UCLA Today: archive 000111

BUREAU BRIEFS
Retirement Bonus – In an effort to mitigate disappointing 2002-03 salary increases due to limited state funding, the UC Board of Regents approved a new Capital Accumulation Provision (CAP) for eligible employees… Accolades – Chemistry Professor James R. Heath and Gary W. Small, the Parlow-Solomon Professor on Aging at the David Geffen School of Medicine, have been named by Scientific American magazine as two of the “Scientific American 50” — the magazine’s first “celebration of visionaries from the worlds of research, industry and politics.” … Health Science – UCLA researchers for the first time have identified and ranked which diseases contribute most to the life-expectancy gap between races and between education levels.

UC REGENTS ASK FOR FULL FUNDING OF PARTNERSHIP
The University of California Board of Regents approved the university’s 2003-04 budget request: full basic funding of the Partnership Agreement with Gov. Gray Davis and a $289 million — or 9% — increase in state funds over this year’s budget.

ATKINSON TO RETIRE NEXT YEAR
University of California President Richard C. Atkinson — who sparked national reforms in college admissions testing and spearheaded new approaches to admissions and outreach in the post-affirmative action era at UC — announced Nov. 13 that he will retire next year.

SEMESTER VS. QUARTER?
Campuswide discussion of UCLA’s academic calendar began last week with the release of a comprehensive report Nov. 12 by a joint Academic Senate/administration committee that assesses how a change to semesters might affect UCLA.

DATELINE UCLA
Second-Hand Smoke — Second-hand tobacco smoke threatens the health of 21 million American children — 35% of those age 17 and younger — who live in homes where residents or visitors smoke once a week or more, according to a study published last week by researchers from RAND and UCLA... UC takes the lead— The United States District Court recently named the University of California as lead plaintiff in the Dynegy securities fraud class-action lawsuit… Microscopic — Researchers at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have created a microscopic motor that they can turn on and off at will, bringing scientists one step closer to using such devices to repair cellular damage, manufacture medicines and attack cancer cells.

DID YOU KNOW?
As president of the University of California, Richard C. Atkinson has oversight of 10 campuses enrolling nearly 200,000 students, as well as five medical centers, three national laboratories managed by UC for the federal government and a systemwide workforce of more than 170,000 people.

FACULTY: COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW WORKS
Comprehensive review is being fairly and consistently applied throughout the UC system, and academic criteria and standards remain the predominant factors determining acceptance to the top campuses, says a faculty progress report on the year-old admissions policy.

UC FACULTY NOW HAVE NEW OPTION FOR PUBLISHING
University of California faculty now have an alternative for publishing peer-reviewed research papers that does not rely on subscription charges or the transfer of copyright from author to publisher, as is the case with most scientific journals.

YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW — Faculty research lecture: Anthropology Professor Christopher Donnan has been selected by the Academic Senate to be the 94th Faculty Research Lecturer for spring 2002-03; On the front line: The UCLA Center for Vaccine Research has won designation as a center for research for the control of microbiologic agents of bioterrorism by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control; Accessibility Award: The Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities recently presented its Access Award to UCLA for its efforts in making the campus accessible to people with disabilities.

ALUM ORGANIZES HER LIFE AROUND OTHERS
A former coordinator of fund-raising and special events for the United Negro College Fund, Leslie Orticke has, since 1998, produced events for UCLA’s American-Indian, Asian-Pacific, Black, Latino, Pilipino and Lambda alumni groups.

15 SECONDS
Emily Mohajeri Norris, Administrative Director of Education Abroad Program

TREATS FROM THE FABULOUS BAKER BOYS
When UCLA students sit down to meals at any on-campus housing facility, they can bite a variety of fresh-out-of-the-oven muffins, and pizza made from scratch. The people responsible for these delectable delights are not the Keebler elves but Hans Elbel and André Lehmann, two professionally trained chefs who supervise a staff of seven full-time bakers.

NAMES AND FACES
Applause: UCLA’s TIES (Training, Intervention, Education, and Services) for Adoption Project, Daniel E. Furst, Ronald W. Busittil
Kudos: Larissa V. Rodriguez, Shadi Ardalan, Donald Morrison, Walter R. Allen, Warren Thomas, Michael Stenstrom

'ROUND AND ABOUT
Clue to ADHD: UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute researchers have localized a region on chromosome 16 that is likely to contain a risk gene for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most prevalent childhood-onset psychiatric disorder; The inside scoop: Assistant Vice Chancellor Keith Parker of Government and Community Relations discusses the consequences of the recent elections and the impact on UCLA in the next Learn at Lunch seminar presented by UCLA Staff Assembly; The miracle Marias: Jorge Lazareff, the lead neurosurgeon for the surgery separating two Guatemalan conjoined twins and director of pediatric neurosurgery at Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA, will share his firsthand account of the successful 23-hour procedure that captured worldwide attention; Wall Street Worries?: To make sure your investment strategy is on track, employees can call Fidelity Investments at (800) 642-7131 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. to schedule an appointment with a representative.

HE WINS PUBLIC'S TRUST OVER TOXIC SOIL
Imagine yourself in this position: You’ve just learned that your house was built on land contaminated by toxic waste. That’s what residents of a Torrance neighborhood experienced when startling concentrations of DDT were discovered in the soil. And that’s when U.S. Rep. Jane Harmon (D-Redondo Beach) turned to UCLA Chemical Engineering Professor Yoram Cohen to help them through this crisis.

COMMITTED CHOIR WON'T LET VOICES FADE
They come from different ethnic groups, backgrounds and walks of life — educators, ministers, executives, students, retirees, alumni and community members. But all share a common bond: making beautiful music together as members of the University Campus Choir.

COMMUNITY BULLETINS
Post-Traumatic Stress: Leading researchers and scientists studying the effects of trauma and the ways in which it shapes and is shaped by our culture and biology will convene Dec. 13-15 at the Northwest Auditorium for a three-day symposium co-sponsored by the Foundation for Psychocultural Research and UCLA; Beyond the Scale: A program of improved diet and daily exercise for less than one month can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease long before substantial weight loss occurs, reports a UCLA-led team.

SUPPORT IS KEY TO LAPD CHIEF’S SUCCESS
Bill Bratton, former New York (and Boston) Police Commissioner, was sworn in publicly on Oct. 28 as Los Angeles’ 54th chief of police. When I met him at a crowded reception at the Police Academy, the first thing that caught my eye was a boom camera and lights making their way through the throng.

INVESTORS WILL BENEFIT FROM NEW LEADERSHIP
It is no surprise that Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Harvey Pitt’s head was the first to roll. In the long run, however, replacing Pitt with a politically savvy chairman will rebound to investors’ benefit.

WHAT'S ON MY MIND:
LIFE ON THE HILL OFFERS A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
Moving into Rieber Hall two years ago, I wondered just how I would relate to the 1,200 students in this building — and just what it would be like to live here. In fact, it’s incredibly good to be part of UCLA’s residential community. Though I’ve been on campus for nearly 30 years, this experience has given me a new perspective, and it’s shown me something important about how the seasons change.

OUR WORLD by MATT HALL

CLOSE-UP:
SAFEGUARDING THE WORLD’S MUSIC
When it comes to using music of native peoples from around the world for commercial purposes, normal ethical values — not to mention current copyright laws — don’t always seem to apply.