Student Health Center issues swine flu advisory
Arkansas State University officials are advising the campus community to take basic preventive measures to guard against swine influenza and have listed precautionary good health practices that students, faculty, and staff should observe, as provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Renata Vaughn, director of the Student Health Center, urges individuals to take basic precautions, such as washing their hands frequently with warm water and soap or using an alcohol-based hand gel. She also advises using a tissue to cover the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. She notes that this strain of the swine flu in the U.S. appears to be similar to a regular seasonal influenza. If symptoms that are compatible with influenza should develop, students are encouraged to visit the ASU Student Health Center immediately at the corner of Alumni and Stadium Boulevards or to call (870) 972-3098. Students who are ill should stay at home and away from public gatherings including classes, university offices, dining halls, etc. For details, and a printable pdf of the poster, see the NewsPage release.

Bradbury Gallery hosts Spring 2009 Senior Exhibition
On Thursday, April 30, at 5 p.m., the Bradbury Gallery will host the Spring 2009 Senior Exhibition. Held at the end of each fall and spring semester, the exhibition features graduating students from the Arkansas State University Department of Art. This semester, the exhibiting artists will be Kelly Little and Michael Vandermark.The exhibition runs through Saturday, May 9. Gallery hours are 12 noon-5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, and 2-5 p.m. on Sunday. The exhibition is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Les Christensen, director, the Bradbury Gallery, at (870) 972-2567. For details, see the NewsPage release.

Dr. Romero publishes new book
Dr. Aldemaro Romero, chair and professor, Biology, just published a new book, "Cave Biology: Life in Darkness." The book has been published by Cambridge University Press, one of the world’s most prestigious scientific publishers. In that book, Dr. Romero challenges conventional wisdom regarding the science of cave biology, or biospeleology, as it is also known. After a careful analysis of current knowledge in this field, Dr. Romero points out the voids in our knowledge of cave biology and the contradictions in firmly held beliefs by many scientists within current evolutionary framework. He also proposes alternative explanations for much of the conventional wisdom in this area. Dr. Romero notes that this is a culmination of his 30 years of work in cave biology. Dr. Romero wrote his doctoral dissertation on this topic and since then has published about 100 pieces on this subject alone. During the past 30 years, Dr. Romero has conducted laboratory work as well as field studies in caves of Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States. Most recently he and his students have finished a study on the southern cavefish of Arkansas, and he is preparing a manuscript on a new species of cave fish in Arkansas. He also completed a major work on the cave fishes of China to be published later this year. Romero was recently named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and will begin his duties there July 1. For details, see the SIUE press release.

Back to the top