Community Briefs

Bank of America robbed at gunpoint

The Bank of America at 930 Westwood Blvd. was robbed Tuesday
evening.

Three men, who may have been wearing masks, entered the bank at
about 5:30 p.m. armed with hand guns, said LAPD Officer Jason
Lee.

After receiving an unknown amount of cash, the suspects fled in
a tan Honda with paper plates, Lee said. No shots were fired and no
injuries reported.

Commission offers free Tay-Sachs testing

The Student Welfare Commission is offering free Tay-Sachs
testing to the UCLA community today and Thursday.

Tay-Sachs is a genetic disease found most often in those of
eastern European Jewish descent, but others may inherit it as well.
Carriers of the gene which causes Tay-Sachs may be healthy, but if
they have children with another carrier, their kids have a 25
percent chance of inheriting the disease.

A test to see if someone is a carrier of the gene involves
drawing blood samples and analyzing the DNA or measuring the level
of Hex-A in a person’s blood. Carriers have less Hex-A than
non-carriers.

Emergency lights to use NASA technology

MONROVIA, Calif. “”mdash; Officials will demonstrate on Wednesday
a system that relies on NASA technology to help police officers and
firefighters zip safely through intersections while responding to
emergency calls.

The system uses advanced technology designed by Agoura
Hills-based E-ViEWS Safety Systems Inc. in collaboration with
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

In 1997, more than 15,000 accidents involving emergency vehicles
responding to calls occurred in the United States, according to the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The demonstration project involves 30 Monrovia fire and police
vehicles, each equipped with a transponder that allows them to trip
signals in advance, giving them a green light while stopping cross
traffic.

The system also includes display signs at intersections that
begin warning motorists and pedestrians of the approaching vehicles
while they are still 3,500 feet away. Monrovia police Capt. Terry
Dochnahl said the city will begin testing the system in late May
once it has 20 intersections equipped with the technology.

Americans still don’t know much
science

Americans aren’t getting any smarter when it comes to
science, according to a new national survey.

More than half the adults surveyed didn’t know that the
Earth revolves around the sun, and 42 percent said they thought
early humans lived side by side with dinosaurs.

At the same time, 88 percent of 1,011 respondents to the
California Academy of Sciences survey said they feel a connection
to the natural world.

What respondents may not be attuned to are the basic scientific
issues of the 21st century such as bioengineering, climate change
and energy shortages.

“We are confronted with critical decisions on how to
balance the needs of the environment with the need for continuing
economic growth and prosperity,” said Patrick Kociolek,
executive director of the California Academy of Sciences.
“Individuals need a basic grounding in science to be able to
take part in the discussion.”

If nothing else, the curiosity is there ““ more than 90
percent of respondents said they were at least moderately
interested in the environment, energy issues and new scientific
discoveries.

Compiled from Daily Bruin Staff and wire reports.