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Volume 56, Number 7    September 29, 2008         

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Newsmakers

Message in a tape recorder
While the sounds of the ocean may be peaceful for those above it, the creatures below may beg to differ. In a Sept. 17 KPBS report, Roger Bland, professor of physics and astronomy, offers insight into what it sounds like beneath the water. Researchers note that Bland's recordings show that cargo ships produce an intense low-frequency noise that is at the same frequency used by many underwater creatures, threatening their ability to survive. For the health of all sea creatures, a decrease in tanker noise and an increase in quiet would help in preventing them from going deaf, Bland said.

The race has begun
From community topics to public school issues, the race for San Francisco's District One supervisor seat is hotter than ever. On Sept. 16, the San Francisco Chronicle mentioned Asian American Studies Lecturer Eric Mar among the front-runners of the election for the district one San Francisco Supervisor seat. "Candidates that are able to speak to people's everyday lives will be the ones that are the strongest in the Richmond," Mar said.

Warnings from the lily pad
The impending extinction of amphibians is raising concern among those in the scientific community. In a Sept. 22 Voice of America News report, Vance Vredenburg, assistant professor of biology, and a colleague, disscussed their current research on the topic. The scientists reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that frogs outlived the dinosaurs, thus the exponential loss of amphibians in recent years should be sending people a serious message. In their study, the scientists found that many frog populations are less than half of their normal size, fearing that a biological disaster has begun.

Aspiring abroad
Colleges are working to expand their study abroad programs, and more importantly, improving opportunities for minority students. In a Sept. 26 Chronicle of Higher Education article, SF State was recongized for the quality of its study-abroad program and office. Student Jaime Alvarez, who studied abroad as an SF State student, said the office of international programs made him feel welcome from the moment he walked in the door, just to see what it offered. Alvarez and other minority students are featured in the DVD, "Breaking Barriers," created by the office to document the experiences of minority students studying abroad.  

 

 

For more media coverage of faculty, staff, students, alumni and programs, see SF State in the News.

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Last modified Sept. 29, 2008 by University Communications.