Briefs

Topping it off Bone-chilling cold and a strong breeze delayed, but didn’t stop, the hoisting of Old Capitol’s new gold dome into place Feb. 24. About 300 people waited patiently as the 12,000-pound dome was prepared for its brief flight, lifted by a crane, and dropped slowly onto the reconstructed tower, surrounded by scaffolding and a canvas cover. The goal is to have phase one of the Old Capitol reconstruction finished this spring. This phase includes installation of a new roof. The previous dome was destroyed by fire Nov. 20, 2001. Photos by Tom Jorgensen.

Boyd to advise president

Now that Interim President Willard “Sandy” Boyd has come to the end of his term with the installation of President David Skorton, he will begin a new challenge as a member of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee.

The 11-member body advises the U.S. president and examines issues relating to importation of materials considered important to other national cultures in cultural, archaeological, or historical senses. By law, two members must represent museums. Boyd was president of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago from 1981 to 1996.

Clinton to speak

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will speak and receive the UI Lecture Committee’s Distinguished Lecture Medallion March 26 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

His speech, “Embracing Our Humanity: Global security in the 21st century,” is free and open to the public. Ticket distribution began Feb. 28 at the University Box Office.

The medallion honors renowned citizens for their knowledge, experience, influence, and position in public office, foreign affairs, industry, science, literature, or the arts.

Support for Clinton’s appearance comes from the F. Wendell Miller Fund.

Public health seeks accreditation

The College of Public Health is seeking accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). As part of this process, CEPH invites comments from interested community members.

A preliminary self-study report may be viewed on the college’s web site, www.public-health.uiowa.edu/ceph_report. Print copies are available for review in E220 GH or by contacting the college at (38)4-8418.

A site visit for accreditation review is scheduled April 28 to 30. The college will receive comments through March 26.

Spring enrollment highest ever

Enrollment for the 2003 spring semester totals 28,160, an increase of 593 students from spring 2002, the Office of the Registrar has announced.

“This is the largest spring enrollment in our history,” says Lola Lopes, associate provost for undergraduate education.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences enrollment increased from 14,432 in spring 2002 to 15,070 in spring 2003. Tippie College of Business undergraduate spring enrollment decreased from 1,658 in 2002 to 1,559 in 2003. The College of Engineering enrollment increased by 22 undergraduates this spring. Other colleges were stable or had small changes.

Graduate enrollment increased slightly in 2003, from 5,153 in 2002 to 5,212 in 2003. Professional school enrollment decreased by six students, from 3,770 in 2002 to 3,764 in 2003.

A detailed census may be found at www.uiowa.edu/registrar/profile/spring2003census.htm.

Thank you, Pioneer 10

NASA announced Feb. 26 that the working life of Pioneer 10, a spacecraft tied to the career of U.S. space pioneer James A. Van Allen, Regent distinguished professor of physics and astronomy, has come to an end after 31 years. But that doesn’t stop Van Allen.

“I’m still writing papers about it,” he says. “Both Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 have been a very central part of my professional research career.”

Van Allen and colleagues began constructing scientific instruments for the spacecraft in 1969. It was launched March 2, 1972, on a 21-month mission but continued to send transmissions to Earth long after its expected end. On Jan. 22, 2003, at some 7.6 billion miles from Earth—roughly 82 times the distance between sun and Earth—it sent its last signal.

Right through his 1985 retirement from active teaching, Van Allen has continued to monitor cosmic ray data from Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11.

Designing web sites for persons with disabilities

You think your beautiful new high-tech web site says “Ours is the best office in the world,” but what it says to a sight-impaired visitor is “script, script, script, script.” You’ve designed an inaccessible site.

With more and more business done on-line and paperless transactions becoming mainstream, web access for people with disabilities is already a serious issue. A group of University of Iowa students, staff, and faculty members concerned about access have set up an exhibit that gives viewers the opportunity not only to see the problems firsthand, but also to see some of the solutions.

The exhibit will be open to the public, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 28 at the New Media Day event in the Richey Ballroom, IMU.

Market opens for bets on candidates

The Iowa Electronic Markets, real-money futures markets in which contract payoffs depend on economic and political events such as elections, is open to the public at www.biz.uiowa.edu/iem.

Operated as a research and teaching tool by six professors in the Tippie College of Business, the market is known for its accuracy in predicting election results.

Investing as little as $5 or as much as $500, people may buy contracts on the Democratic nominee for president in 2004, choosing from Dick Gephardt, John Kerry, and Joe Liebermann, undeclared candidate Hillary Clinton, and a “rest of field” contract that represents all other candidates. Other candidates may be added later.

Contracts for the winning candidate pay $1; losing contracts pay nothing. This structure means that IEM prices reflect the probability of each candidate winning the nomination.
Current contract prices may be viewed at the web site.

Dancing to a $607,385 record

More than 950 students stayed on their feet for more than 24 hours Feb. 7-8 in order to exceed last year’s Dance Marathon record earnings by more than $80,000.

Dance Marathon and the Children’s Miracle Network now have raised more than $2.8 million for pediatrics oncology and bone-marrow transplant patients at the UI Hospitals and Clinics.

The funds cover everything from movie nights and cafeteria vouchers to hospital bills.

Foundation sets gift record

The University of Iowa Foundation recorded its most productive year ever in 2002 with record numbers of gifts, pledges, and contributors as well as the highest total fund-raising in history.

Foundation official say that response to the campus campaign from UI faculty and staff helped contribute to the record-breaking year.

In 2002, outright gifts to the foundation totaled $67.5 million, a 4.2 percent increase over the previous year. Future commitments (including pledges to be paid in future years), wills, and trusts totaled more than $101 million, 70.3 percent more than those recorded in 2001. When outright gifts and future commitments are combined, the foundation’s total fund-raising productivity in 2002 reached nearly $169 million, approximately 36 percent above the total foundation productivity recorded in 2001.

Security measures increase

Precautions were put in place to protect the University and its students, faculty, and staff after the federal government’s decision to raise its terror alert last month to orange, the second highest level. It was returned to yellow, the third highest level, Feb. 27.

University police inspected the trunks of cars parking in lots closest to Carver-Hawkeye Arena before events. Vehicles that parked in Lot 46 during the day had to leave the lot two hours before events began. That procedure was ended Feb. 28 after the terror alert was moved back to yellow.

Residence halls will have heightened security indefinitely, says Chuck Green, assistant vice president for public safety.

Universities across the country also increased precautions following a warning from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in mid-February that campuses are potential “soft targets” for terrorist attacks because they are heavily populated and lightly guarded. However, many institutions replied that they had strengthened their security precautions following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.