Duke in the News: Feb. 3, 2003

FORMER NASA HISTORIAN SAYS SHUTTLES SHOULD BE REPLACED Charlotte Observer, Feb. 3 -- Duke University history professor and former NASA historian Alex Roland says the Columbia disaster shows the shuttle fleet should be grounded. ... Full story --Also, Los Angeles Times: Space Station May Hang in Balance (Free registration required.) Full story Los Angeles Times: Aging Fleet Was Showing Its Years Full story NPR's Weekend Edition: The Future of Manned Flight (Roland interview) Listen Wall Street Journal: Shuttle Science: Just Along for the Ride? (Available by subscription; Web site provided.) Web site (Durham, N.C.) Herald-Sun: Duke Professor Says Space Shuttles Obsolete Full story (Raleigh) News & Observer: Teachers to Deal With Shuttle Tragedy in Classes Full story

THE SPOILS OF WAR U.S. News & World Report, Feb. 10 -- Scott Silliman, a Duke University law professor who served as an Air Force lawyer during the Gulf War, comments on whether an Iraq conflict could threaten archaeological treasures. Full story

HEART SCAN COULD SAVE LIVES BBC News, Feb. 3 -- A sophisticated scanning technique could help save lives by detecting tiny areas of tissue damage in the heart. Lead researcher Dr. Robert Judd of Duke University comments. ...Full story

BUILDING A 'STUDENT VILLAGE' (Durham, N.C.) Herald-Sun, Feb. 3 -- Duke University seeks to create an environment that allows interaction. ...Full story

COMMENTARY: FEEL-GOOD GRADING Washington Times, Feb. 3 -- Last Tuesday, an amazing thing happened. A Duke University professor told the truth about grade inflation. ...Full story --Also, (Spokane, Wash.) KHQ-TV: Researcher Says Higher Grade Avgs. at UW and WSU Are Watered Down Full story

WHAT WOMEN'S SPORTS CAN BE New York Times, Feb. 3 -- The recent UConn-Duke women's basketball game reconfirmed that women can provide competition every bit as engaging as their male counterparts. (Free registration required.) ... Full story

PROCEDURE MAY HELP SICKLE CELL ANEMIA PATIENTS (Durham, N.C.) Herald-Sun, Feb. 1 -- A controversial surgery involving removal of part of the spleen may offer hope to children suffering from some blood diseases, including sickle cell anemia. Duke pediatric surgeon Henry Rice is the principal investigator for this largest study of its kind in the United States. ...Full story --Also, BBC News: Surgical Hope for Inherited Anaemia Full story Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Saving Part of Spleen May Help Anemic Kids, Study Suggests Full story

POSSIBLE NOMINEE GETS HIGH PRAISE (Raleigh) News & Observer, Feb. 3 -- Allyson K. Duncan, who holds a law degree from Duke, appears to be a popular choise for a judicial appointment to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Full sory

NURSING TEACHERS IN SHORT SUPPLY (Raleigh) News & Observer, Feb. 3 -- At Duke University, school officials have formed a partnership with the Southern Regional Area Health Education Center and the Duke Endowment to create a nursing education degree program offered on line. ... Full story

HEALTH AT HEART OF PREVENTION PRESS (Raleigh) News & Observer, Feb. 2 -- Meg Molloy, director of N.C. Prevention Partners and a former Duke employee, is working to help North Carolinians be healthier. She is featured as the "Tar Heel of the Week." ... Full story

GROUP RAISES DOUBTS ABOUT MURDER CASE Wilson (N.C.) Daily Times, Feb. 1 -- The efforts of a group of Duke University Law School students might soon force the courts or the governor to take a new look at a 27-year-old Wilson murder case. (Subscription required.) ... Web site

ON THE AIR Former NASA historian and Duke professor Alex Roland's comments on the space shuttle Columbia disaster are scheduled to be included on tonight's NBC Nightly News, airing at 6:30 p.m. ET. Professor Roland will also be on ABC's Nightline tonight, starting at 11:35 p.m. ET, and on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday morning between 7 and 8 a.m. ET.

Sam Katz, M.D., will be featured during "North Carolina Now," airing tonight at 7:30 p.m. on UNC-TV. The program will include a segment about some parents' fears of childhood vaccinations. Dr. Katz was interviewed to provide evidence about the safety and necessity of childhood vaccines.