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Friday, 11 September 2009
1. UC considering massive fee increases
KGO TV
September 11, 2009
If your child is planning to attend a University of California school next year, better start saving extra....
The University of California is meeting next week to consider raising fees 32 percent by next fall, for both undergraduate and graduate students. This would push annual tuition over the $10,000 mark for the first time ever.
The proposed increases would happen in phases: beginning with a 7.5 percent hike in the next spring term, and then a sharper increase next fall totaling 32 percent by fall 2010.
Altogether, undergraduates would pay an additional $2,500 a year. The board of regents is also going to consider charging an extra $1,000 to undergraduates in the business and engineering departments....
[This story was reported from the UC BERKELEY CAMPUS. Link to video. Other stories on this topic appeared in the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and San Jose Mercury News] Full Story
2. Automation Founders Circle
Micro-robot insects hatch ‘Smart Dust’ node for ISA Sperry Award winner Pister
InTech
September 11, 2009
Editor’s Note: ISA continues its tradition of honoring leaders throughout the automation industry by presenting the Automation Founders Circle awards. This year’s recipients are Dr. John Ziegert with the Arnold O. Beckman Founder Award; Kristofer S. J. Pister with the Albert F. Sperry Founder Award; Leonard Moore with the ISA Honorary Member award, the highest honor bestowed by the society, and Peter Martin with ISA’s 2009 Life Achievement Award....
From the time he was a graduate electrical engineering student in the late 1980s until today, Dust Networks co-founder and Chief Technology Officer KRISTOFER S. J. PISTER, has been fascinated with making the tiniest of wireless electronic devices.
The idea of what later was to be called “Smart Dust” initially dawned on Pister in 1992, when the then UCLA assistant professor of electrical engineering—who at the time was trying to make millimeter-scale micro-robot insects—attended a RAND Corp. military workshop.
“We were looking at the ‘battlefield of the future,’ he recalled, “and I realized I had (in micro-robots) technology tools needed to help with that.
“You need six things in a robot—sensing, computation, communication, power, motors, and mechanisms,” said PISTER, who earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering at UC Berkeley. He currently serves as a PROFESSOR OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCES AT UC BERKELEY AND IS CO-DIRECTOR OF THE BERKELEY SENSOR & ACTUATOR CENTER....
“Smart Dust was basically the body of my silicon insect,” said Pister, who continues to also consult for the U.S. Department of Defense’s JASON “think tank” several weeks during the summer. Pister first coined the term “Smart Dust” in 1996 and commercialized it in 2002 with the co-founding of Dust Networks, Hayward, Calif.... Full Story
3. Metamaterials Could Mimic Black Holes, Disrupted Planetary Orbits
Physicists could study black holes and chaotic planetary orbits in the laboratory, a team proposes
U.S. News & World Report
September 10, 2009
Tiny special materials may mimic astronomical events, including the trapping of light in black holes and the disruption of planetary orbits, a new report in the September Nature Physics proposes. The shape and design of such materials may allow scientists to do previously impossible experiments by replicating aspects of the heavens at the laboratory bench.
“Astrophysicists build a telescope and watch the sky, and if they’re lucky, in their lives, they’ll see one or two events,” says study coauthor XIANG ZHANG, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “Now you don’t have to wait 100 years to observe interesting phenomena. Now we can study it in a tabletop experiment.”
Zhang and his colleagues propose to mimic the cosmos using a breed of man-made materials that twist and contort light and other electromagnetic waves in unusual ways. These materials, known as metamaterials, guide light in directions that normal materials can’t....
In addition to helping researchers study fundamental questions about the universe, these metamaterials may also offer new ways to store energy. Practical applications might include smaller, more powerful antennae and energy trapping devices, Leonhardt says. “Those could be interesting spin-offs.”
In particular, Zhang says, the proposed metamaterials might be the perfect way to concentrate and hold light, creating a highly efficient solar cell. Light trapped and held in place could be collected for energy use. Such a solar cell could be far more efficient than those currently in use, he says. Full Story
4. Education briefs, September 11
Contra Costa Times (*requires registration)
September 11, 2009
...The Center for Sustainable Suburban Development recently received a $3 million, University of California Multi-Campus Research Programs and Initiatives award to build a virtual interactive laboratory that will bring together academics from UCR, UCLA and UC BERKELEY, as well as policymakers from the Inland Empire, to work on urban, transportation and environmental planning issues affecting southern California. The five-year grant begins Oct. 1.
The first project under the grant will be a transportation model for the Los Angeles basin, which includes the Inland area.... Full Story
5. All Things Considered: Furloughs May Not Save As Much As States Hope
NPR
September 10, 2009
This week Colorado became the latest state to force government workers to take unpaid time off in an effort to save money. At least 19 states have imposed furloughs in the past year or are considering them.
But economists have yet to determine just how effective furloughs are as a tool for state cost-saving. It is beginning to appear that a decline in spending, and therefore tax revenue, and the drop in efficiency associated with furloughs may offset their value....
In addition to lost spending and tax revenue, there are the costs to the state from service disruptions. Some are obvious, like people taking more time off from private sector jobs because of longer wait times at public offices like the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Then there are blips, like a truck spilling wine cork lubricant all over a Northern California freeway.
"There was a two-hour delay in sending a cleanup crew. Overall, it took 12 hours to clean up," says KEN JACOBS, CHAIRMAN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, LABOR CENTER....
Jacobs says furloughs also cost the state money directly when agencies that generate revenue shut down, sometimes to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
...PROFESSOR DAVID LEVINE AT UC BERKELEY'S HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS says some furloughs can be very effective — especially when company executives make a good case for the belt-tightening and are making sacrifices too....
Furloughs, he says, may be a better option than layoffs. When the economy recovers, your workforce is still there....
[Link to audio] Full Story
6. Panel reviews sweeping state tax reform
San Francisco Chronicle
September 11, 2009
Sacramento -- The state sales tax would be eliminated along with taxes on corporate income in a sweeping proposal considered Thursday by a blue ribbon commission charged with finding ways to overhaul California's tax system.
The Commission on the 21st Century Economy was convened in autumn by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the midst of the state's worst financial crisis. The 14 commissioners - appointed by the governor and Democratic legislative leaders - have a Sept. 20 deadline to recommend a plan to stabilize the state's erratic revenue stream.
"The overall objective ... is to help stabilize state revenues, reduce volatility, promote long-term economic growth and job creation for the state and its citizens, (and) to establish a tax structure that fits the state's 21st century economy," said Gerald Parsky, the chairman of the panel, in his opening remarks at Thursday's public hearing at UCLA....
The panel is scheduled to meet again Monday at UC BERKELEY. Full Story
7. Op-Ed: Making anthropology public
Anthropology Today
August 2009
This editorial is based on the author's discussant comments at the 2008 Presidential Session of the AAA meetings on 'The Academy and the Publics', organized by Paula Sabloff on 20 November 2008.
Abstract: Public Anthropology entails diverse practices. One is 'writing' for the public by making our work more accessible and accountable. A less conventional way of getting anthropological research findings and interpretations to broader publics is through active collaboration with journalists and the media. To make anthropology public is to invite criticism and to face 'erasures' of ownership of our findings once they are shared with journalists. Even so, it is satisfying to see one's work appear on the front pages of the Sunday Times even if uncited. Finally, in the tradition of CW Mills' The Sociological Imagination, the goal of public anthropology is to make public issues, not simply to respond to them. Those who wan to be public anthropologist – just do it! But don't expect to be rewarded for it. Instead, consider it a precious right and a privilege.
[Link to PDF for full text] Full Story
8. Would you still sign the 9/11 Truth petition?
We ask signatories of the statement that helped drive Van Jones from office if they stand by it.
Salon
September 11, 2009
Thanks in large part to his association with the 9/11 Truth movement, Van Jones is no longer a member of the Obama White House. Jones resigned last week amid a swirl of controversy -- prodded on largely by Fox News' Glenn Beck -- that included the former "green jobs" advisor's signing of a petition put out by the 9/11 Truth movement urging a further investigation into the World Trade Center attacks. Most controversially, the petition wondered darkly that "unanswered questions ... suggest that people within the current administration may indeed have deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen, perhaps as a pretext for war," before drifting into a list of wild and dubious speculation. (You can read the petition right here.)...
Salon contacted nearly 30 of the petition's signatories to see if they felt, as did Lerner, Zinn and Jones, that the document didn't reflect their views on 9/11. We asked a simple question: If you had to do it all over again, would you still sign the statement?...
GRAY BRECHIN, HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHER AND VISITING SCHOLAR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY'S DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY: Until recently, I thought that I (like Van Jones) live in a country with a First Amendment that permits freedom of speech, thought and petition without fear of reprisal. I had that pleasant illusion despite growing up in the dark shadow of Sen. Joseph McCarthy, of red scares, blacklists and witch hunts, of the John Birch Society (and worse), which the Old Guard of the Republican Party then considered zanies. The ideological descendants of those wackos have since taken over that party. I suspect that you did not grow up at that time.
Since when did Salon permit Glenn Beck and the almost equally loony WSJ editorial page to set the terms of discussion, calling those who want answers to so much that remains unexplained about 9/11 "truthers" and thus giving them equivalence with "birthers," "deathers" and "tea baggers"? Since when was Van Jones a "czar" rather than an advisor? Since when was he not entitled to his opinions, past or present? Was it when he was born black and inexcusably smart? Jones is the kind of visionary with whom Franklin Roosevelt surrounded himself but of which the Obama administration is almost entirely bereft, and now that administration has shamefully thrown him to the sharks.... Full Story
9. Microsoft, Yahoo Face In-Depth Review of Search Deal
Bloomberg
September 11, 2009
Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo! Inc. have been asked by the U.S. Justice Department for more details on a proposed Internet-search partnership, expanding the agency’s review of the agreement....
The outcome will shape the future of the market for Internet search ads, where Google has triple the U.S. sales of its two rivals. The companies may face more difficulty proving the deal won’t hurt competition as regulators step up oversight of the technology industry, said MICHAEL KATZ, a former chief economist in the Justice Department’s antitrust unit.
“The antitrust agencies are pretty skeptical of the argument that you need to be bigger to compete,” said KATZ, NOW A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY. “The Justice Department will respond, ‘Why can’t you get bigger by competing?’”...
Even though the antitrust agency will scrutinize the deal closely, the companies probably can get it done as long as they do enough to persuade the Justice Department that the agreement doesn’t hurt competition, Katz said.... Full Story
10. Academics, ProQuest, Networks Object to Google Settlement
Endorsers include partner libraries, distance learning group, Canadian urban libraries
Library Journal
September 10, 2009
Final comments have been submitted to a federal court overseeing the Google Book Search settlement, pending a hearing in New York on October 7, and LJ highlights some of the most interesting.
In a letter signed by 64 academic authors and researchers, PAMELA SAMUELSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW & INFORMATION, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, asked Judge Denny Chin to condition his approval of the Google Book Search settlement on several modifications that would be fairer “toward academic authors who constitute a far more sizeable proportion of the Author Subclass than the members of the Authors Guild do.”
The signatories agree that the settlement would bring more access to books, but could transform “the public good of the traditional library into a commercial enterprise controlled by two complementary monopolies, Google and the Book Rights Registry.”
“Academic authors would, we believe, have insisted on much different terms than the Authors Guild did, especially in respect of pricing of institutional subscriptions, open access, annotation sharing, privacy, and library user rights to print out pages from out-of-print books,” Samuelson wrote. “Academic authors would also have pushed harder than the Authors Guild seems to have done for more researcher-friendly non-consumptive research provisions and for commitments to quality scans and metadata.” (Academics at the University of California have expressed similar concerns.)... Full Story
11. H1N1 strikes early on U.S. campuses
Western News
September 10, 2009
All the pandemic planning during the summer months may soon be put to the test as thousands of students return to The University of Western Ontario campus.
Today is the first day of classes for most, but even before students set foot on campus they were encouraged to come armed with hand sanitizer and review pandemic prevention strategies for warding off the H1N1 influenza virus. ...
The university has adopted a ‘three-deep’ plan to ensure essential services continue in the event of a pandemic. Faculties and support units are developing a Continuity of Operations Plan, using a software program from the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, that has backups and contingency plans in place in the event of a one-third workforce reduction.... Full Story
12. New program by Berkeley and campus police aimed at drunken partying
Contra Costa Times (*requires registration)
September 11, 2009
Some rowdy Cal football fans learned that the party was over last weekend when police cracked down on them faster than you can say Oski Bear.
UC AND BERKELEY POLICE working on the new joint program issued 76 citations after UC Berkeley's Sept. 5 game against the University of Maryland. The citations were for offenses such as sexual battery, public drunkenness, open alcohol containers, urinating in public and being in a minor in possession of alcohol....
The program, bankrolled by the CAL ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT, included a mobile command vehicle in the neighborhood south of campus until 2 a.m. that dispatched 12 officers from UC and Berkeley police departments....
CALEB DARDICK, UC BERKELEY COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIRECTOR, said UC police and officers from the state Department of Alcohol Beverage Control were monitoring students coming into the stadium. Those who appeared to be drunk were cited and told to leave, he said.
"A key piece of the strategy is prevention and education," Dardick said.
"Our goal is not to arrest students but to create a civil environment for residents and students so people can walk around safely and neighbors can get a good night of sleep," he said.
[This story also appeared in the Oakland Tribune] Full Story
13. Cal Fans Dig Deep for Construction Projects
KCBS Radio
September 11, 2009
Berkeley, Calif. (KCBS) - Construction crews are hard at work on the UC BERKELEY campus, making room for a new, state-of-the-art athletic training facility.
It's busy around Memorial Stadium, to say the least. Excavators are more than a little active, helping to make room for the new facility. "The good news right now is construction is progressing just as we expected," said HERB BENENSON WITH THE CAL ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT....
This project is estimated to be finished in 2011, right about the time another crew will be knee-deep in the long-awaited seismic upgrade of Memorial Stadium. Fundraising is ongoing, including a new Endowment Seat Program. "Fans can purchase their seats for up to 50 years at a time," explained Benenson.
According to Benenson, about two-thirds of those seats have already been accounted for. "Especially given this economy, I think it shows the support that our fans have."
[Link to audio] Full Story
14. Young athletes embrace Ramadan fast
Sacramento Bee
September 11, 2009
After playing golf with her dad one recent triple-digit afternoon, Noor Ahmed needed a drink.
The 10-year-old prodigy who sinks 30-foot putts hadn't had a drop since 6 a.m. She finally got a cool drink of water 13 hours later after the tangerine sun went down over Folsom....
As Muslims have done for 1,300 years, they fast between sunrise and sunset – no food or drink – to learn self-discipline, empathy, patience and piety....
Another local Muslim athelete, former American River College shooting guard IBRAHAM FATOUH, said he'd carry a couple of dates in his pocket so he could break fast during night games.
Fatouh said his coach used him as an example. "I'd be beating people at sprints and coach would say, 'He hadn't eaten or drank all day and he's still here!'"
That self-discipline helped him in all aspects of his life, he said.
"If you can discipline yourself from something that's necessary, you should be able to refrain from anything else that's bad or not necessary," said FATOUH, NOW A JUNIOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY.... Full Story
15. Fresh Air: Poetic Reflections On 9/11
NPR
September 11, 2009
Former ROBERT HASS served as US poet laureate of the United States from 1995 to 1997. In this interview with Terry Gross, conducted only a few weeks after the events of Sept. 11, 2009, Hass discusses the power of poetry.
Robert Hass was Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 2001 to 2007. He NOW TEACHES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY.
[Link to audio forthcoming] Full Story
16. Inside the Beltway
Washington Times
September 11, 2009
Consider that the 9/11 attacks occurred 2,922 days ago. That's about 70,000 hours. Are memories less visceral? Among some people, perhaps. Among others, an intense vigilance remains....
Some young people reject the idea that the National Day of Service signed into law by President Obama five months ago is an appropriate response to 9/11.
"It's a disgrace that this administration is attempting to whitewash September 11," says Patrick Coyle, vice president of Young America's Foundation....
He recommends his organization's "9/11 Never Forget" project instead. On 214 college campuses - including the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY - hundreds of college students will create memorial sites on their campuses using clusters of American flags.
"They will remain on silent vigil and pray at 9:11 a.m.," Mr. Coyle adds.... Full Story
17. Obituary: William Trombley dies at 80; journalist reshaped The Times' coverage of higher education
He covered the tumultuous Free Speech Movement and the ordeals of the UC system. The veteran journalist and education analyst later founded an influential quarterly for a think tank.
Los Angeles Times
September 11, 2009
William Trombley, a veteran journalist and education analyst who wrote for Life magazine and The Times during a five-decade career, died Sunday at a Davis hospital. He was 80....
At The Times, where he was a reporter for nearly 30 years starting in 1964, Trombley was known for reshaping the paper's coverage of higher education, starting on the beat during a tumultuous period when the Free Speech Movement was roiling college campuses from California to New York....
His stories documented the upheaval of the period, including the birth of the Free Speech Movement at UC BERKELEY and the firing of UC President Clark Kerr....
He was also dry-witted, often leavening his stories with humorous observations. "Once upon a time a student could walk to any spot on campus in 10 minutes. Now he would need a personal monorail system," he wrote in a 1965 article for The Times about how unwieldy growth had turned UC's flagship campus at Berkeley into a "vast, perplexing, impersonal" institution and hotbed of student unrest.... Full Story
18. Planting the seeds for internationalization
Western News
September 10, 2009
Only two months on the job, University of Western Ontario president Amit Chakma has already amassed a lengthy to-do list.
Even before taking over the post, Chakma has been forward about his international aspirations. He hopes to create opportunities for students to experience studying abroad and to increase the number of international students at Western. For Chakma, offering the ‘best student experience’ means laying the groundwork for students to become well-educated, engaged citizens....
WN: Are there universities Western should aspire to be like?
Chakma: ... If I look at the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, they were founded 10 years before Western. I admire what they have been able to achieve: 20-plus Nobel laureates; 30-plus Olympic gold medalists, etc. One thing I take great inspiration from is their desire to be among the best and that existed from day one and that continues until today.... Full Story