UCSB 10-15

Errki Ruoslahti, a professor at UCSB’s Burnham Institute for Medical Research, was awarded a $2.8 million grant for research into breast cancer detection and therapies using nanotechnology. Ruoslahti’s team is currently developing new diagnostic tools that will assist in early detection and reduce unnecessary procedures. The Department of Defense provided the grant under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.

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UCSB announced on 10/12 that, due to an unprecedented budget shortfall, it will close its Exercise and Sports Studies Department (ESS) by the end of the school year. The department, which offers one of the most popular minors, currently enrolls 5,000 students, many of whom may be forced to abandon their course of study. According to Chancellor Henry T. Yang, school finances are simply spread too thin to offer an academic program in ESS at an acceptable level.

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Statistics obtained from the Pentagon last week by UCSB’s Palm Center revealed that women are more likely than men to be kicked out of the military under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The university think tank, which conducts research in the areas of gender, sexuality, and the military, released information that women represent 15 percent of all active-duty and reserve members of the military but accounted for more than one-third of the 619 people discharged last year because of their sexual orientation.