Students may now have to reconsider opting for more sleep over more cramming.

The long-held belief that more sleep is conducive to memory intake has been disputed in a new study published by neuroscientist Jerome Siegel of UCLA.

By researching past experiments and in conducting his own, Seigel concluded that humans and animals who were deprived of rapid eye movement sleep did not show signs of reduced memory formation or retention.

In the article, he cites both human and animal examples where this holds true.

For animals he notes the duck-billed platypus as an example of an animal with excessive REM sleep but little cognition abilities.

In humans, Seigel notes that people with brain conditions that eliminate REM sleep have normal memory patterns.

Although lack of sleep is not essential to learning and cognition, it is proven to hinder one’s concentration in a learning situation.

Seigel’s research will appear in the Nov. 2 issue of Science.

UCSD’s first chancellor honored in weekend symposium

Herbert York was honored by UCSD on Nov. 3 in a symposium that celebrated his lifetime contributions to the world of physics, higher education and arms control.

The events were organized by the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation and hosted by the UCSD Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies.

The symposium covered three lectures: “”Building National Defense: From the Manhattan Project to National Missile Defense,”” “”The Evolution of Arms Control”” and “”The Changing Role of the University in Society.””

Prior to becoming chancellor, York worked on the Manhattan Project, was the first director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and served as science adviser to President Eisenhower and President Carter, where he specialized in arms control policy.

York is currently the director emeritus of the IGCC.

UCSD partners with VA hospitals to minimize medical errors

In the hopes of improving patient care and safety, UCSD and the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System have teamed up to form the new San Diego Center Center for Patient Safety.

The SDCPS will work to reduce the volume and severity of medical errors by having UCSD Medical School professors conduct research within the San Diego healthcare community.

Matthew Weinger, professor of anesthesiology at the UCSD School of Medicine, will serve as director of the SDCPS.

The SDCPS received a $590,000 grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to run the project, which will draw on the participation of local physicians, professors, scientists, patients and community groups.

SDCPS will focus on the role of communication between patients and doctors through various stages of patient care because many medical problems are attributed to communication problems.

Among other things, researchers will investigate events leading up to the direct causes of medical errors.

The center will develop patient safety laboratories for training and research, and a Web site will be developed to further the educational process.

The grant was awarded for the next three years.

TA union opposes legislation that restricts student visas

The United Auto Workers union Local 2865, which represents academic student employees throughout the UC system, announced its opposition to state and federal legislation aimed at restricting visa opportunities and increased monitoring of international students.

Such legislation was proposed as a response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in which some of the terrorists were in the United States on international student visas.

The UAW is against the legislation because it said it scapegoats international students for the attacks and it said the legislation is discriminatory.