NEWS RELEASE

Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax; 713/743-8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2004

Contact: Lisa Merkl
713/743-8192 (office)
713/605-1757 (pager)

PIONEERING DISCOVERIES, PURSUING NEW KNOWLEDGE, FOSTERING PARTNERSHIPS
RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP DAY SPOTLIGHTS MAJOR PROJECTS AT UH

HOUSTON, March 23, 2004 – From paradoxical pharmacology and drug development to neurological repair and neuro motor rehabilitation, a bevy of projects will be showcased at an event to focus on cutting-edge research and scholarly programs at the University of Houston.

The University of Houston’s fifth annual Research and Scholarship Day will take place from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Friday, April 2, in the Grand Ballroom of the University of Houston Hilton Hotel. Exhibits describing various projects and research programs will be on public display with UH researchers and scholars on hand to give demonstrations and to discuss their research.

Exhibits will include projects in biology, chemistry, psychology, optometry, pharmacy, engineering, education, computer science, health and human performance, economics and materials science.

At 11 a.m., Arnold Eskin, professor of biology and biochemistry, will give the keynote address, “Learning and Memory Mechanisms and Modulation.”

“This year, we were successful in having Mayor Bill White declare April 2, 2004, Research and Scholarship Day in honor of this important event,” said Arthur Vailas, vice president for research at UH. “UH plays a large role in the advancement of science, education and culture. Our faculty and students are very active in applying new knowledge that will benefit our economy, environment, educational programs, health and culture. This special day is set aside for us to give the community an opportunity to learn about these programs that ultimately have a significant impact on their lives.”

Eskin is the 2003 recipient of UH’s Esther Farfel Award and was named a John and Rebecca Moores Professor the same year, becoming the first UH faculty member to receive both honors in the same year. For more than 25 years, his research continuously has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, and he strongly encourages graduate and undergraduate research in his laboratory. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and doctorate in Zoology from The University of Texas at Austin. Eskin joined UH as a faculty member in 1979.

Research and Scholarship Day is sponsored by the Division of Research and co-sponsored by the Honor Society of Sigma Xi, Faculty Senate, Research Council and the Division of University Advancement.

About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

For more information on the UH Division of Research, visit http://www.research.uh.edu/

For more information about UH, visit the university’s Newsroom at www.uh.edu/newsroom

To receive UH science news via e-mail, visit http://www.uh.edu/admin/media/sciencelist.html

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.