UO E-clips, May 20

High-rise raises issues of infill, density in city -- The Register-Guard (A dispute over a planned seven-story apartment building in south Eugene has ended, with neighbors singing the praises of the developer. But a broader conflict over the issue of building high-density projects in older, core neighborhoods of Eugene as an alternative to urban sprawl still looms on the horizon. Developer Dean Pickett had planned to put up a 52-unit, 212- bedroom apartment building on the northeast corner of East 19th Avenue and Alder Street, which is one block south of the University of Oregon campus. The project was strongly opposed by some of the nearby residents, who felt it was out of scale for the neighborhood. … (Revised plans now call for four stories and fewer apartments.)

The search for new University president begins (Oregon Daily Emerald): The Oregon University System took its first step in what will become an intensive search for University President Dave Frohnmayer's successor Monday by hosting its first public forum for University faculty, students, staff and community members to voice what they feel are good qualities to have in a president. Frohnmayer announced last month that he will leave his post at the end of the 2008-2009 school year. OUS Chancellor George Pernsteiner hosted the forum Monday morning, taking comments and questions from the audience.

Did humans colonize the world by boat? (Discover Magazine): Jon Erlandson shakes out what appears to be a miniature evergreen from a clear ziplock bag and holds it out for me to examine. As one of the world’s leading authorities on ancient seafaring, he has devoted much of his career to hunting down hard evidence of ancient human migrations, searching for something most archaeologists long thought a figment: Ice Age mariners. On this drizzly late-fall afternoon in a lab at the University of Oregon in Eugene, the 53-year-old Erlandson looks as pleased as the father of a newborn -- and perhaps just as anxious -- as he shows me one of his latest prize finds.

G- g- g- good vibration -(Register-Guard): April Robyn swears by it. So do Heather Roth and Jane Mann. All three Eugene women say that “whole body vibration” has worked so well for them that it’s become a centerpiece in their overall fitness routines. The concept of building muscle strength and improving bone density by merely standing, or even sitting, on a vibrating platform sounds too good to be true -- and it certainly has its skeptics -- but there’s also a roster of scientists and physiologists who agree there’s something to it. … It’s also effective for people who already have a regular weight-training routine, says Jason Hand, a master’s candidate in human physiology at the University of Oregon. Hand has conducted studies on whole body vibration with UO student athletes.