The UCSB group poses with state Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, center. They are, from left: Monica Solorzano, Dean Carol Genetti, Emily Rivest, and Jessica Bradshaw.

Amid the noisy crowd of constituents navigating a maze of hallways and offices at the California State Capitol building, it’s possible for the voices of two UC Santa Barbara grad student researchers to be heard. State legislators heard those voices on June 4 during University of California’s 4th Graduate Research Advocacy Day.

Jessica Bradshaw from Education’s Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology; and Emily Rivest of the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology were among a contingent of 20 Ph.D. students from all 10 UC campuses who traveled to Sacramento to meet with members of the legislature and the administration. Their message and mission were simple yet vital: Explain the value and impact that their work has not only on California but also on the nation and the world.

Ph.D. students Jessica Bradshaw and Emily Rivest represented UCSB at Graduate Research Advocacy Day. Using Governor Jerry Brown’s conference room as a base camp for the day, the UCSB students visited with several state assembly members and senators from the local area to discuss the importance of graduate research and to describe their own research projects. “Despite the differing political leaning of each legislator, all parties were excited to meet with students who are a part of their constituency and were very engaged in the discussion about graduate research,” said Jessica, a third-year Ph.D. student whose work focuses on discovering behavioral methods “for identifying infants in the first year of life who are exhibiting early behavioral symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).”  

“I was delighted that each legislator was engaged during our meetings and generally interested in what I had to say,” said Emily, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate who studies how the natural marine resources of California, which are crucial to the livelihoods of many of the state’s residents, are vulnerable to climate change. “These state senators and assembly members see so many people every day, all year long,” she added, “that I was thrilled they asked me questions about my research and read over the fact sheet that I had prepared.”  

The local legislators Jessica and Emily met with were: Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, 44th District; state Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, representing Senate District 19; Assemblyman Das Williams, representative of the 37th District and a UCSB grad alum; and Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian, 35th District.

"It is important for [legislators] to know that graduate students can do more than just spend 10 hours a day isolated in a research lab. We have a real ability to make immediate, positive contributions to society.” 
-UCSB Ph.D. student Jessica Bradshaw

One highlight for Jessica came when Assemblyman Achadjian queried her in-depth about her research focus: autism. “He was particularly interested in learning about autism, e.g., what are the early signs of autism, and exactly how does the intervention work. He even asked my opinion concerning treatment for autism as it relates to current political debates regarding funding for autism intervention. It was great to know that the legislators not only took time out of their hectic schedules to meet with us, but respected us as researchers and experts in our field.”

Jessica explained to the legislators she met with how graduate research can make an immediate impact on the issues California is grappling with today, such as public health and the economy. “I have been able to provide intervention services and assessment to dozens of infants and toddlers in the local Santa Barbara area,” she said. “I have provided workshops on autism awareness and intervention techniques, and I have trained undergraduate research assistants in autism intervention and research techniques. It is important for them to know that graduate students can do more than just spend 10 hours a day isolated in a research lab. We have a real ability to make immediate, positive contributions to society.”  

UCSB grad students Emily Rivest and Jessica Bradshaw meet with state Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson.Emily was both surprised and honored by one encounter during the day. “My most memorable moment was when, after explaining how my graduate research contributes to the conservation of California's marine resources under climate change, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson's staffer asked me directly what legislation I would put forward for this issue that the senator could support. I was so surprised! Honored to receive this vote of confidence in my expertise and credibility as a young scientist, I will continue to work with Sen. Jackson and her staffers to develop and support legislation that will decrease the vulnerability of our state's coastal marine resources to climate change.”

Jessica found the day to be both rewarding and inspiring. “It was rewarding to participate in a day that celebrates our work as graduate students and convey the importance of state funding in the survival of graduate student research to the people who are in the position to make a difference,” she said. “I was inspired by the energy of everyone involved, including the legislators. I left with the hope that through hearing our personal stories and realizing the passion we have about our work, state government will begin to understand the significance of graduate research and its impact beyond our personal pursuits.”

The entire UC contingent attending UC Graduate Research Advocacy Day.Emily said it meant a lot to her to participate in the day. “It was my chance to give back to the university graduate program that has launched my career over the past five years. I have grown tremendously at UCSB and feel that the graduate students as well as their incredible, envelope-pushing, relevant work are worthy of continued investment,” she said. She hoped that by sharing her research with the legislators, she helped to “renew their enthusiasm for the asset that is UC graduate research to the state of California and the globe.”

Accompanying Jessica and Emily in Sacramento were Monica Solorzano, UCSB’s Assistant Director, Governmental Relations; and Graduate Division Dean Dr. Carol Genetti.

"Being able to showcase our graduate students and their research is one of the most rewarding parts of advocating for the university,” Solorzano said. “Graduate Research Day is an opportunity for state legislators to see firsthand the important contributions that our students are making, not only to California, but to the nation and the world."

Dean Genetti noted that everyone benefited from the day. “It was a great opportunity for all involved,” said Dean Genetti. “The students were highly impressive and clearly generated interest in the various offices that we visited. Both plan on following up with some of the contacts we made. I think the day also raised the students’ awareness of their potential for agency in influencing change at the policy level, in their own research areas and in higher education.”

The students clearly made a positive impact on Senator Jackson. On her Facebook page the next day, she wrote this:

“Really impressed by the graduate students from UC Santa Barbara that I met yesterday. They’re building California’s brain trust, researching vital issues like autism and climate change, and working to make a difference in our state!”

For more information, read our GradPost article about  last year’s Research Advocacy Day; the UC Office of the President’s article about this year’s event, “Grad students are driving force behind research”;  and UCOP’s Graduate Research Advocacy Day page.

As an Argentine immigrant who spent time as an AmeriCorps volunteer helping youth in south Los Angeles, Mercedes Fernandez Oromendia has dedicated her research to helping multicultural individuals navigate between cultures and develop their multicultural identities through positive psychology. Mercedes just finished her first year as a doctoral student in the Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology department in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education. In her first year, Mercedes experienced many firsts (including an earthquake!). Read on to learn more about Mercedes’ experiences, research, goals, and firsts as a doctoral student.

Tell us a little about your research and how you came to choose the topic.

I am interested in positive psychology and its uses in helping multicultural individuals thrive. I struggle with the deficit model that psychology often uses, so I like the positive psychology idea that all individuals have strengths and we can build upon those strengths to improve functioning. I am also interested in developing culturally sensitive interventions for Latinos. As an Argentine immigrant, I have experienced what it is like to have one foot in each culture. There is still much research needed on multicultural identity development and how to help immigrant individuals and families thrive.

What has graduate student life been like for you?

As a first year, I have had many firsts. My first lab meeting, my first pseudo-client, my first TAship and my first earthquake! It feels like I am learning to juggle, and right when I have a handle on it, a new quarter starts and a new ball gets added. I have been fortunate to make great friendships in Santa Barbara that help me when I feel overwhelmed or just need some non-psych time!

What has been a source of motivation or drive for you in your graduate studies?

As an AmeriCorps member last year, I had the opportunity to serve in a middle school in South L.A. where most of my students were trying to navigate the strange place between two cultures. I have firsthand experience in the value of developing a multicultural identity, which inspires my work. When I need motivation, I envision my research helping kids and their families in similar situations.

Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and explain why.

I am proud of studying abroad in Brazil for eight months. I learned Portuguese, packed my bags, and went to Salvador da Bahia! I wanted the challenge of moving to a new country without my family’s comfort. I took classes in the local university and had the opportunity to see how psychology was taught there. I had the opportunity to explore a new city and culture and make lifelong friendships. In the process I learned much more about myself and about the commonalities between people.

Who is your hero (or heroes) and why?

I don’t really have a hero, but I greatly admire my mom’s godmother. She became a scientist when it was uncommon for women to work outside the home. She constantly challenges the norm and pushes boundaries. For example, she has painted her lips and toenails bright red for as long as I can remember, and for her 70th birthday, she went to Russia! Now that she is retired, she goes on jeep tours in Africa and travels any chance she has.

What do you do to relax? Any hobbies, collections, pastimes, favorite places to go, favorite things to do?

I am an extrovert, so I get energy from being with people. It does not matter if we are studying together, lying on the beach, or just talking while grocery shopping. This year, I have also learned about the power of baking! Graduate school does not provide much immediate gratification, so baking gives me the opportunity to quickly see the fruits of my labor. After an hour of baking, I get to eat a great cake. I also try to travel as often as I can. Since I cannot always go far, Los Angeles and short weekend trips have become my new thing.

What do you hope to be doing 5 or 10 years out of graduate school?

I would like to find a way to do it all! I love teaching, clinical work, and applied research. I hope I can find a way to integrate all three or that through my experiences here I will find out which one I really want to pursue. As far as clinical work, I would like to work with immigrant families and use strength-based approaches to help children navigate their bicultural identity.

Do you have any advice for current grad students?

As a first-year graduate student, all I can do is repeat what I have been told a hundred times: “self-care!” I am still trying to figure out how to do that and do everything that I want to do as a graduate student at UCSB. It’s a work in progress!

ARC/SC scholars meet up with Roxanna Quach in Cheadle Hall Last week I had the opportunity to meet and greet several our summer researchers. Our summer researchers are a part of the California State University (CSU) Sally Casanova Program and the Academic Research Consortium (ARC). All of the summer researchers come from CSU and UC schools.

The ARC/Sally Casanova summer research scholars were admitted after a rigorous spring application process that included hundreds of submissions. Please refer to the Graduate Division ARC or Sally Casanova information pages for the application requirements if you, or anybody you know is interested in participating in future summer research programs.

During the application process the scholars submitted all required documents, as well as convinced a current UC Santa Barbara faculty member to sign on as their research advisor through the length of the summer research program. Now, many of us current graduate students realize how rigorous it is to fill out any application for admissions, let alone find a faculty mentor within a short period of time. After applications were reviewed all students were notified of their admissions status to the ARC/SC summer research program.

Those admitted to the program arrived for orientation on Monday, June 24 and received a walking campus tour on Tuesday morning. The ARC scholars began their weekly GRE workshop preparatory course on Wednesday morning, while both ARC and Sally Casanova scholars began their weekly resource and professional development training the following day. As you can tell, the ARC/SC scholars will be keeping themselves very busy this summer while at UC Santa Barbara.

Look more from the ARC/SC summer research scholars as we get to know them in the weeks to come!

This summer we are showcasing a brand new segment to our usual Graduate Student in the Spotlight with features from Graduate Division's summer research scholars. In a previous article titled Graduate Division Welcomes Summer Scholars I introduced you to our Sally Casanova and Academic Research Consortium (ARC) summer researchers. We will now introduce you to each of our summer researchers, individually, and give you some insight into who they are. In our first installment we will have the opportunity to get to know Kaitlin Brown, a budding archaeologist and avid karaoke singer.  

Name: Kaitlin M. Brown

Discipline / Emphasis: Anthropology with emphasis in Archaeology

Research Interests / Goals: My research interests are in archaeology. I have always been interested in learning about other cultures, and had my first opportunity to study an extinct culture during my undergraduate at UC San Diego. I took part in a field school that dealt with social identity and Diaspora in a Tiwanaku mortuary site in Peru. After working in the Peruvian desert for a summer, I came back to California knowing that archaeology was the field I wanted to pursue a career in. I found work at California State Parks as an Archaeological Project Leader, and have since taken part in many other excavations on San Nicolas Island, the Great Basin, and the Mid-west. My goals are to continue researching emergent social complexity and other forms of social identity among prehistoric peoples in North America through the study of technology and systems of exchange.

What’s it like being an ARC/SC summer research scholar?

It is a great experience! I am currently in Canton, Illinois on a field project with Dr. Gregory Wilson and two graduate students excavating a prehistoric Mississippian village. I am learning more about early complex peoples in the Illinois River Valley and how they dealt with warfare around 900 years ago.

What’s been a source for motivation and drive for you?

Personal growth is my own source of motivation. It’s important for me to learn new things and gain new life experiences.

Name the accomplishment you are most proud of, and why. 

I am most proud of my master’s thesis. I graduated from CSU Los Angeles in June 2013 with an M.A. in Archaeology, and was conducting research on San Nicolas Island, California. My thesis examines craft production as it relates to the use of tar for a variety of technologies such as fishhook construction and basket manufacturing. I found that these items were essential to the survival of the people living on the isolated island hundreds of years ago.   

What makes you, you? 

I’m easygoing and outgoing. I don’t take things too seriously and laugh at myself when I make a mistake.

Where did you grow up?

Simi Valley, California

What’s a guilty pleasure of yours?

Singing karaoke.

What’s playing in your iPod right now?

Gotan Project

Any advice or final thoughts to current or future ARC/SC summer research scholars? 

Take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves to you!  The hardest part is showing up.

The UCSB Graduate Division subscribes to The Versatile PhD, a web resource for graduate students interested in non-academic careers.

It is available for you to use any time, from any computer, confidentially. There you will find:

• A thriving, supportive web-based community where you can participate in discussions, network with PhDs and ABDs outside the academy, or just listen and learn by osmosis

• Examples of successful resumes and cover letters that resulted in PhDs and ABDs getting their first post-academic positions

• Compelling first-person narratives written by successful PhDs and ABDs who have gone on to non-academic careers, describing how their careers have developed after grad school and where they are today

• Detail-rich Panel Discussions in which Versatile PhDs working in a given non-academic field describe their jobs and answer questions from grad students like you. Past topics include Freelance Writing and Editing, Higher Education Consulting, Management Consulting, Federal Government and University Administration.

As of July 1, the premium content includes career success stories and narratives for STEM fields in addition to the Humanities and Social Sciences. The content has also been redesigned to make it easier to navigate.

Because you are a student at UCSB, you get access to the PhD Career Finder where those high-quality written materials are stored. Log in with your UCSB NetID at www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/versatile-phd. This will take you to a secure site where you can establish your own login for the Versatile PhD.

Learn more about using the site with our new video tutorial available below or at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CytE-2Gdpns.

Kane Anderson recently completed his Ph.D. in Theater Studies from the Department of Theater and Dance. He shares how he moved from acting to academia, how cosplay informs his studies, and how he gives back through teaching and volunteerism.

Tell us a little about your background

I'm something of a vagabond. I grew up in sunny Orange County and did my undergrad at the University of Pennsylvania where I quickly left the business school to pursue a B.A. in Theater Arts. Before graduation, I began my career as an actor and dramaturg in Philadelphia. My first professional gig was playing Juliet in a four-male adaptation of Romeo & Juliet. Eventually I moved to Arizona and worked as a (mostly) full-time actor before earning my MFA in Performance at Arizona State University. Within all that, I studied theater in Japan, London, and Moscow...until my credit gave out.

Tell us a little about your research and how you came to choose the topic

When I neared the end of my MFA at ASU, my graduate committee encouraged me to consider earning a Ph.D. I initially responded with an unprintable string of four-letter words. Later, after visiting the American Society for Theatre Research Conference, I decided to pursue a Ph.D. if I could mix my two favorite things: superhero comics and performance. I now study superheroes and live performance through a mix of Theater & Performance Studies as well as Comics Studies. My dissertation "'Truth, Justice, and the Performative Way!' Superhero Performance and the Battle for Social Justice in 21st Century America" looks at V for Vendetta and the Occupy Movement, "crossplay" (cross-gender or cross-race costumed play) at Comic-Con, superhero-themed parties with "Super Go-Gos" at gay bars, and "Super-Obama," dissecting the staging of Barack Obama as a comic book superhero. I also do ethnographic research as a cosplayer and study comic book reading as a performative act.

Kane at a Comic-Con panelWhat has graduate student life been like for you?

I'm happier here at UCSB than during any of my previous college experiences. While the Ph.D. work is by no means light, the constant reading, writing, and teaching provided me with a welcome change from the physical and emotional strains of earning the MFA in acting. I also greatly enjoy teaching and I am lucky to have taught with Theater and Dance, Summer Sessions, the Writing Program, and the Art department. And, oh, yeah--I get grants to go present my work at Comic-Con each year! So how can I complain? (Loudly and histrionically, if you ask my officemates...)

What has been a source of motivation or drive for you in your graduate studies?

Getting back to being an unemployed actor! No, seriously--I set my sights on the Ph.D. and knew that I had to put my performance career on hiatus. I'm looking forward to settling somewhere and helping students and professionals develop new work for the stage. Additionally, I love my research. When the revisions start to pile up on me, I always step back and remind myself that I'm technically making a living (sorta...) on superheroes. But the biggest drive is that after nearly 12 years, my relationship suddenly ended. So I need to get out of Santa Barbara if I'm ever gonna catch a man!

Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and why

I've been lucky to receive nominations for the Outstanding TA Award for the entire five years I've been at UCSB. Even though I've never won (I'm the 'Susan Lucci of TA Awards'!), it means the world to me that I've impacted so many students in their college careers. My undergrad years were not a party at all so helping students find their scholarly bliss matters to me.

What do you do to relax? Any hobbies, collections, pastimes, favorite places to go, favorite things to do?

I'm an explorer at heart so I like to travel and take day trips. The Ph.D. doesn't leave that much time or money for such adventuring so I sometimes enjoy a "stay-cation" by trying out different kinds of food from around the world. For a small town, Santa Barbara boasts a variety of tasty spots.

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

That a Theater Studies Ph.D. is hard work! Even other grad students assume I spend the day playing theater games. As if!

More seriously, I served on the scholarship committee for the Santa Barbara Gay and Lesbian Business Association. The small scholarships they offer recognizes LGBTQ students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. I encourage other graduate students to apply or get involved.

What do you hope to be doing 5 or 10 years out of graduate school?

At this point, I'll be happy if I can just make my student loan payments! Does anyone need a superherologist? A professorship teaching Theater and Popular Culture Studies would be ideal.

Kane as Captain MarvelDo you have any advice for other grad students?

Give yourself a break. Surrounded by friends who are having babies and buying houses, I fell into the trap of thinking that I was somehow "behind" in my life. Eventually I realized that I don't have to put my entire life on hold. If you're a graduate student starting out, recognize your limits and let go of that restrictive pride about perfection so you can find the balance between "good" and "good-enough." It's a tough lesson, but getting away from my work now and again made me a better student. Celebrate your studies by celebrating your breaks from them, too!

Also: Google yourself. Your students certainly will and it's better to cut them off at the pass!

We are continuing this summer's showcase of Graduate Division's summer research scholars with Aubrie Adams, an avid gamer. In a previous article titled Graduate Division Welcomes Summer Scholars I introduced you to our Sally Casanova and Academic Research Consortium (ARC) summer researchers. We will now introduce you to each of our summer researchers, individually, and give you some insight into who they are.

Name: Aubrie Adams

Discipline / Emphasis: Communication/Technology and Society

Research Interests / Goals

I’m a huge geek and my research interests reflect that! Broadly, I study communication topics related to technology such as computer mediated communication, media studies, and virtual interactions. More specifically, I am interested in video game research, health games, entertainment education, and social media. Video games have a special place in my heart because I met my husband online while playing a game (Final Fantasy XI). As such, I’m drawn to exploring and understanding interactions in virtual worlds. Currently, I’m finishing my thesis on emoticons and working with the Health Games Research center at UCSB. I’m looking forward to starting the Ph.D. program in the Communication department at UCSB in the fall and getting to learn more about game studies. My goals are to become a university research professor so I can incorporate my geeky interests in my courses!

What is it like being an ARC/SC summer research scholar?

The Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral program is fantastic – I feel privileged to have this opportunity to participate in summer research. It’s given me a jump start in making valuable connections with staff and faculty who are doing wonderful work in my area of interest. Being involved has opened the door for me to join a team of like-minded researchers. The program itself gives us a glimpse in to the life of doctoral students and helps prepare us with professional development workshops while also teaching us about resources. I have to also mention that they keep us very well fed, which is a nice bonus : )!

What’s been a source for motivation or drive for you?

Video games have had an enormous positive influence on my life in many ways including my health, education, and socialization. I see games as tools that have the powerful potential to help people teach, learn, and grow. I’m driven to help others to understand the benefits to make our everyday lives more gameful. 

Name the accomplishment you are most proud of, and why.

I like to joke that one of my proudest achievements was winning the fishing competition at Booty Bay in the game World of Warcraft – but in all seriousness, I am immensely proud of being accepted in the Ph.D. Communication program at UCSB! It’s always been my dream to go to graduate school and the program is phenomenal here. I’m very excited to grow as a scholar and learn more about video games and virtual interaction.   

What makes you, you?

At my core, I’m silly, shy, and nerdy. While I consider myself an academic, I try to keep my research and teaching both light-hearted and fun. I also have two adorable cats – I try to infuse pictures of them into my teaching whenever possible. I can be introverted and quiet, but I push myself out of my comfort zone as much as I can! Since I’ve moved to Santa Barbara, I’m trying to develop my nature side by taking walks and hanging out at the beach. Lastly, I’m a foodie and I love to eat, bake, and cook! 

Where did you grow up?

My hometown is Grass Valley, California.  It’s a pretty forested area about an hour north of Sacramento.

What’s a guilty pleasure of yours?

Two come to mind: first, I love dance video games like Dance Dance Revolution and Dance Central with the Kinect. They give such a good work-out! However, you would absolutely never catch me dancing out anywhere in public! Second, I watch a lot of reality TV – I even paid to watch the live camera feeds of the Big Brother house this year. Although, so far it’s been kind of uneventful because the houseguests just sleep and eat all day!

What’s playing in your iPod right now?

I’m listening to an album called Dolphin Dreams – it features ocean sounds mixed with piano, guitar, and percussions. When I’m writing, I like music I would best describe as ambient or new-age.  It helps me feel more thoughtful and reflective!

Any advice or final thoughts to current or future ARC/SC summer research scholars?

Yes, my main piece of advice is to never give up! The first time I applied to the Pre-Doctoral program in 2011, I did not get in that year. But I spent my time doing more research, presenting at conferences, and working to becoming a better candidate. When I applied in 2012, I did get accepted and it’s been such a great experience ever since! Always remember that perseverance pays off : )!

Janet NapolitanoThe following is a news release issued Thursday by the University of California Office of the President:

The University of California Board of Regents today (July 18) appointed Janet Napolitano, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a two-term governor of Arizona, as the 20th president of the University of California.

Napolitano, the first female president in UC’s 145-year history, succeeds Mark G. Yudof, who steered the university through the depths of California’s financial crisis that led to sharp cutbacks in state support for public higher education.

Yudof, 68, served for more than five years and will remain on the job until Napolitano begins her tenure in late September. Napolitano was appointed during a special meeting of the board following a recommendation by the regents’ special search committee last week.

“I am humbled by your support and look forward to working with you to build further on the excellence of UC,” Napolitano said after the regents appointed her president.

Napolitano, 55, an accomplished public sector leader with a long-standing interest in education, was the search committee’s unanimous choice from among more than 300 prospective candidates. As UC’s president, she will oversee 10 campuses and five medical centers – plus a new medical school at UC Riverside – as well as three affiliated national laboratories and a statewide agriculture and natural resources program.

The University of California, widely considered the nation’s premier public university system, enrolls more than 234,000 students, employs about 208,000 faculty and staff, and counts more than 1.6 million living alumni. Its annual operating budget stands at more than $24 billion.

UC Regent Sherry Lansing, who chaired the presidential search committee, called Napolitano a transformative leader and tireless champion for the life-changing opportunities that education provides. She and other regents praised her intellectual curiosity, political acumen, personal dynamism and willingness to tackle complicated issues as attributes that will serve her – and the University of California – well. 

 “As governor of Arizona, Napolitano was a strong advocate for public education, from K-12 to the university level,” said UC Regents Chair Bruce Varner. “She appreciates the importance of public research universities, faculty scholarship and research, and UC's role in shaping California.

“I am confident that she has the background and attributes needed to build upon the excellent work of her predecessor, Mark G. Yudof, and to lead the university forward to even greater achievements.”

President Barack Obama, who chose Napolitano to head Homeland Security – the third largest federal department – praised her remarkable career of public service after it was announced she was leaving his cabinet to lead the University of California. He emphasized her leadership skills, tireless work ethic, judgment and advice, as well as the value of her friendship.

Napolitano was born in New York City and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Albuquerque, N.M., before coming to California to attend college. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Santa Clara University, where she was named the university’s first female valedictorian. She also won a Truman Scholarship, a prestigious fellowship for college students who have demonstrated leadership and an interest in government or public service.

After earning her law degree from the University of Virginia, she went to Arizona in 1983 to serve as a clerk for Judge Mary M. Schroeder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and later practiced law in Phoenix at the firm of Lewis and Roca, where she became a partner in 1989. She was the first female attorney general of Arizona, from 1998 to 2003, and served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona from 1993 to 1997.

Napolitano was twice elected governor of Arizona, serving from 2003 to 2009, and was named one of the top five governors in the country by Time magazine. As the first woman to chair the National Governors Association, she launched the “Innovation America” initiative to align K-12 and higher education curricula to better prepare students for a global economy and strengthen the nation’s competitiveness by improving its capacity to innovate.

At the Department of Homeland Security, she has championed cutting-edge research and development, investing more than $2.2 billion in state-of-the-art solutions at national labs and universities across the country to protect people and critical infrastructure.

Under her leadership, Homeland Security also has strengthened its outreach efforts to academic institutions through the establishment of the Office of Academic Engagement; and she created the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council, involving leadership from more than 20 universities and colleges around the country.

Napolitano has repeatedly testified about the need for comprehensive immigration reform and, earlier this year, she served as the Obama administration's sole witness in the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on the Senate's comprehensive immigration reform bill.  She also testified before the Senate in support of the Dream Act and defended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals process in a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee. 

UC’s Special Committee to Consider the Selection of a President, assisted by the national executive search firm Isaacson, Miller, was involved in recruiting, screening and interviewing candidates for the university’s top administrative position.

In addition to Varner and Lansing, the immediate past Board of Regents chair, the committee members were regents Richard Blum, Russell S. Gould, George Kieffer, Bonnie Reiss and Fred Ruiz. Jonathan Stein (student regent) and Ronald Rubenstein (alumni regent) also served on the committee. Gov. Jerry Brown was an ex officio member. An academic advisory committee was appointed to assist the regents' special committee. Student, staff and alumni advisory committees joined the Academic Advisory Committee in making recommendations on the selection criteria.

As UC president, Napolitano will receive a base salary of $570,000. Her predecessor’s annual base salary was $591,084, plus an auto allowance of $8,916. She also will receive an auto allowance of $8,916. Her salary is below the 25th percentile of cash compensation for comparable systemwide university presidents, which stands at $617,000. That means more than 75 percent of university system leaders nationally earn more than her annual salary.

As a condition of her employment and for the convenience of the university, Napolitano will be required to live in housing leased by UC or later, if one becomes available, a university-owned home.

She also will receive a one-time relocation fee of $142,500 which is 25 percent of her annual base salary. Under UC policy, this amount is intended to reimburse one-time and ongoing, unreimbursed expenses associated with the transition and will be paid as a lump sum. If Napolitano leaves her position within four years, these funds must be repaid to the university according to the following schedule: 100 percent if separation occurs within the first year of employment, 60 percent if separation occurs within the second year of employment, 30 percent if separation occurs within the third year of employment, and 10 percent if separation occurs within the fourth year of employment.

Napolitano will receive standard health and retirement benefits, and a contribution of 5 percent of her salary to the Senior Management Supplemental Benefit Program. By virtue of her appointment beginning after July 1, 2013, she will be included under the new tier of the UC Retirement Program.

This news release may be viewed online here.

Ryan Bulis' "Garden Variety" installation contains references to the "Green Man," or "Wild Man." Credit: Patricia Marroquin

Ryan Anthony Bulis’ master’s project had its roots in kitschy garden statuary. Ryan, who earned his Master of Fine Arts degree last month, took an underutilized outdoor museum space at UCSB and transformed it into a whimsical attraction with items to catch both the eye and the imagination: lawn jockeys, gnomes, topiaries, even a curious “Green Man.” He calls his installation “Garden Variety,” but there’s nothing commonplace about it.

Ryan explains the significance of each item to the garden, and the cultural differences in garden spaces throughout history. His research included looks at Roman gardens, Italian Renaissance gardens, English landscape gardens, Chinese gardens, and Japanese gardens. What intrigued Ryan was how gardens through the ages have had the power to unite the wildness of nature with the civility of mankind.

Ryan Bulis' "Garden Variety" overlooks the UCSB Lagoon and is just outside the Art, Design & Architecture Museum. Credit: Patricia MarroquinThroughout the garden, Ryan has placed informational signage. In “The Garden and History” sign at the entrance, he writes:

“The Garden is a familiar place. Biblically, paradise was described as the Garden of Eden, while Ancient Greeks saw the garden as a site for carnal celebration. Grecian garden parties were a way to honor Dionysus, god of wine, ecstasy, and madness. Shakespeare’s use of the garden in ‘The Winter’s Tale’ suggests that the garden is a place between the orgy of Dionysus and the purity of Eden. The understanding was that the garden was a private place where half-civilized behavior could take place while embracing one’s inner satyr.”

The peaceful plot of fancy is tucked away at the top of a flight of stairs overlooking the UCSB Lagoon and is just outside the Art, Design & Topiary, Green Man, and gnome. Credit: Patricia MarroquinArchitecture Museum. At the garden’s center is a rectangular bed of grass, filled with colorful ceramic mushrooms and gnomes, most of which Ryan created; a bright flowerbed; a trio of lawn jockeys; and scattered seashells. Around the edges of the garden are yet more statuary; interactive lawn games; wooden benches; topiaries and chia plants; and a “Green Man” mask hung on the brick wall.

Ryan’s “Garden Variety” project was initially part of the museum’s “Inside Out: 2013 UCSB Master of Fine Arts” exhibition, held from May 25 to June 16. The exhibition displayed the works, in a variety of mediums and techniques, of graduating MFA students. Those 2013 Department of Art graduates are listed here. Although Ryan’s garden was meant to be temporary, it still stands. He said it is likely to remain up for the summer. Because of the openness and interactivity of the space, however, it is susceptible to theft and damage, which have occurred since its installation, Ryan said.

Three lawn jockeys are prominently displayed in "Garden Variety." Credit: Patricia Marroquin

Ryan, who recently earned his MFA from UCSB and holds a BA in Fine Art (2009) from UC Davis, says he’s fortunate to have secured a teaching fellowship at UC Santa Barbara for the 2013-14 academic year. He is teaching in the College of Creative Studies and for the Art Department.

In early June, we had a chance to speak with Ryan. He shares what he learned through the research for his master’s thesis; why giving back is a priority in his life; the challenges of being a first-generation college student; what’s up with that mysterious, green “Wild Man” seen throughout his garden; and more. Read on, and view our “Garden Variety” video at the end of the article. …  

Colorful and whimsical statuary fill Ryan Bulis' garden. Credit: Patricia Marroquin

You said you have noticed a change in the size and importance of art programs in the UC system over the years. Please elaborate.

I know that most of the art programs within the UC system were larger in the past. The economy has been in a decline since I was in high school, and I am sure as the economy has worsened that a major like art seems less and less like a sure investment for post-academic employment. The thing I advocate for in education is the same thing I advocate for in art: education for education’s sake and art for art’s sake. I worry that economic uncertainty has devalued art as a legitimate major of study. The future I hope for is to both prioritized education and art.

What has it been like to be a first-generation college student?

I am the first to attend college in my family. Both my parents struggled in school due to family trouble and a lack of emphasis on academic study. My mother dropped out of high school and later received her GED and my father transferred to a continuation school whereby he never officially graduated. This problematic relationship with secondary education left both my parents with an ambivalent attitude for school. They have always been supportive of me and expressed that they expected that I perform well in school, but I feel like they lacked the experience to successfully guide me as I approached college. This in combination with their busy work schedules caused me to become independent and self-motivated.

Being that my college experience was riddled with challenges unique to first-generation students, I have always made it a priority to give back to the community I came from. Working with nonprofits and grant-funded programs, I have had the chance to guide students, like me, to a college that best fits their needs. The program I most recently worked with was the TRIO program GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs).Through this program we offered academic guidance, mentoring, and tutoring programs in addition to monthly field trips to schools that would be of interest to Southern California students. Giving back is a major priority to me and I hope to integrate my art-making practice with some form of community development.

How did you come up with the idea for "Garden Variety"?

I had other ideas in the works for the thesis show, but once Elyse Gonzales, the museum’s curator, presented the garden space as a potential space for a project, I was totally committed to making new work for this underutilized space. From there I just began to research what the garden was in our culture and where it came from. Through that research I found that the kitsch garden statuary of today shares its lineage with the garden itself. Other aspects have leached into my process, but by and large I was interested in uprooting the meaning of the space between nature and man.

Please describe "Garden Variety."

"Garden Variety" is a largely sculptural installation that utilizes interactivity, landscape and social practice as a way to activate the site and the audience that would usually ignore the museum’s garden space. The sizable investment on my part is a way of making the space as venerable as possible. This vulnerability leaves the space open to total destruction or total investment. The objects and landscape features are meant to activate the audience’s ownership over public space while also awakening them to the vast and interesting histories that exist in the objects of the everyday environment. Overall I have seen the interaction with the space as being overwhelmingly constructive.

At your installation, a sign tells visitors that they may enjoy “the untapped splendor in everyday objects while confronting their darker past.” What were you referring to?

I feel like many things that we experience in our daily lives are simultaneously rooted in ancient tradition while also being the product of chance or incomplete knowledge. In the face of tradition we continue to yield our creative potential to appease cultural uniformity even when we know the tradition is wrong. I cite the days of the week. The days of the week are based on the number of planets that were known to exist in ancient time. The Sun (Sunday), The moon (Monday), Mars (Tuesday), Mercury (Wednesday), Jupiter (Thursday), Venus (Friday), Saturn (Saturday). I am fascinated that there is an origin story for most everyday objects, yet that story is unknown by most people. Just because it’s tradition doesn’t mean it’s correct. This relates to design, administrative hierarchies, and general problem-solving.

Some objects have actual insidious origins and have had a profound effect on our cultural attitudes. The lawn jockey has been a source of racism while also having remarkably heroic moments in its history. The lawn seems like a benign cultural object until you examine the effect grass has on water conservation and soil quality. To weed a garden is a subtle eugenic gesture that may speak to other eugenic attitudes that are just below the surface of our collective consciousness. I tend to correlate the way we treat lesser life forms to how we treat our fellow man.

Is the face on the brick wall supposed to be a likeness of you? If so, why?

The mythical "Green Man." Credit: Patricia MarroquinThe mask on the garden wall is not necessarily supposed to be me; it could be Pirate the local legend of IV (note the one closed eye), Robert Arneson, or anyone who has features that mark them as primitive or feral. The origin of the Green Man wall mask goes back to ancient Greek culture where this garden feature was a representation of the Greek God of Wine, Dionysus. The later versions of the statue became a lost homage to the god that was also the god of the wilderness, dancing, and revelry. The later forms come from northern Europe where they had been reinterpreted from the versions made during Roman occupation of Britain. The Green Man mask of Britain is said to be the image of a Wild Man peering through the edge of the forest and into your garden, a place meant to represent the threshold between the wilderness of nature and the civility of man.

Explain your use of the “Wild Man” in your installation.

The Wild Man is a symbol of humanity’s primitive past. This symbol both reminds us that we are not in the state of nature while also making a statement that primitiveness is bad. I am interested in the way we as humans create hierarchies that reinforce and justify the great chain of being. The image and idea of the wild man is pervasive, and most of the time they are not even recognizable. R. Crumb’s Mr. Natural, the Green Man garden sculpture, Krampus, trolls, shaman, Great Apes, Big Foot, Vikings, Neanderthals, Captain Caveman, The Hulk, etc. … Any time ancient man encountered a society that was closer to nature than they were, they deemed this other society as wild and therefore subhuman. The example I like to cite is the word for Orangutan means “person of the forest.” Many of my performances are meant to provoke the Wild Man that lurks just below our otherwise composed self. Like Jekyll and Hyde, I feel like there is a beast in all of us waiting to make its appearance.

It appears that this is an interactive project. Please explain why you want visitors to interact with it.

Ryan Bulis with one of the inhabitants of his garden, the gnome. Credit: Patricia MarroquinThe idea behind interaction in the garden is one of symbolic value. Art is historically a spectator-based experience for the audience. Artists like Allan Kaprow and Marina Abramovic have utilized the audience’s participation as a way to activate the spectator into the participant. For the garden the real test is in the way the audience interacts with the space. I have seen large groups of people playing and changing the space and I have watched others just walk through with minimal engagement. I do not measure the success of the piece through a narrow definition. I would rather the success be determined by the audience and I am not concerned with the classic definition of guiding the audience to one prefabricated interaction. The interaction is important because of the heightened risk and uncertainty that a public space provides.

What will achieving this MFA mean to you?

The MFA experience is an invaluable opportunity for a young artist to develop ideas and strategies for art-making while in the sanctuary of the academic setting. One can take big risks in this environment that couldn’t as easily be taken under the watch of the greater art world. Here a failure is less public and you have the benefit of a creative and critical community that helps you work through challenging and unconventional ideas. I for one have tried to work in unconventional ways that have yielded great success and miserable failure. I want to keep curious, I want to engage new audiences, and I am hungry for what comes next.

What has TAing been like for you?

Being a TA and a section leader at UCSB has been a great experience. The Department of Art runs section courses like art labs. Most of the art-making happens in these sections and we are responsible for two-thirds of the day-to-day content. This has complemented my interest in leadership and alternative methods. One great lighting demonstration I gave to my Intro Photo class included a Skype call to my class that was projected in place of my presence. I used a variety of light sources, on my end of the camera, to demonstrate the subtle power light has in making mechanical images. The classroom is best when all my students come together in a way that they share their knowledge and experiences. I am happy to be their most important resource, but I feel like they have everything they need already inside them. I see my job as giving them permission to do things the rest of society prohibits. Whether it’s the permission to play or the permission to fail, I see the lessons in my classroom as valuable lessons for any student in any discipline.

What are your plans in the near future? And what are your longer-term career goals?

My near future is in teaching at UCSB. I am fortunate that the Department of Art has granted me a teaching fellowship for the 2013-2014 academic year. I will teach three classes over the course of the year in the College of Creative Studies with opportunities to teach for the Art Department. This summer I will also get a chance to teach intermediate drawing. I am very passionate about my students, and I truly believe in the capacity for all students to be creative. Having taught a great deal already I would love to continue teaching at the university level. Other plans include potential collaborative projects with Tristan Newcomb on a film project and Erik Sultzer on an installation in Houston, Texas. I also have plans to propose some public art projects for the city of San Diego. The future is bright.

Carlos Jiménez, a doctoral student in the Film and Media Studies department, hopes that his research will shed light onto migrants' use of various forms of media to exchange information and overcome harsh living and working conditions. Carlos is a Ford Fellowship recipient and the first in his family to pursue a Ph.D. He has an M.A. in Film and Media Studies from UCSB and a B.A. in Communication, with a minor in Digital Media Production, from DePaul University in Chicago. Read on to learn more about Carlos' passions, accomplishments, and advice for graduate students.

Tell us a little about your research and how you came to choose the topic.

I study the media practices and media environments of farm laborers (predominantly Mexican migrants) in Oxnard, California. I consider how social, cultural, and economic constraints produced by migration and reterritorialization cause farm laborers to engage with media in unexpected and creative ways, both at home and at work. Some media I study include smart phones (social media: Twitter, Facebook, etc.), remittance media (Western Union, mobile money, mwallet, etc.), televisions, and international calling cards. I am interested in the flow of information, and how media and space interact on the fields, in restaurants, and at home.

Carlos JiménezWhen I first arrived at UCSB I studied ethnic humor in film, but I could not find purpose or direction for my work. I found myself in the media archives of USC, UCLA, and the Paley Center, and I felt secluded. I wanted a research topic and method that dealt with current issues, people, and problems that could be solved in my lifetime: hunger, migration, and low-wage. It took me two years at UCSB before I realized that what I wanted had been near me the whole time. As I began looking for a dissertation topic I discovered that a through line in my research dealt with how disadvantaged people overcame harsh living or working conditions. These are the conditions that produced me, my family, and I want to understand them. I ultimately found my dissertation project through a combination of luck and great mentorship. If it had not been for Film and Media Studies Professor Lisa Park’s class on TV/New Media my second year, I don’t think I would have ever thought about studying the media environments and media cultures that were around me. Dr. Parks encouraged my interest in ethnography and television located in Latino public spaces in Santa Barbara. She started me down a path towards becoming an ethnographer. Then, I made inroads into course work in both Chicano/a Studies and Anthropology, where both students and faculty have been extremely supportive.

What has graduate student life been like for you?

My first few years were very difficult. I remember that there was no such thing as a weekend for me. I would wake up Saturday and Sunday and head straight to my desk, library, or office. Skipping meals was normal, and so were protein bars. But graduate student life is such a privilege. I get to be around some of the most intelligent and hard-working people in the United States. I may not have had the same academic background as many of my peers that I have met at the university, but I now have their support. My first roommate Diana Pozo was an incredible source of knowledge and encouragement, and I do not believe I would have made it past my second year without her. I am not the same person that came to UC Santa Barbara four years ago.

I have been so lucky to be a part of the Film and Media Studies department and even more lucky to have such a supportive community at the University. I do admit that sometimes it does get hard and sometimes as a person of color I did get a case of imposter syndrome. I did experience some discrimination, but because of my department and the graduate students, I kept going; they believed what I was doing was important. I stayed and continued to work hard because of people like Diana Pozo, who would stay up late studying with me, Maria Corrigan, David Gray, Athena Tan, and Rahul Mukherjee, who would take time from their schedules to encourage my ideas and writing. I know I am privileged in this stage of my life to be able to spend a day in the sun reading and learning from some of the most accomplished students and professors.

What has been a source of motivation or drive for you in your graduate studies?

I want to be able to say that I was first-generation college student who lived on the South Side of the City of Chicago (not the suburbs), attended Chicago Public Schools, and became the first in his family to become both a college graduate and a professor. I hope that my background and experiences serve as motivation for others that are thinking about becoming graduate students. I want to motivate hundreds of underrepresented students toward their Ph.D. that would not have previously considered the option.

Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and why.

One day I received an email that I had received the Ford Foundation Fellowship. In disbelief that I had actually received it I replied to that email asking what was the next step in the competition. I received a reply that said there are no other steps and that I am a recipient. I had earned one of the most selective and competitive fellowships available to the humanities. This moment was important for me because it brought financial security to my studies, and it gave me a confidence in myself that I had been lacking. I have that over my wall and I make sure to read it any time I doubt myself.

Who is your hero and why?

My dad is my hero. The U.S. has been less than kind to him, but in spite of the discrimination, low-wage labor, and long hours he still has hope and happiness. My dad came here at 22 not knowing English, without documents, and only a limited understanding of American culture. Yet, he learned English at a community center through night classes after work in the 1980s. It would take him 30-something years, but in 2012 my dad attended college after being laid off to seek vocational skills. He was 62 and did not let a struggling economy stop him. I’m only 26 and am (hopefully) less than 2 years away from completing my Ph.D. When I am 62 I can only hope to be filled with as much sprit and heart as him.

What do you do to relax? Any hobbies, collections, pastimes, favorite places to go, favorite things to do? Along these same lines, what makes you happy?

Ever since I have moved to Santa Barbara, I’ve become very Californian. A yoga studio opened up on my block and I said to myself, why not. I also learned how to garden in Santa Barbara and now I have my own vegetable garden. My prized possession is a 3-year-old avocado tree that one day will meet my annual avocado needs. I also do donation-based videography and photography for friends or people around town who need some photo help. I have a section dedicated to graduate students: www.carlosjimenezworks.com

What do you hope to be doing 5 or 10 years out of graduate school?

Aside from maybe having a tenure track position, in 5 years I hope to be the director of a mentorship program like the McNair Scholars Program (which I have worked for a little over 3 years now) that mentors underrepresented college students toward a Ph.D. or greater academic achievement. I am also hoping that during this time I continue my photography and in 10 years I’ll be a famous photographer.

Do you have any advice for current grad students?

The exercise, eating, study, and research habits that you have now during your years as a graduate student will probably be the same habits you have when you are a professor. If you do not like them, change them now. Become aware of them, and adjust them because they will not change themselves the moment you become a professor; life does not work that way. The professor or person you want to become, that processes starts right here, right now.

On Wednesday, the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District held a Transit Talk to discuss a 30 percent service reduction for routes throughout Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria. The UCSB graduate student population is very concerned with the proposed bus service reduction. The Graduate Students Association created a brief survey to gather comments on Tuesday and in only 24 hours they received 163 responses. Officers gathered information regarding the most common concerns student have and also collected service suggestions offered by graduate students. Detailed information is listed on the GSA Facebook page.

GSA Vice President of Communications and Records Ester Trujillo relayed student concerns to the MTD Board. Graduate students suggested actionable changes to the plan rather than requesting MTD not cut weekend service to the 24x – UCSB/Downtown Express line. She expressed to the MTD board of directors that approximately 79 percent of graduate students who responded the survey indicated that they use the 24x on the weekend. Most notably, many graduate students expressed concerns about not being able to get to the UCSB campus for weekend work, including lab work and research or writing on the weekend. Graduate students often depend on bus lines to get to UCSB and to get home after work and classes.

Many graduate students opt not to purchase a vehicle to keep their cost of living down. Many graduate students live on a $18k-$22k salary/stipend each year. The survey also revealed that many graduate students cannot afford the costs of living closer to the UCSB campus and must commute from downtown Santa Barbara where cheaper housing options are available. Students are concerned that there are no other alternative bus lines to get to downtown Santa Barbara in a timely fashion. Line 11- Hollister/Goleta Line takes twice the time to get from the transit center to the UCSB campus than the 24x – UCSB Express. Another concern students had is that Line 24x is frequently full, especially during rush hours but also including weekends, therefore line 24x is not a good candidate for service reduction. Additionally, many students who live in Isla Vista or Goleta use the 24x for transport to recreational and consumer activities downtown on the weekends.

Graduate students also provided some suggestions for MTD that I presented at Transit Talk. Students’ top request to not eliminate the 24x and many actually insisted service to the 24x be increased during the summer due to an influx of Education First students residing in IV. MTD has conceded that service will be increased to the 24x because of these reasons beginning in August, however service reductions may affect these increases and they may be short-lived.

Graduate students suggested MTD re-route remaining bus lines, if there are cuts, so that lines 24x or 11 go further into Ellwood to make up for the reductions to lines 23 and 25. Students also suggested collapsing overlapping lines into one line to reduce costs. Particularly of interests was the idea of combining Line 12x – Goleta Express with the 24x- UCSB Express and adding the stops made in Goleta by the 12x to the 24x’s route.

Graduate students also suggested increasing service during rush hours and reducing service during non-impacted hours. Students indicated that rush hours on the 24x are between 7 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Several graduate students suggested the possibility of severing bus ticket fee deals between UCSB graduate students and MTD if they eliminate vital bus lines and others also suggested that the university become more involved in advocating for its student population.

At the Transit Talk meeting, the board of directors indicated that SB MTD receives 20 percent of its funding from the Federal Government. This money amounts to $4.6 million for the upcoming year. The money is being held from cities throughout California because the state passed a law allowing labor unions to challenge the provisions of their pensions. This law is called PEPRA - Public Employees Pension Reform Act. According to the MTD board, the federal government is holding money from transit departments throughout the state of California because transit unions have not come to an agreement. The U.S. Department of Labor reviews cases on an individual basis and is yet to review SB MTD’s funds requests. It is this fund shortage that they are preparing for in the event that of a need for service reduction.

MTD is preparing to carry out a reduction plan called Option A, which can be seen here online: http://www.sbmtd.gov/download/news-and-alerts/20130627-DrasticCuts/TransitTalkPackage.pdf

SB MTD has requested that interested parties contact Ann Comer (Comer.Ann@dol.gov) of the US Department of Labor to request that the federal money be released to MTD as soon as possible.

Community activists are also starting conversations about MTD employees rights to object to pension payment increases and decreases.

MTD plans to have three more meetings to discuss their plans, one in Goleta, one in Santa Barbara, and one in Carpinteria. GSA encourages graduate students to attend the MTD meeting in Goleta and voice their concerns directly to the board on Aug. 13 at 2 p.m. in the Goleta Valley Community Center located at 5679 Hollister Ave.

Jane Close Conoley and Gale MorrisonProfessor Jane Close Conoley is returning on August 19 to her duties as Dean of UCSB’s Gevirtz School after serving for eight months as Acting Chancellor of UC Riverside. UC President Mark Yudof praised Conoley for her “outstanding service,” and UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang noted in welcoming her back that “she brings with her valuable insights and perspective gained from her time at our sister campus.”

Dr. Conoley was selected by the UC Board of Regents in November 2012 to assume the interim role at UC Riverside while a national search was conducted for UCR’s next chancellor. In her absence, Dr. Gale Morrison served as Acting Dean of Gevirtz. Dr. Morrison, former Graduate Division Dean, had retired in June 2012.

Last week, President Yudof announced that he had selected Kim A. Wilcox, former Michigan State University Provost and Executive Vice President, as the ninth chancellor of UC Riverside.

Conoley returns to a graduate school that in March of this year took the No. 40 spot on U.S. News & World Report’s listing of best education graduate programs nationwide. The Gevirtz School was No. 29 on U.S. News’ list among public universities.

“I have had a great learning experience as interim chancellor at UCR, but am pleased that we were able to accomplish a successful search for a permanent chancellor in just seven months,” Conoley said in a Gevirtz news release. “I look forward to resuming my UCSB work together with the faculty, students, and staff at the Gevirtz School.” 

In thanking her for her service, Yudof said: “Jane Conoley has been a superb dean, and her outstanding service as interim Chancellor at Riverside has deepened her leadership skills and expertise. I join the Chancellor, faculty, staff, and students at Santa Barbara in wishing her the best as she resumes her duties at UCSB.”

In a UC Riverside Tweet, the university praised Conoley for doing “a remarkable job” and expressed gratitude that UCSB “shared” Conoley with its campus.

For more information, read the Gevirtz press release.

Also, read our previous articles:

Gevirtz Dean Conoley Named Acting Chancellor of UC Riverside

Dr. Gale Morrison to Return to UCSB as Acting Dean of Gevirtz Graduate School of Education

Michelle Leber, left, and Justine Ophanon have won 2013 Knowles Science Teaching Foundation Fellowships. They begin teaching high school science in the fall.Two recent Gevirtz Graduate School of Education graduates have won Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) fellowships that will assist them as they begin their careers teaching science to high school students.

Michelle Leber (M.Ed, 2013, Teacher Education Program) and Justine Ophanon (B.S., 2011, Aquatic Biology; and M.Ed 2013, Teacher Education Program) were selected after a rigorous screening process.

In the fall, Leber will teach 9th-grade global science and 12th-grade Advanced Placement Physics at Oak Park High School in Oak Park, Calif. Ophanon will begin teaching Earth Science at Seaside High School in Seaside, Calif., in the fall.

"The professional development and community of professionals provided by the KSTF fellowship will help me grow as a teacher," Leber told the foundation. "Through discussions with other teachers and the sharing of lessons, I will be able to more effectively reflect upon my teaching practices and rejuvenate my lessons with new ideas."

Ophanon told KSTF: "The thing I am most excited to gain from being a part of the KSTF fellowship is the collaborative community. I love working with people and hearing different ideas, experiences, and stories, so getting to work with people from different parts of the nation will be exciting!"

The KSTF Teaching Fellowships are geared toward recruiting, training, and retaining exceptional science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teacher candidates.

Read the full news release below for more details, which include a link to apply now for the 2014 KSTF Teaching Fellowships.

Congratulations to alums Leber and Ophanon!

TWO GEVIRTZ SCHOOL GRADUATES SELECTED TO RECEIVE 2013 KNOWLES SCIENCE TEACHING FOUNDATION TEACHING FELLOWSHIPS

Comprehensive program offers financial support and professional development for early-career STEM teachers

Moorestown, N.J., August 1, 2013 – The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) recently announced its 2013 cohort of Teaching Fellows, two of which are alumnae of the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education: Michelle Leber, M.Ed. ’13 (Teacher Education), and Justine Ophanon, B.S. ’11 (Aquatic Biology), M.Ed. ’13 (Teacher Education). The selected fellows participated in a rigorous screening process. With only 15 percent of the applicant pool being chosen, they represent some of the top talent in the nation.

The KSTF Teaching Fellowships address the recruitment, training, and retention of exceptional science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teacher candidates, with the aim of improving STEM education in the nation by building a stable, sustainable corps of STEM teacher leaders. Leber and Ophanon, along with the other 33 members of the 2013 cohort, are committed to teaching STEM subjects to high school students in the United States. Designed specifically to develop beginning teachers into teacher leaders, the Teaching Fellowships offer support and guidance as fellows embark on the credentialing process and their teaching careers.

Born in the Allentown, Pa., area to Joan and Rich Leber, Michelle later relocated to North Carolina, where she attended Chapel Hill High School. Prior to enrolling at the University of California, Santa Barbara, she earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Washington. While conducting neutrino research at UCSB, Michelle decided to pursue teaching as a profession. In the fall, she will begin teaching ninth grade global science and twelfth grade Advanced Placement (AP) physics at Oak Park High School, located in Oak Park, Calif.

Reared in Monterey, Calif., by Jill Norasate and Visith Ophanon, Justine graduated from Monterey High School in 2007. In addition to her master’s degree, Justine holds a bachelor’s degree in aquatic biology from UCSB. In the fall, she will begin teaching Earth Science at Seaside High School, located in Seaside, Calif.

Applications for 2014 KSTF Teaching Fellowships are now being accepted. Details about the application process can be found at www.kstf.org/apply.

During this past spring quarter, Peter Mage stepped onto a stage in front of a packed theater and presented a 3-minute research talk about the use of new technologies to detect and treat diseases. This event was the Grad Slam Finals, a new UCSB competition for the best 3-minute research talk. After all nine Grad Slam finalists presented, the winners were announced and Peter stepped forward to claim first place and a $2,500 research prize.

Peter just finished his second year as a doctoral student in the Materials department. He has a bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics. He jokingly shared that he hopes to graduate in the next three to ten years. Read on to learn more about Peter's groundbreaking research and his experiences as a graduate student.

Tell us a little about your research and how you came to choose the topic

My research in the Soh Lab is aimed at developing new ways of detecting and treating disease. Specifically, I work on designing, building, and deploying small devices that can rapidly sense drugs and disease markers in clinical samples like blood. The goal of this work is to create technologies that give us a window into the biology of our bodies in real-time, so that we can make medical treatments smarter and more effective. I actually wasn’t planning to get involved in medical research when I was applying to grad school, but when the opportunity arose to join a research group and apply my background in physics to biological questions, I decided to go for it. I’m glad I did!

Credit: Patricia MarroquinWhat was it like to participate in the Grad Slam? What did you learn from the experience?

The Grad Slam was simultaneously one of the most fun and one of the most stressful things I’ve been involved in since coming to UCSB. I love public speaking, especially when it involves the chance to explain my research to a broad audience in a fun and high-energy format. Unfortunately, I also love procrastinating, which led me to pull an all-nighter before each of my Grad Slam rounds as I frantically prepared my talk. I’d say that I learned three key things from participating: (1) Do not put off preparing a talk until the night before said talk, unless you like staying up all night and being miserable; (2) Getting other people excited about your research can get you excited about your research again; and (3) Grad students in departments all across campus are doing fascinating research and can communicate that work extremely well.

What has graduate student life been like for you?

I’ve only been here for about two years, so my sense of cynicism hasn’t fully matured yet, but I’ve enjoyed myself so far. Classes and research can be stressful at times, but for the most part I have found my work interesting and have been able to maintain a (relatively) healthy work-life balance. I let myself get way too overcommitted as an undergrad, so I’m trying to use grad school as an opportunity to learn how to commit myself more fully to a smaller number of things. Other students in my department do a good job of working hard while also having fun and enjoying their lives, which has helped me gain some perspective.

What has been a source of motivation or drive for you in your graduate studies?

Working in the biomedical field is intrinsically motivating, because the projects I’m working on have the potential to lead to real breakthroughs that can help people. There’s also something exciting about working on fundamentally new science, especially in relation to something as important and ubiquitous as medicine. Beyond that, being surrounded by people who are much smarter than I am – both fellow grad students as well as faculty and other researchers in my field – reminds me that I can constantly work harder, better, faster, and stronger. It helps that many of these people are my friends as well, which forms a valuable community where we can support and encourage each other when experiments, classes, or bosses are not going as well as we’d hoped.

Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and describe why

I’m very proud of the fact that I can now read a paper or attend a talk in my field and only be confused most of the time, as opposed to the entire time. In all seriousness, transitioning from a physics undergraduate education with no background in biology to a Ph.D. program centered around complex biomolecular research was challenging to say the least, but I now feel positioned to make a meaningful contribution to the field through my research. On a related note, winning the Grad Slam this year by talking about my research was a major accomplishment for me, and helped confirm that changing fields may have been a good idea after all.

What do you do to relax? Any hobbies, collections, pastimes, favorite places to go, favorite things to do? Along these same lines, what makes you happy?

I LOVE rock climbing and running. Santa Barbara is by far the most beautiful place I’ve lived (nothing against Ohio, but… yeah), and I enjoy pretty much any activity that lets me be out in the sun. I got addicted to climbing not too long after moving here, and it turns out that a lot of other UCSB grad students are too. If my hands/arms are too tired from climbing, running is a great way to clear my head after work. When I’m not outside, I like to cook, read or just hang out with friends. I’d say I’m happiest when I’m with my friends and/or precariously clinging to some rock up in the hills.

What do you hope to be doing 5 or 10 years out of graduate school?

I really don’t know at this point, and thankfully, I have a few years yet to decide. I know that I love communicating science to a broad audience, and I think I’d enjoy the process of translating research into real-world products. So, I think I’d be happy either working in a start-up or in industry, somewhere at the interface between biomedical research and product development.

Do you have any advice for current grad students?

Take your work seriously, but also take your life seriously. We all have to work a lot, but that doesn’t mean that we should let our labs, classes, or advisors totally own our lives (disclaimer: I hope my advisor isn’t reading this). Now is the best time in our careers to make a habit of being healthy and happy.

An advanced interdisciplinary course is allowing graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members to meet world leaders and experts, including a Nobel Prize winner, “and live, eat and breathe” science this summer at UCSB.

Within the lecture halls of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) and the labs of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), the new Santa Barbara Advanced School of Quantitative Biology is spotlighting the dynamics of morphogenesis. Morphogenesis is a process that converts the genetic blueprint of a multi-cellular organism into complex physical structure.

Nearly 100 international scientists have come together to collaborate on the topic of animal development for this course, presented by KITP and CNSI, called "New Approaches to Morphogenesis: Live Imaging and Quantitative Modeling." The researchers represent such disciplines as engineering, physics, mathematics, and biology.

"Quantitative biology is really a major construction project in science and so is a very natural focus for an interdisciplinary school," Dr. Boris Shraiman, Susan F. Gurley Professor of Theoretical Physics and Biology, a member of KITP, and a founding co-director of the course, said in a campus news release.

Chemical Engineering Associate Professor Todd Squires is a student in the course. Credit: George FoulshamMichelle Dickinson, a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland and a student in the course, said in the release: "This program is really unique in that it's incredibly interdisciplinary. It's physics combined with biology, and technically I'm an engineer so it combines engineering, too. It's a great place to meet world leaders and experts, and live and eat and breathe the science that we're trying to solve."

"We put together eight core ideas for research projects, but it's really the students that bring this to life," Dr. Joel Rothman, Wilcox Professor of Biotechnology in UCSB's Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) and the other founding co-director of the course, told the UCSB Public Affairs and Communications office.

"The students are driving the research in ways that we wouldn't have even come up with," he added. "They're bringing a lot of fresh ideas, so the synergy that's created by bringing scientists of this broad expertise together creates whole new ventures that wouldn't have been created in a typical course environment."

The student researchers attend lecture-discussions with such distinguished academics as Eric F. Wieschaus, Squibb Professor in Molecular Biology at Princeton University and winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Among other UCSB students and faculty involved in the program are MCDB Professors Denise Montell and Bill Smith; Mechanical Engineering Professor Otger Campas; Chemical Engineering Associate Professor Todd Squires; and Physics grad student TA Nicholas Noll.

Santa Barbara Advanced School of Quantitative Biology receives grant support from Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. In addition, state-of-the-art imaging systems are loaned to the school by Andor, Coherent, Leica, Nikon, Olympus, and Zeiss. The course is continuing through August 24.

For more information and full details on the course, read the Office of Public Affairs and Communications news release and view the video below.

UCSB's Summer School for Quantitative Biology from UC Santa Barbara on Vimeo.

Solar panels on the roof of Bren Hall, the first building in the country to receive Double-Platinum LEED recognition. Credit: Jonas Krant

It’s cool to be sustainable. And because UC Santa Barbara is, it has been ranked No. 10 on Sierra magazine’s list of “Coolest Schools.”

The seventh annual ranking by the Sierra Club’s official publication recognizes 162 colleges and universities that are creating solutions to climate problems and are making huge strides to operate sustainably.

The formidable numbers tell the story, Sierra magazine says:

“44 of its buildings are LEED certified, 47% of academic departments offer a class about sustainability (for a total of 321 classes and 217 faculty members who do eco-research), 50% of food served is local, and 75% of waste gets saved from the landfill via recycling and composting; the goal is to get that latter percentage to 100 by 2020.”

Since the late 1990s, UCSB has lowered its electricity use by a third, aided by 10 on-campus photovoltaic systems; reduced water use by 25%; and cut food waste by nearly 35%.

In addition, 94% of students use alternative transportation modes to get to class. That practice is fueled by the availability of more than 10,000 bicycle parking spaces and 10 miles of bike paths.

There are 10 miles of bike paths at UCSB. Credit: Patricia Marroquin"UCSB has long sought to reduce the impact of campus activities upon the planet through the application of existing technology and modifications of behavior, even as our faculty members and students seek to develop new solutions," Bruce Tiffney, dean of the College of Creative Studies and co-chair of the Chancellor's Campus Sustainability Committee, said in a campus news release.

“While we have much yet to accomplish, our momentum and commitment will lead to greater achievements in sustainability, a more aware student and alumni body, and, I trust, continued ‘Coolest Schools' awards," he added.

Bob Sipchen, Sierra's editor-in-chief, said: "For the past seven years, Sierra magazine has ranked colleges and universities on their commitment to fighting climate disruption and making sure the future their students will inhabit has safer water, clean air, and beautiful landscapes. By showing such strong leadership on so many fronts, the best of these schools are pointing the way for other institutions."

For more information, read the full news release by the Office of Public Affairs and Communications, and Sierra magazine’s article. Also, view KEYT's on-campus video report.

KEYT reporter Shirin Rajaee interviewed Kate Kokosinski, UCSB's sustainability coordinator, for a story on UCSB being named No. 10 on Sierra magazine's list of "Coolest Schools" for sustainability. Credit: George Foulsham

Ester Trujillo wants to bring out of the shadows a population she calls largely invisible: U.S. residents of Salvadoran descent. It saddens her to see this ethnic group portrayed as primarily impoverished, undocumented gang members. Ester wants to show “there is so much more to Salvadorans than that” through her Ph.D. research, but by her own excellent example, she is also demonstrating this.

Ester, a doctoral student in Chicana and Chicano Studies, earned her BA in Chicana and Chicano Studies, with a minor in Political Science, from UCLA in 2010; and her MA in Chicana and Chicano Studies from UCSB in 2012. She is currently the Funding Peer Advisor at the Graduate Student Resource Center and is serving her second term as Vice President of Communications and Records for the UCSB Graduate Students Association.

Ester Trujillo. Credit: Patricia MarroquinThis Mellon Fellow is the first in her family to go to college in the United States, and the first to go to graduate school. She grew up in East Los Angeles, and attended Woodrow Wilson High School, but she graduated in the Antelope Valley when her parents moved the family of five to the high desert. Often mistaken for Mexican American, Ester’s ethnicity blends two cultures: Her mother is from El Salvador, and her father is from Mexico.

Her parents never fail to remind Ester how privileged she is to live and thrive in the U.S. Her mother, who escaped the civil war that raged in El Salvador from 1980 to 1992, told young Ester stories of walking to school past bullet-riddled buildings and streets strewn with the dead. And her father, who was educated in mechanical engineering in Mexico but unable to make a living at it there for economic reasons, sewed buttons on clothing to put food on the table for his family when they emigrated to the U.S.

Today, Ester’s parents, who are now U.S. citizens, own a produce wholesale warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, a business they have run for more than two decades. As a child, Ester put in many hours at the Trujillo Produce warehouse over school breaks hauling boxes and tending to customers. You might think strolling through a farmers market would be the last thing she’d want to do in her free time, but Ester tells us that buying her veggies at the Goleta Farmers Market on Sundays actually relaxes her.

In our Graduate Student in the Spotlight interview, this busy Ph.D. student shares what motivates her to study the impact immigrant histories have on second-generation Salvadoran-descent college youths; why she calls herself a “TV junkie”; how the brain activity while sleeping assists her in her research; what “ethnographic excursions” are and why she enjoys them so much; and more. Read on. …

Ester Trujillo attended a Mellon Mays graduate conference at Princeton University in 2011.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in East Los Angeles and attended Woodrow Wilson High School. After my parents moved us out to the high desert, I finished high school in the Antelope Valley at Quartz Hill High School. My mom is from San Salvador, El Salvador, and my dad is from Michoacan, Mexico. I am the oldest of three siblings. My brother, Rafael, recently graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Astrophysics and my sister, Lily, is Student Body President at Wilson High.

Tell us a little about your research and how you came to choose the topic.

My research is about the impact immigrant histories have on second-generation Salvadoran-descent youth in college. Latinas/os in Southern California are homogenized under a pan-ethnic umbrella that obscures generation, immigrant cohort, country of origin, class, race, and language practices among different groups. My broader goal is to analyze the diasporic connections children of immigrants have to their parents’ homeland. I want to know how diasporic connections influence pan-ethnic constructions of ethno-racial identity.

The Salvadoran civil war raged from 1980 to 1992 and today the Salvadoran-descent population in the U.S. numbers close to 2 million. The Salvadoran population poses an interesting case of variegated migrant histories among U.S. Latinos because although they are racially similar in diversity and mestizaje to other Latinos, El Salvador’s history of constant U.S. imperial interventions has forcibly displaced millions through war, genocide, and poverty in modern times. Today, the Salvadoran population remains largely invisible, undocumented, and impoverished inside the U.S. I am constantly saddened by images of Salvadoran gang members on television and in print media, where the entire community is represented through those images. Although El Salvador’s transnational gang community is a reality, there is so much more to Salvadorans than that and I hope to show the diversity through my work.

What has been a source of motivation or drive for you in your graduate studies?

Ester Trujillo with her parents and siblings at Graduate Division Commencement in 2012, where she received her master's degree in Chicana and Chicano Studies.I draw motivation for my work from my parents and especially from my mom. She escaped during the civil war and her strength motivates me to capture some of the stories told by Central Americans. She draws on her experiences during the war often to remind me how privileged I am to live in the U.S. When I was younger I would complain about going to school once in a while and she would tell me stories about how she walked miles and miles to attend school each morning on streets piled with dead bodies and buildings replete with bullet holes.

My father grew up in a dusty rancho in Michoacan and although he studied mechanical engineering in college in Mexico, he was unable to finish due to costs and the failing Mexican economy. He did not see a future there and he cites high levels of corruption among engineering hiring practices as the reasoning for leaving behind his college education. He took a chance and immigrated to the U.S., where he worked in a textile factory and was paid by piece to sew buttons and cut fibers off of clothing.

Little Ester Trujillo, here with her father, developed an interest in music at an early age.My parents are now U.S. citizens who have owned a small produce wholesale warehouse in Los Angeles for over 23 years. They have worked 16-hour days, from 2 a.m. to 6 p.m. tirelessly to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. I spent my summer, winter, and spring breaks working in the warehouse with them as a kid, carrying boxes and tending to customers.

I owe my career and my life to my parents’ courage to leave everything behind and to journey to the U.S. for better opportunities. I know that there are many others like my mother who did not have the opportunity to escape the Salvadoran civil war and others like my father who did not have the privilege to make it into the university system. I am motivated to carry forward their legacy and go as far in my education as I can to honor their sacrifices. I am in graduate school to represent for my communities, to mentor students who want mentorship, and to publish on my communities and their resilience.

What has graduate student life been like for you?

I am lucky to study in a unique interdisciplinary department that allows me to do the research I need to do. My first year in graduate school was extremely difficult. I was not used to reading so much or giving up so much sleep. I constantly missed my loved ones and had a lot of anxiety. Although I still read a lot and I still miss my loved ones, I have found ways to improve my reading skills and I have rarely compromised on sleep since I started my second year. I realized sleeping a full seven to eight hours makes me feel better, physically and emotionally. I figure that as I sleep, my brain is working to process the information of the day and it’s a necessary process for my research to improve.

I became involved with the UCSB Graduate Students Association (GSA) in 2012 and was elected VP of Communications and Records for a second term this spring.  I enjoy keeping everyone up to date about everything related to graduate student life at UCSB. In this post, I am exposed to more information about campus life and life in the Santa Barbara area, so I enjoy being in this city more than when I initially arrived. Participating in GSA has also allowed me to meet graduate students from multiple disciplines and I get to have great conversations with people outside my research fields.

What do you wish you had known before you started grad school?

Ester Trujillo received her master's degree in Chicana/Chicano Studies from UCSB in 2012.I wish I had used my seminar papers more productively. Some people use seminar papers to start brainstorming ideas related to their research. I was not able to successfully broker my seminar papers with professors in the courses I took until my third year and I wish I had done it sooner.

I also wish I had known that intellectual life can be quite solitary at times. I am a social person and the research and writing process can be lonely. Luckily, I have found that UCSB undergraduates are very open to discussing their ideas with me and I have felt lucky to teach in Chicana/o Studies, where I interact with undergraduates and discuss ideas with them almost daily. This is important for me because they are my population of interest and it’s important to me that I stay in touch with the group I attempt to represent in my research.

I wish I had known to apply for funding all the time. One does not simply wake up one day and write a winning funding application; it takes practice and persistence. Write a drafty-draft, revise, and submit it. What if your application is rejected? Ask for feedback and do it again. Your applications will improve each time and you will become a stronger candidate. I wish I had started applying for funding consistently even before my first year. I would have a full year of additional experience and potential funding!

Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and why.

I am very proud to be the youngest person to ever teach as an Instructor of Record in my department. At the age of 24, I was appointed to teach Transnational Chicana/o Studies and I learned so much about myself. I learned to push my workload capacity to the limits and juggled administrative and pedagogical responsibilities for the class with taking a full courseload of my own. I was also under individual writing and research deadlines, as well as fulfilling my duties for GSA all at once, but I made it through and accomplished all my goals. 

What do you do to relax? Any hobbies, favorite places to go or favorite things to do?

Ester Trujillo and her partner enjoy a whale-watching excursion.I love going to the Goleta Farmers Market on Sundays. I go get my veggies for the week. I stop and listen to the musicians who congregate outside of Starbucks. I also enjoy people-watching amidst the thousands of tourists that flood into Santa Barbara in the summer, especially around the first weekend in August when the Old Spanish Days Fiestas take place. I think of it as an ethnographic excursion where I get to peer into the Spanish fantasy past construct.

I am a TV junkie and I watch it all: sci-fi, drama, comedy, reality, Spanish language, etc. I obsessively watch entire show series on Netflix and I wind down at the end of a long day by watching a comedy show.

I enjoy living four blocks from the beach and I go there often to take a walk on the sand. I also take whale-watching excursions often and have become familiar with the whale migration calendar for the channel. The ridge between the central coast and the Channel Islands is incredibly filled with wildlife and I feel lucky to live in a place people visit for vacations from around the world.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

I’m a pretty good singer but most people do not know. I grew up singing in church choirs and one of my dreams is to record an album some day.

What do you hope to be doing five or 10 years out of graduate school?

Ester Trujillo leads a May Day march in Los Angeles in 2009.I would love to teach, research, and write within an R-1 institution. One of the immediate draws of graduate school has been its service as a steppingstone to the professoriate. As a Mellon Fellow, I am in good company and heftily supported in networks and in funds to follow in this trajectory. These resources are indispensable to me and I look forward to paying them forward as a scholar-activist who teaches critical thinking with purpose.

I hope to inspire my students. I hope that they will inspire others and that they will edify their communities and their families. I hope my students will erect, govern, and feed cities and nations. I hope I can help my students understand and defend human rights in any way they can.

Do you have any advice for current grad students?

Do not give up on your dreams and engage in research that matters deeply to you. Do not let the competitiveness of the academy steer you in directions that compromise your integrity or your values. Find happiness in whatever way you can and do good work. Be persistent and apply to funding often.

What is your role as Funding Peer Advisor?

My role is to help graduate students understand the basics of graduate funding and to help them find the opportunities that best suit them. I am of the belief that containing opportunities – especially funding opportunities – from others is not the sign of a brilliant mind. I believe the academy is better when we work together to build information and knowledge within and across disciplines. I am happy to help graduate students from all disciplines find funding and I await appointments and visits. [Note: Address any funding inquiries to Ester via email at fundingpeer@graddiv.ucsb.edu.]

Dr. Phil DeMuth believes grad students should act more like CEOs. To get through the “enterprise” known as graduate school more efficiently, he says, students should demonstrate executive leadership and outsource the tasks that aren’t “mission critical.”

DeMuth wishes he had operated in this manner when he was a grad student at UCSB in the 1970s, but it doesn’t seem to have hindered him. The UCSB valedictorian – who holds two degrees from the campus (BA, Communication, 1972; MA, Communication, 1973) and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (1977) from the Fielding Institute – today is a successful investment advisor to high-net-worth individuals; a co-author of 10 books with actor-commentator-investor Ben Stein; and a frequent guest on radio and TV shows speaking on financial topics.

Phil DeMuth was a guitarist and singer in the 1960s rock 'n' roll band Lenny & the White Knights.Stocks and The Street were not at the top of Phil’s mind in his teens and twenties. During high school in the 1960s, he was busy playing guitar in a rock 'n’ roll band that once opened for Herman’s Hermits. In his Commencement address at UCSB in 1972, he spoke about bears, but not the economic kind – they were the roller-skating circus species.

During the many years he worked as a psychologist specializing in behavioral medicine, DeMuth longed to be an author. A flood of rejection letters drowned this dream, that is until his brother introduced him to economist Ben Stein. The obsession Stein and DeMuth shared for the stock market led to a successful book writing partnership. It was a natural progression for DeMuth to parlay the investment books into a business. Today he is Managing Director of the Los Angeles-based investment advisory practice, Conservative Wealth Management LLC.

Phil DeMuthDeMuth suggests that grad students view their college education as an investment, and that when they enter the job market, “they should be aware that by far the most valuable asset they possess is their human capital.” That’s why he thinks it’s important for graduate students to “manage” their education and “always keep your eye on the goal.”

In this interview, DeMuth tells the GradPost which UCSB course was most valuable to him; why he was called into the Dean’s office a week before Commencement; how his psychology background assists him in his financial advising work; why he always liked to hang out with the smartest students he could find at UCSB; and more. Read on. …

Phil DeMuth, left, with his mentors, colleagues, and friends Warren Buffett and Ben Stein.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up on the North Shore of Chicago and came to UCSB from an East Coast boarding school, Lawrenceville. It was the 1960s and it felt like being let out of a straitjacket.

Where do you and your family reside today?

I am married to Julia and have two children, Olivia, 13, and Rani, 37 (Rani is from a previous marriage), and I live in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles.

Phil DeMuth spoke about bears, but not the Wall Street kind, in his UCSB Commencement speech as valedictorian in 1972.

What was it like to be valedictorian of your graduating class at UCSB?

It was interesting to be in a cap and gown and address a stadium full of people. However, my high school rock and roll band opened for Herman’s Hermits in 1969 at the Steel Pier in New Jersey so I had been in front of a big venue before. I remember telling a story about a roller-skating bear that had escaped from a circus. People were advised that they should not assume the bear was friendly just because it was on roller skates.

Phil DeMuth played guitar in the high school rock 'n' roll band Lenny & the White Knights, which opened for Herman's Hermits in 1969.

What was your band’s name and did you pursue music beyond high school?

It was called Lenny & the White Knights. Lenny was a soul singer from Bedford-Stuyvesant. He was killed in a knife fight outside a bar defending a girl's honor. I sang and played lead guitar. No music since. 

What kind of student were you while you were at UCSB? You must have been very studious if you were named valedictorian.

I was called into the Dean’s office the week before and told that I had put the school in an untenable position: I was a Commencement speaker but I wasn’t going to graduate because even though I had a boatload of credits, they didn’t actually fulfill the requirements of any particular major. A horse-trading session followed, where I explained how my Greek Drama class actually could be seen as fulfilling the American History requirement, etc. We worked it out and I was able to graduate.

What was graduate school at UCSB like for you?

I was interested in studying with a particular professor, S. John Macksoud, who had independently discovered deconstructionism in parallel with Jacques Derrida. Macksoud left in the middle of the year so I soldiered on alone. His book from 1973, “Other Illusions,” has just been published by Purdue University Press, 40 years after he wrote it and eight years after his death.

Is there anything you didn’t know then that you wish you had known before entering graduate school?

A grad student is the CEO of an enterprise that calls for executive leadership and brokering and outsourcing everything that is not mission critical. It is important to stay on good terms with your professors and manage the process, always keeping your eye on the goal, and not get lost in the weeds. I should have hired more outside help and not done everything myself.

Who are you referring to when you say you should have hired more outside help as a grad student?

Editor, typist, research assistant, research consultant, statistician, etc. I should have managed the important stuff (research design, implementation, writing), but outsourced everything else I could have. I don't see a problem with hiring someone to do a first pass through the review of the literature, for example. I think grad students often get lost along the way and need to think like managers instead of serfs.

Please tell us a little about your master’s thesis and your dissertation. What were they about?

Neither one has stood the test of time. The judgment of history in this case has been entirely correct.

"A grad student is the CEO of an enterprise that calls for executive leadership and brokering and outsourcing everything that is not mission critical. It is important to stay on good terms with your professors and manage the process, always keeping your eye on the goal, and not get lost in the weeds." – Phil DeMuth

Who has been and/or is a hero, mentor, role model, or inspiration to you?

Professor Macksoud taught me to have a relentlessly questioning attitude, and this has been a useful stance. My current gurus are Warren Buffett [investor, philanthropist, and Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway], who doesn’t seem to have made a bad decision in his entire life, and his partner Charlie Munger [Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman], who I think is the wisest person on the planet right now.

What was your first job out of graduate school and how did you get it?

I was hired as an administrative assistant at the Fielding Institute by Frederic Hudson and Halleck Hoffman. I got to know them in the course of my graduate studies and I guess they didn’t want me to starve.

How does someone with degrees in Psychology and Communication end up in investing?

I worked for many years as a psychologist in the area of behavioral medicine, but always had an itch to try my hand at writing. The publishing industry had other plans, and buried me in an avalanche of rejection letters. 

Phil DeMuth and Ben Stein have had a successful book writing partnership, co-authoring 10 books on investment topics.

My brother worked with Herbert Stein (who was Chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors) and introduced me to Herbert’s son, Ben Stein, economist and actor [“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” 1986]. We discovered that we shared an obsession with the stock market. One day Ben said that he thought our lunch conversations about the market were publishable. He sold our first book in five minutes with an email. He made it look easy.

Since I was investing myself and writing about investing, I realized that the book could be a marketing tool for an investment advisory practice [Conservative Wealth Management]. I hung out a shingle, the book sold well and led to nine more, and I became a full-time investment advisor and writer.

Please describe your current job and what it entails.

Being an investment advisor means getting to know people well enough to understand their financial goals and then designing and managing a portfolio that has the greatest likelihood of achieving them. It is a great honor to be trusted with managing someone’s money. The part I hate is any time when I underperform the benchmark indexes. This is inevitable but I always hate myself when it happens. 

I have recently started writing a column for Forbes.com and this is a lot of fun because I can write something and not have to spend a year writing it and then waiting for the book to be published.

How does your psychology degree help you in your role as a financial advisor?

Phil DeMuth is a frequent guest on TV and radio shows. Credit: The Street TVBy far the most valuable course I took at UCSB, career-wise, was Statistics. That’s probably still true today for many students. It enabled me to look at the stock market not through the lens of Wall Street opinion, which is all marketing hype, and analyze the data. This saved me years of wandering in the desert. 

Psychologists know how to listen. Everyone says they listen but almost no one does; they’re just waiting for the other person to inhale so they can jump in and hijack the conversation. Really knowing how to listen, especially for the underlying emotion, is useful. But in the end, clients want me for my portfolio expertise, not for hand-holding. 

What is it like to work with Ben Stein?

Ben is brilliant and has benefitted me immeasurably. He has probably written 30 books and 5,000 articles.  When I was at UCSB, I read Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and thought, “Gee – writing is easy.  Just make it simple and funny.” What I didn’t realize is that there is nothing harder than writing simple and funny. Then, writing a hundred drafts of a Ph.D. dissertation, with its dry, descriptive tone and passive voice, drove a stake through my prose. It took me years to unlearn this. Ben has been a great model and editor, and helped me get my prose style back on its feet.

What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment or something you are the most proud of?

My children.

"At UCSB I was always interested in hanging out with the smartest kids and professors I could find. I do that to this day. It’s humbling, but it keeps me on my toes. As Warren Buffett said to Ben Stein and me, 'You want a job where you are smarter at the end of the day than you were at the beginning.'" – Phil DeMuth

Why is it important for graduate students to know about investing? What should they know and how can they get informed? Do you consider a college education a form of investment?

When I went to college a liberal education was considered a good education in and of itself and in 1972 I would have been sanctimoniously contemptuous of the idea of college as a preparation for a career in the real world. But this was a time when any college degree was by itself a ticket to a job and American middle-class life. Not so any more.

Today college should be viewed as an investment, and students should seek useful skills that will help them solve difficult problems for people in the real world. Unless you are independently wealthy, it is probably better to read Jane Austen on your own time rather than when you are in college.

As students enter the labor force, they should be aware that by far the most valuable asset they possess is their human capital. Spending a lot of attention managing a $5,000 stock portfolio is a poor use of their time, which should be lavished on their careers instead. They should set aside any money they can into long-term savings (401k plans, IRAs, HSA plans, etc.) and invest it 100% in a stock market index fund at as low an expense as possible. This will give it the power of long-term compounding and time diversification. 

In what ways did UCSB prepare you for your career?

At UCSB I was always interested in hanging out with the smartest kids and professors I could find. I do that to this day. It’s humbling, but it keeps me on my toes. As Warren Buffett said to Ben Stein and me, “You want a job where you are smarter at the end of the day than you were at the beginning.”

Everyone wants to know the secret of success. Can you share some general qualities that are important to have in order to succeed, no matter what field a grad student enters?

People who acquire useful skills that solve important problems for people and who work hard applying them will succeed. Every employer I talk to says s/he can’t find qualified people. It’s hard to find a resume that doesn’t contain basic mistakes.

"Today college should be viewed as an investment, and students should seek useful skills that will help them solve difficult problems for people in the real world." – Phil DeMuth

Do you have any job search and/or job interview tips you’d like to share with our grad students? Anything you think will help a grad student stand out as a job seeker with potential employers?

I get email queries all the time from graduate student job seekers. Here is what I notice. The emails are about them. They are, I assume, mass emails. Unless you are the protégé of a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, there is not going to be anything unique about you as a new entrant to a field. What they should focus on instead is me (or any prospective employer). There is lots of public information about me and my firm, as well as about the challenges facing investment advisors. A personalized email suggesting that they were familiar with my philosophy, etc., would put them miles ahead of the pack. Make it about them, not about you.

How can universities do a better job of preparing graduate students for careers?

Market forces will make this happen. Mid-tier private colleges are about to go out of business thanks to online learning. The whole education model is going to be shaken up, and for the better. The best thing for education would be to get “educators” out of the way. All the issues with teaching and learning were solved by B.F. Skinner at Harvard in the 1950s. The core curriculum should be put into computerized modules based on operant behavioral principles and programmed learning. I see feints like Khan Academy, et al, and I am so disappointed that they don’t do it right. As I learned at UCSB when I read McLuhan, every new technology at first repackages the old technology. But we’ll get there, eventually.

Do you equate money with success? Or, put another way: Do you believe a person has to have a lot of money to be successful?

Absent the ability to look into someone's soul, I think there is a broad correlation between success and wealth, although obviously one with many exceptions and counter-examples. If you consider that most people had a subsistence living from ancient times up until the industrial revolution, and now ending poverty for everyone on Spaceship Earth seems possible within a few decades, economic progress has been a wonderful thing for humanity. I think the people who have helped pull this train forward are the most successful, and generally they have been financially rewarded for their labor. But in individual cases it completely breaks down. Note that Buffett and Munger are giving virtually all their billions to charity.  

What is something that very few people know about you or that would surprise people about you?

My home office overlooks Charlize Theron’s swimming pool.

What do you do for fun and/or relaxation?

Look out the window. Actually, I am a workaholic and would rather work than just about anything.

What’s on your bucket list of things to do?

I won’t be happy until a golden statue of me has been erected atop Storke Tower.

When asked what they did over their summer vacation, 71 accomplished high school students from around the globe will be able to say they did important hands-on research under the mentorship of UCSB faculty members, postdocs, and advanced graduate students.

RMP students Alexandra Wen, left, and Abigail Chua, right, work with grad student mentor Emily Ellis to extract ostracods, tiny crustaceans sometimes known as sea shrimp. Credit: Sonia Fernandez, OPACFor six weeks this summer, the students participated in UC Santa Barbara's 18th Research Mentorship Program (RMP), in which they conducted graduate-level research, went on field trips, wrote papers, designed posters, honed their written and verbal skills, and presented their results to audiences of their peers, mentors, families, and friends. The projects spanned 18 academic disciplines, including Chicano studies, chemical engineering, physics, and philosophy. The students came from as close as Santa Barbara, and as far away as China, India, Thailand, and Turkey.

In an Office of Public Affairs and Communications (OPAC) news release, Sarah Kang, a junior at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, said she gained more than just learning how to do research. She studied variances in algae growth response, while other students researched such issues as brain scans, fame in Major League Baseball, and the effects of yellow fever on the South.

RMP Director Lina Kim, who holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, said the research mentors taught the high school students how to produce research at a graduate level. “Every student coming in is a big fish in a small pond in their high school," she said in the news release. "When they come to UCSB, they come to this huge ocean where there are a lot of bigger fish.”

Research mentor and grad student Andrew MacDonald One of the research mentors, Andrew MacDonald, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, said in a video accompanying the news release:

 “It was nice to work with high school students who haven’t been in a college classroom yet. … They’re going to be much better prepared, once they are in that position … to really excel and to choose their preferred path forward once they get there. That has been exciting for me. And also just sharing what I do with some bright young minds has been excellent too.”

Jonathan Suen, a Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, said in the release: "I thought they were very talented and I was very impressed by the skill, the motivation, and the willingness of the students to learn.”

Other grad student research mentors included Emily Ellis of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology; and Nikki Marinsek, of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

For more information about the program, read the Office of Public Affairs news release and view the video below.

UCSB's Research Mentorship Program from UC Santa Barbara on Vimeo.

UCSB Ph.D. student Lindsay Marks was one of three grad students nationwide to win NOAA's Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship.

Whether collecting bowls of hail with her brother in New Zealand or samples of seaweed with other researchers in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Lindsay Marks has had a curiosity about science throughout her life.

That curiosity was fostered by her parents, college professors Rick and Joyce Marks, who made it their mission to expose Lindsay and younger brother Rob to the world through annual vacations to new places and even by living abroad, where they visited 33 countries in 13 months.

Lindsay, a second-year Ph.D. student in the Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology Department, recently learned from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries that she was among three graduate students nationwide to be awarded a Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship.

Lindsay Marks has done extensive dive surveys at the Channel Islands for her dissertation research.The scholarship recipients are graduate-level scholars studying marine biology, coastal resource management, and maritime archaeology. They will receive an annual stipend of $30,000; an annual education allowance of up to $12,000; and are eligible for up to $10,000 to support a four- to six-week research collaboration at a NOAA facility. Doctoral students are eligible to continue the scholarship program for four years and master’s students for two years.

The program, in its 13th year, is highly competitive. Lindsay was among about 250 applicants for the three awards. A panel of NOAA scientists reviewed and scored the applications based on such factors as academic excellence, recommendations, research, career goals, and financial need.

The scholarship program “is an exceptional opportunity to develop the next generation of NOAA scientists at the start of their careers,” Daniel J. Basta, director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, said in a NOAA news release. “I am confident that these scholars and their research will provide new knowledge to enhance the work and mission of the National Marine Sanctuary System.”

Lindsay’s dissertation research focuses on the impact a recently introduced invasive seaweed is having on local kelp forest ecosystems.

Although this scientist spends a lot of time underwater for her research, she makes the time on dry land to cultivate relationships with other students. Because of their shared experiences, these friends are a great support network and a source of inspiration for Lindsay.

In our Spotlight interview, Lindsay tells the GradPost which small accomplishments keep her motivated in her graduate studies; why this marine scientist is no longer a “water rat” in her free time; what natural substance from the sea she uses to create artwork; and more. Read on. …

What is your year in grad school, discipline, expected graduation date, and previous degree earned?

I have completed my second year as a Ph.D. student in the Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology Department.  My emphasis is in marine ecology.  I work in Dr. Dan Reed’s lab with the Santa Barbara Coastal Long Term Ecological Research (SBC-LTER) program, a branch of the NSF-funded national network of sites studying large-scale spatial and temporal ecological processes. I expect to graduate in June 2017.  I have a B.S. in Marine Biology from UC Santa Cruz.

Lindsay Marks had an early interest in nature and science. Here 11-year-old Lindsay and her brother, Rob, collected hail after a storm while living in New Zealand.

Where did you grow up? Tell us about your family, childhood, and upbringing.

I grew up in a small rural town in Northern California near Petaluma, Penngrove.  I had a very fortunate childhood and was close to my family. We ate dinner together every night, and afterwards my folks (Rick and Joyce Marks, who were both professors) would help my younger brother and me with our homework. They made it a priority to show us the world, too, and we went on a trip just about every year to someplace new. We also spent two long periods abroad: once for seven months in New Zealand when I was 11 years old, and once for a year in Europe when I was 16. My parents fostered a sense of curiosity about the world in me, and I think that’s the reason I was drawn to science.

The circumstances which brought us to New Zealand were that my dad, who was a mathematics and education professor at Sonoma State University, swapped positions for a semester with a professor from the University of Otago in Dunedin. We stayed in her home, drove her car, etc., while she and her family did the same in our home in Penngrove. My brother and I attended a public elementary school in Dunedin during that time. For that semester, my mother took a sabbatical. She was an English professor at the College of Marin. Both of my parents are now retired and my brother is attending Cabrillo College, near Santa Cruz, Calif. 

The year we went to Europe, 2001-02, both of my parents took sabbaticals and home-schooled Rob and me. They shipped a car over to France where we picked it up eight weeks later, so we were pretty mobile the whole time. We traveled to 33 countries in 13 months! We settled down twice for a couple of months (once in France and once in Italy) to focus on our schoolwork, but mostly we traveled the whole time. We were mainly in Western Europe, but we also saw a bit of Central Europe and Northern Africa. 

Other trips I took with my family when I was a kid include road trips to the Midwest, the East Coast, Vancouver in Canada, and Baja California in Mexico. We also did a lot of camping in California.

Tell us about the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship. How was it that you applied and what process did you go through to win it?

UCSB Ph.D. student Lindsay MarksThe Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship is administered through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS). Dr. Nancy Foster was a pioneer in marine ecosystem-based management, and this scholarship was authorized by Congress soon after her death in 2000 as a means of honoring her life's work and contribution to the nation. The program recognizes outstanding scholarship and encourages independent graduate-level research – particularly by female and minority students – in oceanography, marine biology, and maritime archaeology.  I learned about the scholarship through my lab mates, and I was one of three students nationally who received it out of approximately 250 applicants. The application process was similar to other graduate fellowships, except the research I proposed was aligned with the research priorities of our local sanctuary: the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.

What does winning this scholarship mean to you?

Winning this award was the best thing that could have happened to me at this stage in my degree. The scholarship will cover my education costs and provide a living stipend for the next four years, so I will be able to fully commit my time to my dissertation research. In addition, the networking opportunities and professional development provided by ONMS, and the two collaboration opportunities I will have to work directly with NOAA offices, will be invaluable experiences in the development of my career as a scientist.

Please tell us about the retreat you attended that was related to this award.

The retreat is an annual event hosted by the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries staff for all current Nancy Foster scholars. Each year the retreat is held near one of the National Sanctuary sites, and this year the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary was showcased. The retreat included some informational sessions about the national sanctuary system and local West Coast sanctuary sites, some team-building activities to help get the scholars to know one another better, some professional development workshops, and an orientation explaining the logistics of managing the award. This retreat made me feel as though NOAA is really investing in us scholars and will support us however they can during our tenure to prepare us for success in our careers.

Do you intend to use the research collaboration opportunities that the scholarship offers? If so, how?

I will certainly take advantage of the research collaboration opportunity. In fact, it is a requirement of the program that I participate in one, and a second is optional. The purpose of these collaboration awards is to help us to broaden our experience as scientists and expand our network of professional contacts. I hope to use one of these opportunities to work closely with the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary on my research project studying an invasive seaweed in the sanctuary. For my second collaboration, I may seek out an internship with a policy-oriented office of NOAA to learn more about how science can be translated into language and policy used for conservation and resource management.

Tell us a little about your research and how you came to choose the topic.

I had been doing ecological research in kelp forests for some years when I applied for this scholarship, and the topic I proposed to study was: how a recently introduced invasive seaweed Sargassum horneri is impacting local kelp forest ecosystems, and how the environment affects its spread. I learned of this invasion through the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary when they listed it as a research priority on their website. Once I developed a research proposal for this application, I became so interested in the subject that I began doing the work before I learned I won the award! So far, I have done extensive dive surveys at the Channel Islands to learn more about where and how the invasive alga grows and how it may be impacting native species. This fall, I will begin experiments aimed at testing some hypotheses that have come out of these surveys.

What has graduate student life been like for you?

I love being a graduate student! Sometimes I think to myself: How lucky am I that my job is to learn? It is certainly challenging and busy, but also very rewarding.

What do you wish you had known before you started grad school?

In my first two years as a graduate student, I felt overwhelmed by my responsibilities and didn’t allow myself much time for much socializing. But I have since realized that taking breaks and developing relationships with other students is actually just as important as what’s on that endless to-do list. Taking some time to relax helps to process information and generate new ideas. And having friends who are going through the same experiences can provide great support.

What do you like most about grad school and what do you like least?

What I like most about graduate school is the energizing atmosphere created by folks who are excited to be learning and love what they do. I also appreciate having the freedom to explore new things, and the permission to learn by trial-and-error.

What I like the least is not having much context for how I am progressing in my degree. It is difficult to feel like I’m making headway on a somewhat undefined goal with an end-date several years down the road.  I tend to just put one foot in front of the other, trust that I’m doing the best I can, and try not to worry about it too much.

What has been a source of motivation or drive for you in your graduate studies?

Small accomplishments keep me motivated. I recognize that even simple things like learning a new statistics program or writing a grant proposal help me develop skills I’ll need to be a successful scientist, and I stay motivated by focusing on these short-term goals and acknowledging myself when I reach them.

High school senior Lindsay Marks and her father, Rick, stopped in Sacramento on a tour of California colleges in 2002.Is there any event that had a big impact or influence on you and helped shape who you are today?

The traveling I have done, and in particular the extended periods I have spent abroad, have made me flexible and open to new experiences. I am content in times of transition and unpredictability, and I generally trust that even if my path is unclear, I will end up in the right place.

Who are your heroes, mentors, or inspirations in your life?

My hero is my dad. He is an incredibly smart and good-hearted person, and a great teacher, friend, and father. He found a perfect balance in life where he provided invaluable service in his career as a professor and touched many people’s lives for the better, but also experienced other joys in life like traveling the world and having a family. I aspire to, like him, make great contributions in my field, but also continue to enjoy the other wonderful things life has to offer.

Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and why.

Winning the Nancy Foster Scholarship is probably my greatest accomplishment to date! I am proud and honored to have received it.

What do you do to relax? What makes you happy?

Lindsay Marks presses kelp for creative fun; her framed artwork is displayed in her home.I used to be a water rat, but now that I spend so much time in the ocean for my research, my recreational activities have become drier! In my free time I enjoy making jewelry, and getting outside for hikes, disk golf, tennis, and camping/backpacking. I also press algae for some creative fun. Happiness is spending time doing fun activities with loved ones.

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

I get incredibly seasick! Not an ideal trait for a marine scientist! But I still love being out on the water, as long as I remember my anti-nausea drugs.

What do you hope to be doing five or 10 years out of graduate school?

I hope to have a permanent position as a researcher with an academic institution, government agency, or non-profit environmental group doing conservation-based marine science.

Do you have any advice for current grad students?

Take advantage of the GSA’s Bagel Hour (if you’re a student here at UCSB)! It’s great!