Undergraduates can vote in the Associated Students election and college elections on April 10 and April 11.
A polling place will be open on Library Walk on these days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Voting is also available from any Internet-ready computer by accessing StudentLink at http://studentlink.ucsd.edu. StudentLink voting is accessible 24 hours a day and will end on April 11 at 4 p.m.
Debate team competes at national championships
The UCSD Debate team finished its season on a strong note, placing high in two national championships.
Two of the students, Clint Burr and Danny Cantrell, formed a team that finished 17th at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence held at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore., on March 15 and 16. Only the top 36 schools nationwide are invited to attend, with UCSD starting at the 30th seed this year before working its way to elimination rounds.
Two UCSD teams were also sent to the National Parliamentary Debate Association’s Championship Tournament held at Portland University in Portland, Ore., from March 26 to March 30. The team of Alex Varond and Abby Milton finished with a 4-4 preliminary record, while the 22nd seed team of Burr and Cantrell finished with a 6-2 record, sending them to elimination rounds. They received a bye in the first round before losing to Oregon State in the triple octo-finals.
The student-run squad finished 51st in the nation in the NPDA’s season-long rankings. The team improved from 61st last year and 114th two seasons ago.
UCSD researcher finds obesity impairs children
A team headed by UCSD pediatric gastroenterologist Jeffrey Schwimmer has released a study reporting that the quality of life for overweight children is significantly impaired and equal to the quality of life of children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy.
The likelihood of an impaired quality of life for obese children was reported as 5.5 times greater than for healthy children and comparable to that of a very sick child with cancer.
Before this study, a previously published study had rated young cancer patients as having the lowest health-related quality-of-life scores in comparison with children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and congenital heart disease.
The report, which was published in the April 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, provides the first published measurements of health-related quality of life for obese American children.
Lopez to speak April 23 for Chavez month event
Chicana playwright Josefina Lopez will speak in the Price Center Theatre April 23 on “”Real Women Have Courage: From San Luis Potosi to Hollywood.”” The lecture is part of the Helen Edison Lecture Series and the month-long celebration recognizing the life and work of Cesar E. Chavez sponsored by the UCSD Cesar E. Chavez Celebration Planning Committee. Lopez will speak about her experiences as an undocumented immigrant working to succeed as a writer and playwright.
She has worked in the entertainment industry as an actress and writer and has found time to help other people in her community. Lopez has also worked with Chicano youths by speaking about her experiences.
Lopez is also the co-screenwriter for the movie “”Real Women Have Curves”” playing in the Price Center Theatre April 22 at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Both the movie and lecture are free and open to the public.
SDSC Director Berman awarded endowed chair
Professor and director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center Francine Berman has recently been appointed as the first holder of the Endowed Chair in High Performance Computing. Berman is a professor of computer science and engineering and is also the director for the National Science Foundation’s National Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure.
Berman’s research and expertise centers around high performance and grid computing in programming environments, adaptive middleware, scheduling and performance prediction for parallel applications and computational science.
The appointment as an Endowed Chair professor is considered to be one of the highest honors that can be received. The endowment can be utilized for various matters such as equipment and development of curriculum.