September 5, 2003

Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina
people and programs cited recently in the media:

Current National Coverage

A 'Polypill' to Fight Heart Disease?
Good Housekeeping
One pill to lower cholesterol, another to reduce high blood pressure, still another to
combat diabetes and one more to prevent blood clots -- for millions of people with
heart disease or a risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, it takes a handful of pills
every day to make sure the old ticker keeps lub-dubbing along...."The problem with
pills is we are asking people to take something -- eat something -- that they don't
get any enjoyment from." said Dr. Sidney Smith, Jr., professor of medicine at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
(Note: This article was distributed by United Press International.)

Current Regional Coverage

Emory gets a slice of bioterror funds
The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Grants announced Thursday as part of a new federal bioterrorism program will
boost research in Atlanta on smallpox and anthrax vaccines and training for
scientists who handle dangerous germs....Southern universities benefiting, in
addition to Emory and Duke, are Vanderbilt, the University of Alabama, the
University of Florida and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
(Note: The article was distributed by The Associated Press. Similar stories
appeared in Charlotte Observer, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Wilmington
Morning News, Birmingham News and Sarasota Herald Tribune. Local N.C.
stories appear below.)

State and Local Coverage

Duke, UNC to lead bioterrorism research
The Herald-Sun
Duke University will share $45 million in federal grants with UNC and four other
universities in the Southeast chosen to develop vaccines and tests to combat
emerging diseases such as SARS and germ warfare agents.

Duke to head regional consortium of investigators for biodefense
The News & Observer
As part of a national effort to improve preparedness for bioterrorism and infectious
diseases, Duke University will lead a collaborative effort of six universities to
establish a biodefense research center for the Southeast....Centered at Duke, the
Southeast Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections and Biodefense
also will include researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill School of Medicine, Emory University, the University of Alabama at
Birmingham, the University of Florida and Vanderbilt University Medical Center....
Dr. Robert E. Johnston, a professor of microbiology and immunology at
UNC-Chapel Hill, is leading research to develop an orthopoxvirus vaccine.
(Note: The UNC News Services release is located here.)

UNC Researcher: Rural Highways, Construction Factors In Many N.C. Deadly Wrecks
WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh)
A UNC highway safety researcher says North Carolina's rural highways, high
number of major highways and ongoing construction projects are all factors in the
high number of deaths. Eric Rodgman, of the University of North Carolina
Highway Safety Research Center, has spent the last 29 years researching
highway safety and fatal accidents. He looks at the causes and tries to figure out
why more people are killed in car wrecks here than most other states.

Scaled-down UNC fitness program will open Sept. 22
The Herald-Sun
Felled by the budget-cut ax at the end of the last fiscal year, UNC's H.E.E.L.S
for Health fitness program is being revived on a smaller scale.

Museum seeks opinions on photo buys
The Chapel Hill Herald
The Ackland Art Museum wants your opinion on what photographs the museum
should purchase for its permanent collection.

Calling card problem could have been avoided (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
At an institution as large as UNC, it is comparatively easy to overlook what seem
to be minor details and small expenditures. That's apparently what happened with
the use of an extravagantly expensive telephone calling card.

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

Students wake up to copyright law
The News & Observer
Students who once swapped music files over the Internet with little thought about
the consequences have returned to college campuses around the Triangle in the
midst of the recording industry's crackdown on music piracy....Over the summer,
the Recording Industry Association of America warned it would begin collecting
evidence against people who illegally share copyrighted music. Officials at UNC-
Chapel Hill and Duke, N.C. State and N.C. Central universities weren't aware of
any subpoenas issued to their institutions.

Note: If you have any questions about Carolina in the News, please call Russell Campbell or Mike McFarland at News Services, (919) 962-2091 or russell_campbell@unc.edu or mike_mcfarland@unc.edu

Note: Web links on this page are time-sensitive, so stories might not be available after the day they first appeared.