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March 22, 2007
Carolina in the News
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
International Coverage
To avoid colon cancer, eat more fruit, study finds
Reuters
People who eat a diet high in fruit and low in meat reduce their risk of developing colon cancer, researchers reported on Wednesday. ...The team at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill interviewed 725 people who had just had colonoscopies about their diet, smoking and other habits.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar07/colondiet031607.htmlHow to rip apart molecules
Nature (United Kingdom)
Here's a new trick for making molecules — chemists have succeeded in literally ripping the bonds between atoms apart, rather than using the usual suspects of heat, pressure, light or electricity to drive a chemical reaction. ...Sergei Sheiko, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, last year showed that some carbon-carbon bonds could be broken quite easily under mechanical strain.Cell biology: Make or break
Nature (United Kingdom)
Researchers have uncovered a molecular link between the construction and clear-up of scaffolding inside a migrating cell. ...ames Bear of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and his colleagues suggest that a protein called coronin 1B coordinates these processes.National Coverage
Top colleges get more affordable
CNNMoney.com
A college education may be getting less expensive at some of the most prestigious schools. ...Not long after, Harvard, Yale and Columbia announced they would eliminate student loans for low-income students, as did the University of Virginia, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Minnesota.Botanists Discover New Bamboo Species
The Associated Press (National)
A new species of North American bamboo was recently discovered by Iowa State University and University of North Carolina botanists, making it the third known native species of the hardy grass in the United States. ...She said that she and Ph.D. student Jimmy Triplett were first tipped off that this might be a different type of bamboo by University of North Carolina botanist Alan Weakley.Microsoft's Gates to Deliver Harvard's Main Commencement Speech
Bloomberg
Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft Corp. and a leading philanthropist, will deliver Harvard University's main commencement speech on June 7. ...Madeleine Albright, who served as Clinton's secretary of state, will speak at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and at her alma mater, Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/sep06/commencement091306.htmTar Heels' tradition wins big
The Los Angeles Times
Imagine if every summer for more than 30 years, young Trojans in the NBA — some of them already All-Stars — kept returning to USC's North Gym or the Sports Arena or now the Galen Center to play pickup games. ...But there is something about North Carolina that has survived Duke's rise to prominence and the bleak days of an 8-20 season under Matt Doherty that eventually brought Roy Williams back from Kansas.Reading the Fine Print (Opinion-editorial column)
The Chronicle of Higher Education
If there is any paragraph worth reading in a book contract, it is the one about whether you will have the right to publish a work for the same audience in the future. Those provisions are called "covenants not to compete" or "noncompetes," and if you look at any recent book contract, there is a good chance you will see one. ...Deborah R. Gerhardt is the copyright and scholarly communications director at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also serves as the director of the Intellectual Property Initiative and an adjunct professor of law.Computing Expert Talks in Second Life
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Second Life, a virtual world, has long been popular with professors and students. Now it seems to be catching on with college administrators, too. Daniel A. Reed, director of the Renaissance Computing Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, gave a talk recently in Second Life -- as the avatar RENCI Richez-- on the future of technology and the three-dimensional Internet.IBM Helps Fund Web Hosting For Anti-SCO Site Groklaw
InformationWeek
Groklaw, a widely read Web site that has sided with IBM in its legal battle with The SCO Group, receives free hosting from an academic research project that is in part funded by IBM, according to the project's director. Paul Jones, director of the University of North Carolina's ibiblio project, confirmed in an interview that ibiblio provides free Web hosting services to Groklaw and that ibiblio is funded in part by grants from IBM as well as several other tech companies with a strong interest in the promotion of the Linux operating system.Regional Coverage
Bad call: Don't ban driving while talking (Opinion)
The Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.)
There is no doubt that cell phones are a distraction to drivers. ...According to the Highway Safety Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the No. 1 distraction is "things outside the car," accounting for 29.4 percent of distractions.State and Local Coverage
UNC grads to guide high schoolers
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Recent UNC-Chapel Hill graduates will become college advisers to low-income students at 18 high schools across the state as part of a program announced Wednesday. ...Steve Farmer, assistant provost and director of undergraduate admissions at UNC, said graduates would be trained as guides -- not guidance counselors -- to help low-income students whose parents may not have the experience to navigate the bureaucracy of applying to college.\
Related link: http://www.heraldsun.com/orange/10-831754.cfm
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar07/jackkentcooke032107.html
Note: Stories on UNC's partnership with the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation ran on North Carolina Public Radio/WUNC-FM on Wednesday (March 21) afternoon and this morning (March 22). No links are available.UNC Program Sending College Grads Back to High School
WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh)
Ebonie Leonard loves college. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill senior now hopes to help other young people enjoy the experience. ..."It's not right that some kids get to college and some don't," said UNC-Chapel Hill Assistant Provost Steve Farmer.UNC leasing RDU space
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill trustees took a step Wednesday toward closing the Horace Williams Airport by approving a ground lease for construction of a 21,000-square-foot hangar at Raleigh Durham International. ..."The airport would not be closed before [Carolina North] construction actually begins at Horace Williams," said Bruce Runberg, associate vice chancellor for facilities planning and construction.
Related link: http://www.heraldsun.com/orange/10-831760.cfmUNC to draw up economic plan
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The Chatham County Commissioners have picked UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise to create an economic development strategic plan for the county. The work will cost $154,000, according to the institute's proposal.Expansion will respect historic district, UNC says
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill is expanding westward into the Cameron-McCauley Historic District, kindling concern about the future of historic homes in that area.Native speech key for preschoolers, study finds
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A new study finds that Spanish-speaking preschoolers are better adjusted in class when their teachers speak at least some Spanish, compared to children whose teachers speak only English. ...“Many early childhood programs are moving toward a system that may isolate children who are learning English, leaving them at risk for social and language problems,” Gisele Crawford, a research associate at the institute and an author of the study, to appear in the April issue of Early Education and Development.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar07/fpgspanish032207.htmlA community focus (Letter to the editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
North Carolina's mental health care system is a disaster, in some ways like the war in Iraq -- so messed up that thoughtful people don't know where to begin. ...John H. Gilmore, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Director, Schizophrenia Treatment and Evaluation Program, UNC School of MedicineWhat price for a a lost pet?
The Charlotte Observer
Paul and Carol Sims know no amount of money will bring their 8-year-old black Labrador, Katie, back. Her kidneys became so damaged two months ago that the Sims' reluctantly had her euthanized. ...While filing a complaint to the FDA could lead the agency to fine Menu Foods, a civil lawsuit is really the only way for pet owners to recoup any money they spent on veterinary bills, said Alistair Newbern, a law professor at UNC Chapel Hill.Cornelius eases rules allowing commissioners to call in votes
The Charlotte Observer
Cornelius town commissioners changed their personal attendance policy on Monday. ...David Lawrence, professor at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Government, said state law does not carry explicit enforcement devices or penalties on town commissioners who don't attend meetings.Dropout problem in Lexington
The Winston-Salem Journal
Lexington City Schools ranks at the bottom in North Carolina in the number of students who graduate from high school, at a time when a high-school diploma is considered more critical than ever. ...“It's a community engagement process,” said Dennis Orthner, a professor of social work and public policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “The community has to reinvigorate the value of not just getting a high-school diploma but also seeing school as preparing the next generation for the opportunities of tomorrow.”Many vie, few selected for show
Rocky Mount Telegram
A mixture of photographs, sculptures and mixed media from across the country will come together next week for the opening of a national show at the Rocky Mount Arts Center. ...The selections for the exhibit were chosen by Juan Logan, associate professor and director of graduate studies in studio art at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Logan will have a solo exhibition at the center starting April 6.Learning how to run
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Julia Kulla-Mader wanted to run, she really did. It's just that every time she tried, well ... "I've always been very klutzy," she confesses. "Every time I'd try to train on my own, I'd trip and fall," says Kulla-Mader, who is working on her master's in information science at UNC-Chapel Hill.Health professionals offer screenings
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The Hargraves Center at 216 N. Roberson St. will offer free dental screenings, blood pressure checks and other health service information from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Professionals will available from the UNC-Chapel Hill schools of dentistry and medicine, and the Orange County Health Department.Issues and Trends
Edwards to continue campaign
The Associated Press (National)
John Edwards said Thursday that his wife is now battling an incurable reappearance of cancer but vowed to continue his second bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. ...Dr. Lisa Carey, Elizabeth Edwards' physician, said that initial tests showed some very small suspicious spots elsewhere, but that the therapy focus would be on the bone.
Related links: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=augiq4JhiV60&refer=home
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-
natedwa0323,0,301529.story?coll=ny-news-columnists
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/edwards
-the-campaign-goes-on-despite-wifes-cancer-recurrence/Elizabeth Edwards' Cancer Returns; John Edwards to Continue Campaigning
WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh)
Presidential hopeful John Edwards announced Thursday that his wife's cancer had returned, but he has no plans to stop campaigning. ...Since her breast cancer had moved into bone, the cancer is no longer curable but can be treated, said Dr. Lisa Carey, an oncologist at the University of North Carolina's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.Purdue Set to Sign With Mann Foundation
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Purdue University was set last week to become the first public university in the United States to sign a deal with a billionaire's foundation that has been trying to provide $100-million endowments to universities to finance programs designed to kick-start commercialization of their inventions. ...The foundation had intended the North Carolina proposal to be a model for similar arrangements at other institutions. But officials at those institutions — the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University — said the foundation's demand for rights to cherry-pick the most promising university inventions for commercialization would conflict with other research agreements.One PAC, one campus, one special interest (Opinion column)
The Charlotte Observer
Question: What special interest outspent all but one other group in North Carolina's 2006 legislative elections? ...UNC-Chapel Hill is the nation's first public university. It's North Carolina's flagship.Biotech workers arriving in Kannapolis
The Charlotte Observer
The first wave of university scientists and other workers at the North Carolina Research Campus are beginning to arrive in Kannapolis this month. ...UNC's first worker came to town early this month and is now interviewing people for other support jobs, said Steven Zeisel, director of UNC's Nutrition Research Institute at the Kannapolis campus.Danish students have a ‘seedy' time at Weldon cotton gin
The Daily Herald (Roanoke Rapids)
Students across the country learn that Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793, but many never get to see the machine up close and in person. ...The students, who arrived in Roanoke Rapids last Thursday as part of an exchange program through the University of North Carolina's Center for International Understanding, visited the Weldon Gin Company for some fluffy fun.
Produced by News Services, Carolina in the News is an e-mail sampling of current news media coverage about Carolina people and programs, as well as issues and trends that affect the university. Stories usually will be online and available free for a limited time - often one to two weeks. Expiration dates before stories move to archives vary by media outlet. Some outlets require free user registration or a subscription.
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