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| GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Angelo Solomon welds a girder last week on the new Rinker Hall, which will house the University of Florida School of Building Construction. (UF photo by Joe Richard.) |
Gene Therapy For Parkinson's
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Scientists report this week they have demonstrated that the injection of two corrective genes into a specific brain region generated significant restoration of normal limb movement in rats with a chemical-induced form of Parkinson’s disease. The findings - by a team of researchers from the University of Florida in Gainesville and Lund University in Lund, Sweden - are published in the current online version of the journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. To view the entire story, visit http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/parkinsons.htm .
... And Ferraris For All.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Here’s a daunting task: In a post-Sept. 11, Enron-stunned world, defend luxury. In a book due out this month, a University of Florida English professor and popular culture expert does just that. Once reserved for those of wealth and means, luxury - and the pursuit of it - has succeeded where ideologies have failed, erasing national boundaries and knocking down cultural barriers worldwide, says James Twitchell, author of “Living it Up: Our Love Affair With Luxury” (Columbia University Press). “We understand each other not by sharing religion, politics or ideas. We share branded things. We speak the Esperanto of advertising, luxe populi,” Twitchell writes. To view the entire story, visit http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/luxury.htm .
Death And The Generation Gap
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » The closer people are to death, the more likely they are to believe in their right to die, suggests a University of Florida study that finds a wide generation gap on the subject of living and dying. Grandparents are more than three times as likely as their grandchildren to believe strongly in an individual’s right to die, said Terry Mills, a UF sociologist who conducted the study published in the January issue of the journal Family Relations. To view the entire story, visit http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/lifesustain.htm .
A New Way To Zap Anthrax
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. » As anthrax and other biological weapons continue to be worrisome threats, a University of Florida researcher has found a common pest control agent called methyl bromide is more effective and cheaper than current treatments in eradicating deadly bacterial spores from buildings. "Tests indicate the fumigant - used for more than 50 years to control insect pests in buildings, grain elevators and fresh fruit - is a better option than current treatments such as chlorine dioxide for killing anthrax and other bacterial spores," said Rudolf Scheffrahn, a professor of entomology with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who has studied pest control fumigants for more than 15 years. To view the entire story, visit http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/anthrax.htm .
At a Glance
Eight outstanding UF students have been named as 2002 Lombardi Scholars. Winners were selected from a pool of competitors which included 147 nominees and 18 semi-finalists. Lombardi Scholars are selected for academic excellence, community service, leadership, and public responsibility. The award is named for UF's 9th president, John V. Lombardi. Each scholar will receive a substantial scholarship for eight to 10 semesters of study at UF; they will also be matched with a faculty mentor in their field and will receive support for several overseas study and internship experiences. All the students will participate in the Honors Program at the University of Florida. Further information on the program is available at www.honors.ufl.edu/lombardi .
In The News
When Paulo Cabral of BBC World Service radio needed a Portuguese-speaking expert on Middle East politics, he looked no further than the University of Florida. Dennis Jett, dean of UF's International Center and a former 30-year career foreign service officer, did a telephone interview with Cabral, and the interview aired last week.
English and advertising professor James Twitchell's new book, "Living it Up: Our Love Affair with Luxury," was reviewed in The New York Times last week. See the full review entitled "Cashmere, Rolexes and a Spiritual Rush," at http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/04/books/04MASL.html?ex=1018935694&ei=1&en=77a5c5a02131ec9f
UF professor emeritus of ecology Howard T. Odom was quoted March 26 in a New York Times story about the Everglades. See the full story at http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/26/science/earth/26EVER.html .
UFactoid
Did you know that....
...Anderson Hall and its sister building, Flint Hall, were described
as "two of the 13 original campus buildings designed by architect
William Edwards, (and) were intended to serve as 'gateposts' to the university?"
According to the Spring 1998 edition of CLASNews, Flint Hall, (1910) and
Anderson Hall, (1913), "...with their striped awnings and ivy-covered
walls ... indeed formed a stately entrance to campus. Both historic UF
buildings were slated for demolition in the late 1970s, but a local group
of concerned preservationists helped facilitate the buildings' entry into
the national registry of historic places, saving them from destruction."
Anderson Hall was rededicated on April 5 after receiving major renovations.
(Source: http://clasnews.clas.ufl.edu/news/alumninotes/98spring/)