U of A Faculty Member Awarded Porter Prize for Arkansas Literature

Newswire

Padma Viswanathan is being recognized for her work as a novelist, playwright and essayist and cultural journalist.

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Authors of Best-Selling Book “Shattered” Visit SPA to Talk About Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Campaign

American University News


SPA Executive in Residence, Betsy Fischer Martin interviews authors Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen about their new book, Shattered.
 It is not easy to understand what exactly led to the defeat of Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election, but journalists Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen give some compelling explanations in their recent best-selling book, Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign.The authors visited AU's School of Public Affairs on June 23, hosted by SPA's Executive-in-Residence Betsy Fischer Martin, to talk about their findings on Clinton's campaign and the current state of American politics.Parnes and Allen, who also published HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton, argue that there was a divide within the campaign between a more experienced and persuasion-focused faction and a less experienced set that was more reliant on statistics."From state offices, there were demands to the headquarters asking for volunteers, for yard-signs, for literature, but the analytics side of the campaign thought it was unnecessary to spend that money," said Allen. "They argued it was difficult, in the last months of the campaign, to win over voters who didn't like Clinton."The authors, who covered the Clinton campaign through 2016, also reported on indications throughout the campaign of a potential defeat, including the rise of populism movements like Brexit, which former President Bill Clinton recognized as a potential threat to the campaign.There was the primary election as well, in which U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) at times launched criticisms similar to those that Trump would later make."It's one thing for two people in a party to disagree on a policy issue, but when you start talking about how corrupt someone is, that just plays into the other side's hands," said Allen.Still, there was a general expectation of a Clinton win come November. Both Parnes and Allen admit that ...

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Campus Tour

University at Albany University at Albany Headlines



































ALBANY, N.Y. (July 17, 2017) – Incoming President Havidán Rodríguez visited UAlbany’s three campuses last week as part of his preparation for taking office next semester.
On Monday, he met with Interim President James Stellar, Interim Provost Darrell Wheeler and the University’s executive committee. He also interacted with faculty and students by visiting academic buildings on the Uptown Campus and touring the newly expanded Campus Center. Lastly, he met with incoming students and their parents during orientation programs.
On Tuesday, Rodríguez visited the Downtown and Health Sciences campuses before returning to the Uptown campus and meeting with students in UAlbany’s Educational Opportunity Program.
He plans to visit campus again later this summer.
The SUNY Board of Trustees appointed Rodríguez as the 20th president of UAlbany on June 21. His appointment will take effect in mid-September. You can learn more about him here.



















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About the University at Albany A comprehensive public research university, the University at Albany offers more than 120 undergraduate majors and minors and 125 master's, doctoral, and graduate certificate programs. UAlbany is a leader among all New York State colleges and universities in such diverse fields as atmospheric and environmental sciences, business, criminal justice, emergency preparedness, engineering and applied sciences, informatics, public administration, social welfare, and sociology taught by an extensive roster of faculty experts. It also offers expanded academic and research opportunities for students through an affiliation with Albany Law School. With a curriculum enhanced by 600 study-abroad opportunities, UAlbany launches great careers.












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26 AND COUNTING / The Liebenberg Chronicles / Eclipse No. 15

Newsstand | Clemson University News and Stories, South Carolina

CLEMSON, South Carolina – Clemson University scientist Donald Liebenberg has personally witnessed and researched 26 total solar eclipses over the past 60-plus years.
Liebenberg, who has been an adjunct professor in the College of Science’s department of physics and astronomy since 1996, has literally travelled all over the world to enter the path of totality of solar eclipses. He has studied them from the ground, on ships in the middle of oceans, and in airplanes. He even watched one eclipse from the cabin of a Concorde supersonic airliner, where he was able to remain within the window of totality for an astounding 74 minutes.
An eclipse on June 21, 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia, was Liebenberg’s 15th eclipse. It is chronicled below.
All told, Liebenberg has spent almost three hours in totality, which surpasses anyone else on Earth.
The upcoming Aug. 21, 2017 event over Clemson will mark Liebenberg’s 27th eclipse. He has also witnessed several other eclipses that were nearly – but not quite – in the path of totality.
Please sit back and continue to enjoy these amazing adventures.
This map shows all 26 total solar eclipses that Donald Liebenberg has witnessed in person. Image courtesy of eclipse-chasers.com
IN THE WILDS OF AFRICA
Eclipse No. 15: June 21, 2001      Totality: 3 minutes, 29 seconds
Where: Lusaka, Zambia        Weather conditions: clear and dark skies
This eclipse occurred over Zambia on the day of summer solstice. It was my first eclipse of the new millennium.
Dr. Donald Liebenberg
My wife Norma and I joined a tour group and flew from Atlanta to Johannesburg, South Africa. After arriving, we settled into a nice hotel room with magnificent views of the city, which is situated on a high-altitude plateau more than a mile above sea level.
After a nice rest from our 18-hour flight, we headed to the airport and flew to Skukuza, where we stayed at a lodge on the private Sabi-Sabi game reserve. ...

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Fordham Appoints New Dean of the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education

Fordham Newsroom

Faustino M. Cruz, S.M., a distinguished teacher-scholar, pastoral leader, and administrator, has been appointed the new dean of Fordham University’s Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education (GRE). He began his new role on July 1.
Cruz previously served as associate dean of academic affairs and associate professor of practical theology and leadership in the School of Theology and Ministry at Seattle University, a Jesuit Catholic university in Seattle’s First Hill and Capitol Hill neighborhoods. He taught courses in U.S. immigrant theologies, transformational leadership, theological reflection, and educational ministry.
Cruz, who has more than 25 years of experience in teaching and mentoring, also helped to train pastoral ministers, therapists, religious educators, and other leaders from culturally diverse ecumenical and interreligious backgrounds for practices within and beyond their communities.
Cruz comes to GRE on the heels of its recent accreditation from the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC) for its pastoral counseling and spiritual care program.
He said he hopes to learn about the unique needs and concerns of the Fordham community, and to continue to build on the school’s success within that framework.
“I look forward to leading a community of teacher-scholar-practitioners that passionately educates our students for solidarity, service, and justice,” he said.
Cruz was executive vice president and academic dean of the Franciscan School of Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley for six years, serving as its chief academic officer and chief operations officer.
He is vice president of the International Academy of Practical Theology, a member of the Committee on Race and Ethnicity in Theological Education of the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada, and a public member of the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.
Cruz taught at several institutions, including the Franciscan School of Theology in California, the Wabash Center ...

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BASEBALL EARNS ACADEMIC HONOR FROM ABCA

Athletics News


Jul 14, 2017





SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State baseball team earned the Team Academic Excellence Award from the American Baseball Coaches Association. To be eligible for the honor, a team must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 during the 2016-17 academic year. The Hornets were one of just 36 Div. I teams to be recognized by the ABCA and is just one of three schools on the West Coast to earn the award.Twelve Sacramento State players were recently named to the Western Athletic Conference all-academic team. As a team, the Hornets posted a 3.302 gpa during the spring semester and now owns an overall gpa of 3.228 — the highest among male teams at Sacramento State.The Hornets were not limited to success in the classroom during the year. Sacramento State captured the Western Athletic Conference Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Stanford Regional. The team finished with 32 victories, marking the sixth consecutive season with at least 30 wins. Following the season Parker Brahms was named a Freshman All-American by two organizations and Justin Dillon was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays.The American Baseball Coaches Association has a long tradition of recognizing the achievements of baseball coaches and student-athletes. The ABCA/Rawlings All-America Teams are the nation's oldest, founded in 1949, and the ABCA's awards program also includes the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Awards, the ABCA/Diamond Regional & National Coaches of the Year and several other major awards such as the ABCA Hall of Fame and the Ethics in Coaching Award.












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Steak ‘n Shake coming to Student Center this fall

SIU News

July 14, 2017Steak ‘n Shake coming to Student Center this fall
by Christi Mathis
CARBONDALE, Ill. – A new dining option will soon be available at Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Student Center.
Renovations are now underway in preparation for the opening of Steak ‘n Shake in the location formerly occupied by McDonald’s. Plans call for the restaurant to open about the middle of the fall 2017 semester.
The new Steak ‘n Shake will feature counter service and a wide variety of menu items, including traditional favorites such as burgers, fries and milkshakes. The restaurant will be operated by Goodness Shakes LLC. Owner Cameron Taleban, of Paducah, Ky., is also a principal in the Subway restaurants located in the Student Center and on W. Main St. in Carbondale.
The contract was finalized recently for the new Student Center Steak ‘n Shake franchise and its hours will coincide with the Student Center’s hours of operation.
The opening of the new restaurant assures a diverse selection of culinary choices at the Student Center, according to Tena Bennett, Student Center director. In addition to Steak ‘n Shake and Subway, the center is home to Starbucks and the Marketplace Food Court, which includes Sbarro, Chick-fil-A, Maroon Spoon, Freshly Tossed and Cantina Bravo.





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IUPUI diversity researcher to co-edit special journal issue focusing on Black Lives Matter: Newscenter: Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis

Science & Research

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEINDIANAPOLIS -- An Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis diversity researcher will co-edit a special edition of a journal that will examine through multiple disciplines the Black Lives Matter movement.
Among the project's goals, said Leslie Ashburn-Nardo, an associate professor of psychology in the School of Science, is to collect a volume of interdisciplinary manuscripts that seeks to:
Understand the reasons for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Deconstruct the resistance to it.
Identify strategies for effecting positive change that demonstrates the valuing of black lives.
Ashburn-Nardo will edit the special issue of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: An International Journal with Kecia Thomas, a psychology professor and founding director of the Center for Research and Engagement in Diversity at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia.
"People are sharply divided in their opinions of the Black Lives Matter movement," Ashburn-Nardo said. "We think that is because it is something that is poorly understood.
"When they hear 'black lives matter,' a lot of people think that means at the exclusion of other lives. There seems to be a misunderstanding that by saying 'black lives matter' it implies that maybe white lives don't matter -- or blue lives, given that a lot of attention regarding the movement has centered around police interactions with African Americans, " she said.
"I don't think anyone in that movement feels that other lives don't matter, but that seems to be how a lot of folks are interpreting it and have a lot of strong emotional reaction to it," she said. "We are hoping this special issue can shed some light on that."
In a call for papers for the special journal edition, Ashburn-Nardo and Thomas write: "The Black Lives Matter movement came out of the Black community's chronic experience with overt and covert racism and its collective frustration with being silenced when ...

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Today! Chautauqua Welcomes Woodrow Wilson to Montgomery College

Inside MC Online

Come see Woodrow Wilson tonight, Friday, July 14, at 7 p.m. in Globe Hall on the Germantown Campus. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Sella Gesumwa at 240-567-7766 Or visit: http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Chautauqua Illustration by Tom Chalkley.

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How to Cope with Difficult People in the Workplace

News Beat

There will always be difficult people in the workplace for a wide range of reasons. It is important to learn what to do to cope and find the best way to handle them, especially if you are earning a Human Resources degree. Here are several tips on how to handle a difficult person, and who to get involved. Talk it out The first approach should be to sit down with the other person and discuss what you are feeling. Let the other person know how he or she makes you feel; surprisingly, they may not even realize they are difficult to deal with.  Try examining yourself You must make sure that you are not taking statements out of context, overreacting or reading too much into situations. Turn to a trusted coworker to see if they feel the same way or have noticed that you get singled out by this difficult person. Also, you will want to ensure that you are not that difficult person at work. Who to involve in the situation Working with a complicated person on your own can be difficult. Sometimes, the difficult person knows that they are difficult and they do not care, so you may need to involve managers, bosses, or even a group of coworkers. If it is your manager that you are having problems with, you will want to consult his or her boss; however, make sure you have all the facts together. You do not want to go to your manager's boss with a complaint if it is not valid. Working with difficult people in the office can take a toll on everyone. It can drastically reduce productivity, efficiency and employee morale. Being patient with those around you and expressing a willingness to help someone can show a person a lot about your personality. Communication is the key to success in a ...

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Biochemistry majors Callie Miller and Audrey Short selected as 2017-2018 Beckman Scholars

Miami University - Top Stories







By Susan Meikle, university news and communications
Miami University students Callie Miller and Audrey Short have been selected as Beckman Scholars for 2017-2018. The $19,300 scholarship provides exceptional undergraduate students with continued support for a mentored research project over two summers and one academic year.

Callie Miller. Read more about her research with Mike Crowder here.
Miami was one of 12 schools to receive the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Scholars Program Institutional Award for 2016-2019. The program allows Miami to offer the Beckman Scholarship for up to five students over three years. 
Miller, a sophomore biochemistry and French double major from Champaign, Illinois, is mentored by Mike Crowder, professor and chair of chemistry and biochemistry. She has been conducting research with Crowder since she started at Miami last year.
She is working on Crowder’s research project on designing clinical inhibitors of metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs), which render bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
“While only being a rising sophomore, Callie has quickly mastered a large number of research techniques in the lab, and she is leading her own project,” Crowder said. “She is a co-author on two submitted manuscripts, and I expect many more in the future. Her research trajectory is unbelievable, and I cannot wait to see what she accomplishes in the future.”
Miller is a member of the university honors program and treasurer of Miami’s club sailing team.  

Audrey Short. Read more about her research with Michael Kennedy here.
Short, a junior biochemistry major and physics minor from Atlanta, Georgia, is mentored by Michael Kennedy, Ohio Eminent Scholar of Structural Biology. 
Short joined Kennedy’s large lab group during her first semester at Miami. She is involved in Kennedy’s project to determine the role that gut microbes play in triggering Type 1 diabetes (T1D) in genetically susceptible individuals. 
Kennedy’s doctoral student Will Joesten has worked closely with Short since she ...

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Key changes in the municipal bond market since 2007

Latest From Brookings

Beside the obvious and immediate damage it inflicted on asset values, the financial crisis of 2007-2009 reshaped the structure, functioning, and regulation of American securities markets. A forthcoming new paper from Daniel Bergstresser and Martin Luby takes a close look at how the market for municipal bonds has changed in recent years. Bergstresser and Luby will present the results of their findings at the opening panel of the 2017 Municipal Finance Conference, co-hosted by the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings, the Rosenberg Institute of Global Finance at Brandeis International Business School, the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.
In the paper, which will be published as a Hutchins Center Working Paper, Bergstresser and Luby highlight the changes in the municipal market related to primary market issuance and secondary market trading trends, bond ownership composition, bond structures, products and processes, and market participants. They also offer a discussion of future developments that are likely to impact the municipal securities market in the future.  Here are some key factors they discuss.
State and local governments are less reliant on municipal bonds than they were before the financial crisis.
State and local governments issued $470 billion of municipal bonds in 2016, about 2 percent less, in nominal dollars, than in 2005. New bond issuance (as opposed to issuance that restructures or refinances existing debt), fell even more, about 25%, between 2005 and 2016. This decline in new issuance is far larger than the decline in state and local capital spending over this period, suggesting that municipal bonds are now increasingly complemented by other funding and financing sources for infrastructure. Understanding these other sources will be an area of concern for bond market participants.
Still, new bond structures have proven to be important financing tools.
While some bond products and structures have declined in use ...

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Biology’s Menhart and Team Honored for Muscular Dystrophy Research

News – Illinois Tech Today

Research by a team led by Nick Menhart, associate professor of biology, in exon skipping, a leading near-term prospect for meaningful treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), was honored at a recent conference.
The team including biology graduate students Krystal Manyuan Ma, Xin Niu, and biochemistry undergraduate Evelyn Thomas (BCHM ’17) won a Best Poster award for “Are Alternative Exon Skip Repairs of the Same DMD Defect Equivalent?” at the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) Connect Conference, held June 29-July 2 in Chicago. Ma was lead presenter on the poster.
This work aims to understand the impact of recently approved exon-skipping drugs on boys with DMD. DMD is a devastating disease affecting 1 in 3,500 boys, whose muscles steadily deteriorate through childhood. Most need a wheelchair by about age 12 and die by their 20s. Exon-skipping drugs aim to skip over the defective parts of dystrophin, restoring some function and halting the muscle wasting. The first member of these new class of drugs was recently approved by the FDA, with several others in ongoing clinical trials. However, there are alternative ways to skip over many patients’ mutation, and each produces differently modified dystrophin that make them better or worse repairs. The team characterized different “repaired” versions of dystrophin protein in an attempt to determine which are superior and which will be maximally effective, in any given person, based on their specific genetic defect. Ma also is working with Jeff Wereszczynski, assistant professor of physics, to use computational methods to understand the impact of the edit on the properties of the proteins in advance of more time-consuming experimental studies.
PPMD is one of the major philanthropies supporting muscular dystrophy, and is focused on DMD. The Connect Conference brings together industry partners, scientific leaders, medical providers, and people living with Duchenne and their families.
Thomas worked on the project funded by a College of Science Undergraduate Summer ...

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Walker Enjoys New Role as Student Trustee

News at College of DuPage




By Brian KleemannAnthony Walker knew that becoming Student Trustee on the College of DuPage Board of
Trustees would be a good fit, even though he initially didn’t consider running.“I had been involved with the Student Leadership Council for a year but had no intention
to run for any office because I didn’t think I had the time,” he said. “(SLC President)
Kiley Pooler suggested that I should run for her position. However, I decided not
to because Safia Khan was doing so and I knew she would be great as SLC President.”Instead, Walker looked at the Student Trustee position and liked the possibilities.
With only one week before the application was due, he made the decision and quickly
collected the required number of signatures. Both he and Khan were elected, and Walker
was sworn in at the April 17 Board of Trustees special meeting.“I’ve always been curious and I’m interested in what other students are doing,” he
said. “I want to voice their concerns and bring their creative ideas to the Board
and administration.”The Bensenville resident is happy that he selected College of DuPage.“I was introverted in high school, and I knew my personality would not mix at a four-year
school,” he said. “On top of that, I did not want to put myself so heavily in debt
at a young age. I took a tour of College of DuPage and I told myself at that moment,
‘This is it!’ COD is so diverse and there are so many ways to get involved. I saw
my potential at COD and it was one of the best choices I have ever made.”Earlier this year, Walker received the Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., scholarship
through the College of DuPage Foundation. He is looking forward to becoming the first
college graduate in his ...

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On land or ship, port chaplains offer comfort to seafarers of the world

Brandeis University News

Boston celebrated its maritime heritage in June by welcoming tall ships from around the world into Boston Harbor for the celebratory event, Sail Boston. Thousands of people visited the magnificent vessels at anchor to learn about Boston’s rich maritime history.

I saw the tall ships with representatives from the New England Seafarers Mission (NESM). Founded in the 1880s by the Swedish Covenant Church, the NESM today serves seafarers in Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts. In Boston, chaplains are connected to the NESM and the Seafarer’s Friend, a second nonprofit organization that brings support and assistance to thousands of seafarers on the ships that pass through the port every day.

Seafarers, or those who work on container ships, tankers and other large commercial vessels, come from all the world – with the largest numbers from China, India and the Philippines. Most seafarers work nine months a year at sea, returning home for a short period between contracts.

As a scholar, I have been interested in the history of port chaplains and the work they do with seafarers around the globe. I have interviewed and shadowed many of them in recent years while conducting ongoing research about their work across the United States. I am also working on a larger project on port chaplains that started recently in the U.K.

Most of us barely have contact with the men and women who transport the goods we use every day by ships. Port chaplains provide much-needed services for those who make their living at sea.

Who are port chaplains and what do they do?

A support system around ships

I first learned about port chaplains in 2012 when interviewing chaplains in a range of settings in Boston as part of a broader project. I had never heard of their work and was intrigued as soon as I boarded a vessel and ...

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Embry-Riddle Receives $900,000 Research Grant to Advance Unmanned Surface Vessel Capabilities

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Eric Coyle, associate professor of mechanical engineering on the Daytona Beach Campus, will serve as principal investigator for the project. Coyle will work with his colleagues Brian Butka, associate professor of electrical engineering; Patrick Currier, associate professor of mechanical engineering; graduate students Stephen Cronin and David Thompson; and undergraduate students Jefferson Romney and Marco Schoener.
Developing stealthier ways for unmanned vessels on the ocean’s surface to communicate with unmanned underwater vehicles such as submarines will be one focus of the research initiative.
Typically, the researchers explained, underwater communication technology relies on low bandwidth and expensive acoustic devices. To address this issue, the researchers are investigating the potential use of technology normally used on these unmanned systems as emitters and receivers. The goal is to characterize how best to communicate in this manner, and to assess the data rates that can be achieved.
Researchers will also explore strategies to enhance the situational awareness of USVs through short- and long-range detection, classification and speed estimation of maritime objects using multi-model sensing.
Further, the team will develop hybrid energy system architectures in an effort to increase the energy efficiency of USVs so that they can remain on station longer. This work will involve finding ways to balance renewable sources such as wind and solar power with traditional energy sources such as batteries and diesel generators.
Testing and evaluation of the proposed communication, perception and energy systems will leverage Embry-Riddle’s Minion research platform – a 16-foot autonomous research vessel equipped with high-performance computing, an autonomous sensor suite, two brushless thrusters and substantial battery capacity.
The university will bring extensive robotics expertise to the new research project.
“Embry-Riddle is one of the few schools to compete in the Maritime RobotX Challenge, Roboboat and RoboSub competitions, which are collegiate competitions sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International ( ...

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McCormack Grad School Cohosts Live Conversations with Mayoral Candidates Marty Walsh, Tito Jackson

News

UMass Boston has teamed up with WBUR, the Boston Globe, NBC Boston, NECN, and Telemundo Boston to jointly host live conversations with Boston mayoral candidates on July 19 and 20.Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and challenger Tito Jackson, a Boston city councilor, will participate in hour-long conversations later this month before a live audience at UMass Boston. The conversations will be broadcast live on WBUR radio, 90.9 FM, and live-streamed online by WBUR, the Boston Globe, and UMass Boston before an audience in the school’s media auditorium.

The conversations are intended as a kick-off to the campaign season, introducing the leading candidates for mayor and exploring issues that are important to the city’s future.

The conversations will be conducted on July 19 (Jackson) and July 20 (Walsh) as part of WBUR’s Radio Boston show, from 3 to 4 p.m. The show’s host, Meghna Chakrabarti, will be joined as co-host by Meghan Irons, city hall bureau chief at the Boston Globe.

Because the conversations are taking place as part of WBUR’s Radio Boston program, the live audience must be in their seats in the Media Auditorium, on the lower level of UMass Boston's Healey Library, by 2:45 p.m. Doors open at 2:30 and close at 2:45. The conversations are free and open to the public, but registration will be required. Register here.

The John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at UMass Boston, WBUR, the Globe, NBC Boston, necn, and Telemundo Boston will co-sponsor the conversations.

Mayoral candidates were invited to participate based on specific criteria that included polling, fundraising, and demonstrated political support.

McCormack, WBUR, and the Globe collaborated last year in hosting debates on the four statewide ballot questions, also broadcast live on Radio Boston.

This year, they are joined by NBC Boston, necn, and Telemundo Boston in a proposal, being considered by the candidates, to host formal debates ...

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What I think: Paul Muldoon

Princeton University News

Paul Muldoon, the Howard G. B. Clark '21 University Professor in the Humanities and professor of creative writing, reflects on poetry, the creative process, teaching at Princeton, the relevance of the humanities and the importance of fun.

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An Interview with Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics' David Mosser, Newly Appointed Chair of the Maryland Stem Cell Commission - BioHive

College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences



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IU sophomore Corben Andrews is working to make a more sustainable world

IU

Growing up, Indiana University student Corben Andrews experienced early on the effects of poverty and the impact one can have on the world.When he was 5 years old, he accompanied his parents and church on a mission trip to Mexico, where the group built houses for people in need. Then in high school, Andrews volunteered, again through his church, at an orphanage in Guatemala, where he helped build and paint buildings for the young children living there.
"I grew up with an appreciation of what we have in America and our impact on the rest of the world," said Andrews, a sophomore majoring in environmental science.
It was during that trip to Guatemala that Andrews' interest in sustainability was also piqued, after he witnessed a community living among a trash dump and drinking water from a stream polluted with that nearby garbage.
"It was terrible to see," said Andrews, a Bloomington native. "I saw all this trash and these people having to suffer from all these nasty chemicals. I came back home and got connected with some sustainability groups here."
Andrews working at Hilltop Gardens and Nature Center. Photo by IU Communications.Throughout high school, Andrews was involved with his school's environmental club, helped build a school garden, volunteered at the Hoosier Hills Food Bank garden and was a member of Bring Your Bag Bloomington, a local group focused on the issue of single-use plastic bags.
When it was time to attend college, Andrews knew he wanted to continue to focus on sustainability issues and study at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
In addition to his studies, Andrews has served as a 2020 Sustainability Scholar through IU's Office of Sustainability. As part of his work, which he is continuing this academic year, Andrews worked with Heather Reynolds, an associate professor of biology, to study the effectiveness of turf grass ...

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Northwestern honors Blackhawks chairman, other supporters at Wirtz Center dedication

Northwestern Now: Summaries

Rocky Wirtz and his wife, Marilyn, at the dedication.EVANSTON - In the 1970s, Northwestern University alumna and supporter Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz ’24, a champion of the arts, helped her alma mater raise the funds needed to build what was then the Theatre and Interpretation Center. Today, her memory lives on in the newly renovated Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts.A gift from her grandson, Chicago Blackhawks chairman William Rockwell “Rocky” Wirtz ’75, and his wife, Marilyn, enabled Northwestern to rename the center in Virginia’s honor in 2014. University leaders honored the Wirtz family and other lead benefactors of the School of Communication at a June 13 ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official reopening of the fully renovated center.“Northwestern and the Wirtz family have been connected for many decades,” Northwestern President Morton Schapiro told an audience of more than 70 University supporters, trustees, administrators and others in the Wirtz Center’s stunning new blackbox theater.Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz graduated from the University’s undergraduate business school in 1924. Her daughter, Elizabeth “Betty” Wirtz, attended the School of Communication, then the School of Speech, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Rocky Wirtz, who graduated from the School of Communication in 1975, is a University trustee and has served on the School of Communication’s National Advisory Council since 1986.“Our theatre graduates from the School of Communication have shined a spotlight on the overall excellence of Northwestern in a way that nothing else has,” Schapiro added. “Thanks to the Wirtzes, now we have a performance center that is befitting the quality of the work that takes place in this school, and I think that the sky is the limit.”The building was renovated to improve the accessibility and function of existing spaces and to create new classroom, rehearsal and performance spaces.“Looking at all the new plays, new curricula and new students and faculty ...

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Researchers offer new explanation for why protein fibers form

UChicago News

Alzheimer’s disease results from a dysfunctional stacking of protein molecules that form long fibers inside brain cells. Similar stacking occurs in sickle-cell anemia and mad cow disease.Scientists know these orderly fibers develop from a wide variety of molecules, but could there be a common reason they form?

In new research, physicists at the University of Chicago and Université Paris-Saclay suggest that such protein fibers are a manifestation of a general physical principle. And that principle offers the possibility of new medicines and tools for engineering desirable protein structures. The findings were published earlier this month in Nature Physics.

“We have strong evidence that there’s a principle shaping how things aggregate that can be used both to understand disease and modify it and to make things self-assemble in a way that we dictate,” said co-author Thomas Witten, the Homer J. Livingston Professor Emeritus of Physics at UChicago.

Proteins aggregate all the time. But mostly they make amorphous blobs similar to those in egg drop soup. “We’re trying to find out what makes some molecules assemble to form a fiber instead of a glop,” Witten said.

The proteins that form fibers are identical but irregular; they don’t fit together cleanly. Witten and his collaborator Martin Lenz, a researcher at Université Paris-Saclay, wondered if that irregularity might hold a key to fiber formation. Using computers, Lenz, lead author of the study, devised a mathematical model to simulate how identical but ill-fitting objects would clump together. He used pentagons and other simple polygons to represent the irregular, fiber-forming proteins.

“We didn’t have a lab and test tubes. We just had these little shapes,” Witten said. 

The researchers made the interaction of the polygons depend on just two attributes without incorporating any other features of real molecules. As in a real fiber, all of the sub-units are identical and ...

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MassDOT Construction to Close Comm Ave Bridge for Two-Plus Weeks

BU Today

BU Today will update this story as information becomes available from MassDOT. The University also has a project website, which includes detour routes.
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As part of a $110 million project to replace the half-century-old concrete surface and steel beams that support Commonwealth Avenue as it passes over the Massachusetts Turnpike, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will close that section of Comm Ave to all but MBTA buses, pedestrians, bicycles, and emergency vehicles from July 27 through August 14.
The project begins Wednesday, July 26, at 9 p.m., when the MBTA Green Line trolleys stop running between Blandford Street east of the bridge and Babcock Street to its west. On Thursday, July 27, Comm Ave and the BU Bridge will close to private vehicular traffic at 7 p.m., and detours for the MBTA’s CT and number 47 buses will go into effect. Find a day-by-day schedule of the work’s transportation closings and changes here.
The MBTA Green Line B trolleys will be replaced with shuttle buses from Blandford Street to Babcock Street from July 26 through August 14.
The project, scheduled for the time of year when vehicular traffic, pedestrians, and cyclists are significantly reduced, is phase one of a two-phase bridge replacement, to be undertaken and completed over the next two summers. This July and August, MassDOT will replace the eastbound lanes, sidewalk, bike lane, and MBTA trolley areas, and during summer 2018 it will replace westbound lanes, sidewalk, and bike lanes. Both phases will close to normal vehicular traffic roadways that intersect with the bridge, including University Road, the BU Bridge, the Carlton Street bridge, and Mountfort Street. Access from and to Storrow Drive at University Road will also be closed.
Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists will use detours that will be clearly marked by MassDOT. Cyclists and pedestrians will be able to cross the bridge through designated areas monitored by police details. Special ...

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Mānoa: Enhancing coastal resilience in West Maui is goal of new PacIOOS grant

UH News

University of Hawaiʻi at MānoaContact:Posted: Jul 14, 2017Severe coastal erosion causes loss of property, infrastructure, and impacts water quality at Honokowai.Wave inundation at Honoapiilani Hwy. Other sections are actively undermined by erosion and waves.Sandbag barrier in Kahana where condominium properties are threatened by erosion and high waves.The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) will develop a high-resolution, real-time wave run-up forecast and notification system for West Maui’s coastline with a $500,000 award from NOAA’s Regional Coastal Resilience Grants Program.PacIOOS will also model a suite of inundation planning scenarios that take rising sea levels and increasing wave energies into account. Site-specific, short- and long-term forecasts will strengthen West Maui’s coastal community and economy by enhancing preparedness and response operations, and by informing future land use planning. The three-year project is expected to begin in October 2017.A combination of high water levels and large wave swells can result in significant coastal erosion, damage to infrastructure and properties and land-based sedimentation that impairs coastal water quality. The State of Hawaiʻi has experienced an increase in wave plus tide-driven flooding in recent years, and these events are expected to grow in numbers and duration due to sea level rise and changing wave energies.“We are affected by chronic shoreline erosion in West Maui. Some of the properties that are built close to the shoreline are literally on the brink of falling into the ocean,” said co-investigator Tara Owens, UH Sea Grant College Program coastal processes extension agent. “Flooding and wave inundation is also a major concern for our infrastructure, including Honoapiʻilani Highway, which is the only reliable access to this part of the island. These roughly 21 miles of coastline are extremely important for Maui’s economy, local businesses, homeowners and visitors, and yet they are extremely ...

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Community Crime Advisory

Georgia College FrontPage RSS Feed

Georgia College Public Safety has been made aware of at least three incidents with notable similarities reported to have occurred in Milledgeville near campus in the past few weeks. Out of an abundance of caution, this Community Crime Advisory is being issued to notify the campus community to keep a vigilant eye, to know your surroundings at all times and to always report any suspicious activity.There have been multiple reports of incidents in which windows to residences have been broken. In a couple of these incidents, it was also reported that the residence was entered and items were taken. At the time of the incidents, residents were not home. All instances have been off campus and are being investigated by the Milledgeville Police Department. If you have any information pertaining to these incidents, please contact the Milledgeville Police Department at 478-414-4000. Georgia College Public Safety would like to remind the university community to remain aware of your surroundings at all times and to report any suspicious activity that you see to law enforcement.
Please remember that if you find yourself in a potentially unsafe situation, you may request a safety escort from GC Public Safety at any time by calling 478-445-4054. Additionally, you may download the Rave Guardian App (available in the app stores), which allows you to place a panic call to GC Police, set a safety timer or send anonymous tips. When calling GC Police or if the safety timer expires through the Rave Guardian App, your profile and location information will be shared with dispatch to provide quick and accurate response in times of an emergency. To learn more about Rave Guardian, watch this YouTube clip or visit their website. This service is free, and you can provide as much information in your profile as you want. When signing up, be sure to select ...

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Executive & Audit Committee of the OSU Board of Trustees to meet July 20

About Oregon State University:  As one of only two universities in the nation designated as a land, sea, space and sun grant, Oregon State serves Oregon and the world by working on today’s most pressing issues. Our more than 31,000 students come from across the globe, and our programs operate in every Oregon county. Oregon State receives more research funding than all of the state’s comprehensive public universities combined. At our campuses in Corvallis, Bend and Newport, and through our award-winning Ecampus, we excel at shaping today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders.


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Cyclone Feud at Meet The Coaches Night

Iowa State University












Join Cyclone coaches as we embark on an exciting year of Iowa State Athletics! The event will take place at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. 

5:00 - Social
6:00 - Dinner
7:00 - Program
You won't want to miss the opportunity to bid on exclusive collectibles, travel with teams to away competitions, and premium access to home games.


























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UC Riverside Makes Top 30 in Time’s Money Magazine

UCR Today


UCR is ranked 29 in Money’s Best Colleges 2017-18 issue
By Mojgan Sherkat on July 14, 2017
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UCR has been ranked 29 in Money Magazine’s “Best Colleges for Your Money 2017.”

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) – The University of California, Riverside has been ranked No. 29 in Time Inc.’s Money Magazine’s “Best Colleges for Your Money 2017,” issue. The rankings compared a total of 711 schools that met Money’s requirements.
“Being ranked among the nation’s top universities is always an honor, but this achievement is particularly meaningful because it speaks to one of our core values—making a world class education accessible and affordable,” said UCR Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox. “A lot of things make UCR great, but our record in helping students from all backgrounds succeed, both while they’re here and after they graduate, is perhaps our most enduring accomplishment.”
Among the factors the magazine weighed to compile its list are each school’s estimated cost with or without financial aid, the percentage of students who receive aid grants, and average early-career earnings of graduates.
Money’s methodology behind its 2017 rankings includes the following:
Have at least 500 students.
Have sufficient, reliable data to be analyzed.
Not be in financial distress.
Have a graduation rate that was at or above the median for its institutional category (public or private), or have a high percentage of low-income students scoring well on tests.
A total of 711 universities met those requirements – Money ranked them on other factors that fit into these three categories, that surveys show are most important to students and parents. That’s quality of education, affordability, and outcomes.
“As with all our achievements as a campus, this is a team effort. We don’t get these kinds of results without faculty, staff, and students from across UCR working towards our shared vision of excellence,” Wilcox said.
The accolade ...

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Free weekend events with French flair

Olin BlogOlin Blog

The French founders of St. Louis might blush at the World Naked Bike Ride that takes place here this weekend, but their populist descendants will cheer the mock beheading of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette in Soulard in honor of Bastille Day on Saturday. There’s a little something français for everyone looking to fete le quatorze juillet on the banks of the Mississippi.
The Queen and King heading to the guillotine in Soulard.
Bastille Day Celebration & BeheadingSaturday, July 15, 4:00pm – 5:00pmSoulardThe gathering of the mob begins at 4:00 p.m. at the Lynch Street Tavern and marches through Soulard with stops at several bars along the route to Pontiac Square Park where the Guillotine is located. Peasant attire recommended
Let Them Eat ArtFriday, July 14, 6:00 PM – 11:30 PM Historic Downtown MaplewoodThe 12th Annual Let Them Eat Art, Maplewood’s whimsical tribute to Bastille Day features live art demonstrations by regional artists, live music, and food & drink by Maplewood’s award-winning food purveyors.

If you want to eat cake on Bastille Day, let me recommend my two favorite French patisseries in St. Louis: Comme a la Maison/Like Home at Lindell & Vandeventer, and La Chouquette at the corner of Tower Grove Ave. & McRee.


World Naked Bike RideJuly 15, 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM The GroveThe World Naked Bike Ride STL celebrates its 10th birthday! Ride as bare as you dare at the country’s third largest Naked Bike Ride, an international event celebrating bikes and bodies! Meet up in The Grove for pre-ride festivities.

Art Hill Film Series: TitanicJuly 14, 6-11:00 PMThis summer, the Saint Louis Art Museum is rolling out the red carpet for Oscar’s Best Dressed, in honor of their summer exhibition, Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015. The food trucks, music, and art activities start at 6:00 p.m. Films begin promptly at 9:00 p.m. You are welcome to arrive any time to ...

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Phillips Named SBS Director of Academic Engagement and Student Success

UMass Amherst: News Archive

Lynn Phillips, senior lecturer and chief undergraduate advisor in the department of communication, has been appointed director of academic engagement and student success for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. In this position, she will further develop and lead the college in the implementation of SBS Pathways.SBS Pathways is a holistic approach to student success that supports students throughout all aspects of their university careers, including their academic, co-curricular, experiential learning and career and professional development experiences.
Phillips’s agenda includes creating programs, resources, and communication strategies for students who have historically been underserved in secondary and post-secondary settings. She will also continue to teach courses as a faculty member in communication.
As a social and developmental psychologist with a focus on the transition from late adolescence to early adulthood, social justice education and advocacy, and cultural discourses about coping and choice, Phillips’s teaching and research explore many of the issues that she anticipates arising in her new position.
As the chief undergraduate advisor in the communication department for the past eight years, Phillips focused on fostering students’ growth as intellectuals, community members and global citizens and emerging professionals. “This position will be a very natural fit for me,” she says. “Scaling up to design new initiatives for all SBS students, not just communication students, will be an exciting challenge.”
Phillips is looking forward to broadening SBS students’ connections to the critical information, resources and support they need to become engaged educational decision makers.
“I view every element of this work through pedagogical, holistic student development, and social justice lenses,” says Phillips. “I begin from a belief in the transformative potential of a high-quality, liberal arts education and from the premise that structured race, class and cultural inequities differentially equip students with the social and cultural capital necessary to anticipate and navigate the hidden curriculum of higher ...

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College of Nursing, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Launch Pediatric Nursing Internship

Headlines – Tennessee Today


UT’s College of Nursing and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital have launched an internship program designed for students who want to pursue a career in pediatric nursing.“The Pediatric Nurse Intern program is an excellent example of how academic-practice partnerships can be a win-win for students and health facilities,” said Victoria Niederhauser, dean of the college. “This experiential learning opportunity better prepares nurses to enter the pediatric nursing workforce upon graduation.”
Nursing staff at Children’s Hospital and UT faculty designed the program’s curriculum. The idea for the program came from Niederhauser and Hella Ewing, vice president for patient care services and chief nursing officer at Children’s Hospital.
“Pediatric nursing is very specialized,” said Ewing. “Partnering with UT’s College of Nursing is the first step in better preparing students who have a passion for pediatrics. Our staff is committed to giving them the best experience to succeed when they move on to their career in nursing.”
UT and Children’s Hospital chose six rising seniors to participate in the five-week program, which launched this week. Each student is paired with a nurse mentor at the hospital as well as a clinical faculty member within the college to oversee their experience.
“Working alongside a registered nurse with a full patient load is an invaluable opportunity,” said Deb Chyka, clinical assistant professor of nursing, who will oversee the program. “Participating in this internship will result in a better prepared graduate who desires to enter the very competitive field of pediatric nursing.”
—
CONTACT:
Emily Kissel (865-974-2755, ekissel@utk.edu)
Tyra Haag (865-974-5460, tyra.haag@tennessee.edu)


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Renowned Biologist Awarded Pitt's Dickson Prize in Medicine

Noted Biologist David M. Sabatini, M.D., Ph.D., To Receive Pitt’s Dickson Prize in Medicine at Science 2017
PITTSBURGH, July 14, 2017 – A researcher who discovered a key cellular regulatory metabolic pathway known as mTOR and whose subsequent research has revealed several roles that individual proteins in this pathway play in cancer, diabetes and aging will receive the University of Pittsburgh’s 2017 Dickson Prize in Medicine.
David M. Sabatini, M.D., Ph.D., will accept the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s most prestigious honor during Science 2017, a showcase of the region’s latest research in science, engineering, medicine and computation that will be held from Oct. 18 to 20 at Alumni Hall in Oakland and at the adjacent Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center. Dr. Sabatini is a professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a senior associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, and a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. He also is a member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

“Dr. Sabatini is an extraordinarily innovative and imaginative scientist,” said Arthur S. Levine, M.D., Pitt’s senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of Medicine. “His seminal discoveries concerning the mTOR pathway came when he was a 24-year-old medical student researcher. In the years since then, he has been a leader in identifying fundamental molecular mechanisms in human biology and elucidating the molecular basis of human disease.”

Dr. Sabatini and his lab at the Whitehead Institute study the basic mechanisms that regulate cell growth, the process whereby cells and organisms accumulate mass and increase in size. These pathways are often disordered in human diseases. Since the discovery of the regulatory metabolic pathway known as mTOR (for mechanistic target of rapamycin), work ...

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El projecte europeu inHERE publica un Catàleg de bones pràctiques en l’acollida de persones refugiades a la universitat

Universitat de Barcelona - Notícies



































Una de les bones pràctiques seleccionades per al catàleg és el Programa de suport de la UB a persones refugiades i provinents de zones en conflicte.











14/07/2017






Institucional






El projecte inHERE (Educació superior en suport de les persones refugiades a Europa), en què participa la Universitat de Barcelona, ha publicat el seu primer resultat: el Catàleg de bones pràctiques (GPC en les seves sigles en anglès), que sorgeix d'una anàlisi en profunditat de gairebé tres-centes iniciatives procedents de trenta-dos països. El Programa de suport de la UB a persones refugiades i provinents de zones en conflicte ha estat una de les bones pràctiques seleccionades per formar part del catàleg.







Aquestes iniciatives les han presentades institucions d'educació superior i organitzacions compromeses amb l’acollida de les persones refugiades que han participat en el Mapa de benvinguda de persones refugiades (Refugees Welcome Map), una campanya organitzada per l’Associació Europea d'Universitats (EUA) fins a principis del 2017.
Com en el cas del mapa, l'objectiu del GPC és servir les comunitats acadèmiques d'Europa i altres indrets com una font d'informació i inspiració, i permetre l'intercanvi i la col·laboració entre els agents interessats. Si bé el catàleg se centra en experiències amb estudiants i investigadors refugiats, es pretén que també fomenti un debat més ampli i inclogui estratègies de les institucions d'educació superior, la seva tercera missió i quins enfocaments fan en la gestió de la diversitat.
Les bones pràctiques del GPC s'han seleccionat sobre la base d'un conjunt de criteris lligats a l'alt impacte actual o potencial respecte a la integració de les persones refugiades en l'estudi i la vida social. Tot i que es va demanar a les institucions que indiquessin la xifra d'estudiants i investigadors a què s’esperava arribar amb cada pràctica, més important que la ...

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Final Rolla Town Band performance July 21

News and Events

Hear the highlights of the Rolla Town Band’s 2017 season at its final concert of the year this July.
The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 21, at the on the front lawn of the Phelps County Courthouse, located at 200 N. Main St. in Rolla. All Rolla Town Band concerts are free and open to the public.
The performance will include highlights of the other three concerts that were held earlier this summer. The music will include American classics, pops music, brass band and traditional military marches. During the intermission, there will be a performance by the Missouri University of Science and Technology Brass Ensemble.
Organizations and individuals interested in helping sponsor the Rolla Town Band this summer are encouraged to contact Dave Cress, the band’s conductor, cressdl@mst.edu. Follow the band’s progress this summer on Facebook at facebook.com/pages/Rolla-Town-Band/133117630044254.


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Gateway Writing Project’s OneCity Stories program amplifies voices of local youth, introduces world of multimedia composing

UMSL Daily

Gateway Writing Project, housed in the College of Education at UMSL, hosted OneCity Stories: a St. Louis Youth Writing Program from June 12 to 30. The immersive summer institute was based out of UMSL at Grand Center and brought together high school students from across the St. Louis area to explore the ways in which writing connects multiple forms of media. (Image courtesy of OneCity Stories)
“Do you think writing is power?”
The question, posed one June afternoon inside a classroom at the University of Missouri–St. Louis at Grand Center, drew an immediate response.
“Definitely,” Edwardsville High School student Sydney Hershberger said. “Writing is used in a lot of ways to create change. Sometimes in good ways. Sometimes in bad.”
Indigo Thompson, a student from Metro Academic and Classical High School, also chimed in.
“I believe words are really powerful,” she said. “You take these words that mean nothing and you can add to them. It’s the way they’re brought together that makes them what they are.”
OneCity Stories program coordinators, instructors and students include (back row from left) Diana Hammond, Cathy Griner, William Morris, Johnathan Baker, Cierra Cross, Cindy Combs, Janylaa Owens, Jane Bannester and Katie O’Daniels; (middle row from left) Sydney Hershberger, Locke Meyer, Saidi Muya and Indigo Thompson; and Ray Reichert. (Photo courtesy of OneCity Stories)
Hershberger and Thompson are just two of several St. Louis-area youth who had the chance to ponder such questions this summer – and to explore the power of not just any words or writing, but their own.
Their opportunity? OneCity Stories, a new youth writing program so impressive that it became one of only 10 educational initiatives in the nation to win a $20,000 2017 LRNG Innovators Challenge Grant.
Sponsored by the Gateway Writing Project at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, OneCity Stories is more than a summer camp. It’s an ...

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Next-Gen Precision Diagnostics Now Available at UCSF

UCSF - Latest News Feed

A genome sequencing test developed at UC San Francisco that can rapidly pinpoint the cause of a bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic infection from among a huge range of possibilities is now available to help physicians nationwide diagnose mysterious cases of neurological infection in acutely ill patients.

Scientists at UCSF have already used the test on a trial basis to diagnose a number of patients, including the well-known case of a 14-year-old boy who was near death with swelling in his brain. The boy had undergone months of unsuccessful attempts to identify the cause of his illness with conventional lab tests, expensive imaging technologies, and invasive procedures, including a brain biopsy. By sequencing his cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), UCSF scientists found that he had a bacterial infection called leptospirosis, and he rapidly recovered after receiving targeted treatment with penicillin. The test has now been validated in UCSF’s Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-licensed clinical microbiology laboratory and is approved for clinical use. 

Over the last year, UCSF physicians and researchers have examined the utility of the test using CSF collected from more than 200 patients enrolled in a nationwide study of eight hospitals, including three University of California medical centers. All of these patients suffered from acute neurological illnesses, including meningitis (inflammation of the coverings around the brain and spinal cord), encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord).

Doctors often have trouble figuring out why these tissues become inflamed, as these conditions can have many causes, including infection, cancer, and autoimmune disease. This can lead to inappropriate treatment. For example, steroids and immunosuppressive agents that are commonly used to treat autoimmune diseases make it harder for the body to fight infection. 

The new sequencing test can help overcome this uncertainly by pinpointing the genomic signatures of a wide range of pathogens—including fungi, bacteria, viruses, and ...

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No Chocolate Milk? No Problem, Kids Get Used to Plain Milk

Health – UConn Today


A new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut has found that most students adjust to drinking plain milk after flavored milk is removed from school lunch menus.
Flavored milk served in the National School Lunch Program contains up to 10 grams of added sugar per serving, which is 40 percent of a child’s daily allowance of added sugar. Given the nation’s key public health target of limiting added sugars in children’s diets, flavored milk has come under scrutiny in the context of school nutrition.
The study measured plain milk selection and consumption in the years after flavored milk was removed in two schools. During the first year without flavored milk, 51.5 percent of students selected plain milk. Two years later, 72 percent of students selected plain milk. Both years, student selection and consumption of plain milk dropped significantly on days when 100 percent fruit juice was also available.
“The decision to remove flavored milk has both nutritional benefits and potential costs. It is clearly an effective way to lower student intake of added sugars at lunch, and over time, the majority of students will switch to plain milk,” said Marlene Schwartz, professor of human development and family studies, director of the UConn Rudd Center, and lead author of the study. “However, there will always be some students who don’t like plain milk. The challenge is finding a way to meet their dietary needs by providing other nutrient-rich options at lunch.”
The study, published July 14 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, has implications for school nutrition policy and efforts to reduce added sugars in children’s diets.
The study was conducted in two elementary (K-8) schools in an urban New England school district during the 2010-2011 and 2012-2013 school years. Researchers assessed the selection and consumption of milk immediately ...

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Get to Know New @FIUHoops Assistant Coach Jarrett T. Lockhart: Part One

FIU Athletics

MIAMI (July 13, 2017) – With the 2017 summer recruiting period upon us, FIUSports.com wanted to take some time to sit down and chat with the Panthers' new assistant men's basketball coach, Jarrett T. Lockhart. Lockhart was recently promoted to an assistant after spending the previous three seasons as the program's director of basketball operations. In this sit-down – the first of two parts – get Lockhart's take on his new role with the program, his time in Miami and what FIU means to him, and about being the son of a New York City basketball legend.Fans are encouraged to follow @FIUHoops on Twitter, and "Like" FIU men's basketball on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/FIUMensBBall) for the latest Panther basketball news.Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).#####
 
About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and at Riccardo Silva Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law, and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is Worlds Ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
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Jackson Named to Thorpe Watch List

LSUsports.net
Headline News





Brandon BerrioAssistant Communications Director



BATON ROUGE – LSU junior defensive back Donte Jackson has been named to the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List, which honors 45 of the nation’s best defensive backs.
The Jim Thorpe Award is named after history’s greatest all-around athlete. Thorpe was a running back, passer, kicker, and defensive back. He also played professional baseball and won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon.
Jackson played in all 12 games and started in 11 of those at cornerback. Arguably the fastest player in all of college football, Jackson totaled 39 tackles for the Tigers, including a career-high seven against Alabama.
Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2010 and 2011. The duo made LSU one of two schools in the history of the award to win in consecutive seasons.
The Thorpe Award Winner is selected from three finalists and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, December 7, 2017, on ESPN.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet will be held on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, in Oklahoma.
2017 NCFAA Awards Preseason Watch List CalendarMonday, July 10: Bednarik Award – Arden Key and Kevin Toliver II / Maxwell Award – Arden Key and Derrius GuiceTuesday, July 11: Rimington Trophy – Will Clapp Thursday, July 13: Bronko Nagurski Trophy – Arden Key and Kevin Toliver II / Outland Trophy – Will Clapp Friday, July 14: Jim Thorpe Award – Donte Jackson Monday, July 17: Butkus Award / Paul Hornung AwardTuesday, July 18: Biletnikoff Award / Wuerffel TrophyWednesday, July 19: Davey O’Brien AwardThursday, July 20: Doak Walker AwardFriday, July 21: Walter Camp Award


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Zhao receives Fondren’s 2017 Shapiro Award

Rice University News & Media

Members of the Rice community gathered in Fondren Library’s historic Kyle Morrow Room July 10 for a reception honoring an exceptional library employee. Jane Zhao, director of the Digital Media Commons (DMC), was recognized with the 2017 Shapiro Award.
Jane Zhao addresses attendees of the Shapiro Award ceremony. Photos by Tommy LaVergne
The commons supports the creation and use of multimedia in education, scholarship and artistic expression at Rice. Located in Suite B42 in the library, the commons space boasts a state-of-the-art video and photography studio with a green screen and professional lighting, a soundproofed audio-recording studio and a multipurpose room. The DMC works to provide extensive support for creating multimedia, including training, equipment checkout and access to video-editing software. The commons was previously located in Herring Hall. Zhao oversaw its move to Fondren in spring 2015.
The Shapiro Award is presented annually to a member of the Fondren Library staff who has developed an innovative program to provide library services at Rice or has shown exemplary service to the university community. Zhao, who came to Rice in 2005, is the 16th recipient of the award since it was first given in 2002.
Zhao’s supervisor, Lisa Spiro, executive director of digital scholarship services at Fondren, noted Zhao’s dedication and professional ethos. “Jane demonstrates a strong commitment to assisting faculty, students and staff with pretty much any multimedia project, deep knowledge of multimedia, the ability to envision and implement new services and a positive, can-do attitude,” Spiro said. “In the past couple of years, Jane has the deepened the DMC’s collaborations, set up and promoted new multimedia studios, developed new training programs and offered outstanding service throughout. I think that Jane is wonderful, and based on the eight nominations she received for this award, it’s clear that many share that view. People from across the university value Jane’s expertise and ...

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