News in Brief

STUDENT DROWNING
UCLA police are investigating the drowning death of UCLA student Elias Ibrahim, who was found in a lap pool at UCLA's Sunset Canyon Recreation Center on March 14. Police responded to a 911 call at 2:14 a.m. According to police, three people had gained access to the locked facility by climbing a fence and had pulled back a portion of the pool tarp to swim. Ibrahim, a 21-year-old biology major from Moreno Valley, Calif., was expected to graduate this year. The two other people were not enrolled as UCLA students. For updates, see www.newsroom.ucla.edu.

LESSONS FOR MATH TEACHERS
More than 250 mathematics teachers, educators and mathematicians, many from Los Angeles high schools and middle schools, gathered at UCLA on March 15 to discuss strategies for reinvigorating classroom instruction. The event was sponsored by the UCLA math department's Philip C. Curtis Jr. Center for Mathematics and Teaching. Two days of preconference sessions were attended by mathematicians from around the world in celebration of UCLA Math Professor Emeritus Philip C. Curtis Jr.'s 80th birthday. Curtis, who advises the center, has devoted more than 30 years to improving the teaching of mathematics.

HARBOR-UCLA MEDICAL CENTER
Recent news reports about the operation of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center have raised questions about the nature of UCLA's relationship with the county-run hospital. Dale Tate, spokeswoman for UCLA Medical Center, clarified that UCLA is not involved in the management or operation of Harbor. The university has an affiliation agreement with the County of Los Angeles to supervise academic programs at the county hospital. While the agreement dates back to 1951, the hospital was officially named in 1978 to reflect UCLA’s oversight of academic training programs.

NEW ENDOWED CHAIRS
Five new endowed faculty chairs have been established at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Three — the Charles P. Reames Endowed Chair in Electrical Engineering; the Carol and Lawrence E. Tannas Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering; and the Wintek Endowed Chair in Electrical Engineering — were made possible by a $1-million gift. Two $500,000 gifts established the new Edward K. and Linda L. Rice Endowed Term Chair in Materials Science and the Jane and Tien Yang Term Chair in Electrical Engineering. "We are extremely grateful for the generous support from our alumni and friends that have made these new chairs possible," said Dean Vijay K. Dhir. The chairs are part of UCLA Engineering's Enhancing Engineering Excellence initiative, a $100-million fundraising effort. They are also part of UCLA's Ensuring Academic Excellence initiative, a five-year effort aimed at raising $250 million in private commitments specifically for recruiting and retaining the best faculty and graduate students.

EXCELLENCE IN LIBRARIANSHIP
The Librarians Association of the University of California, Los Angeles invites nominations from UCLA faculty, staff, and students for its 2008 Librarian of the Year award. Deadline for nominations is April 4 at 5 p.m. The award recognizes excellence in librarianship that furthers the teaching and research mission of the campus. Candidates should be nominated for a specific contribution made during the last 12 to 18 months, and exemplify one or more of the following: creativity, innovation, courage, leadership, or scholarly abilities. All UCLA librarians employed fifty percent time or more can be nominated. Submit a nomination online. Supporting documentation can be submitted to strengthen a nomination and chances of winning. Documentation should be sent by e-mail or in print to Julie Graham, who can also be contacted with questions. E-mail jgraham@library.ucla.edu or call (310) 206-2753.

RECYCLE USED CDs
Don't throw your CDs, CD-ROMs and DVD disks in the trash, where they end up in landfills and incinerators, causing damage to our environment. Recycle these items with help from Software Central. Be sure to erase any sensitive data or break or shred disks first. Only disks are accepted, not the sleeves or boxes they come in. For more information, e-mail softwarecentral@ucla.edu or call (310)206-4780. Drop-off locations:
- 4933 Math Science building, Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Center for Digital Humanities Lab, B01 LuValle Commons
- Center for Digital Humanities Help Desk, 1020 Public Policy Bldg.
- Social Sciences Computing Lab, 2035 Public Policy Bldg.
- CLICC Drop-In Lab, 145 Powell
- ETU Office, 3051 Moore Hall
- Science Learning Center, 4351 Young Hall
- SEAS Computer Lab, 2684 Boelter Hall
- Student Technology Center, Bottom Floor Delta Terrace
- Technology and Learning Center, 22-001CHS