 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
August 20, 2008 8:43 AM |
 |
 |
           
|
 |
||
|
H9N2 Avian Flu Strain Has Pandemic Potential Back To School Experts - 2008 Edition UM Wins International Robot Competition UM's Fall Semester to Focus on All Aspects Of War |
|
|
||
 |
||
|
Highlighted News Items, August 15
College Presidents Seek Debate on Drinking Age
|
|
Maryland Moments, October, 2002
University Initiatives
(University News, Rankings)
The United Nations organizations responsible for worldwide health and food availability announced that the university would coordinate an international network of research and information about acrylamide, a chemical and possible carcinogen that was recently found in several common food products. The Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition�a university partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration--will operate the "Acrylamide in Food Network."
The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship was selected as one of seven centers around the country to manage the closed-end, for-profit New Markets Growth Fund. An example of a region that might benefit is Baltimore, with plans for two biotechnology parks and a third city-managed business incubator. The fund will target companies from Northern Virginia to Baltimore.
A technologically advanced Computer Science Instructional Center opened with a ribbon-cutting that included Gov. Parris Glendening. The facility transforms Maryland's computer science education by centralizing what formerly took place in 11 different buildings. The building contains a 140-seat lecture hall, two 90-seat classrooms, seven 35-to-50-seat classrooms, a Linux instructional lab, and support space.
The university's new arena, the Comcast Center, opened to universally fine reviews. The $107 million complex elevates the convenience and accessibility of large campus events to a new level. Maintaining the intimate fan experience in the Comcast Center that was found at revered Cole Field House was a prime goal of the architects.
University President C.D. Mote Jr. appeared before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, delivering his own thoughts on what states should be doing in funding higher education, and delivering prepared remarks by the chancellor of the University System of Maryland, William Kirwan. Mote and Kirwan both felt the state legislature in Annapolis is not making higher education a priority.
Business Week released its rankings of the top business schools. The Smith School ranked No. 25, up from No. 27 last year.
In rankings that were based on student satisfaction, the Smith School earned A grades in the curriculum and ethics categories; No. 7 for faculty quality; and No. 15 in a graduate poll. In addition, it was No. 21 in intellectual capital, reflecting the quality of faculty research.
The Pew Center created a venture fund for interactive news and information. J-Lab is to be to be housed at the Merrill College of Journalism. It will support newsroom experiments that advance civic participation in the digital arena and reward best practices.
The university obtained the papers of Ben Shneiderman, a professor of computer science and founding director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the university. Shneiderman developed the concept of "direct manipulation," which led to the invention of the "hot link," greatly increasing the accessibility and usefulness of computers and the Internet.
The history of radio and television captured in the photo archives of Broadcasting and Cable magazine found a new home at the university's Library of American Broadcasting. The 200,000 plus images cover almost the entire history of the medium, mirroring the 71 years the "bible" of the industry has been publishing.
The James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership joined forces with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a comprehensive leadership development program for the corps. Working with the Maccoby Group and the Gallup Organization, the academy will develop a series of workshops for corps' executives, middle managers, coaches and emerging leaders.
The American Journalism Review, published by the Merrill School of Journalism, celebrated a quarter-century of existence. Thomas Kunkel, dean of the Merrill School, Rem Rieder, editor of AJR, and a large cast of characters connected to the College of Journalism contributed to a lively, colorful history published by the magazine itself.
Two university families with relatives killed by the notorious suburban sniper had memorial funds created to advance higher education. The family of Indian immigrant Prem Kuma Walekar (daughter Andrea is a business student) created a fund to help students financially. Alumnus James Buchanan's family and friends founded a fund to provide college scholarships and mentoring programs.
Philanthropist, businessman and Bethesda community leader Saul Stern created the Saul I. Stern Professor of Civic Engagement at the university's School of Public Affairs. William Galston, a national figure in encouraging a more civic interaction in the political arena, was named the first Stern Professor.
For those coming to campus looking for a heads-up in regards to special events and /or regular updates on the traffic situation, tune to 1640 on the AM dial when nearing College Park. The traffic and information outlet gives listeners what they need to know, before it affects their visit.
Science & Technology
Raymond Davis Jr., who earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry at Maryland, won the Nobel Prize in physics. Long Island's Newsday: "(Davis) a quiet, self-effacing chemist from Brookhaven National Laboratory, who searched for secrets of the sun by putting an experiment nearly a mile underground in a South Dakota gold mine, won the Nobel Prize in Physics."
The university underlined its status as the region's premier research institution by having five of its professors selected as fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The prestigious honor is awarded for efforts toward advancing science or fostering applications that are scientifically or socially distinguished. The new Maryland AAAS fellows:
- Margaret Palmer, biology, for significant contributions to advancing the understanding of aquatic ecosystems and the role of women in science
- Samuel Grim, professor, chemistry/biochemistry, for his work creating new compounds with metal bonding properties
- Mikhail Anisimov, chemical engineering, for distinguished contributions to chemical thermodynamics
- J. Robert Dorfman, physics, for his work on kinetic theory and foundations of statistical mechanics
- Harriet Presser, sociology, for innovative research on population, labor force, gender and social inequality and for outstanding service to demographic and sociological societies.
A NASA-supported report led by Ruth DeFries, associate professor of geography, found that satellite surveys show less tropical forests were lost over the past two decades than previously estimated, but that the rate of loss is increasing. Other researchers included John Townshend, professor and chair of geography; Matthew Hansen, assistant research scientist in geography; and scientists from Woods Hole Research Center, the Carnegie Institution of Washington and Michigan State University.
Don Riley, chief information officer at Maryland, was a driving force behind the creation of a high-speed Internet research and education link across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. The Internet Educational Equal Access Agency and Tyco International are joining to build a "Global Quilt" of access for researchers. (The university is one of six organizations making up the IEEAA.)
Society & Culture
The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement in the School of Public Affairs issued a report on voting by U.S. youth that prompted editorials in major newspapers and questions as to why younger voters are not going to the polls.
Assistant English professors Elizabeth Arnold and Joshua Weiner won two of the three Whiting Writing Awards given to promising young poets in 2002. The new faculty members in the Creative Writing program represent one-fifth of winners in all categories of Whiting Awards for this year.
William Hall, chair of the department of psychology, was appointed to a three-year term as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation.
Michael Olmert, a lecturer in the department of English, won an Emmy Award for a second consecutive year. Olmert was co-writer of the Discovery Channel's "Walking with Prehistoric Beasts," the third-most-watched program in the cable network's history.
Former U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford of Pennsylvania joined the Maryland faculty. He previously chaired the organization, "America's Promise," whose founding chairman is Secretary of State Colin Powell, and he helped start the Peace Corps. Wofford will be professor of practice and will serve as part of the university's Democracy Collaborative.
Thomas Kunkel, dean of the Merrill School of Journalism, and Eugene Roberts, professor of journalism, wrote Breach of Faith: A Crisis of Coverage in the Age of Corporate Journalism. The book attempts to document the impact U.S. press consolidation with the theme of how the increased emphasis on profits undermines good journalism.
More Maryland Moments in October
A partnership between the College of Arts and Humanities and the College Park Arts Exchange allows 35 seventh and eighth graders to visit campus for 90 minutes on Tuesdays to participate in an Arts and Humanities Academy.
The university provides mentors for Bladensburg High School's Alpha Scholars, preparing students at many steps along the way to a college education. The scholars visited campus for Homecoming weekend activities to give them social experiences they can use to pursue their educational goals.
William Leith, director of financial aid, is among a task force of college administrators and community leaders who "will undertake a sweeping review of tuition and fees at Maryland public universities and suggest guidelines for any increase to offset future shortfalls in state funding". William Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, urged the group to "keep the doors of higher education open to all qualified students."
The Tawes Fine Arts Building theater was packed when Robert Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate scandal, made a rare public appearance to discuss their journalism practices of 30 years ago and journalism today. Journalism Professor Haynes Johnson, a Pulitzer Prize winning faculty member and former Post reporter, also spoke. The evening was hosted by the Brody Foundation Public Policy Forum and the Merrill College of Journalism.
Wilbur Malloy, assistant director of student health services, donates his time to help run the People's Community Wellness Center in Montgomery Count, designed to be a remedy for minority health disparities. New county citizens and immigrants don't understand how the health care system works and frequently can't afford health care.
Dominique Dawes, three-time Olympian gymnast and Maryland graduate, hung up her leotard two years ago and now gives speeches and does commentary for various TV networks. She has also teamed up with Girl Scouts of the USA and Unilever to help girls ages 8 to 14 boost their self-esteem and develop a more positive body image with a new program, "uniquely ME!"
 Fall '02 : |
August | September | October | November | December |
| Winter & Spring '03 : |
January | February | March | April | May | June | July |
Information provided by the Office of University CommunicationsEmail University Communications at emailum@umd.edu