Charles L. Perrin, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry will be recognized for his teaching record that stretches back 40 years.
George Mariscal, an associate professor of literature will receive an award for his outstanding community service and work in fostering diversity at UCSD.
Chancellor Dynes and Chancellor’s Associate Chair Darlene Shiley will speak at the ceremony.
UCSD biologists discover clues in species divergence
UCSD biologists have used the songs and genetics of warblers in central Asia to show how one species can become two.
The researchers believe this is the “”missing evidence”” Darwin was unable to find in order to support his theory of natural selection.
Darren E. Irwin, a biologist at UCSD, and his colleagues Trevor D. Price and Staffan Bensch published their results in the Jan. 18 issue of the journal “”Nature.””
The researchers studied various breeds of the warbler and saw a small variation in their song patterns, morphology and genetic markers that led them to see how the one species merged into two separate ones that did not even recognize each others’ songs.
UC signs contract to avoid rising energy costs
UC President Richard C. Atkinson announced Wednesday that the university has avoided millions of dollars in electricity bills by signing a contract with the state Department of General Services.
The university began protecting itself against the rising costs of natural gas in 1998 when it signed a similar contract with energy supplier Enron Corp. of Houston.
That particular contract saved UCSD $12.3 million during one eight month period. The UC system is the largest energy consumer in California and the new contract is expected to save the university a similar amount of money.
New electronic databases to become available to UC
The California Digital Library recently announced it purchased two new databases from Alexander Street Press. These databases will be available next month on the California Digital Library, which is accessible to the nine UC campuses.
The two full-text databases are “”North American Women’s Letters and Diaries, Colonial-1950″” and “”The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries.”” Both databases include about 100,000 pages of published writings and 4,000 pages of previously unpublished writings.
The California Digital Library was created in 1997 and became accessible in 1999 to the UC system. CDL includes the databases of Alexander Street Press, a publisher of electronic databases about Social Sciences and Humanities topics. CDL’s purpose is to provide electronic collections and educational information to the UC schools.
The two particular databases were acquired after a thorough selection process among faculty, staff and librarians.
The Women’s Letters and Diaries database is the largest electronic collection of women’s diary entries and correspondence ever put together. It was obtained from over 1,000 sources, such as newsletters, pamphlets and conference proceedings.
The contents of the writings will include records of the women’s work conditions, what they ate and wore, their personal relationships, among other topics. There will be points of view from all various ethnicities, age groups and life styles.
The other database, “”The American Civil War,”” will include the writings of generals, slaves, politicians and other people, expressing their views about different aspects of war. The letters and diaries will include Northern and Southern points of view, as well as perspectives of foreigners.
The Women’s Diaries and American Civil War databases can be accessed through the CDL Web site, http://www.cdlib.org, or the UCSD library Web site in the Social Sciences and Humanities Databases under “”New Databases and Trials,”” projected to become accessible starting the third week of February.
