FlaLaw » 2001 » November » 26

In the spotlight: Powell, Sohn, Noah

wsmitty@ufl.edu — Mon, 26 Nov 2001 21:42:26 +0000

Director of International Trade Programs Steve Powell has been appointed Affiliate Program Director and Lecturer in the University’s Department of Food and Resource Economics. He recently presented a paper at IFAS’s first International Agricultural Trade & Policy Conference on how restriction of trade in genetically- modified crops would be viewed in light of global trade rules.
Gerald A. Sohn Scholar/International Programs Coordinator/Professor Stuart Cohn has been appointed a Senior Special Fellow of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and entitled to a Laissez- Passer from the UN.
Professor Lars Noah presented a paper on the diffusion of medical knowledge to the faculty at the William & Mary School of Law. He published “Inverting the Products Liability Preemption Defense” in Health Law News, and contributed “Products Liability and the Misuse of OxyContin” for a new website devoted to pain management issues sponsored by the American Society of Law Medicine & Ethics.

Vital Facilities Campaign Enters Homestretch

wsmitty@ufl.edu — Mon, 26 Nov 2001 21:34:23 +0000

Efforts by the College of Law’s Law Center Association Board of Trustees, Law Alumni Council and officials to raise at least $5 million by Jan. 4 are now in the critical homestretch, according to Fundraising Chairman W. C. Gentry of Jacksonville. Approximately $4 million has been raised thus far in gifts and pledges toward the two projects, with at least $5 million needed in order to seek state of Florida matching funds in 2002. It is proposed construction begin in summer 2002 on the library expansion project, which would honor former Florida Governor and U. S. Sen. Lawton Chiles (UF J.D. ’55), with subsequent construction startup in 2003 on the student/faculty center.

UF Team Wins in International Environmental Law Moot Court Competition

wsmitty@ufl.edu — Mon, 26 Nov 2001 21:25:37 +0000

Students from last summer’s University of Florida/University of Costa Rica Joint Program in Environmental Law won two of three preliminary rounds of the Stetson University International Environmental Law Moot Court Competition earlier this month. Nicole Kibert (center, with other students in the 2001 Summer Study Abroad Program in Costa Rica) and Suzanne Hollifield (from the Costa Rica Program team) competed against 23 teams — including those from India, Mexico and Canada. “It was a great experience,” said Hollifield. “We had the opportunity to delve more deeply into issues we were exposed to in Costa Rica as well as gain valuable advocacy experience.” The competition involved a case before the International Court of Justice concerning scientific harvesting of whales. “International appellate advocacy is a different animal from domestic appellate advocacy in some ways,” added Kibert, “I was able to use my graduate degree in ecology to lend scientific credence to our arguments.” “Hopefully, we can contribute annually to this competition,” said UF Costa Rica Program Director Tom Ankersen, who teaches international environmental law in the summer program. “In the future, we would like to draw from the pool of Latin American law fellows and Costa Rican law students who participate in the program to create cross-cultural teams.”