Psychology, on the cutting edge
University counseling centers nationwide are increasingly seeing cases of students deliberately hurting themselves, usually by cutting or burning, says Russ Federman, director of counseling and psychological services at U.Va.’s Student Health Center. “It’s on all our radar screens,” he told Psychology Today. “It gets talked about with deans.” Self-injury is often a cry for help, experts say. “But it isn’t about taking one’s life,” Federman cautioned. “It freaks others out. But rarely does cutting constitute imminent danger to the self. There’s not usually suicidal ideation.”
— Psychology Today, May 21

But will they share the popcorn?
Environmental sciences professors Michael Mann and Patrick Michaels often find themselves on opposing sides of climate-change controversies. However, they recently found some common ground: mutual alarm over the “science” in the weather-thriller flick, “The Day After Tomorrow.” Michaels, who often downplays fears of global warming, called the movie “not science, and … not science fiction” and a “purposeful distortion of science.” Mann, a global warming advocate, took issue with the film’s notion that a column of stratospheric air could instantly freeze New York City. Such air would be warm, not cold, he said — and that’s just one scene. “I could go on and on.”
— Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 24

University’s endowment gains spotlight
One of U.Va.’s success stories received major publicity recently when the Chronicle of Higher Education featured U.Va.’s $2 billion endowment in a special report on endowments. In the past few years, as state support waned and tuition revenue was frozen and even cut, endowment funding was vital to maintaining the University’s quality, said Leonard W. Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer. These days, endowment income is paying for the innovative new Access UVa financial aid program and a “budget defense fund” that insulates the University from further cuts, supports new initiatives and can be spent strategically for faculty retention. The endowment is no longer “the icing on the cake,” Sandridge said, but “the basic cake itself.”
— Chronicle of Higher Education, May 28

Law professor: Fingerprints not foolproof
The recent arrest, and subsequent sheepish release, of an Oregon lawyer on charges of participating in the Madrid train bombings should draw needed attention to the issue of fingerprint identification, says U.Va. law professor Jennifer L. Mnookin, currently visiting at Harvard. FBI experts declared Brandon Mayfield’s prints to be an absolute match to those found on a bag containing explosive detonators in Madrid. Later, they admitted they were mistaken; the prints belonged to an Algerian man. Mnookin argues that there are no accepted standards for what constitutes a match, and even no definitive proof for the notion that no two prints are alike. “Our current approach to fingerprint evidence … is dangerously flawed and risks causing miscarriages of justice,” she wrote in a recent op-ed.
— Washington Post, May 29

Managing the midlife midriff
Experts agree: it’s almost inevitable that women will gain weight around menopause. Metabolism slows down, meaning that the same amount of food produces more fat. Stress is up, due to family and career pressures, making one want to eat more. Physical activity is usu-ally down. Increased exercise and attention to nutrition can help combat the effects, but don’t expect easy solutions, says JoAnn Pinkerton, an ob-gyn and director of U.Va.’s Midlife Health Center. “There is no magic cure. There is no magic pill.” She prescribes exercise, including strength training.
— Newark, N.J. Star-Ledger, June 1