UCLA News and Feature Leads, January 2003


Date: January 2, 2003
Contact: Office of Media Relations ( media@support.ucla.edu )
Phone: 310-825-2585

UCLA launches Center for Civil Society

UCLA's School of Public Policy and Social Research is launching the UCLA Center for Civil Society in January. The center will conduct research and teaching on the nonprofit sector at the local, regional and international levels. New courses about the nonprofit sector have already been introduced. Helmut Anheier, a professor and internationally respected scholar on the nonprofit sector, will lead the center. The center's first report on Los Angeles' nonprofit sector and the challenges it faces in a time of budget crises and economic uncertainty is scheduled to be released soon.

Media contact: Stan Paul at (310) 206-8966 or paul@sppsr.ucla.edu

Experimental drug shows promising results in colorectal cancer patients

An experimental drug showed promising results when paired with standard chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer, according to a UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center study published in the Jan. 1, 2003, issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The results of this and subsequent studies of Avastin, a drug designed to cut off a tumor's blood supply, could change the way oncologists treat patients with this devastating form of cancer, said Dr. Fairooz Kabbinavar, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and first author of the journal article. The combination of Avastin and chemotherapy proved superior to chemotherapy alone in treating advanced colorectal cancer, Kabbinavar said.

Media contact: Kim Irwin at (310) 206-2805 or kirwin@mednet.ucla.edu

Study reveals more African Americans than whites live in areas with few jobs

Although African Americans' physical isolation from jobs improved slightly in the 1990s, African Americans were still more physically isolated from jobs than any other ethnic group, according to a study by Michael A. Stoll, associate professor at the UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research, and Steven Raphael, associate professor at the Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley. In nearly all metropolitan areas, the separation between residences and jobs was much higher for African Americans than whites. The national study was sponsored by the Brookings Institution; Los Angeles data will be released in January.

Media contact: Stan Paul at (310) 206-8966 or paul@sppsr.ucla.edu

UCLA trains teachers on improving math education

UCLA Mathematics Project is one of nine California sites providing professional and leadership development for math teachers. The project teamed up with UCLA's Department of Mathematics to provide teachers with ideas, strategies and resources to make the learning of mathematics desirable and accessible for all students, with an emphasis on female and underrepresented minority students. Teachers attend training workshops and meet with coaches. The project also helps schools interpret state-mandated test results to better understand student needs and improve student achievement.

Media contact: Letisia Marquez at (310) 206-3986 or lmarquez@support.ucla.edu

News Events Calendar

Jan. 16: UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute spotlights obsessive-compulsive disorder

The UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute will sponsor a program on the cause, diagnosis and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The anxiety disorder causes uncontrollable obsessions and compulsions that interfere with a person's daily life. Doctors will speak and answer questions.

Media contact: Dan Page at (310) 794-2265 or dpage@support.ucla.edu

Jan. 26: UCLA hosts symposium on impact of genomics revolution

UCLA's Center for Society, the Individual and Genetics will host "The Storefront Genome" symposium. Some of the most influential scientists and thinkers in genetics will discuss the impact of cheap, comprehensive genetic analyses in the future and how they will affect medicine, law and society.

Media contact: Roxanne Moster at (310) 794-2264 or roxannem@support.ucla.edu

Jan. 31: UCLA Extension conference examines development and environmental issues

UCLA Extension's 17th Annual Land Use Law and Planning Conference will examine land use and environmental issues in California including new laws, trends and policies affecting development. Topics to be discussed include housing, zoning for adult businesses and casino development.

Media contact: Julie Jaskol at (310) 825-1901 or jjaskol@unex.ucla.edu

Experts du jour – Affirmative action debated

• Peter Arenella is a UCLA School of Law professor.
• Paule Cruz Takash is visiting assistant professor with the UCLA Cesar Chavez Center for Chicana/o Studies and teaches a course about the history of affirmative action.

Media contact: Letisia Marquez at (310) 206-3986 or lmarquez@support.ucla.edu

For more UCLA faculty experts, visit newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?menu=mediaserv

Web Wise

The UCLA International Institute is the focal point for international activity at UCLA, bringing together the departments and programs of the College of Letters and Sciences with all the professional schools. Its Web site features links to its centers, which focus their research and teaching on key regions of the world, as well as articles written by the institute's professors and staff members, and information about the institute's activities.

www.international.ucla.edu

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