A Sampling of Clips for January 16^th, 2009

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

Advancing Science and Technology
San Diego Union-Tribune, Opinion, Jan. 16 -- The economic upheaval impacting the country and depressing the value of retirement accounts must be the top priority of President-elect Barack Obama and the new administration. His large public works and construction plan is an important part of an overall strategy to jump-start the nation's economic engine. But Washington and Sacramento need to work together to set the nation and California on a course of long-term economic, social and political stability. (Written by UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox) More

Challenges Anticipated in Removal of Stem Cell Restrictions
Nature, Jan. 15 -- "A lot of people hope that, on January 21, President [Barack] Obama will stand behind a podium and announce that Bush's limitations on embryonic stem cell lines are gone and the next day everything with begin working in a much better way," says Larry Goldstein, director of the stem cell research program at UCSD. But Goldstein adds that "even if that announcement comes, don't expect anything to happen quickly and without a lot more work." More

The Brain, Your Honor, Will Take the Witness Stand
The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 15 -- No one really knows how millions of microscopic brain cells can weigh objective legal notions of right and wrong. But last month, researchers at Vanderbilt University for the first time identified distinctive strands of neural tissue active when, like a judge or juror, we think about crime and punishment. (Mentions research by UCSD psychologist Harold Pashler at UCSD and his colleagues) More

Theorizing Risk with Harry Markowitz
Research Magazine, January 2009 -- Harry Markowitz is best known for his pioneering work in Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT). He evaluated the impact of things like asset risk, diversification, and correlation on the expected return of an investment portfolio. His cutting-edge research changed our perception of risk and return along with revolutionizing the way investors build portfolios. The 81-year old Markowitz still works as an economist at the Rady School of Management at UCSD. More

At UC San Diego Engineering Library, a New “Greeter”
Library Journal, Jan. 15 -- Thanks to alumni of UCSD who’ve become prominent videogame developers, the UCSD’s Science & Engineering Library now has a new “greeter”: a time traveler suit, with green and silver body armor. The the nearly six-foot tall Chameleon JumpSuit comes from the popular Journeyman Project's “Legacy of Time” computer video game. More

For a Director Who Usually Finishes Plays,
Staging a Completed One is a Rare Treat
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Jan. 15 -- The most unusual thing that Leigh Silverman finds about directing Athol Fugard's "The Road to Mecca" is that the script is already finished. Many of Fugard's works have been produced as films, including a 1992 version of "The Road to Mecca," starring Kathy Bates. He is an adjunct professor emeritus at UCSD. More

San Diego’s First Xconomy Forum: Physics for Future Presidents
Xconomy, Jan. 16 -- These are just some of the issues that will be addressed in our San Diego site’s first Xconomy Forum: Physics for Future Presidents—which will be held on Feb. 9 at 4 p.m. on UCSD campus. The speaker is renowned U.C. Berkeley physicist and MacArthur “genius” grant winner Richard A. Muller, author of a best-selling new book of the same name. The book, in turn, is based on his course for non-science students, which was voted the most popular class on the Cal campus. More

Burnham Grants J&J Exclusive Research Access
San Diego Business Journal, Jan. 16 -- Underscoring a growing trend between nonprofit research institutions and big pharmaceutical firms, La Jolla’s Burnham Institute for Medical Research entered a two-year commitment with Johnson & Johnson on Jan. 13 that will drive research into inflammatory disease. UCSD entered an agreement with J&J in November to collaborate on biomedical research and education. More

Lectures Explore Scientific Roots
Del Mar Times, Jan. 15 -- A lecture series focusing on three local institutions that are internationally known and driving factors in the San Diego economy kicks off Jan. 20 with a look at the "The beginnings of the University of California La Jolla." The first presentation will be a look at the beginnings of UCSD through the eyes of former Chancellor Richard Atkinson, Ph.D. and Jonathan Singer, Ph.D., one of the first faculty members in the university's biology department. More

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