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10:58 a.m., May 30, 2008--A roundup of recent news items about UD, its faculty, students, staff and alumni.

UD Commencement speaker Cal Ripken Jr. was featured in a front page Philadelphia Inquirer story about his upcoming Saturday morning, May 31, address before an anticipated crowd of more than 20,000 at Delaware Stadium. The story quoted UD President Patrick Harker and John Cochran of the Board of Trustees.

Charles Elson, Edgar S. Woolard Jr. Chair and director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance, was quoted in a May 30 Wall Street Journal story about Exxon Mobile shareholders and in a May 13 Wall Street Journal story about an Exxon Mobile e-mail message concerning a shareholder measure. “It is highly unusual to send a supplementary letter on a shareholder resolution in a nontakeover context,” Elson said. Elson also was quoted in a May 22 Austin American-Statesman story about pay for directors of Pedernales Electric, in a May 16 Los Angeles Times story about Carl Icahn's bid to take control of the Yahoo board of directors and in a May 13 Kansas City Star story about executive compensation.

Yan Jin, professor of plant and soil sciences, was cited in a May 30 RSC Publishing Chemistry Biology story about her research on the ability of pumpkin plants to take up nanoparticles through their roots. Also cited was John Xiao, professor of physics and astronomy.

Carol Stringari, chief conservator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and a UD graduate who earned a master's degree in art conservation, was featured in a story in the May 28 New York Sun.

Nicole Minni, a Water Resources Agency policy specialist, was featured in a May 28 Bethany Beach Wave story about her work as a geographic information systems graphics specialist.

Millicent Sullivan, assistant professor of chemical engineering, was featured on several Web sites, including Nanowerk, FirstScience and Genetic Engineering News, after the announcement that she had received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award for her research on therapeutic drug carriers.

Peter X Feng, associate professor of English and film scholar, was featured in a May 27 Denver Post story about his role providing commentary as Turner Classic Movies looks at Asians in film during June.

Xiao-Hai Yan, Mary A.S. Lighthipe Chair of Marine and Earth Studies, was quoted in a May 27 News Journal story about China and the Summer Olympics.

Michele Sands, communications specialist with UD's Center for Disability Studies, was quoted in a May 27 News Journal story about those who work with people with developmental disabilities. “It's one of those professions that has not gotten very much recognition, and there's not a lot of respect for what these people do. But they do the work that's difficult,” she told the newspaper.

Gregory E. Hicks, assistant professor of physical therapy, was cited in a May 26 Reuters Health story about a study linking lack of vitamin D with back pain among older women.

James Falk, director of the Delaware Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service, and Kelvin W. Ramsey of the Delaware Geological Survey were quoted in a May 26 News Journal story about storm concerns along the heavily developed Delaware beaches.

Matthew Robinson, associate professor of sport management, wrote an opinion piece in the May 25 News Journal about the use of sport as a diplomatic tool.

Leland Ware, Louis L. Redding Professor of Law and Public Policy, and Jamie Wolfe, supplemental professional at UD's Center for Disability Studies, were quoted in a May 25 News Journal story about the continuing struggle for equal rights.

Ben Yagoda, professor of English, was quoted in a May 24 Toronto Star story about “invented words” and other trends in the language.

Michael Chajes, dean of the College of Engineering, was quoted in a May 24 News Journal story about construction on the St. Georges Bridge over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. "The bridge community is very conservative since the collapse in Minnesota," Chajes told the newspaper. "If anything, I think people are putting restrictions on more quickly than in the past since what happened. People are taking a more critical look now, taking extra precautions."

Jack Gallagher, professor of marine and Earth studies, was quoted in a May 21 News Journal story about saltwater flooding of farmland in Kent and Sussex counties in the wake of the recent Northeaster. Neither soybeans nor corn are “very salt tolerant,” he said.

Carl German, an agent with the UD Cooperative Extension Service, was quoted in a May 21 News Journal story about high prices for soybeans and corn. He told the newspaper that commodity prices are up on demand, rising oil prices and market speculation.

Kelvin H. Lee, Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering and Delaware Biotechnology Institute Faculty Fellow and researchers in his laboratory at DBI, were featured in a May 21 WHYY-TV Delaware Tonight health segment feature on research concerning Alzheimer's disease. They are working to develop an accurate diagnostic tool for the disease and a strategy to protect against its ravages.

Mark Miller, Emma Smith Morris Professor of Political Science and International Relations, was quoted in a May 20 News Journal story about the impact of the work visa cap on Delaware employers. Miller also was quoted in a May 13 News Journal story about assimilation of immigrants. "Evidence would suggest that if given enough time, slowly but surely, they will incorporate," he said. "The certain genius about the United States is that we turn foreigners into Americans."

Raelene Maser, interim chairperson of the Department of Medical Technology, was quoted in a May 19 News Journal story about feverish health care hiring in a down economy. “Our graduates have no trouble finding jobs,” she said, adding, “They get multiple offers.”

Tricia Wachtendorf, assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice and core faculty at the Disaster Research Center, was interviewed May 18 on the Canadian Broadcasting Company radio program Cross-Country Checkup regarding the challenges of providing appropriate international relief after the China earthquake and Myanmar cyclone.

Kavi Chokshi, a UD junior, was featured in a May 17 News Journal story about his work in raising disaster aid by linking student groups and downtown Newark merchants.

Marsha Dickson, chairperson of the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, was quoted in a May 16 Christian Science Monitor story about confusion over green manufacturing in the fashion industry. "Labels on underwear are small," Dickson told the newspaper, "and that's tricky because the tendency then is to boil it down to a simple message. With the environment, there are so many ways it can be impacted in textiles and clothing. They'll have to be real specific in the standards they're trying to meet, and it will have to be traceable and verifiable."

Lynn Snyder-Mackler, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Physical Therapy, was quoted May 13 in a special health section in The New York Times concerning knee surgery, noting that some patients wait too long before having the procedure. “There's definitely a point where there's a diminishing return if you wait too long,” she told the Times. “You end up trading one set of impairments for another.”

Donald Lehman, assistant professor of medical technology, was quoted in a May 12 News Journal story about germs in work areas. “Some of these viruses are sneaky,” he told the newspaper, adding, “People can be contagious before they have the symptoms.”

Johnie Burton, director of financial aid, was quoted in a May 11 News Journal story about the national student loan squeeze. “Our students are pretty safe because we're a direct-lending school,” Burton told the newspaper.

Joseph Trainor, researcher at the Disaster Research Center, was featured in a week of May 9 Living on Earth public radio program broadcast about disaster relief. To listen, go to the archives section at [www.loe.org].