In The News

Dr. Douglas Phillips, Director of Neuroradiology, and his team of MRI technicians are bursting with excitement over what they refer to as their "new toy," the 3T MRI scanner. The high-tech piece of equipment boasts a magnet twice the strength of traditional MRI machines, meaning higher quality care when it comes to stroke and brain surgery patients. ...And the high-powered magnet is just one of the two new additions to UVa's Health System. Just down the hall, Dr. Chris Kramer, Professor of Radiology and Medicine, and his team are familiarizing themselves with a new dual-source CT scan unit, th...

The latest buzz in flu vaccine development could be the use of an insect-cell-based vaccine, rather than egg-based immunizations, to speed up production and maintain effectiveness, particularly in the case of a pandemic flu outbreak. … "All currently licensed influenza vaccines in the United States are produced in embryonic hen's eggs," wrote the study authors, from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the University of Rochester and the University of Virginia. The authors also pointed out that "eggs require specialized manufacturing facilities and could be difficult to scale ...

What Makes a Great Fund Raiser? Survey Defines Characteristics of Top Performers Chronicle of Higher Education / April 10 The most successful higher-education fund raisers are allowed to focus attention on major donors, have more staff support, and often receive performance-based incentive pay, among other attributes, according to a report scheduled to be released today by Eduventures Inc., a research and consulting firm. http://tinyurl.com/3xmrck

College-Basketball Experts Divided Over NBA Age Minimum / Some coaches say the rule encourages top players to skip classes, while others believe it could lead to more focus on academic work Chronicle of Higher Education / April 10 Last year the National Basketball Association established a controversial rule requiring star players to wait a year after they graduate from high school, and until age 19, to enter the professional draft. http://tinyurl.com/2osyja

Student Lender Had Early Plans to Woo Officials New York Times /April 10 The founders of Student Loan Xpress had an explicit plan for corralling a bigger share of the lucrative student loan business: 'market to the financial aid offices of schools.' http://tinyurl.com/353npp Probe of Colleges' Relationships With Lenders Expands to 3 More College Officials Chronicle of Higher Education / April 10 Three more college financial-aid officials have ... reportedly received consulting fees and other payments from Student Loan XPress, which is on their institutions' preferred-lender lists. All three ...

Kaine selects new BOV member Faculty discuss merits of ethnic studies in curriculum Honor reviews bylaw proposals Princeton adds family benefits http://www.cavalierdaily.com/

Virtual Lab Becomes an Actual Reality at U.Va. U.Va. Spin-out Promising for New Cancer Therapy Parking Rates at U.Va. Set to Increase in June http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/

Charles Christian Graduate of the School of Law Professor Joins IRS Advisory Council Arizona State University / April 10 http://www.asu.edu/news/stories/200704/20070410_Christian.htm Linda Fairstein One of only 11 women in her law class at U.Va. Prosecutor's Got a Paper Trail Worth Following / Linda Fairstein Finds Success Writing Thrillers After a Famed Law Career. Fort Lauderdale (FL) Sun-Sentinel / April 11 http://tinyurl.com/yohkj3 Ned Hooper Graduate of the Darden School of Business Cisco's Aggressive Acquisitions Plans CIO Today / April 9 http://www.cio-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=...

Dr. James P. Bennett Jr. Director of the Center for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases Paying to Keep Your Drug Trial Alive / With Supply Low, Researcher Turns to Patients for Money; A Very Vulnerable Time Wall Street Journal / April 10 http://tinyurl.com/yuojxa (Subscription required) Julian Bond A history professor NAACP Looks Forward Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal / April 9 http://tinyurl.com/2fkyfv Nathan Currier Music professor Thinking Globally, Acting Locall Lynchburg News & Advance / April 9 http://tinyurl.com/2n9dod John D'earth A member of the music faculty Steppin' out...

The occasional sprinkle of rain couldn't dampen the spirits of the approximately 1,500 revelers who turned out to Nameless Field next to Memorial Gym for UVA's annual Springfest Saturday, March 31. Piano rocker Ben Folds seduced the crowd with a high-energy set. ...Lots of excitement went down away from the stage, as festivities included everything from a giant inflatable slide to a Gusburger-eating contest.

...Starting April 2, UVA students, staff, and faculty will be able to ride free on any CTS route with a UVA photo ID. The change comes after a year of negotiations between the Charlottesville Transit Service and the University of Virginia, during which a pilot program resulted in a sharp increase in CTS rider-ship. The program will run until June 2008...

Highest court experience: UVA's Supreme Court Litigation Clinic successfully petitions the high court to hear Watson v. United States from the more than 7,000 petitions the Supreme Court receives a term. ...Best grad schools: US News & World Report places several UVA graduate schools in its top ranks, including nursing (#19), law (#10 tied with Duke), and business (#12).

There are 16 individuals or entitities that made the annual Muzzle Award list from the Albemarle-based Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. ...Another muzzle goes to the Charles A. Beard School Board in Knightstown, Indiana. It expelled students because of their video "The Teddy Bear Master." It's about a character who controls stuffed animals and orders them to kill a former teacher. The other Muzzle Award recipients include the Bush administration and Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher.

...Webb also told these students of UVA Professor Larry Sabato he's interested in social justice issues. He is alarmed by the recent growth of the nation's prison population, especially the high percentage of African-American men.

...The Senator addressed the standing room only crowd and said Iraq will never enjoy any peace or stability until the U.S. withdraws. He said right now we are occupying Iraq and that should not be our intentions...

Senator Jim Webb was in Charlottesville Monday. He gave a lecture to the same UVA class that Senator John Warner fielded questions in a week ago. Students in Larry Sabato's politics class focused on the same issue they had last week--the war in Iraq.

The United States should begin phasing out its detention center at Guantanamo Bay, where terrorist suspects are being held, freshman U.S. Sen. Jim Webb told a group of University of Virginia politics students Monday.

If you are in the market for some new - and one of a kind - shoes, try Stepping Out with SARA, a fundraising gala that will feature fancy footwear that will be auctioned off. …. At the auction, there will be four pairs of celebrity shoes, including a pair from actress Sissy Spacek and another from author Rita Mae Brown. The other two are from University of Virginia women's basketball coach Debbie Ryan and Dave Leitao, coach of the men's team. Their shoes will be signed by their players.

Sen. Jim Webb spoke bluntly yesterday at the University of Virginia about his belief in the need to pull out of Iraq and the gap between rich and poor.

...The letter sent to ALS patients punctuated a long series of financial struggles for the ALS studies run by James P. Bennett Jr., director of the Center for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Virginia and the physician sponsor of the drug research program. It has been extremely difficult to turn to his patients for money, says Dr. Bennett, who divested himself of any financial interest in the drug. But facing severe financial shortfalls and a dwindling supply of medication, he felt he had nowhere left to turn. "Which is the more cruel scenario?" Dr. Bennett sa...