VOLUME 47, ISSUE 19
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013
WWW.UCSDGUARDIAN.ORG
6+/))H7-,0
RAISING VOICES
Bomb Threat Shuts Down I-15 Vehicles stuck in traffic used the Interstate 15’s road shoulder to turn around and head toward a nearby freeway exit.
An anonymous asexual student is planning to launch a chapter of the Asexual Visibility & Education Network at UCSD. !"#$%&"'())*+,-)).
/01))2034))5367/-66
6:;<#=))>"?<#))6%&@"<==#A;" :C<A<:A())*#D")) E
031)0!)18-)9+1-4
9+1-4))*0B0))97/6))99*+ 'C:&$'())*#D"))FG
FORECAST
PHOTO BY ALEKSANDRA KONSTANTINOVIC /GUARDIAN
Cars were stuck in traffic for two hours after a motorist’s brother jokingly claimed her vehicle was rigged with a bomb on Thanksgiving Day. 52))#="J'#A?&#))K:A'$#A$<A:@<;
MONDAY H 72 L 52
TUESDAY H 63 L 50
A
bomb hoax between a brother and sister shut down the Interstate Highway 15 in both directions on Thanksgiving Day, causing traffic jams for two hours in the afternoon. According to the California Highway Patrol, a woman called 911 around 2:45 p.m., claiming she had received a phone call from a number she didn’t recognize telling her there was a bomb in her car. CHP shut down the freeway in both directions, diverting
))!""#$%&'()*(+"),-%'#.
incoming northbound traffic to Sate Route 52 and southbound traffic to Miramar Way. Holiday drivers stuck on the northbound I-15 began using the shoulder to turn their cars around and drive backwards on the freeway in order to reach the nearest exit, or the divide to the southbound I-15. San Diego Bomb Squad officers arrived at the scene around See HOAX, page 3
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY H 63 L 46
H 57 L 43
VERBATIM
!
Ten bucks says... next season, UCSD ranks in the top two of the conference’s annual Preseason Coaches’ Poll.”
- Rachel Uda
PLAY IT AS IT LAYS
SPORTS, PAGE 12
INSIDE Lights and Sirens ............ 3 Quick Takes .................... 4 Letter to the Editor .......... 5 Crossword .................... 11 Sports........................... 12
6I7-/I-))+/H))1-I8/0B0,2
+I+H->7I))+!!+746
Surgeons Introduce New Professor Molina Receives Brain Scanning Technique Highest Civilian Award The UCSD Health System will use the revolutionary method to visualize human nerves. 52))#A?&"L))M%#AD
))"'&//)+.%'(.
Surgeons at the UCSD Health System are now using a revolutionary scanning technique to see the human brain’s nerve connections before performing critical surgery. This non-invasive method is called tractography, or diffusion tensor imaging. First introduced in 1985, it has mainly been used for investigating strokes and other neurological diseases, like Alzheimer’s disease or autism, because it accurately maps out microscopic details in brain tissue. UCSD Health System neurosurgeons are now among the first to use DTI to scan the anatomy of white
tissue affected by cancer, allowing them to perform delicate operations on brain tumors without adversely affecting critical functions like sight and speech. Instead of dyes, chemicals or needles, the technique simply uses water. By tracking the movement of water molecules in the brain, neurosurgeons can find important nerve endings and plan out their surgery accordingly. “There are no margins for error in the brain. Every centimeter of brain tissue contains millions of neural connections, so every millimeter counts,” Dr. Clark Chen, vice-chairman of neurosurgery at the UCSD Health System, said in a Nov. 21 news release. “With tractography, we can visualize the most important of these connections to avoid injury. In doing so, we will preserve the quality of life for our patients with brain cancer.” See BRAIN, page 3
President Barack Obama awarded Molina with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for work in chemistry.
)"(0%#.)"'&//)+.%'(.
52)),#N&<"==#))!="<';MO#A
)
UCSD professor Mario Molina was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom award — the nation’s most prestigious civilian award — from President Barack Obama in a ceremony held on Wednesday, Nov. 20. The ceremony also honored 15 other recipients of the award, including Oprah Winfrey and the late Sally Ride who was the first American woman in space before becoming a professor emeritus of physics at UCSD. The Presidential Medal of Freedom award was established 50 years ago by the late President John F. Kennedy to honor men and women in their fields of expertise. Before honoring each recipient for their contributions,
President Obama reminded those in attendance of the significance of the award. “The Presidential Medal of Freedom goes to men and women who have dedicated their own lives to enriching ours,” Obama said. “This year’s honorees have been blessed with extraordinary talent, but what sets them apart is their gift for sharing that talent with the world.” Molina was recognized by President Obama for his groundbreaking discovery of chlorofluorocarbons, a common class of chemicals once found in aerosol sprays and refrigerants that deplete the ozone layer in the stratosphere. His work also earned him a Nobel Prize in 1995 that he shares with co-recipiSee AWARD, page 3