LOCAL/S TATE The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 18, 2001- 3A Former 'U' prof. S shares Nobel Prize Former physics Prof. Carl Wieman shared this year's Nobel Prize in Physics with professors from the Uni- versity of Colorado at Boulder, thanks to research that he began at the Univer- sity of Michigan many years ago. Wieman, who taught at the Universi- ty from 1979 to 1984, relocated to Col- orado to work in their JILA Institute. Wieman shared the prize with fellow researchers, Eric Cornell and Wolfgang Ketterle of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for their research on a new type of matter called a Bose-Ein- stein Condensate. Cooling and com- bining millions of atoms forms this new entity, which was first made by Wieman and Cornell in 1995. Program examines global economy In an effort to advance the knowl- edge of labor issues within a global economy, researchers at the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations have created a program that will examine the economic and political issues surround- ing the shift towards multinational cor- porations and unions. The Labor and Global Change pro- gram consists of four units, including a small grants program, undergraduate teaching, public talks and forums, and summaries of related research assem- bled in a network. Directed by Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations researchers Larry Root and Ian Robinson, the team has already been investigating labor quality in factories that produce University apparel and hope to broaden the scope of public discussion over these issues, according to a recent press release. Detroit economy, jobs to decline Wayne County will feel the effects of economic decline over the next two years, according to University econo- mists. The country is already flirting with a period of recession, and researchers feel the events of Sept. 11 will deepen the drop felt by residents. In a recent Uni- versity press release, George Fulton, a research scientist at the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations said he expects a recession in the county through early 2003. Researchers expect the county will lose 10,000 jobs within 2001 and 16,000 over the next two years, drop- ping the number of people in the coun- ty's work force from 748,000 in 2000 to 722,000 by 2003. Of these numbers, they believe that 10,500 of the lost jobs will be a result of the terrorist attacks and its effects on manufacturing and transportation areas of the economy. The loss of jobs would also raise the unemployment rate, which hit a record low last year at 3.9 percent. Brand-name drugs nothing special As prescription drug costs continue to climb, researchers at the School of Pharmacy examined the difference between brand-name and generic over the counter medications. Though brand-name producers hope to see a profit from their products, they must compete with insurers who keep dropping costs to providers, if they pre- scribe and encourage the use of generic drugs. Insurers will also drop co-pays to stimulate the use of generic alternatives. The team, led by Duane Kirking, chair of the Department of Social and Administrative Sciences, received $50,000 in funding from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation. Currently, generic drugs make up 40 percent of prescriptions and only 10 percent of pharmaceutical sales, but researchers don't expect these numbers to dramatically change because of the rate at which companies produce patent-protected brand-name products. Restructuring in the industry has made it easier to prove if the generic drug is biologically equivalent to the brand-name product. In some cases, researchers even found that the same company produced both the generic and name brand drug; Instead of prescribing generics, researchers suggest interchanging relat- ed drugs. - Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter Lisa Hoffman. Dean promises % smooth merging o S, is DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily SNRE Dean Rosina Bierbaum spoke last night in the Chemistry Building with panelists from the College of Engineering, Business school and the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning about the Integration of the SNRE. Panel of deans discuss environmental issues By Shannon Pettypiece Daily Staff Reporter Rosina Bierbaum, the newly appointed dean of the School of Nat- ural Resources and the Environment, plans to make the integration of SNRE into the College of Literature, Science and the Arts her top priority. "The environmental problems that have emerged since I have been in Washington have become more com- plex and more interconnected," Bier- baum said yesterday. "It really does require you to have a lot of under- standing of the science, policy, politi- cal and economic implications." Bierbaum has been in Washington for the past 20 years and has most recently worked for the Clinton administration in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. But Bierbaum said she has always planned on a career in academia. "I intended to really be a laborato- ry scientist for the rest of my life and be in a laboratory setting," Bier- baum said. "One of my mentors essentially embarrassed me into applying for one of these congres- sional fellowships. I applied for this and really hoped I wouldn't get it." Once in Washington, Bierbaum said she realized the need for the active involvement of scientists in Washington to help shape environ- mental policies that were taking place. "There was really a lot of good science happening that wasn't pene- trating the political psyche," Bier- baum said. "I was much more needed in Washington as a sort of political translator of knowledge than I was living in a lab where I had intended to go." Under interim Dean Barry Rabe, SNRE has been developing a part- nership with LSA to facilitate the eventual consolidation of the undergraduate SNRE program within LSA. The merger is pending until the University Board of Regents gives its approval. The SNRE graduate program will remain intact. Rabe said that one of his goals has been to allow students to become actively involved in both schools. "We know that student undergrad- "There was really a lot of good science happening that wasn 't penetrating the political psyche." - Rosina Bierbaum SNRE Dean uate interest in the environment is at an all-time high, and yet students for decades have had to make a choice: Do they do the wealth of activities. in LSA or do they come over to SNRE?" Rabe said. "Despite tremendous interest, our enrollment was not growing." Bierbaum plans to continue incor- porating SNRE into LSA, as well as making a connection with other schools in the University. She said one of the main characteristics that drew her to the University was the strong academic foundation within SNRE as well as the Business School, Law School and Ford School of Public Policy, which all play a role in environmental issues. "U of M as a whole is so strong," Bierbaum said. "With a diverse fac- ulty and really interesting student body, I couldn't find a better match." Faculty members expressed enthusiasm about what new aspects Bierbaum will bring to the school. "I'm very excited about the new dean. I think her science back- ground and experience talking with policy makers at the highest level will provide a direction to our school that will link the policy and science work that we all do here," said SNRE Prof. Daniel Brown. Though some students hope the new dean brings improvements and advancements to the school, many are content with their experience and hope for the school to continue its positive aspects. "I've really enjoyed my time here and I hope others get to have that same type of experience," said SNRE senior Rebecca Meuninck. "I hope all the good things can stay the same like the small tight-knit com- munity we have here." By Erin Saylor For the Daily In her first speech as dean of the School of Natural Resources and Env iron ment, Rosina Bierbaum outlined problems facing the envi- ronment in the 21st century, specifically cli- mate change and its implications for other environ- Bierbaum mental issues. "Climate change is, I would argue, the most dangerous environ- mental issue in the world today, and it is also the most retractable," she said. "Average temperatures have increased 1 degree Celsius over 100 years; however, when you look at this over the course of a 1,000 years, assuming the continued increase of carbon dioxide pollution, it is very significant." This problem, Bierbaum said, is largely due to the 7 billion tons of car- bon dioxide that pollute the earth's atmosphere each year, much of which is from burning fossil fuels. "In studies conducted from 1950 to 1995 concerning the cumulative emis- sions of carbon dioxide, the U.S. alone contributed 27 percent of the waste," she said. A panel discussion on the points Bierbaum brought up in her lecture featured the deans from three other colleges - Stephen Director from the College of Engineering, Robert Dolan from the Business School and Dou- glas Kelbaugh from the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. "Americans make up 4 percent of the world's total population and yet we use 40 percent of the world's ener- gy and water," Kelbaugh said. "The average American makes 11 trips in their vehicle a day, and only 11 to 20 percent carpool." Kelbaugh said we need to find alternatives to our current means of transit. "Transportation in this country is a joke," he said. Kelbaugh said that with the popula- tion growing so quickly, it will only be another two years before the world is equally urban and rural. "We need to build an urban envi- ronment that is in harmony with the natural environment," Kelbaugh said. Hosted by the Center for Sustain- able System on their 10 year anniver- sary, the lecture was in honor of donor Peter Wege. He was "a generous benefactor and supporter of our program and many others around the world," Bierbaum said. I Despite slowdown, 'U' endowment up By April Effort Daily Staff Reporter While many colleges and universities across the country find their endow- ments decreasing in response to the weak economy, the University of Michi- gan's endowment fund continues to increase. Despite lower return rates in 2001, the University's endowment fund actually increased from 3.5 billion in 2000 to 3.6 billion for 2001. The University has the fourth largest endowment of public institutions and 13th overall. John Griswold, senior vice president of Commonfund, which manages $30 billion in assets for colleges and other. nonprofit organizations, said 74 percent of endowments reported flat or negative for the 2001 fiscal year. While the Standard and Poor's 500 index was down 14.5 percent this year, the University's stock decreased only 5 percent. "In areas where the market was posi- tive, we were up more -- in areas where the market was down, we were down less," said University Chief Investment Officer Erik Lundberg. Lundberg plans to give a presentation at the University Board of Regents meeting today on the University's investment performance, taking an in- depth look at distribution policy and investment strategies. The University's portfolio "produced excellent returns in the long term and limited losses in a difficult environ- ment," Lundberg said. Jonathon King, associate vice presi- dent of investments for Dartmouth Col- lege, compared the current economy to "going into a strong headwind." In the past couple of months, which Griswold described as "brutal," the U.S economy has been teetering on the edge of a recession, with companies reporting staggering losses and announcing profit warnings during earnings announcements. He said the Sept. 11 attacks added to an already gloomy situation and speculates the announcement of an official recession in January. But Griswold said there are a few bright spots, including real estate, which he said held up relatively well. "I think barring further attacks that would undermine consumer confidence, I see a rebound in the next six months to a year," Griswold said. Lundberg said diversification, absolute return strategies, controlled risk and avoidance of short-term use of the market are among the Universi- ty's investment tactics. Lundberg also identified positive returns in real estate and energy, all contributing to the Uni- versity's 15 percent returns in the last 5 years. THE CALENDAR What's happening in Ann Arbor today EVENTS and Women's Salva- Artwork; 2-day reception SERVICES tion;" Sponsored by the for an exhibit of her color- Study Abroad Programs- Center for Japanese ful watercolors and oil U Campus Information Japan;" 4:00 - 5:00 Studies, 12:00 - 1:00 paintings, 6:00 - 9:00 Centers, 764-INFO, m.apaoom 4:00,-I5:00-info@umich.edu, or p.m., Room 3065, Frieze p.m., Room 1636, Inter- p.m., Domino's Farms www.umich.edu/-info *Ruildinl national Institute Ativitc centr .n Franke U Northwalk. 763-WALK.