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| GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Alan Bland of Sebastian holds his poodles, Snowstar (right) and her son, Benji on Wednesday, April 17, as they prepare to leave the University of Florida Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. UF veterinary surgeons last week transplanted a kidney from Snowstar into 11-month-old Benji, who was born with defective kidneys. “Mother and son are doing fine,” said Chris Adin, an assistant professor and small animal surgeon at UF who led the four-hour procedure, in which both animals were operated on simultaneously. (UF photo by Jeff Knee) |
NASA And UF Team Up
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » Every shuttle launch depends on cutting-edge technology, highly trained technicians, and some plain, old-fashioned tanker trucks - 50 of them, to be exact. The trucks haul over 300,000 pounds of hydrogen fuel 600 miles from where it is produced near New Orleans to Kennedy Space Center, a massive transportation job that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars each time the shuttle roars into orbit. Seeking to develop new technology to produce the hydrogen much closer to the launch pad - and in a more environmentally friendly way - NASA is awarding a group of Florida universities -- including the University of Florida -- $8.1 million for hydrogen research. For more information on this research effort, visit http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/hydropower.htm
Mother Gives Gift of Life — Again
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » It’s a classic example of motherly love: With her young son’s life in danger, mom puts herself in harm’s way and donates her own kidney to ensure the youngster’s survival. In this case, though, there’s a twist: Mom and son - Snowstar and Benji - are poodles, and the surgery happened at the University of Florida’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. See the full story at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/dogkidney.htm .
An Anti-Heart Attack Gene
GAINESVILLE, Fla. » A team of University of Florida researchers has used gene therapy to develop a tiny biological machine that could one day be injected into heart attack-prone patients to recognize and stop new heart attacks. The UF team used a harmless virus to deliver a combination of genes to animal heart tissue that protected the tissue from heart attacks, according to an article in the February issue of Hypertension, a journal of the American Heart Association. See the full story at http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/heartgene.htm .
Grad Students Recognized by NSF
GAINESVILLE, Fla.» The National Science Foundation has awarded graduate fellowships to seven University of Florida students. The foundation rewards outstanding students in the mathematical, physical, biological, engineering, and behavioral and social sciences, as well as those with research-based doctorate degrees in science education, with three years of financial support for advanced study. The awards provide each fellow with an $18,000 yearly stipend. In addition, fellows at U.S. institutions will be exempt from paying tuition and fees normally charged to students of similar academic standing. The National Science Foundation also provides each fellowship institution with a $10,500 per year cost-of-education allowance. To view the entire story, visit http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2002news/nsfwinners.htm .
At a Glance
The University of Florida’s School of Architecture in the College of Design, Construction and Planning awarded UF Trustee Carlos Alfonso with the 2002 Distinguished Architecture Alumnus Award at the college’s Annual Awards Ceremony on April 8.
Alfonso , who also serves on the UF Foundation Board of Directors, graduated from UF in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in architecture and returned in 1981 to complete his master's degree in architecture. In 1988, he founded Alfonso Architects in Tampa, which currently employs 45 people. In 1999, the Tampa Chamber of Commerce named Alfonso Architects as Small Business of the Year.
“Both our college and university are very fortunate to have a person of such great professional accomplishments to be also involved and committed to higher education,” said Jay Stein, Dean of the College of Design, Construction and Planning. “Carlos is a terrific role model for our students and the professional community.”
In The News
An op-ed article by Dennis Jett, dean of UF's International Center, appeared April 19 in the Christian Science Monitor. See the fuul story at: http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0419/p10s03-coop.html .
A story featuring research by UF neurologist Chris Sackellares appears in the current issue of Discover magazine. See "Fire in the Brain" at http://www.discover.com/current_issue/index.html .
UFactoid
Did you know that....
...UF ACCENT is the largest student-run speakers bureau in the United States and has been bringing prominent speakers to the University of Florida for nearly 40 years? Past speakers featured by ACCENT include Robert Frost, Mikhail Gorbachev, Bob Dole, Don Shula, Bob Woodward, Steve Forbes, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and many other political and social figures. Former President George H.W. Bush was the guest speaker this past January.