Higher Ed

Supreme Court Punts (Inside Higher Education)
"Justices opt -- for now -- not to resolve dispute over right of public universities to bar anti-gay bias and right of Christian groups to be recognized as student organizations."
Source: Inside Higher Education

UM--Higher Ed, Community

STEM programs foster teachers who light a spark in young (Baltimore Sun)
College of Education Dean Donna Wiseman is quoted in an article about the need to improve STEM education in Maryland. "'There's no question that it has become a major focus of our campus," said Donna Wiseman, dean of the College of Education at University of Maryland, College Park. "We hear it from the governor, we hear it from our president and our chancellor.'"
Source: Baltimore Sun

University System of Maryland

University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute names Edward Eisenstein acting president (Business Journals)
The University System of Maryland has appointed Edward Eisenstein as acting president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, effective July 1.
Source: Business Journals
University System of Maryland appoints new members to board of regents (Baltimore Business Journal)
"The University System of Maryland has appointed a Montgomery County doctor, a Lockheed Martin executive and a Towson University senior to its board of regents. The terms of Dr. John Young, Linda Gooden and Sarah Elfreth will began Wednesday."
Source: Baltimore Business Journal

Athletics

Maryland's Friedgen says he might stay on (Baltimore Sun)
"University of Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen says he might want to remain in his post for up to five more years if the team is performing well - a move that could complicate the school's coaching succession plan. Friedgen, 62, said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun that he might want to stay beyond the three years for which he is under contract. On Feb. 6, the university signed an agreement promising to pay $1 million to offensive coordinator James Franklin - who has turned down coaching jobs at other schools and in the NFL - if he is not elevated to head coach by Jan. 2, 2012."
Source: Baltimore Sun

Science and Technology

UMD Traffic Lab Thinks Outside the Box to Save Energy (WJXT-TV Jacksonville, Fl)
&Nat sound idling engines waste two-point-three-billion gallons of fuel annually. Now, engineers at the University of Maryland's Traffic Safety and Operations Lab are studying transportation and traffic to help pick up the pace with unconventional intersection designs. Saed Rahwanji, traffic engineer Maryland State Highway Administration Baltimore, Maryland says a big problem at intersections is left turns. Reconfiguring the turns can reduce a major source of congestion. CG Gang-Len Chang, PhD, Transportation Engineer University of Maryland Baltimore, Md in a continuous flow design, left-turning vehicles begin to turn several hundred feet prior to the main intersection. Then turn at a signal with a 'crossover' move into new lanes to the right of the opposing traffic. In the median u-turn style, no left turns are allowed." (The Traffic Safety and Operations Lab is jointly sponsored by UMD and the Maryland State Highway Administration. The lab is based out of the Clark School of Engineering.)
Source: WJXT-TV
Study: Coastal seagrass increasingly being lost (Washington Post/AP)
The Center for Environmental Sciences William Dennison has co-authored a new study on coastal grasses around the world. "'The combination of growing urban centers, artificially hardened shorelines and declining natural resources has pushed coastal ecosystems out of balance. Globally, we lose a seagrass meadow the size of a soccer field every thirty minutes,'" he said in a statement.
Source: Washington Post
Dirty snow may bring green burst to mountain peaks (Science News)
Biology professor David Inouye is quoted in an article on how dust from deserts may bring unnaturally synchronized spring greening to mountain peaks by speeding up the melting of snow in the spring.
Source: Science News
Mangrove-dependent Animals Globally Threatened (Science Daily)
David A. Luther (AGNR) and Russell Greenberg of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center published a study on amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds that are restricted to mangrove ecosystems. "Many of these specialized species are listed as threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Prospects for mangrove-restricted animals are bleak, because more than two percent of mangrove forests are lost each year."
Source: Science Daily
A new way to farm fish and feed the world (Baltimore Sun)
Doug Lipton (AGNR) is quoted in an article on techniques for captive breeding and rearing of fish. "It's a tough business, though, for an entrepreneur to break into, notes Doug Lipton, a fisheries economist at the University of Maryland. 'The prospects are there. The technology is fascinating,' he said, but relatively few finfish aquaculture operations in the United States have been able to attract investors because of the vagaries of the global seafood market."
Source: Baltimore Sun

Society and Culture

Apfel: How to put more security in Social Security (Federal News Radio)
School of Public Policy professor Kenneth Apfel talks Social Security on the "Morning Drive" on Federal News Radio. "About 50-million Americans today are drawing from Social Security coffers that could run dry in just decades. But Dr. Kenneth Apfel says the problem may be be a manageable one. Dr. Apfel is a former Social Security Commissioner under President Clinton. He's been visiting Capitol Hill with his proposal for keeping the system in check..."
Source: Federal News Radio
The impact of Obama's financial reforms (Financial Times)
Dr. Donald Kettl, dean of the School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, answers readers' questions on financial reforms, its likely impact on markets, and the future role of central banks.
Source: Financial Times
Poll: Obama is most trusted world leader (United Press International)
A new poll by WorldPublicOpinion.org (PIPA) found that U.S. President Barack Obama is the most trusted leader in the world. "WorldPublicOpinion.org -- a research project utilizing research centers around the world and managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland -- surveyed 19,224 respondents in nations that account for 62 percent of the global population, including China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Russia. The poll was also conducted in Mexico, Germany, Great Britain, France, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq and South Korea."
Source: United Press International
How Will Al Franken Make a Difference in the Senate? (TIME)
Don Kettl, dean of the School of Public Policy, comments on how Al Franken is likely to vote on the Presidents climate-change bill. "Though Franken has not made his position known on the climate-change bill, he is perceived as being a likely vote in favor. 'Franken would help provide strong support for the president's climate change initiative,' says Don Kettl, dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy."
Source: Time
Major U.S. cities see rise in population (Washington Times)
"The populations of older, major U.S. cities have rebounded in recent years, largely as a result of people arriving everywhere from overseas to nearby suburbs." Larry Hajime Shinagawa, an associate professor of American studies, comments. "'We are entering a postmodern era,' he said. 'In this hyperpaced world, people want everything integrated. They want their gym and movie theater near their home. Its buildings with stores on ground floors and condos on top. It's a trend that is happening in Paris, Japan, across the world.'"
Source: Washington Times

Thursday, July 2