uncnews.unc.edu

Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:

National Coverage

Sea Turtle Conservation Boosted by New Research
The Huffington Post
..."Most researchers have assumed that, because ocean currents in some places move faster than young turtles can swim, the turtles cannot control their migratory paths," explains Kenneth J. Lohmann, a marine biologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "This study shows otherwise."

Searching For The Onset Of Autism
The Huffington Post
Early behavioral intervention has shown some promise as a way to help children with autism. But it’s difficult to see the hallmarks of autism before two years of age with today’s diagnostic criteria. Could we find other methods? Seeking to answer that question is Jed Elison at the California Institute of Technology, who is working with Ralph Adolphs at Caltech and Joe Piven at the University of North Carolina among other colleagues around the U.S. and Canada.

State and Local Coverage

Gene research could hold key to postpartum depression
WNCN-TV (NBC/Raleigh)
...Researchers in the U.K., however, have found a gene variant that could predispose women to postpartum depression. UNC will be one of 25 sites worldwide to test thousands of pregnant women to try to prove a genetic link to depression. Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody, director of UNC’s Perinatal Psychiatry Program, says those findings could open the door to better treatment.

Debating Dual Language Immersion Programs
"The State of Things" WUNC-FM
Given the popularity of dual language immersion programs in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School District, the school board is considering establishing a dual language elementary magnet school. But where? Chapel Hill-Carrboro has never had a magnet school, but rapid growth is occasioning a new elementary school in the district. ...Host Frank Stasio is joined by a panel of interested parties to discuss the history and efficacy of dual language programs and the future of those programs in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. ...Claudia Cervantes-Soon, an associate professor in the School of Education at The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

NC Senate approves Cherokee casino card games bill
The Associated Press
...Gambling revenue that started out at $128 million in September 1998 climbed to $449 million in 2008, then fell 16 percent to about $378 million in 2010, according to a report last year by businesses professors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Compared to gambling, everything else at the resort is small potatoes.

Local student earns Morehead-Cain scholarship
The Times-News (Burlington)
Modest but accomplished, Krunal Amin has reaped the rewards of years of hard work. He’s received the Morehead-Cain Scholarship, a full scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ...The Morehead-Cain Scholarship covers the cost of tuition, housing, fees and all other expenses for four years of college. It also pays for the cost of travel in the United States and abroad for four summer experiences. It was the first merit scholarship program begun in the United States.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5280/75/

Carolina Performing Arts season to mark ‘Rite of Spring’ anniversary
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Carolina Performing Arts’ 2012-2013 season will be a celebration of all things Stravinsky, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the debut of composer Igor Stravinsky’s composition “The Rite of Spring.” In commemoration of the centennial of the May 29, 1913, debut of the work, UNC’s performing arts program has commissioned 11 new works, and will host nine world premieres as part of “The Rite of Spring at 100.”

Judge denies request to order UNC to pay imprisoned professor
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
An Orange County judge on Wednesday declined to order UNC-Chapel Hill to resume paying salary and benefits to physics professor Paul Frampton, who is in an Argentinian prison on drug charges. Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour denied attorney Barry Nakell’s request for a temporary restraining order that would have required the university to pay Frampton his salary and benefits pending a hearing on a preliminary injunction.

Issues and Trends

William Friday hospitalized in critical condition
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
William Friday, a North Carolina icon and retired president of the University of North Carolina system, was in critical condition Wednesday at UNC Hospitals. A UNC spokesman confirmed the hospitalization, but no further details were available about the health of Friday, who is 91.
Related Links:
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/18622811/article-Bill-Friday-hospitalized
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/05/16/2831246/former-unc-president-friday-in.html

Virtual Philosophy
Inside Higher Ed
...But the philosophy professors at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro are skeptical. The Greensboro philosophy department, which already offers online versions of eight of its courses, has adapted two additional ones, including a “capstone” seminar, for the Web. Pending the approval of the university system’s general administration, the new courses would make it possible to earn an undergraduate philosophy degree from Greensboro without setting foot on its campus.

What Does $1-Trillion in Student Debt Really Mean? Maybe Not That Much
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Student-loan debt is having a moment in the spotlight. An interest-rate hike planned for July 1 has become a hot political issue. New graduates, the majority carrying loans, are entering a still-weak job market. Through it all, nearly every public analysis on education debt now cites the same statistic: The total amount of outstanding student-loan debt is more than $1-trillion.