A Sampling of Clips for June 17^th, 2008

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

Special Class of Brain Cell Fires Men's Response to Porn
Yahoo India, June 17 -- A new study is shedding light on how exposure to pornographic images lead to erections in men. Lead researcher Harold Mouras, at University of Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, France, believes that mirror neurons, a special class of brain cell that fires both when people perform an action and when they observe it being performed may a crucial role in controlling erection response. (Quotes Vilayanur Ramachandran Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition and professor with the UCSD Psychology Department and the Neurosciences Program). More

Have U.S. Drivers Reached Filling Point of No Return?
Wall Street Journal, June 17 --  It took some time, but Americans are responding to rising energy costs by driving smaller cars and cutting back on miles they log on the road. But why now, with gasoline fetching $4 a gallon, instead of a year ago, when it pushed past $3, or in 2004, when it pierced $2? Energy prices have climbed steadily for the past five years, but only recently have there been any real signs of conservation. (Quotes UCSD economist James Hamilton). More

Plowing Ahead on Biofuel Research
San Diego Union-Tribune, June 17 -- Ethanol from corn is yesterday's news, though you might not know it from the headlines and congressional hearings blaming the alternative fuel for rising food prices and disappearing rain forests. (Quotes Steve Kay, dean of the division of Biological Sciences at UCSD and Steve Briggs, a professor of biology at UCSD).  More

Building a Brain Bank
San Diego Union-Tribune, June 17 -- Leave your baking-soda volcanoes and rubber-band balls at home. Collaborators for the San Diego Science Festival say they'd like to ignite the scientific impulse within school-age children and eventually refurbish a dwindling supply of U.S. scientists.  (Quotes Loren Thompson, assistant vice chancellor for student educational advancement at UCSD). More

Diet Can Shut off Cancer Genes
Contra Costa Times, June 16  -- The benefits of eating right and staying active may extend well beyond your physique, all the way down to your genes, Bay Area scientists have found. Men with low-risk prostate cancer were able to change the activity of genes that affect tumor growth with diet and exercise, which could potentially reduce the risk of the cancer progressing. (Quotes Gordon Saxe of the Moores Cancer Center at UCSD). More

Medical Skills are Essential in the Wilderness
San Diego Union-Tribune, June 17 -- As outdoor adventurers head into the backcountry for their summer vacations, they take themselves farther from the typical emergency medical response time available in the city. Savvy adventurers pack more than bug spray in their gear – they go armed with some level of wilderness or rescue medical knowledge. (Mentions UCSD's Outback Adventures Program).  More

UC Provost Resigns as New President Arrives for First Fay
San Diego Union-Tribune, June 17  -- University of California Provost Wyatt “Rory” Hume announced his resignation yesterday just a few hours after the university system's new president settled into his first formal day on the job. Hume's departure from the No. 2 post will give new President Mark Yudof an immediate opportunity to start building his team from the top. Hume, who also functions as UC's chief operating officer, said he will step down by September. Hume said he will continue working in higher education, but announced no specific plans. Hume was widely considered a leading inside candidate to replace outgoing UC President Robert Dynes, a former UCSD chancellor who announced his resignation last summer. More

Formerly Troubled Teens Change Lives
XETV, June 17 -- Some of the teens attending a roof-top awards banquet in City Heights on Saturday night are now the first in their family to go to college.  Others have gone from nearly dropping out of school, to graduating with nearly perfect grades. (Mentions UCSD’s Academic Connections).  More

Employees, Faculty and Students, UC San Diego Attracts the Best
Voice and Viewpoint, June 12 – “In my 12 years as an employee at the University of California, San Diego, I have worked in six different departments and take four promotions,” says Erwin Milan, assistant director of Operations/Facilities at for the Rady School of Management at UCSD. “I like the idea of being a part of a university that is ranked among the best of the world.”  More