University Of California At Irvine

Guard Lamarr Parker and forward Juma Jackson said Tuesday that they will not return to the UC Irvine men's basketball team next season. Parker, a 6-foot-1 junior guard, will stay at Irvine and remain on scholarship, but won't play basketball. He led the Anteaters in scoring (13.4) and assists (4.0) as a sophomore, but saw his role reduced last season. Parker played in 27 games and averaged 8.5 points.

Andrew Carlson, a 6-foot-10 center at UC Irvine, has asked for his release from his basketball scholarship so he can transfer, Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said Friday. Carlson, a sophomore, averaged 4.8 points and 3.1 rebounds last season, with a career-high 19 points against Nevada in the first round of the Big West Tournament. He averaged 5.5 points and 5.0 rebounds as a freshman and was named to the conference's all-freshman team.

Despite the lucrative opportunities in the computer industry, the number of women studying computer science has fallen dramatically nationwide over the past decade, causing concern among educators who say women are underrepresented in a field that is rapidly growing. More than 100,000 jobs--ranging from software design to computer consulting--remain unfilled in the technology job market nationwide, said Mike Pazzani, chairman of UC Irvine's department of information and computer science.

A revolutionary way to combat deadly antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" has been developed by researchers at UC Davis, perhaps paving the way for a new class of drugs to supplement antibiotics. Rather than killing the bacteria, the researchers have made an end-run around the ability of bacteria to resist antibiotics--by attacking the mechanism through which they release toxins.

Ralph J. Cicerone, the first person in his family to attend college and who once considered leaving academics to be a baseball broadcaster, became UC Irvine's fourth chancellor Thursday, vowing to lift the school to greater heights.

When she learned the job she was leaving would be filled by fellow scientist Ralph J. Cicerone, UCI Chancellor Laurel L. Wilkening smiled at the irony. After all, Cicerone was among those who helped foster Wilkening's concern for global environmental issues--a concern she plans to pursue full-time after leaving her post June 30. In turn, he will move into her old office the following day. "I told Ralph . . .

Sergio C. Stone, one of three doctors involved in UC Irvine's fertility clinic scandal, likely will be sentenced next month for fraudulently billing insurance companies. Stone's sentencing, which was scheduled Monday in federal court, was postponed because prosecutors and defense attorneys said they needed more time to respond to a confidential presentencing report prepared by court officials.

UC Irvine, supported by a new $150,000 grant, is poised to become a global clearinghouse for innovative teaching and research programs that are transforming public schools internationally. The Ford Motor Co. pledged $150,000 over three years to fund the Successful Schools Network, an Internet-based program that will be developed and maintained by the UC Irvine department of education.

UC Irvine will observe National Engineering Week April 13-17 with events to test and reward students' mental mettle. "E-Week" will celebrate its 25th year with a series of contests, races and other events. Festivities begin at 10:30 a.m. Monday with the "Light Me Up" contest, in which contestants must figure out how to turn on a light bulb using only the contents of a box of junk components and a battery pack. The Rube Goldberg contest, at 1 p.m.

Joining a political offensive to save bilingual education in California, a group of Harvard University scholars announced its opposition to Proposition 227 during a Chicano issues forum Saturday at UC Irvine. The 14-member board of the Harvard Educational Review, a leading education research journal, suggested that students who don't speak English fluently will suffer if the June 2 ballot initiative banning bilingual education is approved.