A Sampling of Clips for September 4^th, 2009

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

A Tree-Hugging Tea
Time, Sept. 4 – As a college student in California in the early '90s, Alex Pryor always kept some of his native Argentina with him. His link to home was a beverage made from the leaves of the yerba mate (mah-tay) tree that, cup for cup, provides more than half the caffeinated zap of coffee with fewer jitters and an abundance of antioxidants. As more of his college buddies cozied up to the drink, Pryor saw the glimmer of a business. But the lightbulb moment happened in Paraguay in 1995 when he first spotted a yerba mate tree growing in its ideal habitat--in the shade of a rain forest that happened to be owned by his godfather. (Quotes Christine Hunefeldt, director of the Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies at UCSD). More

Believing is Seeing, Psychologists Say
Los Angeles Times, Sept. 4 -- Conventional wisdom holds that seeing is believing. But sometimes we believe and then we see, say the authors of a study published online this week in the journal Psychological Science.
An international team of researchers found that the way we originally think about the emotions of others -- based on facial expressions -- biases what we perceive and remember later. If we interpret a neutral look as angry or happy, for instance, that is how we'll remember it. The study sheds some light on how interpersonal misunderstandings occur.  (Quotes Piotr Winkielman, a psychology professor at UCSD, and co-author of the paper) More

Circuit-Tweaking Reverse Engineers a Gene Network
Wired, Sept. 3 -- Cells act like tiny computers, and finally, scientists are figuring out what makes their genetic circuits blink on and off. Like ENIAC troubleshooters of old, biologists reverse-engineered the way that an immune cell’s genetic network recognizes invading diseases by turning off its circuits one by one. (Quotes Trey Ideker, a UCSD geneticist) More

U.S. Owes Zelaya Stronger Backing
San Diego Union-Tribune, Sept. 4 -- On June 28, officers of the Honduran army stormed the house of the democratically elected president, Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya was kidnapped and sent to exile in Costa Rica. Roberto Micheletti, a former president of the congress and a member of Zelaya's own Liberal Party, was subsequently named “interim president.” Since then, several media outlets have repeated the rationale that the perpetrators provide to justify their actions: Zelaya, they say, wanted to modify the constitution illegally in order to keep himself in power. (Written by Luis Martin-Cabrera, professor of literature at UCSD) More

Four UC Campuses Gain Honors in National Ranking
Sacramento Bee, Sept. 3 -- Four University of California campuses have landed in the top 10 of Washington Monthly's college rankings, which were released Wednesday. UC took the top three spots with UC Berkeley ranked first, UCSD ranked second and UCLA ranked third. UC Davis was ranked 10th, one notch above Harvard University. More

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Voice of San Diego

The Long, Hot Summer of L.A. Film
L.A. Weekly, Sept. 2 — California and Angelenos choked on the ocher air, so too did Los Angeles film culture find itself gasping for breath. First, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art decided to suspend its long-running weekend film series. Next came word that the Mann Theatres chain would be vacating its leases on the historic Village and Bruin theaters in Westwood and was also looking for a buyer for the iconic Grauman’s Chinese in Hollywood. (Mentions Jean-Pierre Gorin, visual arts professor at UCSD) More

It Starts with a Good Eye
San Diego Union-Tribune, Sept. 3 -- Quint Contemporary Art has had several addresses in the past 30 years, but wherever it has been — downtown, Mission Hills, the Miramar area or La Jolla — the gallery has been a space you just had to visit. My history of seeing shows there spans 24 years; and from the first, I sensed that Mark Quint was the real thing, with his enormous passion for art and artists. (mentions UCSD visual arts professor Kim MacConnel) More

Money Available to Train for Healthcare IT Jobs
San Diego News Network, Sept. 3 -- While the ongoing healthcare debate spreads like wildfire across the United States, Congress and the current administration are already turning to the healthcare sector to help alleviate current economic woes. (Quotes Mary Walshok, associate vice chancellor of public programs and dean of Extension). More

UCSD's DeVries Promoted
Del Mar Times, Sept. 3 -- Henry J. DeVries has been appointed assistant dean for external affairs for UCSD Extension, the continuing education arm of the university.
In addition to teaching, the primary duties of his new position are public affairs, fundraising and research, announced Mary Walshok, associate vice chancellor of public programs and dean of UCSD’s Extension. More

North Torrey Pines Bridge to Become Quake-Proof
Del Mar Times, Sept. 3 -- The North Torrey Pines Bridge has stood long and narrow for the last 75 years. To ensure that it remains safe and sturdy for at least the next half-century, the city of Del Mar is planning to seismically retrofit the 553-foot-long and 49-foot-wide structure. More

Talamani Gets Editing Post
Del Mar Times, Sept. 3 -- UCSD professor Mark A. Talamani, M.D., has been named editor in chief of Surgical Endoscopy, the journal of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. More

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