In Brief

The multidisciplinary Human Values Cluster--which bridges the School of Nursing, the College, the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and SMD's Division of Medical Humanities--is again sponsoring a Creative Excellence Award this year.

The award will be given to the student--undergraduate or graduate--who submits the best creative work in any medium, such as poetry, fiction, fine arts, photography, or personal essay. Evaluation criteria include focus on and clarity of expression of human values in health care, originality, skill of presentation, and overall quality. The winner will receive a prize of $200 and an inscribed plaque.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 14, at 4 p.m. Each submission must include the student's name, year of study, school, mailing address, and phone number. Submissions may be brought to Nancy Scott at the School of Nursing, Helen Wood Hall, third floor, Room 3W-150, or sent via intramural mail to Madeline Schmitt, Box SON. Students will receive submission results by mid-May.

For more information call Madeline Schmitt, x5-8889.

Students initiate 'Safe Zone'

Rochester students are spearheading "the Safe Zone Campaign," a University-wide program intended to provide support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students and their allies. Initiated in Massachusetts, the project has successfully spread to several other campuses in the nation. The program--which is organized by students, faculty, and staff--marks places on campus where individuals can talk openly about both academic and personal issues.

Safe Zone volunteers are provided with program orientation and training, a resource booklet, and a card to place in their office or room signaling that they're available for conversation. While the idea focuses on letting students know they can feel comfortable talking about problems, volunteers won't provide counseling. Rather, they'll have the information to direct individuals to the proper resources.

For more information, contact the Safe Zone at safezone@cif.rochester.edu, or look for the group's Web site at www.cif.rochester.edu/~safezone.

LLE work yields honor for teen

A local high school student has been selected as a semi-finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search for his work on the University's Omega laser, the most powerful fusion laser in the world. Aman Narang of the Harley School developed a computer model that predicts how the spectrum of the massive laser will behave as scientists change the characteristics of the light it produces.

"Aman's program confirmed that the laser was working as expected," said Stephen Craxton, a physicist in the Theory Division at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. "We'd added some new features to the laser recently, such as a new diagnostic instrument that measures the spectrum. Dr. William Donaldson, who had built the instrument, asked me to calculate what it should see, and I realized this would make a great project for a student."

Craxton started Narang working on the computer model during a summer program offered by LLE to local high school students. By the end of the eight-week program, the teen had modeled the spectrum produced by the Omega laser and obtained results that agreed in remarkable detail with measurements made directly with a spectrometer.

For his accomplishment, Narang and his school will each receive $1,000. Forty finalists will be chosen to attend the Science Talent Institute in Washington, D.C., in March, where one winner will receive a prize of $100,000.

ID Office to have shorter hours

The ID Office in Susan B. Anthony Hall will have shortened hours during the upcoming Spring Break. The office will be closed on Saturday, March 4. From Monday, March 6, through Friday, March 10, the office will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Regular hours resume on Monday, March 13.

Get your Sabres hockey tickets

The Activities Program has discounted game vouchers for the last 10 home games of the Buffalo Sabres's 1999-2000 season. Good seats are still available. For more information, call x5-7942 or e-mail eap@services.rochester.edu.

Research participants needed

Depression--Mothers who have been depressed or had manic depression at some time since the birth of their child are needed for a research study. The study is open to families with children ages 3-8 who are not receiving public assistance. Mothers must have at least a high school education. All parents and children will complete one two-hour University-based visit. There is a $20 payment to each family for participation. Call x5-2014.

Learning disabilities--University students with a reading-type learning disability are needed for a study of an alternative treatment for learning disabilities. Students must be at least 18 years old and provide official documentation of disability. The study requires about eight hours of treatment on campus and keeping a daily log. There is payment for participation. Call Dianne Vermillion, School of Nursing, x5-8860.

Obesity--Overweight volunteers ages 45-70 are needed for a control group in a clinical trial, which involves one clinic visit. Participants will receive free heart ultrasound and cardiac consultation. Call x5-0516.

Diabetes--Normal, healthy volunteers ages 35-70 are needed for a metabolism study. It includes one overnight inpatient visit (about 18 hours). Stipends of $300 will be provided for qualified volunteers who complete the study. Call J. Woerle, x3-4333.

Type II diabetes--People who have Type II diabetes and are otherwise healthy are needed for a study. It includes one overnight inpatient visit (about 24 hours). Stipends of $300 will be provided for qualified volunteers who complete the study. Call J. Woerle, x3-4333.

Sperm function--Volunteers are needed for a study of how environmental exposure to metals affects sperm. They will need to donate two semen specimens and one blood specimen, plus answer a confidential questionnaire. A consent form must be signed prior to participating. Volunteers will be paid $50 for participation. Call the Andrology Lab, x5-2491.

Sperm-count home test--Men ages 18-70 are needed for a study to evaluate the performance of a home diagnostic screening test for sperm count. Men who have had a vasectomy are eligible to participate. In addition to using the home kit and following its instructions, volunteers will need to answer a questionnaire and sign a consent form before receiving a kit. They will receive $40 for participation. Call the Andrology Lab, x5-2491.

Spending project--Men age 18 or older and working 30 hours per week or more are needed for a study. They will keep records of their purchases plus psychological information for 21 days. Participants will receive $50 and a personalized report on their spending and other data. Call x3-3265.

Endometrial biopsy--Healthy fertile women are needed for a study to evaluate the use of endometrial biopsy in infertile women. Women ages 25-39 with at least one live birth within two years will be considered. They will undergo urine testing and a small sample of the uterine lining will be obtained. Volunteers receive $200 compensation. Call x3-2090.

FSH hormone--Healthy women ages 18-39 with infertility due to ovulatory problems are needed for a research study of two types of FSH, a hormone that stimulates ovulation. After a physical, hormone tests, and tests for infectious diseases, volunteers will be randomized to receive purified FSH or Follistim infections for one cycle. Participants receive free study medications and monitoring. Call Martha O'Connor, x5-1930.

AIDS vaccine--Healthy, HIV-negative volunteers between the ages of 18 and 60 are needed for clinical research trials of HIV-prevention vaccines. Participants will receive up to $700. Call x3-AIDS.

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