A Sampling of Clips for October 6^th, 2009

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

A High-Tech Hunt for Lost Art
The New York Times, Oct. 5 – If you believe, as UCSD engineering professor Maurizio Seracini does, that Leonardo da Vinci’s greatest painting is hidden inside a wall in Florence’s city hall, then there are two essential techniques for finding it. As usual, Leonardo anticipated both of them.  First, concentrate on scientific gadgetry. After spotting what seemed to be a clue to Leonardo’s painting left by another 16th-century artist, Dr. Seracini led an international team of scientists in mapping every millimeter of the wall and surrounding room with lasers, radar, ultraviolet light and infrared cameras. Once they identified the likely hiding place, they developed devices to detect the painting by firing neutrons into the wall. More

North Korean Prisons Have Become a System of Extortion, Refugees Say
Washington Post, Oct. 5 – North Korea's infamous penal system, which for decades has silenced political dissent with slave labor camps, has evolved into a mechanism for extorting money from citizens trading in private markets, according to surveys of more than 1,600 North Korean refugees. (Quotes Stephan Haggard, a professor at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at UCSD) More 

Nobel Physics Prize Puzzling to Predict
The New York Times, Oct. 6 -- Scientists who developed a cornerstone in thinking behind quantum mechanics, the broad sweep of chaos theory or the expanding nature of the universe and dark energy could be rewarded for years of effort and research when the 2009 Nobel Prize in physics is announced Tuesday. (Mentions UCSD) More

Region Could House Algae-Based Fuels Research Hub
San Diego Business Journal, Oct. 5 – San Diego is a step closer toward establishing a key research hub for algae-based fuels. In a 308-114 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Energy and Water Development and Appropriations Act on Oct. 1, which sets aside $750,000 for the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology.  The SD-CAB consortium was created last year by a group of researchers from UCSD, San Diego State University, The Scripps Research Institute, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Salk Institute for Biological Studies. More

UCSD to Host Bright Green Future Conference
San Diego Business Journal, Oct. 5 -- Bright Green Future, a two-day conference discussing global challenges and solutions, is scheduled for Oct. 23-24 at UCSD. The conference will bring together local experts on topics of regional energy, natural resources, transportation, green business, job training, sustainable living and building, among others. More

H1N1 Vaccinations to Begin in County
San Diego Union-Tribune, Oct. 6 -- County health officials received their first 2,000 doses of nasal swine flu vaccine yesterday afternoon, and they will start administering them to children this morning at seven sites across the region.  An additional 26,000 doses of the vaccine, called FluMist, should arrive by next week at the offices of 70 local physicians who mainly care for children, said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer. (Mentions UCSD) More

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