Several students from the Mathematics Department earned top scores at the annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition.
Andrew McFarland scored in the top 20.2%; Shinsaku Akiyama scored in the top 29.7%; Abukuse Mbirika, Michael Laufer, Matthew Adkins, and Don Siemon scored between 48.1% and 62.7%.
Other participants were: Renee Aston, Libby Bessman, Nicole Carrera, Frank Cortese, Chaz Fetrow, Delicia Gomez, Helene Nehrebecki, Eddy Roubal, Brent Stradford, Paul Vercammen-Grandjean, and Kristin Zack. The competition, held on Dec. 7, included 3,349 contestants from 476 participating institutions.
The participants will be recognized at an awards ceremony at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, in Darwin 108 in conjunction with the department's annual Math Festival, which celebrates Mathematics Awareness Week.
Other students will be honored for their achievements on this occasion as well. Cash prizes will be presented to those with positive scores, and all participants will be awarded a commemorative stenciled T-shirt.
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, which is open to undergraduates throughout the United States and Canada, is regarded as the premier challenge of creativity in problem-solving in mathematics at the undergraduate level.
Drawings, paintings, and collages from artists involved in the arts program at San Quentin are now on display in the University Library Art Gallery. The exhibit, "Thinking About Freedom: Works from the San Quentin Arts Program", runs through April 30.
The "Thinking About Freedom" exhibit is part of a campus-wide exploration of the concept of freedom. The idea to explore the concept of freedom was initiated by the Sonoma State Center for Performing Arts faculty, in homage to Harry Belafonte's "The Long Road to Freedom." An original, a multi disciplinary production by the Center for Performing Arts exploring this vast concept will premiere in May.
The Arts and Lectures program in the University Library strives to enrich the intellectual, educational, and cultural life of the Sonoma State community. The program provides a venue for people to come together to share ideas through art, lectures, and discussions. Activities are designed to explore a diversity of ideas, values, and intellectual and artistic expressions. The Talk About Freedom exhibition, will stimulate this important campus discussion as students, faculty, and others explore what freedom means to an individual and to a society.
The President of Sonoma State University's student government was named Women Student Leader of the Year 2002-2003 at a ceremony on March 28.
Graduating senior Jennifer Minnich, a business major, won this year's top award, given in honor of National Women's History Month. The award honors outstanding campus service and leadership by women students.
Honorable mentions for outstanding campus service were won by senior Mariana Garcia, a Chicano/Latino Studies and Spanish major; Lisa Johnson, an International Economics major; and senior Stacey Nugent, a history major.
"We always awed by the accomplishments of the high-achieving nominees who dedicate their time and talents to the SSU community," said Kris Montgomery, coordinator of the Women's Resource Center, which sponsors the award. "These students are leaders who volunteer their time and talents, as employees who go above and beyond their job description and as peers who have supported and mentored other students. They are an inspiration to us all."
Candidates for Woman Student Leader of the Year are nominated by faculty, staff and students from departments, clubs and organizations throughout campus. These nominees are known as leaders who volunteer their time and talents, as employees who go above and beyond their job description and as peers who have supported and mentored other students. The Woman Student Leader of the Year selection committee, made up of SSU administrators, faculty and staff, review the nominees' applications to choose the award winners.
Minnich jumped into campus involvement in a big way her second year at SSU, so it's no surprise that this is her second nomination for Woman Student Leader of the Year. She became a CSA, a peer mentor for Freshmen Seminar and joined Student Ambassadors. The next year, she continued as a CSA, became Vice President, Recruitment Chair and Retreat Chair for Student Ambassadors and TAed a Leadership class. She also supported a campuswide campaign to educate students on avoiding alcohol poisoning. That summer, she became an Orientation Leader.
Her leap to Associated Student began in 2001, when she was elected Business and Economics Representative. She also attended the California Higher Education Student Summit. She also continued as a student ambassador and Leadership teaching assistant, and returned as a peer mentor in Freshmen Seminar.
Called by her nominator, "A strong quieter female leader who is not afraid to use her voice to benefit her fellow students," Jenn was then elected to the top spot in student government, the president of Associated Students. She represented SSU at the California State Student Association, and attended other educational events to enhance her representation of students.
The other Distinguished Nominees honored this year are: Deanne August, Rebecca Bartell, Cinnamon Bear, Elizabeth Bidwell, Dannelle D'Acquisto, Jamie Holian, Karen Hansen, Lisalyn Kok, Natalie Lake, Brooke Dummit McAllister, Lauren Perez, Jessica Rasmussen, Jennifer Scanlan, Lizz Selby, Chelsea Sheridan, Jamie Simon, Loreen Theveny, Gerry Tribble, Kimberlee Walsh, Tara Whiteside and Amy Wingfield
Sonoma State University will host a workshop on the effects of global climate change upon local and regional water resources from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, in the Cooperage on the Rohnert Park campus.
Rapid and drastic increases in temperature are predicted to affect every aspect of life much sooner than the public realizes, say organizers of the conference which include biology, geography and environmental planning professors.
Global warming could bring a range of potential effects in the North Bay region, including depletion of water resources resulting from changing winter precipitation patterns, coastal erosion, salt water intrusion into South County aquifers, heat waves, and more frequent and intense El Nino storms, says organizer Zeno Swijtink.
"As water is the source of life, impacts of climate change on the timing, quality, and quantity of our water resources will be felt by humans and wildlife alike."
Topics to be covered include Northern California water flow, the 2003 state water plan, local water systems, drinking water supplies, coastline and estuary, agriculture & irrigation, water as habitat, and extreme events.
This conference, part of a series of four this year, will focus primarily on environmental impacts, particularly in connection with watershed management strategies. But there will also be opportunities to explore other topics as well, including economic and health-related implications of global warming.
The workshops are designed to stimulate discussions, explore likely impacts, and facilitate action towards solutions to the increasing threats of global warming, says Switjink. Other programs in the series later in the year will address Sonoma County emissions, green building, and clearing the air with transportation.
Presenters include Brock Dolman, director of the Basins of Relations Program at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center; Norm Miller, hydroclimatologist at the Earth Sciences Division (Hydroclimate and Impacts Research) of Berkeley National Laboratory; and Doug Osugi, Head of the Climate Change Working Group for California 2003 Water Plan Update, Department of Water Resources.
A $10 donation will be requested at the door. Free admission for students or with on-line registration at www.sonoma.edu/projects/climatechange. Teachers attending the entire series can receive one unit of academic credit through the school of Extended Education at SSU.
For further information, contact, Damon Knutson, (415) 847-7523 or e-mail climate.change@sonoma.edu Web site is located at www.sonoma.edu/projects/climatechange.
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Below are some of the water-related topics to be covered in the SSU global climate change workshop:
Northern California Water Flow: Overview of regional water systems. Where resources are, how they are replenished and depleted and where local water goes.
California Water Plan - Update 2003: The California Department of Water Resources is preparing an update of the State's Water Plan which will provide an assessment of California's current water supplies and uses for urban, agricultural, environmental, and other applications. The plan will forecast a range of future water needs and identify and evaluate strategies and options mindful of the various statewide regions and possible "futures" that take into account predicted climate changes.
Drinking Water Supplies: Changes in the timing, frequency, and severity of rain storms and diminishing snowpack in the Eel River basin will affect drinking water supplies. Politically there may be increased pressure on the North Coast to export water from coastal rivers to the water scarce metropolises in the South.
Coastline and Estuary: Thermal expansion of the Pacific Ocean may cause sea-levels to rise by over 3 feet by 2050, resulting in the inundation of low-lying coastal areas and wetlands, including those in the Tomales Bay, the Esteros, Bodega Harbor, the Bodega Dunes, and the Estuary at the mouth of the Russian River, and in greater erosion on the Sonoma Coast. Increased seawater intrusion would significantly affect fresh water quality on the coast.
Agriculture: Higher temperatures and drier soils will tend to reduce crop yields, while longer growing seasons would increase crop yields for suitable crops. The combined effect may be significant but is still uncertain. Availability of irrigation water will also be affected.
Water as Habitat: The mix of fish species in creeks and rivers is likely to change as a result of global warming and it will be increasingly difficult to provide habitat for some commercially important saltwater species that breed in fresh water, such as Chinook salmon.
Extreme Events: Changed hydraulic and El Nino patterns will trigger more frequent and intense floods, mudslides, extreme tides, and convective storms.
Stressful reactions to the current world and statewide affairs can manifest in many unexpected ways, says Richard Rodriguez, Sonoma State University's director of counseling and psychological services.
They can range from fear, stress, anxiety, pressure, irritability, anger, and helplessness and they can culminate into everything from roommate conflicts, departmental conflicts, angry e-mails, and angry confrontations in classes, mind-body connection illnesses and conflicts with friends, partners, and family members.
Here are sixteen ways, Rodriquez offers to help calm reactions and create a balanced perspective on world events:
1. Acknowledge the reality of the existence of the current stressful situation.
2. Recognize that not everyone will experience or express the pressure in the same manner.
3. Recognize and accept your feelings as "normal" responses to a stressful or unusual situation.
4. Breathe and pay attention to your breath.
5. Eat regular balanced meals even if you don't feel hungry.
6. Get enough rest--strong emotions can be exhausting
7. Be kind to yourself.
8. Reach out and make contact with others.
9. Share your thoughts and feelings with others. Don't bottle them up.
10. Exercise or participate in some regular physical activity.
11. Avoid excessive use of alcohol or drugs.
12. Delay major decisions or radical changes in your life.
13. Differentiate between what is in your control and out of your
control. Participate in making small decisions--be in control of your, daily routine.
14. Maintain your usual schedule as much as you can.
15. Keep a journal to process your thoughts and feelings.
16. Spend time doing something you enjoy, such as walking in nature or listening to music.
For further information, call Richard Rodriguez at (707) 664-2153.
* FOREIGN POLICY, PRESIDENCY, CONGRESS, CIVIL LIBERTIES
ANDY MERRIFIELD : public opinion on foreign policy as it applies to peace, war, elections, civil liberties issues etc; American foreign-policy making from the perspective of the presidency, congress, the bureaucracy, interest groups etc. He can talk generally about the national institutions of government in the context of what is going on, in addition to media, interest groups etc. He can also discuss state, local and inter-governmental issues.
Dr. Merrifield is chair of the political science department and a professor of political science.
Office: (707) 664-3946; home: (707) 526-7218; e-mail: andy.merrifield@sonoma.edu
* ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT, PEACE MOVEMENT TACTICS,
IMPACT OF SECTARIAN GROUPS INVOLVED
DAVID WALLS : anti-war movement in historical perspective, non-violent and other disruptive tactics used by the peace movement, and controversies over the impact of left-wing sectarian groups on the anti-war movement.
Walls has been an activist and observer of social movements for four decades, and has participated in the activities of numerous peace, environmental, and human rights organizations. He brings a comparative
perspective to the use of non-violent direct action techniques by the civil rights and peace movements, and has written on the problems and prospects of humanitarian intervention in military conflicts. He follows the participation of sectarian political groups in the peace movement and other social movements.
Dr. Walls is a professor of sociology who teaches classes on the civil rights movement, the environmental movement, and gender and social movements. He is the author of The Activist's Almanac: The Concerned Citizen's Guide to the Leading Advocacy Organizations in America (Simon & Schuster/Fireside, 1993).
Home: (707) 823-7403; e-mail: dwalls@igc.org
* IMPACT OF WAR ON FAMILY LIFE
ELAINE LEEDER : impact of war on family life; effects of trauma and catastrophes as well as the ongoing problems associated with disruption of "normal life;" impact of bombing on daily life, the effects on children, the problems associated with leaving one's home and the status of being a refugee; the impact of war mobilization on families here in the US, on the soldiers themselves, as well as those left behind.
Dr. Leeder is a professor of sociology and dean of the School of Social Sciences. She has a Ph.D. from Cornell University, an M.P.H. from UC-Berkeley, and an M.S.W. from Yeshiva University.
Office: (707) 664-2120; e-mail: elaine.leeder@sonoma.edu
* WARTIME ECONOMY, ECONOMIC SANCTIONS, OIL PRICE FORECASTS,
REGIONAL ISSUES, POST-WAR IRAQI ECONOMY
ROBERT EYLER : how the American, California and local economies will react to a war in Iraq; potential reactions of the US economy to policies carried out domestically and how consumers may react to the war; possible post-war Iraqi economy and economy set-up, and the costs and issues involved with an UN/American occupation force and command over sources of oil.
Dr. Eyler is assistant professor of economics and the Director of The Center of Regional Economic Analysis at SSU. He teaches macroeconomic theory, econometrics, and money and banking, with a particular emphasis on financial markets and economic sanctions.
Office: (707) 664-4256; e-mail: crea@sonoma.edu.
* ENERGY AND NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY AND POLICY, RENEWABLE ENERGY, ELECTRIC POWER
DR. ALEXANDRA VON MEIER — various aspects of energy technology and policy;
electric power, renewable resources, and nuclear energy; management and reliability of the electric grid (including vulnerability of the grid to terrorist attack); the performance, economics, and politics of renewable
energy (especially solar and wind power); and issues pertaining to nuclear technology (including nuclear power plant operation, nuclear materials management, proliferation and weapons issues, and nuclear politics).She can comment on opportunities for reducing energy end-use throughout our economy, especially with regard to decreasing U.S. dependence on fossil fuels.
Dr. von Meier's technical background is in the area of electric power, renewable resources, nuclear energy, energy efficiency and green building design.
She is assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Studies and Planning at Sonoma State University, where she teaches courses in energy management and design, and Director of the Environmental
Technology Center. She has testified on energy policy before Congress.
Office: (707) 664-2430; e-mail vonmeier@sonoma.edu
* NATURE AND STRATEGIES OF BIO-TERRORISM
DR. JIM CHRISTMANN — the nature and strategies of bio-terrorism and bio-warfare and how these threats are used to create hysteria. He can discuss current scientific tools that can be used to track the source of these agents and how the risks of infection can be managed.
A molecular geneticist in the biology department, Professor Christmann has spent his career using recombinant DNA and biochemical techniques studying gene function. He was drafted out of graduate school in 1969 and spent two years working on the means of detection of bio-warfare agents while in the U.S. Army.
Office: (707) 664-3054; e-mail: james.christmann@sonoma.edu
* BIO-TERRORISM ORGANISMS AND VIRUSES
DR. EILEEN THATCHER — various aspects relating to pathogenic organisms and viruses which may cause harm if used as agents of warfare or terrorism. She can address issues relating to the characteristics of the organisms and/or viruses; means of recognition; means of prevention and control; durability in the environment; and potential for causing damage in the population.
Dr. Thatcher teaches microbiology, bacteriology, medical microbiology, virology, and immunology. In addition, she consults in the biotechnology industry, particularly in areas relating to laboratory practices, and to assay and protocol design.
Office: (707) 664-2931; e-mail: thatcher@sonoma.edu
The 17th Annual World of Work Career and Summer Job Fair at Sonoma State University will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 20 in the main quad on the Rohnert Park campus. Over 70 employers from a wide range of businesses and organizations are expected to participate.
Those who attend will have the opportunity to meet and network about careers, summer jobs, internships, and part-time opportunities with professionals, many of whom are Sonoma State alumni. Employer representatives from businesses, city, county, and state government, community and environmental organizations, and hospitals will be attending. Large companies participating in the Fair include Lucas Film, Exchange Bank, State Farm Insurance, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, St. Joseph Health System, Trader Joe's, and Sonoma Technology.
There will also be a Career Resource Corner featuring resume critiques by career advisors, useful career books and handouts, and MonsterTRAK.com registration for access to jobs targeted toward Sonoma State students and alumni. Internet job searches will also be available.
For further information, call Ann Greenblatt, Career Services, (707) 664 3127.
Sonoma State University is located at 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park. Parking is $2.50 during the week.
An innovative plan for a "Sonoma County currency" to help ward off the recession in the local economy is being developed by two Sonoma State University professors.
Global Studies professor Philip Beard has been working with psychology professor Art Warmoth on a program that generates "Community Support Dollars" (C$D) as a form of exchange between individuals or companies that barter products and services.
Begun two years ago, the project is surfacing just as the North Bay is hit by a bust cycle that is resulting in layoffs and extreme revenue shortages among local businesses.
"The decline of our local economy and all the services it supports is becoming more devastating every day," Beard says. "Every time a job is lost, a program canceled, a service cut back, we hear the sad refrain: 'The money's not there.' Well, we can put it there. It has never been more urgent for us to implement a realistic, responsible economic self-help program than it is right now."
The C$D currency will be officially launched as soon as 500 individuals/families, 30 businesses, and 10 non-profit organizations have signed on as members, Beard says.
"The most important effect of our Community Support Dollar currency is that it builds community, by bringing us into mutual support relationships with our neighbors and local businesses," Beard says.
"Indirectly it addresses a host of larger problems, ranging from global warming to military sabre-rattling to gang warfare. We need it."
Beard is looking for community expertise to help get the operation of the program underway. Seriously interested parties, especially those with connections to local small businesses, are encouraged to contact him at philip.beard@sonoma.edu.
Health needs of Latino children and families in the Southwest Santa Rosa area will be addressed by the efforts of the Sonoma State University Service Collaborative and 325 Sonoma State University AmeriCorps members, who are organizing the Third Annual Cesar Chavez Health Fair to be held at the Roseland Elementary School, 950 Sebastopol Road, on March 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Collaborative is working with the Roseland Children's Health Center, the Latino Service Providers, and a broad community coalition to produce an event that is expected to draw over 700 children and families. The Health Fair will offer bilingual health information and free vision, hearing, and anemia screenings.
Attendees can be tested for diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as receive immigration and elder care information. A popular dental clinic for children, which provides cleaning, appointments and referrals for care, will be a highlight of the fair.
The event marks the third year of the new California State holiday known as the Cesar Chavez Day of Service and Learning. A focus of the fair will be sign-ups for free or low-cost health insurance to continue to reach Sonoma County's 8,000 eligible but uninsured and underinsured children documented in a recent Children's Health Alliance Coalition report. Over 45 health providers and agencies are participating.
The fair will also include entertainment and a healthy lunch. AmeriCorps members along with parents and community volunteers will make and serve over 1200 tamales for the free meal.
The Cesar Chavez holiday not only celebrates his life and leadership on the day of the holiday, but also encourages children to participate in service throughout the year. The 500 children of COOL SCHOOL, one of the programs of the Collaborative, have been doing student-initiated service-learning projects throughout the school year through their service-learning after school clubs. The results of their exciting and thoughtful projects will be featured in display and dance.
Cesar Chavez believed in service to the community. To honor his legacy, opportunities for service will be offered throughout the neighborhood on the day of the fair.
Opportunities include gardening, painting, a creek clean up, and vacant lot clearing. Community volunteers who wish to join the AmeriCorps members in service projects please call Pamela Nirdlinger at (707) 664-2044
NOTE TO MEDIA: If you wish to cover the children�s preparation in the days before the fair, please contact Pam Nirdlinger (707) 664-2044 for arrangements at the schools.
An archival collection of images from the 19th century that reflects how the U.S. media represented the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902 is now on display through the month of March in the Intercultural Center (ICC) Art Gallery to honor Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The exhibit, "COLORED: Black and White," includes drawings, editorial cartoons, photos, and news clips from prominent magazines and newspapers that covered the U.S. annexation of the Philippines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
This exhibit is part of a larger archival collection that has been on tour at various universities and institutions in the U.S. and Philippines.
Exhibit curators, Helen Toribio, Abe Ignacio and Jorge Emmanuel are long-time cultural and community Filipino American activists.
Gallery hours are Monday - Thursday 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. and F 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
A reception for the exhibit is Thursday, March 6 at noon in the ICC gallery. The reception includes and a lecture discussion by Toribio, one of the exhibit and a ritual/blessing given by Evelie Posch, a babaylan/healer. The blessing is a tradition performed by Filipinos at the beginning of an event to ask the spirits of their ancestors to bless their earthly endeavors.
Other activities planned throughout the month include a panel symposium titled "100 years of U.S.-Philippine Relations: Effects and Consequences" from 10:30 a.m.- noon on March 21 in Carson 68. Panelists include Dawn Mabalon, Stanford University; Rhonda Ramiro, chair of the Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines-Bay Area; and Joaquin Gonzalez III, Coordinator and Visiting Professor, Yuchengco Philippine Studies Program at the University of San Francisco.
Additionally, a Filipino Cultural Night featuring music from Asian and Pacific Islander bands MAHAL, Mango Kingz, Bobby Banduria, and Barangay Dance Troupe is slated for Friday, March 28.
For further information, contact ICC Director, Darius Spearman, at (707) 664-2537 or Leny Strobel at strobel@sonoma.edu.
CAPTION: Uncle Sam illustration above, called "Guess I'll Keep 'Em," was published in Leslie's Weekly.
The memory of labor activist Cesar E. Chavez will be honored at Sonoma State University from 3-6 p.m. on Friday, March 28 in the Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center lobby in front of a well-known mural that depicts the struggles of migrant farm workers.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is a gathering of speakers, poets, musicians and dancers to celebrate the work and the memory of the labor leader who founded and led the first successful farm worker's union in U.S. history.
He will be remembered through stories, as well as song and dance. Personal accounts will be offered by Maria Rifo (an activist who worked with Chavez) and Eugene Mijares (who met Chavez as a child in Sonoma County).
Songs and poetry by ethnomusicologist Raul Lara and Armando Garcia-Davila, Healdsburg's Laureate, will be featured as well as history by Jack Levy, author of the "Autobiography of La Causa," and Dan Markwyn, a California historian and retired SSU professor.
Other music from Raul Lara and poetry by Irma Lopez will be followed by a performance by Ballet Folklorico Sarita
The event is sponsored by Collaborative CAMP (College Assistance Migrant Program) that includes SSU, Santa Rosa Junior College and Napa Valley College and Mendocino Community College CAMP.
For more information, contact Francisco H. Vazquez at (707) 664-3185.
A mini-conference for parents, teachers and students that explores the post 9/11 world in local classrooms will be held on Friday, March 21 at the Cooperage at Sonoma State University.
Called "Teaching and Learning with Heart in the Post 9/11 Multi-Cultural Classroom," the event opens with a panel discussion exploring alternative ways of understanding the post 9/11 world, and continues with participatory workshops.
Workshops include how to conduct non-polarizing dialogue around hot-button issues, student activism, Muslim women in the modern world, racial profiling in post 9/11 America, creating cultural bridges, and terrorism and the global economy.
Admission is free to students; $10 for teachers, parents, and community members. Scholarships are available, and continuing education credit an option.
The event is hosted by the School of Education at Sonoma State University and is sponsored by the National Association for Multicultural Education and the Educultural Foundation.
For registration or additional information, contact Virginia Lea, (707) 649-0414 (virginialea@earthlink.net), or Judy Helfand, (707) 833-1890 (Helfand@well.com).
David Walls is available for comment on the anti-war movement in historical perspective, non-violent and other disruptive tactics used by the peace movement, and controversies over the impact of left-wing sectarian groups on the anti-war movement.
Dr. Walls has been an activist and observer of social movements for four decades, and has participated in the activities of numerous peace, environmental, and human rights organizations.
He brings a comparative perspective to the use of non-violent direct action techniques by the civil rights and peace movements, and has written on the problems and prospects of humanitarian intervention in military conflicts. He has closely followed the participation of sectarian political groups in the peace movement and other social movements.
Walls is a Professor of Sociology at Sonoma State University. He teaches classes on the Civil Rights Movement, the Enviornmental Movement, and Gender and Social Movements. At SSU since 1982, he served as Dean of the School of Extended Education from 1984 to 2000. He is the author of The Activist's Almanac: The Concerned Citizen's Guide to the Leading Advocacy Organizations in America (Simon & Schuster/Fireside, 1993).
HOME PHONE: (707) 823-7403 E-MAIL: dwalls@igc.org
