A Sampling of Clips for March 31^st, 2008

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

Recording Earth's Vital Signs
Science Magazine, Opinion, March 28 -- This year marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the Mauna Loa CO2 record, the longest continuous record of CO2 in the atmosphere. Initiated by my father, Charles D. Keeling of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the record provided the first compelling evidence that the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere was rising. It has become an icon of the human imprint on the planet and a continuing resource for the study of the changing global carbon cycle. (Written by Keeling’s son, Ralph Keeling, a researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

Similar story in
Chicago Tribune
San Diego Union-Tribune

Race and the Social Contract
The New York Times, March 28 -- As obviously sensible as Mr. Obama’s proposition might be in a nation of as many hues, tongues and creeds as the United States, it struggles against self-defeating human behavior: racial and ethnic diversity undermine support for public investment in social welfare. For all the appeal of America’s melting pot, the country’s diverse ethnic mix is one main reason for entrenched opposition to public spending on the public good. (Mentions a 2003 study by Julian Betts of UCSD and Robert Fairlie of UC Santa Cruz) More

Rethinking Real Estate
The New York Times, March 28 -- IN more than 300 cities and counties across the United States, residential developers are asked — or forced — to include a certain amount of affordable housing in their projects. Critics say that such “inclusionary zoning” policies reduce the number of homes built and drive up prices. (Quotes UCSD economist James Hamilton) More

Donors' Big Gifts Come with No Name Tags
Los Angeles Times, March 31 -- According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, unnamed donors of $1 million or more made 2007 "a banner year for anonymous charity," with 87 gifts totaling nearly $1.1 billion. (Mentions the Rady School of Management at UCSD) More

UC's New President
Los Angeles Times, Opinion, March 28 -- Mark Yudof, the newly hired president of the University of California, will have to use all of his vaunted lobbying talent to bring in better state funding as budget shortages chip away at the university system's prestige. (Mentions UCSD) More

Similar story in
San Diego Union-Tribune

University of California Names Yudof President
San Diego Union-Tribune, March 28 -- Mark G. Yudof was officially named president of the University of California yesterday and will command an annual base salary of nearly $600,000, officials said. (Mentions UCSD) More

Similar story in
Contra Costa Times
Oakland Tribune

Aiding Drug Discovery
Scientist Live, U.K., March 31 -- Determining the structure of unknown natural compounds is a slow and expensive part of drug screening and development - but this may now change thanks to a new combination of experimental and computational protocols developed at UCSD and presented at RECOMB 2008 (Research in Computational Molecular Biology) on March 31 in Singapore. More

Art of the Nap: NBA Players' Strategy
Salt Lake Tribune, March 28 -- Indeed, the NBA nap might be the closest thing to a common denominator among the league's 400-plus players. No matter what their background or how much they play, on any given afternoon, you'll find your typical NBA player in bed asleep. (Quotes Sara Mednick, an assistant professor of psychiatry at UCSD) More

Global Repositioning
San Diego Union-Tribune, March 30 -- Before SeaSpace Corp. came along, environmental studies of the Earth were more or less grounded. The Keeling curve that began 50 years ago, for example, was based on measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide recorded atop Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano by the late San Diego scientist Charles David Keeling, of UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. SeaSpace, though, helped scientists take their studies of the planet to a whole new level. More

Financing Iraq War is Taking Toll on Economy
San Diego Union-Tribune, March 30 -- In a military town such as San Diego, we're all too aware that there have been many casualties in the Iraq war, which marked its fifth anniversary this month. (Quotes UCSD economist
Ross Starr) More

Tiny Bomb Sniffers
San Diego Union-Tribune, March 27 -- A sensor no bigger than a penny has been developed at UCSD to sniff out trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide, a chemical used in the most common form of homemade explosives. Such a bomb was used in the July 7, 2005, attack on two London subway trains, which killed 52 commuters and injured 700 more. More

City Looks at Green Building Standards
San Diego Union-Tribune, March 28 – Hoping to do its part in reducing global warming, the city of Chula Vista is considering mandatory “green” building standards for new homes and businesses. (Quotes Richard Somerville, a professor emeritus at UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography) More

UC Regents OK New Biomedical Research Facility
San Diego Business Journal, March 31 -- Significant growth in research activities at the UCSD has prompted the UC Board of Regents to begin planning a new health sciences biomedical research facility in La Jolla. More