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Maryland Moments, October, 2008 (New Programs, Rankings, Awards) Mote Presides over 'Alcohol Summit' Baltimore Sun: "More than 100 students, faculty and staff at Maryland gathered for an 'Alcohol Summit' to talk about the widespread use of alcohol on campus and ways to curtail heavy drinking -- including a proposal from some college presidents to possibly lower the drinking age. ... 'We have yet to figure out how to deal with this growing social problem,' said C.D. 'Dan' Mote Jr., UM president. Mote was one of 100 college presidents to sign on this summer to the so-called Amethyst Initiative, which says the drinking age of 21 'is not working' and has helped create a culture of dangerous, clandestine binge drinking." President Mote signed the Amethyst Initiative in August, an effort by over 120 college presidents, to create a discourse on campus alcohol abuse. Best Values in Public Colleges Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine The university is No. 9 among the best values in public higher education, based on in-state tuiton fees. In the last Kiplinger's ranking it was No. 28
The university is No. 13 for best value when rated on out-of-state tuition fees. What has become the world's most watched college rankings are released.
UM retains No. 37 ranking in world. Maryland Daily Record: "The University of Maryland announced the appointment of Darryll J. Pines as dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering and the Nariman Farvardin Professor of Engineering, effective Jan. 5, 2009. Pines came to the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1995 as an assistant professor in the Clark School, and has served as chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering since 2006. During his tenure, the department was recently ranked eighth overall among U.S. universities, up from 11th last year, and fifth among public universities in the U.S. News and World Report graduate school rankings." UM astronomer Michael A'Hearn won the 2008 Kuiper Prize in recognition of his seminal contributions to, and leadership of, the study of comets. Awarded by the American Astronomical Society's Division of Planetary Science (DPS), the Kuiper Prize is given "to scientists whose achievements have most advanced our understanding of the planetary system." The prize is named for Gerard P. Kuiper who is widely regarded as the father of planetary science. A'Hearn received his award and delivered a Kuiper Prize lecture at the DPS annual meeting (October 10 through October 15) in Ithaca, New York. The Kuiper prize is the second major space science award A'Hearn has received in 2008. In August, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics awarded him its Space Science Award "for his leadership of the 'Deep Impact' mission, which delivered the first man-made object to impact the nucleus of a comet and study its composition." The Daily Record selects its Innovators of the Year. "If bioterrorism or contagious disease outbreaks ever require quick mass vaccination of large populations, public health officials will be better prepared with innovative software developed by a team headed by Dr. Jeffrey Herrmann, associate professor in the University of Maryland's Institute for Systems Research (Clark School). Plans to respond to emergencies often call for establishing points of dispensing (PODs) vaccines. Herrmann has come up with a spreadsheet application, the Clinic Planning Model Generator (CPMG), which creates accurate models that emergency preparedness planners can use to organize mass dispensing of vaccinations through PODs. Among other advantages it offers, they can determine what supplies and how many people they need to staff each station to accommodate local residents waiting in line and how long residents will spend in the POD. With the CPMG software, planners do not have to create spreadsheets from scratch or understand the mathematics of queuing networks,. says Herrmann." Most people would be surprised to learn that the inventor of the advanced hybrid technology used in the Toyota Prius and other vehicles is an American. After all, American car companies have been slow to adopt hybrid technologies. In fact, he is an engineer and entrepreneur who emigrated to the U.S. from the Soviet Union and launched his inventions at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering. This month, the spotlight will finally shine on Alex J. Severinsky, who designed the Hyperdrive power-amplified internal combustion engine power train. He will be inducted into the Clark School's Innovation Hall of Fame on October 30.Soon after Severinsky arrived in America as a refugee in 1978-in the middle of the national oil crisis of that era-he recognized a major problem he believed he could help solve. The Maryland Agricultural College Cadet Band marched onto the field between the original Barracks and Route 1 for its first concert in October 1908. Wearing wool, military-style uniforms, the 25-member corps opened with popular favorites of the time such as "Home, Sweet Home." This Saturday -- October 25 -- an alumni band of the same size will replicate parts of the 100-year-old performance during Homecoming. But then it will morph into a band of an estimated 500 alumni playing for 51,500 cheering Terp football fans as part of the bands' centennial celebration." Capital News Service: "The Board of Public Works Wednesday approved construction of an $80 million dormitory on the University of Maryland, College Park campus, just two weeks after saying the money could be 'better spent.' At the board's Oct. 1 meeting, Comptroller Peter Franchot said he was considering voting against construction of the dorm, believing the university should make use of public-private partnerships instead. But officials from the University System of Maryland and the College Park campus said there are benefits to a mix of student housing types. 'We are great fans of private-public partnerships and in fact in the last nine years we have built 2,500 beds in that fashion,' said Linda Clement, vice president for student affairs at Maryland. 'This particular building that we want to build is different than the projects that we've done before.' The new building, Oakland Hall, will be constructed alongside other dorms on the university's North campus and will provide 650 beds to predominantly underclassmen." UM launched a new Web site, Research at Maryland -- Climate Change. The Web site is a media toolkit that provides a comprehensive collection of climate-related resources found at Maryland and around the world, as well as direct access to UM's internationally recognized experts. The media toolkit contains: - Searchable database of Maryland's climate change experts - Climate change news release archive - Quick facts on climate change - Links to Maryland's climate change research centers and initiatives - External resource links to top international and national climate change sites - A continuous newsfeed featuring the latest climate change news from around the world Baltimore Business Journal: "The University System of Maryland froze hiring and delayed maintenance work to absorb a $30 million cut in state funding this year. But university leaders say bigger cuts on the way in the next fiscal year could eat into enrollment growth and may mean a tuition increase. USM, which includes the state's 13 public universities, colleges and institutions, lost $10.3 million, about 1 percent of its $1.1 billion state allocation this year. In addition to state dollars, USM's $4.1 billion budget also includes income from tuition, grants and fees. State leaders also tapped $20 million from USM's $550 million reserve, held to cover its debt. The cuts -- outlined by state leaders in September -- will be used to help plug a projected $432 million hole in this year's budget." Baltimore Business Journal: "Rising travel costs are forcing colleges across Maryland to call an audible when deciding the best -- and cheapest -- ways to send their athletic teams on the road. Nearly $4-a-gallon fuel prices, the increasing cost of airfare and accompanying surcharges are piling up, leaving colleges of all sizes grappling with the upsurges. The University of Maryland spent $100,000 in late September -- up 17 percent from 2006 -- to fly 160 football players and personnel on a chartered flight to South Carolina for a game versus Clemson University. ... The University of Maryland, a top-tier Division I school, is trying to save money on travel costs several ways. The school's football team, for example, often charters a flight to away games. For a football game versus Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., on Nov. 6, the team will take a 150-seat 737 aircraft that will cost $105,000, said Randy Eaton, chief financial officer of the school's athletic department. The university began booking smaller 737 aircrafts when possible last year instead of 757s. The price difference? $20,000. 'When you save $20,000 a trip, it's kind of a no-brainer,' Eaton said." WBAL-TV, Baltimore: "A growing number of black male students are going to college in Maryland, and top administrators said it's a positive trend that they expect will continue. The numbers went from nearly 7,500 enrolled black males in 2001 to nearly 9,000 last year -- a 20 percent increase. ... At the University of Maryland, College Park, the state's largest campus, many students said they're not surprised by the findings. 'People want to be doctors and lawyers and architects, or try to start their own businesses. That's why they come to school and try to learn the things they need to do those things,' said student Dececco Dockins. 'I'm not surprised, actually. In the community -- at least in my community -- it was a big thing to go to college. It was expected to go to college,' said Ian Davidson. 'I think this is part of a broader trend of increases in minorities, both here in the system and nationally,' said Ben Passmore, director of policy research and analysis for the University System of Maryland." Sofia News Agency: "The 34-years-old computer specialist from the city of Veliko Turnovo, Petar Petrov became the winner of the prestigious 'John Atanasoff' award for 2008. The Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov personally presented the award ... at an official ceremony held at the Presidential building in Sofia. The award, named after the renowned scientist from Bulgarian decent and the creator of the first computer in the world, John Atanasoff, is given for achievements in the development of the information society and has been established in 2003 by Parvanov himself. ... This year's award winner -- Petar Petrov, has been born in 1974 in Veliko Turnovo. Petrov has attended the professional high school of electronics in Veliko Turnovo. In 1998 he graduated with a Master's Degree in Mathematics and Information Technology from the Sofia University 'Kliment Ohridski.' Since 2004 Petrov has been working as a college lecturer at the University of Maryland in College Park in the Washington DC suburbs. (Petrov is assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, Clark School)." Washington Post: "James Grunig, a professor emeritus of communication (Arts & Humanities) at the University of Maryland, was honored last month in Chatham, Mass., with the Arthur W. Page Society's Distinguished Service Award during the 25th annual conference of the Arthur W. Page Society of public relations executives. During Grunig's more than 30 years in public relations, he has published more than 200 articles, books, book chapters, reports and papers and was the editor of the book Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management. Grunig also has developed theories that track the growth and development of public relations and the evolution of the field into one that emphasizes relationship building." Lebanon Daily Star: "The University of Maryland recently announced the inauguration of the Ameen Rihani Annual Lecture Series. 'The College is proud to inaugurate this lecture series in the name of Ameen Rihani, whose work goes far to establish understanding between East and West, a consideration with as much importance in his day as today,' said professor Edward Montgomery, dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland. The first lecture was presented by former Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Moasher, presently the senior vice president for external affairs at the World Bank." Dining Services at the UM is moving aggressively to become one of the greenest food service providers in the nation. Examples include water-saving dish washers and energy-saving range hoods. Dining Services is working with athletics to reduce waste at games (a 41% diversion rate from landfills was reached after just two Terp football games this fall). Recycled materials are being used to build rooftop gardens fueled by dining hall compost. Triple filtered water - instead of bottled water - is now offered in the dining halls. Taken together, Dining Services is sending an emphatic message that going green on campus can not only save money, but have a big impact on the environment." Society & Culture New York Times: "Over the years of exploring the old houses and streets of Annapolis, Md., archaeologists have uncovered a trove of artifacts of early American slave culture. Among them are humble remains connected with religious practices, which bear the stamp of the slaves' West African heritage. Early in the 18th century, as they were being baptized, African-Americans clung to 'spirit practices' in rituals of healing and the invocation of ancestral and supernatural powers. Sometimes called black magic, these occult rites would persist in America in modified form, later, as voodoo and hoodoo. University of Maryland archaeologists have discovered in Annapolis what they say is one of the earliest examples of traditional African religious artifacts in North America. It is a clay 'bundle,' roughly the size and shape of a football, filled with about 300 pieces of metal and a stone axe, whose blade sticks out of the clay, pointing skyward. The bundle, found in April and dated to 1700, appears to be a direct transplant of African religion into what is now the United States, said MarkLeone, a professor of anthropology at Maryland who directed the excavations." Online Journal: "Over the last 20 years, the US has made a collection of serious mistakes that may yet prove fatal. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US government launched a policy of world hegemony for which it lacked the means. The US government permitted much of its manufacturing base to be located offshore to the point of even being dependent on imports for its military capability. The US government deregulated the financial sector and permitted the rise of new highly leveraged financial instruments whose failures currently threaten the US with economic collapse. University of Maryland economist Herman Daly (Public Policy) points out that the current crisis is really one of the 'overgrowth of financial assets relative to growth of real wealth.' Daly believes that 'financial assets have grown by a large multiple of the real economy' and that 'paper exchanging for paper is now 20 times greater than exchanges of paper for real commodities.' Exploding debt liens have simply outgrown the wealth. The problem, in other words, cannot be bailed out. Historically, debt that cannot be redeemed has been repealed by inflation. The same inflation that wipes out debt will wipe out savings." Baltimore Sun: Peter Morici, professor of business (Smith School), writes an op/ed: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated last week, when the bailout bill passed, that the party is over on Wall Street -- referring to compensation reforms in the new law. Those reforms are simply too weak to have meaningful effects. Come January, the Democrats will likely control both the White House and Congress. Ms. Pelosi and other Democrats need to recognize that the problem is in the way the banks are run and to get serious about repairing the lending system. This includes tightening regulations on mortgage brokers and real estate appraisers to ensure the accuracy and honesty that have been sorely lacking regarding essential facts such as income, credit histories and home values. Also, the reconfigured Wall Street banks will need to return to less complicated, more easily understood mortgage-based instruments. Until these reforms happen, look for things to get worse before they get better." New York Times: "[R]ecapitalizing the banks and jump-starting their lending are at the top of the list of remedies that many economists are now suggesting. By acting in concert, countries can maximize the punch of their actions, these experts said, while avoiding distortions that occur when countries go different ways. 'At a minimum, you want to curtail damage,' Carmen Reinhart, a professor of economics told The Times. 'You don't want the beggar-thy-neighbor policies that characterized the Great Depression.' 'At a maximum,' she continued, 'you can get general principles -- the need for a swift recapitalization of the banks, the need for liquidity -- so we don't get an even bigger credit crunch.' . Gun Shows Do Not Increase Homicides or Suicides Nature, Phys.org: "A new study finds no evidence that gun shows lead to substantial increases in either gun-related homicides or suicides. The University of Michigan and University of Maryland study also shows that tighter regulation of gun shows does not appear to reduce the number of firearms-related deaths. 'We believe that this analysis makes an important contribution to understanding the influence of gun shows, the regulation of which is arguably the most active area of federal, state, and local firearms policy,' said Brian Jacob, a professor at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. 'To our knowledge, this is the first study that directly examines the impact of gun shows on gun-related deaths.' Jacob wrote the study with co-authors Mark Duggan and Randi Hjalmarsson from the University of Maryland." Science & Technology Indo Asian News Service: "A single vaccine can protect humans, chickens and even cats against deadly flu pandemics, including the dreaded bird flu that has caused havoc in large parts of Asia, including India. The vaccine also protects birds and mammals against different flu strains and can even be given to birds while they are still in their eggs, allowing the mass vaccination of wild birds. ... 'The world is experiencing a pandemic of influenza in birds caused by an H5N1 virus. Although it has been restricted to Eurasia and some countries in Africa, there is a risk that this virus may spread worldwide,' said Daniel Perez, (Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine) at the University of Maryland (and lead researcher). 'The H5N1 virus also has an unusual expanded host range: not only have birds and humans been infected but also cats, which are usually resistant to influenza. To prepare for a pandemic, it would be ideal to have a vaccine that could be used in multiple animal species,' he added. The study is scheduled to appear in the Journal of General Virology next month." Ever since Darwin discovered that species can evolve, scientists have wondered how new species form. Answering this question is the key to understanding the diversity of all of life. A group of colorful fishes in Africa's Lake Victoria have been the focus of scientific efforts to unravel how new species form. Now a new study highlighted on the cover of the journal Nature suggests that species of Lake Victorian cichlids became new species after changes in how they see led to changes in the mates that they selected. The group of biologists, which is led by Ole Seehausen of the University of Bern in Switzerland, and includes Karen Carleton (biology) of the University of Maryland, say that the phenomenon provides evidence that differences in sensory perception contribute to the development of new species. "Europe's Large Hadron Collider is out of order until next year, but that doesn't mean the atom-smashing scientists and engineers behind the world's biggest atom smasher are taking the winter off. Last week, U.S. scientists involved in LHC research gathered at Fermilab, just outside Chicago, to talk about what has to be done between now and next spring -- and what they expect to do once the collider is open for business again. Friday's first-ever meeting of the US-LHC Users Organization gave scores of researchers an opportunity to hear what their colleagues on experimental teams were doing ... So what will scientists see once the machine is turned on again? They told me that they don't expect to make major discoveries during the first runs. The initial collisions will be used to confirm what researchers have already found out from earlier particle-physics experiments. 'Yesterday's discoveries are the calibrations of today,' said the University of Maryland's Nicholas Hadley, U.S. CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) collaboration board chairman. Those calibrations will take time. 'We'd be happy if we can get that part finished in a year,' Hadley said. Then researchers will push out into the unknown."
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 Information provided by the Office of University CommunicationsEmail University Communications at emailum@umd.edu |
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