Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center From: UIC News Bureau Date: 28 Feb 2011 10:48:46 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 28, 2011 CONTACT: Brian Flood, (312) 996-7681, bflood@uic.edu FIELD MUSEUM SCHOLAR NAMED DIRECTOR OF UIC LATINO CULTURAL CENTER Rosa Cabrera, an anthropologist who works on issues of cultural understanding and environmental conservation, has been named director of the Rafael Cintrón-Ortiz Latino Cultural Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The appointment, subject to approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, is effective April 3. Cabrera comes to UIC from the Field Museum of Natural History. As senior urban anthropology manager since 2000, she developed and managed community engagement projects and participatory research related to cultural diversity and the natural environment. Cabrera earned her doctorate in anthropology and a bachelor of arts in design from UIC. "Being a scholar and community leader, she brings us remarkable connections with the city of Chicago and the nation," said Bette L. Bottoms, vice provost for undergraduate affairs and dean of the Honors College, who oversees UIC's five Centers for Diversity. "Having been a student here, she understands UIC's unique mission and cultures," Bottoms said. Cabrera envisions expanding the center's partnerships, internally and externally, to deliver diverse programs and activities grounded in civic engagement and cultural understanding. "I look forward to working with the incredibly talented and dedicated UIC community to propel the Latino Cultural Center into a unique public forum, an active player in civic life, and a trusted incubator for student vitality and community change," Cabrera said. While at the Field Museum, Cabrera served as director of the Cultural Connections program, a partnership of more than 25 ethnic museums, cultural centers, and historical societies in Chicago that facilitated intercultural dialogue among the area's diverse communities. She guided the partnership through its transition to the Chicago Cultural Alliance, a nonprofit consortium connecting member museums and centers to arts and cultural institutions, universities, schools, businesses, and government agencies, for collaborative public programs and projects. As a current board member for the group, Cabrera is involved in a three-year strategic plan focused on members training, intercultural public programs and organizational growth. Cabrera taught anthropology and social justice courses for teachers, community leaders and college students. Her work has illustrated how cultural diversity can serve as an asset for finding creative solutions to common challenges. Recently, she led a research team in a project with the Pilsen neighborhood's Mexican and Mexican American community to better understand how cultural values and traditions impact residents' understanding and practice of eco-friendly activities. Cabrera's collaborations with the museum community also include national projects such as the Immigration Sites of Conscience Network, National Diversity Education Program, and Race: Are We So Different? "I am looking forward to the unexpected connections she makes in her programming and her contributions to our work towards making diversity central to UIC's mission," said search committee co-chair Rebecca Gordon, director of the Women's Leadership and Resource Center at UIC. The Rafael Cintrón-Ortiz Latino Cultural Center facilitates the development of educational, cultural, and social programs that affirm Latin American identity and values and encourage others to explore and understand Latino issues. "Under Rosa's leadership, the cultural center, I believe, will become quite a 'happening place,'" said search committee co-chair Ralph Cintron, associate professor of English and Latin American and Latino studies. UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world. For more information about UIC, please visit www.uic.edu. - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: Panel Asks: TV Doctors or Real Doctors? From: UIC News Bureau Date: 25 Feb 2011 19:39:52 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 25, 2011 CONTACT: Anne Brooks Ranallo, (312) 355-2523, aranallo@uic.edu PANEL ASKS: TV DOCTORS OR REAL DOCTORS? WHAT: The Richard J. Daley Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois Alumni Association present a panel discussion on "Television Doctors and Real Doctors: What's the Diagnosis?" WHEN: March 10 5:30 - 7 p.m. WHERE: Student Center East Room 509 750 S. Halsted St. DETAILS: Three panelists question whether healthcare consumers develop unrealistic expectations of doctors and medicine after seeing too many dramatic television moments when an earnest, attractive a doctor plays the hero. Do patients expect to meet a Dr. House? Does "Grey's Anatomy" inspire college students to go to medical school? Panelists are: -Barbara Barnett, author of "Chasing Zebras: The Unofficial Guide to 'House, M.D.'" and columnist and editor for Blogcritics.org, a website of popular culture and politics for which she has interviewed the "House, M.D." cast and creative team. -Dr. William Galanter, medical director of the UIC Physicians Group and assistant professor of clinical medicine. -Walter Podrazik, UIC lecturer in communication; co-author of "Watching TV: Six Decades of American Television" and other books on TV and popular culture. Podrazik has managed media logistics for the last nine Democratic national conventions. Admission is free. For information, please call (312) 413-0394. - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: Cincinnati Symphony Oboist Joins UIC Strings for 'Folk Roots' From: UIC News Bureau Date: 25 Feb 2011 11:57:35 -0600 To: archives@uic.edu UIC News Release February 25, 2011 CONTACT: Anne Brooks Ranallo, (312) 355-2523, aranallo@uic.edu CINCINNATI SYMPHONY OBOIST JOINS UIC STRINGS FOR 'FOLK ROOTS' WHAT: The UIC String Orchestra presents "Folk Roots" conducted by Daniel Black, orchestra director. WHEN: March 5 3 p.m. WHERE: UIC Theatre 1044 W. Harrison St. DETAILS: The program features guest soloist Dwight Parry, principal oboist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, performing Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Concerto for Oboe and Strings, a work influenced by English folk music. Also on the program are collections of folk music from Romania, Scandinavia, Ireland, and Hungary, and works by Brahms, Bartok, Grainger, and Svendsen. Parry served as principal oboist of the San Diego Symphony and was a fellow in the New World Symphony in Miami Beach. He has performed as guest principal oboist with the New York Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony, the Los Angeles Opera, and the Deutsche Symphonie of Berlin. Black, director of the UIC String Orchestra, has conducted the Champaign/Urbana Symphony, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg (Leningrad) State Academic Symphony Orchestra, and the St. Petersburg Symphony Classica. The UIC String Orchestra is open to UIC students, alumni, staff and faculty with musical training. Admission is free. For information, call the UIC department of performing arts at (312) 996-0954. - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: UIC Architect to Use $100,000 Award for Public Interest Manual From: UIC News Bureau Date: 24 Feb 2011 16:51:45 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 24, 2011 CONTACT: Anne Brooks Ranallo, (312) 355-2523, aranallo@uic.edu UIC ARCHITECT TO USE $100,000 AWARD FOR PUBLIC INTEREST MANUAL An architecture professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and three co-researchers have received the $100,000 Latrobe Prize from the American Institute of Architects to produce a practice manual that will help architects in public interest practices to address public needs. Roberta Feldman will conduct research and prepare the manual with Bryan Bell of Design Corps in Raleigh, N.C.; Sergio Palleroni of Portland State University; and David Perkes of Mississippi State University. Feldman said her team's research will examine how current public interest practices operate and what they need to become a significant segment of architectural practice. "Architecture is a client-driven practice, the demands of which limit its ability to serve the larger public interest," Feldman said. "The limits are vividly apparent in the wake of the recession. Many architects are out of work at the same time when problems relevant to the built environment are growing. "I receive calls and emails at least once a week from students, interns and professionals asking for advice on how to engage in public interest work. There are many published illustrations of the results of public interest practice, but little information on how those practices operate," she said. Feldman said global problems like climate change, natural disasters, urban decline, habitat destruction and health issues, as well as local challenges like deteriorating infrastructure, demonstrate the need for more public interest architecture. Feldman co-founded UIC's City Design Center for students, faculty and professionals to collaborate in the study and practice of design and urban planning in the public interest. She has received more than 50 competitive grants for the center's work. Last year Feldman organized "Architecture for Change," a national summit on the affordable housing crisis, for architects, developers, and activists. Recently, she served as consultant to the Cabrini Green Local Advisory Council in the redevelopment of a public housing community. She provided research and technical assistance to Neighborhood Housing Services in a program to revitalize Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood through historic preservation of its greystone housing. The Latrobe Prize is awarded every two years by a jury of practicing architects and academics for "research leading to significant advances in the architecture profession," according to the institute. It is named for Benjamin Henry Latrobe, architect of the United State Capitol. UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world. For more information about UIC, please visit www.uic.edu - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: Strong Link Found Between Victimization, Substance Abuse From: UIC News Bureau Date: 24 Feb 2011 13:43:13 -0600 To: archives@uic.edu UIC News Release February 24, 2011 CONTACT: Sam Hostettler, (312) 355-2522, samhos@uic.edu STRONG LINK FOUND BETWEEN VICTIMIZATION, SUBSTANCE ABUSE A strong link between victimization experiences and substance abuse has been discovered by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The correlation is especially prevalent among gays, lesbians and bisexuals -- more so than in heterosexuals, says Tonda Hughes, professor and interim head of health systems science in the UIC College of Nursing. Hughes is lead author of the study, published in the journal Addiction. Researchers compared victimization experiences of unwanted sexual activity, neglect, physical violence, and assault with a weapon, across four sexual-identity subgroups -- heterosexual, gay or lesbian, bisexual, or "not sure." The study used data collected nationally from 34,635 adults from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Hughes and her research team wondered if sexual-minority women and men are at a heightened risk for victimization. The results, Hughes said, showed that they are. Lesbian and bisexual women were more than twice as likely as heterosexual women to report any victimization over their lifetime. Lesbians, gay men and bisexual women also reported a greater number of victimization experiences than did heterosexuals. Three times as many lesbians as heterosexual women reported childhood sexual abuse. One possible explanation for this disproportionality, Hughes said, is that lesbians are more willing to acknowledge and report this experience. "Gays and lesbians tend to be more self-reflective," she said. "This means they are more likely to think about and report negative or stigmatizing life experiences. Heterosexuals may not be inclined to do so." Gay men also had high rates of victimization, with about half of them reporting any lifetime victimization. They reported significantly higher rates of childhood sexual abuse, childhood neglect, partner violence and assault with a weapon than heterosexual men. Not only are there higher rates of violence and victimization among sexual minorities, but there is also a higher rate of substance abuse, Hughes said. Regardless of sexual identity, women who reported two or more victimization experiences had two to four times the prevalence of alcohol dependence, drug abuse or drug dependence as women who reported no victimization, she said. The research also concluded that gay, lesbian and bisexual youth may use substances to cope with adverse psychological and interpersonal effects of victimization, increasing the risk for further victimization from others, she said. The study was funded through grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, two of the National Institutes of Health. Other authors on the Addiction paper were Sean Esteban McCabe, Brady West and Carol Boyd of the University of Michigan and Sharon Wilsnack of the University of North Dakota. For more information about UIC, visit www.uic.edu. - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: THURSDAY: Shaving Heads to Conquer Kids' Cancer From: UIC News Bureau Date: 23 Feb 2011 10:07:07 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 23, 2011 CONTACT: Sherri McGinnis González, (312) 996-8277, smcginn@uic.edu THURSDAY: SHAVING HEADS TO CONQUER KIDS' CANCER WHAT/WHO: The University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago will host an annual head-shaving event to raise money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. Staff, physicians, and families of children with cancer volunteer each year to have their heads shaved to support childhood cancer research and fellowships. To sign up to be a "shavee," volunteer or to donate, visit www.stbaldricks.org. WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 24 8 to 10 a.m. WHERE: University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago 1740 W. Taylor St. DETAILS: The University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago provides comprehensive services to children and adolescents with cancer, leukemia, sickle cell disease, hemophilia, and other blood disorders. The St. Baldrick's Foundation began as a challenge between friends and has grown into the world's largest volunteer-driven fundraising program for childhood cancer research. - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: New Finding in Ribosome Signaling May Lead to Improved Antibiotics From: UIC News Bureau Date: 22 Feb 2011 15:46:05 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 22, 2011 CONTACT: Sam Hostettler, (312) 355-2522, samhos@uic.edu NEW FINDING IN RIBOSOME SIGNALING MAY LEAD TO IMPROVED ANTIBIOTICS Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a signaling mechanism in the bacterial ribosome that detects proteins that activate genes for antibiotic resistance. "The ribosome is one of the most complex molecular machines in the cell," said Alexander Mankin, UIC professor and director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. It is responsible for the production of all proteins in the cell, and in bacteria it is one of the major antibiotic targets. Understanding how signals are generated and transmitted within the ribosome, Mankin said, may one day lead to better antibiotics. Mankin's research, funded by the National Science Foundation, has been published in the journal Molecular Cell. The ribosome is responsible for activating some antibiotic resistance genes in the presence of certain proteins. For that to occur, special sensors in the ribosome must recognize cellular cues and the structure of the regulatory protein. Once the signal is detected, it is then transmitted to the functional centers which alter the ribosome's performance. Mankin's latest research has found at least one of the signal pathways in the ribosome. He and his coworkers found that the presence of the regulatory protein as it is made within the ribosome changes the properties of the ribosome's catalytic center. Under normal conditions, the ribosome's catalytic center can accept any of the 20 natural amino acids, which are then added to the growing protein chain. However, if the ribosome has synthesized the regulatory protein in the presence of an antibiotic, the catalytic center rejects some or even all amino acids. As a result, synthesis of the regulatory protein stops, and the genes of antibiotic resistance are activated. "This is one of the strategies used by pathogenic bacteria exposed to antibiotics to regulate expression of antibiotic resistance genes," Mankin said. In previous studies, Mankin and his research team pinpointed some of the ribosomal RNA residues that interact with the growing regulatory peptide, thus serving the function of the peptide sensors. Mankin and his research team -- Haripriya Ramu, Nora Vazquez-Laslop and Dorota Klepacki -- was assisted by Qing Dai and Joseph Piccirilli, of the University of Chicago and Ronald Micura of the University of Innsbruck in Austria. For more information about UIC, visit www.uic.edu. - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: UIC Hosts Minority Health Conference From: UIC News Bureau Date: 22 Feb 2011 10:09:17 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 22, 2011 CONTACT: Sherri McGinnis González, (312) 996-8277, smcginn@uic.edu UIC HOSTS MINORITY HEALTH CONFERENCE WHAT: "The Promise of Health Equity: Advancing the Discussion to Eliminate Disparities in the 21st Century," a 2011 UIC Minority Health in the Midwest Conference. WHEN: Feb. 25 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. WHERE: UIC School of Public Health 1603 W. Taylor St. WHO: Opening keynote lecture by Dr. Linda Rae Murray, chief medical officer of the Cook County Department of Public Health and Cook County Health & Hospital System. Murray has spent her career serving the medically underserved. In 2010, she became President of the American Public Health Association. Luncheon keynote webcast lecture by Bonnie Duran, director of the Center of Indigenous Health Research at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Duran has more than 27 years of experience working in public health with a focus on Native Americans and other communities of color. DETAILS: The UIC conference is held in conjunction with the 32nd Annual Minority Health Conference at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. It is sponsored by the UIC Minority Students for the Advancement of Public Health, the UIC Urban Health Program, and the UIC School of Public Health. Conference sessions include: • Community-based interventions • Women's health disparities • Addressing issues with data collection • Community partnerships for diabetes care • Improving patient-practitioner communication • Building the minority health professions pipeline • Environmental health models for improving healthy food access • Combating racism in the workforce The conference is free and pre-registration is required. To register, visit www.publichealthlearning.com - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: UIC Receives $2M for Chair in Social and Emotional Learning From: UIC News Bureau Date: 21 Feb 2011 15:26:27 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 21, 2011 CONTACT: Brian Flood, (312) 996-7681, bflood@uic.edu UIC RECEIVES $2M FOR CHAIR IN SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING A $2 million donation to the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from the NoVo Foundation will support ongoing research in social and emotional learning. The gift from the foundation, led by Jennifer and Peter Buffett, will establish the NoVo Foundation Endowed Chair in Social and Emotional Learning at UIC. Based in the department of psychology, the chair will oversee continuing research on social and emotional learning programs that promote children's positive behavior and school performance. Pending approval of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, Roger Weissberg, professor of psychology and education, will be appointed to the chair. Weissberg is president of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, also known as CASEL. "We hope that people will recognize NoVo's endowment of the UIC chair as acknowledgment of the importance of the university's work and contribution to the field of social and emotional learning," said Jennifer Buffett, president of NoVo. "UIC can continue to have a strong hand in bringing these crucial, reliable social and emotional learning programs and methods to schools and districts across the U.S., enriching the educational experiences of children at a time when so many American schools are failing kids. We firmly believe that SEL's benefits lead to much stronger educational achievement, sustained personal development, and healthier school communities." Recent research indicates social and emotional learning programs can raise students' standardized test scores, build attachment to school, improve interpersonal attitudes, and decrease problem behaviors, such as drug use, high-risk sexual behavior and aggression. "The NoVo Foundation's contribution will allow the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to continue as a leader in the field of social and emotional learning and to further our mission of making an impact beyond the classroom," said Astrida Orle Tantillo, interim dean of the UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "We are grateful for their generous support of this important research." The college's department of psychology is already home to the UIC SEL Research Group, which is headed by Weissberg. With scholars in psychology, education, sociology, and public health, the group's projects address social and emotional learning research and assessment, practice, educator preparation and policy development. "Social and emotional learning is founded on scholarly research, and its success continues to be validated by a growing body of evidence," said Weissberg, who is a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences distinguished professor. "As the NoVo chair, I anticipate further advancement of the work in this field, establishing more school-family-community partnerships, and continuing to help bring these healthy child development practices to more schools across the country." Through three decades, Weissberg has become a leader in the campaign to establish social and emotional learning as an essential part of education from preschool through high school. He has trained scholars and practitioners in innovative family, school and community interventions. His work includes more than 200 publications focusing on preventive interventions with children and adolescents. Under Weissberg's direction, CASEL has been a leader in efforts to ensure that the social and emotional needs of children are recognized and addressed in schools worldwide. In 2004, Illinois became the first state to adopt K to 12 student learning standards in social and emotional learning. Weissberg was chosen in 2008 by The George Lucas Educational Foundation for its "Daring Dozen," which honors those who are reshaping the future of education. He received the American Psychological Association's 2000 Distinguished Contribution Award for Applications of Psychology to Education and Training, the 2004 Society for Community Research and Action Distinguished Contribution to Theory and Research Award, and the 2010 Nan Tobler Award for the Best Review of Prevention Research from the Society for Prevention Research. Prior to joining UIC in 1992, Weissberg was a faculty member at Yale University. He earned his doctorate in psychology from the University of Rochester and his bachelor's degree in psychology from Brandeis University. Established in 2008, the NoVo Foundation supports initiatives that focus on ending violence against girls and women and promoting gender equity worldwide, empowering adolescent girls in the developing world, and advancing social and emotional learning in the U.S. With more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is UIC's largest college. It comprises more than 20 departments and programs offering over 40 undergraduate major fields of specialization, 40 minors, nearly 50 graduate degrees at the master's and doctoral levels, and almost 1,000 courses. The college features programs in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. For more information about UIC, please visit www.uic.edu. - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: UIC Scholar Wins Polish Literary Award From: UIC News Bureau Date: 18 Feb 2011 11:23:50 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 18, 2011 CONTACT: Brian Flood, (312) 996-7681, bflood@uic.edu UIC SCHOLAR WINS POLISH LITERARY AWARD Michal Pawel Markowski, the Stefan and Lucy Hejna Family Chair in Polish Language and Literature at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has been awarded the 2011 Kazimierz Wyka Award for literary criticism and essay writing. The annual award, established in 1980 by the city of Kraków, Poland, is a jury-conferred prize given to a leading critic or essayist for his or her last published book or for lifetime achievement. The award is named after the late Kazimierz Wyka, a noted Polish historian, literary critic and scholar. Markowski, who is also professor and head of Slavic and Baltic languages and literatures, was honored during a formal event at Kraków City Hall last month for his entire catalog of critical work, as well as recent collections of Polish language essays "Sun, Possibility, Joy: Essays" (2010) and "Where Life Meets Literature" (2009). Considered one of Poland's leading public intellectuals, Markowski has authored more than 150 essays and a dozen books covering modern Polish literature, French modernism, and modern literary theory and philosophy. Many of the publications have been translated into different languages. Among Markowski's previous honors are the Polish Academy of Sciences' Alexander Brückner Award for best Polish scholar in the humanities, the Kościelscy Prize in literature for his essay writing. and the Polish Science Foundation's master grant for research. The latter supported his research project, "The Humanities After Deconstruction" and a related international conference. He serves as artistic director of the annual Joseph Conrad International Literary Festival in Kraków and is an editorial board member of the journal Slavic Review. Prior to being named to the Hejna chair at UIC, Markowski was director of the Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and chairman of international Polish studies at Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Markowski was formerly host of a program on TVP Kultura, a Polish public television channel dedicated to arts and culture, and a columnist for Tygodnik Powszechny, a Polish Roman Catholic weekly magazine. UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world. For more information about UIC, please visit www.uic.edu. - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: UIC Hosts Chicago Round of National Acting Competition From: UIC News Bureau Date: 14 Feb 2011 15:40:41 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 14, 2011 CONTACT: Anne Brooks Ranallo, (312) 355-2523, aranallo@uic.edu UIC HOSTS CHICAGO ROUND OF NATIONAL ACTING COMPETITION About 60 Chicago-area high school students will test their acting skills at the University of Illinois at Chicago Theatre Feb. 28, aiming for three slots in the Broadway finals of the third annual August Wilson Monologue Competition. Each student will choose a monologue from Wilson’s Century Cycle, a series of 10 plays that portray African Americans during successive decades of the 20th century. The plays feature lyrical monologues by varied ensemble cast members. Derrick Sanders, UIC adjunct lecturer in performing arts and a Wilson protégé, said the competition is designed to encourage educators to teach Wilson's plays in high-school literature and social studies classes. Sanders initiated Chicago’s participation in the competition last year. Sanders, who has directed Wilson's plays around the country, will direct Wilson's "Seven Guitars" at the UIC Theatre Feb. 11-20. The student competitors will preview the play and attend special post-show events. "Last year was an incredibly successful launch of the Chicago wing of this competition," Sanders said. "The three young Chicago women who competed at the finals in New York last May, two of whom now study at UIC, were excellent representatives of the caliber of artists that Chicago creates and nurtures. I’m so pleased that we can expand this important project this year." A panel of Chicago theater professionals will judge the competitors on preparedness, understanding of the text, emotional connection to the material, and commitment to the performance. Ten semi-finalists from the UIC round will receive coaching on their monologues before completing the Chicago preliminaries at the Goodman Theatre on April 11. Three finalists from the Goodman round will receive scholarships and trips to New York City, where they will compete for additional scholarships in the national finals at the August Wilson Theatre. Last year, 12 students from around the country performed in the finals. Funding for the August Wilson Monologue Competition is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, AT&T, Turner Broadcasting, AirTran Airways, Publix Supermarket Charities, and the Massey Charitable Trust. UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world. For more information about UIC, please visit www.uic.edu - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: Immigrants Bypass Chicago for Northern Suburbs From: UIC News Bureau Date: 14 Feb 2011 14:26:27 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 14, 2011 CONTACT: Anne Brooks Ranallo, (312) 355-2523, aranallo@uic.edu IMMIGRANTS BYPASS CHICAGO FOR NORTHERN SUBURBS More immigrants from around the world are moving directly into Chicago's northern suburbs, bypassing the city as the traditionally more affordable port of entry, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Researchers in UIC's Voorhees Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement found that among 16 northern suburbs since 2000, the immigrant population has grown by 19 percent, to 147,500. The largest groups came from Mexico (14 percent), Poland (10 percent), and India (9 percent). Others came from Korea, the Philippines, Iraq, Romania, China, Ukraine and Germany. The native-born population among these suburbs has decreased by 3 percent since 2000 and now stands at 422,700, the report said. Highwood, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, and Skokie were most accessible to immigrants, having populations that were at least one third foreign-born. The populations of Deerfield, Wilmette and Winnetka were less than 10 percent foreign-born. Other suburbs studied were Des Plaines, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Northbrook, Northfield, Park Ridge and Skokie. "Immigrants move to Chicago's northern suburbs for the same reason native-born families do: to buy or rent a home in a community that offers good schools, quality neighborhoods, and access to employment," said Janet Smith, co-director of the center and associate professor of urban planning and policy. Smith said the most common problems for immigrants were laws regarding housing occupancy, especially in rental properties; and the rising number of foreclosures. "We may see a reversal of the trend toward greater diversity that some northern suburbs experienced in the last decade," she said. The report states that as of 2006, nearly all immigrants of working age were employed, representing 5 percent of local employment but 8 percent of economic output. Their jobs were disproportionately tied to the housing industry, however, and they are now more vulnerable to foreclosure than most residents. The researchers recommend that immigrants become more actively involved in local government, and that municipalities seek immigrants' involvement to prevent unintended discrimination. They encourage municipalities to review policies that affect housing availability, and to work across agencies to educate residents about cultural differences and practices. The report, "Open to All? Different Cultures, Some Communities," was funded by the Chicago Community Trust for the Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs. It can be read online at www.uic.edu/cuppa/voorheesctr/Publications/Open_to_All.pdf UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world. For more information about UIC, please visit www.uic.edu - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: UIC Sociologist to be Honored by Association From: UIC News Bureau Date: 14 Feb 2011 14:08:33 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 14, 2011 CONTACT: Brian Flood, (312) 996-7681, bflood@uic.edu UIC SOCIOLOGIST TO BE HONORED BY ASSOCIATION Barbara Risman, professor and head of sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has been selected as the 2011 recipient of the American Sociological Association's Award for Public Understanding of Sociology. The award is given annually to a person or persons who have made "exemplary contributions to advance the public understanding of sociology, sociological research, and scholarship among the general public." "Professor Risman has been contributing in a thoughtful, provocative and insightful way to the public understanding of sociology not only generally as a consistent advocate for expanding sociology's role and influence, but also specifically as a contributor in her own right to the public understanding of sociology in the areas of gender, marriage and family," said Robyn Goldstein, award committee chairperson. Risman's research interests involve gender politics in families, teen sexuality, middle-school gender relations, feminist activism and public sociology. She also serves as the executive officer of the UIC-based Council on Contemporary Families, a national organization of family researchers and mental health and social work practitioners that bring new research findings and clinical expertise to public attention. She is the author of "Gender Vertigo: American Families in Transition" and more than two dozen journal articles in publications such as American Sociological Review, Gender & Society, and Journal of Marriage and the Family. She is the editor of "Families As They Really Are," a collection of original essays that focus on how families operate in everyday life. Risman is currently one of the editors of a feminist book series, "The Gender Lens," and a former editor of the journal Contemporary Sociology. Before coming to UIC in 2006, Risman spent two decades at North Carolina State University, where she was an alumni distinguished research professor and the founding director of the gender and women's studies program. The award will be presented to Risman in August during the American Sociological Association's 106th annual meeting in Las Vegas. The American Sociological Association, founded in 1905, is a nonprofit membership association dedicated to advancing sociology as a scientific discipline and profession serving the public good. With over 14,000 members, the organization consists of sociologists who are faculty members at colleges and universities, researchers, practitioners, and students. For more information about UIC, please visit www.uic.edu. - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: UIC and Vanguard Bring Comprehensive Cancer Care to MacNeal Hospital From: UIC News Bureau Date: 14 Feb 2011 13:44:21 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 14, 2011 CONTACT: Sherri McGinnis González, (312) 996-8277, smcginn@uic.edu UIC AND VANGUARD BRING COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CARE TO MACNEAL HOSPITAL The University of Illinois at Chicago's Cancer Center and Department of Medicine have partnered with Vanguard Health Systems to develop a clinical program affiliation for cancer care at Vanguard-owned MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn. "This partnership positions UIC and MacNeal as the premier oncology provider and cancer center in the city and western suburbs," says Joe G.N. "Skip" Garcia, interim vice president for health affairs (designate) at the University of Illinois. "The expansion of UIC's clinical programs, the translation of bench research to the bedside, and the latest anti-cancer treatments will benefit patients throughout the area." “Our program affiliation with UIC will enable us to bring state of the art cancer care to the communities we serve,” said Brian Lemon, MacNeal’s CEO. "This is an excellent example of the fruitful partnerships that the University of Illinois can foster. It's a win-win for both of our hospitals, but most importantly, it's a win for our patients and community," said Michael Hogan, president of the university. "Dr. Garcia's work on facilitating this partnership demonstrates how the university and the community will benefit from having a vice president for health affairs, whose office is dedicated to advancing the already-excellent clinical commitment of our great university." Garcia's appointment is effective Feb. 16 and is subject to approval by the university's Board of Trustees. UIC and Vanguard plan to expand the relationship by bringing the university-level of cancer care to other Vanguard facilities in the Chicago market, which include Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital, West Suburban Medical Center, and Westlake Hospital. "Our affiliation with UIC will clearly advance the care of patients with cancer and will give our patients access to University-level care locally," said Gail Peace, Vanguard's vice president of business development in the Chicago market. "This partnership is well aligned with our mission to help people achieve health for life, which supports our vision of creating life-long relationships by changing the way health and health care are delivered in our communities." "The department of medicine at UIC is very pleased that its faculty members Dr. John Berry and Dr. Sandeep Chunduri will lead oncology services for the cancer center located on the MacNeal campus," said Dr. Thomas Layden, Edmund F. Foley Professor of Medicine and chairman of the department. Berry, associate professor of medicine, has been on staff at MacNeal since 1999 and chairman of hematology and oncology since 2004. Chunduri, UIC assistant professor of medicine, completed his fellowship in hematology/oncology at UIC and served as chief fellow from 2008-2009. Both physicians are board certified in internal medicine and hematology and oncology. "These physicians will bring the strengths and expertise of oncology care programs at UIC to the community MacNeal serves," said Dr. Howard Ozer, chief of hematology/oncology and interim director of the UIC Cancer Center. "Their skill and compassion will enhance the caliber of oncology services throughout the western suburbs." “Having such exceptional physicians practicing at our cancer center will better position us to serve as a model of excellence in the delivery of cancer care services,” said Lemon. With its research orientation, UIC has numerous cancer clinical trials that will now be available to patients at MacNeal. Patients who may need highly specialized care such as bone marrow transplantation or treatment of leukemia can be referred to the multidisciplinary clinics at the University of Illinois Medical Center. “This visionary extension of services and the melding of university care within the community can only lead to enhanced outcomes for patients," said Ozer. "We are proud that we have this opportunity to provide highly specialized, multidisciplinary care that will enhance the quality and scope of care in the patient's own backyard." MacNeal is a 427-bed teaching hospital staffed with 500 physicians that offers a comprehensive array of inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical services. The hospital has 11 healthcare centers throughout the Chicago area. Vanguard owns and operates 26 hospitals across the nation. Vanguard embraces the principles of non-profit health care and aligns them with the business acumen of a privately-owned organization to strengthen each hospital's position, making them leaders in the delivery of health care for the communities they serve. UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world. Additional media contact: Carrie Brethauer, Vanguard, (708) 783-3344, cbret@macneal.com - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: Researchers Find Reduced Levels of an Important Neurotransmitter in MS From: UIC News Bureau Date: 11 Feb 2011 10:18:11 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 11, 2011 CONTACT: Jeanne Galatzer-Levy, (312) 996-1583, jgala@uic.edu RESEARCHERS FIND REDUCED LEVELS OF AN IMPORTANT NEUROTRANSMITTER IN MS Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have shown for the first time that damage to a particular area of the brain and a consequent reduction in noradrenaline are associated with multiple sclerosis. The study is available online in the journal Brain. The pathological processes in MS are not well understood, but an important contributor to its progression is the infiltration of white blood cells involved in immune defense through the blood-brain barrier. Douglas Feinstein, research professor in anesthesiology at the UIC College of Medicine, and his colleagues previously showed that the neurotransmitter noradrenaline plays an important role as an immunosuppressant in the brain, preventing inflammation and stress to neurons. Noradrenaline is also known to help to preserve the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Because the major source of noradrenaline is neurons in an area of the brain called the locus coeruleus, the UIC researchers hypothesized that damage to the LC was responsible for lowered levels of noradrenaline in the brains of MS patients. "There’s a lot of evidence of damage to the LC in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, but this is the first time that it has been demonstrated that there is stress involved to the neurons in the LC of MS patients, and that there is a reduction in brain noradrenaline levels," said Paul Polak, research specialist in the health sciences in anesthesiology and first author on the paper. For the last 15 years, Feinstein and his colleagues have been studying the importance of noradrenaline to inflammatory processes in the brain. "We have all the models for studying this problem, so in some ways it was a small step to look at this question in MS," said Polak. The researchers found that LC damage and reduced levels of noradrenaline occur in a mouse model of MS and that similar changes could be found in the brains of MS patients. The findings suggest that LC damage, accompanied by reduction in noradrenaline levels in the brain, may be a common feature of neurologic diseases, Polak said. "There are a number of FDA-approved drugs that have been shown to raise levels of noradrenaline in the brain, and we believe that this type of therapeutic intervention could benefit patients with MS and other neurodegenerative diseases, and should be investigated," he said. Sergey Kalinin, post-doctoral research associate in anesthesiology, also contributed to the study. This study was supported by grants from the Department of Veteran Affairs and Partners for Cures. For more information about UIC, visit www.uic.edu - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: Pianist Jorge Federico Osorio in Free Concert at UIC From: UIC News Bureau Date: 11 Feb 2011 10:13:04 -0600 To: archives@uic.edu UIC News Release February 11, 2011 CONTACT: Anne Brooks Ranallo, (312) 355-2523, aranallo@uic.edu PIANIST JORGE FEDERICO OSORIO IN FREE CONCERT AT UIC [Note: Photos for download at http://newsphoto.lib.uic.edu/v/osorio/] WHAT: Pianist Jorge Federico Osorio, internationally acclaimed for his work with the world's leading orchestras, will perform a 50-minute concert in the Tuesdays-at-1 free concert series at the University of Illinois at Chicago. WHEN: Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. WHERE: Education, Performing Arts and Social Work Building 1040 W. Harrison St. Recital Hall L-060 DETAILS: The program will include Beethoven’s "Six Variations in F Major, Op. 34" and Mussorgski’s monumental "Pictures at an Exhibition." Osorio has performed on four continents with the Royal Philharmonic and Philharmonia orchestras in London, the Moscow State Orchestra, the Orchestre Nationale de France, the Israel Philharmonic, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic, and the Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Seattle symphony orchestras. In July, he performed all five Beethoven piano concertos with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival over two evenings. In May, his performance of Liszt's Concerto No. 2 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Center led the Chicago Tribune to write, "With his sterling technique, Osorio can roar through this beloved Romantic concerto with the best of them." Osorio's other American festival appearances include the Hollywood Bowl, Newport, and Grant Park festivals. Osorio has collaborated with such distinguished conductors as James Conlon, Bernard Haitink, Luis Herrera, Manfred Honeck, Mariss Jansons, Lorin Maazel, Eduardo Mata, Michel Plasson, Carlos Miguel Prieto, and Klaus Tennstedt. He has recorded a wide variety of repertoire, including a Brahms solo CD, which Gramophone Magazine called "one of the most distinguished discs of Brahms' piano music in recent years." His most recent recording is the Debussy "Preludes" along with selected works by Liszt. Admission to UIC's Tuesdays-at-1 concerts is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. For information, please call (312) 996-2977. - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: UIC Clinic Aids Mentally Ill Patients with Diabetes From: UIC News Bureau Date: 10 Feb 2011 15:32:41 -0600 To: archives@uic.edu UIC News Release February 10, 2011 CONTACT: Sam Hostettler, (312) 355-2522, samhos@uic.edu UIC CLINIC AIDS MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS WITH DIABETES A community health clinic managed by the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing is working to reduce the trend of mentally ill individuals dying about 25 years earlier than the general population due to treatable medical conditions. Integrated Healthcare Center's clinic at 4221 N. Lincoln Ave. has been recognized by Your Healthcare Plus with its Diabetes Care Excellence Award. Your Healthcare Plus is a statewide disease-management support program for target populations of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. It is administered by McKesson Health Solutions. For 13 years, the clinic has partnered with Thresholds, the leading interdisciplinary, freestanding psychiatric rehabilitation agency serving the Chicago area, to provide integrated primary physical and mental health care services. Antipsychotic drugs are used primarily to manage psychosis, but the newer medications can have serious adverse effects, causing such additional health issues as diabetes, obesity, hypertension and chronic pulmonary disease, said Emily Brigell, director of Integrated Healthcare Center. Newer antipsychotics are good at controlling symptoms, but they may be speeding up the development of diabetes, either directly through changes in glucose metabolism, or indirectly through weight-gain associated with several of the medications, Brigell said. "Diabetes is a health care issue of epidemic proportions in individuals who suffer from mental illness," she said. "While 7.8 percent of the U.S. population has type 2 diabetes, prevalence in individuals with severe mental illness is 10 to 14 percent." Diabetes is a self-managed disease. Many of the challenges facing individuals with serious mental illness -- side effects of psychiatric drugs, cognitive deficits from psychiatric disorders, and motivation -- undermine successful self-management, Brigell said. Nurses and nurse practitioners at Integrated HealthCare have begun educational programs to teach patients about diabetes and provide regular hemoglobin A1c tests to ensure their blood sugar is controlled. Thresholds served more than 6,100 members at more than 100 locations throughout the Chicago area last year, said CEO Anthony Zipple. More than 900 members, including 282 new members, made 3,791 visits to the three Integrated Health Care clinics. The clients, Zipple said, receive "tremendous" care from the UIC nurses and nurse practitioners who operate the health care centers. The award "says a lot about our partnership with the College of Nursing." "Our goal is to assist our members in finding a decent, safe and affordable place to live and to help them get a job," Zipple said. "We want to help our clients live long enough to enjoy their recovery. The College of Nursing helps us to achieve our goals." For more information about Thresholds, visit www.thresholds.org. For more information about UIC, visit www.uic.edu. - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: UIC's 21st Annual Blues Cabaret Feb. 25 From: UIC News Bureau Date: 10 Feb 2011 12:31:39 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 10, 2011 CONTACT: Brian Flood, (312) 996-7681, bflood@uic.edu UIC'S 21ST ANNUAL BLUES CABARET FEB. 25 WHO/WHAT: The University of Illinois at Chicago concludes Black History Month with its 21st annual Blues Cabaret featuring Byther Smith. WHEN: Feb. 25 7 p.m. WHERE: UIC Forum 725 W. Roosevelt Road DETAILS: Guitarist and singer Byther Smith has established himself as a Chicago blues legend known for a gritty and emotional style. In the 1970s, Smith became a cult figure among international blues fans based on live performances and a few singles dating back to the previous decade. During tours in the 1990s, Smith headlined various European concerts, including the Moulin Blues Festival in the Netherlands, the Handzame Blues Festival in Belgium, Le Nuit De Blues in France, and Burnley National Blues Festival in the United Kingdom. The Mississippi native has worked with notable blues artists such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed and Otis Rush. His albums include "All Night Long," "I'm a Mad Man," "Hold That Train," "Smitty's Blues," and "Blues on the Moon - Live at Natural Rhythm Social Club." Admission is $10 for UIC students with i-card; $25 for others. Price includes a soul food buffet. For more information, call (312) 413-5070. The UIC Forum is the newest event venue on campus. Located at the corner of Roosevelt Road and Halsted Street, the UIC Forum has a main hall, two floors of meeting space, a 150-seat theater and a 25-seat training room. The 22,000-square-foot main hall seats 3,000 and features a theatrical lighting system, state-of-the-art concert sound and telescopic seating. - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: Proposing Math Models to Enhance Two-Way Wireless Network Communication From: UIC News Bureau Date: 10 Feb 2011 09:11:27 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 10, 2011 CONTACT: Paul Francuch, (312) 996-3457, francuch@uic.edu PROPOSING MATH MODELS TO ENHANCE TWO-WAY WIRELESS NETWORK COMMUNICATION Natasha Devroye, University of Illinois at Chicago assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, has won a five-year, $450,000 National Science Foundation Early Faculty Career Award to aid in her work analyzing communication flow by way of mathematical models. Devroye is an information-theory expert who studies ways to help engineers design better communications networks for devices like cell phones, two-way radios and computers. Her focus is modeling two-way exchanges of information over networks. "I try to model wireless communication channels using a mathematical model, then use that to predict the ultimate limits of communication -- what you can ever hope to achieve in practice," she said. While many think of such electronic exchanges as inherently two-way, Devroye said from an engineering standpoint they're usually treated as separate, one-way, back-and-forth exchanges. "People are always communicating in a two-way fashion," she said. "But how that's modeled in math, or how the wireless networks are implementing this, is they're really treating the conversations we're having as a series of one-way conversations." Devroye plans to build mathematical models that treat electronic two-way communication systems -- such as data synchronization or cell phone conversations -- more like human conversations. These models will interactively adapt what, and how, such messages are encoded. "Mathematically, if you can really capture two-way adaptation, what can you achieve?" she asks. Engineers would need a payoff for the time required to develop more complicated coding strategies. "I want to determine if there's going to be a huge gain or not." Two-way schemes may improve data rates, increase reliability, or reduce the energy used to transmit data in wireless networks. Devroye will collaborate with engineers at companies such as Motorola, who will test her mathematical models to see if they work in real two-way scenarios, such as cell phone conversations or teleconferencing. "I'll say, 'theoretically you should be able to transmit up to this many bits per second,'" she said. "Engineers will try to build coding schemes that achieve up to that limit." Devroye is also working with graduate students at her Software-Defined Radio Lab and UIC's Wireless Communication Lab to develop models. NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development award is its most prestigious honor, given to junior faculty members in the sciences and engineering who have shown a demonstrated commitment to research and education. For more information about UIC, visit www.uic.edu - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust Renew Funding for Chicago Biomedical Consortium From: UIC News Bureau Date: 9 Feb 2011 09:43:19 -0600 To: archives@uic.edu UIC News Release February 9, 2011 CONTACT: Jeanne Galatzer-Levy, (312) 996-1583, jgala@uic.edu SEARLE FUNDS AT THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST RENEW FUNDING FOR CHICAGO BIOMEDICAL CONSORTIUM The Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust has renewed its funding commitment to the Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC), a collaboration of Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and the University of Chicago. The initial five-year funding commitment of $25 million, which concluded with a $5 million grant for 2010, supports and stimulates innovative multi-institutional collaborations in research and education that have propelled the Chicago area to become a leader in biomedical sciences, said Terry Mazany, president and chief executive officer of The Chicago Community Trust. “Based on a review of this initiative during its fourth year, the return on investment has been extraordinary, and the Searle family and The Chicago Community Trust have announced a five-year extension of the program beginning in January 2011,” Mazany said. “The Searle family is very pleased with the innovations the CBC has introduced to Chicago and the scientific community during the past five years,” said Karie Thomson, a Searle family member and consultant to the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust. “It makes sense to continue this collaborative work that is central to furthering Chicago’s prominence as a leader in biomedical sciences and offers much hope for scientific advancements. We look forward to seeing what the next five years uncover.” Members of the Searle family were instrumental in establishing the CBC and have supported the program through the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust since the CBC’s inception. During the last five years, the CBC has garnered more than $118 million in grants from outside funders, principally the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but also private foundations, companies and donors. CBC funding has supported work resulting in more than 200 published papers, including 35 publications in influential journals such as Science, Cell, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Nature. The CBC has created a variety of funding programs with the grants provided by the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust. These programs include the CBC Lever Awards, which provide immediate matching funds for large federal grants. Lever Awards totaling $7.1 million have proven instrumental in establishing three national research centers of excellence in Chicago, resulting in the acquisition of more than $36 million in federal funding from the NIH. A 2008 Lever Award for $3 million helped fund the development of Bionimbus, a cloud-based system for managing, analyzing and sharing genomic data, at the Chicago Center for Systems Biology. Another 2008 Lever Award, for $2 million, went to the Chicago Tri-Institutional Center of Excellence in Chemical Methodologies and Library Development to support state-of-the-art chemical libraries that will help identify new compounds for future drug development and basic biomedical research. A 2010 Lever Award, for $2.1 million, will support core facilities affiliated with Northwestern’s Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence that will provide wide access to unique cell-culture tools for CBC researchers. The CBC has funded an additional 31 inter-institutional research collaborations via Catalyst Awards, which provide up to $200,000, and Spark Awards, which provide up to $400,000, for one- or two-year projects. Recruitment Awards have proven to be another high-impact strategy for the CBC. These awards have helped bring two high-profile senior faculty members, Kevin White and Neil Kelleher, to the University of Chicago and Northwestern, respectively. The CBC’s new junior investigator program has provided additional start-up funds for six young researchers who are launching their careers at CBC institutions. The CBC also has produced numerous workshops on proteomics, small molecular therapeutic strategies, RNA biology and other topics that stimulate student interactions and new ideas. Comments about the CBC and the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust: Paula Allen-Meares, chancellor, UIC: “The CBC has become an important engine for economic growth and job creation, combining the resources of the city’s great research universities to help Chicago compete for the large collaborative projects that are at the heart of 21st-century science.” Morton Schapiro, president, Northwestern: “It is rare that a family has the foresight to fund research of this collaborative nature. The support of the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust enables three great research institutions to continue developing partnerships that will lead to important medical advances benefiting the people of Chicago and the nation.” Robert Zimmer, president, University of Chicago: “In a relatively short time, the CBC has become an influential agent for promoting scientific discovery and achievement in our region, and its innovative model of collaboration among scientists, universities, and philanthropists is attracting wide attention and admiration. I am confident its impact will be even greater over the coming five years.” Brenda Russell, executive associate vice chancellor for research and CBC scientific director at UIC: “Among UIC’s strengths as a research institution has been our ability to work collaboratively, combining many different approaches to a problem, whether that means bringing genetics, metabolic and molecular understanding that will create paradigm shifts for entirely new approaches for health and disease or reaching across the campuses to bring insights from engineering and physics into medical research. The CBC allows us to build on this capacity, bringing us into partnership with Chicago’s other great research universities.” Richard I. Morimoto, Bill and Gayle Cook Professor of Biology and CBC scientific director at Northwestern: “The renewed funding commitment validates the efforts of many scientists and academic leaders to demonstrate that institutions can collaborate and that Chicagoland can be a leading biomedical sciences destination. During the initial period of funding, many came together and recognized previously unexplored opportunities to collaborate and establish new research programs. This led to the awarding of many new large-scale collaborative grants from the National Institutes of Health. We will continue building on our success and pushing the edges of discovery to imagine even more creative ideas and scientific directions.” Jonathan Silverstein, former associate professor of surgery and outgoing CBC scientific director at the University of Chicago: “It’s tremendously gratifying to see the impact of the CBC these past five years and exciting to consider the possibility of even greater impact the next five years. We appreciate deeply the opportunity these visionary philanthropists created. Harnessing the strengths of our research universities in the Chicago region by motivating inter-institutional and inter-disciplinary collaboration was a simple idea, but complex to achieve.” Additional media contacts: University of Chicago: Steve Koppes, (773) 702-8366, skoppes@uchicago.edu Northwestern University: Megan Fellman, (847) 491-3115, fellman@northwestern.edu - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: Scholarship to Aid UIC Honors College Business Students From: UIC News Bureau Date: 8 Feb 2011 11:11:20 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 8, 2011 CONTACT: Paul Francuch, (312) 996-3457, francuch@uic.edu SCHOLARSHIP TO AID UIC HONORS COLLEGE BUSINESS STUDENTS A new University of Illinois at Chicago scholarship has been established to assist Honors College business students whose leadership in extracurricular activities adds to the quality of life on campus. Honors College and College of Business Administration alumnus Kevin Desouza, along with his wife Sally, are funding an endowment that will annually award a scholarship to an Honors College business student who meets outstanding campus community leadership and academic qualifications. Preference will go to international students or U.S. permanent residents. The Desouza Family Endowment Fund established by Kevin and Sally honors the sacrifices his mother and father made to put him and his siblings through college. Kevin earned from UIC a bachelor of science in both accounting and information and decision sciences in 2000 and a doctorate in management information systems in 2006. His brother Kenneth, also a UIC Honors College alumnus, earned his bachelor of science in accounting and finance. Their sister Karishma earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting from the University of Virginia. Both brothers were active in leading UIC campus organizations while undergraduates. Kevin Desouza is now associate professor and director of the Institute for Innovation in Information Management at the University of Washington's information school. He holds adjunct appointments at UW's engineering college and school of public affairs and is an affiliate faculty member of the university's Center for American Politics and Public Policy. Sally Desouza holds an Ed.S. degree and is a certified school psychologist, working for a public school system near Seattle. "We believe that all students should receive encouragement for their dreams and aspirations, through support of their undergraduate studies," Sally wrote in a blog entry about the new scholarship. "We hope to support the best and brightest at UIC -- students who not only excel academically but who also go beyond the classroom and make a positive impact on the UIC community through community service and leadership in student organizations." UIC Honors College dean Bette Bottoms, a psychology professor and vice provost for undergraduate affairs, welcomed the Desouzas' contribution. "Having grown up outside of the United States, Kevin brought a unique perspective to his undergraduate experience here in the Honors College," Bottoms said. "He loved his time in the Honors College and wants to make it easier for other students to have similar experiences. With this scholarship, he and Sally will support current honors students who share their passion for learning that goes above and beyond the classroom." For more information about UIC, visit www.uic.edu - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign. Field Museum Scholar Named Director of UIC Latino Cultural Center.msg Subject: Obesity Linked to Income, Education; Not Sprawl From: UIC News Bureau Date: 7 Feb 2011 15:14:12 -0600 To: diazm@uic.edu UIC News Release February 7, 2011 CONTACT: Anne Brooks Ranallo, (312) 355-2523, aranallo@uic.edu OBESITY LINKED TO INCOME, EDUCATION; NOT SPRAWL Obesity is more prevalent in areas with lower educational attainment and certain ethnic profiles than in areas of suburban sprawl, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Researchers at UIC's Urban Transportation Center revisited their 2005 analysis of data from about 7 million northern Illinois drivers licenses, which found that body-mass index scores in most city neighborhoods differ little from those in the farthest outlying areas. The 2005 findings contradicted the conventional wisdom that city dwellers are thinner because their dense, centralized environment encourages walking, while suburbanites and rural residents tend to drive to widely scattered destinations. The new analysis expanded the data set by comparing personal and environmental attributes at the zip-code level throughout the 2005 study area: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties in the Chicago metropolitan area, and the more rural DeKalb, Kendall, Grundy and Kankakee counties. The data confirmed that sprawl is not significantly associated with obesity, the researchers said, although drivers living in most neighborhoods closer to downtown Chicago have slightly lower body-mass indexes than those living very far from the city. Within zip codes, body-mass indexes increased with age and male gender, and also with the percentage of zip-code residents who commute by car, are African American or Latino, or own their homes. The prevalence of obesity decreases in zip codes with higher median income and more residents who have attended college. Paul Metaxatos, UIC research assistant professor, said the results of the study can inform urban planning initiatives. "Ambitious land use policies to address obesity may have little success with the low-income ethnic minorities who are most in need of assistance," Metaxatos said. "Those in marginal, transportation-disadvantaged communities would benefit from better access to medical help, better food markets, and information about lifestyle modifications." UIC ranks among the nation's leading research universities and is Chicago's largest university with 27,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world. For more information about UIC, please visit www.uic.edu - UIC - NOTE: Please refer to the institution as the University of Illinois at Chicago on first reference and UIC on second reference. "University of Illinois" and "U. of I." are often assumed to refer to our sister campus in Urbana-Champaign.