Daily Bruin Alumni News

News Update
Campus Update
Sara Randazzo reports... More than 55,000 applications flood UCLA admissions
UCLA has received a record number of 55,369 freshman applicants for Fall 2008, which shows a nine percent increase from Fall 2007. Because of this influx of applicants, the admission rate has decreased from a usual 25 percent to 22 percent. Even with a record-setting number of applicants, UCLA looks to expand their recruiting efforts to sustain a competitive applicant pool.

Professor was engaging, kind
Many may remember Denis Cosgrove as a passionate geography professor here at UCLA. Sadly he passed away on March 21 due to stomach cancer. Cosgrove had been teaching at UCLA since 1999. Born in Liverpool, England, Cosgrove attended Oxford University for his undergraduate degree and received his doctorate there as well. In 1994, Cosgrove became Professor in Human Geography at Royal Holloway at the University of London. Cosgrove always had a deep passion for geography since his youth and felt strongly about sharing it with his students. Many found him to be a very passionate lecturer, and his desire to share his knowledge was evident through his lectures. Students say he worked hard to ensure they learned and was very interactive during class.
Cosgrove not only taught, but also contributed to his field through writing and editing 11 books and writing more than 80 research articles. Additionally he amassed a large volume of commentaries, reviews, reports, and papers. His knowledge and intelligence was always available. According to one student, Cosgrove was more than happy to help students with their projects and provide full support. He will be remembered for not only his academic accomplishments but also for his kindness. Cosgrove leaves behind his wife and three children. The geography department will hold a memorial on campus May 23.

A Better Cancer Treatment Alternative
UCLA professors Jeffrey Zink and Fuyu Tamanoi have combined their scientific specialties to come up with a new method to treat cancer using nanotechnology. The two claim that this method can target diseased cells within the body and more efficiently treat cancer without hurting normal cells. Essentially, it would be a far more painless procedure than chemotherapy, which leads to extreme fatigue and hair loss as healthy cells are killed by the treatment as well. Animal trials and human trials are on the horizon to test the effectiveness of this new research.

Expansion of LAUSD Chinese program
The Los Angeles Unified School District will be instituting a new program that focuses on the Mandarin Chinese language and culture. Already, 800 students are enrolled in the new program, and many hope that the program will be firmly integrated into high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools within the district in just a few years. Faculty from UCLA and other nearby universities will be working with the school district to expand the programs, and UCLA students who already tutor in this school district strongly encourage the cultural benefits of such a program.

Football Spring Training Under New Coach
On April 3, the UCLA football team experienced their first practice under new head coach Rick Neuheisel and new offensive coordinator Norm Chow. With a push towards more intensity and competition in practice to prepare for fall season, Neuheisel has instated a “board system” that tracks the winners of practice drills for the day to view early leaders on the team. The team will have to adjust to Neuheisel’s new brand of offense, especially the five quarterbacks vying for a starting position this year. While the offensive line is a concern, the defense will be relatively stable with DeWayne Walker as a veteran coordinator.

More Sports
On the sports end of the spectrum, the Bruins are on a roll, with the men’s baseball team beating the Aztecs on Tuesday night. Their win against San Diego State has been marked as a possible turning point for the season. The softball team is also holding a strong record by clinching the No. 1 seed with a 31-3 overall record. And finally, the men’s basketball team, as most of us probably know, fell to Memphis on Saturday with a score of 78 to 63 in the first round of the Final Four.

Sign in to post a comment!

HomeDB NowUCLA AlumniAboutContacts