Front Page News at Indiana University

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Philanthropic aspects of IU's Little 500 taking on more meaning; races to run April 24-25
Indiana University biologist leads $8 million project to study economically important plants
IU, Persistent Systems create R&D center
Compassion fatigue: impact on healthcare providers of caring for the terminally ill
Federal grant to fund evaluation of groundbreaking online teaching program
Recognizing cognitive impairment key to keeping older adults at home
IU Bloomington symposium to focus on "deep localities" in American studies
Judges, academics differ on judicial decision-making
IU Bloomington Scoreboard

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Philanthropic aspects of IU's Little 500 taking on more meaning; races to run April 24-25 -- The organizers of Indiana University's annual Little 500 bicycle races say they are seeing rising interest in this year's events -- both on and off the track -- due in part to the current economic downturn. While both the men's and women's Little 500 races on April 24-25 are expected to again be competitive, IU Student Foundation leaders say the event's true mission -- to raise money for student scholarships -- has become particularly relevant. Read the complete story.

Indiana University biologist leads $8 million project to study economically important plants -- A project led by an Indiana University Bloomington plant biology team has been awarded an $8 million, four-year National Science Foundation grant to study the genetics and genomics of economically important and evolutionarily interesting plant species. "Comparative Genomics of Phenotypic Variation in the Compositae" will investigate the largest family of flowering plants, which includes sunflowers, safflowers, lettuce -- and even daisies and dandelions. The project's principal investigator is Loren Rieseberg, who has joint appointments at IU Bloomington and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Read the complete story.

IU, Persistent Systems create R&D center -- Indiana University and Persistent Systems, the leading outsourced product development services company, have partnered to create a research and development center. Located in the soon-to-be completed incubator on the IU Bloomington campus, the Persistent Indiana Research Center will further the development of informatics, specifically life sciences product lifecycle services, medical research, chemistry, bio-informatics and computer science. Read the complete story.

Compassion fatigue: impact on healthcare providers of caring for the terminally ill -- Compassion fatigue in nurses, doctors and other front line cancer-care providers significantly impacts how they interact with patients, with patient families, with other healthcare workers, and with their own family, according to analysis by Indiana University School of Medicine and Regenstrief Institute researchers published in the March issue of the Journal of Health Psychology. "The healthcare field is becoming more aware of the profound emotional disturbances that occur in healthcare providers when they witness the suffering and pain of their patients in the face of an incurable disease, such as cancer. Healthcare providers are often partners in this journey, and the understanding of the effects of caring for the terminally ill on the caregiver is limited," the researchers wrote. Read the complete story.

Federal grant to fund evaluation of groundbreaking online teaching program -- Indiana University faculty members recently received a $2 million, four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate the efficacy of an IU-developed online learning tool called Computer Assisted Learning Method (CALM). This grant could determine if CALM -- used by high school chemistry students and teacher -- becomes the leading program of its kind nationwide. IU Chemistry Professor Romualdo de Souza originally developed CALM (http://calm.indiana.edu), for students of an introductory chemistry class at IU. The Center for Evaluation and Education Policy (CEEP) in the IU School of Education will conduct the study. Read the complete story.

Recognizing cognitive impairment key to keeping older adults at home: Training medical professionals to identify red flags -- Doctors, nurses and others who provide health care to older adults are often so focused on acute medical problems that they may miss symptoms of cognitive impairment. A unique educational summit to be held in April and May in Indianapolis focuses on the problem and will enhance the skills of these health-care providers in recognizing and managing cognitive impairment. The goal is to enable older adults to remain in their homes. Read the complete story.

IU Bloomington symposium to focus on "deep localities" in American studies -- Scholars from across the U.S. and from Canada will be at Indiana University Bloomington this month to present and discuss papers on the importance of place in modern American literary and cultural studies. A symposium titled "Deep Localities: The New Critical Regionalism" will take place April 10 in the University Club of the Indiana Memorial Union, 900 E. Seventh St. It is sponsored by the Americanist Research Colloquium at IU Bloomington and organized by Scott Herring and Jennifer Fleissner, co-directors of the colloquium and faculty members in the Department of English in the College of Arts and Sciences. Read the complete story.

Judges, academics differ on judicial decision-making -- Indiana Supreme Court Justice Frank Sullivan said he usually takes three different approaches into consideration when deciding the outcome of a pending case. He tries to address constitutional issues only when necessary; he considers how he believes lawmakers would want legislation interpreted; and finally, in common law issues, Sullivan looks for neutral principles that bear on the issue. Sullivan's explanation was part of a two-day conference hosted by the Indiana University Maurer School of Law titled "What's Law Got to Do With It?: What Judges Do and Why It Matters." Read the complete story.

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Indiana University Bloomington Scoreboard

Results from Wednesday, April 1:
Softball: The Indiana softball team battled all the way back from a three run deficit in the top of the seventh to tie the game but the Evansville Aces earned a 4-3 win. Read the game notes.
Baseball: Indiana matched its season high with 22 hits in a 16-4 victory over Cincinnati on Wednesday night. Read the game notes.

Schedule for Friday, April 3:
Men's Tennis: Minnesota, 3 p.m., Minneapolis, Minn.
Baseball: Illinois, 7:05 p.m., Champaign, Ill.
Women's Water Polo: Gannon, 7:30 p.m., Erie, Pa.
Women's Rowing: Dale England Cup vs. Pennsylvania, Bloominton, Ind.

Schedule for Saturday, April 4:
Women's Water Polo: Mercyhurst, 10 a.m., Erie, Pa.; Salem International, 12 p.m. Erie, Pa.; George Washington, 7:30 p.m., Lewisburg, Pa.
Field Hockey: Ohio, 10:50 a.m., Louisville, 4:05 p.m., Louisville, Ky.
Women's Tennis: Iowa, 11 a.m., Bloomington, Ind.
Softball: Northwestern, 2 p.m., Evanston, Ill.
Baseball: Illinois, 4:05 p.m., Champaign, Ill.
Men's and Women's Track: Pepsi Team Invitational, Eugene, Ore.
Women's Rowing: Dale England Cup vs. Louisville and Michigan State, Bloominton, Ind.

Schedule for Sunday, April 5:
Women's Tennis: Minnesota, 11 a.m., Bloomington, Ind.
Women's Water Polo: Bucknell, 11:30 a.m., Lewisburg, Pa.
Men's Tennis: Iowa, 1 p.m., Iowa City, Iowa
Softball: Northwestern, 2 p.m., Evanston, Ill.
Baseball: Illinois, 2:05 p.m., Champaign, Ill.
Men's Golf: United States Collegiate Championship, Atlanta, Ga.

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IU in the news

Phi Delta Theta, Teter claim pole positions
Indiana Daily Student, March 30 -- Saturday afternoon, Phi Delta Theta carried the pole after finishing fourth in qualifications last year and 15th in the 2008 Little 500. Along with a record-setting performance on the women's side by Teter, which finished second last year and claimed its third consecutive pole, riders said this year's qualifications showed the competition for the upcoming Little 500 will be fiercer than ever. Full story.

Tax-weary smokers stock up, weigh options
Journal Gazette, April 1 -- Smokers were stocking up Tuesday and weighing their options, the day before the biggest single federal tobacco tax increase took effect. The federal tax on each pack of cigarettes will increase from 39 cents to $1. John Kessler, an economics lecturer at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, said the new increase is more complicated than a simple sin tax - a tax levied to discourage a certain behavior. President Obama's administration is banking on the revenue from the new cigarette tax. If too many people quit smoking, the money for the new program will dry up, Kessler said. Full story.

2nd dean candidate to visit IU today
Indiana Daily Student, April 1 -- The second candidate for the dean of students position will attend an open forum to introduce himself to the IU family. IU alumnus Pete Goldsmith currently works as the vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, a position he has held since 2003. Students can meet Goldsmith at 5 p.m. today in the Wells-Metz Theatre. Full story.

Gardasil maker pitches the vaccine for boys
Washington Post, March 31 -- When a vaccine designed to protect girls against a sexually transmitted virus arrived three years ago, the debate centered on one question: Would the shots make girls more likely to have sex? The vaccine's maker now is trying to obtain approval to sell a vaccine for boys, and the debate focuses on entirely different issues: Is it worth the money, and is it safe and effective? The American Academy of Pediatrics also will consider cost-effectiveness in deciding whether to endorse Gardasil for boys. "The cost-effectiveness studies are really important, but I don't think they should be the sole driver of public health policy," said Gregory Zimet, a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University. Full story.

Heart muscle renewed over lifetime, study finds
The New York Times, April 2 -- In a finding that may open new approaches to treating heart disease, Swedish scientists have succeeded in measuring a highly controversial property of the human heart: the rate at which its muscle cells are renewed during a person's lifetime. The finding upturns what has long been conventional wisdom: that the heart cannot produce new muscle cells and so people die with the same heart they were born with. Dr. Loren Field, a heart expert at the Indiana University School of Medicine, said he had found that heart muscle cells regenerated in mice at the same rate that Dr. Frisen had found in people. Despite the controversy created by Dr. Anversa's claims, there has long been agreement that there is a low but detectable rate of cell renewal in the heart, Dr. Field said. The goal now, in his view, is "to try to tickle the system to enhance it." Full story.

Indiana study indicates possible pesticide link to birth defects
China View News, April 3 --Pesticides may increase the risk of birth defects, say researchers who found the highest rates of birth defects in American babies among those conceived in the spring and summer, the same time that there are increased levels of pesticides in surface water. Researchers from Indiana University published their findings in the April issue of the medical journal Acta Paediatrica. Studying all 30.1 million births that occurred in the United States between 1996 and 2002, the research team found a strong association between the increased number of birth defects in children of women whose last menstrual period occurred in April, May, June or July, and elevated levels of nitrates, atrazine and other pesticides in surface water during the same months. Full story.

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