H&SS name changed to honor Muir provost
In an official ceremony on Feb. 11, John Muir College administrators renamed the auditorium at Humanities and Social Science 2250 in honor of former Muir Provost Patrick J. Ledden. Ledden died in October 2003.
The new Patrick J. Ledden Auditorium recognizes Ledden’s work as associate chancellor and the second provost of Muir College. Ledden occupied the post of provost from 1987 until his death.
A mathematician by profession, Ledden also expressed great interest in literature and public art, supporting the development of interdisciplinary programs at the college, according to Muir interim Provost Susan Kirkpatrick.
“Pat Ledden’s mind ranged widely, and his most enduring legacy may be seen in his beloved students, to whom he communicated his enthusiasm for learning,” Kirkpatrick stated in an e-mail to campus faculty and staff.
Courses beginning in the spring will list the facility under its new name on student schedules.
Three UC researchers awarded national medals
President George W. Bush has named three UC researchers among eight recipients of the 2003 National Medal of Science, the highest national honor given to a scientist.
The medals will be awarded at a White House ceremony scheduled for March 14.
The award will honor UC San Francisco Chancellor and Nobel laureate J. Michael Bishop for his work in biological science. The other medals will go to UC Irvine behavioral scientist R. Duncan Luce and UC Berkeley chemical engineering professor John M. Prausnitz.
“Our lives are enriched by these researchers’ significant contributions to California, the nation and the world,” stated UC President Robert C. Dynes in a university press release. “Through their innovation and outstanding achievement, these individuals have brought distinction to themselves, their students and our university.”
Of the 409 National Medals of Science presented since the program’s inception by Congress in 1959, 51 have gone to researchers affiliated with the University of California.
Ten UC engineers elected to national academy
Of the 74 new members and 11 foreign associates elected to the National Academy of Engineering this year, 10 will come from the University of California, the academy announced. The number is the most from any college or university.
In the 2005 election, 153 UC faculty and researchers will be members of the academy, which advises the federal government on issues related to engineering that have major economic and social implications.
“These engineers are to be applauded for their remarkable contributions to our nation in many areas of engineering,” UC President Robert C. Dynes stated in a university announcement of the election results. “Their election confirms once again the strength of our faculty in mathematics, science and engineering.”
UCSD professor of bioengineering Geert W. Schmid-Schoenbein, elected for discovering the activation mechanism of white blood cells, was the only winner affiliated with the campus.
Campus receives $1.5 million award for research
UCSD has received a $1.5 million gift from structural engineering industry leader Robert E. Englekirk and his wife Natalie to fund research, fellowships and scholarships at Jacobs School of Engineering, the campus has announced.
Englekirk founded Englekirk Companies, which has been credited with structural design in more than $100 billion of construction projects, including the billion-dollar Getty Center and the Hollywood and Highland shopping complex.
The money will go toward work at the campus’ new structural research center, the university stated in a press release. The gift will leverage almost $17 million in federal and state support for three new testing facilities, including the world’s first outdoor shake table, the country’s largest soil-structure interaction facility and the world’s first blast simulator, which will study the effects of bomb explosions.
Spellings gives first talk on higher education
Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings offered her first remarks devoted exclusively to higher education at the annual meeting of the American Council on Education on Feb. 14.
Preserving access to higher education is part of President George W. Bush’s commitment to create an “ownership society,” Spellings said.
In addition, Spellings said Bush’s 2006 budget would increase funding for federal financial aid, allowing low-income students to attend college.
Spellings also criticized the Education Department’s methods for tracking student success and said the government needed to find better ways to collect that information.
