Stories of 22 Soviet immagrants to Tucson now online

The oral history of 22 Jewish Tucsonans who emigrated from the Soviet Union gave interviews that are now available online through a UA Web site.

In 1997, the New Southwest Jewish Archives Committee, a non-profit organization formed to support the University of Arizona's archival collection and to get the stories of Jewish refugees from the former Soviet Union.

In 1998, invitations were sent to Jewish refugees from the former Soviet Union to share and record their life stories. Carol Zuckert coordinated and conducted most of the interviews.

The common bond among the new Americans was formed by struggling against anti-Semitism, Zuckert said.

"Ironically, many refugees had little or no experience in Jewish religious practice while living in the former Soviet Union. Still their Soviet passports and official papers declared by fiat that they were 'Jewish,'" Zuckert said.

Zuckert also said the United States gained from the Soviet Union's loss.

"One of the clearest insights was that brain drain provided America with an enormous net gain of scientists, artists, teachers and many other brilliant and appreciative people," she said.

Collecting the oral histories and putting them online is an important way to share stories with the public, said Stuart Glogoff, project manger in the UA Office of Distributed Learning.

"The histories bring forward the experiences of community members as told in their own words," he said.

The Web site, which is called the Oral Histories Web site, can be found at http://www.elearn.arizona.edu/oralhistories/.

Daughters on Campus Day set for April 25

Daughters on campus day set for April 25

UA employees are being invited to bring their daughters to work for a day later this month, in an attempt to introduce girls age 6 to 18 to the campus.

More than 90 sessions will be offered across the campus April 25, including "Fun with Math: Puzzles of Games" and "The Physics of Harry Potter."

Day long sessions include a staff art exhibit, hands-on exploration at the Flandrau Science Center and free digital photographs at the UofA Bookstore. Girls will also be able to meet McGruff the Crime Dog, officers from the University of Arizona Police Department, firemen from the Tucson Fire Department and representatives from other campus groups.

The day will conclude with a celebration in the Social Sciences Auditorium emceed by Joan Lee of KWBA's "The Buzz."

A retired bishop from an embattled region of Mexico will lecture in Spanish later this month on the indigenous church of his area.

Samuel Ruiz Garcia, the former bishop of San Crist—bal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, will discuss the Chiapas church at 4 p.m., April 24 in Room 150 of the Harvill building.

Ruiz was the leader of the Roman Catholic diocese of San Crist—bal for 40 years, during which time he served as a mediator between the Mexican government and Chiapas rebels.

He has been retired since 2000, but remains active as the president of three social service organizations in Mexico.

A reception at St. Augustine's Cathedral downtown will follow the lecture.

Professor stresses importance of undergraduate research

Undergraduates need to be more involved in science research, according to a recent survey released by a UA chemistry professor.

Michael Doyle, who also heads Research Corporation, a foundation for science advancement, found that only about one-fourth of research publications listed undergraduate co-authors.

Doyle said that discovery is surprising because during the 1990s, the number of undergraduates doing research increased by 60 percent.

The study also found that although federal and private funding for natural science students to go to graduate school has increased over the last 15 years, the number of science graduate students has decreased.

"If anything, we've lost," Doyle said. "There are fewer students going on to graduate school from institutions impacted by this funding."

Two out of every three of the 136 universities surveyed graduated fewer doctorates after 1990 than before 1980.