CAMPUS NOTES

Members of the UC Task Force on Post-Employment Benefits will be visiting UCSB on Monday, November 2, to report on their work and collect feedback from the campus community.
Three 90-minute forums have been scheduled for that day, the first beginning at 9:30 a.m. for retired staff and emeriti. Other sessions will begin at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. for current faculty and staff members. All sessions will take place in room 1001 of the Engineering Sciences Building.
More information about the task force and its duties can be found at <www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/ucrpfuture/emp_task.html>.

Two national magazines have recently published lists ranking UCSB among the top 50 universities in the country. In the U.S. News & World Report annual rankings, published in the September issue, UCSB was ranked number 11 in the magazine’s listing of the “Top 50 Public National Universities,” and number 42 on its list of the “Best National Universities.” UCSB’s rank among public universities was one place higher than last year, and its rank on the list of all national universities was two places higher. In addition, the undergraduate program in UCSB’s College of Engineering was ranked number 34 on the U.S. News & World Report list of “Best Programs at Engineering Schools Whose Highest Degree is a Doctorate.” Only 18 public institutions were ranked higher than UCSB. Meanwhile, Washington Monthly magazine ranked UCSB number 21 in its list of the Top 30 National Universities released in the September/October issue. While U.S. News & World Report awarded its highest rankings to private universities, the editors of Washington Monthly said that they believe that public institutions deserve more credit.

Todd Squires, assistant professor of chemical engineering, has received a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. The award supports the teaching and research of young faculty members in the chemical sciences.

Lawrence Badash, an emeritus professor of history, has published “A Nuclear Winter’s Tale: Science and Politics in the 1980s” (The MIT Press, 2009).

Suzie Follmer has joined the Advancement Information Systems team in the Office of Development. Prior to her position as a business systems analyst, Follmer spent over 10 years in the Office of Community Relations.

Anthony Evans, professor of materials and of mechanical engineering and director of the Center for Multifunctional Materials and Structures, died on September 9. He joined the faculty in 1985 as founding chair of the Department of Materials. Evans is survived by his wife, Trisha Evans.