April 2008 (Vol. 7, No. 5)

This Month's Top Stories . . .

• U.S. News Ranks College of Medicine Fifth in the Nation for Primary Care
• Innovative UVM Researchers Featured in New VPT Series
• Pell-Eligible Vermonters to Receive Full Tuition Scholarships
• Research Examines Flavored Milk and Kids' Diets
• Acclaimed Jazz Trumpeter to Join Faculty
• Student Research Conference
• Outstanding Season for Women's Lacrosse
• In Memoriam: James S. Pacy, Franklin Parker
• Campus Kudos

U.S. News Ranks College of Medicine Fifth in the Nation for Primary Care (up^)
The University of Vermont College of Medicine ranked fifth for primary care among the nation's 126 medical schools according to the U.S. News & World Report 2009 "America's Best Graduate Schools" on newsstands March 31. UVM moved up from seventh last year and has consistently ranked in the top 15 percent of all medical schools in primary care. "We're proud to be recognized as a national leader in providing top-quality medical education and training for primary care physicians," said UVM College of Medicine Dean Frederick C. Morin, III, M.D. Each year, U.S. News ranks professional-school programs in business, education, engineering, law, and medicine. Visit "America's Best Graduate Schools 2009" at www.usnews.com.

Innovative UVM Researchers Featured in New VPT Series (up^)
UVM faculty and alumni engaged in cutting-edge research and innovative business ventures are featured in a new Vermont Public Television series beginning Wednesday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. "Emerging Science" will be presented as four weekly programs focusing on nanotechnology; weather and climate change; water and the landscape; and remote wireless sensing. The audience for the programs goes far beyond VPT’s viewing area, to anyone with access to a computer or other device that can display Web-based video. In addition to a live webcast and online chat with the experts during each episode, VPT will make the programs available as video-on-demand files on its website. Funding for “Emerging Science” comes from Vermont EPSCoR, the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, based at UVM. Amy Seidl G'02, a scientist and environmental researcher, is the program’s host. More at http://www.vpt.org/programs/emergingscience.html.

Pell-Eligible Vermonters to Receive Full Tuition Scholarships (up^)
The University of Vermont will offer grants and scholarships covering all tuition and fees to Vermont undergraduates eligible for Federal Pell Grants, beginning with the 2008 entering fall class. The Pell Grant program offers need-based grants to students with the greatest financial need, determined by a federally-regulated financial formula. Eligibility for the program is restricted to the dependent children of Vermont families. Reflecting national averages for public flagship universities, about one-quarter of all entering Vermont undergraduates at UVM are Pell eligible in a typical year, approximately 150 students in an entering Vermont class of about 600. In addition to Pell grants, these students also typically receive grants from the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation and from the university. The new program will cover any remaining costs related to tuition and fees. "As a public institution with a land grant mission, UVM prides itself on its accessibility," said Daniel Mark Fogel, UVM president. "This new program is another element of our commitment to investing in Vermont's future, in this case by making sure UVM is accessible to Vermonters who have significant financial need." Full story at http://www.uvm.edu/theview/article.php?id=2684.

Research Examines Flavored Milk and Kids' Diets (up^)
Rachel Johnson, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is co-author of a new study on children's flavored milk consumption released in the April 1 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The study found that children who drink flavored or plain milk consume more nutrients and have a lower or comparable body mass index (a measure of body fatness) than children who don't drink milk. Although common sense might lead one to believe that the added sugar in chocolate or other flavored milk would make the drink detrimental to kids' diets and weight, Johnson and co-author Mary Murphy, science manager of the ENVIRON Health Sciences Institute, found otherwise. The research was covered on the April 1 edition of ABC World News Tonight and will appear in a forthcoming article on Newsweek.com. More at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=12136.

Acclaimed Jazz Trumpeter to Join Faculty (up^)
Trumpeter, percussionist, arranger, and jazz educator Ray Vega, one of the country's leading jazz and Latin jazz musicians, will join the music department faculty in the fall of 2008. A native of the South Bronx, Vega has been a featured performer in the bands of such Latin jazz greats as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and Mongo Santamaria and has performed or recorded with such jazz and Latin jazz legends as Joe Henderson, Lionel Hampton, Mel Torme, Paquito D'Rivera, and Eddie Palmieri. "It's a great feather in our cap, and testimony to the growing reputation of our jazz program, that we've have been able to bring someone of Ray's stature to UVM," said Alex Stewart, director of the UVM's Jazz Studies program. "He's not only a terrific performer and teacher, he also brings us the kind of visibility that will help us attract talented students from around the country." Read more at http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=News&storyID=12099.

Student Research Conference (up^)
On April 17 the Dudley H. Davis Center hosted the university's first Student Research Conference. Sixty-two undergraduates and 81 graduate students from every UVM college and school presented the results of their original research, scholarship and creative activity via 79 poster presentations and 60 oral presentations. Research projects covered a wide range of topics, from the Lake Champlain ecosystem, robotics, wireless networks, archaeology, mountaineering, and environmental justice to voting behavior, sustainable development, molecular genetics, nutrition, biofuels, organizational change, immigration, irrigation, and land use. "This is the beginning of what we hope will be an ongoing and growing celebration of student research institution-wide for years to come," said Frances E. Carr, vice president for research and graduate studies. As a premier small research university with a land grant mission, research is vital to UVM's identity, Carr said, and it's important that students be exposed to, participate in, and celebrate the creation of new knowledge. More at http://www.uvm.edu/theview/article.php?id=2680.

Outstanding Season for Women's Lacrosse (up^)
The UVM women's lacrosse team posted one of its most successful seasons in school history, finishing the year with eight wins, the most since 1993 and a school record five league wins. The Catamounts were second in the America East standings, the highest finish in the program's history, and earned the No. 2 seed in the America East Women's Lacrosse Championship. The team returned to the league tournament for the first time since 2003. Head coach Jen Johnson was named the America East Coach of the Year, and freshman Megan MacDonald was named the America East Rookie of the Year, becoming the first player in school history to earn that honor. Juniors Kristen Millar and Jessa Merrill were selected to the all-conference first team, and MacDonald and Sara Buxton were named to the all-conference second team. Millar, Merrill and Daryl Baughman represented UVM on the women's lacrosse all-academic team.

In Memoriam (up^)

James S. Pacy professor emeritus of political science, , died on Monday, April 21 at his home in Burlington. He was 77. He joined UVM's Political Science Department in 1967 and served until choosing early retirement in 1993. During his 26 years with the department, he was acting chairperson twice and chairperson once. Professor Pacy was regarded by students as an inspiring and stimulating teacher, and he was awarded the George V. Kidder Distinguished Teaching Award in 1985.

Franklin Parker P'91, a long-time member of the Rubenstein School Board of Advisors and formerly chair of its Development Committee, died in February at age 82. Known nationally for his passionate commitment to the environment and conservation, he started The Trust for Public Land's New Jersey Field Office and chaired TPL's New Jersey Advisory Council for a decade. A co-founder of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, he was able to have impact on the state's rural landscapes and its inner-city neighborhoods alike, playing a leading role in the successful effort to establish community playgrounds in Newark.

Campus Kudos (up^)

Edwin Bovill, professor and chair of pathology, authored an editorial in the March 19 Journal of the American Medical Association titled "Gene Discovery in Venous Thrombosis: progress and promise."

Kevin C. H. Chiang, associate professor of business administration, co-authored an article with Kirill Kozhevnikov, Ming-Long Lee and Craig Wisen published in the spring, 2008 issue of Real Estate Economics. The article is titled "Further Evidence on the Performance of Funds of Funds: The Case of Real Estate Mutual Funds."

The March 2008 issue of NIDA Notes from the National Institute on Drug Abuse featured an article titled "Combination Treatment Extends Marijuana Abstinence" focusing on research by Stephen Higgins, professor of psychiatry and psychology and co-director of the Human Behavioral Pharmacology Lab and Substance Abuse Treatment Center, and colleagues.

Valerie Esposito, a doctoral student in natural resources and ecological economics, has been selected to participate in the Advanced Graduate Workshop on Poverty, Development and Globalization, organized jointly by Columbia University's Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD) and University of Manchester's Brooks World Poverty Institute (BWPI). The highly selective, all-expense paid workshop (10 percent acceptance rate) will be held in the summer of 2008. The acceptance letter was signed by Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz.

Dr. James J. Hudziak, professor of psychiatry, medicine and pediatrics and director of the Vermont Center for Children, Youth and Families, is editor of a new book published by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. (APPI). Developmental Psychopathology and Wellness: Genetic and Environmental Influences features work from a team of 22 international authorities on psychiatric illness in children and adolescents, including Hudziak and Thomas Achenbach, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and psychology. Hudziak is also co-editor of Psychopathology in the 21st Century: DSM-V and Beyond (American Psychiatric Publishing, 2002).

Charles Irvin, professor of medicine and director of the Vermont Lung Center, is a co-author of an article in the April 21 Online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science titled, "Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase in lung dendritic cells promotes Th2 responses and allergic inflammation."

Jennifer Jenkins, research assistant professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, has been named science advisor to the Vermont Climate Collaborative, a partnership of Vermont's government, academic, and private sectors created to develop strategies for reducing the state's greenhouse gas emissions.

David Jones, assistant professor of business administration, and his coauthors, Drs. Neil Fassina and Krista Uggerslev (Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba) had an article published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Management. The article was titled: “Relationship Clean-up Time: Using Meta-analysis and Path Analysis to Clarify the Relationships among Job Satisfaction, Perceived Fairness, and Citizenship Behaviors.”

Three members of the department of pediatrics will serve in national editorial leadership roles as part of an upcoming change at Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and preeminent journal in the world in its field. Dr. Jerold Lucey, Wallace Professor of Neonatology and Pediatrics editor-in-chief for the past 34 years, will step down as of January 2009 and become editor-in-chief emeritus. Stepping up as the new deputy editor will be Dr. Lewis First, professor and chair of pediatrics and senior associate dean for medical education. In addition, Dr. Jeffrey Horbar, Lucey Chair of Neonatal Medicine, will become one of three new associate editors for the journal.

Dennis Mahoney, professor and director of the department of German and Russian, has published an article on “Apt Pupil: The Making of a ‘Bogeyboy’” in a volume on “The Films of Stephen King. From 'Carrie' to 'Secret Window' (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008) edited by Tony Magistrale, professor in the department of English.

Wolfgang Mieder, professor and chairperson of the department of German and Russian, is the author of the book Hänsel und Gretel: Das Märchen in Kunst, Musik, Literatur, Medien und Karikaturen, which deals with the origin, meaning, and modern survival of one of the best known fairy tales. He also published a series of articles on fairy tales and advertising, aphorisms, cartoons, comics, poems, proverbs, stamps, etc. in the three-volume Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales. His article on “`God Helps Them Who Help Themselves: Proverbial Rhetoric in the Letters of Abigail Adams” appeared in an essay volume in Bulgaria, and another article on anti-proverbs with the title “Phrasenkritik durch Antisprichwörter im 19. Jahrhundert” appeared in another volume in Austria.

Dr. Magdalena Naylor, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the MindBody Medicine Clinic, is lead author of a February 2008 article in the journal Pain titled "Therapeutic Interactive Voice Response for chronic pain reduction and relapse prevention." Co-authors on the paper include Dr. John Helzer, professor of psychiatry and director of the Health Behavior Research Center, and Shelly Naud, researcher/analyst in the department of medical biostatistics.

Garrison Nelson, professor of political science, was interviewed during the Vermont presidential primary by CNN, Associated Press, TIME Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, La Presse (Que.), Vermont Public Radio, New England Cable News, WPTZ-TV (4), Fox 44 News (3), the Boston Globe, the Providence Journal, the Burlington Free Press, the Bennington Banner, and Vermont Woman.

Russell Tracy, professor of pathology and biochemistry and senior associate dean for research and academic affairs at the College of Medicine, is a co-author on an article in the March 27 New England Journal of Medicine titled "Coronary Calcium as a Predictor of Coronary Events in Four Racial or Ethnic Groups."

Rick Vanden Bergh, professor of business administration and expert on corporate strategy in the political environment, was featured in an article on CFO.com about how the accounting profession still gives most of its campaign contributions to Republicans, but that the portion going to Democrats is growing.

Tian Xia, assistant professor in engineering, is one of 17 faculty from universities around the world to receive the prestigious 2008 IBM Faculty Award. This competitive worldwide program is intended to foster collaboration between researchers at leading worldwide universities with IBM research, development and services organizations.

Dateline UVM Would Like to Hear from You: (up^)
Send comments, questions, and address changes to Dateline UVM Editor, Jay Goyette (jay.goyette@uvm.edu).