UO E-clips, April 11
Top stories for April 11, 2008: At a Society for American Archaeology meeting, the journal Science reports, the UO's Madonna Moss is among scientists whose new findings question the overall impact of salmon among early Native Americans; the UO's Joe St. Sauver is quoted again, today in stories by CIO India and the San Francisco Chronicle, about collaborative security initiatives; the Associated Press reports on efforts by Oregon institutions to use text messaging in emergencies; the ol' baseball squeeze play is striking out available parking spaces at Autzen as plans move forward for the new baseball park, reports the Register-Guard; and tiny technology, make that nano, could yield big benefits, says the Baker City Herald, which quotes the UO's Jim Hutchison
Society for American Archaeology Meeting: Herring and nuts for the 'salmon people' (Science Magazine): Archaeologists have long regarded the ancient inhabitants of the northwest coast of North America as the people of the salmon, crediting abundant salmon runs for the rise of large villages and complex societies over the past 6000 years. … As for fish, zooarchaeologist Madonna Moss of the University of Oregon, Eugene, presented new analyses of two sites on Prince of Wales Island in southern Alaska, highlighting the variability in ancient northwest coast fisheries.
Collaborative security initiatives spark interest (CIO India): IT executives who flocked to the RSA Conference heard more evidence that enterprise networks are increasingly vulnerable. An estimated 250,000 computers are compromised every day, says Robert Holleyman, president and CEO of the BSA. … "It's a business model as good or better than any corporate business model you'll see," said Joe St. Sauver, manager of security programs at the Internet2 networking consortium and the University of Oregon. And the risk of getting caught is extremely low.
Oregon State, partner colleges, could have emergency text message system by fall term (Associated Press): An emergency text message system could in place this fall at Oregon State University and other state schools, according to a story in the Corvallis Gazette-Times. The system would use personal cell phones to notify students of an emergency, such as an earthquake, severe storm or campus gunman. Faculty and staff could sign up for the service. … The University of Oregon and Portland State University are looking at their own separate systems, but Portland Community College is considering the partnership.
Parking problems hit Autzen fans (Register-Guard): The return of baseball at the University of Oregon means about 500 parking spaces at Autzen Stadium are being tagged out to make room for a new ballpark. That will squeeze some of the tailgating that typically takes place during home football games, when the parking lot usually is sold out. And although the university is reconfiguring its parking lot to reduce the net number of lost spots, the bottom line is that hundreds fewer parking spaces will be available on game days this fall.
Tiny technology could yield big benefits (Baker City Herald): Nanotechnology is a really small idea that could yield big results in medicine, construction and energy production, among other sectors. But nanotechnology -- rearranging atoms to get elements to act in new and useful ways -- is still in its infancy. It's also potentially fraught with danger -- or at least unforeseen consequences. … Jim Hutchison, a chemistry professor at the University of Oregon and the director of the university's Materials Science Institute, said it's already commercially viable to charge a green car battery (produced through nanotechnology) in 10 minutes, rather than overnight.