An article on some of the trees around the city that have been affected by Dutch elm disease mentions Brown's "carefully tended" collection of elms on the main green and also notes that the University is trying out a resistant Homestead variety American elm near the Van Wickle gates.

Norm Fruchter, the senior policy analyst at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, is quoted in this blog post on New York City's recent decision to close 17 schools. Fruchter cites research that suggests that schools being closed tend to have high concentrations of the demographics who do poorly, and that as the city continues to close schools, those students become concentrated in fewer and fewer schools — which are then closed themselves.

A Brown University class on the effect that climate change could have on human health has produced a free new curriculum for high school teachers. The nine-module unit, which reflects feedback from teachers, includes lecture background and ideas for warm-ups, in-class activities, and assessment.

Mary Carskadon, professor of psychiatry and human behavior, is quoted in this article on new technology to combat falling asleep at the wheel. Carskadon says that people who fall asleep while driving may have a serious sleep disorder and not even know it and that sleepiness detectors in cars could help. 

Teespring, a Providence-based start-up founded by Brown alums Walker Williams and Evan Stites-Clayton, uses the crowdfunding model to offer affordable apparel printing to small-scale designers. In this Q&A, the founders talk about their experiences so far. 

Mark Blyth, professor of international political economy, comments on what might have been a better tactic for Congress in dealing with the fiscal cliff: “Democrats should have said to Republicans, ‘You’re the guys who created the debt. We’ll deal with the debt when we return to growth. Get lost.’”

Wendy Schiller, associate professor of political science, offers a local perspective on the fiscal cliff deal, including the impact of upcoming spending cuts. "We don't know how they'll be shaped and how drastic they will be and what price Rhode Islanders will have to pay. So even though we feel like it's finished, the heavy lifting is about to start," Schiller says.

Damaris Rohsenow, professor of behaviorial and social sciences, says that while the "hair of the dog" hangover remedy hasn't been studied in the U.S., most physicians recommend addressing symptoms such as headache and upset stomach. She also cites her own research that found that smoking cigarettes can worsen hangover symptoms. 

Brown President Christina Paxson and URI President David Dooley co-author an op-ed urging political leaders "to consider the importance of and need for strategic investment in one of our nation’s most valuable resources: higher education."
 

Brown University President Christina Paxson discusses how collaboration with the city and other local institutions will enable Brown to do more to help the local economy. 

Two stories out of Brown make the list: research that found that that nicotine itself, a component of cigarette smoke, can contribute to heart disease in insidious ways and the discovery that certain treatments for Lyme Disease have been unjustly dismissed and defunded. 

The Champlin Foundations has awarded $700,000 to Brown for undergraduate and medical scholarships and to make improvements for its acclaimed George S. Champlin Memorial Stamp Collection, which has been valued at more than $10 million.

Brown's new president, Christina Paxson, makes the number nine slot in RI NPR's Top Ten 2012 News Story countdown.

Researchers at Brown University have found the anatomical and evolutionary basis behind the fact that some varieties of grass really are greener than others — or at least why they’re able to produce food for themselves via photosynthesis more effectively than their cousins.