Media Highlights

February 2005

This summary highlights media placements UCSC faculty and staff have garnered during the month of February 2005.

National and international

Psychology professor Craig Haney was quoted by London's Independent newspaper about the effects of long-term solitary confinement in a story about Britons freed after extended confinement at Guantanamo Bay. Haney was also quoted in the Day New London (Connecticut) paper about “death row syndrome,” in which inmates give up and relinquish appeals, in its coverage of the postponement of the state's first execution in 45 years. . . . Jürg Diemand, a researcher in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, was quoted in New Scientist magazine and UPI stories about his research on dark matter. . . . The New York Times quoted assistant professor of art Dee Hibbert-Jones in an article about an exhibition featuring works of art created out of a trash dump in San Francisco. . . . Economist Rob Fairlie, who conducted a survey of self-employment rates for the U.S. Small Business Administration, was contacted by the Herald News of New Jersey for a story about immigrant-owned businesses. Fairlie was quoted in the Record of New Jersey about the declining rate of immigrant self-employment, and United Press International picked up his remarks about the drop in interest among legislators in the digital divide. . . . Sandra Faber, University Professor of astronomy and astrophysics, was a guest on National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation/Science Friday for a discussion of the future of the Hubble Space Telescope. . . . United Press International and Canada's Leader-Post were among the media outlets that covered research by psychologist Mara Mather, who found that older people make decisions differently from younger people. SeniorJournal.com also picked up on the story. . . . Michael Riordan, adjunct professor of physics, was quoted in a Wall Street Journal story about the rise and fall of AT&T and the achievements of AT&T's Bell Labs. He was also quoted in the Newark Star-Ledger in a story about the merger of AT&T and SBC Communications and wrote an op-ed piece for the same paper about the history of AT&T's Bell Labs. . . . Economics professor Nirvikar Singh penned two opinion pieces for the Financial Express (Bangladesh) about economic reform in India. . . . Literature professor Paul Skenazy contributed three book reviews to the Washington Post. . . . Biologist Steven Berkeley was featured in stories about fish populations and fisheries management that appeared in the Washington Post, San Jose Mercury News, Monterey County Herald, Guardian (London), Irish Independent, and the Greenwire and Press Association wire service reports. . . . National Public Radio interviewed social psychologist Anthony Pratkanis about the government ban on propaganda in light of news reports that the Bush administration has contracted with media officials to promote administration policies. . . . Various media outlets ran stories about research by physicist David Smith on powerful gamma-ray flashes in Earth's upper atmosphere, including New Scientist magazine, the Washington Times, UPI wire service, and a dozen science news web sites, such as Science Daily, Space Ref, and Space Daily. Smith was also interviewed on KSCO Radio. . . . Geophysicist Steven Ward continues to be quoted in tsunami stories, most recently in the Miami Herald, St. John's Telegram (Canada), and American Scientist magazine. . . . The Associated Press singled out UCSC Dining Services in a trend story about college and university dining halls relying on nearby farms for fresh produce, meat, and dairy products. . . . Psychology's Dominic Massaro was quoted in Newsweek's international edition in a story about how robots can help autistic children understand and cope with the world around them. Massaro's animated computer characters have been used for three years at a school for autistic children in Santa Cruz. . . . The Economist magazine ran a story about a discovery made by Transitsearch.org, a network of amateur astronomers established by Greg Laughlin, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics. . . . Nancy Chen of anthropology appeared live on a Chicago radio program, discussing biotechnology in China as part of a discussion of modernity in China. . . . Research on Parkinson's disease by Anthony Fink, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, was covered in several medical newsletters, including Drug Week, Health Business Week, Biotech Week, and Life Science Weekly. . . . Ph.D. recipient James Todd was among the anthropologists quoted in a lighthearted Washington Post analysis of the Super Bowl spectacle. . . . The Statesman India announced that more than 15 original prints of Satyajit Ray films, which have been restored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences through the initiation of the UCSC Satyajit Ray Film and Study Collection, would be showcased at a summer festival in Calcutta, India. . . . College and Research Libraries News announced the $1.4 million gift from UCSC Foundation trustee Kit Mura-smith to enhance the University Library and provide scholarships for re-entry students.

State and regional

Manuel Pastor of the Center for Justice, Tolerance, and Community was quoted in a San Jose Mercury News story about the gap between the “haves and have-nots” in Silicon Valley. . . . An article in the San Luis Obispo Tribune about a report on ways to offset harm to ocean life by the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant included quotes from Peter Raimondi, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and lead author of the report, and an article in the Los Angeles Times about proposals for desalination plants on the coast included quotes from Raimondi. . . . The San Jose Mercury News, San Mateo Daily Journal, and Santa Cruz Sentinel ran stories about the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group's education and outreach program, with quotes from biologist Glenn Stewart. KION TV also covered Stewart's visit to a school in Pacific Grove. . . . American studies professor Tricia Rose was quoted in the Sacramento Bee about the origin of pop culture's highly sexual and demeaning images of African American women. . . . A story in the Bay Area's Korea Times highlighted Chancellor Denton's attendance at a dinner hosted by the Korean consul general to brief the Korean media about the upcoming UCSC Pacific Rim Music Festival. Another story about this event in the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal quoted professor of music David Evan Jones.

Local

Stephen Thorsett, professor and chair of astronomy and astrophysics, was featured in a Santa Cruz Sentinel story about UCSC involvement in planning for a new space-based x-ray telescope. . . . The Santa Cruz Sentinel featured assistant professor of theater arts David Cuthbert in an article about his role as lighting designer for actor/comedian Billy Crystal's hit Broadway show, 700 Sundays. . . . Social sciences dean Michael Hutchison was quoted in a Santa Cruz Sentinel story about the high price of college textbooks and the different prices publishers charge in the United Kingdom and the United States. . . . The Santa Cruz Sentinel ran a front-page story about the $1.4 million gift by Foundation trustee and alum Kit Mura-smith to benefit library facilities and provide scholarships for re-entry students. KSBW TV also covered the story. . . . Agroecology researcher Phil Howard has been interviewed about food issues by KSCO Radio, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, and the Register-Pajaronian. . . . An article in the Monterey Herald on efforts to improve local tsunami preparedness included quotes from geophysicist Steven Ward. . . . The Pajaro Valley edition of the Santa Cruz Sentinel ran a front-page story about the completion of a series on the agricultural history of Santa Cruz by the University Library's Regional History Project. . . . The Santa Cruz Sentinel ran a story in the business section about Glumetrics, a company developing products based on UCSC research led by professor of chemistry and biochemistry Bakthan Singaram. . . . Associate professor of history David Anthony was quoted in a Monterey Herald article about the race barriers that black soldiers faced in World War II. . . . Bruce Schumm, professor of physics, was quoted in a Santa Cruz Sentinel story about a lecture by Masaru Emoto, who claims that human thoughts and words can alter water molecules. . . . A Santa Cruz Sentinel story about the Orchid Society Show featured Frank Drake, professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics, who is also an orchid enthusiast and president of the Santa Cruz Orchid Society. . . . History of art and visual culture professor Carolyn Dean was featured in a Santa Cruz Sentinel piece about an exhibit of pre-Columbian art at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. . . . The Monterey County Herald consulted with Chadwick Garden manager Orin Martin for tips on controlling rust on roses. . . . Econ professor David Kaun penned a letter to the editors of the Santa Cruz Sentinel, refuting the Bush administration's claims that the Social Security system is going broke.

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