Article reveals skewed research
Objective scientific research is increasingly under attack by
vested interests attempting to control the outcome or impact of
research, report UCLA researchers in the January issue of the
American Journal of Public Health.
The article, “Attacks on Science: The Risks to
Evidence-Based Research,” illustrates the real threats to
objective scientific pursuits and the impact on society through a
variety of case studies. The paper describes how special interest
groups have influenced policies related to needle exchange programs
for the prevention of HIV, ergonomics and mammograms for breast
cancer screening.
“We would like to think that the science used to make
decisions that affect all of our lives is pure ““
unfortunately, that is increasingly not the case.” said Dr.
Linda Rosenstock, principal author and dean of the UCLA School of
Public Health.
Berkeley touted as eco-friendly
The University of California, Berkeley, is among the
universities and colleges lauded by the National Wildlife
Federation in its first-ever assessment of the environmental
performance of U.S. campuses.
Berkeley is cited in the NWF’s recent “national
report card” for an exemplary lands and grounds management
program. The schools selected in this category boast at least four
of the following campus-wide programs: habitat restoration; native
landscaping; identification and removal of invasive exotic species;
integrated pest management; and provision of food and shelter to
attract wildlife.
“Little has been known, until now, about broader trends in
environmental performance and sustainability in higher education
and, consequently, there has been no baseline from which to measure
progress across a range of issues,” the federation said in
its report.
UCI professor to head journal
Rajesh Gupta, professor of information and computer science at
UC Irvine, has been appointed the editor-in-chief of the journal
IEEE Design & Test of Computers. Gupta, the first ICS professor
to be named editor-in-chief of an IEEE publication, takes over his
post with the January-February 2002 issue of the magazine.
“Design and Test represents the leading and most promising
research being conducted in the practical design and testing of
microelectronic circuits and systems,” Gupta said. “I
am pleased to be associated with a publication that has
increasingly become an indispensable part of the microelectronic
profession.”
Compiled from Daily Bruin wire services.