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January 25, 2006 |
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What
do We Know and How do We Know It? It’s time once again for the ever-popular Frontiers of Science lecture series. This year, the four presentations will be condensed into a four-month period, January through April, and will examine what we think we know about the history of the universe and life and why we think we know it. The talks, which are free and open to the public, will address the diversification of life on Earth, the origins of modern biochemical complexity, the geology of the early Earth, and the dynamics of the universe on a cosmic timescale. Since 1967, the Frontiers of Science lecture series has been sponsoring public talks by outstanding natural scientists with special gifts for making their fields accessible to broad audiences that include non-scientists. For a complete schedule or for more information, call 581-6958 or visit www.science.utah.edu. And be sure to arrive early for a good seat. Wednesday, Jan.
25, 7:30 p.m. Additional lectures
will be held: Wednesday, March 8 Wednesday, April 12
George Wilkerson, alumnus of the Department of Meteorology and cofounder of Meteorological Solutions, Inc, provides access to web cam views of the Salt Lake Valley. Steve Krueger, a professor in the Department of Meteorology, has collaborated with Wilkerson to make the sky cam images available on the department’s Web page at www.met.utah.edu. To watch a 24-hour time lapse of the Salt Lake Valley, visit www.met.utah.edu/skrueger/covecam/movies/last_day.mpg.
The law school’s Stegner Center is hosting an evening with Karsten Heuer, who will read from his new book, Being Caribou, which recounts his honeymoon journey with his wife, filmmaker Leanne Allison. In April 2003, the couple set off to follow the Porcupine caribou herd as it migrated from its Yukon winter range to endangered Alaskan calving grounds in the arctic National Wildlife Refuge. For more than a thousand miles, they traveled the roadless expanse, both on foot and on skis. They tracked caribou over four mountain ranges, hundreds of passes, and dozens of rivers. To keep up, they had to move, act, and think like caribou–skiing and walking with no fixed schedule, route plan, or objective other than staying with the wild herd. The result was an adventure that brought them face to face with wolves, grizzly bears, voracious mosquitoes, arctic blizzards, and the need for an open mind. Physically and mentally exhausted, the couple found themselves on the cusp of a different way of knowing and after months of migrating, walked into a dimension of consciousness neither had experienced before. For more information, contact Jan Nystrom at 585-9695.
The Peking Acrobats, a troupe of China’s most gifted tumblers, contortionists, jugglers, cyclists, and gymnasts complemented by live musicians playing traditional Chinese instruments, will bring their 2,000-year-old tradition of acrobatics to Kingsbury Hall on Feb. 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m. The troupe will also perform a matinee on Friday, Feb. 3 at 10:30 a.m. for fifth and sixth graders from invited schools in Salt Lake City. Since their debut in 1986, the Peking Acrobats have redefined audience perceptions of Chinese acrobatics. They perform daring maneuvers atop a precarious pagoda of chairs. They are experts at treacherous wire-walking, trick-cycling, precision tumbling, somersaulting, and gymnastics. They defy gravity with amazing displays of contortion, flexibility and control. They push the envelope of human possibility with astonishing juggling dexterity and incredible balancing feats, showcasing tremendous agility and grace. For information on tickets to the public performances, call 581-7100 or visit www.kingtix.com. U of U staff and faculty will receive a 10 percent discount with their UCard. For more information, visit www.kingsbury.utah.edu.
Photo by Roger Tuttle Hint: It’s some
place on campus. Thanks to Utah Athletics for providing the tickets! Note: This contest is open to U of U faculty and staff only. Mystery Photo
The mystery photo was taken inside the gates at the southwest corner of Rice-Eccles Stadium on the stairs leading up to the concourse. Congratulations to Dave Madsen from the Biology Department—the lucky winner of of the Jan. 25 FYI Mystery Photo Contest. Dave is a lab manager for Andres Villu Maricq, a research professor in the Department of Biology. Dave is studying synaptic functions in an effort to better understand a molecular basis for learning and memory. He is conducting research on a microscopic worm called C.elegans. He’s also an avid sports fan, which helped him recognize the location of the mystery photo. Cheers to Dave Madsen! Thank you to everyone who participated -- we had more than a dozen correct responses and we encourage everyone to try again next issue. The winner was selected by a random drawing.
The Honors Program is hosting a free Tuesday morning lecture series now through April 25. The classes begin at 10:45 a.m. in the Languages and Communication Building (LNCO), room 1100. Those who attend will hear from an outstanding group of campus scholars. Come for just one or come for the whole series! For more information, contact Nancy Brown at 581-7383 or brown-n@ugs.utah.edu. Jan. 31 Debora Threedy, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor of Law Feb. 7 Steve Koester, Assoc. Professor, Modern Dance (held in the Marriott Center for Dance) Feb. 14 David Chapman, Dean, Graduate School Feb. 21 Steve Ott, Dean, College of Social and Behavioral Science Feb. 28 Martha Bradley, Director, Honors Program and Assoc. Professor of Architecture Mar. 7 Cal Boardman, Kendall D. Garff Professor of Finance Mar. 21 Erik Jorgensen, Professor of Biology; Scientific Director, Brain Institute; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Mar. 28 Patricia Murphy, Assoc. Professor, College of Nursing and Annette Cumming Endowed Chair in Women’s and Reproductive Health Apr. 4 Robert Newman, Dean, College of Humanities Apr. 11 Panel Discussion: Cal Boardman, PatriciaMurphy, Steve Ott Apr. 18 Panel Discussion: Erik Jorgensen, Debora Threedy, Steve Koester Apr. 25 Panel Discussion: Martha Bradley, John Francis, Robert Newman, David Chapman
What did Utah and the western region look like in the mid-19th century? How did the territory change as more settlers arrived? A new exhibit at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts conveys the answers through a small collection of paintings, photographs, sculpture, and historical documents. Works from the permanent collection include paintings by Utah artists Joseph A. F. Everett, Mabel Frazer, Alfred Lambourne, and Danquart Weggeland. Included too are works by Maynard Dixon and James T. Harwood. Also, the Marriott Library and the Utah State Historical Society have contributed photographs, historical records, and personal journals, adding interpretive depth to the visual images. U faculty and staff receive free admission to the museum with their UCard, and admission is free to the public the first Wednesday of each month. For more information, call 581-7332 or visit www.umfa.utah.edu.
In recognition of the XX Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, Utah’s own Olympic cauldron will be lit during the evening hours Feb. 10-12. The U is extending an invitation to the public to visit the Olympic Cauldron Park and Salt Lake 2002 Visitor Center and theater. The park, located at Rice-Eccles Stadium, will have extended hours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11, and will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12. A pin trading event, free to the public, will take place on Friday, Feb. 10 from noon to 8 p.m. Members of the community are encouraged to bring their pins and join in the fun. Admission to the park is free. In recognition of this special occasion, admission to the Salt Lake 2002 theater will also be free. Everyone is invited to view the cauldron, the photographic exhibits in the visitor center, and to enjoy the commemorative short film showing highlights of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. For more information, visit www.saltlake2002.com/main.html.
Registration is currently underway for spring 2006 Research Administration Training Series classes. The Office of the Vice-President for Research offers U faculty and staff more than 25 instructional courses on pre-award, post-award and clinical research topics. Participants may attend individual classes of interest or pursue any of three Certificates of Achievement. Many courses are eligible for continuing education credit hours by various professional associations. Complete program information, class descriptions, and online registration are available at www.education.research.utah.edu. For more information, contact Tony Onofrietti at 585-3492 or tony.onofrietti@hsc.utah.edu.
Clinical research coordinators and investigators are invited to attend the Greater Salt Lake Chapter of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) Symposium on Feb. 18 titled “The Regulatory Umbrella – Keeping Dry When It’s Raining Rules and Risks.” The symposium will be held in the Williams Building, 295 Chipeta Way. Biomedical ethics expert Jeffrey Botkin, U of U associate vice president for research integrity and professor of pediatrics, will give a keynote address on the protection of human subjects. For more information, contact Gabe Herron at 581-4212 or gabrielle.herron@hsc.utah.edu.
Humanities Dean Robert Newman recommends: A Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide, by Samantha Power; Memories of My Melancholy Whores, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and The City of Falling Angels, by John Berendt. Mines & Earth Sciences Dean Frank Brown recommends: How the Mind Works and The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language, both by Steven Pinker; and Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks.
On the shelf today is Colin Powell’s My American Journal, Kitty Kelley’s Jackie Oh!, and Blind Ambition by John Dean. You’ll find records (Vivaldi’s “Le Quatro Stagioni” and Handel’s “Ten Flute Sonatas”), juvenile books, and some journals. New inventory is added each week. The Marriott Library’s ongoing book sale is located on the third floor just inside the east entrance in the duplication area. At one dollar or less per item, prices are more than reasonable. For more information, contact Teddi Kachi at teddi.kachi@library.utah.edu or 581-7526, or stop by and check it out for yourself!
The bookstore now has a frequent reader “Book Buyer Card.” For those who love to read, this is a chance to get books at reduced cost or even for free. For each general reading book purchased costing $5 or more (no textbooks, please), you will receive one stamp on your Book Buyer Card. Once you have collected six stamps, you will receive up to $10 off your next book. If the book costs less than $10, it’s yours for free. For more information, contact the Bookstore at 581-6326. And remember, all best sellers are always 30 percent off at the bookstore.
The Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry was established in 2003 to honor the late poet, a nationally recognized writer and a former professor at the U. The Gods We Worship Live Next Door, by Bino A. Realuyo is the 2005 prize-winning volume selected by this year’s judge. Here is one of his poems. Procession Air descends
in spirals. On a street, The University of Utah Press 2006 spring catalog is available online at www.uofupress.com.
[See the photo on the
FYI Web site.] Send your answer (be specific!) to FYI@ucomm.utah.edu by 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26 for a chance to win two tickets to the Utah vs. Texas Christian University (TCU) basketball game on Jan. 28 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center at 1 p.m. If we get more than one correct response by that time, we’ll do a drawing from our Ute cookie jar and list the lucky recipient right here by Thursday at noon. Thanks to Utah Athletics for providing the tickets! Note: This contest is open to U of U faculty and staff only.
The deadline for applications for the 2006 Staff Optimizing Abilities and Resources (SOAR) Program is Friday, Feb. 3. This program is designed to provide leadership development for mid-career staff utilizing the experience of senior administrators and facilitators from across campus. SOAR will explore contemporary challenges in higher education, provide an opportunity to network, and explore career goals with other participants while earning certification in leadership development. Supervisors are encouraged to nominate employees to participate in the program by completing the online application at www.hr.utah.edu/forms/lib/SOAR06.pdf. Self nominations are also accepted. For more information, contact Terri Crow at 585-0928 or terri.crow@hsc.utah.edu. SOAR is sponsored by the Division of Human Resources and free to participants.
A U of U psychology
study is investigating how social support from pets affects one’s
physical health. They are looking for dog owners who have had a
dog for at least two years. For more information, contact Rebecca Campo at rebecca.campo@psych.utah.edu or visit www.psych.utah.edu/petstudy. This study is approved by the U’s Institutional Review Board and is supported the National Institutes of Health.
The Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society is seeking applications from outstanding undergraduate students for the Scholar of Promise Award, a $1,500 scholarship for U of U students to be awarded fall 2006. In addition, a senior for the Graduate Fellowship will be selected, an award to be used for graduate study at any institution next fall. Applications are due Friday, Feb. 3, and are available at www.sa.utah.edu/phikappa. Please note that applicants need not be a member of the honor society. For more information, contact Lori McDonald at 581-8061 or lmcdonald@sa.utah.edu.
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Lifelong Learning–Half-price Classes Available
Relax where you are. Find a comfortable position and focus on your breathing. Breathe deeply through your nose, feeling your abdomen fill with air. Count to three and feel your chest expand. Hold your breath for a moment, then release it. Repeat three times, but stop if you become light-headed.
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