Upcoming elections spark political fervor in UA students

Signs that the UA will see a surge in political activity this fall semester have begun to appear, as politically active students work at getting their preferred presidential candidate elected this November.

Last week the efforts of politically active students intensified as they celebrated the Democratic presidential ticket or rallied Vice President Dick Cheney at the Pima County fairgrounds. [Read article]

A 24-year long asthma study is answering doctors' questions about asthma and its causes.

Doctors have concluded that children do not usually outgrow asthma after puberty as was previously assumed. There are also other factors that contribute to the onset of asthma in test subjects, including infection and obesity.

The Tucson Children's Respiratory Study started with a group of 1200 children born between 1980 and 1984 and studied the patterns of asthma in them. [Read article]

Over 60 delegates from Arizona attended the Democratic National Convention in July. One of those included UA political science senior Joshua Silverstein, who attended the first four days of the DNC.

"I could not believe the energy that came from the speeches and the groups of people from across the country coming together," Silverstein said. "I wanted to go because it's such an important year in elections." [Read article]

A contracted worker found 89 live .22 caliber rounds of ammunition in a room in the College of Nursing, 1305 N. Martin Ave., at 4:43 p.m. on July 23, reports stated.

The ammunition was small BBs probably used for bird hunting or target practice, said UAPD officer Tim Lopez, who responded to the call.

The likelihood of the ammunition being used to hurt or kill people is very minimal.

"They're not made to kill people, it's not that type of round," said Sergeant Eugene Mejia, UAPD spokesperson. [Read article]

The tie between the plant, arabidopsis thaliama, and a skin disease called psoriasis may not be clear to some people, but Edwin Morales is connecting the dots and slowly, possibly, creating a picture of health for his mother in Puerto Rico.

Morales, a biology senior visiting from the University of Puerto Rico Cayey, is one of about 100 graduate school-bound juniors and seniors from across the United States and Puerto Rico participating in the University of Arizona's Undergraduate Summer Research Program. [Read article]

By examining how reminders of death and the effects of Sept. 11 influence evaluations of President George W. Bush, psychologists around the country are currently researching the relationship between the fear of death and political preferences.

Researchers, including UA psychology professor Jeff Greenberg and UA doctoral student Mark Landau, will conduct research based on the Terror Management Theory. [Read article]

A memo from university president Peter Likins outlining what kind of political activity faculty can engage in as UA employees has confused and angered many professors who said it could stifle political debate on campus.

The memo, titled "Thoughts for the Political Season," sent to faculty last month, stated that in order to avoid jeopardizing state and federal funding of the university, employees cannot be perceived to be representing the university. [Read article]

UA Scientists to watch MESSENGER launch

MESSENGER, a spacecraft built to orbit the planet Mercury, will blast off Earth late Sunday evening, Aug. 1.

Two University of Arizona professors are part of the science team that will begin to analyze data sent back to Earth once the craft has entered the planet's orbit. However, they'll have to wait a while, because the spacecraft doesn't reach Mercury's orbit until March 2011. [Read article]

46.7
Percentage of U.S. adults who read a work of literature for pleasure in 2002, down from 54 percent 10 years earlier, reports the New York Times.

36C
The average bra size in the US. 6
Percentage of France's population that is Muslim, according to Time Magazine. 50
Percentage of France's prison population that is Muslim.

$86
Average cost of a Father's Day gift, according to the National Retail Association. [Read article]

Wednesday

High: 98 Low: 77

Thursday

High: 99 Low: 77

Friday

High: 100 Low: 77