Dispatches from the Field
One is helping fight against a potential avian flu pandemic in Malaysia. Another is exploring New Zealand's biggest city while building 3-D models of muscle tissue. Yet another is visiting and studying in Beijing on the eve of the Olympics. All three have agreed to serve as foreign correspondents for This Week@UCSD. Here are their first dispatches from abroad. More

Campus Launches Construction
on Sweeping Sustainable Energy Program
as Part of Goal to Be ‘Greenest University’ in Nation
UC San Diego further bolstered its reputation as one of the nation’s greenest college campuses recently when it began construction on its sustainable energy program—one of the largest such programs in the nation by a university. More

A Camp for Hope
Camp Kesem Provides Children
of Cancer Victims A Chance to Just Have Fun
Battling cancer is tough enough on those suffering from the disease. But it can be even tougher on the children whose parents are battling for their lives. A small group of UC San Diego students have banded together to help kids cope with their parent’s illness by running a summer camp for them in the San Gabriel mountains. Called Camp Kesem, it provides them with a week of fun activities. More

Physical Activity in Children
Declines Significantly from Age 9 to 15
The increase in childhood obesity may be due, in part, to children’s decline in physical activity as they age, according to a new study by researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine; University of Arkansas; University of North Carolina at Greensboro; and RTI International. More

UC San Diego Medical Center Among Nation’s Best
UCSD Medical Center is the only San Diego hospital ranked among the nation’s best in eight specialties in U.S. News & World Report’s new 2008 “America’s Best Hospitals” issue. Among the five leading California hospitals in the total number of top-ranked specialties, UC San Diego Medical Center has combined innovative treatments and compassionate care to earn recognition in multiple specialties for several years in this annual survey. More

BP Chief Scientist Outlines Future of Oil Economy
Fossil fuels are still plentiful underground. But what’s happening above ground means an economy based solely on oil is no longer viable. That was the word this week on campus from a well known scientist who oversees new-energy research efforts at BP, a company formerly known as British Petroleum. More

Newly Launched Travel Portal Should
Help Cut Costs, Make Booking Travel Easier
Traveling for business? Need an airplane ticket or a rental car? How about a hotel reservation? A new Web site is making all travel at UC San Diego, and throughout the University of California, easier. More

‘I’ll Take Scripps for $1000’
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
to be Featured on TV Game Show ‘Jeopardy!’
There are all sorts of ways to cement a reputation, and this Thursday, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego will receive an unusual kind of immortality. The popular game show “Jeopardy!,” will feature Scripps’s history of cutting-edge ocean and earth science by awarding the institution its own category. More

Jeff Elman Appointed Dean of Social Sciences Division
Jeffrey Elman, Associate Dean of the Division of Social Sciences and Distinguished Professor in the department of cognitive science, has been named Dean of the Division of Social Sciences, effective Sept. 1. In making the announcement, Chancellor Marye Anne Fox said, "Jeff Elman's administrative and scholarly accomplishments and his vision and extraordinary leadership skills make him an outstanding choice as UCSD's next Dean of the Division of Social Sciences. More

Former Chair of Music Department Thomas Nee Dies
Thomas Nee, who joined the faculty of UC San Diego’s Department of Music in 1967 and helped shape the innovative program, passed away July 7. He was 87. Along with founding faculty Will Ogdon and Robert Erickson, Nee was mentored by composer Ernst Krenek at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Nee advocated Krenek’s free approach to music and education. More