In The News

It’s March Madness, sure, but sports are drawing an extra share of attention and excitement these days.

The legendary career Debbie Ryan of marches on. Those that missed what could have been the final two chances have one more opportunity thanks to a spirited effort against a team that helped knock Virginia out of the tournament that it longed to play in. Just over a month after losing by 23 points at home to Boston College, the Cavaliers responded on Thursday with a 53-48 win in John Paul Jones Arena in the Sweet Sixteen round of the Women’s NIT.

W. Todd Baker Engineering School graduate and patent attorney Minority Business Leader Awards: W. Todd Baker, Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt LLP Washington Business Journal / March 25, 2011 Karl. A Racine Law School graduate Minority Business Leader Awards: Karl A. Racine, Venable LLP Washington Business Journal / March 25, 2011 Telesa Via Arts & Sciences graduate and sales and marketing executive Minority Business Leader Awards: Telesa Via, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group LLC Washington Business Journal / March 25, 2011

Walker McKusick Arts & Sciences student Letter to the Editor: Rotunda deserves to be restored Charlottesville Daily Progress / March 24

The musical robots of Expressive Machines Musical Instruments will take the stage tonight at McGuffey Art Center with human colleagues to show how successfully musicians and thingamabobs can share the spotlight. The robots were created by University of Virginia music graduate students Troy Rogers, Scott Barton and Steven Kemper.

Qian Cai Director of the demographics and workforce group at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service Buchanan County sees dramatic decrease in population Bristol Herald Courier / March 25, 2011 Rita Dove Commonwealth Professor of Creative Writing Melding music, dance and poetry Washington Post / March 24 Douglas Laycock Law professor Right-wing campaign to battle Sharia cites Tampa judge’s ruling Florida Independent / March 24 Larry J. Sabato Politics professor and director of U.Va.'s Center for Politics US Republicans attack Obama on Libya policy R...

Siva Vaidhyanathan Professor of law and media studies Thank you Judge Chin / Why the Google Books setback is an opportunity to reassert academic values Chronicle of Higher Education / March 25 W. Bradford Wilcox Sociology professor and director of the National Marriage Project Commentary: The Times Picks Up on the Rural Divorce Revolution National Review Online / March 24

Uncertainty itself -- not the thrill of the chase -- might rank among the greatest aphrodisiacs, according to a new study by Erin R. Whitchurch and Timothy D. Wilson of the University of Virginia and Daniel T. Gilbert of Harvard.

Next week, a local business-support organization will team up with a technological student society to help entrepreneurs get their ideas on track and online. The Charlottesville Business Innovation Council and the University of Virginia E* Society are sponsoring the E*-Tech Mashup at UVa’s Darden Graduate School of Business Administration on Wednesday. The meeting will help meld the minds of business people and tech experts, organizers say.

The University of Virginia Health System has partnered with the Ghana Association of Charlottesville to send recycled medical supplies to Winneba, Charlottesville's sister city. Thursday, volunteers unloaded a trailer full of medical equipment.

A group of University of Virginia passionate about making video games are working hard to develop the next hit game.

Scientists have come up with new evidence in support of the controversial idea that humanity's influence on climate began not during the industrial revolution, but thousands of years ago. Proposed by University of Virginia palaeoclimatologist William Ruddiman in 2003, the theory says that human influences offset the imminent plunge into another ice age and helped create the relatively stable climate that we are familiar with today.

Lawrence Kochard, chief executive officer of the University of Virginia Investment Management Co., discusses the school's endowment fund and strategy. (He is questioned by Bloomberg's Margaret Brennan, a U.Va. alumna.)

Frank L. Thomasson U.Va. graduate, founder of Student Services, the Gleason and Thomasson public relations firm, and Thomasson-Grant Inc. publishers Frank Lewis Thomasson III Daily Progress / March 17

Sinead Farrelly Women's soccer standout and No. 2 overall selection in the Women's Professional Soccer League draft Independence sign Havertown’s Farrelly Philly Soccer News / March 23 William A. Jones III U.Va. grad, Vietnam War Hero, Medal of Honor recipient and namesake of a new federal building Warsaw's hometown hero honored in D.C. Northern Neck News / March 23, 2011

Alan G. Merten announced his impending retirement as president of George Mason University on Wednesday, closing a 16-year era that saw a provincial commuter campus transformed into a full-fledged university — with Nobel laureates, dormitory halls and a well-regarded men’s basketball team. … George Mason was founded as a branch of the University of Virginia and became independent in 1972.

Gerald Baliles Former governor and executive director of U.Va.'s Miller Center of Public Affairs Commentary: Virginia needs an authentic, homegrown leader Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star / March 24, 2011 Jason Papin Assistant professor of biomedical engineering Systems biologists predict complicated behavior of cells in living animals PhysOrg.com / March 23 Daniel Ortiz Law professor who sparred with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia during orl arguments Tuesday Court delves into history in rare petition case FirstAmendmentCenter.org / March 23, 2011 and Guarnieri says Supreme Cour...

Siva Vaidhyanathan Professor of media studies and law Google Block: The Google Books settlement should teach the company humility. It won't Slate / March 23

While Americans households in general are purchasing life insurance at a slower rate, a new study has found single parents across all income levels are the least likely to own a policy. … The research project conducted in collaboration with the University of Virginia found that 69 percent of single parents with children in their household don't have a plan, compared with 45 percent of married parents with children in the household. … Gregory Fairchild, a University of Virginia researcher, said financial insecurity causes some to put off a life insurance purchase.