Newsbriefs Al Gore praises business, university collaboration In a Dec. 12 speech at the White House Conference on Technology for a Sustainable Future, Vice President Al Gore praised the collaborative effort of a chemical firm and a Johns Hopkins University professor in developing an environmentally friendly industrial spray painting process. Marc Donohue, chairman of the Department of Chemical Engineering, has worked for a decade with scientists at Union Carbide on his spray paint and coating technology that replaces toxic paint thinners with supercritical carbon dioxide. The result, via a process called UNICARB, is a reduction of solvent emissions of up to 80 percent in spray applications. It is estimated that each of the 500 million gallons of paint sprayed each year using conventional methods produces over 4 pounds of pollutants. Gore hailed UNICARB, which is gaining widespread use in the automobile and furniture manufacturing industries, because it also offers such benefits as lower labor costs and improved quality of the final product. "I was especially pleased to have this process chosen by Vice President Gore as an example of how partnerships between industry, government and universities will be the new paradigm for advancing technology in this country," Dr. Donohue said. For his work on UNICARB, Dr. Donohue has been honored by the Environmental Protection Agency, and has received the National Society of Professional Engineers Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award and the Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award. Winter weather hotline for students, faculty and staff For the second year, Johns Hopkins students, faculty and staff can call a recorded hot line to check whether winter weather has caused any change in the university's schedule. Callers from the eight academic divisions can call 516-7781 in Baltimore; from outside the region, call (800) 548-9004 toll-free. APL employees have their own weather emergency hot line number: (410) 792-6101. The system for the academic divisions can handle hundreds of callers an hour, depending on the complexity and, therefore, the length of the message. The university attempts to reduce confusion by reaching a single decision that applies to all campuses and all academic divisions. But that is not always possible, since weather conditions in Baltimore and Washington, for instance, can be wildly different. Because of the university's patient care and teaching commitments, its policy is to remain open unless a closure or delayed opening is essential. Evening and weekend classes for part-time students are canceled somewhat more frequently than weekday classes, because of the long distances many students and faculty in part-time programs must travel. On most snowy mornings, decisions about daytime operations of the campuses are recorded on the hot line shortly after 6 a.m. Decisions about evening classes are usually recorded by mid-afternoon. Word on the university's operations is relayed to radio and TV stations and posted on the JHUniverse computer system at about the same times. Hopkins Press adds two journals to program The Johns Hopkins University Press has added two literary publications to its journals program: MFS: Modern Fiction Studies and The Yale Journal of Criticism. MFS has a long and distinguished record of publishing quality articles on prominent works of modern and contemporary literature. Devoted to criticism and scholarship of fiction of the 20th century, the journal emphasizes theoretical, historical, interdisciplinary and cultural approaches to narrative. Forthcoming special issues include "Autobiography, Photography and Narrative," "Postmodern Narratives," "Sexuality and Narrative" and "Narrative and History." The Press will begin publishing MFS with volume 40, no. 3. Although the journal, which will continue to be sponsored by the Department of English at Purdue University, is several months behind schedule, it should be caught up by the end of next year. The Yale Journal of Criticism, which is published twice a year, in March and September, features work of interest to readers in the humanities, including scholarly articles, original art, review essays, polemical interventions, and conference and symposium papers. Experimental and performative critical genres such as memoir, confession and fable have also been featured. Named best new journal by the Conference of Editors of Learned Journals in 1989, work from YJC has appeared in Best American Essays. Its editorial offices will remain at Yale University. Real Estate Development Office gets a new name The Office of Real Estate Development has been renamed the Office of University Real Estate, a more accurate reflection of the office's responsibilities in managing the university's property transactions. John L. Davis, previously real estate development officer, has been promoted to director of the renamed office, said Robert Schuerholz, executive director of Facilities Management. Jeffrey H. Koenig has joined the office as a real estate officer. Koenig has worked for 10 years as development associate with a Baltimore commercial developer and previously was director of economic development in Anne Arundel County. ###################### Happy New Year! From the Gazette staff ######################