UCLA Today: archive February 13, 2001

BUREAU – UCLA Medical Center – A battery-powered mechanical heart that replaces the ventricles of the human heart was approved Jan. 30 by the Food and Drug Administration for clinical trials at the UCLA Medical Center and four other U.S. hospitals. … School of Engineering – Computer science Professor Leonard Kleinrock received the 2001 Charles Stark Draper Prize from the National Academy of Engineering for his contribution to the development of the Internet. … School of Public Health – Public health graduate students recently joined their Parisian counterparts via videoconferencing at Ecole Superieure de Science Economique et de Commerce, a prestigious business school, for classes focusing on pharmaceutical policy.

GORE TAPS FACULTY EXPERTISE
Former Vice President Al Gore, UCLA's newest visiting professor in the School of Public Policy and Social Research, is preparing to launch a course to look at major problems ailing society and families in a different light - based on the combined expertise of academics and grassroots community leaders....

MINORITY FROSH APPLICANTS POST RECORD GAINS
The number of underrepresented minority high school seniors applying to UCLA for a coveted spot in the next freshman class jumped 13.7% from the previous year, the largest increase since the end of affirmative action, as UCLA continues to be the nation's most sought-after university for the fourth consecutive year...

STRANGERS TOOK IN FAMILY, GIRL SEEKING NEW HEART
Six-year-old Shivan Friesen, who got a new heart recently at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, has learned a lot about hearts lately - especially about those belonging to kind strangers like UCLA's John R. Sandbrook and his 80-year-old father, John H. Sandbrook, hearts big enough to pull you right in...

DATELINE UC SYSTEMWIDE – Coastline Protection – The University of California, in consultation with state agencies, has created a research program to help solve major management problems facing California's 1,100-mile coastline. … Travel and learn – The University of California Research Expeditions Program (UREP) is seeking adventurous people to participate this spring and summer in field-research expeditions. … Breast Cancer – Researchers led by UC San Francisco scientists report that they might have identified a pivotal - and very early - event in the development of breast cancer.

DID YOU KNOW? – UCLA undergraduate pay less student-union fees (including recreation and programming fees) than students at all but one other UC Campus, according to the UC Auxiliary Directors Group. Undergrads at UCLA paid $254 in such fees during 1999-'00, while students at UC Berkeley paid the lowest fee: $157.50. Which students paid the highest fees? Those at UC Davis, who shelled out $448 during the year.

UC, FEDS SETTLE MEDICARE DISPUTE
The University of California and the U.S. Department of Justice have recently reached a settlement agreement that ends a long-standing dispute over Medicare billing documentation practices...

OMBUDS STAFF RESOLVES DISPUTES
At the Ombuds Office, located in the Strathmore Building, there is no paper trail following any of the 700 to 900 disputes a year that its staff of two full-time and two part-time workers handles with sensitivity and strict confidentiality. ...

YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW – Bunch O' Valentines – If you still haven't posted a Valentine to your loved one, don't fret. According to English Professor Henry Ansgar Kelly, you still have at least 79 shopping days until the real Valentine's Day. … Assault Witness Sought –UCLA police have released a photograph and videotape of a man wanted for questioning in connection with two recent sexual attacks in campus bathrooms. … Tomorrow's Engineers – UCLA engineers recently gave L.A. Unified School District teachers and administrators a peek at polymers that light up, sol gels that change color when exposed to different substances and a table that simulates earthquakes during a daylong outreach program Jan. 16 at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

TEACHER INSPIRES EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS
Judi Welch, an Extension education instructor and Wilshire Crest Elementary School teacher, recently was honored by the television station for her work as a role model in the field of special education and for her ability to inspire a high level of achievement from her students...

SCIENTIST PUTS WASTE TO WORK
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is better informed about turning industrial waste into electrical power, thanks to Professor Birgitte Ahring of the Depart-ment of Civil and Environmental Engineering...

NAMES AND FACES
Honors: Shujaat Husain Khan, Linda Rosenstock, and Mariko Sakakibara.
In Memoriam: Nathan Edward Cohen, Arthur Friedman, and Marshall R. Urist.

CARE AND WELL-BEING – Searching for a Cure – For the second year running, scientists at the Jonsson Cancer Center have earned more CaP CURE prostate cancer research awards than any other institution nationwide. … Untreated Blues – A national study by UCLA and RAND has found that millions of Americans who suffer from depression or anxiety disorders fail to receive proper care from their doctors. … Bones and Diet – A new study by UCLA researchers has found that unhealthy eating and high cholesterol may contribute to osteoporosis. … Looking Good – The UCLA Laser Refractive Center has opened a satellite office in Pacific Palisades.

CENTER FOCUSES ON FEMALE SEXUAL HEALTH
A comprehensive health center opening at UCLA will be the first on the West Coast to address the physical, psychological and emotional issues that can cause sexual problems in women...

SCIENTISTS CREATE MORE POTENT TB VACCINE
UCLA researchers have developed the first vaccine against tuberculosis that is more potent than the current commercially available vaccine, developed nearly 100 years ago...

COMMUNITY BULLETINS – Seminars for Managers – Campus Human Resources (CHR), in partnership with The Anderson School, is launching a series of four M.B.A.-level seminars for upper-level managers campuswide to update them on the latest management theories and techniques and share practical solutions to challenging situations. … New Focus on Culture – New M.A. and Ph.D. degree programs in culture and performance are being offered in the Department of World Arts and Cultures in the School of the Arts and Architecture. … Parents as Partners – The Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement organization of the Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, along with other academic and industry partners, hosted the first "Parents as Partners" conference Feb. 10 at West Los Angeles Community College in Culver City. … Writing with the Pros – Writers of all levels are invited to the Fifth Annual Los Angeles Writers Conference, presented by the UCLA Extension Writers' Program, Feb. 22-25 at Universal CityWalk.

WEB WATCH – Link to a Web site that has all the latest on services and programs at UCLA to assist people with disabilities. The UCLA Disability Access site also provides quick links to the Office for Students with Disabilities, information on special library services, transportation and more. (www.ucla.edu/access/)

STUDENT PRESERVES PAST, BUILDS FUTURE FOR CENTRAL AVENUE
In its heyday, the Central Avenue district of Los Angeles was the heart and soul of the city's African-American community. But the outward migration of middle-class blacks and influx of new immigrants have almost erased the neighborhood's cultural heritage...

CAMPUS CAN PAVE WAY FOR ERA OF DIVERSITY
California arrives in the new century amidst profound social and demographic changes...

BIOTERRORISM: HOW SERIOUS IS THE THREAT
The federal government has recently allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to prepare for a possible incident of biological warfare...

WHAT'S ON MY MIND:
THE GALAPAGOS: A DIRE WARNING OF WHAT MAY AWAIT THE WORLD
You may have heard about the mid-January grounding of an uninsured, unseaworthy, single-hulled oil tanker on San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos Islands...

CLOSEUP:
AUTHOR HELPS COUPLES ACCEPT THEIR DIFFERENCES
If you and your spouse happen to be at war and not exactly in the right mood to exchange sweetly worded Valentine's cards tomorrow, take heart...