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April 26, 1999
Professor of astronomy and astrophysics Douglas Lin was quoted extensively in a New York Times article about the discovery of a family of planets around the star Upsilon Andromedae. Lin was not a member of the team that made the discovery, but as an expert on planetary systems he discussed the implications of the new findings.
A reporter with the Far East Economic Review called economist K. C. Fung last week after Chinese premier Zhu Rongji cited Fung's work during a speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. Fung has calculated that the actual U.S. trade deficit with China in 1998 was $35 billion, rather than the official Chinese figure of $21 billion or the official U.S. figure of $57 billion.
Daniel Doak of environmental studies was quoted in a Science magazine story about a popular approach for predicting a population's survival that is coming under scrutiny now. Doak expressed doubt about the broad use of "population viability analysis," noting that it would be particularly problematic as a decision-making tool regarding endangered plants.
Psychology faculty have been in demand: In the wake of the Littleton tragedy, Margarita Azmitia spoke with KSBW-TV about teen pressures and peer relationships during adolescence. . . . Craig Haney was interviewed by a Washington Post reporter about super-maximum security prisons. . . . And Anthony Pratkanis was interviewed by the Kansas City Star for a story about the use of the Internet as a propaganda tool during the Kosovo conflict.
An article in the Coast Weekly about tide-pool life in Pacific Grove featured the comments of John Pearse, professor emeritus of biology. There is increasing concern that populations of some tide-pool creatures are declining, although Pearse noted that the area's tide pools are still very rich in biological diversity.
When Judy Yung presented a public talk on the history of Chinese women in America, the story was reported in the San Mateo Times. Yung has authored two books (one forthcoming) on the subject.
Steven Ward, a research geophysicist in the Institute of Tectonics, was quoted in an article about earthquake risks in the Los Angeles area in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
Agroecology's John Fisher appeared on KSCO's The Ag Show to talk about the growing popularity of community-supported agriculture.