International Coverage
Listen to a chancellor
The Financial Times
Carol Folt, the first female chancellor of Carolina in the US, is making a speech at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler business school as part of its dean speaker’s series. An environmental scientist, Professor Folt recently served as interim president of Dartmouth College. This is a free lecture, which will also be available on video.
UNC News Brief:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/6271/107/
National Coverage
White House Meeting on 'Undermatching'
Inside Higher Ed
About a dozen university presidents were summoned to the White House this week to discuss a possible new administration effort to get more low-income, academically talented students to apply to the nation’s best institutions.
Neuroscientists discover new “mini-neural computer” in the brain
R&D News (website)
Dendrites, the branch-like projections of neurons, were once thought to be passive wiring in the brain. But now researchers at the Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that these dendrites do more than relay information from one neuron to the next. They actively process information, multiplying the brain's computing power. "Suddenly, it's as if the processing power of the brain is much greater than we had originally thought," said Spencer Smith, PhD, an assistant professor in the UNC School of Medicine.
UNC News Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2013/october/unc-neuroscientists-discover-new-2018mini-neural-computer2019-in-the-brain
Related Links:
http://www.ecnmag.com/news/2013/10/photos-day-unc-neuroscientists-discover-new-mini-neural-computer-brain
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20130927205304data_trunc_sys.shtml
Self-directed walking program shows promise in easing joint stiffness in older breast cancer patients
Medical News (website)
A self-directed walking program shows promise in easing joint stiffness in older women who experienced these symptoms while taking aromatase inhibitor therapy for breast cancer, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego. … Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducted a pilot study to assess the potential positive effects of physical activity on joint pain and stiffness in these patients…
Rise In Toxic Algal Blooms Due To Climate And Nutrient Enrichment
RedOrbit.com (website)
… According to a new study in the journal Science, nutrient enrichment and rising global temperatures are increasing the toxicity of some algal blooms in freshwater lakes, ponds and estuaries around the world. The two study authors, from Oregon State University (OSU) and the University of North Carolina, emphasized the near-ubiquitous species Microcystis sp. cyanobacterium is of particular concern.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112985226/rise-in-toxic-algal-blooms-has-multiple-causes-102513/
Single Mothers with Family Values
The New York Times (op-ed by UNC Assistant Professor Molly Worthen)
… in 2008 and 2012, three-quarters of single mothers voted for President Obama. It’s tempting to dismiss a Republican single mom as a dupe persuaded to vote against her own interests, a victim of what Thomas Frank called “the politics of self-delusion.” This assessment is misguided. One polling firm called single mothers “the largest progressive voting bloc in the country,” but Democrats should not take single moms for granted, even as Republicans have shown that they would rather sabotage the basic functions of government than extend the social safety net.
Regional Coverage
Why Engineers Want To Put B Vitamins In 3-D Printers
KUHF-FM (Houston NPR affiliate)
The chemicals used in some 3-D printers can be toxic to humans. So researchers are looking to use naturally occurring vitamin B2 instead. They have already been able to make intricate, microscopic structures with the vitamin-rich material. … The researchers, from the joint biomedical engineering department at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, say that their new material appears to hold up pretty well. …
http://app1.kuhf.org/articles/npr240566819-Why-Engineers-Want-To-Put-B-Vitamins-In-3-D-Printers.html
State & Local Coverage
North Carolina honors a diverse group of artists, scientists and educators
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
It’s been a tough year for North Carolina. … But the North Carolina Awards … remind us that in terms of the people the state produces and nurtures, this is a pretty good place when all’s said and done. … Myron S. Cohen of Chapel Hill is one of the world’s most respected and famous scientists in the field of HIV/AIDS research, heralded as developing breakthrough research to stop the spread of HIV. For making a difference the world over, he got the award in the science category.
UNC Campus Update:
http://www.unc.edu/campus-updates/myron-cohen-receives-north-carolinas-highest-civilian-honor/
Decker will engage state MBA programs to find ways to improve NC’s brand
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker is looking at some different ways to improve the state's brand. She plans to involve the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in an initiative to engage MBA programs across the state in an effort to do research around branding and come up with ideas.
NC Scientist Visits China To Study Toxic Green Slime
Public Radio East (Eastern NC NPR affiliate)
The common blue green algae found on local waterways has bloomed into an unprecedented event in the Taihu basin. We speak with North Carolina scientist Dr. Hans Paerl about his research trip to China and what we can do to prevent cyanobacteria from proliferating in eastern North Carolina.
Theory questions RNA-only evolution of complex organisms
The Observer (Charlotte)
The origins of life on Earth, and how single cells evolved into complex organisms such as humans, is a hotly debated topic among scientists and academics. … In the paper, Charles Carter Jr., professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UNC-Chapel Hill, and his colleagues show how two enzymes they call “urzymes” may have helped RNA molecules replicate, beginning the evolution of life as we know it.
UNC alum honor teacher from Gastonia
The Gaston Gazette
A Gastonia native was honored this month with the Distinguished Young Alumni Award from the General Alumni Association of UNC Chapel Hill. Stuart Alan Albright Jr., an award-winning high school teacher and coach who now lives in Durham, was among two recipients of the award given on Oct. 18.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/6256/138/
UNC, state library link to National Digital Library
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Treasures from libraries and archives across North Carolina will soon be at the fingertips of researchers worldwide. The North Carolina Digital Heritage Center (NCDHC) in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Wilson Library will be the state hub and conduit to the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) — an organization that provides a single point of access for millions of books, photographs, documents, sound recordings and moving images from some of the leading libraries and archives across the country.
UNC News Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/6292/107/
Think tank takes aim at UNC-CH curriculum
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A new report from a right-leaning think tank critiques UNC-Chapel Hill’s general education curriculum … UNC-CH Provost Jim Dean said …“Ultimately, what constitutes a good – or an optimal – education is really based on values, and people have different values,” he said.
Related Link:
http://www.journalnow.com/news/state_region/article_9aebd408-3f8c-11e3-a481-0019bb30f31a.html
Report card on balancing student, athlete
The Herald-Sun (Durham; editorial)
… today we want to focus on our athletes’ pursuits off the court, specifically at UNC and Duke. Both universities have traditionally done an outstanding job of ensuring athletes are equipped for what comes after their final game by encouraging them to graduate. …The new information comes from data pulled from student-athletes entering college in 2006. Duke posted an eye-popping 99 percent graduation rate for its athletes – the second highest in the country. UNC came in at 86 percent, which is five percentage points above the national average.
$33,000 Raised For Cancer Research At Roy’s ‘Fast Break’
Chapelboro.com (website)
Head Coach Roy Williams hosted his eighth annual Fast Break Against Cancer Friday morning in the Dean Dome. The breakfast event was highlighted by a live auction ran by legendary Tar Heel radio voice Woody Durham. A grand total of $33,000 was raised for the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center…
Video: UNC students dance to 'Thriller' to benefit Eve Carson Scholarship
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
… The dance session was promoting the Eve Carson Scholarship, which was established to remember former Student Body President Eve Carson, who was murdered in 2008. The scholarship is awarded to two juniors every school year who demonstrate academic matriculation, personal development, leadership and service since arriving at Carolina.
Issues & Trends
Faculty Athletics Reps Want Division I to Stay Intact
Inside Higher Ed
As the National Collegiate Athletic Association contemplates how it will redesign its governance and membership structure, some groups, including conference commissioners, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and the Division I Faculty Athletics Representatives Board, have suggested or at least been open to the notion of the largest athletic programs forming their own division. That would allow more leniency in how they could recruit and provide financial aid to athletes. But the group that represents FARs in all divisions, the Faculty Athletics Representatives Association, wants Division I to stay intact.
Tom Campbell on overwhelming challenges to higher education
The Journal (Winston-Salem; op-ed)
Our colleges and universities face critical challenges. America once boasted the best higher education in the world, the leader in the number attaining higher education. Now we rank 10th.
Public universities, which traditionally educate about 70 percent of college students, received 38 percent of their funding from the states in 1992, but that percentage decreased to 23 percent by 2010. Tom Campbell is former assistant N.C. state treasurer and is creator/host of NC SPIN, a weekly statewide television discussion of N.C. issues…
Related Link:
http://www.reflector.com/opinion/campbell/campbell-challenges-higher-education-2204065
In-state student enrollment increases at N.C. A&T
The News & Record (Greensboro)
Good news for N.C. A&T: It admitted more than enough North Carolina residents this fall. A year after the UNC system penalized A&T for enrolling too many out-of-state students, the university is back in compliance. UNC system policy says that no more than 18 percent of the incoming freshman class at each UNC school can be from outside North Carolina.
http://www.news-record.com/news/schools/article_ae71b59c-3fcd-11e3-93f6-0019bb30f31a.html
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Produced by News Services, Carolina in the News is a sampling of current news media coverage about Carolina people and programs, as well as issues and trends that affect the university. Stories usually will be online and available free for a limited time – often one to two weeks. Expiration dates before stories move to archives vary by media outlet. Some outlets require free user registration or a subscription.
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