A Sampling of Clips for February 4^th, 2008

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

When It’s Head Versus Heart, The Heart Wins
Newsweek, Feb. 4 -- The fact that people have what is euphemistically called cognitive-processing limitations—most cannot or will not learn about and remember candidates' records or positions—means voters must substitute something else for that missing knowledge. What that something is has become a heated topic among scientists who study decision-making, and, of course, campaign strategists and pollsters. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Samuel Popkin) More

Similar story in
Contra Costa Times
CBS5, San Francisco, Calif.

A Daytime Nap Can Boost Memory
The Washington Post, Feb. 1 - A 45-minute midday nap can help boost your memory and remember facts, but only if you learned them well in the first place, a new study suggests. (Quotes Sara Mednick, an assistant professor at UCSD’s Laboratory of Sleep and Behavioral Neuroscience) More

Similar story in
U.S. News & World Report
Forbes
CBC News, Canada

Tougher Enforcement, Getter Results?
Los Angeles Times, Feb. 4 -- Border crossings are down, a wall is being built and some anecdotes suggest people are self-deporting: Are immigration restrictionists happy? All week, Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, and UCSD sociologist Tomás R. Jiménez debate. More

Top San Diego School Accused of Grade-Fixing
NPR, Feb. 1 -- A nationally recognized San Diego charter school dedicated to preparing students from low-income families for college is trying to salvage its reputation after accusations of grade-fixing. (Quotes Paul Drake, Senior Vice Chancellor at UCSD) More

Study: Flood Risk Rises as Snowpack Shrinks
Dallas Morning News, Feb. 2 -- Human-caused global warming has been shrinking the snowpack across the mountain ranges of the West for five decades, suggesting that the region's long battle for water will only worsen, according to a computer analysis released Thursday. (Quotes Dr. Tim Barnett, a marine geophysicist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

Panels Planning for the Next Wildfire
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 3 -- Some of the lessons learned from the October wildfires appear obvious, but no fewer than three local groups plan to spend months figuring out what to do next and how to pay for it. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Steve Erie) More

Local Museum Raid the Result of Five Year Federal Investigation
KPBS, Jan. 31 -- Any of us who go to museums assume that the art and exhibitions we look at were acquired in a legal manner. But the law isn't always clear, and the art market is full of questionable sales and exchanges. These Days host Tom Fudge speaks to several experts about the issue, including Heath Fox, assistant dean of arts and humanities at UCSD. He is a former museum administrator at the San Diego Museum of Art and the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. More

UCSD Using Grant to Help Ease Overcrowding in Emergency Rooms
San Diego Business Journal, Feb. 4 -- The UCSD Medical Center has been awarded a $731,070 grant to develop a medical information exchange system to alleviate overcrowding in emergency rooms. More

Region Still Generating Jobs as Economy Declines
San Diego Business Journal, Feb. 4 -- Yes, it feels a lot like a recession, but the region is still creating jobs, and the economy is nowhere near re-experiencing the dramatic declines of the early 1990s, said Alan Gin, speaking at the 2008 San Diego County Economics Roundtable. (Quotes UCSD economist James Hamilton) More