Representatives from California Public Interest Research Group, the Revelle College Emerging Leaders Program, SRTV and members of the general student body, some drinking beer and eating popcorn, looked on as the new A.S. Council took its place at the A.S. Council table at 12:20 a.m. Thursday in Price Center Ballroom A. The meeting began at the close of the last A.S. Council meeting for the previous council.
The new council efficiently began its duties by appointing the new President Pro-Tempore, Eleanor Roosevelt College Senior Senator Wendy Ho. Ho’s duty will be to run meetings in the absence of Vice President Internal Kevin Hsu.
Senators to sit on the finance and internal committees, appointed by A.S. President Jenn Brown, were quickly approved by consensus. Brown said that she took gender, college and class year into consideration when placing senators.
Even with considerations taken, the committees ultimately tended to be what senators had requested initially. Both new and veteran council members alike announced positive intentions during their first reports of the year.
“”I’m just excited to get started”” said Commissioner of Communications Navneet Grewal during the meeting.
Secondhand smoke vanishing into thin air according to study
Prohibiting smoking in indoor workplaces is effectively reducing exposure to secondhand smoke among adult workers, according to the findings of several phone surveys conducted by researchers at the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center.
The study, which was funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute, also indicates that the number of smoke-free workplaces in California increased from 35 percent in 1990 to over 93 percent in 1999.
However, 31 percent of bar and restaurant employees reported being exposed to secondhand smoke, which led researchers to recommend increased enforcement efforts in those venues.
The phone surveys were conducted in 1990, 1992, 1996 and 1999 for the California Department of Health Services. The report was principally written by Elizabeth A. Gilpin, a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center.
Radio-controlled plane lands Jacobs builders $2,500 prize
TLAR 3, a radio-controlled composite airplane built by a team of UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering students, won first place and $2,500 in the American Institute of Aeronautics’ international design, build and fly competition in Wichita, Kan., which took place April 26 through April 28.
A second team, sponsored by the Jacobs School entered TLAR 3.5, crashed during windy conditions.
Over 30 teams from all over the world attended the annual competition, which gives real-world aircraft design experience to engineering students.
The winning plane was made of a combination of fiberglass, carbon and foam, making it extremely light, but also resilient.
The Jacobs School teams were sponsored by the Silent Electric Flyers of San Diego, General Atomics, High Tech RCD, Corland Co. and the Jacobs School of Engineering.
Science academy calls UCSD cloud researcher clear winner
The National Academy of Sciences recently elected V. Ramanathan, director of the Scripps Center for Clouds, to its organization.
Members of NAS are elected in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original scientific research. Ramanathan was recognized for his research on the effects of greenhouse gases, as well as the role of cloud and water vapor on radiative feedbacks in climate change and in regulating ocean temperatures.
Ramanathan has already served on numerous national and international scientific committees for climate and atmospheric studies. He has also published many articles and books on the climate effects of trace gases.
Ramanathan’s previous honors include the 2002 Rossby Research Medal from the American Meteorology Society, the Buys Ballot Medal from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences in 1995 and a medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement from NASA in 1989.
