Memorial will honor John Galbraith on Jan. 12

A memorial tribute will be held for John S. Galbraith, professor emeritus of history and chancellor emeritus, on Jan. 12.

Galbraith, who served as UCSD’s second chancellor, died on June 10 after complications from pneumonia. He was 86.

He served as chancellor from 1964 to 1968 after having served as vice chancellor from 1962 to 1964. He saw the development of the young university through the Vietnam War and student protests. During his tenure, Galbraith championed the architecture of Geisel Library.

He was also an expert in British imperial history, teaching at UCLA and writing four books on the subject.

Galbraith retired from the University of California in 1986.

The tribute will be held at the Faculty Club from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Two undergrads chosen to represent UCSD at UC Day

Two UCSD undergraduate students have been chosen to represent UCSD at the University of California’s fifth annual undergraduate research showcase.

Ben Maggos and Nick Statom will present their research as part of UC Day in Sacramento on March 9. fic

Maggos, a senior, is a double-major in Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts. Maggos conducted research for the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, working with faculty advisors on visualizations of the Cal(IT)2 building under construction at UCSD. His work included converting line drawings and floor plans into three-dimensional models.

Statom, a junior, is majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He was nominated for his research on the “”Analysis of Sea Breeze Effects Using QuickSCAT and SeaWinds Scatterometry.”” His research is part of a NASA program called Ocean Vector Winds, which deploys SeaWinds scatterometers on satellites. These measure near-surface wind velocity under all conditions on all the Earth’s oceans. Statom’s work included analyzing the resulting data with a goal of evaluating the tandem scatterometer mission’s skill at detecting land and sea breeze effects.

Statom and Maggos will receive plaques during the Alumni Association-sponsored UC Day honoring their participation. A poster of their research will be displayed for one week outside the Governor’s Ofe in the Capitol Building.

Ricardo Lagos will receive peace and democracy award

The Institute of the Americas will present its Award for Peace and Democracy to the President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos, on Jan. 9.

The award was established by the institute to recognize outstanding contributions to the causes of democracy and peace in the Western Hemisphere.

The luncheon will take place at the Hyatt in La Jolla at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $100.

This event is separate from Lagos’ free public speech, which he will give at 9:30 a.m. at the Institute of the Americas Auditorium, also on Jan. 9.

More information for the luncheon event can be obtained by calling (858) 453-5560 ext. 111.

UCSD biologists make anthrax breakthrough

UCSD biologists have determined how a toxin produced by anthrax blocks a person’s immune response, findings that could possibly lead to new treatments for anthrax infections.

The researchers have described why, in the presence of anthrax, human immune cells fail to respond normally. The body normally produces cytokines, which alert other cells to the presence of an invader. Anthrax suppresses this response, preventing a normal immune response. The anthrax bacteria are thus able to multiply unhindered.

The researchers say they have identified a protein molecule targeted by the anthrax toxin and determined where it acts in the sequence of immune response.

They also identified a second route in the cell, thus far unknown, by which series of proteins activate one another to switch on cytokine production. This second route, they discovered, is the one the anthrax toxin targets.

Their findings, to be published in the Jan. 15 issue of The Journal of Immunology, suggest that developing a drug that could prevent the anthrax toxin from splitting could help prevent infection from going out of control as the anthrax bacteria would be unable to evade immune response.

About 75 percent of people infected with inhalation anthrax die, even with appropriate antibiotics, according to the Center for Disease Control.

The anthrax research was headed by UCSD biology professor Michael David and was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.