uncnews.unc.edu

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

International Coverage

Power Shift Has Government Opponent Running N.C. Budget
Bloomberg News
...Pope’s new role raises concern about North Carolina’s future, said Andrew Perrin, a sociology professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The state’s university system helped build Research Triangle Park near Raleigh, he said. The campus is home to more than 170 technology and research firms, including GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK), International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) and Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) “Pope has been pretty outspoken that in his opinion, public investment in general is not wise,” Perrin said. “Public investment is part of what has set North Carolina apart from our neighbors in the South.”

National Coverage

UNC To Open Masters Program To Special Forces Medics
"Morning Edition" National Public Radio
Some veterans with special skills will be given an opportunity to apply to a new program that will train them in a field that needs more experienced workers. The new master's program at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine is designed for veterans who were medics in the military and would like to become physician assistants.
UNC Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2012/december/bcbsnc-unc-school-of-medicine
-collaborate-to-benefit-veterans-and-tackle-health-care-professional-shortage

Anonymity In Genetic Research Can Be Fleeting
"All Things Considered" National Public Radio
...Medical geneticist Jim Evans, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, says right now, the risk of privacy violations is relatively low. But he says it's only going to get worse. "We can't put the genie back in the bottle," says Evans. "Privacy has been continually eroded in the digital universe in which we live." Evans says there needs to be a balance between making genetic data available to researchers and protecting people's privacy. For him, that means limiting who can access genetic information.

Regional Coverage

New Orleans area levee improvements already outpaced by science, engineering, engineer says
The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.)
...The study’s results should be used by the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority to help guide its five-year update of the state master plan for coastal protection and restoration, said University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill researcher Richard Luettich, an authority member who also is one of the creators of the ADCIRC storm surge computer model used by the corps during its levee design process. “It seems like the master plan provides the mandate to do this a recurring basis,” Luettich said. “Of course, it’s one thing to have a mandate, and another to have the money to do it.”

Awards honor agencies for boosting N. Georgia health
The Gainesville Times (Georgia)
...Prior to the awards ceremony, the event featured a presentation from James Emery and Carolyn Crump, both with the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. They discussed the country’s ever-increasing obesity rates and possible contributing factors, including inactivity, lack of healthy foods in certain areas and an overabundance of unhealthy options.

State and Local Coverage

Med school receives $1M gift from North Carolina Eye Bank
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The University of North Carolina School of Medicine received a $1 million gift from The North Carolina Eye Bank (NCEB) to establish a unique and innovative multidisciplinary surgical skills lab. The North Carolina Eye Bank is committed to educating the public and medical communities about the need for eye and tissue donors; ensuring that the wishes of donors and donor families are carried out to the greatest extent possible; maintaining procedures to maximize quality of tissue distributed; and working cooperatively with ophthalmologists and other professional clients to ensure optimal results for recipients.
Related Link:
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=8958000
UNC Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2013/january/eyebank

UNC offers dual-degree program with Tsinghua University
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Tsinghua University have launched a dual-degree executive master of business administration (EMBA) program in China that fuses the disciplines of business and engineering. The UNC-Tsinghua dual-degree program is the only partnership of its kind between a top Chinese industrial engineering department and a top U.S. business school. Graduates will receive an MBA from UNC and a master of engineering management (MEM) from Tsinghua.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5811/67/

Long-awaited Coastal Studies campus dedicated
The Outer Banks Voice (Nags Head)
...The UNC Coastal Studies Institute is an academic research and education organization with deep roots in the coastal communities of northeastern North Carolina. It was founded in 2003 as part of the University of North Carolina system as an inter-university institute to undertake research, offer educational opportunities, provide community outreach programs and enhance communication among those concerned with the history, culture and environment of the state’s maritime counties. UNC-CSI university partners include East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, North Carolina State University, UNC Chapel Hill and UNC Wilmington.
Related Link:
http://hamptonroads.com/2013/01/outer-banks-institute-goes-deep-clean-energy

Hospitals prepare for second flu wave
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
To stop the flu, you need to stop germs. To stop germs, you need to wash your hands. ...On Friday, WakeMed stepped up its defenses and announced a mandatory flu vaccination program for all 9,300 employees and volunteers. That policy was previously adopted by UNC Health Care and Rex Healthcare, whose 5,600 employees and volunteers received shots by Dec. 1.

Protocol - Fayetteville City Council seeks cure for what ails it (Editorial)
The Fayetteville Observer
They noticed. They acknowledged they have a problem. They agree they need help. Good. There's hope. ...So the council will meet to work that out. They'll do it with a facilitator from the UNC School of Government. Sounds right. They need those communication protocols. They need to work as a cohesive unit.

The Beast, Big Band to hold open rehearsal
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
...The quartet recruited nine instrumentalists for the summer concert, and The Beast and Big Band debuted in June. The response from the audience was so overwhelming that The Beast decided to record some of their songs with big band arrangements, Hirsh said.
The large ensemble will record next week in Durham, but listeners can get a free preview of the music during an open rehearsal Saturday at the Kenan Music Building at UNC.

Film series to honor blues, gospel, other American music
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
...Art Menius, director of the ArtsCenter, along with UNC professors Glenn Hinson and William Ferris, will lead the audience discussion at the first session. Menius also is a historian who has edited music publications, and who has an interest in the music of rural America. He will lead all six sessions, and bring in other scholars to help with the discussion of Latin music, rock ‘n’ roll and other genres.

Issues and Trends

Keeping the out-of-state cap in place at UNC (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The argument that there should be a larger percentage of out-of-state students on North Carolina’s public university campuses is at its strongest when proponents talk about how those students enrich campus life and broaden the horizons of their North Carolina-born classmates. It’s true, absolutely.

UNC system proposes $266 million in budget increases over five-year span
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The UNC system on Thursday rolled out financial estimates for the cost of its proposed five-year strategic priorities, which include boosting North Carolina’s degree attainment rate and pushing research areas aimed toward the state’s economic development.