Dead Man Found at UCLA
Daily Bruin
The body of an unidentified man was found on the northeast side of the UCLA campus Saturday, police are investigating the cause of his death.
Saturday morning a passerby noticed a foul smell coming from the bushes that line Hilgard Avenue on UCLA campus and called UC Police Dept. Officers discovered the decomposing body of a transient man in the bushes. The Los Angeles Police Dept. coroner who examined the body reported unspecified “suspicious circumstances” to the UCPD who decided to start a joint investigation with the help of the LAPD. No cause of death has been released.
The LAPD homicide team sealed off the area all day Saturday for inspection and investigation. UCPD spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein said it would be “at least a week” before any progress was made in the investigation, but Detective Ron Phillips of the LAPD said there was no way of knowing with certainty how long the investigation will take.
Cal Professor Stranded with In-laws in Turkey
Daily Californian
UC Berkeley math Professor Mehmet Erdogan is stuck in Turkey after what was meant to be a short Winter Break visit with family.
Erdogan was scheduled to begin teaching Math 185 at UC Berkeley last week, but the university has had to find a substitute and he has had to reschedule his flight and apply for a new visa. He is staying with his father-in-law until he gets permission to return to the U.S.
Erdogan, a Turkish citizen, had his initial visa application denied because he shares the same name as another man with a criminal record.
“They cannot issue me a visa before they confirm that we are not the same person,” Erdogan told the Daily Cal. “It’s a little bit strange for me. My research and everything is not here. I can’t do much, and it’s a problem.”
Erdogan sent in copies of his fingerprints along with a new application over a month ago and hopes to be able to fly back to the U.S. on a Feb. 5 flight, although he is not sure he will have a new visa by then. He moved to the U.S. in 1997 to complete a doctorate at California Institute of Technology and has returned to Turkey every year since without any problems.
“I guess it is a common situation nowadays,” he said. “[The U.S. government] is trying to be careful. They don’t want to risk anything, but it’s kind of bad for us.”
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Says Missing Laser No Cause for Concern
Daily Californian
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which is in negotiations with the Dept. of Energy to renew its five-year contract, has come under scrutiny recently for coming up $2.5 million short in its 2002 inventory report, bringing UC’s ability to run national labs into question once again.
UC came under fire recently after about $1 million in equipment disappeared from Los Alamos National Lab, prompting a congressional investigation into UC’s ability to effectively manage the three national laboratories in its charge.
“We’ll probably be subject to some sort of investigation and study from auditors from Washington,” Berkeley lab spokesman Ron Kolb said. “We welcome that. We believe that we do not have a similar situation to what was happening at Los Alamos.”
The Berkeley lab is missing 212 items which represent only 0.5 percent of the lab’s $528 million inventory. Items missing include a $25,640 laser purchased in 1985, a $77,972.97 vacuum purchased in 1980 and an $8,882.50 turbomolecular pump purchase din late 2001.
Kolb said some of the missing equipment was likely destroyed or dismantled when it became obsolete.
“The Berkeley lab inventory was 99 and a half percent accurate. That’s a really excellent figure,” UC spokeman Jeff Garberson said. “It’s not just a small garage, it’s a big complex place with hundreds of buildings and operations.”
UC Davis School of Medicine Hires New Dean
UC NewsWire
UC Davis School of Medicine hired Claire Pomeroy, an expert in infectious diseases, medical informatics and eating disorders to be its new executive associate dean. She previously worked for the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington. Pomeroy was hired after the UC Regents approved a plan at their last meeting to apply for a national biocontainment lab to be built at UC Davis. However it is not clear if Pomeroy will work in the new lab.
The lab, which is set to be named the Western National Center for Biodefense and Emerging Diseases, would be a research facility for the study of serious infectious diseases, a diagnostic facility to support the California Dept. of Health Services and an advanced training facility.
“In our national search for a new executive associate dean, Pomeroy quickly rose to the top of our list of candidates,” Dean Joseph Silva Jr. said. “Her portfolio of administrative and academic skills is superb, and her results-oriented approach and diverse background in basic research, clinical care, faculty development and medical informatics make her an excellent addition to our leadership team.”
Pomeroy will be second in command to Silva and with him will oversee a $220 million operating budget and 525 faculty, 2,500 volunteers, 715 interns, residents and fellows, and 1,000 staff members.
Pomeroy received her medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and completed her residency and fellowship training at the University of Minnesota. She also has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Kentucky.
Pomeroy will replace Thomas Anders, who worked at the Davis medical center from 1998 to 2002.
