UCLA Today: archive February 27, 2001

BUREAU – UCLA Hammer Museum – The Board of Trustees of the UCLA Hammer Museum voted unanimously Feb. 13 to approve a major renovation of the existing building to create a more inviting and functional center for exhibitions, public programs, films, special events and dining. … The College/School of Medicine –The Legislative Assembly of the Academic Senate approved Feb. 13 the merger of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the School of Medicine with the Department of Biology and Molecular Genetics in the College of Letters & Science. … The Anderson School – The national economic forecast produced in December by the UCLA Anderson Business Forecast was the most accurate predictor of the real gross domestic-product growth rate.

FACULTY WEIGH PROS, CONS OF DUAL ADMITS
A proposal by University of California President Richard Atkinson for "dual admissions" -- which would create a fourth path for students to enter the UC -- drew a warning from some UCLA faculty who cautioned that, if not thought out carefully, could adversely affect the quality of students being admitted to UCLA.

SHOULD UC SCRAP SAT I?
University of California President Richard Atkinson's recommendation that UC scrap the SAT I test as a requirement for admission -- a chance he said was long overdue -- was greeted with guarded optimism by some UCLA leaders and questioned by others who are trying to understand how it will affect the campus.

ANTHROPOLOGIST UNEARTHS TREASURES IN MOCHE TOMBS
With an anthropologist's keen eye and a few intuitive "hunches," Professor Christopher Donnan led an archaeological team over six years to the discovery of three treasure-filled, 1,500 year old tombs of the ancient Moche culture.

DATELINE UC SYSTEMWIDE – High Altitude Research – People in high altitude environments often find it more difficult to think, work and sleep due to a condition called hypoxia, a decrease in the amount of oxygen reaching body tissues. … Chinese Buddhist History – An extraordinary gift from a Buddhist foundation in Taiwan has made UC Santa Cruz one of the leading resources in the country for the study of Buddhist China. … Longer-Living Hearts – A new chemical preservative developed by researchers Jeff Milliken, Dan Serna and colleagues in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at UC Irvine College of Medicine may make more hearts available for transplant.

DID YOU KNOW? – Thanks to the efforts of UCLA bilingual student Marisa Eisenberg, the first NASA Web site in Spanish has been launched. Spanish speakers with an interest in space exploration can go to http://sirtf.caltech.edu to keep abreast of NASA's Space infrared Telescope Facility mission. Launching in 2002, the mission will study the early universe and hunt for planet-forming regions aroung nearby stars.

ENERGY CONSERVATION IS KEY
In an address to the Academic Senate Feb. 13, Chancellor Albert Carnesale assured faculty that UCLA is not in any danger of being deprived of electricity, but at the same time urged continued conservation.

PROFS PURSUING GENDER EQUALITY
Four groups of faculty and administrators are being formed to carry on the important work of the Gender Equity Committee, Senate chair Stephan Yeazell told the Academic Senate Feb. 13.

YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW – Still out in the Cold – Although a booming economy has helped trim the number of California residents without health insurance, almost one in every four employed Californians continue to lack coverage, according to the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. … Row your Boat –UCLA will add women's rowing as an intercollegiate sport in 2001-'02. The decision to add women's rowing, currently a club sport, is the main component of a Voluntary Resolution Plan submitted by UCLA to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and ends a two-year gender equity investigation triggered by a complaint filed in 1998 by the National Organization for Women. … Medical Mission – Pediatric neurosurgeon Jorge Lazareff from UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital traveled for 10 days to a hospital in Ploiesti, Romania, this month to help infants who suffer from congenital brain malformations and spinal cord problems.

HE FINDS CREATIVE OUTLET IN RESEARCH
The wall of his office is papered with black-and-white certificate, evidence of education, accomplishment, recognition, and respect. But there, in the very center, is an oil painting practically pulsating with color: greens and oranges, reds and blues.

LECTURER HOOKS KIDS ON PHYSICS
In a dark room, as millions of volts of electricity surge through ARt Huffman's body via a wire in his hand connected to a "Tesla coil," a fluorescent bulb that he holds in his mouth lights up, illuminating the faces of hundreds of awestruck children.

NAMES AND FACES
Honors: Robert F. Morris, Martin Shapiro, Robert Lapiner, Christine and Joachim Splichal, Alfredo J. Artilles, Leonard Apt
Appointments: Bruce Gerratt, Shlomo Benartzi, Nicolas C. Memmo

BRUIN WALK AND BEYOND – New Findings on AIDS – Some 400 researchers, policymakers, community-based organizers and outreach workers exchanged new AIDS findings at the annual meeting of the Universitywide AIDS Research Program Feb. 16 in Los Angeles. … Java Junkies – Java drinkers now have an additional choice on campus: Fair Trade Certified Coffee. … A Tribute to Rae Lee Siporin –The UCLA Alumni Association is attempting to raise a minimum of $50,000 needed to endow a scholarship in honor of alumna Rae Lee Siporin's 20 years of service to the campus. … Supernatural – Musician Carlos Santana and his wife, Deborah, will receive the 2001 César E. Chávez Spirit Award at UCLA. … Kid's Flicks – The UCLA Film and Television Archive's Kids' Flicks program welcomes pint-sized monster movie fans and their families at 2 p.m. March 4 to the James Bridges Theater for the screening of "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) and "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935).

PROJECT PAYS TRIBUTE TO MARCUS GARVEY
In his own time he was known as a redeemer and a "Black Moses"...

HISTORIC STUDY LAYS FOUNDATION FOR FOLLOW-UP
Early in 1993, Vilma Ortiz, who was an associate director of the Chicano Studies Center, received a call...

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...