High school student's UConn research is paying off
A student at Mercy High School in Middletown has parlayed research conducted at UConn into a statewide award.

Michelle Labickas, 17, worked with a post-doctoral fellow and a graduate student to develop a research project on the effects of acetaminophen on the body. Her project will be judged in May at the International Science and Engineering Competition in Louisville, Ky. She qualified by winning first place in biological sciences at the Connecticut Science Fair.

Labickas spent last summer conducting her own research about the toxic effects of acetaminophen, a substance used to reduce fever and relieve pain. Then she met Steven Cohen, professor of toxicology in the School of Pharmacy, who has researched the white powder for years.

Labickas wanted to help Cohen's graduate students conduct research. He agreed, and she spent a good part of her vacations in UConn labs.

"She's very serious," Cohen said. "She's very committed to science."

Labickas worked with Stacy Shehin-Johnson, a post-doctoral fellow, and Angela Lucas, a graduate student in toxicology. Her research identifies the protein that helps break down acetaminophen in the body and explains how a synthetic hormone can potentially alter the effect of an overdose.

She has been accepted to a number of colleges, including UConn, but has not yet decided where to attend.

International Criminal Court is topic of forum
A forum on the proposed International Criminal Court will be held Saturday at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center and St. Thomas Aquinas Center.

The day-long symposium is the fourth sponsored by the Mansfield chapter of the World Federalists.

The topic was selected following genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda that could come under the auspices of an international tribunal similar to the one during the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials.

"The idea is to give people who are tempted to behave in the way they have in Rwanda and Bosnia that there will be justice," said Charles Owen, a professor emeritus and programming chair for the chapter.

The afternoon begins at 1:30 p.m. in the Dodd Center's Konover Auditorium. Michael Scharf, a professor at New England School of Law and an advisor to the United Nations, will talk about Bosnian Justice: Lessons for a Permanent ICC.

Three workshops follow at 2:45 p.m. in the Whetten Graduate Center: The Permanent ICC -- A Step Beyond Nuremberg?, by Daniel Partan, a professor of law at Boston University; Bosnia, by Robert Kravchuk, a UConn assistant professor of political science; and Rwanda, by Marguerite Dorn, a professor at Suffolk University Law School and Jan Rocamora, former field officer for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

A dinner and final presentation will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Center. To attend the conference, a $5 donation is requested at the door, $10 for dinner. To register, call 486-6436.

Director of accounting named
Raymond Frigon has been named director of accounting at the University. He has served UConn for 25 years as an internal auditor, assistant director of accounting and director of funds management.

Planning to take summer courses elsewhere?
Students planning to take summer courses at institutions other than UConn who wish to have their work accepted for transfer must obtain approval from the Transfer Admissions Office prior to registering.

Approval forms are available at the Transfer Admissions Office and at the control desk in the Student Union lobby. Students must attach summer catalog descriptions of all courses listed on the approval form.