Media Highlights

October 2007

This summary highlights media placements members of the UCSC community have garnered during the month of October 2007.

National and international

Sociology's Craig Reinarman was invited by editors of the Washington Post's "Outlook" section to pen an opinion piece about a crack cocaine case pending before the U. S. Supreme Court. His piece, entitled "Five Myths About Crack," was published online and appeared in print in the October 14 edition. . . . Graduate student Hoyt Peckham and his research on loggerhead turtles were featured in stories on NPR's All Things Considered, in New Scientist magazine, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Science Now, and UPI wire service. . . . Bill Domhoff of psychology hit a media jackpot when he was interviewed by CBS News about his research on dreams. . . . Computer engineer Luca de Alfaro's Wikipedia project continues to get press coverage, most recently in the Washington Post, Business Week, New Scientist, Information Week, PC World, and Tech Web. . . . Sociologist Andrew Szasz was featured in a Toronto Star article about the shortcomings of popular consumer-based trends in environmentalism. Also in sociology, Melanie DuPuis appeared on Michael Olson's radio program, discussing the long history in this country of food reform movements. . . . Marine biologist James Estes was interviewed on NPR's All Things Considered and quoted in a Science Now story about tropical kelp forests. . . . Biochemist David Deamer was featured in a cover story about "synthetic life" in the Italian science magazine Newton. . . . A story in USA Today about the use of artificial intelligence in computer games featured quotes from computer scientist Michael Mateas. . . . Water expert Brent Haddad of environmental studies was quoted in the High Country News. . . . New Scientist magazine and Times of India ran stories about planetary scientist Francis Nimmo's studies of Pluto and its moon Charon. . . . Erin Vogel of anthropology was interviewed by BBC Radio while she was in Sumatra last summer researching the diets of orangutans in Indonesia, and the program recently aired. . . . Kent Eaton of politics was quoted in a Miami Herald story about the decentralization of political power that is sweeping Latin America. . . . Sky & Telescope magazine ran an article about a planet discovery by Transitsearch.org, an observing network involving amateur astronomers organized by Gregory Laughlin, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics. . . . Anthropologist Nate Dominy's new genome-based work on the diet of early humans continued to get media coverage, including a piece in iwire, a technology-oriented web publication. . . . A story in Space Daily about a national report on NASA's space science programs included quotes from physicist Joel Primack. . . . An article in Science magazine about the Bio-Info-Nano Research and Development Institute (BIN-RDI) included quotes from engineering dean Michael Isaacson and David Lackner, director of the BIN-RDI affiliates program. . . . Research on lizard evolution led by biologist Barry Sinervo was featured on MSNBC.com, FoxNews.com, and Science Daily. . . . Deb Abbott, director of the Lionel Cantú GLBT Resource Center, was featured in the October issue of the Advocate Magazine (print and online), discussing her book From Wedded Wife to Lesbian Life and her clinical work with formerly married lesbian and bisexual women.

State and regional

Environmental toxicologist Donald Smith was quoted in stories about lead poisoning in condors in the Los Angeles Times, San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times, Monterey County Herald, and Salon.com. The L. A. Times also quoted Smith on the forced resignation of a Fish and Game commissioner who supported a ban on the use of lead bullets in parts of California. . . . The Metro Silicon Valley published a cover story about history professor Dana Frank's new book about Northern California landmarks, Local Girl Makes History, including an interview with Frank and an excerpt from the book. . . . The Metro Silicon Valley also ran an article on marine protected areas that included quotes from biologist Mark Carr. . . . California Agriculture magazine ran a nice feature about the 40th anniversary of sustainable agriculture at UCSC, with a sidebar about the farm-to-college program that supplies the campus with local, organic produce grown by seven Central Coast farmers. . . . The Contra Costa Times interviewed Tim Galarneau of the campus's Food Systems Working Group for a trend story about changes in "dorm food." . . . Physicist Alan Litke's research on retinal neurons was covered in the San Jose Mercury News, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Contra Costa Times, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Science Daily, and Medical Research News. . . . Biologist Peter Raimondi was quoted in a story in the San Luis Obispo Tribune about a plan to create artificial reefs off the coast. . . . Diving safety officer Steve Clabuesch was quoted in a Monterey County Herald story about sharks in local waters. . . . Assistant professor of theater arts and design Brandin Baron-Nusbaum was featured in a San Jose Mercury News article about how current fashion trends date back historically hundreds of years. Australia's Townsville Bulletin also picked up the story. . . . The San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Santa Cruz Sentinel, and Santa Cruz Good Times ran stories on the appointment of Marco Barricelli as the new artistic director of Shakespeare Santa Cruz. . . . The San Jose Mercury News ran a story about the partnership between University Library's Special Collections and the Heinlein Prize Trust to make the entire contents of the renowned science fiction author Robert Heinlein's UCSC archive available online. The Santa Cruz Sentinel and KSCO Radio also reported the story.

Local

The Watsonville Register-Pajaronian and Santa Cruz Sentinel quoted Chancellor George Blumenthal in its coverage of a recent educational summit held on campus. . . . Patricia Zavella of Latin American and Latino studies penned an op-ed for the Santa Cruz Sentinel about the health care needs of immigrants. . . . History professor Terry Burke was quoted in a Santa Cruz Sentinel article about a presentation by history grad students and alums advocating the use of social biography as a resource in teaching world history. . . . Astronomers David Koo and Sandra Faber were quoted in separate items in the Santa Cruz Sentinel about Koo's research on a pygmy galaxy and Faber's work on a project that surveyed the distant universe and is now featured on Google Sky. . . . The Watsonville Register-Pajaronian ran a front page story and the Santa Cruz Sentinel ran an article on a new documentary by assistant professor of film and digital media Gustavo Vazquez, titled Que Viva La Lucha (Wrestling in Tijuana), that had its premier at the Mill Valley Film Festival. . . . An art exhibit about the detainees at Guantánamo Bay that ran at UCSC's Sesnon Gallery was featured in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. . . . The Santa Cruz Sentinel, Good Times, and Metro all ran stories previewing UCSC's Arts & Lectures program.

See media outlets highlighted in bold.

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