UF Expands Efforts To Help At-Risk High School Students
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » The University of Florida's Alliance program, designed to give at-risk high school students a better chance of attending college and obtaining a baccalaureate degree, is expanding to two new schools in Orlando. UF Provost David Colburn initiated the program in 2000 to assist Raines and Ribault high schools in Jacksonville and Miami Senior High School in Miami in addressing the needs of their students and faculty. As a result of the program's success, the university is expanding it to two new schools for 2002/2003 — Evans and Jones high schools in Orlando.
In addition to the Alliance program, the University of Florida will begin a new partnership with all high schools in Florida to assist Gov. Jeb Bush's efforts to strengthen public education in the state of Florida. For the full story go to http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/allianceexpands.htm
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| Donald Lee Francis, left, biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Steve Olson and Ann Blount, researchers at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, examine forage at Joe Budd Wildlife Management Area near Quincy. |
Foraging before the Hunt
MARIANNA, Fla. » If you plant it, they will come. Maybe.
Do-it-yourself wildlife forages have recently gained popularity with deer
hunters looking for an easy way to ensure a supply of trophy bucks, but
University of Florida agronomy experts say buyers don’t always get
the performance they pay for. With deer season largely closed throughout
the Southeast, Blount and other UF experts are monitoring about 20 commercial
cool-season forage blends planted in locations around Florida to evaluate
their yield, quality and cost per acre. Hunters and other wildlife enthusiasts
use the blends to grow food for animals during winter months. For the
full story go to http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/forage.htm
Pet Lovers are People Lovers, Too!!
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Loving like an animal can actually bring out the finer, more altruistic side of your nature, a new University of Florida study suggests. People with a close attachment to their pets indicated a greater willingness to help other people than owners who kept their animals at arm’s length, said Frederic Desmond, a UF graduate student who did the research for his doctoral dissertation in psychology. See the full story at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/pets.htm
Of Mice and Men
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » In a study that may eventually provide hope for millions suffering from disease-damaged hearts, University of Florida researchers have transformed adult bone marrow stem cells from humans into heart muscle cells that remained healthy and functioning in mice for more than two months. “Knowing that the cells are able to be transplanted successfully into the heart may one day enable the application of this stem cell population to human disease,” said Barry Byrne, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of UF’s Powell Gene Therapy Center and one of the authors of the journal article published last month in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association. See the complete story at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/heartstemcell.htm
It's All in the Math
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Recent news that the Internal Revenue Service plans to randomly audit 50,000 extra returns this tax season may discourage cheaters, but it could also have some unintended consequences, say University of Florida economists. Raising the probability of being audited may spur some taxpayers to work less and earn less, says Ira Horowitz, a UF professor emeritus of decision and information sciences. That’s because these taxpayers may feel that if they earned more and tried to hide the extra dollars from the IRS, they’re likely to get caught and have to fork it over anyway. See the complete story at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/taxman.htm
Aging Healthily and Gracefully
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Pressing the flesh may be just as important as pumping iron if you want to age gracefully and healthily, a new University of Florida study suggests. More than plain physical activity, human interaction from activities such as entertaining at home, taking day trips and getting involved with religious functions lead to more satisfaction with life as people get older, the study found. “Older people often feel isolated, just as mothers do when their babies are born,” said Heather Gibson, a professor in UF’s department of recreation, parks and tourism and a core faculty member in the Institute on Aging. “Whether it’s joining a senior center or having a group to hang out with, doing certain things makes their lives more fulfilling.” See the complete story at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/leisure.htm
At a Glance
It will be a doubleheader for the University of Florida this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science as two UF professors present papers to the prestigious group. John Moore of the Anthropology Department will share his research on enlisting family groups for future space travel. Moore's studies are on "Kin-based crews for Multi-generational space travel," which explores organizing space crews around familial relationships. UF dentist Jeffrey Hillman will present his findings on his genetic alternation of the bacterium known to cause tooth decay, into a form that may permanently prevent the disease.
UFactoid
"In 2000-2001, the University of Florida placed a record number of student-athletes on the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll list. The Gators placed 133 on the SEC Academic Honor Roll, which not only set an UF record, but also set the league record in sports with sponsored championships. The 2000-01 season marked the fourth consecutive year that Florida placed 100 or more student-athletes on the SEC Academic Honor Roll." — "Tales From the Swamp", Nov. 17, 2001 p. 54
The University of Florida's statewide Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN) will be completed this year, bringing at total of 32 monitoring stations on line for complete 24/7 coverage of the entire state of Florida. The system will be linked to UF, which will offer access to the information via telephone or the FAWN Web site, http://fawn.ifas.ufl.edu/. FAWN will provide information that is updated by each transmitting unit at 15-minute intervals as well as climate predictions three to six months in advance. Near real time data provided includes various air/soil temperatures, wind speed and direction, rainfall, relative humidity, barometric pressure, leaf wetness and solar radiation. — UF News, Jan. 30, 2002
UF in the News
BBC and CNN crews are on campus this week. The BBC is doing interviews with anthropologist John Moore and dentist Jeffrey Hillman on their respective research projects on space travel and tooth decay (See At A Glance).
The Office of News and Public Affairs is compiling a list of Spanish speakers on campus that it is facilitating to Spanish language media in Florida and the rest of the U.S. so that these media can tap into UF resources in Spanish.