Tags : education | research | science

EurekAlert! - Education
Wed Aug 13 07:01:01 EDT 2008
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Yale's Spielman wins Gödel Prize for showing how computer algorithms solve problems - (Yale University) Daniel A. Spielman, professor of applied mathematics and computer science at Yale, has been awarded the prestigious Gödel Prize for developing a technique, known as Smoothed Analysis, that helps predict the success of problem-solving with real data and computers. He shared the prize with Shang-Hua Teng, professor of computer science at Boston University.

Parents shape whether their children learn to eat fruits and vegetables - (Washington University in St. Louis) To combat the increasing problem of childhood obesity, researchers are studying how to get preschoolers to eat more fruits and vegetables. According to researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, one way is early home interventions -- teaching parents how to create an environment where children reach for a banana instead of potato chips.

UNC study: Two-thirds of severe sports injuries to female students due to cheerleading - (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) A new report on severe sporting injuries among high school and college athletes shows cheerleading appears to account for a larger proportion of all such injuries than previously thought.

Signs of Alzheimer's disease may be present decades before diagnosis - (University of South Florida Health) Scientists from the University of South Florida and the University of Kentucky report that people who develop Alzheimer's disease may show signs of this illness many decades earlier in life, including compromised educational achievement.

Springer establishes strategic partnership with EFORT - (Springer) Springer has established a strategic partnership with the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology to publish their journal, a major reference work, and a book series as well as to develop an e-learning component for their portal. EFORT is the umbrella organization linking Europe's national orthopaedic associations. Publication of these works will begin before the end of this year and will further strengthen and expand Springer's orthopaedics portfolio.

Actions of individuals key to saving biodiversity-and ourselves, Stanford biologists say - (Stanford University) A multi-pronged approach is the only way humanity can preserve biodiversity, say Stanford biologists Paul Ehrlich and Robert Pringle. While many people have gotten the impression that only government-level action can have a significant impact, many small effective efforts are already under way. What is needed, they say, is for these small-scale efforts to be implemented more broadly and scaled up dramatically and for academics to leave their Ivory Towers and do outreach work.

UTSA Minority Basic Research Support Rise program awarded $519,000 - (University of Texas at San Antonio) The University of Texas at San Antonio's Minority Basic Research Support Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (MBRS/RISE) program has been awarded $519,000 from the National Institutes of Health to assist underrepresented minorities to pursue careers in science.

Dartmouth awarded NSF grant for new polar sciences, engineering grad program - (Dartmouth College) Dartmouth's Dickey Center for International Understanding, through its Institute for Arctic Studies, has been awarded nearly $3 million by the National Science Foundation through its Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program. The five-year grant supports the development of an interdisciplinary doctoral program in the polar sciences and engineering with a focus on rapid environmental change.

Iowa Corn Promotion Board, NJIT to license breakthrough, safe bio-plastic alternative - (New Jersey Institute of Technology) The Iowa Corn Promotion Board, NJIT and University of Sao Paulo today announced a joint agreement for licensing four pending patents on a safe, building block chemical derived from corn known as isosorbide to chemists.

Jeers of peers may affect adolescent adjustment - (University of Cincinnati) A University of Cincinnati researcher suggests that the struggles of adolescence can be particularly painful for children who also struggle with obesity.

ICS presents prestigious Digby McLaren Medal to Cincinnati's Carl Brett - (University of Cincinnati) The Digby McLaren Award recognizes a significant body of internationally important contributions to stratigraphy. At the 33rd International Geological Congress in Oslo, Norway, Aug. 6, University of Cincinnati professor of geology Carlton Brett will be presented the medal by the International Commission on Stratigraphy at a special meeting of the ICS. Brett is a key part of UC's nationally ranked paleontology program in the McMicken College of Arts & Sciences.

Remedial instruction rewires dyslexic brains, provides lasting results, study shows - (Carnegie Mellon University) A new Carnegie Mellon University brain imaging study of dyslexic students and other poor readers shows that the brain can rewire itself and overcome reading deficits, if students are given 100 hours of intensive remedial instruction. The study, published in the August issue of the journal Neuropsychologia, shows that the remedial instruction resulted in a brain activity increase in cortical regions associated with reading, and that neural gains solidified further during the year following instruction.

UNC School of Social Work helps China tackle growing pains - (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) As China gears up for the Beijing Olympics, a burgeoning relationship between US and Chinese social workers is helping ensure that the world's most populous nation can deal with its growing pains at the same time that it's coming of age.

Teacher-student relationships key to learning health and sex education - (Ohio State University) When it comes to learning life-changing behaviors in high school health classes, the identity of the person teaching may be even more important than the curriculum, a new study suggests. For years, many high schools around the country have been relying on outside experts to teach sensitive subjects such as the human immunodeficiency virus infection and pregnancy prevention. But a recent study found that students learn more about such issues when taught by their regular classroom teacher.

Evaluating children in preschools and early childhood programs - (National Academy of Sciences) Growing interest in publicly funded programs for young children has drawn attention to whether and how Head Start and other early childhood programs should be asked to prove their worth. Congress asked the National Research Council for guidance on how to identify important outcomes for children from birth to age 5 and how best to assess them in preschools, child care, and other early childhood programs.

Male college students more likely than less-educated peers to commit property crimes - (American Sociological Association) Men who attend college are more likely to commit property crimes during their college years than their non-college-attending peers, according to research to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

JDRF announces 2008 Scholar Award recipients - (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International) JDRF said today that it has recognized the work of two top diabetes researchers who are focused on accelerating the pace of science in understanding the autoimmune attack that causes type 1 diabetes, and on preventing or reversing the severe complications of this chronic and life-threatening disease.

The emerging scientific discipline of aeroecology - (Boston University) Aeroecology is the emerging discipline for studying how airborne organisms -- birds, bats, arthropods and microbes -- depend on the support of the lower atmosphere that is closest to the Earth's surface. Called the aerosphere, it influences the daily and seasonal movements, development traits, such as size and shape, and evolution of behavioral, sensory, metabolic and respiratory functions of airborne organisms. Understanding how they respond to altered landscapes and atmospheric conditions can also help mitigate adverse effects.

Many 'failing' schools aren't failing when measured on impact rather than achievement - (Ohio State University) Up to three-quarters of US schools deemed failing based on achievement test scores would receive passing grades if evaluated using a less biased measure, a new study suggests. Ohio State University researchers developed a new method of measuring school quality based on schools' actual impact on learning -- how much faster students learned during the academic year than during summer vacation when they weren't in class.

Improving the prognosis for schizophrenic disorders - (Deutsches Aerzteblatt International) Throughout the world, scientists are attempting to recognize and treat schizophrenic disorders at an earlier stage. It is hoped that this will improve the prognosis, which has often been unfavorable. In the latest edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Joachim Klosterkötter of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Cologne University describes the current state of research into the prevention of schizophrenic disorders.

Baker Institute report proposes strategies to ensure global energy security - (Rice University) A new policy report released by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy suggests strategies to deal with the current turmoil in the global energy markets, including the role of petrodollars in the US credit bubble.

The amazing quantum world of ultra cold matter - (European Science Foundation) Many of us have been fascinated by the concept of absolute zero, the temperature at which everything comes to a complete stop. But physics tells us otherwise: absolute zero cannot be reached but only approached, and the closer you get, the more interesting phenomena you find!

UNC report: Heat-related deaths in high school football players dip, but all are preventable - (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) You could say two is a small number.But that's still two too many for Frederick O. Mueller, Ph.D., professor of exercise and sports science in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Sky's the limit for incoming UM students - (University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science) Out of 45 total American Meteorological Society undergraduate fellowships and scholarships available this year, five were awarded to students studying meteorology at the University of Miami and its Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. This underscores the strength of the School's academics and its faculty, which attract the highest caliber of students in meteorology in the nation.

Energy industry leaders commit $1.6M to UH petroleum program - (University of Houston) Two Fortune 500 oil companies have committed major funding to the Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston. The funds, from energy industry leaders Devon Energy Corp. and Marathon Oil Corp., will provide support for a new undergraduate program in petroleum engineering, which is expected to be approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board this fall.