UO E-clips, June 14-16

Benzene Stand-Ins (Chemical & Engineering News): With a systemic series of X-ray crystal structures, chemist Shih-Yuan Liu and coworkers at the University of Oregon, Eugene, provide evidence that a family of six-membered rings featuring a boron-nitrogen bond has a benzenelike nature (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 7250). The compounds, 1,2-dihydro-1,2-azaborines, feature bonding characteristics and other properties that could make them valuable substitutes for benzenes in biomedical and materials research.

E-board education (The Oregonian): With the uncertainty in the economy, and the difficulty in projecting Oregon state revenues over the next year, you could see why it's a rough time for Oregon to make a real investment in higher education. Of course, in Oregon, it always is. You don't get to be 46th in the country in state support of universities by accident. … The University of Oregon has 800 more freshmen showing up next year than it ever imagined, and it's combing Eugene for places for them to sleep. Meanwhile, with the 2007-08 academic year ending last week, the university doesn't know how much money it will have to teach them in the fall.

Science writer Richard Hill gives a brief geologic history of the Columbia River Gorge (The Oregonian): From its craggy black cliffs to its dazzling white waterfalls, the spectacular Columbia River Gorge took shape over millions of years of mayhem: massive lava flows from belching fissures, immense ice-age floods and colossal landslides. The powerful canyon-carving Columbia River survived the onslaught. "Exposed rocks and the river help tell the story of how this region was formed by a combination of fire and water," says William Orr, a University of Oregon professor emeritus of geology.

UO grads go forward (Register-Guard): University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer began Saturday’s commencement ceremony at McArthur Court by mentioning the political heavy hitters who visited Eugene in the past several months. But the national spotlight that followed presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton may have been a bit misplaced, Frohnmayer said. He said graduates from Oregon and across the country will have the opportunity to make a much greater impact on the nation’s future than the politicians on Capitol Hill or in the White House.

'We can move mountains together' (The Oregonian): Political Science professor Ronald Mitchell has finished his keynote speech about climate change. He encourages students to use their various specialties to make a better world. "We can move mountains together," Mitchell told graduates. Mountains of hate. Of genocide. Of poverty and pollution. Soon after, Mitchell offered his final congratulations. An arena about half-filled with attendees was wrapped in intense applause.

Turns out great dads make a big difference (Register-Guard): It may not come as a surprise that mothers are happier when fathers spend more time working around the house and participating in child-rearing. But according to researcher Scott Coltrane -- who, incidentally, assumes the post of dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oregon on July 1 -- the dads themselves are happier when they’re more involved in the workings of their households.

Looking for a leader (Register-Guard editorial): HELP WANTED: University president. Must be able to balance on tightrope and herd cats while juggling flaming hoops. A 24-member committee will begin the search for a person who could answer that advertisement and become the University of Oregon’s 16th president. Among the first steps will be to decide what sort of person should succeed President Dave Frohnmayer after his retirement next June. George Pernsteiner, chancellor of the Oregon University System, appointed the committee and has already begun meeting with UO faculty, students and others to discuss the qualifications and characteristics a new president will need.

Climate change inevitable, so let's be prepared for it -- a Register-Guard guest commentary by Bob Doppelt (Greenhouse gas emissions must be cut significantly to avoid the worst of global warming. Two new reports, however, point out that we also had better prepare rapidly for the harmful effects of rising temperatures. With little fanfare, under pressure from a federal court order, the White House released in late Maya long-awaited report acknowledging that the Earth is warming, that higher temperatures are already hurting the United States, and that humans are the primary cause.