The Supernatural in Southeast Asian Studies
In the spirit of Halloween, Dia de los Muertos and All Souls Day, UC Riverside will host a transnational film festival Oct. 31-Nov. 2 featuring works from Thailand, Vietnam and Burma that explore the supernatural through ghosts, hauntings and spirit channeling. The festival, “The Supernatural in Southeast Asian Studies,” will explore themes of trauma, history, memory and the spectral in Southeast Asian cinema. (October 13, 2008)
Public Lecture on Earthquake Preparedness Set for Oct. 21 at UC Riverside
A free and public lecture on earthquake preparedness will kick off UC Riverside’s participation on Nov. 13 in the Great Southern California ShakeOut, the largest-scale earthquake drill in the history of the country. Lucile M. Jones, chief scientist of the Multi Hazards Demonstration Project for Southern California, will give an hour-long talk titled “The Science Behind the ShakeOut,” at 7 p.m., Oct. 21, in Room 302, UCR Student Commons. (October 13, 2008)
Vitamin D a Key Player in Overall Health of Several Body Organs, Says UCR’s Anthony Norman
Essential for life in higher animals, vitamin D, once linked to only bone diseases such as rickets and osteoporosis, is now recognized as a major player in contributing to overall human health, emphasizes UC Riverside’s Anthony Norman, an international expert on vitamin D. (October 9, 2008)
Riverside Medical Clinic Pledges $1 Million for UCR School of Medicine
Riverside Medical Clinic, a multi-specialty medical practice group long associated with the medical education program at the University of California, Riverside, has pledged a flagship private gift of $1 million toward development of the School of Medicine, it was announced today.
(October 9, 2008)
UCR Hosts Asian Film Festival Oct. 21-23
The San Diego Asian Film Foundation will expand its ninth annual film festival to include the University of California, Riverside this month. The 2008 festival is scheduled Oct. 9-16 in San Diego’s Mission Valley and Oct. 21-23 at UltraStar University Village 10 Cinemas, 1201 University Ave. (October 8, 2008)
UC Riverside Announces Daniel Aldrich as UCR’s Vice Chancellor for Advancement
UC Riverside Chancellor Timothy White announced Wednesday that Daniel G. Aldrich, III, will serve as Vice Chancellor for University Advancement starting Oct. 27. Aldrich, currently a Senior Development Associate in Institutional Advancement in the Office of the UC President, has been affiliated with the University of California all of his life. “I bleed blue and gold,” he said. He will serve on an interim basis at 80 percent time until a permanent appointment is made following a national search. (October 8, 2008)
Asian American Voters to Play Pivotal Role in Presidential Election, Study Says
Among Asian American voters, many are supporting presidential candidate Barack Obama, but another sizable portion remains undecided – a development that could set the stage for Asian Americans to play a pivotal role in the outcome of the election, according to a new national survey released today (Monday, Oct. 6).
(October 6, 2008)
UCR Researchers Propose Minocycline as a Promising Drug for Patients with Fragile X Syndrome
A UC Riverside-led team of biomedical scientists has found that a readily available drug called minocycline, used widely to treat acne and skin infections, can be used to treat Fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of mental impairment and the most common cause of autism. (October 3, 2008)
UCR Biochemists Devise Method for Bypassing Aluminum Toxicity Effects in Plants
Aluminum toxicity, a global agricultural problem, halts root growth in plants, severely limiting agricultural productivity for more than half of the world’s arable land. Now Paul Larsen's lab has determined that it is not aluminum toxicity that is directly responsible for inhibiting plant growth. The researchers identified a factor in plant cells, called AtATR, that functions as a built-in DNA surveillance system for alerting the plant of damage from excess aluminum and shutting down growth. (October 2, 2008)
It Takes a Lot More than the Early Bird to Catch Worms
The challenge of unearthing and identifying more than 1 million species of nematodes or round worms living among us has been met with enthusiasm by a team of UC Riverside researchers. The $1.1 million, three-year, National Science Foundation grant will be used to identify and catalog nematodes, including those that can cause disease in humans, plants and animals. (October 1, 2008)