Front Page News at Indiana University

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Work begins on second round of IU budget cuts
Six Degrees of IU networking event taking place in Indianapolis on Jan. 27
For this microbe, cousins not particularly welcome
IU study: Screening, treating girls doesn't reduce prevalence of chlamydia in teens
Regenstrief medical informatics fellows receive national recognition
IU Jacobs School of Music and Indianapolis Clowes Hall host Met auditions this month
IU expert: EPA standards for ozone will require new emission controls
IU Bloomington Scoreboard

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Work begins on second round of IU budget cuts -- Indiana University has identified $29.3 million in base budget cuts but still must find another $58.9 million in one-time cuts to fully comply with mandated reductions in state aid. Neil Theobald, vice president and chief financial officer, today issued a progress report on how the university is responding to the reduced level of state funding it expects to receive this year and next. The state budget passed by the Indiana General Assembly last year reduced state funding for IU by $29.3 million during the 2009-11 biennium. That, in turn, forced IU to adjust its operating budgets downward by an equivalent amount. Read the complete story.

Six Degrees of IU networking event taking place in Indianapolis on Jan. 27 -- The Central Indiana Chapter of the Indiana University Alumni Association will present its third annual networking event, "Six Degrees of IU," 6-8 p.m., Jan. 27, in the ballroom of the University Place Conference Center and Hotel, 850 W. Michigan St., in Indianapolis. The evening of socializing and networking will feature IU alumni who have made their marks in central Indiana, both in their professions and in their communities. An interactive panel discussion will let attendees ask these alumni experts about their networking and career strategies. Read the complete story.

For this microbe, cousins not particularly welcome -- A bacterial species that depends on cooperation to survive is discriminating when it comes to the company it keeps. Scientists from Indiana University Bloomington and Netherlands' Centre for Terrestrial Ecology have learned Myxococcus xanthus cells are able to recognize genetic differences in one another that are so subtle, even the scientists studying them must go to great lengths to tell them apart. The scientists' report, which appears in a recent issue of Current Biology, also provides further evidence that cooperation in nature is not always a festival of peace and love. Rather, cooperation may be more of a grudging necessity, in which partners continually compete and undermine one another in a bid for evolutionary dominance. Read the complete story.

IU study: Screening, treating girls doesn't reduce prevalence of chlamydia in teens -- Frequent testing and treatment of infection does not reduce the prevalence of chlamydia in urban teenage girls, according to a long term study by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers published in the Jan. 1, 2010 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Despite the fact they were screened every three months and treated when infected, the proportion of infected girls did not change over the course of the study. On entering the study, 10.9 percent of the young women were infected. After 18 months of participation, 10.6 percent were infected; 10.4 percent were infected at the four-year mark. Read the complete story.

Regenstrief medical informatics fellows receive national recognition -- Jon D. Duke, M.D. and Jeffrey Klann, M.Eng., medical informatics fellows at the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine, have been recognized by the American Medical Informatics Association for their development and testing of two new physician support computer tools. Their work has the potential to improve patient safety and healthcare quality while lowering costs. Read the complete story.

IU Jacobs School of Music and Indianapolis Clowes Hall host Met auditions this month -- The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University will host two competitions for the annual Metropolitan Opera National Council (MONC) this month. The Indiana District Auditions will be Saturday, Jan. 9, at 1 p.m., in Bloomington's Musical Arts Center. A week later, Saturday, Jan.16, at noon, the Tri-State Regional Auditions -- including winners from the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana District rounds -- will be held in Clowes Memorial Hall on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis. Both events are free and open to the public; no tickets are required. Read the complete story.

IU expert: EPA standards for ozone will require new emission controls -- Strict standards on ground-level ozone, proposed this week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, comply with health-based recommendations from scientists, says Philip S. Stevens, an environmental chemist and professor in the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. But complying with the standards will require Indiana and other states to once again step up their controls on emissions, he said. The EPA on Thursday proposed new standards on ground-level ozone, a primary component of photochemical smog. The pollution is linked to serious health problems, ranging from aggravation of asthma to increased risk of premature death from heart or lung disease. Read the complete story.

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Indiana University Bloomington Scoreboard

Results from Wednesday, Jan 6:
Men's Basketball: OSU took advantage of 14 first half IU turnovers going on a 22-2 run before leading 38-20 at halftime, going on to defeat the Hoosiers 79-54. Read the game notes.

Results from Thursday, Jan. 7:
Women's Basketball: A layup by Jamie Braun with three seconds to go lifted the Indiana women's basketball team to a 50-48 win over Illinois. Read the game notes.

Schedule for Friday, Jan. 8:
Men's Tennis: UNLV Spring Invitational, 10:30 a.m., Las Vegas, Nev.
Men's Swimming: Michigan (exhibition), 5 p.m., Ann Arbor, Mich.

Schedule for Saturday, Jan. 9:
Men's Tennis: UNLV Spring Invitational, 10:30 a.m., Las Vegas, Nev.
Men's and Women's Swimming: Michigan, 12 p.m., Ann Arbor, Mich.
Men's Basketball: Illinois, 8 p.m., Bloomington, Ind.
Men's and Women's Track: Indiana Open, Bloomington, Ind.

Schedule for Sunday, Jan. 10:
Men's Tennis: UNLV Spring Invitational, 10:30 a.m., Las Vegas, Nev.
Women's Basketball: Penn State, 12 p.m., State College, Pa.

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IU in the news

Fearless Flying with Fred H. Cate
Miller-McCune, Jan. 5 -- Privacy and security expert Fred H. Cate believes we can make it safer to fly without a new airport security system -- but we do need to improve the one we have. Is it safe to fly? The recent security breach that allowed a bomb-wearing Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab onto Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit is making a lot of people wonder. And although the airlines, the Transport Security Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security were quick to do something, Fred H. Cate thinks we all might have been better off had they waited and done something right. Cate, a distinguished professor and C. Ben Dutton Professor of Law at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington, and director of the Indiana University Center for Applied Cyberspace Research, says that the recent changes in airport security are "exactly the wrong things to be doing." Full story.

Need a New Hand? One Day, You May Be Able to Regrow One
The Palm Beach Post, Jan. 6 -- Each year, thousands of Americans lose fingers, hands or entire limbs in terrible accidents. Prosthetics can help amputees regain some function, and successful hand transplants have recently been achieved. But wouldn't it be great if humans could simply regrow missing parts on their own? Within the space of a generation, this seemingly superhuman power might become a reality, scientists say, and people may have a lowly amphibian to thank for it. Among the world's varied creatures, a Mexican salamander called the axolotl appears best at regrowing whole limbs lost to injury. And researchers are hot on the trail of finding out what the axolotl has that humans don't. "The crux of what we are doing with this work is to be able to understand the basic biology of regeneration, and then translate that to regenerative therapies," said one pioneer in the field, biologist David Stocum, director of the Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine at Indiana University in Bloomington. Full story.

2 Surprising Reasons Behind Newfound Autism Clusters
The Daily Green, Jan. 5 -- Researchers at the University of California Davis have identified 10 regions in the Golden State with autism clusters -- areas where rates of autism among children are higher than average. The study has reignited the often-controversial debate about the causes of autism, including the role environmental "triggers" may play. According to the UC Davis scientists, the two factors that most correlated to the presence of the clusters were parents with above-average levels of education and living near large autism treatment facilities. The Daily Green spoke with Dr. Cathy Pratt, who was not affiliated with the UC Davis study, but serves as director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University. She is also chair of the National Autism Society. "I wouldn't be surprised if you saw a higher autism cluster near treatment centers, or that families that are more affluent are living near those centers. People with children who are autistic would be more likely to move to be near them to take advantage of their services," said Pratt. "According to a recent study by the CDC, the incidence of autism is now 1 in 110, and they're finding that it's an equal opportunity disability," she added. Full story.

Teachers may need different major; New rules focus more on educators' expertise in particular subject area
Indianapolis Star, Jan. 8 -- Indiana teachers would have to know a lot more about the subject they teach under sweeping changes proposed Thursday to rules governing the way educators are trained and licensed. State officials hope the result will be students who learn more under a new breed of teachers. Officials had wanted more far-reaching changes than those approved by a state standards board Thursday, but they settled for the compromise measure after sharp opposition from universities and others. Under the measure, if a college student wants to teach math in Grades 5-12, he or she must major in math and minor in education. Gerardo Gonzalez, dean of the School of Education at Indiana University, said the compromise gives faculty the flexibility they need. "I am glad they listened to our concerns. The process worked." Full story.

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