Sonoma State University's Holocaust and Genocide Studies Center deepens its understanding of the history of genocide as it commemorates its 23rd anniversary with the lecture series "Living With Genocide: Past, Present, Future," through May 23.
In addition to studying the WWII Jewish Holocaust, this semester's lecture series focuses on genocide in Sudan, Armenia and in the United States itself with the actions against Native Americans by the U.S. government.
Local Holocaust survivors will also tell their story in "Remembering the Kindertransports" on May 16. Santa Rosa residents Alfred Batzdorf and Hilde Catz will speak about their experiences as Jewish children who were saved from concentration camps by being secretly relocated to England.
Among other lectures scheduled are "Japanese War Crimes: Accountability, Redress, Justice" on March 14 by Dr. Peter Li of Rutgers University and "Genocide Emergency in Darfur" on April 11with Jerry Fowler of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
On May 2, prominent Holocaust scholar John K. Roth will deliver his lecture "The Ethics of Forgiveness." Several memorial lectures will also be featured over the course of the series, including the Robert L. Harris Memorial Lecture, "Becoming Evil" on March 21, presented by Dr. James Waller of Whitworth College.
On April 25, Dr. Robert Krikorian of George Washington University will give the Armenian Genocide Memorial Lecture, entitled "Living With Genocide: The Armenian Experience."
In addition, this year's lecture series will also feature lectures on the Holocaust's historical context, Holocaust literature, and a presentation on the sociology of genocide. Lectures are held Tuesdays, 4-5:40 p.m. in Warren Auditorium and are free of charge.
Remaining lectures for Spring 2006:
LIVING WITH GENOCIDE: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
Tuesdays, 4-5:40 p.m., Warren Auditorium
Mar. 7: "Genocide in California: The Native American Experience;" presented by Dr. Ed Castillo of SSU
Mar. 14: "Japanese War Crimes: Accountability, Redress, Justice" with Dr. Peter Li of Rutgers University
Mar. 21: "Becoming Evil;" presented by Dr. James Waller of Whitworth College-Robert L. Harris Memorial Lecture
Mar. 28: "An Uncommon Friendship" with Dr. Fritz Tubach and Bernat Rosner
Apr. 4: "Post-Holocaust Writing: Past, Present and Future;" presented by Dr. Barbara Lesch McCaffry of SSU
Apr. 11: "Genocide Emergency in Darfur" with Jerry Fowler, Director, Committee on Conscience, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Apr. 25: "Living With Genocide: The Armenian Experience;" presented by Dr. Robert Krikorian of George Washington University - Armenian Genocide Memorial Lecture
May 2: "The Ethics of Forgiveness" with Dr. John K. Roth, Director, Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights at Claremont McKenna College
May 9: "Hollywood's Holocaust: 'Schindler's List' and the Construction of Memory;" presented by Dr. Lynne Rappaport of Pomona College
May 16: "Remembering the Kindertransports" with Alfred Batzdorf and Hilde Catz of Santa Rosa
May 23: "What Have We Learned?" Faculty/Student Panel
For further information, contact the Sonoma State University Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide at (707) 664-4296 or (707) 664-4076. A complete schedule can be found on the Web at http://www.sonoma.edu/holocaust.
ROTATING GALAXIES: CLUES TO GALAXY FORMATION - Dr. Anne Metevier of the UC Santa Cruz will describe her efforts to measure how fast distant disk-shaped galaxies rotate, and what this information can tell us about how galaxies formed. What Physicists Do Lecture Series. 4 p.m., Monday, Mar. 6, Schulz 3001, (707) 664-2119.
THE SAN FRANCISCO DYKE MARCH: RADICAL POLITICS AND OUR COMMUNITY EVENT - For thirteen years this annual march has occurred without a permit and has become an important part of San Francisco's gay pride events. Along with a 15-minute documentary video of the San Francisco Dyke March, filmmaker Cathy Cade discusses the progressive political origins of the event. Queer Studies Lecture Series. Noon, Tuesday, Mar. 7, Carson 68, (707) 664-2840.
GENOCIDE IN CALIFORNIA: THE NATIVE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE - Lecture by Dr. Edward Castillo of Sonoma State University. Holocaust Lecture Series. 4 p.m. Tuesday, Mar. 7, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-4076.
ARTS AND HUMANITIES LECTURE SERIES - Lecture presented by Thaine Stearns of the SSU English Department entitled "Slight and Charming and Purely Impressionistic: T.S. Eliot, Rebecca West, and the Image of Modernist Criticism." Noon, Wednesday, Mar. 8, Schulz 3001, (707) 664-2146.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A THEOREM THAT COUNTS SOMETHING - Lecture by Tyler Evans of Humboldt State University. In this talk, the speaker will generalize a combinatorial lemma to obtain three divisibility theorems for which three classical theorems are special cases. M*A*T*H Colloquium. 4 p.m. Wednesday, Mar. 8, Stevenson 1002, (707) 664-2368.
GERMAN FILM SERIES - This week, the film "Im Juli" ("In July"), directed by Faith Akin, will screened. Admission is free. 7 p.m., Wednesday, Mar. 8, Multi-Purpose Room, Student Union, (707) 664-2637.
BIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM - Melinda Fowler of the SSU Biology department will present her lecture, "Hormone Regulation of Glucose Metabolism in Lactating Northern Elephant Seals." Noon, Thursday, Mar. 9, Stevenson 1002, (707) 664-2189.
WOMEN'S HISTORY LUNCHES - Dr. Kathleen Noonan presents "Romancing Pocahontas; or Naked Cartwheels in Jamestown" and Dr. Michelle Jolly will follow with "Women and Missions in Early California." Noon, Thursday, Mar. 9, Salazar 2021, (707) 664-2313.
THE NITTY-GRITTY ON THE FUTURE OF SENSOR TECHNOLOGIES - George Hsu of Sensor Platforms, Santa Rosa presents an overview on sensor fundamentals - how they work, how they're made, what sorts of applications will use them and Sensor Platforms' role in bringing them to a broader market. Computer Science Colloquium. Noon, Thursday, Mar. 9, Salazar 2016, (707) 664-2667.
DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID - A humorous tale of a chambermaid, both demure and cunning (as portrayed by Jeanne Moreau), who takes a position in a cheerless chateau and immediately becomes the newest objet d'art for a whole family of perfectly ordinary perverts. Sonoma Film Institute. 7 p.m. Thursday, Mar. 9, Stevenson 1002; 7 p.m., Friday, Mar. 10, Warren Auditorium. (707) 664-2606.
MELANIE KENT STEINHARDT: THE LIFE AND ART OF AN EMIGRE - The University Library Art Gallery is exhibiting the artworks of Melanie Kent Steinhardt (1899-1952) through March 24. Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday: Noon - 5 p.m., University Library Art Gallery, (707) 664-4240.
CONTEMPORARY ART FROM LOS ANGELES - Exhibit featuring the work of Tetsuji Aono, Soo Kim, Sandeep Mukherjee, Evan Holloway, Jason Meadows, Eddie Ruscha, Cannon Hudson, Faris McReynolds and Jesse Simon. Through March 19. Tuesday-Friday: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday: 12 p.m.-4 p.m. University Art Gallery, (707) 664-2295.
THE RIVER - Jean Renoir's first film in color was shot in India and is based on Rumer Godden's novel about a young girl's growing pains in a foreign land. Sonoma Film Institute. 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 26, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-2606.
EVIDENCE FOR THE WARMING OF THE WORLD'S OCEANS - Dr. Tim Barnett of the UC San Diego describes recent evidence for human-induced warming of the world's oceans. What Physicists Do Lecture Series. 4 p.m., Monday, Feb. 27, Schulz 3001, (707) 664-2119.
GAY LATINO HISTORIES/DYING TO BE DONE - Lecture by Dr. Horacio N. Roque Ramirez, Assistant Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at UC Santa Barbara. The lecture addresses the state of gay Latino history in the U.S., the teaching of this history, and the underused strategies and lack of research projects to document and archive this multigender social, cultural, and political history. Queer Studies Lecture Series. Noon, Tuesday, Feb. 28, Carson 68, (707) 664-2840.
THE SOCIOLOGY OF GENOCIDE - Lecture by Dr. Myrna Goodman of Sonoma State University. Holocaust Lecture Series. 4 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 28, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-4076.
YIYUN LI - Beijing native and Writer Yiyun Li will discuss her craft as well as read from her latest novel, "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers." Writers on Writing Lecture Series. 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 28, SSU Art Gallery, (707) 664-2140.
HOW DO WE INFER A THREE-DIMENSIONAL FORM FROM A TWO-DIMENSIONAL OBJECT? - Lecture by Bruno Olshausen, Associate Professor at the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and School of Optometry at UC Berkeley. Artist Lecture Series. Noon, Wednesday, Mar. 1, Art 102, (707) 664-2364.
SLICING BAGELS: PLANE SECTIONS OF REAL AND COMPLEX TORI - Lecture presented by David Sklar of San Francisco State University. M*A*T*H Colloquium. 4 p.m., Wednesday, March. 1, Stevenson 1002, (707) 664-2368.
CINEFORUM - This week's film is "Que He Hecho Yo Para Merecer!" or "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" 6:45 p.m., Wednesday, March 1, Stevenson 3072, (707) 664-2351.
CONSERVATION OF ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES: LESSONS FROM LONG-TERM STUDIES ON TROPICAL DEFAUNATION - Lecture with Dr. Rodolfo Dirzo of Stanford University. Biology Colloquium. Noon, Thursday, March 2, Stevenson 1002, (707) 664-2189.
WOMEN'S HISTORY LUNCHES - Lecturers include Dr. Randall Dodgen presenting "The New Chinese Entrepreneurial Woman: What Would Confucius Say? Or Mao?" and Dr. Catherine Nelson presenting "Is It Already Too Late? What Really Happened to Roe v. Wade?" Noon, Thursday, March 2, Salazar 2021, (707) 664-2313.
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE EVOLUTION: PUSHING THE LIMITS OF TECHNOLOGY - Lecture by Carol Thompson Eidt of Microsoft Research, Redmond, WA. This talk will trace the evolution of programming languages, along with the technologies that both constrained and enabled that evolution, with an emphasis on the interplay between processor architecture and compiler design. Computer Science Colloquium. Noon, Thursday, March 2, Salazar 2016, (707) 664-2667.
LE TROU - Jacques Becker's last film is one of the great prison escape films, and a profound meditation on freedom and confinement. Sonoma Film Institute. 7 p.m. Thursday, March 2, Stevenson 1002, (707) 664-2606.
THE CRANES ARE FLYING - This film is a tale of war and lost love, of individuals who suffer because of the follies of their leaders. The heroine is a young Russian girl, Veronica, whose sweetheart, Boris, volunteers to fight for his country at the outbreak of World War II. Sonoma Film Institute. 7 p.m., Friday, March 3, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-2606.
MELANIE KENT STEINHARDT: THE LIFE AND ART OF AN EMIGRE - The University Library Art Gallery at Sonoma State University is exhibiting the artworks of Melanie Kent Steinhardt (1899-1952) through March 24. Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday: Noon - 5 p.m., University Library Art Gallery, (707) 664-4240.
SSU psychology professor emeritus David Van Nuys hosts "Shrink Rap Radio," a weekly podcast "for the amateur psychologist in everyone."
The Shrink Rap podcasts address topics ranging from new age psychotherapies to Jungian psychology, shamanism and dream interpretation by "Dr. Dave" who has interviewed people and professionals from across the United States as well as Australia.
But an extraordinary opportunity for understanding and learning presented itself when he was approached via e-mail by one of his listening fans in the city of Baghdad.
Dr. Dave fielded a phone call from Mohammed, a 32 year-old Iraqi who wished to speak about the reality of war in his country. Mohammed, who admitted to secretly liking Americans, described his current living situation in the war-torn city.
Mohammed shared his psychological coping strategies and his dreams for the future. He said that life in Baghdad is "as normal as can be, given the circumstances" but expressed concern over Baghdad's shaky power grid and the "random danger" of explosions and car bombs.
Mohammed went on to describe how he deals with everyday life in the Iraqi capital, saying that he "tries not to think" about the dangers he faces and stays away from watching news reports because of the tragedies they report.
"It makes me very sad, so I try to keep my mind off it by concentrating on my work or doing things that I like; I spend a lot of time on the Internet and playing video games."
Despite the almost constant stream of negative news, Mohammed likes to accentuate the positive and expressed happiness when he says that the day he was calling in was a national holiday for Iraq - the first anniversary of Iraq's first democratic elections.
Looking towards the future, Mohammed said he would like to find a job outside Iraq and "get away from this mess, because life is really difficult here." He hopes the new government eliminates the dangers that so many deal with on a day-to-day basis.
"I feel humbled by my contact with Mohammed," Van Nuys says. "I find myself somewhat at a loss for words. It is hard to fully reconcile the different realities of me in the relative comfort and safety of my California home, and Mohammed in the midst of daily car bombings in Baghdad. And yet, we're able to sit together and share our humanity...it's a miracle, a mystery and a tragedy all rolled into one."
To listen to Shrink Rap Radio, visit http://www.shrinkrapradio.com/.
For more information, contact Jean Wasp, Media Relations Coordinator, at (707) 664-2057.
The National Women's History Project is based out of Santa Rosa and its co-founders are local women, some of whom are Sonoma State University alumnae and current SSU staff.
Three of these women -- Molly Murphy MacGregor, Mary Ruthsdotter and SSU librarian Paula Hammett -- are helping kick-off Women's History Month on March 1 with a reception and presentation.
The schedule of events for the month includes:
"Why Women's History Month?" Molly Murphy MacGregor, Mary Ruthsdotter and Paula Hammett: Co-Founders of the National Women's History Project. 6-7 p.m., March 1. Reception, ICC Gallery, Student Union. 7-8 p.m. presentation, Multi-purpose Room, Student Union
"Laramie Project," Ives 76 @ 7:30 p.m., March 7, 10, 11, 16, 17. Free admission with SSU ID.
"Sexy or Sexist? Images of Women and Men in Popular Culture," Gail Dines, 7 p.m., March 15. Cooperage
"We've Come A Long Way, Baby! A Her-story of Women in American Sport," Beez Schell, 7 p.m., March 21. Cooperage
"10th Annual Woman Student Leader of the Year Ceremony," 7 p.m., March 28. Cooperage
"In the Heart of the Heart of Another Country," Etel Adnan, Lebanese-American writer and artist. Noon-1 p.m., March 29. Schulz 3001
QUEER STUDIES LECTURE SERIES, NOON-12:50 P.M., CARSON 68
Cathy Cade, "The San Francisco Dyke March: Radical Politics and Our Community Event," March 7
James Dean, "Racial Heterosexual Identities: Black and White Heterosexualities," March 14
Dora Dome: "Jennifer's Complaint: Homophobia and Sports," March 28
WOMEN'S HISTORY LUNCHES, NOON-1 P.M., SALAZAR 2021
Randall Dodgen, Ph.D., "The New Chinese Entrepreneurial Woman: What Would Confucius Say? Or Mao?;" Catherine Nelson, Ph.D., "Is It Already Too Late? What Really Happened to Roe v. Wade?," March 2
Kathleen Noonan, "Romancing Pocahontas or Naked Cartwheels in Jamestown," Michelle Jolly;"Women & Missions in Early California," March 9
Nan Alamilla-Boyd, "Male Impersonators in Early 20th Century San Francisco"; Steve Estes, "Dykes or Whores: Sexism, Homophobia and Military Women's Catch-22," March 16
William Poe, "Sex in the Temple: Fantasy or Slander?" March 23
Theresa Alfaro-Velcamp, "Immigrant Women: Challenges to Historiography"; Judith Abbott, "Queen Ealswith and the Mercians," March 30
In honor of Women's History Month, Associated Students Productions is proud to present critically acclaimed author and professor Dr. Gail Dines and her lecture, "Sexy or Sexist? Images of Women and Men in Pop Culture." The evening will be held in the Cooperage at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15 and is free to SSU students, staff and faculty. General admission is $10.
Gail Dines believes the nation is bombarded daily with media images suggesting sexual harassment is flirting, sexual assault is foreplay and rape is hot sex. Using examples from magazines, ads, films, MTV and movies, Dines illustrates how images of violence against women are so commonplace that the society is becoming desensitized to the messages these images embody. The professor will be on hand after the lecture for a question and answer period.
Dines received her Ph.D. from Salford University in England. She is Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies at Wheelock College in Boston. Dines is co-editor of the best-selling media textbook, Gender, Race and Class in Media (2nd edition, Sage, 2002), used in over 200 colleges across the country. She is co-author of Pornography: The Production and Consumption of Inequality (Routledge, 1998).
Her numerous articles on pornography, the media and violence have appeared in academic journals and books, as well as in magazines and newspapers such as Newsweek, Time, Working Woman, New York Times, Boston Globe, USA Today, and the Daily Mail (England).
This event is sponsored by Associated Students Productions and the Student Union. For more information, phone (707) 664-2382.
A physical oceanographer who has found evidence for human-induced ocean warming will describe his work in a free public lecture at 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27 in Schulz 3001 at Sonoma State University.
The amount of heat that has gone into the oceans is truly remarkable," says Tim Barnett, a marine physicist of the University of California, San Diego. "When you look at the energy, if we could tap it -- we can't -- but if we could, it would supply the energy needs of the state of California, the seventh biggest economy in the world, for 215,000 years."
For more on Barnett's discoveries, see http://www.sci-techtoday.com/story.xhtml?story_id=0200014D54OO
For more on the lecture, phone (707) 664-2119.
Sonoma State University has received grants in the amount of $91,337 from the State Farm Companies Foundation to support students with disabilities with innovative technologies and fund a service-learning program that assists students in after-school programs in southwest Santa Rosa.
The monies will also be used by the School of Business and Economics and the School of Education for information technology equipment needed for the delivery of professional and educational programs at SSU.
"State Farm has enjoyed a tremendous working partnership with Sonoma State University for several decades," says State Farm Vice President of Operations Shirley Gordon. "We have watched SSU grow and prosper over the years and our ability to philanthropically assist with their educational programs makes for an excellent business partnership."
For students with disabilities, the Rolling AsTech program is designed to suit the technological needs of a growing population of on students on the Sonoma State campus. While the majority of SSU students are able to use the campus's standard computer labs and workstations, students with disabilities often cannot, due to physical limitations or learning difficulties.
Through the $46, 641 grant from State Farm Companies Foundation, twelve new mobile workstations with assistive technology will be able to be purchased. In addition to new laptops, the new Rolling AsTech workstations include software which magnifies text for those with visual disabilities, continuous speech software which allows the user to dictate text and software which literally "talks" the user through their computing experience.
Funds amounting to $44,696 for service learning support of the COOL Service program - a partnership between State Farm and the California Institute on Human Services at Sonoma State University - involves college students and local teachers in projects that benefit hundreds of children.
The COOL Service program actively involves 900 students from seven low-performing elementary schools and one low-performing middle school in southwest Santa Rosa in a comprehensive year of service-learning, benefiting their community and augmenting their academic curriculum. The goal of the program is to instill a lifelong ethic of service while encouraging academic and social progress.
For more information, contact Jean Wasp, Media Relations Coordinator, at (707) 664-2057.
MELANIE KENT STEINHARDT: THE LIFE AND ART OF AN EMIGRE - The University Library Art Gallery at Sonoma State University will be exhibiting the artworks of Melanie Kent Steinhardt (1899-1952) through March 24. Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday: Noon - 5 p.m. University Library Art Gallery, (707) 664-4240.
LOVE AND BEAUTY IN TURBULENT TIMES - Pianist Marilyn Thompson and Contralto Karen Clark will explore the music of such noted composers as Mozart, Mahler, Brahms, Debussy and Ravel. $10 general admission; $8 faculty, alumni and staff; $6 seniors and students; SSU students admitted free. 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, Ives Hall, (707) 664-2353.
KAFFEESTUNDE - Weekly informal German conversation for those who enjoy the German language, want to brush up on their German skills or would like to learn more about the language. Noon, Tuesday, Feb. 21, Charlie Brown's Cafe, (707) 664-2637.
CAUSERIE - Weekly French conversation hour in the "Salon bleu" of the SSU Student Union. All are invited to attend. Noon, Tuesday, Feb. 21, SSU Student Union, (707) 664-4177.
ANN BANNON: "FROM 'SLEAZE' TO CLASSICS: THE BEEBO BRINKER CHRONICLES - The Beebo Brinker Chronicles are part of the infamous lesbian "pulp fiction" genre and reveal the intensity and courage of gay love in a world that was then unrelentingly hostile. Queer Studies Lecture Series. Noon, Tuesday, Feb. 21, Carson 68, (707) 664-2840.
THE HOLOCAUST IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT - Lecture presented by Dr. Steve Bittner of SSU. Holocaust Lecture Series. 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-4076.
M*A*T*H COLLOQUIUM - Students will present projects using Mathematica from the Fall 2005 Math 180 class taught by Professor Elaine McDonald at SSU. 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, Stevenson 1002, (707) 664-2368.
THE PARTY'S OVER: OIL, WAR AND THE FATE OF INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES - Lecture by Dr. Richard Heinberg of the New College of California. Biology Colloquium. Noon, Thursday, Feb. 23, Stevenson 1002, (707) 664-2189.
JEAN-BAPTISTE LABAT'S CRUISES IN THE CARIBBEAN, OR, HOW ONE GETS TO KNOW THE OTHER IN 17TH CENTURY MARTINIQUE - Lecture by Suzanne Toczyski of the SSU Modern Languages & Literatures department. Arts and Humanities Forum. Noon, Thursday, Feb. 23, Schulz 1121, (707) 664-2146.
THE RIVER - Jean Renoir's first film in color was shot in India and is based on Rumer Godden's novel about a young girl's growing pains in a foreign land. Sonoma Film Institute. 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, Stevenson 1002; 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24 and 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-2606.
ERIC DROOKER - Renowned graphic novelist/artist/activist Eric Drooker will present his own artwork, poetry and song as well as take part in a brief book signing following his performance. Admission is free. 1 p.m., Friday, Feb. 24, Multi-Purpose Room, SSU Student Union, (707) 664-3184.
NASA astronaut Dr. Ellen Ochoa is the special guest at the "Expanding Your Horizons" conference on Saturday, Mar. 18 at Sonoma State University. Participants will include seventh and eighth grade students, adult educators and parents from Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties.
The conference fosters an awareness of career opportunities in math, engineering, science, and technology-related fields, as well as provides opportunities for young women to meet and interact with positive role models who are active in math and science-related careers.
This year's workshop topics range from constructing lemon flashlights, exploring veterinary careers to learning more about NASA's "scale universe."
"Expanding Your Horizons" is a nationwide conference reaching more than 625,000 young women around the country and is held locally to encourage young women to take an interest in math and science. In Sonoma County alone, more than 5,000 girls have attended the conference over the past fourteen years.
Ochoa will be speaking throughout the day to motivate and educate conference attendees about the importance of a good education in math and science.
"It's a unique conference," said Julie Silk, President of EYH Sonoma County, "because we believe it provides people with important services that increase the interest of young women in mathematics and science through positive, hands-on workshops."
Pre-registration is required for this event with a deadline of Mar. 10. The Expanding Your Horizons website, http://eyh-soco.org, provides details about Expanding Your Horizons Sonoma County, the upcoming 2006 conference, registration information, links to math and science resources, and Dr. Ellen Ochoa's biography.
For more information, call the Expanding Your Horizons hotline at (707) 664-2241.
WINTER SOLDIER - In February 1971, a public inquiry into war crimes committed by American forces in Vietnam was held in Detroit. A collective of filmmakers recorded the event, and produced an extraordinary documentary called "Winter Soldier." Filmmaker Lucy Massie Phenix tentatively scheduled to appear. Sonoma Film Institute. 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 12, Warren Auditorium, (707) 664-2606.
CREATING MINI BIG BANGS IN THE LABORATORY - Brooke Haag of UC Davis will discuss how observing collisions between relativistic nuclei at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has implications for understanding conditions at the earliest stages of the universe. What Physicists Do Lecture Series. 4 p.m., Monday, Feb. 13, Schulz 3001, (707) 664-2119.
THE FORGOTTEN REFUGEES -"The Forgotten Refugees" is a film exploring the history and destruction of Middle Eastern Jewish communities through testimony of survivors from Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Iraq. Following the film, Gina Waldman, who is featured in the film, will lead a discussion and answer questions. 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 13, The Cooperage, (818) 822-9786.
KAFFEESTUNDE - Weekly informal German conversation for those who enjoy the German language, want to brush up on their German skills or would like to learn more about the language. Noon, Tuesday, Feb. 14, Charlie Brown's Cafe, (707) 664-2637.
REVERSING VANDALISM: COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO A HATE CRIME - Lecture by Jim Van Buskirk, Program Manager for the James T. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center at San Francisco Public Library. Queer Studies Lecture Series. Noon, Feb. 14, Carson 68, (707) 664-2574.
HOLOCAUST SURVIVAL PANEL - Guest panel of speakers including Lillian Judd of Santa Rosa and Lucille Eichengreen of Oakland. Holocaust Lecture Series. 4 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 14, Ives 101, (707) 664-2543.
SOME CAR PROBLEMS ARE MATHEMATICAL - Lecture by Rick Poss of St. Norbert College of DePere, Wisconsin. Cars are a large part of our lives. In our daily driving experiences, people encounter a number of mathematical situations. The lecturer will discuss some of these issues. M*A*T*H Colloquium. 4 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 15, Stevenson 1002, (707) 664-2368.
GOT OMEGA-3? DEVELOPING A LAND-BASED ALTERNATIVE TO FISH OIL - Lecture presented by Dr. Byron Froman of Calgene. Biology Colloquium. Noon, Thursday, Feb. 16, Stevenson 1002, (707) 664-2189.
LA RONDE - Turn of the century Vienna is the setting for a linked series of "amours" - a perfect example of director Max Ophuls' wit and elegant amorality, as well as of his unmatched mastery of fluid mise-en-scene. Sonoma Film Institute. 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 16, Stevenson 1002, (707) 664-2606.
LA RONDE - Sonoma Film Institute. 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, Warren Auditorium, (707)664-2606.
GOSPEL EXTRAVAGANZA - Concert with Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir. No charge. 8 p.m., Friday, Feb. 17, Commons, (707) 664-2710.
Saturday, February 11 marks the date for the twenty-second annual "Art from the Heart" silent art auction and party at the University Art Gallery, Sonoma State University, from 6 to 9 p.m. 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 the 8th, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Thursday the 9th from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., and Friday the 10th from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
As always, the Art from the Heart auction will be an exciting evening of art, music, food and fine wine that has become one of the oldest continually-held fundraising events in the area, and a "must" for novice and seasoned collectors alike. Art from the Heart features modestly priced works of art and other items, such as stays at local inns and hotels, theater and museum tickets, and bottles of wine that are sold during a silent auction. It's a wonderful way to have a good time, support the Gallery (and in turn, the careers of worthy artists), and go home with an original work of art.
This year more than 140 artists from Sonoma County and across the United States have created original works of art especially for Art from the Heart, including Warren Arnold, Todd Barricklow, Ray Beldner, Chris Finley, Jeanine Grimes, Cynthia Hipkiss, Bob Hudson, Kurt Kemp, Tony King, Judith Linhares, William O'Keeffe, Sylvia Seventy, Richrd Shaw, Jennifer Sturgill, John Watrous, and Sam Woolcott, among many others.
Delicious food and wine will be served, and tickets are $20. For more information, please call the University Art Gallery at (707) 664-2295.
More than $250,000 will go to new and continuing efforts by Sonoma State University's nurse practitioner programs to serve the health care needs of rural communities thanks to grants awarded yesterday.
The SSU Family Nurse Practitioner Program has been awarded a $100,000 Special Projects Grant from the Song-Brown Commission of the Office of Statewide Planning. SSU earned the only grant awarded and placed ahead of UCLA, Stanford, Western University, Holy Names, and UC Davis.
This grant provides development and implementation funds for a new online Certificate Program in Rural and Community Health Clinic Management specifically designed for nurse practitioners and eventually physician's assistants. The three-semester program is committed to training 40 students in the next two years as it becomes established and will eventually be available throughout the state.
In awarding the grant, the Song-Brown Commission commented that it was an "exceptionally well written grant demonstrating outstanding innovation in rural practitioner education to meet the ongoing needs of rural and frontier communities."
The SSU Family Nurse Practitioner Program was also awarded $156,112 program funding for continuing excellence in rural distance graduate nurse practitioner education meeting the needs of medically underserved populations in northern California.
This funding supports distributed learning technology, student experiences in client care with underserved populations, and partnership with the Santa Rosa Sutter Family Practice Residency Program.
SSU was ranked second behind UC Davis and ahead of Azusa Pacific, Stanford, California State University Long Beach, UC Irvine, Charles Drew Medical Center, UC San Francisco, USC, Riverside Community College, and UCLA.
"The receipt of more than $250,000 for the SSU Family Nurse Practitioner Program from the Song-Brown Commission is a monumental accomplishment and due to the extraordinary efforts of Dr. Wendy Smith, Director of the Family Nurse practitioner program," says Liz Close, chair of the SSU Nursing Department.
The dark skies at the Galbreath Wildlands Preserve in Mendocino County may someday soon be scanned by a telescope able to see distant galaxies thanks to a matching grant of $700,000 made to Sonoma State University.
Bob and Sue Johnson of Pacific Grove - two of the donors from the Fred B. Galbreath Trust who helped make the $8 million Preserve possible for SSU - recently donated the seed money for the construction of an observatory that Sonoma State University officials hope will be the home in several years of a $1 million 1-meter world-class research telescope.
SSU plans to apply for grants and find other partners to fund the purchase of the telescope and other sophisticated instruments that will be some of the largest and most advanced in the California State University system. The proposed new telescope will significantly increase SSU's capability for research and outreach to students and educational institutions well beyond the North Bay region.
The Johnsons donated the funds in honor of Jean Galbreath, the wife of the man for whom the Preserve was named, Fred B. Galbreath, because "she was big part of that ranch for many years."
"She could talk about all of the constellations and could name all the stars for you. She was a full blown naturalist. She could name every plant on the ranch," Johnson said.
Thanks to the 2,200 foot elevation, between 6,000 and 9,000 stars as well as nearby galaxies and globular clusters can be seen with the unaided eye in the dark skies of the 3,670 acre Preserve. Parts of the Milky Way are so bright that they cast a shadow.
A 1-meter telescope is more than 25,000 times as powerful as the unaided human eye. The Galbreath telescope will be robotically controlled using the Internet so that no one will need to be present at the Preserve when the telescope is operated.
In addition to research, it will also support instruction in astronomy (plus science and math education in general) for K-12, undergraduate and graduate students.
School of Science and Technology Dean Saeid Rahimi hopes the Galbreath facility will be the entry point for developing increased interest in math and science among students of all ages.
"The instrumentation would be capable of supporting the needs and desires of the next generation of faculty and students," says Rahimi. "You could discover a new planet with this size telescope," he says.
This semester SSU will establish a weather station and cloud sensor at the site. Construction is likely to begin on the building housing the observatory in the next year or two using the most current "green building" techniques. It will operate by some alternative energy method such as solar.
For 30 years, the campus has had an on-campus observatory with 14-inch and 10-inch telescopes. SSU also currently operates a 14-inch robotic telescope with NASA and the California Academy of Science at its Pepperwood Preserve several miles northeast of Windsor. Students conduct research via the Internet in areas ranging from active galaxy surveillance, gamma ray burst follow-up and discovery of extra-solar planetary systems.
Dr. Gordon Spear, director of the SSU campus observatory, has been named the project leader for the design and instrumentation of the Galbreath observatory and is working with a team of faculty and staff to develop the project.
ABOVE, artist's rendering of possible design of Galbreath Observatory (Illustration by Bob Rechin).
