The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has donated $850,000 in grants to UCSD Libraries to support strategic digital media initiatives. For the next two years, the Mellon Foundation will fund the archiving of art images and their arrangement in digital format for educational use.

The initiatives call for the construction of a prototype Union Catalog of Art Images, which will consolidate approximately 500,000 metadata records describing art and images.

UCSD Libraries are teaming up with Harvard University’s Fine Arts Library and the Ingalls Library at the Cleveland Museum of Art to develop the UCAI program.

UCSD and its partners aim to approach the technical issues related to the complex cataloging functions of unifying and displaying the diverse range of content to be found within the catalog.

Along with the funding for the UCAI prototype, the Mellon Foundation donation will also enable UCSD Libraries to digitize its slide collection, which will be added to the ArtSTOR collections available to UCSD faculty and students.

Regents name Anastasio new director of LLNL

The UC Board of Regents named Dr. Michael R. Anastasio director of the UC-managed Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, replacing departing C. Bruce Tarter as head of the UC-managed nuclear security laboratory.

Anastasio, who currently serves as LLNL’s deputy director for strategic operations, was recommended by UC President Richard C. Atkinson during a special meeting of the regents which was conducted via telephone conference call.

Atkinson’s recommendation came after a considerable amount of consulting from a panel comprised of regents, research scientists and research administrators. The panel was advised by leaders from LLNL and various UC campuses.

The newly appointed director has served at LLNL for 22 years, where he has climbed the ranks from physicist to division leader to developer for the Stockpile Stewardship Program, and last year, to deputy director.

Anastasio has also served as a scientific adviser at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he consulted with senior department members on several SSP issues.

He received the DOE Weapons Recognition of Excellence Award for technical leadership in nuclear design in 1990.

As director, Anastasio will control LLNL’s 7,500 employees and $1.5 billion budget. He will begin his term July 1.

ERC wins Student Foundation’s annual fundraising drive

The UCSD Student Foundation announced that Eleanor Roosevelt College donated more money than any other undergraduate college in the 2002 edition of UCSDSF’s annual Change-For-Change Drive.

In its second year of existence, the campaign generated a total of $1,016. The money will be used to subsidize the costs of maintenance and new equipment at the International Cooperative Nursery School in the International Center.

ICNS was chosen by UCSDSF because of the school’s philosophy to include and educate a diverse student body. ICNS is also burdened by desperate financial need because its status as a co-op hinders its funding intake.

ERC, which includes donors from the residential halls, Pepper Canyon Apartments and International House, will be formally recognized by UCSDSF for winning the competition.

Half of the sum donated to the school was provided by the UCSD Alumni Association, which pledged to match UCSDSF’s amount.

For more information about UCSDSF, contact Brandon Freeman via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (858) 558-8133.

UCLA study shows racial imbalance in prime time TV

Blacks remain overrepresented in situation comedies while other ethnic groups continue to be underrepresented, according to a UCLA study titled “”Prime Time in Black and White: Making Sense of the 2001 Fall Season.””

The large numbers of blacks on television tended to appear largely on Monday and Sunday nights, which accounted for 40 percent of all black characters during the 2001 season.

The study further showed that latinos represented two percent of all prime time television characters, while making up 12.5 percent of the national population.

Asian Americans comprised three percent of prime-time characters, and Native Americans made up zero percent.

The study was based on an analysis of the content of 224 episodes of 85 fictional series during October and November of 2001. The networks included in the UCLA study were ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN and the WB.

The research is an introduction to a five-year study on blacks in prime time television.