Monday, April 17, 2000
Home work
CURO Symposium showcases undergraduate research
UGA ranks well in annual survey tracking gender-equity progress
Collapse of the Ivory Tower
Social work professor answers call to provide more than formal education
New director named for UCNS
Third Thursdays with Terry
Newsmakers

Food wrap for safety?
Mike Doyle, director of UGA’s Center for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement, is quoted in a New Scientist article about a new plastic food wrap designed to change colors if the food becomes contaminated. The wrap, made by a company called Toxin Alert, is being developed to detect Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli O157 and Listeria bacteria. Toxin Alert says the wrap could be adapted to detect pesticides or even proteins characteristic of genetically modified foods. The wrap could be used by food packagers and retailers, and to wrap leftover food in the home.
But Doyle is among researchers concerned that the wrap won’t be sensitive enough to be useful. He points out that laboratory tests for food poisoning work by culturing enough organisms from a sample to show up on the test. He thinks it’s unlikely the food wrap will be sensitive enough to detect the very low levels of organisms that can cause disease. “They’re going to give people a false sense of security,” he says. “There are a lot of disease-positive products out there that aren’t going to get picked up.”


Peabody picks
Announcement of the annual Peabody Awards for broadcast and cable excellence has made news nationwide. Peabody director Barry Sherman is quoted in Variety about two primetime series--The Sopranos and The West Wing--earning the prestigious award in their first season. “These choices prove that glossy, well-produced episodic drama still has an important place in the industry,” said Sherman at a press briefing following the announcement of the winners.
Sherman, a telecommunications professor in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, which administers the awards, noted that the 36 awards this year are the most ever handed out in one year. The winners were culled from more than 1,200 entries, with UGA faculty and staff participating in preliminary judging.


Nunn Forum notes
Congressional Quarterly reported on the recent Nunn Forum held at UGA on the topic of international trade and security. The forum, convened by Nunn and organized by UGA’s Center for International Trade and Security, drew more than 200 representatives of industry, government and academe. The journal quotes Sam Nunn, former chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on the need for a new formula that integrates high-tech trade and technology transfers with U.S. economic and national-security interests.
“The broader definition of national security has to be brought into the debate,” said Nunn. “If this gets described as a battle between national security and company profits, there’s no question that national security will win out and should win out.”
Nunn pledged to work with businesses to develop a politically acceptable approach. The forum was also noted in the Washington Post.



Millers on Sullivan Award
The announcement of the Sullivan Award--recognizing the top U.S. amateur athlete in the country--made even more news than usual because the “top athlete” is a twosome. UGA’s Coco and Kelly Miller, who guided the women’s basketball team to a 32-4 record this season, received the award in New York April 6. “We were up against a quality group of individuals,” Kelly Miller said in USA Today. “To be recognized as the top U.S. amateur athletes is a humbling experience.”
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