A Sampling of Clips for 
June 1, 2006

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

Autism: The Search for Steven
New Scientist, May 17 -- Autism has never been short of controversial theories. Hype about "cold" mothers in the 1970s has given way to groundless scares about MMR vaccinations and notions of extreme male brains. Are we anywhere near a consensus? Vilayanur Ramachandran and Lindsay Oberman think their group has some compelling evidence when it comes to explaining autism's characteristically bizarre symptoms. More

Is GOP’s Bilbray Running
into a Political Perfect Storm?
CQ Politics, May 31 -- Tuesday’s special election to replace convicted Republican Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham in California’s 50th District is still too close to call — and Republican nominee Brian P. Bilbray, a practiced surfer in the waters off San Diego, may feel as though he has strayed into a political rip current. (Article quotes UCSD political scientist Gary Jacobson.) More

In a June Race for Congress, Shades of Fall
The Christian Science Monitor, June 1 -- By the numbers, Democratic congressional candidate Francine Busby shouldn't expect to get a federal paycheck anytime soon. She's running, for the second time, in a conservative district where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 4:3. In the 2004 general election, she snagged just 36 percent of the vote. And her opponent's political experience outpaces hers by about two decades. (Article quotes UCSD political scientist Gary Jacobson.) More

UCSD's Skaggs School Set
to Graduate First Class
San Diego Source, May 26 -- Trained to meet the needs of patients, and to become leaders in drug development and delivery in the 21st-century, the first class of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science at UCSD will graduate on Saturday, June 3. The 24 members of the School’s charter class – 16 women and eight men – will walk across the stage at the Price Ballroom on UCSD’s La Jolla campus to receive their Doctor of Pharmacy degrees at the 10 a.m. ceremony. More

Gone Swimmin'
IEEE Spectrum, June 1 -- On a white sand beach tucked between gleaming upscale resorts along the west coast of Barbados, a group of sunburned computer scientists, graduate students, and technicians look on intently as a small canary-yellow robot ambles up and down the beach. A few curious beachgoers soon join them. “Looks rather lovable, doesn't it?” a British tourist remarks. (Article mentions the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.) More

Survey Looks at Religious 'Sectarianism'
Political Gateway, June 1 -- A study finds U.S. "religious right" groups have negative attitudes toward similar religious groups on the right, making coalition forming more difficult. But, in contrast, the UCSD study -- the first national survey of "sectarianism" among various religious traditions -- found "liberal" religious group members more inclined to build cooperative political partnerships with those of similar ideological views. More