President Ruth J. Simmons outlined the University’s opposition to proposals before the state’s General Assembly that would allow cities and towns to tax full-time students who attend the city’s colleges and universities. Simmons acknowledged the difficulties of current budget shortfalls, but added, “This legislation undermines the partnership established between the city and our institutions of higher education.” The Providence Journal also ran the story.

A new study links lack of sleep in teenagers to higher levels of depression and thoughts of suicide. Judith Owens, associate professor of pediatrics, says teenagers generally need about nine hours of sleep per night, but that most get fewer.

We may be in the midst of a national sleep deficit: Even if we log enough hours, we may not be getting the high-quality sleep we need. This column discusses a home sleep monitor called Zeo. “If you can measure it, you can manage it,” says Stephan Fabregas, one of two recent Brown graduates who invented the Zeo because they were looking for a way to wake up feeling less groggy after late nights.

Brown and Johnson & Wales universities are asking the General Assembly to give them first claim on nearly six acres of the prime downtown real estate that will become available when the relocation of Route 195 is complete. The universities are offering fair market value for the land, but ask that they be exempt from the normal bidding process.

Nina Tannenwald, associate professor of international relations at the Watson Institute, argues for greater efforts at nuclear disarmament both by President Obama and the international community. “Norms of nuclear restraint need to be embedded in the thinking of leaders and backed up by institutions of government,” she writes.

Labor unions and the Ocean State have long been compatable. But Peter Howitt, professor of economics, says that may be changing since the current recession and the state’s efforts to create jobs are at odds with unions’ main goal of protecting wages.

The recession is forcing more young adults to return home and live with their parents. Frances Goldscheider, professor emerita of sociology, has studied the boomerang phenomenon and cautions against falling into old family patterns. “Your children are adults and will appreciate being treated like part of the team,” she says.

Some of the first economic stimulus funding dedicated to academic research has been awarded to a Brown University project. Robert Miranda Jr., assistant professor with the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, has received a $560,000 research grant to study teen addiction. The NIH funding, which covers the first year of a two-year study, will test medication that could help reduce marijuana addiction in teens.

Dermatologist Martin Weinstock has found that sun-damaged rough patches on the skin, known as actinic keratoses, can lead to more forms of skin cancer than previously thought. The research took place through Brown and VA Medical Centers in Providence and Oklahoma City. Details are highlighted in the current edition of Cancer.

TeacherMate is a handheld computer used to teach elementary students reading and math skills, while appealing to their love of handheld gadgets. It’s being used in 350 classrooms nationwide. Marilyn Jager Adams, professor of cognitive and linguistic sciences, says it is more useful in a classroom than a laptop.