Applause

By Wendy Soderburg

A new book chronicling the life of UCLA's sixth chief executive and third chancellor was released in July by UC Press: "The Culture Broker: Franklin D. Murphy and the Making of Los Angeles." According to Publishers Weekly, author Margaret Leslie Davis shows that Murphy was "singularly influential in the academic, journalistic and artistic development of Los Angeles. Once dubbed the ‘doge' of that city, he left an indelible imprint on UCLA, of which he was chancellor during the '60s, and expanded its academic programs to make it a world-class university ... This is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the history of California or of American higher education." ... Anthropologist Susan Slyomovics assumed the directorship of the Center for Near Eastern Studies on July 1, a year after her arrival at UCLA. Her current research focuses on human rights in the context of Morocco and Algeria's reparations commissions and the French colonial infrastructure in North Africa.... Assemblymember Betty Karnette, D-Long Beach, presented an Assembly Resolution honoring UCLA's back-to-back Men's Basketball Final Four teams to Athletic Director Dan Guerrero and Assistant Coach Donald Daniels on Aug. 24 in the J.D. Morgan Center. The resolution was also signed by Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, and Assemblymember Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, who represents UCLA.... The Gerontological Society of America has chosen Rita Effros, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine, to receive its 2007 Robert W. Kleemeier Award in recognition of her outstanding research in the field of aging. She studies viral immunity with a special emphasis on telomeres — regions at the ends of chromosomes that shorten during cell division.