco Free Communities Coalition graded four-year universities and two-year colleges in San Diego County for their efforts against smoking. The grades ranged from Point Loma's A+ to a D for UCSD. Campuses were judged by the amount of tobacco litter, the availability of smoke-free zones and partnerships with tobacco companies. This is the second year the grades were given. More

Council's Cruncher Hired
Voice of San Diego, Dec. 10 -- The City Council will appoint a city administrator from Phoenix as its independent budget analyst Monday, setting in place a key component to San Diego's switch to a strong-mayor form of governance in January. (Quote by UCSD political scientist Steve Erie) More