UCLA Today: archive May 8, 2001

BUREAU – Seven UCLA faculty were elected April 26 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. … THE COLLEGE – The National Academy of Sciences on May 1 elected plant biologist Robert B. Goldberg to join its ranks "in recognition of his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research." … HUMAN GENETICS – Geneticists have identified the cause of malformed genitalia, a finding that will improve sex assignments in ambiguous newborns. … ALUMNI ASSOCIATION – The UCLA Alumni Association will honor Jackie Joyner-Kersee '86 with the 2001 Alumnus of the Year Award on May 19 at Covel Commons.

THE HONOR ROLL: UCLA'S TOP TEACHERS HAILED
Every year, lenghty nomination letters and glowing testimonials from department chairs, vice chairs, collegues, students, alumni and others fill campus-directory-thick dossiers on candidates each year for the Distinguished Teaching Awards, the highest UCLA teaching honor...

PRIMING THE ECONOMIC ENGINE
Changing public perceptions about the inner city and recognizing the assets that are already there are key to developing its economy, said the Los Angeles mayoral candidates at a conference April 30 held on the economic future of Los Angeles' inner city ...

GYMNASTS TRIUMPH AGAIN AS NCAA CHAMPS
As Mohini Bhardwaj confidently advanced across the balance beam, the UCLA senior seemed oblivious of the 8,245 Gym Dog fans furiously barking at her in the University of Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum, site of this year's NCAA Gymnastics Championships ...

DATELINE UC SYSTEMWIDE – New Head of outreach – UC Irvine Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Manuel N. Gómez was named interim systemwide vice president for educational outreach on April 24 to succeed Alex M. Saragoza, who resigned after serving 10 months in his position. … Armenian Post – The American University of Armenia (AUA), a UC-affiliated institution located in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, is seeking candidates for the position of vice president and dean of faculty. www.aua.am/faculty/inf4.htm … Aiding diversity – Two UC campuses will participate in a $28 million nationwide foundation initiative aimed at increasing high school and college graduation rates among Latinos.

DID YOU KNOW – Thirteen UC faculty were among the 72 new members elected to the National Academy of Science on May 1. Established in 1863, the prestigious academy, which has a total of 1,874 active members, is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the advancement of science and its use for the general welfare.

STATE REPORTS ON GENDER BIAS
A state auditor's report that was recently released on gender and hiring by the University of California concluded that female faculty are being hired at a percentage close to the national adjusted applicant pool, and that men and women are being hired at equitable salaries ...

CAMPUS GEARS UP FOR UCTV
Here's a guilt-free reason to get satellite TV: UCTV ...

YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW – The sporting life – Copeland's Sports, which has operated in Westwood for about 10 years, opened a retail outlet May 1 in Ackerman Union - its first sporting goods shop on a college campus. … Reparations – With the issue of reparations in headlines across the nation, UCLA's four ethnic studies centers - the Center for African American Studies, Asian American Studies Center and Chicana/o Studies Research Center - will host "The Struggle for Social Justice: A Symposium on Recognition, Reparations and Redress," on May 11-12, 9am to 5:30pm at Covel Commons. … 17-33-26 Hike – Bruin football tickets are now available to faculty and staff.

SHE BRINGS HEALTH SERVICES TO SKID ROW
When Lillian Gelberg conducted her medical residency in the South Bronx, she learned firsthand how difficult it is to treat the poverty-stricken. Prescribing medication for high blood pressure would aid someone in the short term, but social problems, mental health issues and a constellation of other challenges often sabotaged the medical intervention ...

15 SECONDS
Sheri Albert: Nutritionist, Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center ...

LOYAL VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE HUMAN TOUCH
In a world of uncertainty, one thing has held true and constant for the last 24 years: Come Monday morning, Gayle Friedman will answer a ringing phone and ease a worried student's mind ...

NAMES AND FACES
Awards: Yahya Rahmat-Samii, Owen Witte and Delbert A. Fisher
Kudos: Joaquin M. Fuster, Melinda Morgan, Russell Leong and Jack Woon.

UCLA AUTHORS SHOWCASE THEIR LITERARY METTLE
Coming to campus April 28-29 is the annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in Association with UCLA. In its sixth year, the popular, free weekend event celebrating the written word draws tens of thousands of book lovers of all age ...

BRUIN WALK AND BEYOND – Word's Worth – Debora Silverman, holder of UCLA's University of California Presidential Chair in Modern European History, has received an award in arts writing from PEN, the prominent writers' fellowship, for her recent book, "Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Search for Sacred Art." … Women 4 Change – Now in its second year, a weeklong series of events May 14-18 will explore the theme of "Women's Health: Body, Mind and Soul." … On top of it – The Anderson School at UCLA is among the top 10 business schools in the nation, recognized for the quality and comprehensiveness of its overall information- technology programs, according to the Industry Standard, a leading publication for the high-technology sector. … Curricula-to-go – Secondary school educators teaching about Japan and its history will soon have high-tech multimedia curriculum programs available at the click of a mouse, thanks to an $18,000 grant from the Japan Information and Culture Center, part of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and ISOP's Center for East Asian Studies. … Help for anxiety – A study of treatments for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents conducted at the Neuropsychiatric Institute and four other national sites found that the medication fluvoxamine was more than twice as effective as a placebo.

NEW FIELD FOCUSES ON BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
UCLA is fast establishing itself as the locus of a rapidly emerging, interdisciplinary field that connects experts on the brain and human behavior - social cognitive neuroscience (SCN), the study of how the brain processes social information ...

UNDERGRAD TAKES RESEARCH TO A NEW LEVEL
For the last four years, student Jeremy Cholfin's home away from home has been the laboratory of Daniel Geschwind, director of the neurogenetics program and assistant professor of neurology ...

COMMUNITY BULLETINS – Fine-tuning records – Is your department at risk because of poor records management? … Signs in the skies – Want up-to-the-minute information on the availability of 14 major Administrative Information Systems (AIS)-supported applications? … Days of summer – UCLA Recreation's popular summer camps are back for the 18th consecutive year. … Fidelity investments advice – The Fidelity Investments retirement counselor conducts one-on-one consultations with faculty and staff every Tuesday and Thursday, 9a.m. to 4p.m.

HOLLYWOOD NEEDS TO WORK TOGETHER
The strike will cripple the town. The strike will affect the L.A. economy. These are cries we hear every day regarding the pending Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG)/American Federation of Television & Radio Artists strikes ...

So. CAL ECONOMY MAY AT LONG LAST BEAT BAY AREA
Through most of its history, California has seen intense commercial and political rivalries between its principal northern and southern regions. The competition has generally been healthy for the state's development, turning negative only when regional interests could not agree on crucial infrastructure development, such as water supplies ...

WHAT'S ON MY MIND:
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS: FORGING TIES WITH L.A. ELECTEDS
Who will be the next mayor of Los Angeles? Who will represent the 5th City Council District surrounding our campus and the 11th District that borders the university to the west? These are pivotal questions to UCLA's Office of Local Government and Community Relations (LG/CR) and should be of great concern to the campus because the outcomes will undoubtedly impact UCLA's future ...

HI-TECH ALLIANCE EXPANDS CREATIVE HORIZONS
The "Bullpen," a new high-tech sanctuary in Melnitz Hall where head- phone-wearing students are engrossed in images that appear on 21-inch computer monitors, could be the incubator for the next Francis Ford Coppola ...