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November 10, 1997
The University Library's online reference site, Cruzcat, received a major nod from the New York Times in a story about using online libraries as research tools. The author mentioned problems with the older systems at UC Berkeley and UCLA and then noted, "A more modern example of a university Web library system can be found at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Called the CRUZCat, this catalogue to the library's 1 million volumes is easily accessible with a simple search process."
Gary Griggs, director of the Institute of Marine Sciences, offered his considerable insights on coastal erosion in California to a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. The article examined the ongoing problem of vanishing beaches and sky-high property damages, likely to get worse if this winter produces heavy storms. Griggs led a recent study on the problem by the California Policy Seminar at UC Berkeley.
Anthropology's Alison Galloway was quoted in a New York Times story about postmenopausal women's role in evolution. Galloway asserted that there is nothing beneficial about menopause--it happens simply because we have longer life spans than ever before and women run out of egg follicles.
In a story on the recent swelling of interest in opera across the country, the Christian Science Monitor spoke with opera expert John Dizikes. Dizikes observed that our culture, influenced by MTV and rock, is becoming "more operatic." Conditioned by those media, Americans now find the fantastical characteristics of opera familiar and enjoyable.
Social sciences dean Marty Chemers made a big splash on the cover of the Sunday San Francisco Examiner's careers section, which gave great play to a column he'd written about effective leadership.
A public hearing at UCSC on the Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate (ATOC) project drew reporters from the San Jose Mercury News and the Santa Cruz County Sentinel. The news reports followed up on a topic that hit the headlines several years ago: Would loud underwater rumblings designed to measure the ocean's temperature affect nearby marine mammals? Marine biologist Dan Costa and colleagues reported that the answer, after more than a year of tests and observations, looks like a solid "no." Almost all animals appeared oblivious to the sounds, which Costa likened to a bowling ball rolling down an alley.
The announcement of econ's new major in business management economics made the Sentinel's front page and attracted coverage from KSBW-TV and KSMS-TV. . . . Speaking of economics, John Isbister was the featured guest on Ken Peterson's hour-long noon radio show on KAZU. Isbister discussed California's changing demographics and the ways such changes are likely to shape race and class relations in the state. . . . And the Sentinel's Chris Watson covered economist Michael Hutchison's new book in her "Bookends" column.
The Sentinel also picked up on the news of UCSC's new partnership with the East Side Union High School District in San Jose.