Vol. 17, No. 12Nov. 20, 1997

A selection of items in the national and local media about the University-its faculty, staff and students:

Middletown, Conn., Choice, September. Voicing the void: muteness and memory in Holocaust fiction. "With this book Sara Horowitz (University of Delaware) assures her position as an important figure in Holocaust discourse. She demonstrates comprehensive familiarity with genres from testimony to imaginative literature and extensive knowledge of critical theory."

Seattle, Wash., Times, Sept. 9/Toledo, Ohio, Blade, Sept. 15/ Danbury, Conn., News-Times, Sept. 15/Andover, Mass., Townsman, Sept. 18/Buffalo News, Sept. 21/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 22/ Manhasset, N.Y., Electronic Engineering Times, Sept. 22. Digest. Light into electricity. "A chip of silicon, spray-painted with a bit of the elements carbon and germanium, can convert light into electricity, a new study shows. While such a chip could never replace a conventional solar cell, it might pave the way for a computer chip that could respond to light, researchers say. Engineer Paul Berger of the University of Delaware and colleagues recently developed this carbon-germanium chip while looking for a way to speed up the performance of conventional silicon wafers"

Baltimore Afro-American, Sept. 13/Washington, D.C., Afro-American, Sept. 27. Carson becomes 'doctor' again. "Dr. Benjamin S. Carson has a gift, and that is why he received an honorary doctorate of science degree at the University of Delaware Sept. 2. At this year's convocation, launching academic 1997-98, over 2,600 students watched Andrew B. Kirkpatrick Jr., chairman of the UD Board of Trustees, as he presented Dr. Carson with the degree.... 'His gifted hands have healed children afflicted with pediatric brain tumors, chronic seizures and congenital spinal deformities, creating promising futures where there once was little hope,' said Mr. Kirkpatrick, adding that the doctor overcame hardships to achieve his life successes."

Mankato, Minn., Reporter, Sept. 18. Bits & Bytes. "Applying to college is as easy as a click of a button at the University of Delaware and in the California State University System. These schools and more are starting to offer web-based application forms that students can either fill out online or download to send later."

Washington Post, Sept. 22/White Plains, N.Y., Citizen Register, Sept. 27/White Plains, N.Y., Reporter Dispatch, Sept. 27/New Rochelle, N.Y., Standard-Star, Sept. 27/Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Star, Sept. 27/New Rochelle, N.Y., Daily Times, Sept. 27/Yonkers, N.Y., Herald Statesman, Sept. 28/Grand Rapids, Mich., Press, Sept. 29/Seattle Times, Sept. 30. Anchorage Daily News, Sept. 30. From the Washington Post Wire Service. New research shows why mussels simply won't let go. "J. Herbert Waite of the University of Delaware and colleagues examined the structure of 'byssal threads' mussels use to hold onto things.... The findings, the researchers say, may offer clues to developing better artificial skin and other biomedical materials. 'It's fun to dream about versatile new materials for a whole host of products--from steelbelted radials to shoes, which must be soft and flexible, yet tough enough to pound the pavement,' says Waite." Similar stories on this project also appeared in The New York Times and London Times.

The Baltimore Sun, Sept. 25/ Annapolis, Md., Capital, Sept. 21. Delaware considers curbs on shark catch. "Faced with plummeting numbers, Delaware is considering placing restrictions on fishing for sharks in the Delaware Bay, the inland bays and up to 3 miles off the coast.... The sheltered waters of the Delaware Bay, which are rich in fish, eggs and larvae, are an attractive place for sharks to bear and raise their young. 'Probably it's easy pickings,' said Bill Hall, a marine education specialist at the University of Delaware's College of Marine Studies in Lewes.

Shelley, Ind., Pioneer, Sept. 25. Helpful advice for keeping food fresh to eat in the great outdoors. "When cooking for friends and family, you don't have to worry about food safety if you follow a few simple tips from Dr. Kathryn L. Kotula: 'When cooking outdoors, remember to use TLC-Take the temperature, Look at the package, and Clean the cooking area,' says Dr. Kotula, professor of food science at the University of Delaware and scientific adviser to the National Broiler Council, the trade association for the nation's chicken production and processing industry."

San Diego Union-Tribune, Sept. 28. New heart monitor tells you how hard you work. "You can get an earful of feedback from your primary working muscle, the heart, with a newly developed device that adds an aural dimension to the conventional heart-rate sensor worn around the chest.... Instead of gazing at a digital readout on a wristwatch attached to the heart sensor on your chest, you'll be listening to a semi-human sounding voice that, depending on how you feel, could be music to your ears.... There's no debating the fact, though, that monitors surpass putting your finger on your pulse to measure heart rate. A University of Delaware study found significant differences last year in comparing self-reported heart rates in 10- and 15-second intervals with Polar brand electric heart-rate monitoring during various levels of aerobic dance."

Allentown, Pa., Morning Call, Sept. 29. Collegiate bands strut their stuff. "The fans wore sweatshirts and sat on cushions to protect against a football-season nip in the air at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown.... As the University of Delaware's band danced on the field, a Boston University student gasped, 'They are doing the limbo!' and when the Fightin' Blue Hen Marching Band broke into 'Stars and Stripes Forever,' fellow marchers smiled in recognition and clapped along."

London Financial Times, Sept. 30. A helping hand. "From hearing implants for the deaf to electronically controlled hands and limbs, technology for the disabled is making important advances.... The challenges are illustrated by experiments at the University of Delaware into robotic arms to help the paralyzed perform simple tasks, such as eating and brushing their hair. Robots acting on voice command alone have proved too difficult for most people to maneuver. 'Just saying up, over, down, to the robot can be very frustrating, as anyone knows who's tried to use one of those robotic arms to pick up stuffed animals and other goodies at an arcade,' says Richard Foulds, who heads the research. So University of Delaware scientists are trying to add sophisticated memory into the robot."

Bioscience, October. Firefly message: eat me not. "University of Delaware entomology professor Douglas Tallamy and graduate student Todd Underwood believe that they have unlocked the secret message: Glowworms, the biologists report in the June issue of the Journal of Insect Behavior, use bioluminescence to warn away predators, just as monarch butterflies and wasps use color as warning signs."

Maryland Farmer, October. Delaware specialist out to smash Dectes. "'Dectes damage to a soybean crop can be serious,' said Joanne Whalen, Cooperative Extension integrated pest management (IPM) specialist at the University of Delaware.... If there is a way to control Dectes, Whalen is determined to find it. Over the summer, she continued a study she began last year to find the right combination of strategies. Using a $5,700 grant from the Delaware Soybean Board, she worked with Richard Taylor, extension agronomy specialist; Bob Uniatowski, agronomy research associate; and John Pesek, food and resource economics analyst, evaluating the interaction between plant spacing, soybean variety and length of time the plant takes to mature."

The Baltimore Sun, Aug. 24. Books of the region. Disappearing Delmarva: Portraits of the Peninsula People. "Ed Okonowicz's [public relations] assemblage of 70 interesting individuals.... sounds melancholic, basket maker, chair caner, mail boat captain, highway gift shop operator, movie projectionist--after their deaths, will there be anyone to carry on, or will modern times pave everything over?"

Ithaca, N.Y., Journal, Oct. 2/Johnstown, Pa., Tribune-Democrat., Oct. 2. Deere may use soybeans to build tractors. "Moline, Ill.-based Deere & Co., known worldwide for its distinctive green and yellow John Deere tractors, is considering putting an idea developed at the University of Delaware into real-world practice. Researchers working on the University's Affordable Composites from Renewable Sources (ACRES) project have been exploring ways to make soybean oil-based composites for an array of commercial products for about a year."

Wilmington News Journal, Oct. 2. Variety of activities, talks planned for UD Sexual Assault Awareness Week. "The UD...is designed to bring attention to the issues of sexual assault, sexual abuse and domestic violence.... 'We're getting awareness out to the community and doing it in a way that's not lecturing at them but involving them in the dialogue,' said Donna Tuites, assistant director of UD's Office of Women's Affairs. 'At all these {activities}, there will be trained counselors. It is crucial to make people aware that there's a place to get help. You don't have to suffer in silence.'"

Gainesville, Ga., Poultry Times, Oct. 6. Respiratory diseases remain concern of Delmarva producers. "The University of Delaware Poultry Diagnostic Laboratory in 12 months, September 1996 through August 1997, processed 1,949 disease cases, up from 1,311 for 1996. Of the 1,949, 353 were identified as respiratory disease. Dr. E. M. Odor, University of Delaware Research & Education Center, Georgetown, Del., presented this statistic to those attending the 1997 Delmarva Broiler Housing & Flock Supervisors' Conference here Sept. 17."

Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 12. Down on the farm in Phila. "They are imagining a Philadelphia that employs hundreds of thousands of people in industries based on urban agriculture and fish farming, and spin-offs such as food processing distribution and marketing.... Urban farming is still commonplace in many of the world's cities.... Urban fish farming, by comparison, is not so simple. 'The technology still has a way to go,' says John Ewart, aquaculture specialist at the College of Marine Studies of the University of Delaware. Another problem is to find a reliable set of customers. Niche markets can be extremely volatile. On the other hand, the overall market for fresh fish in urban centers is growing, particularly among fanciers of Asian cuisines, Ewart says."

Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 22. Developer explains Deep Blue. "For Deep Blue developer C.J. Tan, today's man-versus-machine competition is reminiscent of the early 1900s, when crowds watched races that pitted humans against that era's newest technology, the automobile and its internal combustion engine.... Speaking to about 200 people at the University of Delaware, Tan explained how International Business Machines Corp. took its new technology of parallel processors-and applied it to the 'real life' complex problems associated with a world-class chess game.... By linking a laptop computer with Deep Blue Jr., a one-processor version of its giant cousin, people such as University of Delaware sophomore Abraham Bosch were able to take a shot at unseating a version of the computer champion."

-Compiled by Barbara Garrison