News, information and research from Boston University
July 9, 2009 at 10:28 am
Leaders at the Group of Eight summit meeting failed to make a breakthrough to cut in half the global production of greenhouse gases by 2050 as India and China claimed an unfair burden when their economies are growing rapidly. But Adil Najam, co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and a BU professor of international relations, disputes their reasons and can discuss the failure to resolve the deep split among G-8 countries.
Contact Adil Najam (617) 358-4000, anajam@bu.edu
July 9, 2009 at 9:20 am
A congressional hearing was held yesterday to discuss quality regulations of both tap and bottled water here in the U.S. Findings of two recent studies stated that bottled water can often come from unknown sources and questions whether bottled water is trulysafer than tap. Nutrition professor Joan Salge Blake addressed this topic in her most recent book and has real concerns over the public's perception of bottled water being "cleaner" than tap. She can be reached at salgeblake@comcast.net or (978) 436-0341.
July 8, 2009 at 4:37 pm
With a filing in U.S. District Court in Boston, Massachusetts becomes the first state to challenge the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. School of Law Professor Linda McClain, an authority on family law and gay rights, can discuss the legal ramifications.
Contact Linda McClain, 617-358-4635, lmcclain@bu.edu
July 8, 2009 at 2:46 pm
The School of Ed's hippest student group SEDGreen is premiering its brand new web magazine Stomata which features information on the group's activities, highlights current green initiatives taking place at BU and in the City of Boston, and plans to provide relivant information on ecological sustainability. For more information on SEDGreen and Stomata, please contact Doug Zook at dzook@bu.edu.
July 8, 2009 at 12:56 pm
In an ongoing fight over secret offshore accounts, the Swiss government vows to do what it must to keep the U.S. authorities from getting the names of 52,000 American clients of the Swiss bank UBS. School of Law Professor Daniel Berman, director of the Graduate Tax Program and former Treasury Department official, can discuss the situation.
Contact Daniel Berman, 617-353-3105, bermand@bu.edu
July 8, 2009 at 11:49 am
G-8 website
As President Obama joins the leaders of the world's top eight economies at the G-8 summit in Italy, the success of this gathering is already being debated. The world economy and climate change are top agenda items the leaders will tackle. Available to dicuss what kind of outcome we can expect from the G-8 is Kevin P. Gallagher, professor of international relations and an advisor on trade and development policies to a number of national governments, international institutions, and non-governmental organizations. Gallagher can be reached at (617) 353-9348 or kpg@bu.edu
July 8, 2009 at 10:27 am
Unless an angel investor steps forward, the Bay State Banner - Boston's only newspaper exclusively covering the African-American community since 1965 - will fold after tomorrow's edition. College of Communication Professor Lou Ureneck, the Journalism Department chair and authority on the business of newspapers, says the whole industry is in trouble and ethnic-niche papers are particularly vulnerable in this recession.
Contact Lou Ureneck, 617-353-4095, lureneck@bu.edu
July 8, 2009 at 10:13 am
In a shift from two decades of hands-off market regulation, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is considering new restrictions on purely financial investors speculating on oil, natural gas and other energy products. Energy risk-management expert Mark T. Williams, who teaches finance in the School of Management, can discuss how this might affect the energy markets.
Contact Mark T. Williams, 617-358-2789, williams@bu.edu
July 7, 2009 at 11:24 am
New NIH rules on embryonic stem cell research for the study of medical disorders and the development of cures, expands President Obama's vision of stem cell research while also strengthening ethical requirements. Darrell Kotton,MD, associate professor at BU's School of Medicine, whose lab is developing novel stem cell and gene therapies for lung diseases, can discuss the value and importance of having the restrictions eased.
Contact Darrell Kotton, (617) 638-4860, dkotton@bu.edu
