A Sampling of Clips for February 6^th, 2009

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

Einstein Robot Shows Animatronic Empathy
Reuters, Feb. 6 -- Albert Einstein looked around, made eye contact and smiled. Of course, the renowned scientist has been dead for more than 50 years, but he was reincarnated this week in the form of a so-called empathetic robot that pushes the boundaries of automation by being able to interact with people using emotional nuances. The robot Einstein follows people with his eyes and smiles or frowns as appropriate. Even up close, it looks surprisingly real. "It's machine empathy," said roboticist David Hanson. "This is a robot that can understand feeling and mimic. Einstein got his personality two weeks ago when Hanson's contraption was married to software from the Institute for Neural Computation at UCSD. More

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Poll: Ethics Stumbles Not a Big Deal
USA Today, Feb. 6 -- Early stumbles by the Obama White House over some high-level appointments caused a furor in the capital and on cable TV this week, but most Americans dismiss them as just a normal part of staffing a new administration. In a USA Today/Gallup Poll taken Wednesday, those surveyed say by nearly 3-1 that their confidence in President Obama's ethical standards and his ability to manage the government and improve the economy has gone up rather than down since his inauguration last month. (Quotes UCSD political scientist Gary Jacobson) More

Study: Global Warming Could Delay Recovery of Ozone Layer
USA Today, Feb. 5 -- For years, the USA Today weather team has told readers of our "Ask the Experts" or "Ask the Weather Guys" columns that there is no connection between global warming and the recovery of the ozone layer. However, a new study released this week may prove a link between two of the biggest atmospheric-related issues of our era. (Quotes Dan Lubin, at atmospheric scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD) 
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UC Pension System Faces Economic Reality
San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 6 -- For 20 years, the University of California pension system seemed to be a Wall Street wonder, building assets and paying billions in benefits without any contributions from the university or its employees. Those days soon will be over, and there will be a price to pay for the remarkable contribution holiday. UC regents voted yesterday to start regular payments and, along with UC President Mark Yudof, served notice of a possible reduction in benefits for thousands of retirees. (Mentions UCSD) More

Top Institutions in Neuroscience and Behavior
Times Higher Education Supplement (UK), Feb. 6 -- The data was extracted from the Essential Science Indicators database of Thomson Reuters. This data_base, currently covering the period January 1998 through October 2008, surveys only journal articles (original research reports and review articles) indexed by Thomson Reuters. Articles are assigned to a category based on the journals in which they were published and Thomson Reuters’ journal-to-category field-definition scheme. (Mentions UCSD) More

UC Approves Sweeping Overhaul
NBC7, Feb. 5 -- The University of California's governing board on Thursday unanimously approved a major overhaul of its admissions policy that will greatly expand the pool of undergraduate applicants but guarantee admission to fewer high-achieving students. Set to take effect with the freshman class of fall 2012, the new eligibility standards adopted by the UC Board of Regents represent the biggest change to UC admissions policy in nearly 50 years. It is designed to give many more high school seniors a shot at attending one of the nation's top public universities. (Mentions UCSD) More

Doctors Hopeful About Stem-Cell Heart Treatment
NBC7, Feb. 5 -- Researchers in San Diego are using stem cells in a clinical trial on patients with heart damage. Chances are good that heart failure is in your future. Congestive heart failure is the heart' inability to pump blood throughout the body, and you have a one in five risk of developing it. With more than 600,000 new cases diagnosed each year, medical researchers are looking at new high-tech  ways of  treating  heart disease.  According to Dr. Anthony DeMaria of UCSD's School of Medicine, stem cells are taken from the bone marrow of a donor, then injected into the damaged areas of the heart. More

Museum Directors Gather at UCSD
Del Mar Times, Feb. 5 -- More than 100 directors from art museums around the country who convened in San Diego last week visited UCSD’s CalIT2 visualization facilities where art diagnostician Maurizio Seracini and others shared his concept of a digital clinical chart to guide fine art conservation. Images were displayed on a wall of flat screen monitors, which have the resolution of 150 times High Definition television. More

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