|
————————————————————————————————————
UCSB News - November / December 2005
————————————————————————————————————
Welcome to UCSB News, prepared by the Office of Public
Affairs for you and all UC Santa Barbara alumni, parents,
and
friends.
————————————————————————————————————
In This Issue
————————————————————————————————————
NEWS
CAMPUS TOPICS
EVENTS
————————————————————————————————————
NEWS
————————————————————————————————————
EXTERNAL RESEARCH FUNDS DOUBLE IN PAST DECADE
Research support from external sources remained strong at
UC Santa Barbara last year, when a total of $153-million was
received from federal and state agencies, corporations, and
foundations. The campus was awarded a total of 1,023 research
contracts and grants in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005.
Following eight consecutive record years, "extramural"
research funding dipped slightly, from $161 million the previous
year. However, over the past 10 years, the annual total for
such funds has nearly doubled. "UCSB continues to be
the recipient of significant external research support, which
reflects the intellectual vitality and quality of our outstanding
faculty, researchers, and students," said Chancellor
Henry T. Yang. Funding in the form of contracts and grants
for research, training, and public-service programs is considered
the lifeblood of a premier research university. "With
this external support, UCSB research is producing new knowledge
at a level that places us among the world's best research
universities," said Michael Witherell, vice chancellor
for research.
More information:
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1384
————————————————————————————————————
NEW CENTER TO STUDY THE MIND
The campus has received a $3.5-million contribution from
SAGE Publications to launch a dynamic new interdisciplinary
research center for the study of the mind. SAGE made the gift
to commemorate its 40th anniversary as a leading international
publisher for scholarly, educational, and professional markets.
The SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind will bring together
UC Santa Barbara scholars from a broad range of academic disciplines
to explore the multidimensional nature of the human mind.
UCSB has attracted a top scholar to lead the pioneering new
effort: Michael Gazzaniga, widely regarded as the founder
of the cognitive neuroscience field. Gazzaniga is currently
the David T. McLaughlin Distinguished Professor of Psychology
and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth, where he directs the college's
Center for Cognitive Neuroscience. In January, he will join
UCSB's Department of Psychology, where he began his academic
career in 1967. The author of "The Ethical Brain,"
and "Mind Matters," Gazzaniga was recently elected
a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
More information:
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1368
————————————————————————————————————
BICOASTAL SCREENINGS OF FILM ON SOLAR POWER
A new documentary about solar power produced by Walter Kohn,
one of UC Santa Barbara's Nobel Laureates and a research professor
of physics, was screened in Washington and Santa Barbara this
fall. "The Power of the Sun" was shown to an audience
of invited guests at the UC Center in Washington in October
and was also screened for a capacity audience in Campbell
Hall on campus in November. Narrated by actor John Cleese,
the 56-minute film is described as "a scientific morality
tale." It tells the story of how the ideas and the technology
to tap the sun's rays as a source of clean, safe, and renewable
energy were first developed. Kohn served as executive producer
of the project, and recruited another UCSB Nobel Prize winner,
Alan Heeger, to join him on the project's scientific advisory
board. The DVD of "The Power of the Sun" also contains
another film, called "The Power of the Sun - The Science
of the Silicon Solar Cell." This 20-minute animated film
shows how a solar cell works. It is aimed at science teachers
who are working with 12th graders or college freshmen in the
areas of chemistry and/or physics, materials science, and
engineering. Single copies are free to teachers while supplies
last.
More information:
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1377
Power of the Sun Web site:
http://powerofthesun.ucsb.edu/
————————————————————————————————————
UCSB-CHINA PROJECT WINS NSF SUPPORT
UC Santa Barbara has been awarded $1.5-million by the National
Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a pioneering research
and education partnership with China in chemistry, physics,
materials science, and chemical engineering. The grant comes
from a new program to encourage the establishment of partnerships
with foreign institutions for multidisciplinary graduate training.
The UCSB project was one of only 12 proposals to win NSF support
of more than 170 reviewed in all areas of science and engineering.
It also is the only U.S.-China partnership to be funded by
the agency. The UCSB project is formally called the Partnership
for International Research and Education in Electron Chemistry
and Catalysis at Interfaces, or PIRE-ECCI. It will bring together
seven top UCSB scientists with seven of their Chinese counterparts
to jointly mentor a select group of Ph.D. students at UCSB.
The Chinese partner, the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics
of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is considered China's
top institution for the study of catalysis and chemical reaction
dynamics. "We firmly believe that the people emerging
from this program will be future leaders in academe and in
industry," said Alec Wodtke, professor and chair of the
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
More information:
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1381
————————————————————————————————————
RESEARCH BRIEFS
- Luann Becker, a research scientist with the Institute of
Crustal Studies, will direct the development of a new instrument
for testing Martian soil as part of the European Space Agency's
"ExoMars," a mission that will take place in 2011.
The ExoMars rover will contain a drill that can reach soil
samples up to two meters under the Martian surface.
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1385
- In an open letter to G8 Environment Ministers, Britain's
Lord May, the president of The Royal Society, cited UCSB Department
of Geography research in his warning that climate change might
undermine international efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa.
http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/events/news/#a20
- UCSB physicist Tommaso Treu is part of a small team of
astronomers who have combined two powerful astronomical assets,
the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope,
to identify 19 new "gravitationally lensed" galaxies.
Among these 19, they have found eight new so-called "Einstein
rings," which are perhaps the most elegant manifestation
of the lensing phenomenon.
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1380
————————————————————————————————————
CAMPUS TOPICS
————————————————————————————————————
INFORMATION ON YEAR-END GIVING TO UCSB
Many individuals might wish to make charitable gifts to UC
Santa Barbara at the end of the calendar year in order to
obtain 2005 income-tax deductions. The UCSB Development Office
stands ready to assist and has established a Web page with
special information on year-end giving. Although there are
several official university holidays being observed in the
last week of the year, Development Office hours will be 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, including December 26,
27, 28, 29 and 30. Fund-raising staff members can be reached
at (805) 893-2600 and are located at 4219 Cheadle Hall. Feel
free to contact them with any questions you may have.
More information:
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/dev/year_end.shtml
The Campaign for UC Santa Barbara Web site:
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/campaign/
————————————————————————————————————
STUDENTS IN NEW ORLEANS FOR HOLIDAY AID WORK
The Associated Students special projects group has helped
coordinate a UCSB Road Trip for Relief. For two weeks over
the winter break, UCSB students from various organizations
(Habitat for Humanity, A.S., Red Cross, the Greek system)
are serving as volunteers in the relief and rebuilding effort
in New Orleans. A total of 48 students and staff members departed
December 14 and will return to UCSB on December 28. The group
is being hosted by Common Ground, a grassroots Louisiana organization
helping the community recover after the devastation of Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita. Information about the project is available
from the Associated Students Community Affairs Board at (805)
893-4296. UCSB departments, individuals, friends and family
members have made donations to support the volunteers. Others
interested in supporting the UCSB Road Trip for Relief can
send checks (made out to Associated Students Katrina Relief
Trip) to:
AS/CAB 2523 University Center
UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-6081
————————————————————————————————————
PARENTS' AND FAMILY WEEKEND A BIG SUCCESS
Last month's Parents' and Family Weekend on campus was a
big success. A total of 1,882 visitors registered, and they
took part in a record number of activities, including class
lectures, demonstrations, tours, and performances. The Saturday
morning Chancellor's Breakfast on Cheadle Plaza, hosted by
Chancellor Henry Yang and his wife, Dilling, was among the
most popular events. (The complete schedule of activities,
for your information, can still be found on the UCSB Web site
at http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pfw/2005x/events.shtml).
The dates for next year's Parents' and Family Weekend have
not yet been set.
————————————————————————————————————
FACULTY HONORS
- Martin Moskovits, a professor of physical chemistry and
the Bruce and Susan Worster Dean of Science at UC Santa Barbara,
has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science. His selection brings to 43 the
number of UCSB scientists and engineers elected fellows of
the prestigious society.
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1378
- Two UCSB scholars have been selected to serve on the Division
of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education Advisory Committee
of the National Academies. Melvin Oliver, Dean of the Social
Sciences Division, and Lorraine M. McDonnell, a professor
of political science, join a small group of leading scholars
from across the country, including former UC President Richard
Atkinson, on the prestigious committee. The only institutions
with more representatives than UCSB on the two-dozen member
panel are Berkeley and Harvard.
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/dbasse/DBASSE_Membership.html
- Guillermo C. Bazan, professor of materials and of chemistry
and biochemistry and director of the university's Center for
Polymers and Organic Solids, has been selected to receive
the prestigious Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from
the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany. Only 20
individuals from around the world received the award this
year.
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1365
- Jeff Dozier, a professor and founding dean of the Donald
Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, is one
of two winners of the William T. Pecora Award for 2005. Sponsored
jointly by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Pecora Award recognizes
outstanding contributions by individuals or groups toward
understanding the earth by means of remote sensing.
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1369
- Physics Professor Harry Nelson is a member of an international
research team that received the High Energy and Particle Physics
Prize of the European Physical Society for 2005. The group,
called the "NA31 Collaboration," performed experiments
concerning anti-matter.
http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=1364
————————————————————————————————————
EVENTS
————————————————————————————————————
TEAMS HEAD INTO HEART OF SEASONS
Gaucho fans can keep up with both men's and women's basketball
and volleyball through the Gaucho Athletics Web site, which
has complete schedules and results. The Gaucho women's basketball
team will host home games on December 17, 19, 30, Jan. 2 and
4. The men's team plays December 20, 28, Jan. 7 and 9. Men's
volleyball will host home games on Jan. 2, 4, and 7.
Gaucho Athletics Web site:
http://ucsbgauchos.collegesports.com/
————————————————————————————————————
NEXT RUPE 'GREAT DEBATE' TO FOCUS ON MEDIA
The fifth installment in the Arthur N. Rupe Great Debate
series is headlined "The American News Media-Liberal
or Conservative Bias?" It will feature, on the left,
Eric Alterman, columnist for "The Nation," and,
on the right, Tucker Carlson, former host of CNN's "Crossfire"
and now host of MSNBC's "The Situation with Tucker Carlson."
The debate will take place Saturday, January 14, at 3 p.m.,
in Campbell Hall. Tickets are $10 and can be ordered from
UCSB Arts & Lectures, (805) 893-3535.
More information:
http://www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/pr/rupe.asp
———————————————————————————————————— ECONOMICS FORUM TARGETS INFLATION
The future of U.S. monetary policy will be the topic of a
UCSB Affiliates Economics Forum on Wednesday, January 25,
from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Chase Palm Park Recreation Center
in Santa Barbara. Henning Bohn, a UCSB professor of economics
who has published widely on monetary and fiscal policy, will
be the featured speaker. His talk will concern "inflation
targeting," the approach to monetary policy favored by
incoming Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Tickets are
$8 for UCSB Affiliates and Chancellor's Council members, $10
for others. Advance registration is required. Call the Office
of Community Relations, (805) 893-4388.
————————————————————————————————————
RESOURCES
————————————————————————————————————
For the latest information on campus news, events, and topics:
http://www.ucsb.edu
Other UCSB Web resources:
Featured Events http://www.ucsb.edu/events/
Alumni Association http://www.ucsbalum.com/
Gaucho Athletics http://ucsbgauchos.collegesports.com
Giving to UCSB http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/dev/
The Campaign for UC Santa Barbara http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/campaign/
UCSB in the Community http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/ps/index.aspx
————————————————————————————————————
The Office of Public Affairs, which produces UCSB News, respects
the privacy of our subscribers. Your e-mail address will remain
confidential and will not be given or sold to any third party.
University of California, Santa Barbara, 93106
Copyright 2005, University of California Regents. All rights
reserved.
Contact: UCSBnews@ia.ucsb.edu
------------------------------------
|
