The University Art Gallery at Sonoma State celebrates its twentieth annual "Art from the Heart" silent art auction and party from 6 to 9 p.m. on St. Valentine's Day, Saturday, Feb. 14 in the University Art Gallery.
The popular auction is an evening of art, music, and food featuring modestly priced works of art and other items, such as stays at local inns and hotels, theatre and museum tickets, and bottles of wine, that are sold during a silent auction.
Proceeds from the auction directly benefit the Art Gallery's exhibition, publication, and lecture programs. There will be a free preview of the artwork on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Thursday, Feb. 12, 11 a.m.-4p.m.; and Friday,Feb. 13 from 11 a.m. -8 p.m.
The auction has become one of the oldest continually held fundraising events in the area and a must for novice and seasoned collectors alike, says Gallery manager Carla Stone.
Participants enjoy elegant dining and festivities whilesupporting the Gallery and the careers of artists, and they have the opportunity to go home with an original work of art.
This year, more than 150 artists from Sonoma County and across the United States have created original works of art especially for "Art from the Heart," including Chester Arnold, Sally Baker, Robert Ellison, Richard Shaw, and SamWoolcott, among many others.
Food and wine is served and a $15 donation is suggested at the door. For more information, contact the University Art Gallery at (707) 664-2295.
Do 'Green' building methods herald the next industrial revolution?
How do major cities in Northern California apply responsible energy strategies?
Answers can be found in the Green Building Lecture and Film Series at Sonoma State University scheduled in the next few months. Discussions and documentaries are aimed at informing the public about the importance of Green Building, renewable energy, and how these technologies can develop a sustainable future.
The series is held Wednesday afternoons and evenings at the Environmental Technology Center at SSU, as well as in the Community Room at the Cotati Police Facility. The series is free to students and low-income guests, but a donation of $20 is requested. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Upcoming events include:
Feb. 18: "Buildings, Energy and Climate: Science Economics, and
Social Realities, Doing the Right Thing" With the film "Next Industrial Revolution"
Feb. 25:"High Performance Heating and Cooling Systems"
Mar. 3: "Publicly-funded Energy Efficiency Programs"
Mar. 10: "Cool Tools for Energy Efficiency"
Mar. 17: "San Francisco: National Leader in Responsible Energy"
With a film of the 2003 Bioneers Conference Plenary Session
Mar. 24: "Sustainable Community Planning"
For more information and lecture dates, visit www.sonoma.edu/ensp/etc/.
Curious about issues of race and inequality in America?
Chuck D has something to say about it.
Want to know more about diversity issues and the power of the spoken word?
Lee Mun Wah and Saul Williams will fill you in.
Interested in humanitarian efforts and Latino pride?
So is Edward James Olmos.
These four artists from the worlds of stage, screen, and music discuss these issues in the upcoming Heritage Month Lecture Series at Sonoma State University.
The lecture series kicks off Friday, Feb. 13 with actor-rapper-singer-poet Saul Williams. Williams is known for many achievements, including the lead role in the 1998 feature film, "SLAM," and roles in the documentaries "Underground Voices," "SlamNation," and "I'll Make Me a World." Williams has performed with The Fugees, Erykah Badu, and De La Soul, as well as with poets Allen Ginsberg and Sonia Sanchez.
On Friday March 12, Chinese-American filmmaker and storyteller Lee Mun Wah, culminates his day-long seminar on unlearning racism with his lecture, "Last Chance For Eden." His films include "Stolen Ground," "The Color of Fear," "Walking Each Other Home," and "Last Chance for Eden, Parts One and Two," was released in Fall 2002. Wah is also the Director of StirFry Seminars and Consulting, which works with corporations, government agencies and educational institutions to facilitate diversity issues and conflicts.
Multi-platinum rap artist and political activist Chuck D lectures on Thursday, March 18. As leader and co-founder of legendary rap group Public Enemy, Chuck D redefined rap music with the release of "Yo Bum Rush The Show." The critical and commercial success of Public Enemy opened doors for Chuck to deliver his message through many different mediums. He has hosted his own segment on the Fox News Channel and published a best-selling autobiography, "Fight The Power." He is also a regular guest on television shows including Nightline and Politically Incorrect.
Edward James Olmos concludes the Heritage Month Lecture Series on Friday, April 30, with his lecture, "We're All In The Same Gang." Olmos has starred in many films, including "Blade Runner," "Selena," and "12 Angry Men" for the Showtime network. He received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Jaime Escalante in 1988's "Stand and Deliver." Olmos has also launched a multimedia project called "Americanos: Latino Life in the United States," a celebration of Latino culture through photography, film, music, and print. He is the U.S. Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, and a national spokesperson for various organizations as well.
Each lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Cooperage. Admission is free for students and $10 for faculty and staff. Seating is limited, so reservations are advised.
For more information, contact Darius Spearman, Director of the InterCultural Center at (707) 664-2710 or at darius.spearman@sonoma.edu.
Fundraising for the Green Music Center reached a critical milestone today with an additional $60,000 gift from Santa Rosa Symphony Conductor Laureate Corrick Brown and his wife Norma, and SRS Music Director Jeffrey Kahane and his wife Martha.
Reflecting the joint effort by the symphony and Sonoma State University to build the GMC, the combined gift topped off a flurry of year-end gifts and commitments that brought the campaign to the $39 million mark - the amount needed to begin construction.
"Finally, a world-class music center for our region is within reach," said Corrick Brown, who also co-chairs the GMC capital campaign. "This will make Sonoma County a nationally known destination for performing arts. Norma and I are truly grateful to all those who have brought us this far."
With the first phase of the capital campaign a success, SSU President Ruben Arminana thanked the community and anticipated the next phase of fundraising. "We're very grateful to everyone who has invested in this project and made it possible to go out for construction bids," he said.
"We're looking forward to launching the next phase of the GMC capital campaign, which will raise money to complete construction, including interior finishing and furnishings."
Arminana said he expects the University to decide on a contractor for construction of the Donald and Maureen Green Music Center in early April. That decision will be submitted to the California State University Board of Trustees for final approval in May, with construction expected to begin soon thereafter.
"Few communities in the country even dream of building a first-rate concert venue, let alone make it a reality," said Donald Green, who with his wife Maureen contributed the initial $10 million to launch the music center project in 1997.
"I want to thank those who have helped us reach this pivotal point, and invite everyone's continuing support as we complete this project in the coming years."
The 1,400-seat Donald and Maureen Green Music Center, to be built on the Sonoma State campus, will provide a new home for the Santa Rosa Symphony as well as a world-class concert venue for visiting artists, SSU students and community musical groups.
Modeled after famed Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, summer home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the concert hall will open to lawn seating in the summer, accommodating an additional 8,000 concert-goers. It is expected to draw visitors from throughout the Bay Area, as well as nationally.
University officials anticipate opening the new music center for the fall concert season of 2006.
Media critic Jennifer Pozner brings her multi-media presentation "Bachelor Babes, Bridezillas and Husband-Hunting Harems" to Sonoma State University on Tuesday, Feb. 3. The program begins at 7 p.m. in the Cooperage. Admission to free.
With humor and sharp wit, Pozner deconstructs the hype and frenzy of current dating and mating shows on Reality TV. She analyzes how pop culture reinforces regressive gender stereotypes and proposes that the quest for profits compromises entertainment.
Pozner is founder and director of Women In Media & News (WIMN), a women's media monitoring, training and advocacy organization. Formerly, she directed the Women's Desk for the national media watch group FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting). Her work has appeared in Ms., Newsday, Chicago Tribune, Hartford Courant, Arizona Republic, Salon.com.
She lectures and conducts media trainings across America, and has appeared on Comedy Central, Fox News Network, Oxygen, Free Speech TV, Pacifica Radio and numerous documentary projects.
For more information, contact the Women's Resource Center, (707) 664-2845.
The latest developments in astronomy and cosmology will be explored by several speakers in the spring "What Physicists Do" free public lecture series at Sonoma State University.
Lectures will be on Mondays at 4 p.m., from Feb. 2 through May 3, (excluding Feb 16 and April 5), in room Darwin108 on the SSU campus.
There will be talks on other topics as well, including new portable fuel cells to replace batteries, physical oceanography, and recent advances in solar electric power.
The series will begin Feb. 2 with a showing of the first part of the recent NOVA program, "The Elegant Universe," in which Columbia University physicist Brian Greene describes superstring theory and the possibility that it might hold the key to unifying the four forces of nature. This program is titled "Einstein's Dream."
On Feb. 9, UC Berkeley astrophysicist Eugene Chiang describes the outer solar system and the recent discovery of many objects similar to Pluto and nearly as big.
On Feb. 23, Luisa Rebull from Caltech presents the first results from NASA's latest "Great Observatory," the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Charlie Gay of Sunpower will present the latest developments in solar cell development on March 1. A former director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Gay has headed several solar cell companies.
The $300 million effort to detect gravitational waves with observatories in Washington and Louisiana will be described by Caltech physicist Peter Shawhan on March 8.
Applied physicist Geoffrey Wilson will describe new laser-based methods for the swift detection of airborne pathogens on March 15. Wilson works for Hach Homeland Security Technologies in Oregon.
On March 22, astronomer Roy Gal of the University of California, Davis will explain what his survey of galaxy clusters tell us about the large-scale structure of the universe.
New portable fuel cells which are likely to replace batteries in personal electronic products will be described by Jeffrey Morse of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab on March 29.
On April 12, UC Santa Cruz scientist Christopher Edwards will explain how physical oceanographers study the deep circulation of the oceans.
Claire Max, a world leader in adaptive optics for astronomy, will show how the new technology has allowed her and other astronomers to detect supermassive black holes in the cores of nearby galaxies. Max is based at both UCSC and LLNL.
"Nanotechnology: The Art and Science of Making Small Things" is the topic of Hewlett-Packard physicist Regina Ragan on April 26.
The series will conclude on May 3 with SRI International scientist Ron Pelrine describing his development of artificial muscle. This work has been featured in Scientific American and several other publications and media.
For a free poster describing all twelve lectures, see http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/wpd/, send e-mail to gayle.walker@sonoma.edu, or call (707) 664-2119.
With two clicks of a mouse, professor Zachary Wong can get the full attention of his students in a way he never could before - just take over their computer screens.
Thanks to the generous donation of $25,000 from Frank Howard Allen Realtors, the School of Business and Economics at Sonoma State University is installing a computer classroom control system in a computer lab that puts management of the classroom in the hands of the instructor in new ways.
VideoDidact, a hardware product of a hi-tech German firm that links PC workstations through VGA cables, allows the instructor to send his/her screen to students, receive a student's screen image, send the screen of any student to another student or students and send any screen to a projector. In addition, the instructor can lock or shut down a student's screen and take control of the student's keyboard.
No longer will Wong or other instructors who use the PC lab have to worry about who is surfing the Internet in the back of the classroom, who is stuck on a problem and afraid to ask a "stupid " question, or who has a new idea other students should see.
More importantly, Wong will be able to look into the screens of all computers without ever having to leave the front of the classroom. Wong says "computer use in classrooms today has become standard procedure in almost all business disciplines. With VideoDidact, the instructor's efficiency will be greatly improved and the students' learning curve is enhanced."
Students in marketing research, finance, and economics courses must be soundly trained in using sophisticated statistical packages. Students in personnel management courses must be proficient in using a database management system. Accounting students must master techniques in using electronic spreadsheets and management information systems courses all have heavy computer applications components.
"The system's monitoring feature identifies slower students, class leaders, and slackers to the instructor," says Dieter Beaugrand of Education and Business Systems, Inc., which created VideoDidact. The classroom system is already in place in over 10,000 European classrooms and is now making its way into the United States, he says.
By viewing their work in progress, common problem areas are identified. A particular student's screen can be projected anonymously through an LCD projector onto a display screen so that a problem can be solved in front of the entire class. Sharing the problem screen with the class by displaying it on their personal screens is another way to accomplish this, he says.
Other features include call buttons, with which students can let the instructor know they need assistance, a highlighter on the instructor's screen, and the distribution of audio and video from different sources.
Larry Bracket, CEO and President of Frank Howard Allen Realtors, says the donation was made to help the Scholl of Business and Economics upgrade its computer lab because the School "is a very important part of the University and the community."
"It needs to stay current with teaching tools that provide students with the best education to compete in the marketplace. The idea behind a product like this is to create better students in a shorter amount of time with less stress to the teacher," Brackett says. Brackett serves on the School's advisory board.
T.K. Clarke, interim dean of the School, says Frank Howard Allen Realtors has been a real partner with the School of Business and Economics. "With them, it is more than money. Active engagement with the School's advisory board and useful advice on dealing with the School's issues has been the hallmark of our relationship with them. We always appreciate the sound council we receive from Frank Howard Allen Realtors. "
New Sonoma State University nursing professor Anita Catlin has been inducted into the American Academy of Nursing as one of the top 1,000 nurses in the United States. She joined the nursing department at SSU last semester after 23 years at Napa Valley College.
The Academy consists of the nurses who contribute at the level of the National Institute of Health and who are leaders in education, practice and health policy making.
Catlin, who has been funded by and testified at the American Academy of Pediatrics, is best known for her work in creating a protocol for the humane care of dying newborns.
She has a family nurse practitioner master's degree from SSU, a doctorate in maternal child nursing from Rush University, and a certificate in ethics consultation also from Rush University in Chicago. She has also worked as a nurse practitioner providing prenatal and well client care.
She currently serves as President of the Nursing Affinity Group of the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities and is on the Board of Directors for the National Perinatal Association.
Catlin is a charter member of the Sonoma State chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society of Nursing. She served as its president in 1992-1994. She joined the nursing department at Sonoma State University this year after 23 years at Napa Valley College.
In 2001, she received the Model of Care Award for the Neonatal End of Life Protocol from the National Perinatal Association.
Catlin lives in Napa.
Architects, engineers, construction personnel and members of the building industry are increasingly being challenged to design, develop and build spaces in harmony with the environment.
The Green Building Professional Certificate at Sonoma State University prepares practitioners to respond to this challenge and is one of the most comprehensive programs of its kind in the nation.
This year long course, beginning Jan. 24, is designed specifically with the working professional in mind. All classes are held monthly, on Saturdays, from either 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. or 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
The program's instructors are all practicing professionals in today's green building industry. An informational meeting on the program is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. in Salazar 2013.
This program provides an in-depth understanding of the social, economic and environmental issues related to the design and construction of residential and commercial buildings.
The program consists of six core curriculum sections that will delve, with great depth, into a variety of relevant topics which includes: sustainability and the built environment, site selection and design, water efficiency practices, energy sources, indoor environmental quality, identifying green building materials, and case studies. All sections are open to individual enrollment for students who do not wish to participate in the full certificate program.
Class sessions will be held in the Environmental Technology Center on campus, which is a dynamic, interactive and integrative facility incorporating sustainable building techniques and a wide range of design features that minimize energy use.
Graduates of this program will be able to work with the owners, project managers, architects, engineers, builders and subcontractors for a project to facilitate green building decision-making, and to set out, monitor and fulfill attainable objectives.
For more information about the program content, contact Armando Navarro at (707) 664-2577 or by e-mail at armando.navarro@sonoma.edu.
For registration information, call the SSU School of Extended Education at (707) 664-2394 or visit the website at www.sonoma.edu/exed. Green Building is listed under "Our Programs."
Small business consultation for North Bay firms is being offered by the Sonoma State University School of Business and Economics in the spring of 2004.
Under the guidance of SSU faculty, business students will meet with small business owners in the North Bay, develop a scope of work, and confer with proprietors on a weekly basis. Students will participate in intensive real-life studies of active businesses, and take dynamic roles in shaping the future of an enterprise.
In order to participate in the student business consultation, owners must run a small, for-profit business, have a desire to expand their enterprise, have at least one other employee, and must have been an established firm for one year or more.
At the conclusion of the spring semester, the student consultants present a final analysis, including findings and proposals for future operations. These include performance audits, strategic and financial planning, market research, and financial forecasting.
SSU's student business consultation earned the "Small Business Consulting Case of the Year" award from the Small Business Institute Director's Association in 1996 and 1998. Businesses that have employed this service in the past include Wilderness Trail Bikes, The Sonoma Cider Mill, and Grateful Bagel.
Applications for the program must be received by Jan. 26. The program is open to ten businesses. To participate, business owners donate $500 to a scholarship fund that will allow students withfinancial needs to attend the Entrepreneurial Excellence Course in May 2004.
For more information, contact business professor Armand Gilinsky at (707) 664-2709.
