Lab paves the way for 21st century rehab of injuries		College of Arts and Sciences presents two book signings
Study reveals bank mergers may be huring small businesses		New institute heralds Cuban history and culture
Sutherland packs heat at Women's Commission breakfast		Schneiderman receives faculty scholar award
A site to see

Lab paves the way for 21st century rehab of injuries A star football wide receiver hurts his knee on the field during the first game of the season, thus jeopardizing the team's future in the playoffs. In the past, the only way to rehabilitate the player's leg was to compare and analyze the other leg in an effort to make them equal again. Injuries to muscles, however, often can be complicated, and rehabilitation can be difficult if there is no detailed knowledge of how these muscles performed previously. Now there is no need to guess when it comes to analyzing muscle performance. At the Human Performance Lab, part of the School of Education, researchers are using computers to map specific muscle groups of individuals. This 3-D imaging technology can then be used to compare the muscle's performance after an injury, using the differences as a guide to which specific muscles need to be worked on to regain their original performance. "This mapping allows us to look at the difference in a muscle before and after an injury and then strive toward bridging the gaps with rehabilitation," says Joseph Signorile, associate professor of exercise physiology and assistant director of the Human Performance Lab. The University researchers are the first in the country to utilize 3-D image mapping to help rehabilitate athletes. The Biodex machine, which is basically a computer connected to a sophisticated exercise machine, measures the speed and strength of an athlete's leg muscles at a given torque or angle. The data is recorded and transferred onto a spreadsheet, where statistical analyses are done. The infor- mation is then translated into a graph that shows a three-dimensional map of the muscle movement. The technology also can be used to tell athletes where they need to concentrate their training. A map done of a pitcher's arm can be analyzed to see what correlation of speed and strength involving particular muscles can be used to improve his pitching. Such a system can also be used to see which players have the potential to be superstar athletes, whether it is in football, cycling, or long-distance running. Each skill uses different sets of muscles. "We could conceivably tell, just by analyzing this information, how fast a pitcher is able to throw the ball," says Signorile. At present, the entire process of generating just one of the maps takes approximately five hours, but Signorile believes that software can be produced whereby the process is automatic, taking about a minute. "It's all market driven, but the technology is definitely there to make these maps almost instantaneously, providing help to coaches training athletes or therapists rehabilitating injured athletes," he says.

College of Arts and Sciences presents two book signings Former Clinton adviser George Stephanopoulos recently visited the University to sign copies of his best-selling book, All Too Human: A Political Education, at the Norman A. Whitten University Center. The book reveals his behind-the-scenes experiences in the White House and during one year of campaigning before that. "I want to give students an open-eyed view of the pressures in politics and what it is like to serve a candidate," says Stephanopoulos. "It may be a little dark at times, but politics can be noble and good. It is essential if we are to survive as a society." Stephanopoulos served in the Clinton administration as the senior advisor to the president for policy and strategy. He was a key strategist in both Clinton presidential campaigns and was involved in the development of virtually all major-policy initiatives during Clinton's first term in office. Stephanopoulos received his master's degree in theology at the University of Oxford, England, where he studied as a Rhodes scholar. He obtained his A.B. in 1982 from Columbia University and graduated summa cum laude in political science. Celebrated journalist and author Myra MacPherson also came to the University to sign her latest book, She Came to Live Out Loud: An Inspiring Family Journey Through Illness, Loss, and Grief. For those dealing with a terminally ill friend or family member, this book is a resource that addresses the universal themes faced: how to provide emotional and physical support to the dying, and how to cope with the daily reality of death and the process of mourning. Formerly a reporter for The Washington Post and The New York Times, MacPherson has written political pieces and profiles as well as the acclaimed and best-selling books Long Time Passing: Vietnam and the Haunted Generation and The Power of Lovers. She is a member of IWG-The International Work Group on Dying, Death, and Bereavement.

Study reveals bank mergers may be hurting small businesses A joint study by professors at the University of Miami, New York University, and the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) says older and larger banks make fewer loans to small businesses. New banks make proportionately more small business loans than other banks. As banks age, the number of loans they make of $1 million or less shrink as a percentage of total loans, say the researchers, University of Miami finance professor Lawrence G. Goldberg, Lawrence J. White, a professor at the Stern School of Business at NYU, and Robert DeYoung, a former economist with the OCC. "We know that when banks merge, there is less interest in small business loans," says Goldberg. "Evidence seems to indicate that larger banks make proportionately fewer small business loans. This has led to concern that small business borrowers will be disadvantaged by this trend." The researchers studied banks up to 20 years old and with up to $500 million in assets, finding that the availability of credit to small businesses varies according to the age of the bank and its organizational structure. They also discovered that independent banks are more active in community lending, compared with banks that are affiliates of a larger bank holding company. "Small business lending may simply be a short-run strategy for rapidly growing banks, abandoned once the bank attains critical size," says the report, "Youth, Adolescence and Maturity of Banks: Credit Availability to Small Business in an Era of Banking Consolidation." The report appears in the February 1999 issue of The Journal of Banking and Finance, an industry publication. There are several reasons why younger institutions are more likely to make small business loans. New banks are often launched by bank loan officers or former bank executives who are either displaced or unhappy as a result of a merger with a major out-of-state holding company. In starting a new bank, they often bring with them local business contacts-potential smaller borrowers. The study also states that new banks need new customers, and managers of these banks will aggressively pursue the customers for which their bank has a particular competitive advantage in serving. The researchers add that the "aggressive and hungry atmosphere" of a start-up bank will often "give way to the more complacent and relaxed atmosphere of an established organization that is less focused on recruiting new customers from the small business sector."

New institute heralds Cuban history and culture The University of Miami recently created the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS). The new institute, believed to be the only Cuban studies center in the United States that emphasizes the dissemination of Cuban history and culture, will be part of the School of International Studies. As part of its mission, the institute will provide research and information about contemporary Cuba, U.S.-Cuba relations, and Cuban-Americans. In addition to working toward and preparing for a future change of regime on the island, the institute aims at increasing awareness and appreciation of Cuba and Cuba-related issues within the South Florida community as well as from a national and international perspective. The institute also will coordinate all Cuba-related academic and outreach programs at the University. "The institute is a natural for the University of Miami," says President Edward T. Foote II. "From its earliest days in the 1920s-until Castro came into power-the University and Cuba enjoyed countless connections, from student and faculty exchanges to athletic contests. The institute builds on our considerable existing strengths. We are thrilled by the enthusiasm in the Cuban-American community, and we intend to make the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies an organization of world-class scholarship and teaching." The institute will be led by noted Cuba expert Jaime Suchlicki, a long-time professor of international studies at the University and the author of several highly regarded books on Cuba and its history. In addition to his new role as the institute's founding director, Suchlicki also has been named the new Emilio Bacardi Moreau Professor of Cuban Studies effective in the fall. In this position, Suchlicki will teach a special "History of Cuba" course each year in the Department of History. "Professor Suchlicki has long been committed to ensuring that the University develops a strong and respected program in Cuban studies that will meet the interests and needs of our students, the academic world, and the Cuban community," says Roger E. Kanet, dean of the School of International Studies. "We are pleased that under his leadership, UM will be positioned to draw upon its own resources and those of the community to make the institute's vision a reality." As part of its mission, ICCAS will conduct public lectures and seminars and will publish research studies and occasional papers. The institute's information center will provide current and historical information on Cuba and will respond to requests from academic, business, media, and government communities. It will also coordinate the creation and implementation of interdisciplinary courses at the University and will organize art exhibits, musical programs, and other cultural events. "I am honored to be appointed as the first director of this distinct endeavor," says Suchlicki, who has been teaching at the University since 1967. "Given all of UM's resources related to the study and preservation of Cuban history, the institute will be unique in many aspects since it brings together a wealth of information, expertise, and rare and original historical material." ICCAS will contain the only Internet-accessible database of information in the world on contemporary Cuba and its history. In addition, the institute will utilize the University's Cuban Heritage Collection at the Otto G. Richter Library, one of the most comprehensive collections of Cuban-related materials outside the island. With this unique repository of information, ICCAS analysts will be able to bring together the skills and up-to-date information needed to prepare U.S. businesses and the U.S. government for change and opportunities in a post-Castro Cuba. "We believe this new institute will be able to meet the interests and needs of the South Florida community by sponsoring a wide variety of Cuban and Cuban-American academic and cultural programs at UM that will be open to the public," says Suchlicki. The University is currently planning a campaign to raise funds for the institute to support its activities and programs.

Sutherland packs heat at Women's Commission breakfast Celebrating their 28th Anniversary, the Women's Commission featured guest speaker Mimi Watson Sutherland at their annual breakfast held in March. The neurological coordinator at the Jackson Memorial Hospital and adjunct instructor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the School of Medicine for over 20 years, Sutherland spoke on easy gun access and the devastating effects of violence in Florida upon neurosurgical patients. An advocate for gun safety, she is currently involved in research on children's ability to access guns and determination to play with guns.

Schneiderman receives faculty scholar award Established by the Faculty Senate, the Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award is awarded annually to a University faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to knowledge. Members of the faculty are invited annually to nominate colleagues for the award, and a committee of five members, comprised of previous recipients of the award, selects the awardee. The chair of the Faculty Senate and the Provost are ex officio members of the committee. Neil Schneiderman, James L. Knight Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry, Medicine, and Biomedical Engineering, was chosen as this year's recipient for outstanding scholarly contributions to neurobiology, behavioral medicine, and health psychology. His work demonstrates uncompromising commitment to the integration of behavioral research with physiology and pathobiology. As scientist, editor, and advisor to the National Institutes of Health, and president and officer of major research societies, Schneiderman has advanced the study of biobehavioral factors in clinical and experimental medicine and has contributed centrally to the emergence of behavioral med-icine and health psychology as major scientific fields within psychology. Schneiderman was celebrated at a recent ceremony in honor of his outstanding achievements in scholarship, his extraordinary devotion to the intellectual and career advancement of his colleagues and students, and his service to the University and the scientific community locally, nationally, and internationally.

A site to see This month's site to see is the commencement web site, providing information on graduation exercises and honorary degree recipients. A photo scrapbook also will be posted on May 15. See it at: www.miami.edu/commencement/.

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