Stanford Report, October 4, 2006

In Print and On the Air

As developing countries have grown wealthier through global trade and investment, they also have begun to invest in one of the great internal drivers of economic growth, science, the International Herald Tribune reported Sept. 20. "There are many more papers published from countries where you didn't used to see so much activity," said chemistry Professor JOHN BRAUMAN. "Lots of places are developing the kind of expertise that allows them to do cutting-edge, world-class research." President Emeritus DONALD KENNEDY, editor-in-chief of Science, said scientists from developing countries are returning home as opportunities expand, and others are staying put. "We have a competition for a major prize, and we're getting really good submissions from countries that you don't usually think of as the scientific powerhouses," Kennedy said. "We've just gotten a terrific piece of work from someone who has chosen to stay as an assistant professor in Hungary rather than taking a bunch of offers in other countries."

Unless the California Supreme Court intervenes, it is likely that a Palo Alto home that once belonged to Juana Briones, a pioneering figure in California history, will be demolished by 2008, the San Jose Mercury News reported Sept. 14. A day earlier, city officials received a copy of a state appeals court judgment rejecting Palo Alto's arguments that the home's owners should be prevented from tearing down the house. Although the home no longer resembles Briones' domicile, her supporters say it should be saved. The house's current owners reject its connection to Briones, but in a 2005 letter to the state Office of Historic Preservation, history Professor AL CAMARILLO cited an 1848 survey of the property that provides "irrefutable evidence" the home was hers. Even if the original exterior has been covered, Camarillo's letter continued, "the property and the interior rooms form a fundamentally important link to California's past."

Junior JONNY DORSEY is stepping out for a second year to head FACE AIDS, a nationwide student campaign he helped launch to raise $1 million by year's end to fight AIDS in Africa, the Palo Alto Weekly reported Sept. 26. Dorsey plans to spend this year working with 85 college campuses to raise funds for HIV/AIDS treatment and support. "My adviser had pushed me to stay out of school rather than come back because this is where my heart is," he said. Dorsey and fellow students KATIE BOLLBACH and LAUREN YOUNG learned about the pandemic firsthand after volunteering in a Zambian refugee camp in 2005. "For only $140 a year you can treat HIV," he said. "So few people have access to treatment, it's disgusting." On Oct. 20-22, Stanford will host a FACE AIDS forum to provide an opportunity for students from across the country to strengthen the fledgling national movement. For details, go to http://www.faceaids.org/summit/.