Veritas, Vol. 46, No. 09, Summer 2004

              3 An impressive lineup of special events
is helping to make the presidential debate more than just a one-day affair.
4 In a new initiative based at UM,
researchers are studying the link between oceans and human health.
5 Six faculty members from diverse
disciplines across the University are honored for excellence in the classroom.
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Volume 46 • Number 9 ■ Summer 2004	For the Faculty and Staff of the University of Miami
www.miami.edu/veritas
BASCOM PALMER RANKED NATION’S NO. 1 EYE HOSPITAL BY i/.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
The University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute has been ranked the nation’s top hospital for ophthalmology in U.S. News & World Report’s annual survey of
Planning and preparations well under way for September 30 event
University prepares for a great debate
“America’s Best Hospitals.” Seven other specialties at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center also were ranked among the nation’s best.
“The wonderful care that is delivered to each Bascom Palmer patient every day is the keystone of our reputation,” said Carmen A. Puliafito, chairman of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. “Our clinical, educational, and research enterprises continue to grow in size, scope, and quality, making it possible for Bascom Palmer to reflect the world of ophthalmology in the 21st century.”
The seven other programs that joined Bascom Palmer in the rankings are kidney disease (ranked No. 19); digestive disorders (23); ear, nose, and throat (26); hormonal disorders (26); urology (30); geriatrics (33); and neurology and neurosurgery (35).
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE: UM SPRINTER WINS NCAA TITLE, QUALIFIES FOR OLYMPICS niversity of Miami junior Lauryn Williams has captured her first national title, winning the 100-meters in a blistering 10.97 seconds at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas, on June 11. Williams’s winning time is the second fastest in the world this year and the fifth fastest in NCAA history.
The Rocheste Pennsylvania, native also is headed for Athens, Greece, this summer. In July she finished third in the 100-meter final at the USA Track and Field Olympic Trials to earn a place on the United States team that will compete in the Olympics August 20-29.
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team of technicians from Information Technology installs more than 18 miles of high-speed data and voice lines inside the Wellness Center. They have only three days to complete the job, so the planning phase is feverish.
Over at the Convocation Center—the University’s $48 million venue for collegiate basketball games, commencement ceremonies, and concerts—new signage and banners are going up on the exterior.
And in a less dramatic display, a management team of University leaders devises plans that address operations throughout campus.
While the presidential debate that will be held here on September 30 will last only 90 minutes, the planning and preparation that is going into hosting the event has been a months-long, comprehensive process that has involved a concerted team effort from every division and unit across the University.
“It’s a major national event, and there’s no way around the fact that it’s going to have a huge impact on this campus,” says UM’s Vice President for Communications Jerry Lewis. Parking lot, building, and street closures, as well as a heightened security presence on campus will all converge as the debate draws closer.
To deal with the debate’s impact on UM, senior members of a University management team, led by Vice President for Government Affairs and Assistant to the President Aileen Ugalde, have been conducting weekly meetings for several months, devising contingency plans for parking and transportation; working with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies on security issues; and planning technology upgrades to accommodate the media that will descend upon this campus.
“It’s been a tremendous undertak-
be a part of the immediate landscape where one of the world’s biggest decisions will be made is awe-inspiring. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and the eyes of the world will be focused on the University of Miami and South Florida.” For security reasons, many of the details on exactly when and how different UM facilities will be impacted cannot be released yet. But here’s what we do know:
• The University’s Wellness Center will close for about four days to students,
All dressed up: Banners promoting the upcoming presidential debate, which will be held here on September 30, will soon adorn the facade of UM’s Convocation Center, as this artist’s rendering illustrates.
faculty, staff, alumni, and guests, and will serve as the operations hub for more than 2,300 media representatives. Parking lots in the vicinity of the Convocation Center, site of the debate, will be closed and used for media parking.
Intermittent street closures will occur along roadways around the Convocation Center, as the Secret Service sets up a secure zone and implements other safety measures. Shuttle bus service will be increased to transport students, faculty, and staff around campus and lessen the
amount of car traffic on campus.
• Attending the debate? Don’t count on it. The Commission on Presidential Debates makes all decisions about the number of spectators allowed in debate venues. Attendance will be extremely limited. President Shalala has determined that available seats will be distributed through a selection process to students. These decisions are not expected to be made until September.
Preparations for the debate began in earnest eight months ago when the Commission on Presidential Debates
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A msyor ‘step’ forward in curing paralysis
In a landmark study that gives new hope to more than 200,000 para-
lyzed Americans, researchers at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis have been successful in using an innovative combination of treatments to help spinal cord-injured rats regain up to 70 percent of their normal walking function.
The combination therapy, designed by Miami Project researchers Damien
D.	Pearse and Mary Bartlett Bunge, proved effective in promoting the growth of nerve fibers across the area of injury and reestablishing communication between the brain and legs of rats with spinal cord contusions.
Results of the study were published in the June 2004 issue of the journal Nature Medicine.
“This work opens up new possibilities for treatment for spinal cord-injured humans,” says Bunge, a professor of cell biology and anatomy, neurological surgery, and neurology, and the Christine
E.	Lynn Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience at The Miami Project.
“In the 13 years that I have been at The Miami Project, this is the most exciting
and important work that has been done in my laboratory.”
Bunge’s lab has long been successful in using Schwann cells to build bridges across the area of injury, but the problem had been in getting nerve fibers to
Closer to a cure: Researchers Damien D. Pearse, left, and Mary Bartlett Bunge answer questions.
At the right is Miami Project co-founder and NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti.
grow into the spinal cord instead of stopping at the end of the bridge. She and Pearse worked on a way of spurring nerve cell growth beyond the bridge.
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