Biology Professor Hall Cushman and German Professor Michaela Grobbel have been selected as recipients of this year's Goldstein Award for Excellence in Scholarship at Sonoma State University.
Cushman, a faculty member since 1994, has been successful in securing over $2 million dollars for research funding in the areas of ecology and conservation biology, and has published widely in these areas.
He has also been a strong mentor for SSU students in their research projects and career development. Cushman will use the award funding to support students conducting field research on the spread of invasive and exotic species along the coastal areas of Sonoma County. Details on his work can be found at www.sonoma.edu/biology/faculty/hall_cushman.htm. Cushman lives in Santa Rosa.
Grobbel began teaching at SSU as a lecturer in 1997. In 2005, she became an Assistant Professor with the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and now coordinates the German Program, teaching all levels of German language and culture classes, including German film. In 2008, Grobbel was honored with the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce's Excellence in Education Award.
In 2009, Dr. Grobbel was awarded an SSU Interdisciplinary Partnerships for Investigations that Connect the University (IPUCU) grant to support an exhibit related to her research on Romani ("Gypsy") self-expression. Grobbel will use the Goldstein award funds to expand her research on Romani self-expression through theater, literature and visual art.
Further details on her work can be found at www.sonoma.edu/modlang/faculty/michaela_grobbel.html. Grobbel is a resident of Sebastopol.
The Bernie and Estelle Goldstein Award for Excellence in Scholarship recognizes faculty who best exemplify the teacher- scholar model in their professional development at Sonoma State University.
Nominees are evaluated based on their excellence in such achievements as publications, exhibits, presentations, workshops and grants. Material impact of the scholarly work and its effect on teaching, the university community, and/or the wider community are taken into account as well.
SSU Professors Address 2010 Sustainable Enterprise Conference - Economic, Environmental and Social Concerns
Two Sonoma State University professors are speakers at the upcoming fifth annual Sustainable Enterprise Conference on Friday, May 7 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at Sonoma Mountain Village in Rohnert Park. Sustainable Enterprise 2010: Tools for the Transition is a day-long learning and networking conference which provides the tools needed by North Bay businesses and organizations to transition to economic, environmental and social sustainability.
Participants will realize opportunities to network with over 300 other North Bay professionals who have made positive change in the areas of social, economic and environmental responsibility, and have benefitted from it.
Dr. Robert Girling, a founder and organizer of the Sustainable Enterprise Conferences on Tools for Sustainable Businesses and Communities series, opens the conference with the topic "A Word on Good Companies." Girling is an business professor and a pioneer in social entrepreneurship studies at SSU. Recently he served as a consultant to the Caribbean Development Bank on sustainable development strategies for the island of Dominican.
Dr. Alexandra "Sascha" von Meier, Professor of Environmental Studies and Planning, offers "Sustainability and Equity from a Scientific Vantage Point," exploring how a physical, systemic perspective of energy flows informs ideas of resource allocation. What, specifically, are the constraints on "sustainable growth," and what are the implications for how present and future civilizations share what we have? The best outcomes for any members of society, wealthy or poor, will be attainable only by way of a sober and realistic view of sustainability. Von Meier directs the Energy Management and Design program. Her teaching, research and publications have addressed diverse aspects of sustainable energy, with a special emphasis on the electric grid and the integration of renewable resources.
Registration ends May 4. For more information and to register online, visit www.SustainableEnterpriseConference.com or phone (888) 497-3222.
Trailer for "Call of Life: Facing the Mass Extinction" to be shown on April 21 at 7 p.m. in Darwin 103
Earth Week is Unfolding at SSU
Earth Week is unfolding at SSU thanks to the new Global Environmental Activism Club as well as JUMP (Join Us in Making Progress). Here are come of the upcoming plans.
Saturday, April 17 - JUMP eco-projects at Holy Episcopal Church, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Rohnert Park's newest community garden on E. Cotati and Snyder Lane. Sign up at jump@sonoma.edu.
Monday, April 19
12-1 p.m. - Plastic water bottle drive. Bring in ten plastic water bottles and earn an eco-friendly water canteen in their place. Stevenson Quad.
12-1 p.m. - Take the carbon footprint quiz, Stevenson Quad.
7 p.m. - What Can I Do? Lecture Series presents filmmaker Scott Kennedy for a screening and discussion of the award winning documentary The Garden which follows the plight of farmers, from the tilled soil of this urban farm to the polished marble of City Hall. Mostly immigrants from Latin America, from countries where they feared for their lives if they were to speak out, are watched as they organize, fight back and demand answers. Darwin 102
Tuesday, April 20
11 a.m. - 1 p.m., - Earth Day Super Nooner, Stevenson Quad. Enjoy music by Easy Leaves while decorating your very own canvas bag.
7 p.m. - Gary Hughes, an environmental activist working with International Rivers to prevent the damming of several major rivers in Patagonia, speaks about rivers and the dangers of large scale hydroelectric projects. http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/blog/gary-hughesMulti Purpose Room, Student Union.
Wednesday, April 21
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Energy efficient light bulb giveaway, Stevenson Quad. Come get a fluorescent or CFL lightbulb and learn about proper disposal and recycling of these bulbs.
7 p.m. - Open Mic night, Student Union Multi-purpose Room. Celebrate Earth Week with enviro-conscious music, poetry, artwork, voice-anything
7 p.m. - Call of Life: Facing the Mass Extinction, an award winning film (above) featuring commentary by SSU eco-psychology professor Mary Gomes, tells a story of the current mass extinction, a crisis not only in nature, but also in human nature. It suggests that human beings have been given a great opportunity: one last chance to preserve the vitality and magnificence of the planet. Film director Chera Van Burg and Gomes will be on hand to answer questions and facilitate discussion. Darwin 103.
Earth Day, Thursday, April 22
11 a.m.-2 p.m. - Earth Day Festival, Salazar Quad. Businesses and non-profits from the Sonoma County area that have a focus in sustainability showcase products and provide education on how to live more sustainably. Students from the club have also organized a series of activities meant to help students understand where products come from, impact that everyday activities have on the earth in an interactive way.
1-5 p.m. - Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, Cooperage. Explore the current state of humanity and our planet through the perspectives of environmental sustainability, spiritual fulfillment and social justice. RSVP by April 19 to heather.french@sonoma.edu.
2:30-4:30 p.m. - Recipe Swap, Stevenson Quad. Learn about eating organically and vegetarian while gaining some new recipes.
5-7 p.m. - Local bands, Open Market and Arboles, perform in the Sauvignon Village on the lawn. Crafts and games during the concert.
7 p.m. - "Our Planet, Our Responsiblity," Cooperage. Learn about the impact humans have on the earth and what can be done about it. Hosted by Awakening the Dreamer.
The Annenberg Space for Photography Fresh Water Exhibit Features Photographs by SSU Professor
The Annenberg Space for Photography recognizes Earth Day with a one-day special presentation slideshow at their ongoing Fresh Water Exhibit, featuring photographs by Laura Watt, assistant professor, Environmental Studies at Sonoma State University. 30 of Watt's photographs will accompany photos by 19 other photographers on Thurs., April 22 from 7-9 p.m., at The Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles.
The exhibit, presented in conjunction with National Geographic, and coinciding with their April issue "Water: Our Thirsty World," features the work of award-winning photographers, looking at Earth's most precious resource from environmental, social, political and cultural perspectives.
"It's a huge honor to have my work included in such a prestigious venue," said Watt.
While the exhibit runs through June 13, this one-day special slideshow event hosts two 7'x14' screens, with the photographs of Watt and other photographers projected in a continuous loop as visitors of the exhibit are invited to view the night's addition for their Earth Day celebration.
To view Watt's photos, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/lawatt/sets/72157623538047232/. To learn more about the exhibit, visit http://www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org/
"Past Present and Future: Artists Reflect on Sustainability" Opens at University Library Art Gallery
From ceramics and sculpture created using found objects, including the Yellow Pages, to wall hangings and 3-dimensional objects created from recycled wool sweaters, ten artists each bring a distinctive perspective in exploring the meaning of sustainability in a special exhibit.
The University Library is pleased to announce the opening of "Past Present and Future: Artists Reflect on Sustainability" on April 16 with a reception on April 22, Earth Day, from 4-6 p.m. The exhibit closes on July 30.
Based on a call for entries seeking Bay Area artist's interpretation on the theme of sustainability, ten artists were selected by students from Michael Schwager's Curatorial Practices class. The ten artists are: Steven Allen, Bobette Barnes, Dillon Crossman, Art Hazelwood, Joan Hoffman, Leah Korican, Julia Nelson-Gal, Fred Vedder, Anneliese Vobis, and Megan Weirich.
The exhibit is the culmination of series of lectures and exhibits exploring the meaning of sustainability from different disciplines. The word sustainability brings to mind numerous meanings in today's society as evidenced by the wide-range of approaches of art works included in the exhibit.
The University Library Art Library is open Mon.-Fri. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat.-Sun. noon - 9 p.m.
Co-founder of Kiva.org Explains the World of Micro-loans and New Business Thinking, April 26
Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva.org, the world's first peer-to-peer online micro-lending website, presents "Kiva and the New Business Thinking: Challenging Common Business Practices." at 7 p.m. on Mon., April 26 in the Cooperage. Associated Students in collaboration with JUMP and SSU School of Business is hosting the event as part of Financial Literacy Awareness Month. The public is invited.
Jackley's success began with the idea that relationships are a powerful force for positive change, a belief that by working together poverty can be alleviated, and eventually the creation of a website designed to put those into action.
Named as one of the top ideas in 2006 by the New York Times Magazine and called "revolutionary" by the BBC, Kiva (www.kiva.org) lets internet users lend as little as $25 to specific developing world entrepreneurs, providing affordable capital to help them start or expand a small business. Kiva has been one of the fastest-growing social benefit websites in history, and today facilitates over $1M dollars each week from lenders to entrepreneurs across over 185 countries.
Prior to founding Kiva, Jackley worked for the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Village Enterprise Fund, Amazon.com, Potentia Media, the International Foundation, World Vision, and others. She speaks widely on microfinance and social entrepreneurship. In addition to her speaking engagements in the U.S. and internationally,
Children's School Promotes Eco-Literacy in "Outdoor Environments For Young Children," April 24
An upcoming free interactive, hands-on mini-conference entitled "Outdoor Environments for Young Children" is for early childhood educators and others interested in sustainability as a core concept in curriculum development with young children.
Sonoma State University Children's School Parent Club and Advisory Board, along with the Sonoma County Association for Education of Young Children, are sponsoring this event from 8:30 to-noon on Saturday, April 24 at the Children's School on the SSU campus to offer ideas for engaging children in the natural world.
The mini-conference offers opportunities to learn about creating exciting and educational outdoor environments that are not only sustainable, but are also safe for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Interactive presentations offered range from composting and worm farms where participants can enjoy getting their hands dirty, to making and tasting healthy and nutritious snacks.
To kick off the morning, Lia Thompson-Clark, Director of the Children's School, gives a keynote presentation on ecological literacy. After the presentation, poster sessions begin, giving participants the opportunity to network with others while exploring the notion of ecoliteracy.
"It is aimed at bettering the future by educating children at an early age on the importance of sustainability," says Thompson-Clark. "It is also being hosted in hopes of getting children and teachers excited about spending more time outdoors in a healthy and beneficial environment."
Pre-registration is required and participation is limited. To register, e-mail a name, address, phone number and whether or not you are a member of SCAEYC to scaeyc.2010@gmail.com. Registration is on a first come-first serve basis. Priority is given to members of SCAEYC.
For more information, contact Lia Thompson-Clark at the Children's School (707) 664-4456 or visit http://www.sonoma.edu/tcs/.
Mini-conference on Sustainability and Community Engagement
As the term, "Go Green" is becoming a world-renowned phenomenon, it seems sustainability has now reached beyond its roots with nature and is flourishing in the academic world. On Tues., April 27, the Center for Community Engagement is hosting a mini-conference on the many issues regarding sustainability and community engagement from 12:30-4:45 p.m. in Schulz 3001.
The conference includes, "Leveraging the Power of Service-Learning in Teaching for Sustainability", a faculty panel from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Following immediately after is "Building Connections and Relationships", a presentation by Michelle Edwards, Collaborative Facilitation Consultant, from 2:45 - 4:45 p.m.
The panel discussion provides enlightening, yet practical examples of how SSU faculty from each School are incorporating service-learning and project based learning into the coursework to focus on sustainable concepts and related practices. Panelists will also discuss the benefits that community partners, students, and faculty gain from these service learning and project based learning experiences.
The panelists include a representative from the five University departments as well as the University Library. The panel also provides faculty with a workshop that will enhance vocabulary and explain how higher education will have the tools to build the collaborative partnerships necessary.
The latter session of the conference, "Building Connections and Relationships," allows listeners to connect, explore, and enhance certain parts of teaching and gives pedagogy a new look overall. Throughout this session, Sonoma State faculty and staff involved in student sustainability education and involvement will be available for discussion.
Through the presentation, there will also be opportunities to work with students, faculty and staff, and future chances to engage with local sustainability organizations, enhancing your connections between sustainability resource organizations. Unique activities, such as "speed-dating," will be used to engage conversation and help strengthen partnerships that focus on educating and action for sustainability.
This event is sponsored by the Center for Community Engagement and the Center for Teaching and Professional Development. For more information and registration, contact cce@sonoma.edu or visit http://www.sonoma.edu/aa/ap/cce/trainings_workshops.shtml.
OTHER EVENTS
Campus Compact Webinar: "Greening of the Curriculum Through Service-Learning and Project-Based Learning" - Wed., April 14,1-2:30 p.m., Stevenson 2044
As colleges and universities move forward with integrating sustainability into the curriculum, they increasingly are making use of service-learning and project-based learning as key components of the coursework. In this 1 ½-hour webinar, senior staff from Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI), along with SEI campus and community partners, provide enlightening yet practical case study examples of how service-learning and project-based learning are being incorporated into curriculum that is focused on sustainable concepts and related practices. More information available at the CA Campus Compact .
IN THE NEWS
Embracing Green
As the fitness industry recovers from the economic downturn, environmental efforts are slowly but surely moving forward, especially at university and military facilities.
What do old seat belts, stained glass scraps and sunflower seed hulls have to do with health clubs? They are materials in the eco-friendly furniture at Sonoma State University's campus recreation center in Rohnert Park, CA.
More at: http://clubindustry.com/forprofits/0201-environmental-efforts-moving-forward/
Trailer for "Call of Life: Facing the Mass Extinction" to be shown on April 21 at 7 p.m. in Darwin 103
Earth Week is Unfolding at SSU
Earth Week is unfolding at SSU thanks to the new Global Environmental Activism Club as well as JUMP (Join Us in Making Progress). Here are come of the upcoming plans.
Saturday, April 17 - JUMP eco-projects at Holy Episcopal Church, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Rohnert Park's newest community garden on E. Cotati and Snyder Lane. Sign up at jump@sonoma.edu.
Monday, April 19
12-1 p.m. - Plastic water bottle drive. Bring in ten plastic water bottles and earn an eco-friendly water canteen in their place. Stevenson Quad.
12-1 p.m. - Take the carbon footprint quiz, Stevenson Quad.
7 p.m. - What Can I Do? Lecture Series presents filmmaker Scott Kennedy for a screening and discussion of the award winning documentary The Garden which follows the plight of farmers, from the tilled soil of this urban farm to the polished marble of City Hall. Mostly immigrants from Latin America, from countries where they feared for their lives if they were to speak out, are watched as they organize, fight back and demand answers. Darwin 102
Tuesday, April 20
11 a.m. - 1 p.m., - Earth Day Super Nooner, Stevenson Quad. Enjoy music by Easy Leaves while decorating your very own canvas bag.
7 p.m. - Gary Hughes, an environmental activist working with International Rivers to prevent the damming of several major rivers in Patagonia, speaks about rivers and the dangers of large scale hydroelectric projects. http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/blog/gary-hughesMulti Purpose Room, Student Union.
Wednesday, April 21
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Energy efficient light bulb giveaway, Stevenson Quad. Come get a fluorescent or CFL lightbulb and learn about proper disposal and recycling of these bulbs.
7 p.m. - Open Mic night, Student Union Multi-purpose Room. Celebrate Earth Week with enviro-conscious music, poetry, artwork, voice-anything
7 p.m. - Call of Life: Facing the Mass Extinction, an award winning film (above) featuring commentary by SSU eco-psychology professor Mary Gomes, tells a story of the current mass extinction, a crisis not only in nature, but also in human nature. It suggests that human beings have been given a great opportunity: one last chance to preserve the vitality and magnificence of the planet. Film director Chera Van Burg and Gomes will be on hand to answer questions and facilitate discussion. Darwin 103.
Earth Day, Thursday, April 22
11 a.m.-2 p.m. - Earth Day Festival, Salazar Quad. Businesses and non-profits from the Sonoma County area that have a focus in sustainability showcase products and provide education on how to live more sustainably. Students from the club have also organized a series of activities meant to help students understand where products come from, impact that everyday activities have on the earth in an interactive way.
1-5 p.m. - Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, Cooperage. Explore the current state of humanity and our planet through the perspectives of environmental sustainability, spiritual fulfillment and social justice. RSVP by April 19 to heather.french@sonoma.edu.
2:30-4:30 p.m. - Recipe Swap, Stevenson Quad. Learn about eating organically and vegetarian while gaining some new recipes.
5-7 p.m. - Local bands, Open Market and Arboles, perform in the Sauvignon Village on the lawn. Crafts and games during the concert.
7 p.m. - "Our Planet, Our Responsiblity," Cooperage. Learn about the impact humans have on the earth and what can be done about it. Hosted by Awakening the Dreamer.
The Annenberg Space for Photography Fresh Water Exhibit Features Photographs by SSU Professor
The Annenberg Space for Photography recognizes Earth Day with a one-day special presentation slideshow at their ongoing Fresh Water Exhibit, featuring photographs by Laura Watt, assistant professor, Environmental Studies at Sonoma State University. 30 of Watt's photographs will accompany photos by 19 other photographers on Thurs., April 22 from 7-9 p.m., at The Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles.
The exhibit, presented in conjunction with National Geographic, and coinciding with their April issue "Water: Our Thirsty World," features the work of award-winning photographers, looking at Earth's most precious resource from environmental, social, political and cultural perspectives.
"It's a huge honor to have my work included in such a prestigious venue," said Watt.
While the exhibit runs through June 13, this one-day special slideshow event hosts two 7'x14' screens, with the photographs of Watt and other photographers projected in a continuous loop as visitors of the exhibit are invited to view the night's addition for their Earth Day celebration.
To view Watt's photos, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/lawatt/sets/72157623538047232/. To learn more about the exhibit, visit http://www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org/
"Past Present and Future: Artists Reflect on Sustainability" Opens at University Library Art Gallery
From ceramics and sculpture created using found objects, including the Yellow Pages, to wall hangings and 3-dimensional objects created from recycled wool sweaters, ten artists each bring a distinctive perspective in exploring the meaning of sustainability in a special exhibit.
The University Library is pleased to announce the opening of "Past Present and Future: Artists Reflect on Sustainability" on April 16 with a reception on April 22, Earth Day, from 4-6 p.m. The exhibit closes on July 30.
Based on a call for entries seeking Bay Area artist's interpretation on the theme of sustainability, ten artists were selected by students from Michael Schwager's Curatorial Practices class. The ten artists are: Steven Allen, Bobette Barnes, Dillon Crossman, Art Hazelwood, Joan Hoffman, Leah Korican, Julia Nelson-Gal, Fred Vedder, Anneliese Vobis, and Megan Weirich.
The exhibit is the culmination of series of lectures and exhibits exploring the meaning of sustainability from different disciplines. The word sustainability brings to mind numerous meanings in today's society as evidenced by the wide-range of approaches of art works included in the exhibit.
The University Library Art Library is open Mon.-Fri. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat.-Sun. noon - 9 p.m.
Co-founder of Kiva.org Explains the World of Micro-loans and New Business Thinking, April 26
Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva.org, the world's first peer-to-peer online micro-lending website, presents "Kiva and the New Business Thinking: Challenging Common Business Practices." at 7 p.m. on Mon., April 26 in the Cooperage. Associated Students in collaboration with JUMP and SSU School of Business is hosting the event as part of Financial Literacy Awareness Month. The public is invited.
Jackley's success began with the idea that relationships are a powerful force for positive change, a belief that by working together poverty can be alleviated, and eventually the creation of a website designed to put those into action.
Named as one of the top ideas in 2006 by the New York Times Magazine and called "revolutionary" by the BBC, Kiva (www.kiva.org) lets internet users lend as little as $25 to specific developing world entrepreneurs, providing affordable capital to help them start or expand a small business. Kiva has been one of the fastest-growing social benefit websites in history, and today facilitates over $1M dollars each week from lenders to entrepreneurs across over 185 countries.
Prior to founding Kiva, Jackley worked for the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Village Enterprise Fund, Amazon.com, Potentia Media, the International Foundation, World Vision, and others. She speaks widely on microfinance and social entrepreneurship. In addition to her speaking engagements in the U.S. and internationally,
Children's School Promotes Eco-Literacy in "Outdoor Environments For Young Children," April 24
An upcoming free interactive, hands-on mini-conference entitled "Outdoor Environments for Young Children" is for early childhood educators and others interested in sustainability as a core concept in curriculum development with young children.
Sonoma State University Children's School Parent Club and Advisory Board, along with the Sonoma County Association for Education of Young Children, are sponsoring this event from 8:30 to-noon on Saturday, April 24 at the Children's School on the SSU campus to offer ideas for engaging children in the natural world.
The mini-conference offers opportunities to learn about creating exciting and educational outdoor environments that are not only sustainable, but are also safe for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Interactive presentations offered range from composting and worm farms where participants can enjoy getting their hands dirty, to making and tasting healthy and nutritious snacks.
To kick off the morning, Lia Thompson-Clark, Director of the Children's School, gives a keynote presentation on ecological literacy. After the presentation, poster sessions begin, giving participants the opportunity to network with others while exploring the notion of ecoliteracy.
"It is aimed at bettering the future by educating children at an early age on the importance of sustainability," says Thompson-Clark. "It is also being hosted in hopes of getting children and teachers excited about spending more time outdoors in a healthy and beneficial environment."
Pre-registration is required and participation is limited. To register, e-mail a name, address, phone number and whether or not you are a member of SCAEYC to scaeyc.2010@gmail.com. Registration is on a first come-first serve basis. Priority is given to members of SCAEYC.
For more information, contact Lia Thompson-Clark at the Children's School (707) 664-4456 or visit http://www.sonoma.edu/tcs/.
Mini-conference on Sustainability and Community Engagement
As the term, "Go Green" is becoming a world-renowned phenomenon, it seems sustainability has now reached beyond its roots with nature and is flourishing in the academic world. On Tues., April 27, the Center for Community Engagement is hosting a mini-conference on the many issues regarding sustainability and community engagement from 12:30-4:45 p.m. in Schulz 3001.
The conference includes, "Leveraging the Power of Service-Learning in Teaching for Sustainability", a faculty panel from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Following immediately after is "Building Connections and Relationships", a presentation by Michelle Edwards, Collaborative Facilitation Consultant, from 2:45 - 4:45 p.m.
The panel discussion provides enlightening, yet practical examples of how SSU faculty from each School are incorporating service-learning and project based learning into the coursework to focus on sustainable concepts and related practices. Panelists will also discuss the benefits that community partners, students, and faculty gain from these service learning and project based learning experiences.
The panelists include a representative from the five University departments as well as the University Library. The panel also provides faculty with a workshop that will enhance vocabulary and explain how higher education will have the tools to build the collaborative partnerships necessary.
The latter session of the conference, "Building Connections and Relationships," allows listeners to connect, explore, and enhance certain parts of teaching and gives pedagogy a new look overall. Throughout this session, Sonoma State faculty and staff involved in student sustainability education and involvement will be available for discussion.
Through the presentation, there will also be opportunities to work with students, faculty and staff, and future chances to engage with local sustainability organizations, enhancing your connections between sustainability resource organizations. Unique activities, such as "speed-dating," will be used to engage conversation and help strengthen partnerships that focus on educating and action for sustainability.
This event is sponsored by the Center for Community Engagement and the Center for Teaching and Professional Development. For more information and registration, contact cce@sonoma.edu or visit http://www.sonoma.edu/aa/ap/cce/trainings_workshops.shtml.
OTHER EVENTS
Campus Compact Webinar: "Greening of the Curriculum Through Service-Learning and Project-Based Learning" - Wed., April 14,1-2:30 p.m., Stevenson 2044
As colleges and universities move forward with integrating sustainability into the curriculum, they increasingly are making use of service-learning and project-based learning as key components of the coursework. In this 1 ½-hour webinar, senior staff from Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI), along with SEI campus and community partners, provide enlightening yet practical case study examples of how service-learning and project-based learning are being incorporated into curriculum that is focused on sustainable concepts and related practices. More information available at the CA Campus Compact .
IN THE NEWS
Embracing Green
As the fitness industry recovers from the economic downturn, environmental efforts are slowly but surely moving forward, especially at university and military facilities.
What do old seat belts, stained glass scraps and sunflower seed hulls have to do with health clubs? They are materials in the eco-friendly furniture at Sonoma State University's campus recreation center in Rohnert Park, CA.
More at: http://clubindustry.com/forprofits/0201-environmental-efforts-moving-forward/
For the last several weeks, the Sonoma State University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has been raising funds and collecting basic health care items to help a former Seawolf student-athlete lend a hand to those most affected by the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12. Recently, leaders of S.A.A.C. handed over a check of $1,000 to SSU volleyball alum Taylor Manton in support of the "Haiti Orphan Project."
Last month, members of S.A.A.C. launched the "Haiti Orphan Project" in conjunction with "Bubbles For Troubles" to help Manton gather much needed items, including basic medical supplies and personal care items for those young children displaced by the earthquake and its subsequent aftershocks that continue affect the Haitian world. Manton has also been accepting monetary donations to help fund her trip, which will cost her about $2,500 out of pocket.
"My excitement about this trip overtakes any nerves I have about becoming immersed in the devastation that has taken place in the lives of the children I will be caring for," Manton said.
Members of each of the 13 Sonoma State Intercollegiate teams have helped out with the "Bubbles For Troubles" project and Manton's efforts by donating small bottles of shampoos and other soaps that they round up while traveling. They are also helping raise the money through a S.A.A.C.-sponsored on-campus dance as well as accepting donations at Sonoma State athletic events.
"The student-athletes of Sonoma State University take their place in the larger community very seriously," Associate Athletic Director and S.A.A.C. Advisor Yvonne Burbank said. "That calling, paired with the opportunity to support a former student-athlete, made for a great collaboration between various campus departments, the students and alumni. The charge of our leaders in this support effort is a fantastic measure of their commitment to service."
A recent graduate of Sonoma State University and a University of Southern California medical student beginning this fall, Manton has left for the capital city of the Dominican Republic, in partnership with the International Service Learning program, to provide medical care for those orphans in need.
"I am most excited about becoming a hands-on medical provider, with the oversight of trained physicians, and providing these children with the best care possible," Manton added.
"A helping hand from someone who cares can mean the world. I want to be that helping hand for these young Haitian orphans and be the catalyst in their lives that carries them along in their journey to recovery."
For more information on how to contribute to the "Haiti Orphan Project" and help Manton with her costs, please visit: www.myspace.com/donate_haitiorphanproject.
Campus Life
"MARS AND A TEENAGE GALAXY, NCC 2903"- Public viewing night at the SSU Observatory. 9-11 p.m., Fri., April 16. (707) 664-2119. http://phys-astro.sonoma.edu/publicviewingnight.shtml
Lectures
"THE HISTORY AND DIVERSITY OF MEDITERRANEAN JEWRIES."- Paula Daccarett, Religion Department, California State University Northridge lectures. Jewish Studies Lecture Series. 7 p.m., Mon., April 12. Cooperage. 707-664-3293. http://sonoma.edu/jewishstudies/
"MAKING 'ON THESE SHOULDERS WE STAND.'"- Glenne McElhinney (left) discusses her film, "On these Shoulders We Stand," in which gay and lesbian seniors recall the trials and triumphs of LA's gay past, including the brutal collaboration between city fathers, the LA Times and the LAPD to make life miserable for LGBT people between the '50s and early '80s. In the late afternoon, there will be a campus screening of the film. Queer Studies Lecture Series. Noon-12:50 p.m., Tues., April 13. Carson 20. (707) 664.2840. http://www.sonoma.edu/womenstudies/current_lectures.htm
BIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM- Jackie Sones, Bodega Marine Reserve discusses explorers, earthquakes, and European Beachgrass: Historical Influences on the Ecology of Bodega Head. Noon-1 p.m., Tues., April 13. Darwin 103. (707) 664-2189. http://www.sonoma.edu/biology/home/colloquium.shtml
"EXAMINATION OF THE PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELING LITERATURE AS COMPARED TO THE EDUCATION TRUST INITIATIVE: A FOLLOW-UP STUDY."- Adam Zagelbaum, Counseling, discusses the results to a follow-up study of the professional literature within Professional School Counseling journals meant to assess its alignment with the goals of the Education Trust Initiative. Brown Bag Lecture Series. Noon-1 p.m., Tues., April 13. Stevenson 2011.
"BECOMING EVIL"- James Waller (right), Ph.D., Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation and aothor of "Becoming Evil" lectures. Event is open to all. 2010 Holocaust and Genocide Lecture Series. 4-5:40 p.m., Tues., April 13. Warren Auditorium, Ives Hall. http://www.sonoma.edu/holocaust/center.htm
AUTODESK MARKETING CHIEF - Chris Bradshaw, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Autodesk, Inc., presents a lecture on the use of special effects software for films like Avatar and District 9, how he joined the company, new and upcoming projects and advice for students on how to get hired by the company. Free sofware offered. Noon, April 14, Cooperage.
"THE CHALLENGES FACING INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM"- Nora-Barrows Friedman, Senior Producer and co-host of Flashpoints on Pacifica Radio lectures. Modern Media Dialogue Series. 5-6:30 p.m., Wed., April 14. Warren Auditorium, Ives 101. (707) 664-3160. http://www.mediadialogueseries.org/
"MATH COLLOQUIUM"- Estelle Basor, American institute of Mathematics discusses The Random Matrix Theory. 4 p.m., Wed., April 14. Darwin 103. (707) 664-2368. http://www.sonoma.edu/math/nsf/colloquium.shtml
"HEADS VS. FEDS: THE MARIJUANNA DEBATE"-Steve Hager, longtime editor of High Times Magazine and DEA veteran Robert Stutman debate the multitude of issues surrounding marijuana legalization. This is an interactive event, driven by student questions and audience participation. 7:30 p.m., Wed., April 14. Cooperage. (707) 664-2382 http://www.sonoma.edu/as/asp
"3D VIRTUAL WORLDS FOR BUSINESS AND EDUCATION"- Ankur Chandra (left), IBM, San Jose discusses how Universities and companies like IBM are leveraging 3D technology. Computer Science Colloquium. Noon, Thurs., April 15. Salazar 2016. (707) 664-2667. http://www.cs.sonoma.edu/cs_dept/events/
BE MY GUEST- Will Smith, SSU Graduate, guest lectures as part of the Art Department's visiting artists series. Smith has shown throughout the United States and participated in a traveling exhibition in Brazil. His printshop/ studio is located in Santa Rosa. CA. As an undergraduate in the B.F.A. Program at Sonoma State University in the early 90s, William worked as a teaching assistant to printmakers Kurt Kemp and Shane Weare.. Noon-12:55 p.m., Tues., April 15. Art 102. (707) 664-2364. http://www.sonoma.edu/art/visitingartists/
"IN SEARCH OF SWEET DARKNESS"- Shepherd Bliss, Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Sonoma State University lectures. Arts and Humanities Research and Creative Works Forum. 12:05-12:55 p.m., Thurs., April 15. Schulz 3001. (707) 664-2146. http://www.sonoma.edu/a_h/AHForum.htm
"NANOSTRUCTURES THROUGH ELECTRO-DEPOSITION"- Dr. Hongtao Shi, Physics Dept., Sonoma State University lectures. Engineering Science Lecture Series. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Thurs., April 15. Salazar 2009A. (707) 664-2030. http://sonoma.edu/engineering/lecture_series/
"TIM WISE: BETWEEN BARACK AND A HARD PLACE"- Tim Wise (far left), a respected antiracist/white privilege writer discusses his latest book, "Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama"- the first book since President Obama's election that critically examines what his success means and doesn't mean when it comes to racism in the U.S. 7:30 p.m., Thurs., April 15. Cooperage. (707) 664-2382 http://www.sonoma.edu/as/asp
Films
"ON THESE SHOULDERS WE STAND" Documentary based on gay and lesbian seniors who recall the trials and triumphs of LA's gay past, including the brutal collaboration between city fathers, the LA Times and the LAPD to make life miserable for LGBT people between the '50s and early '80s. The film will follow the lecture by filmmaker Glenne McElhinney from Noon-12:50 p.m., Tues., April 13. Rachel Carson Hall 20.
"MIRACLE IN A BOX" Sonoma Film Institute presents a documentary by John Korty, tracing the path of a 1927 grand piano owned by a music teacher who bequeathed her treasure to her alma matter, UC Berkeley, under the condition that they reward it to a "worthy student of piano." Korty follows the piano's rebirth as it is restored and eventually rewarded to its recipient. 7 p.m., Fri., April 16. Warren Auditorium. Admission is $6, $5 for non-SSU students and senior citizens, $4 for SFI members and children under 12, and $2 for SSU students. (707) 664-2606. http://www.sonoma.edu/sfi/
SSU Police Chief Named Top Law Enforcement Officer for CSU System
Sonoma State University Chief of Police Nathan Johnson has been named Chief Law Enforcement Officer for the California State University system.
His new role includes providing guidance for the 23 CSU police departments, implementing statewide policies that affect campus law enforcement, working with the Governor's office on new law-enforcement related legislation, and managing statewide disaster preparedness and emergency management needs.
As the current system-wide police coordinator, he responds daily to inquiries related to system-wide policy issues, legislative matters, major incidents, and coordinates CSU executive workshops with California Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST).
SSU President Ruben Arminana says "Chief Johnson has developed and led a fine team of professionals who continue to make the campus a secure place for students, employees and the outside community. His emphasis has always been on community policing which focuses on efforts between law enforcement and the campus community to identify problems of crime and collaboratively search for solutions. We are going to miss him greatly, but feel he will remain part of us as he moves to a system wide position and work closely with all of the 23 CSU campuses."
A 30-year veteran law enforcement officer, Johnson is a resident of Petaluma and has served as SSU's chief since 1999. He has supervised a department of more than 25 full-time sworn and non-sworn staff and other part-time workers to provide a safe campus environment.
As the former co-chair of the CSU System-wide Emergency Preparedness Task Force, he assisted with the development of the new Executive Order on Emergency Preparedness and conducted numerous workshops on related topics. He also served as incident commander and has been directly involved with several major disasters and recovery processes.
He has served as Adjunct Faculty for the University of San Francisco, where he taught and still occasionally teaches law enforcement cultural and leadership practices in the Public
Administration Program. In 1997 and 1999, Dr. Johnson taught courses in International Business English at the College of Foreign and Economic Relations in Ho Chi Ming City.
Dr. Johnson's most recent accolades includes Award of Valor, California Attorney General; Community recognitions for Volunteer Service in New York City immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks; Award of Valor, California Police Chief's Association; USF Law Enforcement Leadership Award and USF College of Professional Studies Dean's Outstanding Alumnus Award.
He assumes his new position in May.
The idea for this policy came about almost a year ago following the World of Work Fair. Protesters wanted to communicate their messages about the military in a way that the event organizers felt would have disrupted the opportunities for students looking for employment.
Because campus guidelines did not exist regarding protests, the event served as an impetus for creating an SSU policy governing such activities and others. Both the then-Chair of the Faculty and the then-Associated Students' president were brought into the early conversation and were supportive of the work to create a policy that served all parties, allowing free expression while protecting the rights and opportunities for the students and campus.
Since that time a group has met regularly to begin the process of creating a campus expression policy. A scan of several other campus' policies, including CSU East Bay, highlighted the importance of working with those that most suited SSU's style and organizational structure.
It was used as the framework for SSU's early draft policy. The draft was reviewed with the CSU Office of General Counsel for adherence to Constitutional rights. Edits were made by members of the committee, the campus' attorney in Long Beach and others including the current Chair of the Faculty.
Additional meetings with the staff representative to the Academic Senate and the ASI President were scheduled, along with Jonah Raskin, Chair of the Communication Studies Department (an acknowledged expert on Free Speech issues) as well as Tryon Woods, Chair of the sub-committee of the Academic Senate on Academic Freedom.
From that last meeting, the following process was agreed upon:
• A blog has been created (http://www.sonoma.edu/expression) where the progress of the draft policy can be viewed and commented upon. A notification to key media (STAR, Press Democrat, the Bohemian) will inform them of the blog and how they can view it. The purpose of the blog is to make the policy draft publicly available information.
• Tryon Woods, Chair of the sub-committee of the Academic Senate on Academic Freedom, will join the committee drafting the policy and report to his committee on its progress. That sub-committee will review the draft at its upcoming meeting in order to begin/further the process of Senate review, and afterwards will issue its recommendations to the Campus Expression policy committee.
• Susan Moulton, Chair of the Faculty and Dan Condron, Vice President for University Affairs, have a meeting schedule with Associated Students' President Heather Hanson to share the draft with her and solicit her (and her constituent's) input.
• The Campus Expression committee will meet to discuss and edit the draft as needed based upon input from the community.
• The updated working draft will be posted on the blog (with a comment section), ensuring the progress on the policy is accessible to the campus community.
• A Campus Forum (aka Town Hall) on the draft Campus Expression policy will be scheduled after Spring Break where the next steps will be determined, again providing an opportunity for input into the draft.
Committee Members are:
• Joyce Chong
• Dan Condron (chair)
• Nate Johnson
• Susan Kashack
• Chuck Rhodes
• Jessica Way
Invited to join:
• Dolores Bainter
• Heather Hanson
• Susan Moulton
• Jonah Raskin
• Tryon Woods
Going Greek turned Junior Tim Hicks from a "shy, quiet kid" to a potential leader. Like many other students who have joined a Greek organization on the SSU campus,
Hicks assumes that had he not joined his fraternity, he would not have had the same positive experiences he has had at SSU.
Students like Hicks have looked to Greek life as a way of bettering their futures, gaining experience in leadership roles and branching out to other extracurricular activities.
That is all being celebrated during "Greek Week" on campus which ends Friday.
SSU's Greek sororities and fraternities have now accepted for membership nearly 15 percent of the undergraduate population on campus, especially a vast majority of freshmen and sophomores. The numbers continue to climb each semester. Most of the larger groups have doubled in size within the last two years. The continuing demand is driving plans to add a new sorority and fraternity in the fall.
There are currently 17 Greek organizations on campus, including the national/international and traditional/multicultural groups, along with a few local organizations. The four Panhellenic sororities have a membership ranging from 110-125 young women each.
"Greek Life has given students an opportunity to become involved and invested in their college years. More and more students are seeking out the traditional college experience at SSU and Greek Life provides that," says Riley Pennington, Chair of the Panhellenic Extension Committee and President of Alpha Xi Delta.
Formed on the principle of philanthropy, the Greek community has put forth tremendous efforts to give back to the community, and create a better campus experience for students, says Heather Howard, Director, Center for Student Leadership, Involvement & Service. Each organization has been established to help the community around them.
Alpha Gamma Delta's "Lip Jam," raises money for diabetes research for children. Gamma Phi Beta's "Powderpuff" tournament, donates proceeds to Campfire America. Alpha Xi Delta hosts "Charity Denim," as well as their upcoming event "Karaoke for a Cure," raising money for Autism Speaks.
Alpha Delta Pi visits the Ronald McDonald House in San Francisco every Saturday to help clean the playroom. Phi Delta Theta holds an annual "Skate-For-Fate" event, raising money to purchase presents for children spending the holidays in a local children's hospital.
Friday's events wrap up the entire week of Greek activities, including a field day celebration on Commencement Lawn, filled with games and activities, surprise competitions, as well as prizes to be won. The entire Greek community will be in attendance as SSU's first ever "Greek Week" comes to a close. Games will take place from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. For the grand finale, the overall winner of Greek Week will be awarded a trophy.
The Greeks have worked hard over the last year to return to their roots and the positive values and standards they were founded upon, says Howard. "They are working diligently to plan for the 2010-11 year, with an emphasis on Greek unity and giving back to SSU and the Rohnert Park and Cotati communities as the forefront of their efforts."
Director of The Learning Center Jeff Davis appeared on "Forum with Michael Krasny," National Public Radio, on March 10. His appearance coincided with the publication of his new book titled, "The FIrst-Generation Student Experience: Who They Are, Their Characteristics, and Strategies for Improving Their Persistence and Success."
Davis took part in a panel discussion of first-generation students in the American post-secondary school system. Krasny's show was part of a series on the health of post-secondary institutions in this period of economic decline. The economic decline is affecting first-generation students more dramatically than traditional students, He says. First generation students have lower persistence rates, lower graduation rates and lower GPAs than non first-generation students.
The First-Generation Student Experience arose out of Davis's work with first-generation students as director of SSU's Learning Skills Services and NoGAP McNair Scholars project. As much as 40 percent of the SSU student population are first-generation students, who are people whose parents do not hold a four-year degree.
At the heart of Davis's book are 14 narratives describing the first generation student experience written by SSU students. Davis translates the experience of these SSU students for a national audience, describes what is known about the performance of these students generally, and offers suggestions for how institutions can do a better job of serving this student category.
Davis hopes to continue his work with first-generation college students by creating an Institute for the Study of the First-Generation Student Experience at SSU. He believes that one of the easiest ways to improve graduation rates at American post-secondary institutions is to pay more attention to the characteristic difficulties of these students.
If the persistence and graduation rates of first-generation students begin to approach that of non first-generation students, the students themselves, post secondary institutions, and the American economy can only benefit, he says.
To follow his radio comments, visit http://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R201003100900.
Filipinos have a very rich spiritual and cultural heritage carried forward by babaylans, culture-bearers, and artists. To honor those who continue the rich legacy of Filipino indigenous knowledge systems and practices, the Center for Babaylan Studies (CfBS) hosts the First International Babaylan Conference on April 17, 18 at Sonoma State University.
Key speakers Grace Nono, Katrin de Guia, and Virgil Apostol will present aspects of the Filipino indigenous culture seldom taught outside the Philippines.
In addition, Dr. Katrin de Guia will lecture on "The 'Cross' in Cultural Marriage: How to Avoid Cultural Misunderstandings in Crosscultural/Interracial Marriage" on March 24 from 2-4 p.m. in Salazar 2020. The public is invited.
The Babaylan in Filipino culture represents the figure of the indigenous healer. This sacred gathering of healers, artists, scholars, activists, performers, and other culture-bearers will share Babaylan-inspired work through ritual, ceremony, dance, poetry, film, academic panels, conversations, and workshops.
Artist/scholar Grace Nono spent many years with primary babaylans learning sacred chants and oral narratives. Her research from the last fifteen years on Filipino oral traditions is documented in her book The Shared Voice: Chanted and Spoken Narratives from the Philippines.
Katrin de Guia, founder of Heritage and Arts Academies of the Philippines and author of Kapwa: The Self in the Other, will speak about the Filipino indigenous psychology concepts of Kapwa and the Babaylan. Virgil Apostol, a recognized healer in the Ilocano Ablon tradition, will discuss his healing practice in the context of Western medicine.
Other artists, scholars, community workers, and healing arts practitioners will share how their work is inspired by the Babaylan practice.
Leny Strobel, CfBS Director and an Associate Professor of American Multicultural Studies at Sonoma State University, is coordinator of the conferemce and believes it is timely and relevant. "There is a growing realization in mainstream society," Strobel explains, "that indigenous knowledge and practices carry the ancient wisdom that enabled people to survive the genocide and holocausts brought by modern civilizations."
Stories of physical, spiritual, and emotional healing by a babaylan run strong in Filipino and Filipino American families and communities. Also known as an arbularyo, hilot, mombaki, bailan/beliyan/babaylan, catalonan, dawac, or ma-aram, these women and men received knowledge passed down by ancestors about healing herbs and massage techniques, while others were respected for their ability to speak with spirits and ask for the release of the soul of a loved one.
These women and men provide advice and healing for the community. Their practices are part of the Filipino Babaylan Tradition and incorporate Filipino indigenous knowledge systems that continue to be followed today both in the Philippines and in the diaspora.
Conference information and registration can be found online at http://www.babaylan.net/.
To learn more about the issues addressed by the conference watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEQqegpotBA.
The Center for Babaylan Studies was created to continue the exploration and illumination of Babaylan indigenous wisdom and spirit as it facilitates our ongoing process of decolonization and indigenization - towards Pagbabalikloob (Turning Towards Home) and PagkaPilipino(Being Filipino).
This year's conference is the Center's first project. After many years of research and conversation, we offer the global community a glimpse of the sweet nectar of the Babaylan spirit that this growing community has experienced in a connection with each other over the years. More can be found at http://www.babaylan.net.
Low cost physical examinations and health appraisals for well adults and children are available through the SSU Nursing Department's Family Nurse Practitioner Program on Wednesdays only, from March 17-May 19. Appointments are available only to Sonoma County residents.
The exams are supervised by nursing faculty and performed by family nurse practitioner students who are registered nurses enrolled in the Master's nursing program. Services include a complete medical and health history, identification of health risk factors, complete physical examinations and screening tests such as blood pressure
checks, vision testing, audiology testing, urinalysis, hematocrit (for anemia), cholesterol testing, and Pap smears for cervical cancer.
These services can be utilized for annual exams, sports physicals, pre-employment physicals, camp physicals and Class II DMV licensing physicals.
The cost of a physical examination is $30, Pap test $45, cholesterol check $25, hearing tests are free and a DMV physical examination is $60. Copies of records are given to clients upon request as well as mailed to private physicians or agencies.
Appointments may be made by calling SSU's Nursing Department at (707) 664-2466, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
While a picture is worth a thousand words, a new logo design is worth more than just words, it is worth $250. Throughout the next several weeks, The SSU Field Stations and Nature Preserves will be taking proposals for a new logo design.
The logo competition is open to students, faculty, staff, and community members. Submissions are due by April 16 at 5 p.m.
The SSU Preserves manages two natural areas in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, the Fairfield Osborn Preserve and the Galbreath Wildlands Preserve. These Preserves are research and educational resources for the entire SSU campus and community.
The SSU Preserves encourage logo ideas to centralize around their current themes of nature, science/art, and connections. Reflection of strong brand and the long-term development of the Preserves mission statement is key to a quality logo.
Jurors are looking for logos that will gain quick visual recognition among students, researchers, community members, donors, and collaborators. For further information on the details of what is expected of submissions, visit http://www.sonoma.edu/preserves/logo.shtml.
For further information, contact Neal Ramus at ramusn@sonoma.edu.
The long term repercussions of genocide are explored in the 27th annual Holocaust and Genocide Lecture Series entitled "Repercussions of Genocide: Family, Community and Society" from 4-5:40 p.m., every Tuesday, through May 25 in Warren Auditorium.
This year the series includes a number of distinguished speakers from throughout the world, representing survivors of the Holocaust and other more recent genocides such as those of Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia and more.
The free series includes the screening of the film, "The Rape of Nanking," a feature-length documentary film about a young woman's journey to bring one of the darkest chapters of history to light. Following the March 30 film will be a discussion panel with community members.
Later in the series, Human Rights activist and Cambodian survivor, Arn Chorn-Pond tells the story of how he survived the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime, in his lecture "Child of War, Man of Peace" on April 20.
Among other lectures scheduled are "Inheriting the Holocaust: A Second Generation Memoir" on May 4 by Dr. Paula Fass of the University of California, Berkeley, in which she explores her own past as the daughter of Holocaust survivors to reflect on the nature of history and memory.
The Robert L. Harris Memorial Lecture on May 11 features Dr. John Roth of Claremont College discussing "Bricks, Trees, and the Failure(s) of Ethics: Reflections on the Common Good."
This powerful lecture series offers audience members a rare chance to listen to and interact with individuals who not only experienced genocide, but also the immeasurable loss that comes with it.
The series is greatly strengthened by the participation of Holocaust and genocide survivors, liberators and rescuers, as well as researchers in the field.
At the end of each lecture, audience members are given the opportunity to ask questions, and discuss with the speakers more in-depthly about what they experienced, and how they survived it.
Remaining lectures for Spring 2010 include:
March 16: "Perspectives on International War Crimes" presented by Eric Williams, Ph.D., Sonoma State University.
March 23: "Repercussions of Genocide: Rebuilding Rwandan Society" with Mathilde Mukantabana, M.A. and M.S.W., Consumnes Community College, and President, Friends of Rwanda Assn. (FORA)
March 30: "The Rape of Nanking: Film and Discussion" with community panelists.
April 13: "Becoming Evil" with James Waller, Ph.D., Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation.
April 20: "Child of War, Man of Peace" with Arn Chorn-Pond, Cambodian Survivor and Human Rights Activist.
April 27: "The Geopolitics of Armenian Genocide Recognition: American and Israeli Reactions" with Sergio LaPorta, Ph.D., CSU Fresno, Armenian Genocide Memorial Lecture.
May 4: "Inheriting the Holocaust: A Second Generation Memoir" with Paula Fess, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley.
May 11: "Bricks, Trees, and the Failure(s) of Ethics: Reflections of the Common Good" with John K. Roth, Ph.D., Claremont College (Emeritus) - Robert L. Harris Memorial Lecture.
May 18: "Genocide Beneath Our Feet? with Greg Sarris, Ph.D., Endowed Professor, Sonoma State University and Chairman, Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
May 25: "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 at http://www.sonoma.edu/holocaust.
Campus will be closed Wednesday, March 31 for Cesar Chavez's Birthday.
Lectures
WHAT PHYSICISTS DO LECTURE SERIES- Dr. Richard Boyd (left), Lawrence Livermore national Laboratory discusses the National Ignition Facility. Boyd describes the basic operations of NIF as well as the motivation for some details of several nuclear astrophysics experiments that might be conducted at NIF and how NIF might impact the world's energy future. 4 p.m., Mon., March 29. Darwin 103. There will be coffee, cookies and conversation in the Darwin Lobby before hand, at 3:30 p.m. http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/wpd/
BIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM-Joe Silveira, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex lectures. Noon-1 p.m., Tues., March 30. Darwin 103. (707) 664-2189. http://www.sonoma.edu/biology/home/colloquium.shtml
"WHAT IS WILDERNESS FOR? A BATTLE OVER PRESERVATION AND USE AT DRAKES ESTERO."- Laura Watt (right), Assistant professor, Environmental Studies and Planning discusses the battle over the continuation of an oyster farm in Drake Estero being fought by advocated for wilderness and sustainable agriculture. Watt addresses the following questions: What, ultimately, is the real purpose of wilderness designation? Must designated wilderness eradicate all trace of humans except as visiting recreators, or can historic and environmentally friendly land uses continue to exist? Brown bag Lecture Series. Noon-1 p.m., Tues., March 30. Stevenson 2011.
"WHY (I THINK) DATABASES ARE INTERESTING"- Allison Holloway, Oracle, Redwood Shores lectures. Computer Science Colloquium. Noon, Thurs., April 1. Salazar 2016. (707) 664-2667. http://www.cs.sonoma.edu/cs_dept/events/
"THE NEXT WAVE IN WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY: CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS."- Professor Andrea Goldsmith (left), Stanford University lectures. Engineering Science Lecture Series. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Thurs., April 1. Salazar 2009A. (707) 664-2030. http://sonoma.edu/engineering/lecture_series/
Films
"IRIS CHANG: THE RAPE OF NANKING." 2010 Holocaust and Genocide Lecture Series presents a documentary film about a young woman's journey to bring one of the darkest chapters of history to light. The film is told through interviews with Chinese survivors, chilling archival footage and photos of the events, and testimonies of former Japanese soldiers. Following the film will be a Q&A with a panel of Chinese Americans. Event is open to all. 4-5:40 p.m., Tues., March 30. Warren Auditorium, Ives Hall. http://www.sonoma.edu/holocaust/center.htm
Gallieries
"Sideshow: Art of the Handcar Regatta" Sideshow was inspired by The Great West End & Railroad Square Handcar Regatta & Exposition of Mechanical & Artistic Wonders--known simply as The Handcar Regatta--an annual event that has taken place in Santa Rosa the past two years. The exhibition takes some of the wonderfully crafted handcars, costumes, banners, paintings, sculptures and general ephemera from the event and isolates them within the confines of the University Art Gallery's "white cube," giving viewers the opportunity to view these objects as works of art beyond their function with the spectacle that is the Handcar Regatta. Participating artists include Lisa Beerntsen, David Farish, Andy Graham, Theresa Hughes, Muir Houghton,Krank-Boom-Clank, Freya Marcelis, Gene McClelland, Tony Speirs, and more artists to be announced. The exhibit runs from March 4-April 4. The University Art Gallery is open Tuesday-Friday, 11-4, and Saturday and Sunday, noon-4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, please call (707) 664-2295.
Low cost physical examinations and health appraisals for well adults and children are available through the SSU Nursing Department's Family Nurse Practitioner Program on Wednesdays only from March 17 - May 19.
The exams are supervised by nursing faculty and performed by Family Nurse Practitioner students who are registered nurses enrolled in the Master's nursing program.
The cost of a physical examination is $30, Pap test $45, cholesterol check $25, hearing tests are free and a DMV physical examination is $60.
Services include a complete medical and health history, identification of health risk factors, complete physical examinations and screening tests such as blood pressure checks, vision testing, audiology testing, urinalysis, hematocrit (for anemia), cholesterol testing, and Pap smears for cervical cancer.
These services can be utilized for annual exams, sports physicals, pre-employment physicals, camp physicals and Class II DMV licensing physicals. Appointments are available only to Sonoma County Residents.
Copies of records are given to clients upon request as well as mailed to private physicians or agencies.
Appointments may be made by calling SSU's Nursing Department at (707) 664-2466, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
As the spring semester unfolds, SSU thespians are prescribing just the right medicine. Feeling under the weather? Don't see a doctor, attend one of the performances of The Imaginary Invalid from March 19-27 in the Event B. Person Theatre.
The Imaginary Invalid, or Le malade imaginaire, is Molière's outrageous 1673 masterpiece which brims with wild physical comedy deliciously over-the-top characters, and a "heavenly" final musical number that has to be seen to be believed. Argan, a rich, eccentric hypochondriac, will do anything to defeat his fear of dying. When he tries to marry daughter Angelique to idiot doctor Thomas Lillicrap, Argan's rebellious children, strong-willed servant, and scheming wife all swing into action to save themselves from the impending domestic disaster. The play deals with issues of self-image, hypochondria, fear of dying, fear of being stuck with the wrong spouse, parental tyranny, and miserliness.
Molière himself played the hypochondriac Argan while he was personally quite ill, and in fact died after the play's fourth performance in February of 1673. Ironically, the physically ill playwright created for himself the role of a well man who imagines himself sick as a way of coping with his fear of dying.
SSU alumni and renowned Molière scholar Dr. Stephen Fleck, a professor at Cal State Long Beach, gives a pre-show talk at 5 p.m. before the Wednesday, March 24 show on how Moliere and his composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier helped invent opera in the musical numbers of The Imaginary Invalid. His talk lasts 50-60 minutes and includes a Q & A period. A light meal, wine and other refreshments will be available to purchase in the Person Theatre Lobby prior to the 6:30 p.m. curtain.
The SSU production honors Molière's structure by including comic/musical interludes done in Commedia 'del Arte style, created by physical theatre wizard, Doyle Ott. He trained at the Clown Conservatory in San Francisco, the Centro Maschere e Strutture Gestuale in Italy, Circus Center, the Dell'arte School, and with the SITI company. He is artistic director of Splash Circus in Emeryville, CA.
Original choreography will be created by Sonoma State dance major, Gloria Rubio.
Director Paul Draper wanted to do The Imaginary Invalid since seeing Garland Wright's 1988 production at the Guthrie Theatre, and decided to do it now after his personal experience with hip replacement surgery.
Original music by Héléne Renaut combines her classical training with her interest in popular genres (folk, pop, rock and even, yes, jazz) in her compositions. Her experience with theater production include writing original music for Marivaux's The False Servant (Abydos Theater, Fall 05) and The Green Bird by Carlo Gozzi (Sonoma State University, spring 06). More on Renaut and her music can be found at www.helenerenaut.com.
Dramaturg Scott Horstein (the historical and textual advisor) became devoted to France and French theater during three years of working in Paris (and celebrating France's 1998 World Cup soccer victory on the streets of Paris).
Actor Nick Christiansen, who plays Argan, is a recent graduate of the Acting Program at SSU and the Artistic Director of Narrow Way Stage Company in Sonoma County. Christiansen is well known as an actor with Narrow Way, and on the Person Stage where he played in A Flea in Her Ear and Romeo and Juliet.
General admission is $15; faculty, alumni, seniors, $12; students, $8. SSU students admitted free with a valid student I.D. Group and family rates available.
For tickets or more information, visit www.sonoma.edu/tix or call (707) 664-2353.
An international perspective on how diversity and social justice make smart economic policy is the topic of a free public lecture by Dr. Martin Carnoy at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 1 in the Evert B. Person Theatre at Sonoma State University. He hosts a question-and- answer style discussion with students and faculty members from 3-4:30 p.m. the same day in Schulz 3001. A book signing follows the 7 p.m. lecture.
The title of the lecture is "Educational Equity and Social Justice as Smart Economic Policy: An International Perspective."
Dr. Carnoy is a labor economist with a special interest in the political economy of the educational system. Studying all aspects of educational policy, and focusing more specifically on what happens inside schools that affects students and their ability to learn,
Dr. Carnoy has done extensive research specific to diversity within schools internationally, and offers a great deal of insight to anyone interested in discussing his research at his lecture, in which he will be addressing the issues of minority education, both here in the United States and internationally.
Dr. Carnoy focuses his research on the changing economic value of education as well as aspects of educational production such as financing and resource allocation and even school choice. The results of his research can be found in his several books, and will be the topic of discussion at his lecture.
Unlike most other economists, Dr. Carnoy has done a great deal of his research inside schools, interviewing and testing teachers, students and faculty members. Filming and analyzing classroom teaching is one of his many methods for gaining a better, more in depth understanding of the factors that influence students' learning.
His current work entails researching econometric models of quality of education in Latin America and Southern Africa and studying the changes with university financing, including the quality of engineering and science tertiary education in China, India and Russia.
Martin Carnoy is Vida Jacks Professor of Education and Economics at Stanford University. He is a University of Chicago Ph.D. in economics, and worked at the Brookings Institution on international trade issues before coming to Stanford. In 1968, he ran the Distric of Columbia primary for the Robert Kennedy campaign, in 1984, was the Democratic candidate for Congress in California's 12th congressional district, and organized economists for Clinton in California in 1992 and 1996.
He has written more than 30 books on economic issues, racial inequality, and education policy. He is the co-author, with Derek Shearer, of Economic Democracy (1980), author of Sustaining the New Economy (2000), Faded Dreams (1994), Whitewashing Race (co-author, 2003), The Charter School Dust-Up (co-author, 2005), and Cuba's Academic Advantage (2007).
Dr. Carnoy blogs regularly for the Huffington Post and his expertise can be reviewed at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martin-carnoy.
This event co-sponsored by the the Andrea Neves and Barton Evans Social Justice Lecture Series and the Heritage Lecture Series. It is hosted by the School of Education and the School of Social Sciences.
For further information, contact Pam Van Halsema, School of Education, (707) 664-2132.
The 2010 Faculty Exposition will be held from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10 in the Commons. The Expo provides an opportunity for faculty to share the results of their research and scholarly activities with their colleagues, staff and students, and with the community at large. This event is open to all.
The faculty and a brief summary of their recent work includes:
Consumer Awareness and Quality Perceptions: The Case of Sonoma County Wines
Tom Atkin--Business Administration
This research demonstrates that wine consumers possess a greater awareness of the wine region "Sonoma County" than the smaller appellations (AVA's) located within the region (i.e. Russian River Valley). This was true of both core and marginal wine consumers. A case is made for including the words "Sonoma County" on all wines from the region. Small and medium sized wineries can benefit by developing products and packaging that utilize the Sonoma County designation. Results are based upon a national survey of over 400 wine consumers.
Access By Design (AxD)
Emiliano Ayala--Educational Leadership and Special Education
Brett Christie-Center for Teaching & Professional Development
Janet Hardcastle - School of Education, EnACT grants
Recognizing the value of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a model pedagogical framework, Access Be Design (AxD) offered 15 faculty from SSU, SFSU, and Cal Poly Pomona the training and support necessary to successfully incorporate UDL principles into their coursework. In addition, AxD established campus-based Faculty Learning Communities (FLC) to compliment UDL faculty workshops. These FLCs provided faculty a forum to mutually consider the scholarship of teaching and learning in focused learning groups. Finally, AxD offered faculty an opportunity to reflect and capture their UDL pedagogical practices utilizing a case story format, produced using Pachyderm. Three Online Video Case Stories were developed which exemplify how AxD faculty addressed specific instructional issues through the incorporation of UDL into their teaching.
Collaborative Autism Training & Support (CATS) Program
Lorna Catford--Psychology
Christina Durham, Amy Arthur Lester (student researchers)
Students in the award-winning Collaborative Autism Training & Support (CATS) Program work directly with children with autism spectrum disorders & their families, plus regional autism experts, in a large community partnership that:
--Trains students and service providers to implement effective autism interventions
--Provides free direct care, respite, resources & family support
--Raises public awareness & understanding of autism.
Students have provided families with over 9,000 hours of support, researched and prepared print and electronic materials, and participated in SSU and community educational events. CATS also offers seminars and is creating a website that includes on-demand videos and transcripts of autism seminars plus other resources.
Does Physiology Matter? Studying the Transition from Curative Efforts to Purely Palliative Care for Newborns with Life Limiting Conditions
Anita Catlin--Nursing
Tiffany Daud--High School Intern Program
Objectives: The study purpose was to isolate the threshold point in which the goal of care for an infant transitions from curative efforts to purely palliative care. When the threshold point is not delineated, barriers exist to treating a dying child as a dying child.
Results: 285 physician and nurse respondents had been involved in the transition to purely palliative care, but 92% indicated that barriers to the process exist. 66% of respondents found lack of consensus among the staff a barrier. Waning physiology and lethal conditions were not the determinants of the transition. At this point in time, the threshold for transition to purely palliative care appears to be parental agreement, as 96% of respondents stated that parents who would not agree to transitioning from technological support to palliative care was the determining factor. Respondents felt that more education for both staff and families was necessary to move end-of-life care forward.
Estimation of tropical rain forest aboveground biomass with small-footprint lidar and hyperspectral sensors
Matthew Clark--Geography
Tropical forests are an important component of the global carbon balance, yet there is considerable uncertainty in estimates of their carbon stocks and fluxes. Our research focuses on evaluating relatively new remote sensing technology, small-footprint lidar and hyperspectral sensors, for the estimation of aboveground biomass in a tropical rainforest landscape. Height and biochemical/biophysical metrics were calculated from lidar and hyperspectral images, respectively, and then related to field-based measurements of biomass. The best model using all 83 biomass plots included two lidar metrics, plot-level mean height and maximum height, with an r2 of 0.90 and root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 38.3 Mg/ha.
NASA Education and Public Outreach at Sonoma State University
Lynn Cominsky--Physics & Astronomy
SSU's NASA Education and Public Outreach group supports four high-energy astrophysics missions: the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (launched in 2008), the Swift Gamma-ray Burst Explorer (launched in 2004), the XMM-Newton mission (launched in 1999) and the upcoming Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR, to be launched in 2012.) These missions detect x-ray or gamma-ray light, observing the most exotic and extreme objects in the Universe: blazing galaxies, intense stellar explosions and super-massive black holes. We develop K-12 curriculum, train thousands of teachers each year, run after-school clubs at two Sonoma county schools, and write a weekly webcomic, Epo's Chronicles. Our mission is to improve STEM education and increase scientific literacy by engaging and inspiring students of all ages with the wonders of the cosmos.
Mining Program Reviews for Perceptions on the Library and Information Literacy
Erin Daniels--University Library
Erin Daniels read 22 program reviews available from Sonoma State University in order to answer the following three questions: what are academic programs saying about the library in the reviews? Are information literacy outcomes present in the learning goals of the departments? And do departments assess information literacy outcomes? Reading the program reviews and systematically scoring them uncovered an insightful picture about how departments view the library, as well as to what degree information literacy is actually integrated and assessed in the curriculum.
Integrated Virtual Learning Platform (IVLP)
Farid Farahmand--Engineering Science
Seema Khan (student researcher)
With the current economic downturns web-based learning is receiving tremendous attention. In this project we have developed an integrated distance learning platform, called Integrated Virtual Learning Platform (IVLP), that enables course material sharing and collaboration between various institutions and instructors in order to provide a cost-efficient and flexible learning and training delivery to multiple remote users. A key advantage of IVLP is that it offers remote access to a collection of online learning tools, such as laboratory experiments, lectures, simulation applets, and tests, while allowing remote students to chat in real-time and participate in virtual face-to-face communication with the instructor.
Investigation of Fluorescent Molecules from Naematoloma Fasciculare
Steven Farmer--Chemistry
Fluorescent molecules are interesting because they have a wide variety of applications in the field of biotechnology. In particular, the mushroom Naematoloma Fasciculare contains a molecule which is highly fluorescent. Naematoloma Fasciculare is a common mushroom which grows in most hardwood forests in Northern California. Initial work in our lab has shown that Naematoloma Fasciculare produces a molecule with pronounced light green fluorescence when exposed to UV light. Although much work has been preformed on the natural products produced by this mushroom, the fluorescent nature of these molecules has yet to be investigated.
Effects of Incubation Temperature on Development and Phenotype in the Western Pond Turtle, Actinemys Marmorata
Nick Geist--Biology
Alexandra Dallara, Nazim Bal, Vanessa Farnham, Amanda Blanchette, Rebecca Gordon (student researchers)
Over 100 eggs of the western pond turtle, Actinemys marmorata, were collected from a Lake County location during June and July of 2008 and 2009. The eggs were incubated under 6 constant temperature regimes, and data were recorded on incubation duration, hatching success, and sex determination. Results demonstrate that the highest viability and shortest incubation duration occurred at intermediate temperatures. Endoscopic examinations verified Type 1a (M-F) sex determination in A. marmorata. We also recorded in situ nest temperatures from 3 nests. High daily cyclical fluctuation in nest temperatures suggests that developmental variables from constant temperature incubation experiments should be reevaluated.
The IPICU Grant: Interdisciplinary Partnerships for Investigations that Connect the University
During 2008/2009, the Faculty Subcommittee on Sponsored Programs (FSSP) was asked to create a new grant opportunity for faculty that would be funded by the Professional Development Fund. In response, the FSSP released the Interdisciplinary Partnerships for Investigations that Connect the University (IPICU) grant program. This program's goal is to incubate innovative, collaborative and interdisciplinary projects among SSU faculty that have the potential to be supported by external funding in the future. The first award was given to Michaela Grobbel, Modern Languages and Literatures, and Karen Brodsky, University Library, for their partnership working to create a monograph for the works of Cejia Stojka.
IPICU Grantees: "Catalog of Works by Romani ('Gypsy') Artist Ceija Stojka"
Karen Brodsky and Michaela Grobbel, using the IPICU award, have been working to create a catalog showcasing the work of Austrian artist Ceija Stojka. Stojka's work was exhibited in the University Library Art Gallery in Fall 2009. This exhibition, for which Grobbel went to Austria to begin the curatorial process, was the first time Stojka's work was shown in the US. Stojka's paintings depict her life as a traveling Romani (Gypsy) woman before and after World War II, the trauma she and other Roma experienced in the Nazi concentration camps, and the hope she has for future generations to overcome oppression. This book will be the first in English about this artist and will raise awareness about Romani culture for English readers.
Pursuing a 'Reformed' American Dream: Welfare Mothers' Narratives about Higher Education, Work, and Family
Sheila Katz--Sociology
Through qualitative longitudinal research with women on welfare who are pursuing higher education after the 1996 welfare reforms, I explore how their narratives emphasize achieving the American Dream through the same pathways that middle-class Americans focus on: higher education, work, and family. Their narratives illustrate their vulnerable position in the labor market, since many of them have recently transitioned off welfare. During the current economic conditions, low-income mothers are especially concerned about increasing unemployment rates, the rising cost of higher education, and housing foreclosures. Also, changes in political administrations signaled a shift in policy priorities for many social safety net programs, such as welfare. This research explores how these policy changes affect these women.
Personal Geographies: Natural History Meets Personal History
Heidi LaMoreaux--Hutchins School of Liberal Studies
Geographic and scientific tools and theories can be used as metaphors to explore, analyze, and create personal histories through both writing and artistic expression. Scientific concepts used to explore personal geographies include a modified soil science theory (Hans Jenny's "Clorpt" model), cores as repositories of the past, reference slides as value markers, and maps of both internal and external personal terrains.
"You Talk About It and You Learn Better:" What Teachers and Their Students Consider Effective Teaching
Paula Lane--Literacy Studies and Elementary Education
Karen Grady--Curriculum Studies & Secondary Education
With funding from an Improving Teacher Quality State Grants Program, faculty from two universities in northern California joined together to form the Redwood Area Academic Literacy Initiative (RAALI). We worked with secondary teachers in rural schools in five counties to develop academic literacy in their content area classrooms. A central goal of the professional development was to enhance teachers' understanding of academic literacy in their content areas through a focus on disciplinary literacies and then to collaborate on ways to transform this understanding into practice. Findings show strong connections between the participants' enhanced understandings of the academic literacy of their discipline, and their students' associated conceptual knowledge development.
US-Mexico Border Reproductive Health
Lena McQuade--Women & Gender Studies
Throughout the early twentieth century, the state of New Mexico had the highest rate of infant mortality in the United States. To better understand this public health crisis, my research investigates the greater historical, social, and transnational context of New Mexico and the specific ways federal under-funding, land loss, and gendered racism had a direct impact on the health and wellbeing of mothers and infants. Additionally, my project details how public health policies and community organizations worked to improve the health outcomes of pregnant women and their children.
Characterizing Deformation of Neogene Rocks near Point Arena, California
Matty Mookerjee--Geology
Daniel Cicchetto (student researcher)
Deformation of the Neogene, Schooner Gulch, Galloway, and Point Arena Formations is dominated by NW-SE trending thrust faults, fault propagation folds, fault bend folds, NE-SW striking veins, as well as N-S striking normal faults. We took measurements along a 4 kilometer section of coastal bluff exposures near Point Arena, CA, extending from Moat Creek beach south to Schooner Gulch beach. The folds typically plunge shallowly to the NW or SE and are nearly parallel to the local trace of the San Andreas Fault (SAF). A maximum compression direction of 210° was calculated from an M-plane analysis of the thirteen meter-scale thrust faults and their associated slickenlines. This is consistent with the orientation of our fold axes and thus is nearly perpendicular to the trace of the SAF. This deformation has been interpreted to be the result of a series of largely blind or poorly exposed imbricate thrust faults formed due to transpression along the SAF system.
Curiosity, Perseverance, and Good Ideas: Pursuing Productive Dispositions in Elementary Mathematics
Kathy Morris--Literacy Studies and Elementary Education
As a result of the 2009 RSCAP Summer Fellowship, a book proposal based on my research of productive dispositions for teaching and learning mathematics in elementary schools has been submitted to Math Solutions Publications. This book illustrates classroom practices that support children's development of dispositions such as perseverance, intellectual risk-taking, curiosity, and courage. It connects the development of productive dispositions with students' enhanced opportunities for developing mathematical reasoning and proficiency. The poster presents the work made possible by the RSCAP award, including key conceptual frameworks, analytic examples of core instructional practices, and an outline of the book.
Monte Carlo Stock Option Valuation and Discrete-Time Hedging With Thin-Plate Splines
Scott Nickleach--Mathematics & Statistics
Stock option prices which do not admit arbitrage are obtained in one of two ways. The first is to solve partial differential equation(s) stemming from the no-arbitrage condition. The second is to solve the corresponding stochastic differential equation(s), and on most occasions to subsequently use Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the value of the option and any desired hedge parameters. In many applications, the former approach is difficult or impossible and the latter is time consuming. As fast estimates are often as important to practitioners as accurate estimates, this research focuses on improving the efficiency of Monte Carlo option valuation techniques. In particular, we examine the usefulness of implementing a discrete-time hedge in the basic Black Scholes setting that calls a fitted thin-plate spline surface to obtain weights for the hedge portfolio.
Archaeology at Little Black Mountain
Adrian Praetzellis--Anthropological Studies Center
Leslie Smirnoff (graduate researcher)
SSU's Anthropological Studies Center partnered with the Sonoma Land Trust to survey archaeological sites and create a management plan for the 500-acre Little Black Mountain Preserve near Cazadero. Led by MA candidate Leslie Smirnoff, SSU interns learned to identify, record, and ethically treat cultural resources that range from Native American petroglyphs to historic homesteads. The project was endorsed by the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians and culminated in Smirnoff's 2009 MA thesis in Cultural Resources Management.
The North Bay Historic Preservation Digital Collection: Presenting North Bay History Online
Lynn Prime and Dayle Reilly--University Library
A California State Library grant launched the library's new North Bay Historic Preservation Digital Collection (http://northbaydigital.sonoma.edu/), which will also be accessible on the Online Archive of California (http://www.oac.cdlib.org/). Students, scholars, and the community will benefit from online availability of these historical images, an important chronicle of the North Bay community's history dating from the mid-1800s. Many of the photos were taken in the 1970s by students participating in Sonoma State's Historic Preservation Program, led by Peter Mellini and Edgar Morse. The documents from that program are now housed in the Library's Regional Collection.
What's Important to You? Community-based Heritage Management in Levuka, Fiji
Margaret Purser and John Wingard--Anthropology
In June and July of 2009, SSU faculty and students participated in an ongoing community-based research program in Levuka, Fiji. The program is designed to help Levuka community members participate in the decision-making and planning processes involved in the nomination of their town to UNESCO's World Heritage List. This summer's work focused on a series of open workshops designed to help community members create a set of locally important heritage sites, events, and 'memory communities.' It was intended that the work inform the Fijian government's development of a management plan for the Levuka World Heritage List nomination. The work exposed some of the challenges and rewards of trying to articulate needs and interests between a small but diverse community, a national political regime in the midst of severe turmoil, and an international organization with the power and authority of UNESCO.
Molecular Magnetic Clusters
Jeremy Qualls--Physics & Astronomy
Magnetic materials have proven to have vast importance to technological advances. Consequently, magnetic systems are the focus of much scientific investigation, including my own. During the summer of 2009, RSCAP funds were awarded to investigate the magnetic properties of a number of magnetic cluster systems. The project was very successful. Time spent in the lab included the successful design and implementation of instrumentation to measure the AC susceptibility of Magnetic Clusters as well as bulk properties of magnetic cluster suspensions. A number of high-end instruments were brought online, materials were characterized, and undergraduate students were incorporated.
Factors promoting disease establishment for Sonoma County woodlands affected by Sudden Oak Death
Nathan Rank--Biology
We analyzed plant community data in 200 plots in eastern Sonoma County. Within this network, bay laurel was the most widely distributed woody species, occurring in 97 percent of plots, followed by coast live oak (72 percent), Douglas-fir (47 percent), California black oak, (45 percent), Pacific madrone (43 percent), Oregon white oak (43 percent), and toyon (41 percent). When plots were established in 2003, we measured abundance of woody species and installed microclimate loggers to measure understory temperature and relative humidity. Since 2003, we have conducted annual surveys of forest structure for each main woody host of P. ramorum. In addition, we surveyed disease severity of P. ramorum from 2004 to 2009 through timed counts of symptomatic leaves on bay laurel. We asked the following questions: 1) Does woody species richness affect pathogen prevalence on bay laurel hosts? 2) Does pathogen prevalence on bay laurel depend on the presence of coast live oak and black oak? 3) How does disease establishment on bay laurel, coast live oak, and black oak progress over time? 4) Does pathogen abundance on bay laurel relate to infection rate of coast live oak?
Advanced Wavefront Sensing for Adaptive Optics
Scott A. Severson--Physics & Astronomy
The science of measuring optical distortions and correcting them in real-time is called "Adaptive Optics." The Adaptive Optics Laboratory in the Department of Physics and Astronomy is home to experiments in the sensing and correcting of these distortions. We have developed a testbed for advanced "wavefront sensing" techniques. We are using the testbed to investigate alternate control architectures for Adaptive Optics. For example: the use of high-precision lenslet arrays (many small lenses) to form pupil-images (images of the telescope opening) on the wavefront sensor (called pyramid wavefront sensing) rather than the common Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing technique.
Ultraviolet-Light-Emission of ZnO Film Prepared by Electrodepostion
Hongtao Shi--Physics & Astronomy
Timothy Hessong, Kenneth Martinelli, Weston Stauffer (student researchers)
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a wide bandgap semiconductor which has attracted much interest recently for its unique optical properties. In this project, we use electrochemical reaction to fabricate thin ZnO films. Facilities in the Keck Microanalysis laboratory have been used to investigate the structural and optical properties of these samples. Using the photoluminescence data, we demonstrate that the quality of these films can be improved upon thermal processing, compared to as-grown ones.
Will Marriage Matter? Anticipated Effects of Marriage on Same-Sex Couples
Julie Shulman--Counseling
As many U.S. states, notably CA, are currently facing controversial battles over same-sex marriage, psychologists are beginning to study important relational implications of potential access to and exclusion from marriage for those in same-sex relationships. The current study used an online survey format to explore Californians' anticipated experiences of legalized marriage just prior to the CA Supreme Court's ruling on the legality of same-sex marriage in May, 2008. The principal theme emerging from participants' responses involved a ubiquitous sense of security, including an increased permanence in their couple relationship as well as feeling protected as a unit.
Sonoma State ScholarWorks Digital Archive
Alex Smith--University Library
SSU ScholarWorks Access Team: Alex Smith, Brandon Dudley, Christine Hayes, Dayle Reilly, Karen Brodsky and Raye Lynn Thomas
SSU ScholarWorks is a digital archive designed to capture, preserve and make available research, creative works and the administrative output of Sonoma State University. It provides permanent centralized storage and access to the depth and breadth of the University's intellectual assets. Materials stored in SSU ScholarWorks, which are searchable in Google, offer enhanced visibility over print publication, attracting new audiences and opportunities for collaboration. SSU ScholarWorks is part of a broader CSU initiative.
Grant Funded Community Linkages in Graduate Nursing Education
Wendy Smith--Nursing
The SSU Family Nurse Practitioner program is committed to meeting the needs of underserved populations and has a thriving community linkage component to clinical training where all students have mandatory clinical time in identified underserved sites. The linkage sites are: the Sonoma State University Health Maintenance Center (HMC), the Jewish Community Free Clinic (JCFC) in Rohnert Park, the California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB), the Modesto Gospel Mission, the Del Puerto Clinic in Patterson and the Joe Torres Homeless shelter in Chico. The purpose is two-fold, to provide clinical experiences that give students a sense of commitment to underserved populations and to provide a community service with an emphasis on free-to-low-cost health assessment services for underserved and underrepresented populations.
Telerobotic Weapons Systems and the Ethical Conduct of War
John Sullins--Philosophy
Telerobotic weapons systems need to be more carefully designed and deployed in order to minimize the negative impacts they could have on the already shaky ground that supports the ethical conduct of military actions. Using just war theory as a background for discussion, I suggest that the design of telerobotic weapon systems can foster values that either extend just war ideals or not. While recent instances of the use of this technology have appeared to be morally nebulous, I suggest some ways in which this technology may be designed and used in ways that will enhance just war practices. For example, telerobotic weapons might serve to limit casualties, and increase command and control of pilots and soldiers. Also, the same technology used for military reconnaissance can, and should, be used by the media to extend the abilities of war reporters in order to enhance accountability and scrutiny of military affairs. Finally, I address the problems that occur when the operators of these weapons become too distant and isolated from the violence at the other end of their video monitors.
Spanish Language Education in California Before 1850 Database
Robert Train--Modern Languages & Literature
Laurangélica Lechón (student researcher)
This Mini-Grant/IRA funded project involves the ongoing compilation of a database containing: 1) annotated bibliographical references of scholarship related to Spanish language education in pre-1850 California, and 2) bibliographical references, summaries and selected transcriptions of the extant primary texts, mostly in Spanish, from 1769-1850 concerning language education in California. In addition to supporting Dr. Train's work as a teacher-scholar, this database is intended to provide the Sonoma State community with a new resource for learning, teaching, and research about the multilingual histories of California. This project provides a bilingual, advanced undergraduate the opportunity to work collaboratively with a faculty member on unique research. A key objective is to create a model for showcasing the academic achievement and intellectual engagement of our bilingual Latino students, whose linguistic abilities in Spanish as well as English are all too seldom officially recognized at Sonoma State as a factor in academic success.
Gender and Ethnic Disparities Contributing to Overweight in California Adolescents
Mary Ellen Wilkosz--Nursing
Purpose: To explore differences in health behaviors and factors contributing to overweight (OW) 12 to17 year olds in California.
Methods: Data from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey (n=3315) ethnically diverse adolescents were reviewed. Adolescents reported multiple variable thought to contribute to OW.
Results: Overall 56% in this study were overweight (>85th percentile for age and gender). This varied greatly among ethnicities, gender and age. Additional factors including poverty level, parent education and sedentary activities also had an impact. Conclusion: Results suggest gender and ethnic variations in factors that contribute to overweight in California adolescents. To influence the current overweight epidemic, clinicians must develop culturally sensitive and gender-specific interventions that address the unique needs of an ethnically diverse adolescent population.
Investigation for the Bioremediation of Chromium (VI) Using Pseudomonas veronii
Carmen Works--Chemistry
Melissa Herland (student researcher)
Hexavalent chromium is a known carcinogen and a common pollutant in ground water. It is extremely water soluble and readily absorbed into biological cells through sulfate and phosphate channels in cell membranes. There has been an ongoing effort to remove hexavalent from areas of high concentrations, and one area that we are exploring is bioremediation. Bioremediation is a method that employs microorganisms, to restore an environment back to its original condition. During previous research in our lab, the bacterium Pseudomonas veronii was discovered and it was determined that this bacterium is able to survive in an environment with hexavalent chromium as well as reduce chromium(VI) to its less toxic form chromium(III) through enzymatic reduction. In our investigation of the potential of bioremediation of P. veronii we have studied the effects of chromium(VI) on the growth of the bacteria and correlated that with the time for chromium(VI) reduction.
Campus will be closed Fri., March 26 due to a state-mandated furlough.
Lectures
WHAT PHYSICISTS DO LECTURE SERIES- Dr. Jeremy Qualls, , introduces his initiative to study new magnetic materials and examines the general nature of magnetism and the challenges ahead for modern magnetic materials. 4 p.m., Mon., March 22. Darwin 103. http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/wpd/
"FEELING YOUR ANATOMY: TRANS-MASCULINE HEROICS AND PHALLIC MOURNING"- Cael Keegan, a University of Buffalo Ph.D. graduate in American Studies, argues that transmale bodies transform mourning into a space for new forms of desire and violence. Queer Studies Lecture Series. Noon-12:50 p.m., Tues., March 23. Carson 20. (707) 664.2840. http://www.sonoma.edu/womenstudies/current_lectures.htm
BIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM- Dr. John J. Stachowicz (left), Department of Evolution and Ecology, and Center for Population Biology Director, UC Davis, lectures. Noon-1 p.m., Tues., March 23. Darwin 103. (707) 664-2189. http://www.sonoma.edu/biology/home/colloquium.shtml
REPERCUSSIONS OF GENOCIDE: REBUILDING RWANDAN SOCIETY- Mathilde Mukantabana, M.A. and M.S.W., Cosumnes Community College, and President of Friends of Rwanda Assn. (FORA) Event is open to all. 2010 Holocaust and Genocide Lecture Series. 4-5:40 p.m., Tues., March 23. Warren Auditorium, Ives Hall. http://www.sonoma.edu/holocaust/center.htm
"KILLING US SOFTLY" Jean Kilbourne, internationally recognized author, speaker and filmmaker, explores the relationship of media images to actual problems in society, such as violence, sexual abuse, rape and sexual harassment, pornography and censorship, teenage pregnancy, addiction and eating disorders. 7:30 p.m., Tues., March 23. Cooperage. (707) 664-2382. http://www.sonoma.edu/as/asp
BEING A JOURNALIST FOR NPR, AND FOREIGN ELECTIONS, WARS AND THEIR COVERAGE. NPR senior European foreign correspondent Sylvia Poggioli will be coming to POLS 431, Politics and the Media, on Wed., March 24 at noon in Stevenson 3082. She has won numerous awards for her reporting of the Bosnian war, the NATO air war against Yugoslavia, and more. john.kramer@sonoma.edu.
"THE 'CROSS' IN CULTURAL MARRIAGE: HOW TO AVOID CULTURAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS IN CROSSCULTURAL/INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE." Dr. Katrin de Guia (right), author of "Kapwa: The Self in the Other, Worldviews and Lifestyles of Filipino Culture-bearers," lectures. 2-4 p.m., Wed., March 24. Salazar 2020. strobel@sonoma.edu.
"MATH COLLOQUIUM"- Brigitte Lahme, Associate Professor of Mathematics, discusses mathematical modeling. 4 p.m., Wed., March 24. Darwin 103. (707) 664-2368. http://www.sonoma.edu/math/nsf/colloquium.shtml
"WITH CLOTHES ON: EMPIRE AND CENSORSHIP."- Jonah Raskin, Professor of Communication Studies, lectures. Modern Media Dialogue Series. 5-6:30 p.m., Wed., March. 24. Warren Auditorium, Ives 101. (707) 664-3160. http://www.mediadialogueseries.org/
WHAT CAN I DO LECTURE SERIES: UNITED AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT IN SONOMA COUNTY- Associated Student Production presents UASA, for a lecture on teaching students how to prevent sexual assault and how to eliminate sexual violence in the community. 7 p.m., Wed., March 24. Student Union multi-purpose room. (707) 664-2382 http://www.sonoma.edu/as/asp
"A CLOSER LOOK AT THREATS TO THE DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM"- Cricket Liu, Vice President of Architecture, Infoblox, and co-author of "O'Reilley's Nutshell Handbooks on the Domain Name System," lectures. Computer Science Colloquium. Noon, Thurs., March 25. Salazar 2016. (707) 664-2667. http://www.cs.sonoma.edu/cs_dept/events/
"MORAL ISSUES IN THE USE OF ROBOTIC WEAPON SYSTEMS." John Sullins, Philosophy, lectures. "A technology is used ethically when it is intelligently controlled to further a moral good, he says. "So we can easily extrapolate that the ethical use of telerobotic weapons technology occurs only when that technology is intelligently controlled and advances a moral action." His lecture deals with the first half of the conjunction; can telerobotic weapons systems be intelligently controlled? At the present
time it is doubtful that these conditions are being met and he suggests some ways in which this situation could be improved. Arts and Humanities Research and Creative Works Forum. 12:05-12:55 p.m., Thursday, March 25. Schulz 3001. (707) 664-2146. http://www.sonoma.edu/a_h/AHForum.htm
Music and Theater
HARLEM GOSPEL CHOIR. The world famous Harlem Gospel Choir (left), is the most respected gospel choir in America today. It travels the globe, sharing its joy of faith through its music, and raising funds for children's charities. They have performed for Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II; and have shared the stage with such legendary artists as Bono, Sinead O'Connor, Diana Ross and more. 8 p.m., Mon., March 22. Spreckels Auditorium in Rohnert Park. (707) 664-2382. http://www.sonoma.edu/as/asp
Films
"THEY CAME TO PLAY" This film follows seventy-five passionate artists competing in the Van Cliburn Foundation's International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, held every four years in Fort Worth, Texas. 4 p.m., Sun., March 21 Warren Auditorium. Admission is $6, $5 for non-SSU students and senior citizens, $4 for SFI members and children under 12, and $2 for SSU students. (707) 664-2606. http://www.sonoma.edu/sfi/
Galleries
FIELD DAYS EXHIBIT- Field Days is based on Raskin's newest book "FIELD DAYS A Year of Farming, Eating, and Drinking Wine in California" which chronicles the renaissance in farming organically and eating locally that is unfolding in Northern California. Jonah Raskin tells of the year he spent on Oak Hill Farm - working the fields, selling produce at farmers' markets, and following it to restaurants. The exhibit highlights his experience with photos by Paige Green from Petaluma and Candi Edmondson of Oak Hill Farms. Also on exhibit are materials from the University Library's Special Collections and items on loan from the Sonoma County Museum. Jan. 27-March 21. University Library Art Gallery. http://library.sonoma.edu/about/gallery.html
"SIDESHOW: ART OF THE HANDCAR REGATTA" - Sideshow was inspired by The Great West End & Railroad Square Handcar Regatta & Exposition of Mechanical & Artistic Wonders--known simply as The Handcar Regatta--an annual event that has taken place in Santa Rosa the past two years. The exhibition takes some of the wonderfully crafted handcars, costumes, banners, paintings, sculptures and general ephemera from the event and isolates them within the confines of the University Art Gallery's "white cube," giving viewers the opportunity to view these objects as works of art beyond their function with the spectacle that is the Handcar Regatta. Participating artists include Lisa Beerntsen, David Farish, Andy Graham, Theresa Hughes, Muir Houghton,Krank-Boom-Clank, Freya Marcelis, Gene McClelland, Tony Speirs, and more . March 4-April 4. University Art Gallery. Tuesday-Friday, 11-4, and Saturday and Sunday, noon-4 p.m. Admission free.(707) 664-2295.
Campus Life
VAGINA MONOLOGUES. The Vagina Monologues is made up of a number of monologues read by different women. Every monologue somehow relates to the vagina, be it through sex, love, rape, menstruation, mutilation, masturbation, birth, orgasm, the variety of names for the vagina, or simply as a physical aspect of the body. A recurring theme throughout the piece is the vagina as a tool of female empowerment, and the ultimate embodiment of individuality. 8 p.m., Thurs. March 18-20. Cooperage. (707) 664-2382. http://www.sonoma.edu/as/asp
TEACHING FOR THE COMMON GOOD WEDNESDAYS: A Community Engaged Network meeting for those involved with teaching a learning service course, a class with a political engagement or peer education component, community-based or community placed learning, site visit/observation at a non-profit or school, or a community-based participatory research class. Green-Bag lunch event. 12-1 p.m., Wed., March 17. Schulz 1121. www.sonoma.edu/aa/ap/cce/
Lectures
WHAT PHYSICISTS DO LECTURE SERIES- Dr. Anthony Aguirre, University of California, Santa Cruz discusses how the newly-won understanding of cosmology is pointing to the possibility that the observable universe is just a tiny part of a much larger and diverse "Multiuniverse." 4 p.m., Mon., March 15. Darwin 103. There will be coffee, cookies and conversation in the Darwin Lobby before hand, at 3:30 p.m. http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/wpd/
"NOT IN THE HEAVENS: IS THERE A TRADITION OF JEWISH SECULAR THOUGHT?"- David Biale (Far Right), Professor and chair, Department of history, UC Davis lectures. SSU Jewish Studies Lecture Series. 7 p.m., Mon., March 15. University Commons. (707) 664-3293. http://sonoma.edu/jewishstudies/
"'SCATTER THE PIGEONS': BALDNESS & THE PERFORMANCE OF BLACK HYPER-MASCULINITY"- E. Patrick Johnson (Right), Northwestern University professor of Performance Studies and African American Studies, describes how the bald hairstyle adorned by black men evokes desire and fear that create ambivalence around the ways race and gender are read onto the black male body. Queer Studies Lecture Series. Noon-12:50 p.m., Tues., March 16. Rachel Carson Hall 20. (707) 664.2840. http://www.sonoma.edu/womenstudies/current_lectures.htm
BE MY GUEST- Abner Nolan, San Francisco based artist and educator, guest lectures as part of the Art Department's visiting artists series. Nolan's work has been included in exhibitions at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Nelson Gallery at UC Davis and SF Camerawork. A monograph of his work, "Away," was published by TBW books in 2009. Nolan is currently an adjunct professor in the photography program at the Califor- nia College of the Arts. Guest of Carlos de Villasante. Noon-12:55 p.m., Tues., March 16. Art 102. (707) 664-2364. http://www.sonoma.edu/art/visitingartists/
BIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM- Dr. Patrick J. Westfall, Amyris Biotechnologies discusses microbially derived Artemisinin and engineering yeast to stabilize the supply of an important Antimalarial drug for the developing world. Noon-1 p.m., Tues., March 16. Darwin 103. (707) 664-2189. http://www.sonoma.edu/biology/home/colloquium.shtml
"THINKING STRAIGHT: HETEROSEXUAL IDENTITY IN AMERICA."- James Dean (Left), Assistant Professor of Sociology lectures on the social-psychological process heterosexual men and women use in establishing boundaries of social distance when interacting with gay men and lesbians. This lecture explores gender and racial variations in heterosexual identity practices, and argues for the reintroduction of psychoanalytic accounts into sociological theories of subject formation and social constructionist accounts of (sexual) identity. Brown Bag Lecture Series. Noon-1 p.m., Tues., March 16. Stevenson 2011. (707) 664-2112.
PERSPECTIVES ON INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES- Eric Williams, Ph.D., Sonoma State University speaks. Event is open to all. 2010 Holocaust and Genocide Lecture Series. 4-5:40 p.m., Tues., March 16. Warren Auditorium, Ives Hall. http://www.sonoma.edu/holocaust/center.htm
SUSTAINABILITY LECURE: Debora Hammond (Left), Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Hutchins and Jeff Baldwin (Right), Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Global Studies lecture. Noon, Wed., March 17. Schulz 3001.
MATH COLLOQUIUM- Heather J. Smith, Department of Psychology, Sonoma State University explores the concept of relative deprivation. 4 p.m., Wed., March 17. Darwin 103. (707) 664-2368. http://www.sonoma.edu/math/nsf/colloquium.shtml
"BE THE MEDIA: THE COMMUNITY MEDIA RENAISSANCE."- Media expert Dave Mathison lectures. Modern Media Dialogue Series. 5-6:30 p.m., Wed., March 17. Warren Auditorium, Ives 101. (707) 664-3160. http://www.mediadialogueseries.org/
"MAKING GREEK AND ATHLETIC LIFE MATTER"- David Coleman, "American Real Life Hitch" speaks to Athletes and Greeks about healthy interactions, choosing your attitude, understanding the importance of your decisions, understanding the difference between character and reputation, resolving conflicts and how to find the "strongest link." This event is part of the Greek and Athletics Leadership Series. 7:30-9 p.m., Wed., March 17. Gymnasium.
"SAVING THE WORLD ONE SERVER AT A TIME"- Parthasarathy Ranganathan, HP Labs, Palo Alto lectures. Computer Science Colloquium. Noon, Thurs., March 18. Salazar 2016. (707) 664-2667. http://www.cs.sonoma.edu/cs_dept/events/
"PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE TELEIMMERSION SYSTEM." - Professor Ruzena Bajcsy, EECS Dept. UC Berkeley lectures. Engineering Science Lecture Series. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Thurs., March 18. Salazar 2009A. (707) 664-2030. http://sonoma.edu/engineering/lecture_series/
Music and Theater
LATIN BAND PERFORMANCE- A Latin Band plays for Sonoma State University, presented by the School of Performing Arts. 7:30 p.m., Thurs., March 18. Warren Auditorium, Ives Hall. This event is FREE. (707) 664-2235. http://www.sonoma.edu/performingarts/index.shtml
"IMAGINARY INVALID" by Molière. Eccentric and very rich Argan, a self-centered hypochondriac preoccupied with body functions, will do anything to defeat his fear of dying-- including marrying his daughter Angelique to an idiot man-boy whose main qualifications are that he is in Med School, that his father is a doctor and that his uncle is a pharmacist. Witty, wily servant Toinette creates a series of outrageous tricks and disguises that force Argan to accept that his greedy second wife the scheming for his money, and to see that Angelique truly loves him. This production opens Fri., March 19 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through Sat., March 27 in Evert B. Person Theatre. General Admission is $12, $10 for FANS (Faculty, Alumni, Staff), $8 for Seniors/Students and FREE for SSU Students. http://www.sonoma.edu/performingarts/perf/cal_1003.shtml
Films
"THE GOLDEN COACH" In this eighteenth-century story, Renoir takes as his subject the contrast between theater and life, and the point where they merge, focusing on a commedia dell'arte troupe touring Peru and their temperamental star, Camilla - the luminous Magnani at her comic best. 4 p.m., Sun., March 14 Warren Auditorium. Admission is $6.00, $5.00 for non-SSU students and senior citizens, $4.00 for SFI members and children under 12, and $2.00 for SSU students. (707) 664-2606. http://www.sonoma.edu/sfi/
"THEY CAME TO PLAY" This film follows seventy-five passionate artists competing in the Van Cliburn Foundation's International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, held every four years in Fort Worth, Texas. 7 p.m., Fri., March 19 Warren Auditorium. Admission is $6.00, $5.00 for non-SSU students and senior citizens, $4.00 for SFI members and children under 12, and $2.00 for SSU students. (707) 664-2606. http://www.sonoma.edu/sfi/
Galleries
FIELD DAYS EXHIBIT- Field Days is based on Raskin's newest book "FIELD DAYS A Year of Farming, Eating, and Drinking Wine in California" which chronicles the renaissance in farming organically and eating locally that is unfolding in Northern California. Jonah Raskin tells of the year he spent on Oak Hill Farm - working the fields, selling produce at farmers' markets, and following it to restaurants. The exhibit highlights his experience with photos by Paige Green from Petaluma and Candi Edmondson of Oak Hill Farms. Also on exhibit are materials from the University Library's Special Collections and items on loan from the Sonoma County Museum. The exhibit runs Jan. 27-March 21. University Library Art Gallery. http://library.sonoma.edu/about/gallery.html
"Sideshow: Art of the Handcar Regatta" Sideshow was inspired by The Great West End & Railroad Square Handcar Regatta & Exposition of Mechanical & Artistic Wonders--known simply as The Handcar Regatta--an annual event that has taken place in Santa Rosa the past two years. The exhibition takes some of the wonderfully crafted handcars, costumes, banners, paintings, sculptures and general ephemera from the event and isolates them within the confines of the University Art Gallery's "white cube," giving viewers the opportunity to view these objects as works of art beyond their function with the spectacle that is the Handcar Regatta. Participating artists include Lisa Beerntsen, David Farish, Andy Graham, Theresa Hughes, Muir Houghton,Krank-Boom-Clank, Freya Marcelis, Gene McClelland, Tony Speirs, and more artists to be announced. The exhibit runs from March 4-April 4. The University Art Gallery is open Tuesday-Friday, 11-4, and Saturday and Sunday, noon-4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, please call (707) 664-2295.
Jazz drummer Matt Wilson, one of the most imaginative jazz artists of his generation, performs at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 11 with the SSU's Jazz Orchestra and Concert Jazz Ensembles in Warren Auditorium. A suggested donation of $15 will go directly to the Mel Graves scholarship fund for SSU jazz students.
Wilson was voted Jazz Drummer of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2003 and for the past four years has been voted #1 Rising Star Drummer in the DownBeat International Critic's Poll. He has also received prominent mentions in the Jazz Artist and Composer categories.
"Matt is deep. As a drummer, he can authentically deliver any style, from early jazz to avant-garde. He's an inspiring leader and a much sought-after sideman. He's an accomplished composer and jazz historian," says Doug Leibinger, Director of Jazz Studies at SSU.
Wilson is a popular clinician and has conducted workshops for students around the world and will lead student clinics during his time in-residence at SSU during the second week of March.
The community as well as students are invited to any of Wilson' educational rehearsals and lectures from March 9-11 for free.
The residency schedule is:
Tuesday, March 9
1-2 p.m. - lecture on Jazz History
4-5:30 p.m. - rehearse with Classic Jazz Ensemble
7-8:30 p.m. - rehearse with Contemporary Jazz Ensemble
Wednesday, March 10
10:45 a.m.-noon - lecture jazz composition class
1-3 p.m. - clinic for all jazz students
4-6:30 p.m. - rehearse with big band
Wilson is also an active composer and in high demand as a sideman, performing regularly with the Dewey Redman Quartet and Lee Konitz Trio. He has performed on over 160 recordings and has toured throughout the world.
In addition to his musical accomplishments, Wilson leads Arts & Crafts (voted one of the top acoustic jazz groups in the 2005 and 2006 Downbeat Critic's Poll), The Matt Wilson Quartet, The Carl Sandburg Project and The Rugged 4, as well as having made seven acclaimed recordings as a leader in his ten-year association with Palmetto Records.
Tickets are free to SSU students. To purchase tickets contact the School of Performing Arts Box Office at (707) 664-2353. For more information go to www.sonoma.edu/performingarts/perf/ or call the Music Department at (707) 664-2468.
How high should an airplane fly? What does it take to plan a safe trip in the air? Who designs surgical devices?
These are just two of the many mind-expanding workshops offered at the 18th annual Expanding Your Horizons Conference for 7th and 8th grade young women from throughout Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino counties on Sat., March 20 at Sonoma State University.
Attendance is limited to 400 students. Registration deadline is March 10 and the fee is $15 per student. Snacks and lunch are included.
Expanding Your Horizons is intended to increase the awareness of young women and their parents of the importance of adequate preparation in math and science.
The conference consists of hands-on workshops offered to foster awareness of the wide range of career options for women in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology-based fields, as well as to provide opportunities to meet and talk with women who work in these fields to increase young women's awareness of the need for early career exploration.
Some of the other workshops available at the spring science conference include architecture/urban design, engineering and computer science, kinesiology and health, and environmental sciences.
EYH will be holding workshops for parents and educators as well. These include, planning for education after high school, parenting teenage girls and more.
Students can register online at http://www.eyhsoco.org/registration.htm or call the EYH Information Line at (707) 664-2241 for further information.
To view the conference workshops and schedule, visit the EYH website at http://www.eyh-soco.org/conference.htm.
The Sonoma State University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), who initiated the outreach program "Bubbles for Troubles," is teaming up with a former SSU student-athlete to coordinate the "Haiti Orphan Project".
Taylor Manton, who played for the Seawolves' volleyball team between 2004-07, will travel to Santo Domingo to provide basic healthcare services for young Haitian refugees affected by the devastating earthquake that destroyed Haiti on Jan. 12.
A recent graduate of Sonoma State University and a University of Southern California medical student beginning this fall, Manton is leaving for the capital city of the Dominican Republic on Mar. 27, in partnership with the International Service Learning program, to care for those orphans who were displaced by the quake.
Jennifer Russo, the President of SAAC and current member of the women's basketball team, and Lindsay Brown, the Vice President for Community Outreach and a member of the volleyball team in each of the previous four years, have been working on the project "Bubbles For Troubles" this year.
This program, with the help of the 13 athletic teams at SSU, encourages people to donate small toiletry items, such as soaps and shampoos, to help disprivileged families with basic hygiene needs.
With the need for these items in Haiti after the natural disaster that affected an estimated three million people, the "Bubbles For Troubles" project is shifting some of its attention to helping Manton bring much needed supplies to the ones most affected by the quake.
Along with basic hygiene items, there is a huge lack of medical resources and access to medical supplies, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-acid, anti-histaminic and anti- allergy medications.
"As student-athletes at Sonoma State, we take pride in reaching out to our community, but we also want to take pride in caring for people worldwide," Russo said. "I think it is an awesome thing that Taylor is doing and we're doing everything we can do to help her."
Manton's nine-day trip (Mar. 27-Apr. 4) to assist with the recovery efforts will cost her about $2,500 and is looking for monetary donations to help fund her traveling expenses.
For more information on how to donate money and/or supplies for Manton's trip, or how to contribute to SAAC's "Bubbles For Troubles" project, please visit http://www.sonomaseawolves.com/news/2010/2/24/GEN_0224101306.aspx.
