Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Week of July 19, 2010

 News from Across the USM Campuses

Funding for new Chesapeake Bay study approved: New Chesapeake Bay study first of its kind (ABC - Channel 2 News, 7/18/10) [Report to be conducted by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

New 'Smart' Metal Could Mean Cool Cash for Consumers, Less CO2 (USM Newsdesk, 7/15/10)

Students and CEOs don't share priorities, research shows: Students worry their school won't prepare them for the business world (By Saron Yitbarek, The Diamondback Online, 7/15/10)

Maryland Researcher On Gulf Panel Familiar With Tumult (By Alex Dominguez, The Associated Press as reported by WJZ-TV News, 7/15/10) [Article quotes Dr. Donald F. Boesch, President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and a member of President Obama's oil spill investigation panel]

National Science Foundation Grants $699,998 to UMES for New PSM Degree (UMES Press Release, 7/14/10)

Spill commissioners tour the Tri-parishes for input (By Richard Fischer, Tri-Parish Times, 7/14/10) [Dr. Donald F. Boesch, President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, is a member of President Obama's oil spill investigation panel]

BP oil spill: Barack Obama's investigation hears of 'friction' - Commission told Transocean should have shut well - Inquiry on rig blast starts with effects of disaster (By Suzanne Golenbergarren Samuelsohn, The [UK] Guardian, 7/13/10) [Dr. Donald F. Boesch, President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, is a member of President Obama's oil spill investigation commission]

University of Maryland wins $500K energy grant (By Gary Haber, The Baltimore Business Journal, 7/13/10)

Bay watch: Man combines flying and technology to monitor health of the Chesapeake (By Blair Ames, Frederick News-Post, 7/12/10) [Article cites collaboration with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science]

Panel urged to lift U.S. oil drilling ban, new one issued (By Ayesha Rascoe, Reuters, 7/12/10) [Dr. Donald F. Boesch, President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, is a member of President Obama's oil spill investigation panel]

Farmers Offer Backyard Water Conservation Tips to Residents (Southern Maryland Online, 7/12/10) [Article the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Maryland Sea Grant and the University of Maryland Extension Home]

Competitor points to BP-driller relationship (By Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press as reported by The Houston Chronicle, 7/12/10) [Article quotes Dr. Donald F. Boesch, President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and a member of President Obama's oil spill investigation panel]

Some question anti-drilling positions of Florida crisis-specialist Bob Graham (By George Bennett, The Palm Beach Post, 7/12/10) [Article quotes Dr. Donald F. Boesch, President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and a member of President Obama's oil spill investigation panel]

University of Maryland gets $500,000 grant from Energy Department: Research is on environmentally friendly cooling systems (By Childs Walker, The Baltimore Sun, 7/12/10)

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BGE to test enhanced bills to encourage efficiency: Starting this summer, some Marylanders will have a new way to keep up with the Joneses - on saving energy, and money (By Liz Kay, The Baltimore Sun - Consuming Interests Blog, 7/16/10)

Maryland stores still carrying banned dish soap? (By Tim Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun - B'More Gren Blog, 7/15/10)

Recommendations to create green jobs unveiled: Task force recommends strategy for creating 100,000 green jobs (By Lorraine Mirabella, The Baltimore Sun, 7/13/10)

Teaching 'stuff' about ecology: Annie Leonard's animated Web video has spread her environmental message worldwide to more than 12 million people (By Margot Roosevelt, The Los Angeles Times as reported by The Baltimore Sun, 7/13/10)

BGE tries again on 'smart meter' technology: New proposal to regulators comes after June rejection by Maryland Public Service Commission (By Jamie Smith Hopkins, The Baltimore Sun, 7/12/10)

National and International News

BP Well Cap: BP, Feds Clash Over Reopening Capped Gulf Oil Well (The Huffington Post, 7/18/10)

Sea Level Rise Swamps Islands: The seas are already overlapping islands and coasts from Panama to India (By David Biello, Scientific American, 7/18/10)

Seep found near BP well, source says: BP reportedly not complying with administration's demand for more monitoring (MSNBC.com and news services, 7/18/10)

After Oil Spills, Hidden Damage Can Last for Years (By Justin Gillia and Leslie Kaufman, The New York Times, 7/17/10)

The Flying Prius: The future of the passenger jet may look surprisingly like a larger version of the hybrid automobile (By Christopher Dickey and Tracy McNicoll, Newsweek, 7/16/10)

Comparative photos of Mount Everest ‘confirm ice loss': Photos taken by a mountaineer on Everest from the same spot where similar pictures were taken in 1921 have revealed an "alarming" ice loss (BBC News - South Asia, 7/16/10)

BP, scientists try to make sense of well puzzle (By Vicki Smoth, Holbrook Mohr and Harry R. Weber, The Associated Press as reported by Yahoo News, 7/16/10)

BP buys up Gulf scientists for legal defense, roiling academic community (By Ben Raines, Press-Register, 7/16/10)

Deutsche Bahn Is 'Soft Boiling its Customers' (By Siobhan Dowling, Spiegel Online International, 7/16/10)

Nelson says no to climate vote (By Darren Samuelsohn, Politico, 7/15/10)

Water as Human Right Threatens to Split World Body (By Thalif Deen, IPS News, 7/15/10)

BP Says Oil Flow Has Stopped as Cap Is Tested (By Campbell Robertson and Henry Fountain, The New York Times, 7/15/10)

Whose fault is the oil spill? BPs? Or car drivers? (By Jay Hancock, The Baltimore Sun - Jay Hancock's Blog, 7/15/10)

Case Western Reserve University wants to erect a wind turbine on its campus (By Tom Breckenridge, The Plain Dealer, 7/15/10)

Interior: Blowout Preventers on BP's Relief Wells Also Had Problems (By Marian Wang, Pro Publica, 7/15/10)

Hudson Bay polar bears 'could soon be extinct' (By Michael McCarthy, The [UK] Independent, 7/15/10)

NOAA: June, April to June, and Year-to-Date Global Temperatures are Warmest on Record (NOAA News, 7/15/10)

'Integrity' testing on Gulf well cap delayed (By CNN Wire Staff, 7/14/10)

Sweden leads the European Union on renewable energy (The [UK] Independent, 7/14/10)

Virginia Governor Reverses State Bottled-water Ban (By Allene Moody, WJLA-TV, 7/13/10)

BP tests oil well cap, but says success is not assured: Installation has gone 'incredibly well', says vice-president, but is 'just one step in a multistep process' (by Richard Luscombe, The [UK] Guardian, 7/13/10)

Reid warms to July climate vote (By Darren Samuelsohn, Politico, 7/13/10)

Technology critical to energy policy (By Nicole Lederer, John Woolard, Jonathan Wolfson and Michael Granoff, Politico, 7/12/10)

In BP's Record, a History of Boldness and Costly Blunders (By Sarah Lyall, Clifford Krauss and Jad Mouawad, The New York Times, 7/12/10)

Lloyd's adds its voice to dire 'peak oil' warnings: Business underestimating catastrophic consequences of declining oil, says Lloyd's of London/Chatham House report (By Terry Macalister, The [UK] Guardian, 7/11/10)