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| Newsmakers is published in FirstMonday for the faculty and staff at SFSU on the first Monday of the month in September, October, November, December, February, March, April and May by the Public Affairs office. 415/338-1665. pubcom@sfsu.edu |
An October 23 article in The Wall Street Journal on "vineyard sprawl" in Northern California previewed new, voluntary guidelines on environmental stewardship and social responsibility being developed by vintners and growers. Biology Assistant Professor Gretchen LeBuhn was quoted, noting that traditional vineyard environmental practices had "resulted in a lot of bad press for the industry, some of it deserved and some of it not." LeBuhn is one of several external experts who provided comments to the Wine Institute and California Association of Winegrape Growers on their new code of best management practices. The groups released a 490-page workbook promoting environmentally friendly practives in late October. The workbook includes information on soil management, water conservation, pest management and in LeBuhn's area of expertise, ecosystems management.
BBC News Online featured research by biologists at the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies in a September 30 story based on two studies the team published in that week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Lead author Neo Martinez, assistant professor of biology, was featured, with Richard Williams, adjunct professor of biology, and postdoctoral fellow Jennifer Dunne. In examining the links between species in food webs of different sizes, the team found that more than 95 percent of habitats are just 2 to 3 links within each other. "This means that every species is indeed ecologically connected to every other species within a community," Martinez said. "People should not be so confident that they can predict the consequences of species extinctions or invasions, like in biocontrol." EarthVision News and the Marin Independent Journal ran related stories on the breakthrough research.
On the Oct. 7 edition of the CBS Evening News, a story focused on a California bill that would have enabled the state to pay college tuition for gifted children. Gov. Gray Davis vetoed the bill because he believed it was too expensive and would push children too fast. "I don't think a child of 8 or 10 or 13 belongs in Harvard," psychology Professor Thomas Spencer said. "They're capable of learning in classrooms, but what about the rest of life?"
KRON-TV, Channel 4, reported on Oct. 22 that United Airlines announced it is cutting 1,200 jobs nationwide, including 516 reservation receptionist jobs in San Francisco. Patrick Tierney, professor of recreation and leisure studies, said he believes the layoffs will affect ticket prices for people traveling to and from the Bay Area. "Ticket prices, I think, for leisure travelers, will have to go up," he said.
Enrollments at Bay Area colleges have increased significantly this fall, KRON-TV, Channel 4, reported on Oct. 30. SFSU officials attribute the 5.6 percent increase over last fall to an increase in California's college-age population often referred to as "Tidal Wave II" and the economic downturn. "When the dot-com industry was booming, people were working and were doing things in business," said Jo Volkert, assistant vice president for enrollment planning and management. "And now because that has cut back, people are coming back to college, trying perhaps to get a master's degree to make themselves more competitive (in the job market)." Barbara Ford, associate professor of elementary education, said more students are interested in becoming schoolteachers. "I think a lot of it has to do with transition from unemployment," she said.
Rap artist Jam Master Jay, a member of the legendary group Run-DMC, was murdered Oct. 30 at age 37. Run-DMC is considered to be a major influence on today's popular culture on everything from rap and rock music to fashion, reported KRON-TV, Channel 4, on Oct. 31. The group's music and legacy are studied in SFSU classes. "Run-DMC is largely responsible for actually helping rap/hip-hop music become mainstream," Black studies Lecturer William Cavil said. He noted that Jam Master Jay, whose given name was Jason Mizell, was a victim of the violence which he often spoke out against. "They always preached about going to school, getting an education," Cavil said, "and most of the conferences and conventions centered around hip-hop, they've been the forefront of those to expound against violence."
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Last modified November 4, 2002, by the Office of Public Affairs