International Coverage
'Mini-neural computer' in the brain discovered
The Times of India
Scientists have found that dendrites, the branch-like projections of neurons, act as mini-neural computers – actively processing information to multiply the brain's computing power. Dendrites were thought to be passive wiring in the brain but researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with their colleagues have shown that these dendrites do more than relay information from one neuron to the next.
UNC News Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2013/october/unc-neuroscientists-discover-new-2018mini-neural-computer2019-in-the-brain
National Coverage
Climate Change Aids Toxic Slime's Advance
NPR (Science Friday)
Sewage and fertilizer runoff into China's Lake Taihu have fed a nasty bloom: an annual explosion of frothy cyanobacteria, which release neurotoxins into the lake. Hans Paerl, a marine and environmental scientist who studies Lake Taihu, says the warmer temperatures brought by climate change only contribute to the slime's advance.
Culture, Confusion and Concussions
Inside Higher Ed
A new report on the prevalence, prevention and management of concussions in young athletes came to an important and not entirely surprising conclusion: There is a major and problematic shortage of research on the prevalence, prevention and management of concussions in young athletes. …Last spring, the NCAA announced it would fund a $400,000 grant to the National Sport Concussion Outcomes Study, in which researchers from campuses including the Universities of Michigan and North Carolina at Chapel Hill will track athletes after they graduate and study the long-term effects of brain damage.
Promising new therapy in a smaller package
R&D Magazine (website)
Microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) provides tremendous promise for cancer patients through its ability to destroy tumor cells while protecting surrounding healthy tissue. Yet research into its clinical use has been limited by the sheer size of the technology required to generate the beams. Until now, administering MRT required massive electron accelerators known as synchrotrons. But with a new microbeam emitter developed at the Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the technology has been scaled down, opening the doors for clinical research.
UNC News Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2013/october/microbeam-radiation-emitter
42 Common Application deadline reprieves
The Washington Post
At least 42 colleges and universities have announced deadline extensions this fall for applicants seeking early admission because of technical difficulties some students have experienced with a new version of the online Common Application. Here are the 43 schools and their new initial deadlines, which The Washington Post found in a check this week of admission Web sites. … University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Oct. 21) …
UNC journalism students get libel insurance
Poynter.org (journalism website)
University of North Carolina journalism students now enjoy some financial protection in the event of libel suits, thanks to a year-long multimedia insurance policy purchased by the school, according to a report in The Daily Tar Heel. …The policy, which cost the school $1,353, offers $1 million in insurance, the story said, and students aren’t paying for it.
State & Local Coverage
Security adviser, journalist discuss Snowden disclosures at UNC
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
To a crowd of about 200 people at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Genome Sciences Building auditorium Wednesday night, a former national security adviser to President Barack Obama and a national journalist who interviewed and received documents from Snowden represented both sides of the spectrum.
The Syllabus: News from Chapel Hill
The News & Record (Greensboro)
The folks at UNC-Chapel Hill passed along a couple of things I thought I'd share.
First: A 3-min video of new Chancellor Carol Folt's visit to Reidsville a couple weeks back. Folt's the star (she's the chancellor, after all, and UNC did the video), but the co-star is Carolina College Advising Corps. That's a story I need to dig into sooner than later.
UNC researcher finds weather affects work productivity
WNCN-TV (Raleigh)
We all know that the weather can affect our mood, but now there is proof thanks to a University of North Carolina study. Professor Bradley Staats decided to go out looking to see if bad weather is good for productivity. He took the test he developed to a bank in Tokyo and found that the basic idea is that people are less distracted when there are bad weather days and more distracted when it is nice outside.
Kenan Institute director DeSimone to step down at end of the year
WRAL TechWire
Joseph DeSimone, whose nanotechnology research in University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill labs formed the basis for spinout Liquidia Technologies, will step down as director of UNC’s Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise 18 months after taking the top position. The Kenan Institute, a part of UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, pursues research, educational programs and public policy initiatives that support entrepreneurship.
Six to Receive the North Carolina Award, State's Highest Honor
The News & Press (Stanly County)
The state's highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award, will be presented to six distinguished North Carolinians Thursday, Nov. 21… The 2013 honorees include Dr. Myron S. Cohen of Chapel Hill for Science; John E. Cram of Asheville for Fine Arts; John M. H. Hart Jr. of Keswick, Va., for Literature; Phillip J. Kirk Jr. of Raleigh for Public Service; Dr. John Harding Lucas of Durham for Public Service; and Dr. Walt Wolfram of Cary for Public Service. The awards are administered by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.
What can we do about the crisis of child poverty?
The Herald-Sun (Durham; op-ed)
Jolting! Appalling! Those are the first words that hit me after reading Joe Polich’s op ed piece documenting Durham poverty. (The Herald-Sun, Oct. 23) Polich and the UNC Poverty Center studied census tracts — neighborhoods, finding some Durham neighborhoods with a poverty rate greater than 50 percent.
The real landscape on voting rights in NC
The News & Observer (Raleigh; op-ed)
Prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Shelby County v. Holder, 40 counties in North Carolina were covered by Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. A new report from the UNC Center for Civil Rights that looks at representation of people of color on county boards of commissioners shows that the act was working to increase political engagement in North Carolina and demonstrates the continuing need for legislation that protects and enhances equitable political representation.
Peter Gilbert is an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the UNC Center for Civil Rights in Chapel Hill.
Issues & Trends
North Carolina A&T Suspends an Adjunct Who’s Running for City Council
The Chronicle of Higher Education
North Carolina A&T State University has suspended an adjunct professor of political science who is running for the Greensboro, N.C., City Council on the grounds that he violated a policy regarding political activity, the News & Record, a local newspaper, reported. North Carolina A&T’s provost, Joe B. Whitehead Jr., said the instructor, Jamal Fox, had broken a rule covering all employees of the University of North Carolina system. The rule states that employees must seek permission to run for office before announcing their candidacy.
Related Links:
http://www.news-record.com/news/local_news/article_ca4cc638-40c9-11e3-9324-001a4bcf6878.html
http://www.wwaytv3.com/2013/10/30/nc-professor-suspended-over-council-candidacy-0
___________________
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.
Please share any questions, comments or suggestions at news@unc.edu