science wire

Jean Allard, first female vice president at UChicago, 1924-2012
Jean Allard, the first female vice president at the University of Chicago and a longtime Hyde Park resident, died Sunday, Jan.

Over-regulation of cyberspace risks infringing on human rights
In our quest to shape and regulate cyberspace, we risk subverting the global commons of information we have created, and by extension, the prospects and potential for global democracy, said Universi

Board of Regents Chair Linda Cohen's Statement on Regent Sviggum's Employment
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (02/10/2012) —"As Regents are aware, on January 16, 2012 Regent Steve Sviggum announced that he had accepted employment as Director and Executive Assistant for the Minnesota Senate Majority Caucus.

As Chinese courts announce ’guiding cases,’ Stanford Law School helps to spread the word
A Stanford website translates important rulings by the Supreme People's Court that serve as guides for lower courts, helping the vast country to move toward more consistent judicial decisions.

Canadian police agencies suppressing data on race, says criminology study
While only 20 per cent of Canada's police forces have an explicit policy against reporting the race of victims and accused persons, criminologists from the University of Toronto and Nipissing show that the majority of police departments do not report race in practice.

UCLA Law report urges California to take action to protect public from toxic consumer products
More than 2,000 chemicals are used in consumer or commercial products such as toys, clothing and electronics; many are now also in the bodies of men, women and children.

Stanford scholars reflect on Arab Spring
A year after the Egyptian uprising, five scholars talk about democracy in the Middle East, how lives have changed in the Arab world, and what the United States has learned from the Arab Spring.

Writer hopes Arab Spring can be an antidote to terror
BY STANFORD REPORT STAFF When Lawrence Wright was in high school in Dallas, he wanted to take his girlfriend out for a nice date, but he didn't have much money.

Law Prof. Nate Persily to Oversee Connecticut Redistricting Process
State Legislature Failed to Reach Agreement; State Supreme Court Has New Deadline of Feb. 15 Media : Public Affairs, 212-854-2650 or publicaffairs [a] law.columbia (p) edu New York, Jan.

Researchers Reach Out to Lawmakers With a Policy Brief: Scope of Sexual Assault
Following the Center for Disease Control's study designed to provide national estimates of sexual assault, a team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice 's Ortner Center on Family Violence sent a policy brief to key lawmakers.

U of M experts weigh in on how to safely consume alcohol; spot and treat alcohol addiction; consequences of drinking and driving
As holiday parties continue to ramp up this season, so will the number of opportunities to consume alcohol.

Charter Schools and Unions: Contracts provide innovations but could go further
A new study from the University of Washington's Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) finds that charter school collective bargaining agreements tend to be more streamlined and provide for greater flexibility than the typical district contract.

Professor Advocates for Tougher Laws Against Drunken Driving
It's not every day that a professor buys a breathalyzer. But Barron H. Lerner , whose latest book is a cultural history of drunken driving, wanted to know what a.08 blood alcohol concentration—the nation's legal limit for drivers—really means.

Celebrating transformative philanthropy - the 10th anniversary of the Hewlett Foundation’s gift to Stanford

Former Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy to present 'The Responsibility to Protect' at U of M Law School
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/14/2011) —Lloyd Axworthy, former Canadian foreign minister and ambassador to the United Nations, will present “The Responsibility to Protect” from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov.

University of Minnesota statement on appealing case to the Minnesota Supreme Court
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/07/2011) —The following is a statement from University of Minnesota General Counsel Mark Rotenberg regarding the lawsuit Jimmy Williams vs.

Michael Smith named executive director of U of M Law School's new Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/02/2011) —David Wippman, dean of the University of Minnesota Law School has appointed Michael E. Smith, Haight-Bascom Professor of Law at the University o

California Attorney General Kamala Harris gives public talk at Stanford Law School
When the state's chief law enforcement officer gave a public talk at Stanford Law School last week, many of the students who surrounded her were not just any law students, but her law students.

A SHARP New Microscope for the Next Generation of Microchips
Moore's Law, hardly a law but undeniably a persistent trend, says that every year and a half, the number of transistors that fit on a chip roughly doubles.

First Amendment scholar to discuss Minnesota's role in First Amendment law
What: A lecture on Minnesota's role in First Amendment law Who: Rodney Smolla, First Amendment scholar and president of Furman University When: 7 p.m. Monday, Nov.

U of M Law School's Journal of Law and Inequality hosts symposium on death penalty reform
The University of Minnesota Law School's journal, "Law and Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice," in association with the American Bar Association Death Penalty Representation Project, will h

Penn’s Field Center for Children’s Policy Practice & Research Hosts Senate Committee Public Hearing
PHILADELPHIA - The Field Center for Children's Policy, Practice & Research will host a public hearing, "Foster Care: Aging Out - Options and Obstacles," Wednesday, Nov.

Road fatalities among young and old much improved, but still high
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Road deaths among young adults and seniors are down nearly 60 percent since 1968, but they still have the highest road fatality rates among all age groups, say University of Michigan researchers.

Q&A: Stanford’s Lina Khatib on killing of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi
The killing of Muammar Qaddafi marks an end to one of the most dramatic chapters of the Arab Spring. But what follows after the death of a dictator who has held power for 42 years?

Aung San Suu Kyi to receive U-M’s Wallenberg Medal, deliver lecture
Oct. 14, 2011 Aung San Suu Kyi to receive U-M's Wallenberg Medal, deliver lecture ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese human rights activist and Nobel Peace laureate, is the recipient of the 21st University of Michigan Wallenberg Medal.

Michigan Law launching bold new Directors’ College
Oct.

LBJ School of Public Affairs and William Wayne Justice Center collaborate on ‘Contract for Deed’ Study in Colonias
Oct.

Stanford helps bring human rights to community college classrooms
The "Stanford Human Rights Education Initiative" hopes to bring a gritty subject to every college curriculum.

Public trust doctrine applies to state conservation of wolves and other wildlife, U of M and other researchers say
Experts call out states' responsibility to conserve wildlife removed from Endangered Species Act protection MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (10/04/2011) —When a species such as the gray wolf is

Campus crime report shows rise in sexual assaults, burglaries, and drop in bike thefts, alcohol arrests in 2010
Most of Stanford's 2011 Safety, Security & Fire Report is devoted to promoting personal safety, protecting personal property and preventing crime.

Judge Pamela Ann Rymer, former trustee and devoted volunteer, dead at 70
Rymer, a member of Stanford's Board of Trustees from 1991 to 2001, received the Stanford Medal in 2010 for her impressive and lengthy record of volunteer service to Stanford.

U of M conference to address human rights writing
What: Conference on narrative writing and human rights Who: Emin Milli, James Dawes, Annette Kobak, and Vesna Goldsworthy When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Oct.

Wisconsin engineer, entrepreneur move ‘green’ diesel engine closer to market
A University of Wisconsin–Madison engineer is collaborating with a Wisconsin entrepreneur to produce a diesel engine that could be a quieter, more efficient power source for a variety of household and industrial applications, including lawn equipment and electric generators.

New patent law will benefit U-M inventors
Sept.

U-M Law School to help grow India’s infrastructure
Sept.

Compatibilism: Can free will and determinism co-exist?
Stanford philosophy professor takes the side of a beleaguered theory – that predetermination and free will are not mutually exclusive.

Researchers awarded highest number of newly inaugurated fellowships
Banting Fellowships recognize nine outstanding McGill post-doctoral students with major research awards McGill University's standing as a leading institution for post-doctoral research was reinforced today as the Canadian government announced the first 70 recipients of the Banting Fellowships.

U of M Law School to host Constitution Day program Sept. 16
The University of Minnesota Law School will present a program on Constitution Day, Friday, Sept. 16, commemorating the U.S. Constitution.

With streamlined regulations, in-law units could boost East Bay affordable housing stock and economy, study finds
Streamlined regulations are needed to pave the way for homeowners interested in building in-law/secondary units on their property around five Berkeley, Oakland and El Cerrito BART stations and in nearby flatlands, according to a University of California, Berkeley, feasibility study.

Trails issue may be nearing resolution
For more than a decade, Stanford has been working to fulfill its obligations to build two public hiking trails.

UW anthropologist explores Seattle’s Dumpster diving community – with video
It's not for everyone – especially not those with strong gag reflexes or early bedtimes – but Dumpster diving for food has become a thriving, legal pastime for certain Seattleites hoping to save some money and rescue food from going to waste in landfills.