Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
National Coverage
Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude
Science News
… “I’m not shocked, but actually pleasantly surprised [by these data],” says Roberto Camassa, who directs the Center for Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the laboratory, this fluid dynamicist and his colleagues have been studying oil plume formation. He says the buildup of stable deep plumes make sense, based on the evolving science of interactions between high-velocity oil and cold, slow-moving waters.
Three Distinct Routes Detailed for How HIV Arises in Male Genital Tract
Scientific American
… Upon infection, the virus in the blood and semen are often nearly identical, but over time, previous studies have shown, the different populations become varied, making it "clear that the virus in the blood does not always represent the virus at the site of the transmission," Jeffrey Anderson and Li-Hua Ping, both of the Center for AIDS Research at the University of North Carolina, noted in an e-mail to Scientific American.
UNC Release: http://uncmedne.ws/swanstrom
Duke Energy says it won't pursue plan for small-scale wind turbine project in North Carolina
The Associated Press
Duke Energy Corp. said Thursday that it has dropped plans to install demonstration wind turbines on the North Carolina coast, saying the project was too small to be worth the cost. Duke Energy Carolinas had planned to install three wind turbines in the Pamlico Sound under a collaboration with the University of North Carolina. The company and the university hoped to study the potential for wind power generation off the state's coast.
Duke Energy Release: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/duke-energy-changes-focus-of-coastal-wind-demonstration-project-with-unc-101089854.html
Lobbying Often Yields Nothing (Blog)
The New York Times
… The real outcome of most lobbying — in fact, its greatest success — is the achievement of nothing, the maintenance of the status quo. “Sixty percent of the time, nothing happens,” says Frank Baumgartner, one author of the book and a political science professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “What we see is gridlock and successful stalemating of proposals, with occasional breakthroughs. We see a pattern of no change, no change and no change — and then some huge reform.”
How Will Your Campus Adapt to Wacky Weather in the Climate-Change Era?
The Chronicle of Higher Education
…Some parts of the country may have to adjust to droughts rather than floods, and Ms. Greene sees adaptations happening there, too—like at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "They have had some really nasty drought cycles, and they have partnered with the water authority to set up a reclaimed water system," she says. Used water is sent to the wastewater treatment facility next to the campus, where it is cleaned to a certain level and then used in the campus cooling towers.
In football, heatstroke awareness rises
USA Today
…At least two heatstroke deaths and as many as five have been recorded in each of the last six years in football, according to data compiled at the University of North Carolina. Casa said he has spoken with the parents of a high school player in the Northeast who survived heatstroke last week but is "still having some problems."
Ivy Grads Outperform Their Public-School Colleagues on Loan Repayments
National Public Radio
Which graduate is more likely to honor a loan— riff raff from a state school or a savant from one of the Ivy League Universities? …Harvard, at 84%, topped the list. (Its business school, at 88%, did even better.) At 79%, The College of William and Mary and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill tied for first among the public Ivies.
State and Local Coverage
Tar Heels fill dorms with excitement
The Chapel Hill Herald
Under a light and welcome mist, UNC students continued their annual trek to Chapel Hill on Thursday, full of excitement and optimism about the coming academic year. They came from around the state and across the nation in cars, trucks and extra large Ryder vans crammed with clothing, shoes, books, bedding and other essentials needed to get them through the school year. UNC students started moving into dormitories on Wednesday in preparation for classes, which begin on Tuesday. The university is expecting roughly 4,500 first-year and transfer students on campus this year.
Related Link: http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/9211286/article-Student-move-in-days-put-big-chill-on-campus-travel?
Onslow Bay looked at for first N.C. wind farm
The Star News (Wilmington)
The federal government has received the first formal application for a potential wind-energy project off the North Carolina coast, and it's not too far from some New Hanover and Pender county beaches. … “We're still at the baby-step stage here,” said John Bane, a professor of marine sciences with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and an advisor to Apex. If Washington approves the request, a five-year site assessment study will take place to assess the area's compatibility for a wind farm. The company would then have to go back to the federal regulators to win approval to actually start construction.
Related Links: http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2010/aug/20/duke-energy-backs-wind-power-experiment/
http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2010/08/23/story13.html
http://wunc.org/programs/news/audio-archive-2/tjw0919.mp3/view?searchterm=unc
Duke Energy Release: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/duke-energy-changes-focus-of-coastal-wind-demonstration-project-with-unc-101089854.html
UNC math professor explains social upheavals with numbers
Triangle Business Journal
The election of Bill Clinton as president in 1992 marked the beginning of the nation’s current political schism, in which right and left have become polarized as perhaps never in history. At least, that’s what Peter Mucha’s research shows. The associate professor in mathematics at UNC-Chapel Hill specializes in creating mathematical formulas that identify connections, called communities, among various players in a group. In his analysis of voting by U.S. Senators since the birth of the nation, he concluded that the polarization of Republicans and Democrats emerged in 1992, when a Democrat was in the White House and Republicans controlled Congress.
Autism Speaks launches fundraising effort
WBTV (CBS/Charlotte)
The push is on to find causes, cures and treatments for Autism. The 8th annual Carolinas Walk Now For Autism Speaks is set for October 9th at Charlotte Motor Speedway. A kickoff breakfast for the event was held Thursday morning in Charlotte's South Park area. … "We now know Autism is a biological condition and also that it's treatable if we can find children at an early age," said Dr. Geri Dawson.Dawson is Autism Speaks chief science officer. The UNC-Chapel Hill researcher spoke at the breakfast to give an update on the progress researchers around the world are making in the Autism field. She says major breakthroughs are on the horizon.
UNC prof gets $655,689 grant
The Chapel Hill Herald
Justin Ries, marine geologist at UNC Chapel Hill, has received a $655,689 National Science Foundation grant to study the impact of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide on marine organisms' ability to build their shells and skeletons. Ries is an assistant professor in the marine sciences department in the College of Arts and Sciences. He investigates how clams, oysters, urchins, lobsters, corals and other shelled marine creatures respond to changes in ocean chemistry, both in the future and the geologic past.
Journalism school launches online master's degree
The Chapel Hill Herald
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is launching a new online master's degree focused on interactive media, the Internet, digital economics and other issues reshaping journalism and mass communication in the 21st century. Prospective students may apply now through Jan. 1 for fall 2011 admission.
Whooping cough vigilance urged
The Chapel Hill Herald
Whooping cough is an old disease, but it's alive and kicking. California has already reported seven times the number of cases in 2010 that it saw in all of 2009 — a warning that we need renewed vigilance across the country to prevent the disease from spreading further. …Whooping cough is an old disease, but it's alive and kicking. California has already reported seven times the number of cases in 2010 that it saw in all of 2009 — a warning that we need renewed vigilance across the country to prevent the disease from spreading further.
PlayMakers' Haj appointed to national theater board
The Chapel Hill Herald
Joseph Haj, producing artistic director of PlayMakers Repertory Company, has been appointed to the board of directors of Theatre Communications Group. PlayMakers is the professional theater in residence in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Haj has led the theater's artistic and administrative operations since 2006. He is a 1988 master's in fine arts graduate of UNC's professional actor training program.
Issues and Trends
Insurer seeks steeper rates
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The state's largest health insurer plans to hit some members with sharp rate increases again next year, blaming changes from the health overhaul and rising medical costs. … David Swanson of Durham saw the cost of coverage for his daughter increase 50 percent in January. She's starting at UNC-Chapel Hill this weekend and will move to the university's student health plan, which is "significantly cheaper." But Swanson expects to receive a letter from Blue Cross this fall with another big increase for his son, who is 16. "It would be nice to have more choices, which would allow me to shop around," Swanson said.
Workers' reviews rosy but, audit says, pointless
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Rest assured taxpayers: State employees, almost to a person, meet or exceed expectations. A 2008 report and a follow-up audit released Thursday claim that the state's system of performance reviews is often pointless since ratings are inflated and offer no real incentive to spur improvement. The 2-year-old report from the Office of State Personnel, presented to the legislature, found that less than 1 percent of some 98,000 workers subject to personnel laws were rated as working below expectations.