A Sampling of Clips for March 14^th, 2008

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

War of Nerves
The Economist, March 13 -- Epidemiological studies have shown that 26-32% of personnel who were deployed in the Persian Gulf are ill. In recent years evidence has begun to implicate exposure to a class of chemicals known as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. This week Beatrice Alexandra Golomb, a medical researcher at UCSD lends her support to this theory. Her review in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looks at the findings of over 100 studies on Gulf-war illnesses. More

UCSD Women, Men in NCAAs
San Diego Union-Tribune, March 14 -- As the season progressed and the UCSD men's basketball team kept winning, first-year coach Chris Carlson watched his squad develop into “the hunted rather than the hunter.” It’s a role familiar for the Tritons women's team. More

Study Aims to Clear Haze Surrounding Pot Addiction
San Diego Union-Tribune, March 14 – A four-year project will involve animal and human studies that look at what happens in the body during cannabis addiction. That data will then be compared to what happens in the body during withdrawal and afterward. The four scientific labs involved, including one at UCSD, will then submit their findings to the drug abuse institute to help researchers develop new medications that can help prevent relapse. More

Drophouse Raids Show Valley Still Hub for Migrants
The Arizona Republic, March 14 -- A series of drophouses discovered this month by police shows that the Phoenix area remains a major hub for smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S. despite stepped-up immigration enforcement and tighter border security. (Quotes Tomas Jimenez, a sociology professor at UCSD) More

Ecologist Jeremy Jackson to Receive Roger Tory Peterson Medal
The Harvard Gazette, March 14 -- Jeremy Jackson, renowned marine ecologist of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has been selected to receive the 11th annual Roger Tory Peterson Medal presented by the Harvard Museum of Natural History (HMNH). Jackson will deliver the Roger Tory Peterson Memorial Lecture on April 6 at 3 p.m. in the Science Center, 1 Oxford St. More

Blog vs. Peer Review Update: Interactivity Brings Some Surprises
Chronicle of Higher Education, March 14 -- As we reported last month, Noah Wardrip-Fruin, an assistant professor of communication at UCSD, has been running an unusual experiment with his latest academic book, which is about analyzing video games. More

Gas Rockets to New Records
North County Times, March 13 -- Fuel prices hit record highs in North County and across the United States on Thursday, with diesel fuel's blitz past the $4 mark foreshadowing a cruel summer for consumers of everything from picture frames to breakfast cereal. (Quotes Michael Noel, a UCSD economist) More

Uniting Education, Business Equals Success
San Diego Daily Transcript, March 13 -- Successful partnerships are created by a mutual need paired with common goals. Such a venture was launched in 1985 by UCSD with its academics who worked off campus in new high technology. More