NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Chancellor Albert
Carnesale donates blood at the UCLA Medical Plaza’s Blood
and Platelet Center on Tuesday.
Chancellor donates blood
Chancellor Albert Carnesale paid a visit to the UCLA Blood and
Platelet Center on Tuesday to donate blood.
Though Carnesale has visited the center many times, his most
recent trip signifies a response to the Sept. 11 attacks on the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
“I hope those who can and who feel comfortable doing so
will donate blood,” he said as he filled out preliminary
forms.
He said his visit was a small part of a larger effort to
increase donations, especially to help victims of the attacks.
The Blood and Platelet Center has been running blood drives to
aid victims of the attacks, though drives are year-round
events.
The recent surge of donations has raised blood inventory levels
to “adequate,” which means the blood supply will be in
good condition today, but may not be tomorrow, said Priscilla
Figueroa, medical director of the UCLA Blood and Platelet
Center.
During this time last year, the blood supply was in the midst of
suffering a critical shortage ““ the fact that the levels are
now adequate is a testament to the willingness of people to donate,
Figueroa said.
Since blood expires, the consistency of donations can influence
how long the current level stays adequate.
Donors may visit 200 Medical Plaza, room 665 or call (310)
825-0888.
UC Merced offers courses online
A venture between the campuses at Berkeley and Merced is gearing
up this year to make the content of Berkeley lower-division
computer science courses available online for the first time.
The effort is expected to help Merced graduate its first
computer science class two years after the 10th UC campus is slated
to open in the San Joaquin Valley, and is one of UC
Berkeley’s most ambitious efforts in educational
technology.
The project is a partnership of four UC campuses ““ Merced,
Davis and Santa Cruz, with UC Berkeley taking the lead. The center
received its initial state funding this summer from Gov. Gray Davis
and the state Legislature.
“The collaboration of our founding faculty with colleagues
from UC Berkeley will be a wonderful opportunity to initiate and
build quality academic programs in computer science and
engineering,” said David Ashley, executive vice chancellor
and provost for UC Merced.
The availability of UC Berkeley’s computer science courses
to prospective UC Merced students at San Joaquin Valley community
colleges will help students prepare for transfer to UC Merced,
which will have a strong emphasis on recruiting community college
transfer students.
Reports from Daily Bruin staff and wire services.