A psychology professor on campus has been chosen to head the firstU.S. National Task Force that will look into Fetal Alcohol Syndromeand fetal alcohol effects.
Professor Edward Riley directs the Center for BehavioralTeratology on campus, which is involved in the study of brain andbehavioral changes associated with prenatal drug and alcoholexposure.
Teratology is the scientific discipline that studies birthdefects.
The task force will coordinate government, academic and communitygroups that conduct or support FAS and FAE research and programs. Itwill also advise programs concerning public education about theconsequences of alcohol use during pregnancy.
The task force will consist of 13 members who will meet twice ayear. From the meetings, they will generate a report to the Secretaryof Health and Human Services about planned agency activity.
FAS is a birth defect caused by a woman drinking heavily duringpregnancy. FAS is characterized by growth retardation, abnormalfacial features and central nervous system problems. Children withFAS can have serious lifelong disabilities.
Children with FAE typically lack the facial features associatedwith FAS, but can still suffer similar learning difficulties andbehavioral problems.
Riley was appointed by Donna Shalala, U.S. Secretary of Health andHuman Services.
Time for some cheer
The annual Campanile Chiming Celebration will be held from12:15-12:45 p.m. tomorrow in the old Main Quad, between the BellTower and Hardy Tower.
The celebration is held to ring in the holiday season with campusfaculty and staff. The event will include a concert and seasonalmusic. Hot cider and cookies will be served.
Don’t drink and drive
Two officers from the University Police will be in Aztec Center onFriday from noon until 2 p.m., handing out material about drivingunder the influence. University Police and Mothers Against DrunkDriving are part of the event to raise awareness about DUI and itsrepercussions.
This weekend, police will be sending out a DUI patrol to look fordrunk drivers.
Drive with the lights on
A news conference for “Lights on for Life,” a program part ofCalifornia’s annual Drunk and Drugged Prevention Month campaign, willkick off on campus Dec. 14.
“Lights on for Life” is a one-day observance on Dec. 15 in whichlaw enforcement officers in California drive with their headlights onin remembrance of people killed or injured by drivers under theinfluence.
The event is also a reminder that law enforcement will be on thelookout for impaired drivers around the holidays. California driversare also encouraged to drive with their lights on.
The campaign will include an emphasis on underage drinking anddriving, specifically among college-aged drinkers.
Special Olympics launches challenge forstudents
The Special Olympics and Booz Allen and Hamilton, a management andtechnology consulting firm, are looking to college students for helpto increase the number of participants in the Special Olympics.
The companies want college students to team up or work on theirown to design a new global fundraising concept to add one millionathletes to the program in the next five years.
Teams of up to three people can enter. The winning team orindividual will get a free trip to Anchorage, Ala to attend the 2001Special Olympics World Winter Games. The package includes round-tripairfare, a rental car, three nights lodging, ski lift passes at theAlyeska Resort, and special access to the opening ceremony and otherevents.
Teams will be judged on creativity and appropriateness, likelihoodof success and potential value to the Special Olympics. The format ofadmissions is flexible, but it is limited to four pages. Thesubmission should include a rationale behind the ideas and an ideafor how they can be implemented.
Up to ten finalists will get to present their ideas to a panel ofmembers from Special Olympics, Booz Allen and Hamilton, andelsewhere.
The deadline to enter is Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. EasternStandard Time. The grand prize winner and a runner-up will beannounced by Monday, Jan. 29.
The Special Olympics is an international program of sportstraining and competition for people with mental retardation. It beganin 1968 when Eunice Kennedy Shriver organized the First InternationalSpecial Olympics Games at Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.
Special Olympics chapters are established in all 50 states, theDistrict of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.About 25,000 communities in the United States have Special Olympicsprograms.
For further information, go to www.boozallen.com/special_olympics/,or call (212) 484-7453.
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