UC Santa Barbara College of Engineering’s graduate programs have that perfect formula for the success of its students: access to labs, libraries, and other key resources; opportunities to take part in professional research projects with faculty members; a top-tier worldwide reputation; affordable tuition; and multiple career connections to industries in the region and beyond. It is this winning formula that has prompted Value Colleges to rank UC Santa Barbara No. 8 on its list of Top 50 Best Value Graduate Engineering Programs of 2016.

As in other rankings this year, such as U.S. News and World Report and Washington Monthly, UC campuses were high on the list. Four of the top 10 graduate engineering programs on Value Colleges' list are University of California institutions. The three other campuses are UC Berkeley, No. 2; UC San Diego, No. 5; and UCLA, No. 6.

Value Colleges based its rankings on three metrics: U.S. News & World Report 2016 Best Engineering Graduate Schools (UCSB was No. 23); cost of tuition (data collected from the National Center for Education Statistics); and PayScale’s 2016 College Salary Report, which ranks UCSB No. 7 (annual salary data reported for entry-level engineers at $67,600 and mid-level engineers at $131,000).

In its article, Value Colleges stated what makes UCSB a “prime place” for students to pursue their graduate engineering education:

“What sets UC Santa Barbara apart from the other University of California system institutions on the Best Value list? Aside from one of the most beautiful campuses in the world, including its own beach and an extensive system of biking and hiking trails for students’ physical and mental health? Well, one thing worth mentioning is UCSB Engineering’s dedication to ‘convergence,’ with more than 20 interdisciplinary research centers and a robust system of corporate connections that creates a pipeline from the laboratory to the real world. Seeing as synchronicity is the state of modern engineering and technology, UCSB –  a ‘Public Ivy’ with affordable tuition and top-tier reputation – is a prime place for graduate students to prepare for engineering careers that will provide a sound return on investment.”

For more information and to read the complete list, read Value Colleges’ “Top 50 Best Value Graduate Engineering Programs of 2016.”

The GradPost interviewed several engineering graduate students to get their reactions to the honor and find out what they think makes UCSB’s graduate engineering programs so special. Here’s what they had to say:

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Chris Sweeney, Computer Science Ph.D. student

"UCSB has provided me with a unique experience in grad school because of the breadth of research and the interaction between different departments and labs. My lab, the Four Eyes Lab, ranges in topics from computer vision to data visualization to augmented reality to social modeling, and we have a very close relationship with the Media Arts and Technology department. This crossover has influenced my research by exposing me to different applications and areas that I never would have otherwise encountered, and I think everyone benefits from this sort of interaction."

Kelly Ibsen, Chemical Engineering Ph.D. student

"I am a non-traditional grad student, having worked for several years before deciding to pursue my Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. I picked UCSB because I knew it would provide both diverse research opportunities and an outstanding core engineering education, both of which are essential for a successful career in industry."

Morgan Vigil, Computer Science Ph.D. student

"I have been very pleased with my education in the Computer Science Department at UCSB. I have been well supported in my journey toward becoming an independent academic and I have been given numerous opportunities to pursue research that is cutting edge and personally meaningful. I feel confident that the guidance I am receiving from the Computer Science Department will serve me well as I continue in academia."

Justin Pearson, Electrical and Computer Engineering Ph.D. student

"UCSB has a very special place in my heart, and my UCSB education continues to serve me well. I'm very proud to be a part of such a respectable academic community, and I'm pleased to see UCSB's Engineering program ranked highly."

Sean Gilmore, Chemical Engineering Ph.D. student

"I am very excited about the opportunities presented for me here at UCSB. Being a part of a rapidly rising department and school places me at the center of cutting-edge scientific research. It is great to hear that the university is being recognized for the merit and value it provides to its students."

Julia Fisher, Chemical Engineering Ph.D. student

"I have only just started my graduate career at UCSB but I do not doubt the intent of the Chemical Engineering graduate program. The graduate program enables the passionate and curious to totally immerse themselves in engineering. We may enter as students, but we leave as peers; we become leaders in the engineering community."

UC President Janet NapolitanoIn a column this week on the independent news and commentary website The Conversation, University of California President Janet Napolitano wrote of the responsibility of the academic community to “ensure that the work and voices of researchers are front and center in the public square.” And she praised the Grad Slam, which had its origins at UC Santa Barbara under Graduate Division Dean Carol Genetti, as an excellent way to accomplish that.

Scientists, President Napolitano said, should be seen as regular people asking and answering important questions. She added that society needs more scientists who can explain what they do in language that is both compelling and understandable to a lay audience.

“At the University of California, we pride ourselves not only on the quality of our research, but also on its contribution to improving aspects of the world we live in,” President Napolitano wrote. “It also is possible,” she added, “to have some fun in demonstrating the broad, societal significance of research.”

Having “fun” for a “serious purpose” is how she describes the Grad Slam. Following is an excerpt of her remarks about the UC Grad Slam. To view her full column on The Conversation website, read “Why more scientists are needed in the public square.”

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“Last May, I had the opportunity to emcee the first-ever University of California system-wide Grad Slam.

The Grad Slam asked UC graduate students to take their years of academic toil and research, and present their work to an audience in just three minutes, free of jargon or technical lingo.

Think of these presentations as TED talks on steroids or the ultimate in elevator speeches. Each of our 10 campuses held a local competition, and the finals took place at our system-wide headquarters in Oakland. Several of those finalists are featured on The Conversation’s website [including Daniel Hieber, UCSB’s Champion who went on to take second place in the UC-wide Grad Slam].

While it was a fun event, the purpose was very serious.

Good, sound science depends on hypotheses, experiments, and reasoned methodologies. It requires a willingness to ask new questions and try new approaches. It requires one to take risks and experience failures.

But good, sound science also requires clear explanation, succinct presentation, and contextual understanding. Telling the story is half the battle, and Grad Slam is perfect practice.”

Stephanie Griffin. Photo courtesy of Stephanie GriffinStephanie Griffin is proof that graduate school can be a positive, fulfilling, and career-changing experience. A second-year Bren School of Environmental Science & Management student, Stephanie has also recently been hired as the Graduate Division's new Funding Peer.

Stephanie received her bachelor's degree in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland. She will graduate this June with her master's degree from the Bren School, focusing on Water Resources Management. Below she shares her unique experiences abroad and how those experiences brought her to study at UCSB.

Where did you grow up? Tell us a little about your family and childhood.

I moved around a lot as a kid (including several towns in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Texas, and Pennsylvania, all before I was 10 years old), although I'd say I grew up in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. I'm the oldest of four children, and my parents, siblings, and I live all over the world now. My brother's in a Ph.D. program at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, my sister is a chemist in Pittsburgh, and my parents and youngest sister recently moved to Mumbai!

Is there any particular event that had a big impact or influence on you and helped shape who you are today?

Probably the biggest influence on me today is my service as a Peace Corps volunteer. Just after graduating from college, I left to serve as an environmental education volunteer in Mali. Unfortunately, after about six months, there was a military coup d'etat and a secessionist war in the country, and Peace Corps Mali was evacuated. I finished the remaining 20 months of my service in Senegal as an agroforestry volunteer.

My experiences living and working with subsistence farmers in West Africa really drove my passion for sustainable natural resource management. Not only did this shape my academic/professional focus, but my life as well; integrating myself into another culture and living off the land for over two years was an incredibly humbling and educational experience.

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

My Bren Master's Group Project is investigating sustainable water supply sources for the south coast of Santa Barbara County (think, Goleta down to Carpinteria). We're looking at relative cost (financial and environmental), longevity, and efficiency of several potential supply sources. We're hoping our project will be able to provide local actors with useful tools for decision-making when it comes to determining water sources, rates, and conservation. 

Stephanie, right, at the Santa Barbara Polo Club with UCSB grad students Melissa Maggass, left, and Tiawna Cayton, center. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Griffin

What has graduate student life been like for you?

Very busy! After having been out of school for a few years, I definitely miss having a regular paycheck and legitimately free weekends, but it's nice to have more flexibility in my daily schedule. I love the ability to take many classes and enjoy access to the UCSB resources here.

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

Most: my peers. Being in an environment with others who are similarly passionate about learning about environmental science and sustainability is great. We all come from very different educational, professional, and social backgrounds, and I'm learning a lot from them. "Brennies" are pretty cool.

Least: feeling as if there are never enough hours in the day. Also, why don't we have a football team?

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

One benefit of returning to school after some work experience is knowing which skills are truly valuable in the workplace. I'm taking advantage of the technical courses and workshops offered here, to compensate for my policy-heavy undergraduate curriculum.

​Who are your heroes or mentors and why?

Some of my heroes are leaders in international development and sustainability: Norman Borlaug, Paul Farmer, Wangari Maathai. These, among others, were/are amazing innovators working relentlessly toward mitigating huge humanitarian issues. Reading some of their work as an undergraduate is what sparked my interest in international work and food security.

Bren classmates at an Environmental Defense Fund training in Chicago last May. From left, Hyemin Park, Mike Millstein, Stephanie Griffin, Erin Williamson. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Griffin

Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and why.

Learning the local language (Pulaar) of my village in Senegal! Because I was abruptly transferred there from Mali, I didn't go through training again – but that meant I also didn't get a language tutor. I was largely self-taught using the few Pulaar books available to me and starting random conversations with people. It was one of the most frustrating things I've ever done.

What do you do to relax?

I love any time outside. On weekends (and if I have time during the week), I go for long runs and spend time on the beach.

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

I'm a band geek! I was the drum major in my high school's band, then joined the marching band at the University of Maryland. 

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

Working for either a firm or in policy, working on natural resource management. Ideally, I'd be in a position actively promoting food security. 

Stephanie bouldering in Santa Barbara with other "Brennies" from the Bren School. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Griffin

Explain what you do in your role as Funding Peer Advisor. 

As Funding Peer Advisor, I provide both workshops/presentations and one-on-one advising for graduate students looking to finance their education or research. I show fellow grad students some campus resources for both personal and academic financial needs, as well as excellent extramural resources and databases to help them continue their searches.

What are your goals as Funding Peer Advisor?

The peer advisors in this position before me did a great job of reaching out to different departments and compiling really useful information on funding resources. I'd like to continue their awesome work, as well as expand into greater personal finance literacy (e.g., budgeting, how to save money while a student in Santa Barbara) and understanding finances beyond grad school, for example 401(k) plans.

Do you have any advice for current grad students?

Enjoy Santa Barbara! It's hard to tear yourself away from academic and work commitments for a weekend, but once in a while, it's needed (not to mention more fun!). It's important to enjoy the beautiful natural beauty and culture of the city we're living in now.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down.

"Grad school is 'real life,' and our happiness, fulfillment, and health during graduate school are just as important as the long-term gains we can attain from our studies and work."

Alex KulickThis is the advice that Alex Kulick, a second-year Ph.D. student in UCSB's Sociology Department, says he would give to fellow graduate students. Alex, a native of Michigan, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women's Studies from the University of Michigan and now serves as the graduate assistant at UCSB's Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity. He sat down with us to answer some questions about his community-based research, his biggest challenge in grad school, and who his hero is.

Tell us a little about your childhood and upbringing.

I grew up living with my parents and brother, and I was connected to a supportive and loving extended family and community. Growing up as a queer young person certainly posed some challenges for me – especially socially – but after coming out in high school, I was lucky enough to find a strong LGBTQ community through a local community-based teen center.

Is there any particular event that had a big impact or influence on you and helped shape who you are today?

The process of coming out as queer has been hugely influential on my life, values, and work. While the process of self-discovery and self-expression has certainly been important within this, I think that it’s been more so the strength, diversity, compassion, and love of LGBTQ communities into which I have grown and developed. This has been the most key in helping me to critically examine and improve my relationships with myself, others, and the communities in which I live.

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

My research focuses on processes, potentials, and challenges of collective social change efforts, with a particular emphasis on the leadership and strengths of queer and LGBT communities. I am currently working on a few different projects: one is examining the discursive strategies used in same-sex marriage advocacy; the second is examining the experiences of LGBTQ college students nationwide; and the third is documenting and analyzing the creative strategies of queer youth advocates in Michigan. This work has grown from my experiences as an activist and organizer with LGBTQ communities, including my belief in and commitment to the mutually beneficial relationships among academics, intellectuals, organizers, and activists.

Alex, second from right, presented research findings with queer youth leaders at a social work conference in Chicago.What has graduate student life been like for you?

Grad school has been full of surprises! Going from working full time in southeast Michigan to living and being a graduate student in Santa Barbara has been a culture shock in more ways than one. While this has certainly been trying at times, it has also allowed me to put in the time and work into readjusting my expectations for work, school, life, and – of course – balance.

What do you wish you had known before you started grad school? What do you like most about grad school and what do you like least?

I think the biggest surprise and challenge of graduate school has been a combination of learning to pace myself and developing strategies to sustain a healthy and fulfilling life while being a graduate student. Although I knew going in that grad school would be a place of intellectual challenges and professional growth, I was less prepared for the emotional, mental, and physical adjustments it would take.

I am incredibly grateful for the amount of autonomy and independence I have as a grad student, both in shaping the trajectory of my graduate studies, as well as in day-to-day life.

On the flip side, the ambiguity and lack of structure that comes with this autonomy is also my least favorite part of navigating grad life.

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

The strAlex, center, spoke at a University of Michigan community forum to address violence, incarceration, and the use of the death penalty.ongest source of motivation and drive have been my connections to family, community, and work outside of graduate school and academic life. The relationships I have in these spaces are really key in holding me accountable to the enormous privilege that being a graduate student affords. As well, these connections also help me continually feel grounded in the applications and implications of my research and writing.

Who is your hero and why?

One of my many (s)heroes is Adrienne Rich, the lesbian feminist poet and theorist. In particular, I love this passage from the convocation address she gave at Douglass College in 1977:

“Responsibility to yourself means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and naming for you; it means learning to respect and use your own brains and instincts; hence, grappling with hard work. ... It means that we insist on a life of meaningful work, insist that work be as meaningful as love and friendship in our lives. It means, therefore, the courage to be ‘different’; not to be continuously available to others when we need time for ourselves and our work; to be able to demand of others – parents, friends, roommates, teachers, lovers, husbands, children – that they respect our sense of purpose and our integrity as persons.”

As well, I feel lucky and blessed to have a number of different mentors and co-mentors with whom I’m able to be vulnerable with my work, professional development, goals, dreams, strengths, and challenges. It’s been especially helpful for me to reach out to my peers, including other grad students, as co-mentors as we go through this journey together.

Alex introduced Dr. Angela Davis with other student activists at the University of Michigan.Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and why.

I think the accomplishment that I’ve been most proud and excited about recently has been learning to travel alone. Although embarking on journeys by myself is often scary, I’ve found that learning to be independent in this process of setting out has opened me up to a whole new set of experiences and people that I’m eternally grateful for. 

What are your favorite hobbies?

One of the great joys of my life is taking long drives, despite the ever-present guilt from the feeling of wasting time, money, and gas. I’ve also recently begun a meditation practice, which has immeasurably helped me cultivate a sense of peaceful, calm determination. And of course, Netflix. My favorite shows include (but are certainly not limited to) "Gilmore Girls," "Parks and Rec," "Steven Universe," and "Avatar: The Last Airbender."

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

I’ve seen every episode of "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Roseanne."

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

Following graduate school, I am hoping to be working in a position that enables me to engage with and balance research and writing, community work, teaching, and organizing. Although this setup could be ideally located in a university setting, I could also see myself doing non-profit work, consulting, and/or some combination of part-time work.

Alex, in back row middle, poses with the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity staff.

The Graduate Division has recently revamped its Career and Professional Development web pages, and there are now even more resources and information to help you identify and pursue your professional goals.

Headlining the new Career and Professional Development section is the Graduate Student Resource Center, where you can find out about the programming and support available to you to help you succeed in grad school.

Click above to check out the new home page for Career and Professional Development

The new section also houses eight topical pages that feature on-campus and external resources. Click on an icon below to explore more about that page.

Dr. Michael Darling at the "David Bowie Is" exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in 2014.Michael Darling believes that graduate students should take control of their destinies and “make things happen rather than waiting for an opportunity to fall into their lap.” Throughout his life, this Art and Architectural History M.A. (1992) and Ph.D. (1997) alumnus of UC Santa Barbara has adhered to this philosophy, doing what he could to make himself stand out.

And stand out he has. Dr. Darling, 47, is the James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago, a role he has held since July 2010. The Chicago Tribune listed him among “Chicagoans of the Year 2014,” calling Darling a “rock star” for taking a gamble and securing the highly successful “David Bowie Is” exhibition for its only U.S. stop. Chicago magazine followed up in 2015, placing Darling at No. 93 on “The Power 100,” its list of Chicagoans who have the most clout. “Snagging the blockbuster” Bowie retrospective, the magazine said, is “a testament to this curator’s international reputation.” Darling shared the Power 100 list with luminaries such as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and filmmaker/philanthropist George Lucas.

Far from the Windy City and his future rock star persona, Darling grew up in the Los Angeles County coastal city of Long Beach. Michael was artistically inclined but “never very talented from a technical standpoint,” he said, and his “true epiphany” came in middle school when he came cross Picasso and Kandinsky in a textbook. He and his parents and two younger brothers enjoyed water-based activities of all kinds, including boating, surfing, and water skiing; and Michael competed on his high school’s water polo and swim teams. With relatives living in Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez, Michael and his family spent a lot of time in the Santa Barbara area even before he came to grad school at UCSB.

Michael Darling and friend Joe Scott took to the waves in San Onofre in the early 1990s. “Checking out the waves at Rincon on the way up was always a milestone on those road trips!” he recalled.

Stanford University, taking notice of his water polo talents, recruited him to play there. So Darling and three other close friends who were water polo and swimming standouts headed to Palo Alto for their undergraduate studies.

Darling earned his bachelor’s degree in Art History from Stanford in 1990. He wanted to pursue a graduate degree, but didn’t know exactly what area of art history to study.

“My interests were quite wide and varied,” Darling recalled. “UCSB had one of the most diverse and large art history faculties around at that time, with professors teaching in many different disciplines, so that was attractive to me and even suggested by one of my art history advisors at Stanford. It was also the era of multiculturalism, so I was exploring and getting to understand that at the time as well, which made UCSB a good fit.”

Darling’s doctoral dissertation at UCSB was on the future of 20th century American designer George Nelson.

“I was going around to a lot of rummage sales and garage sales in Santa Barbara during those days, and discovering mid-century furniture (Montecito was a fabulous hunting ground for this material). ... At the time there was very little on George Nelson, who was a contemporary. I felt I could fill a void in that area by writing on Nelson, and luckily I had two advisors, David Gebhard and C. Edson Armi, who did not feel that furniture design was an inferior art and that it was worthy of scholarly study.”

Narrowing his research, Darling decided to “focus on the work that George Nelson did with domestic spaces, which coincided with a modernizing of the American home after World War II and was a pretty fascinating sociological period as well.”

During the time of his graduate studies and shortly thereafter, Darling worked in many art-related roles: security guard at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art; researcher at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles; and even an art critic, first for small art magazines, then for Santa Barbara publications, and eventually gaining his own columns in the L.A. Reader and L.A. Weekly.

Darling said he loved critiquing art, one of his extracurricular activities while a grad student at UCSB. “As a critic with a byline, I felt like a full contributor to culture. I saw an ad in this little West Coast magazine called ArtWeek and I sent in a few of my grad school essays. After writing several columns there, I sent my tear sheets to the Santa Barbara Independent and magazines like Flash Art and Art Issues, and then things started taking off. It wasn’t a lot of extra work. I was interested in exhibitions happening in Santa Barbara and L.A., and it was a way to engage with them. It was weird being a critic, and sometimes uncomfortable, and I even got hate mail, once getting mean posters put up all over Santa Barbara about me!”

Darling ended up working for eight years at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), where he was Associate Curator. From that job, he moved to Seattle, where he served as the Jon and Mary Shirley Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) from 2006 to 2010, before heading to Chicago’s MCA. He and his sons Max, 16, and Theo, 11, live in Evanston, Illinois.

In an interview, we learned more about this multifaceted man. He talked about his appreciation for libraries; the importance of internships; what he likes most and least about his job; the value of a Ph.D.; and more.

What was graduate student life like for you at UCSB? What kind of a student were you here, and how did you manage a work-life balance while in grad school?

I was able to primarily concentrate on my studies during my time at UCSB, so I remember spending a lot of time in the library, which has really served me well in my subsequent career. It was a true luxury to work in a good art library where I could just pull books off the shelf at random and explore. That broadened my knowledge base a lot and I find that I have a wider frame of view on art than many of my peers because of this freedom. I have always been good, however, at maintaining a balance between work (or school) and my personal life and was able to find plenty of time to be with friends or be in nature or see movies during that period, which I did a lot. I also met my wife during my first few days of school at UCSB (she was also an art history grad student) so it was an important time for me personally too. I like to think I was a serious student, but I must say that I also always had one eye on life beyond school, so I was doing extracurricular things when I was in Santa Barbara such as writing art criticism. I was also curating independently at places like the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum [today the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara] and a little independent space in Santa Barbara called Spanish Box. I think I knew at the time that my degree was just one aspect of my professional development and I needed to work on other things at the same time if I wanted to find my way into a museum job.

What was your first job out of graduate school?

I got a job working as a security guard at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art after I finished my master’s and before I started on my Ph.D. I wanted to make sure I knew what I wanted to concentrate on before I started so I could be focused. It was an important job for realizing the various layers to a museum, both from an organizational standpoint and from a visitor standpoint. Most guards in museums are very interesting and accomplished people but perhaps are working in creative fields where it is a way of putting food on the table and allowing them to pursue other less lucrative passions but still working in an artistic environment. But when I was really done with school, post-Ph.D., I got a job as a researcher at the Museum of Contemporary Art in L.A. I had wanted to work there since I was an undergrad and it was like the holy grail. I went against my personality type (at the time) and went up to a MOCA curator at an art opening and introduced myself and told her I admired her work. I think I asked if I could take her for coffee some time and learn more about how she was able to do what she did. That led to her offering me a part-time position, which grew and grew into an eight-year run at MOCA. That experience has led me to offer similar advice to other aspiring curators to approach the people they admire and ask for help or advice.

Before you graduated from Stanford, you did summer museum internships in Long Beach. It was there that you discovered the job of “curator,” a job you hadn’t known existed. What did you do in those internships, and would you recommend that grad students do them as a way to explore career options?

Yes, I think internships are important windows onto potential future job options. I did research and worked with artists and thought it was the best job in the world to think about art all day. I see internships here at the MCA leading to real jobs all the time, and in a way my research position at MOCA was just the same, a foot in the door and an opportunity to prove yourself.

Curator Michael Darling at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.Describe your current job.

I am in charge of all programming at the museum, which ranges from exhibitions to talks and performances. Of course, I have amazing people working for me who help create these things and I don’t do it all myself, but it is fun to have a hand in shaping the overall tenor of the program. I also oversee the growth of the museum’s collection and personally curate exhibitions too. It involves a lot of coordination between departments and keeping on top of projects happening simultaneously, from logistics to visionary things and also fundraising to support the programs. It is an extremely busy job, but very rewarding too. I also travel a lot to see art all over the world, as I feel I am expected to be on top of all kinds of developments occurring all over. I try to keep a normal day to 9-5, but it is a pretty social position and there are often dinners and lectures and events I need to go to in a given week.

What exactly does a “museum curator” do?

The basic job is organizing exhibitions. But that also includes writing the books that go with them, writing grants that support them, asking for money from patrons to fund them, writing the interpretive materials that explain them, and doing interviews and tours that help to bring them to life.

What do you like most about your job and what do you like least?

I like the travel the most because I learn so much and find time to think more expansively, but I also like travel the least because I fall behind on email and miss my family and it can be quite lonely at times.

You grew up in California, moved to Seattle, and now live in the Chicago area. How important is it for students to be open and willing to move away for their career?

I think it is important to get different experiences and perspectives, both in an academic and a work environment. I know it has been really beneficial for me to consider how art works in such different contexts and also how different each of the museums I have worked in are. On the other hand, I do worry about the loss of depth of connections that results from moving around. I don’t feel I got to know Seattle and its community as much as I did L.A. from only being there four years, and as a result, I don’t think I was able to contribute as much as I would have liked.

Do you have any advice for graduate students while they are in school? 

One thing I see when I am hiring people, especially for entry-level positions or fellowships, is that the competition is really fierce and a lot of people have the same degrees. I often look to see what self-directed work the candidate has done in their field, where they are showing that they are trying to take control of their destiny and make things happen rather than waiting for an opportunity to fall into their lap. I guess I base that on what I was able to do to make myself stand out but it also bespeaks a desire and commitment that makes me want to hire them.

Do you have any advice for graduate students as they explore career options and/or do job interviews?

I think sensing someone’s passion and curiosity is a very persuasive thing to find in an interview and having a broad world-view that shows you are a well-rounded person. Read the newspaper every day! Or better yet, multiple newspapers!

How do you think your doctoral studies prepared you for your non-academic career? What skills, knowledge, and education gained in graduate school have helped you throughout your career?

When I started at MOCA, I was the only person in the whole building with a Ph.D. It seemed like overkill, but it did help my resume stand out. When I went to the Seattle Art Museum, a few curators had Ph.D.’s, but it was still unusual, and when I came to the MCA I was again the only person in the whole building with a Ph.D., but that has since changed and now there are several people here with them. The field is changing and the competition is such that a Ph.D. helps you to stand out in a sea of M.A.s. We have Ph.D.s here at the MCA who edit books and who devise interpretation strategies and who do archival research, so there are jobs beyond curating where it is applicable. I know that all that time I spent in the stacks, which only a Ph.D. can provide, has given me a breadth and depth of knowledge that can’t be matched by an M.A. in museum studies.

Do you have any suggestions for the UCSB educational system (or universities in general) on how to better prepare our grad students for careers?

Michael Darling with octogenarian Mexican contemporary artist Eduardo Terrazas in Mexico City in February 2015.I haven’t been too close to the university system in a long time, but I do sense that the attitude that Ph.D.s were only to pursue academic work has loosened considerably. I felt I had to keep my museum interests as a dirty little secret. I’m sure a lot of that has to do with the changing nature of tenure and employment in academia and the growing number of grads who want to put their degrees to use. I think being open to the various applications of a grad degree is something that would be good for universities to consider and would ultimately lead to a wider impact for their respective fields.

What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishments and/or something you are the most proud of professionally and personally?

Personally, it is being a father; professionally, it may be the Isa “Genzken Retrospective” I organized for the MCA and with MOMA New York and the Dallas Museum of Art, or the “Target Practice: Painting Under Attack 1949-78” exhibition I did at the Seattle Art Museum.

You were written about a lot when you secured the Bowie exhibition (which ran through January 4, 2015). Can you briefly discuss this and how it came about?

We just hit it at the right time, and picked the right project. I heard about it and contacted the V&A [Victoria and Albert Museum] in London and as it turned out we were the first American museum to approach them and they didn’t have much of a tour at all. I negotiated that we would be the first American venue and it turned out we were the only American venue and then our team here made the most of that. It looked like a big coup but it was a pretty banal transaction. It ended up being the most well-attended show in MCA history, drawing 200,000 people.

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

I have had a lot of great female curator role models that have given me big breaks in my career, including Josine Ianco-Starrels for my first internship, Elizabeth Smith for giving me a chance at MOCA, Mimi Gates for hiring me in Seattle, and then Madeleine Grynsztejn for tapping me to come to the MCA. All have been enormously influential on me. Paul Schimmel at MOCA is another one, however, who I learned a lot from and who I think about a lot as an example.

What do you do for fun and relaxation?

Michael Darling enjoyed scuba diving in Kauai, Hawaii, in June 2015.I love the water, and here in the Chicago area love to go to the beach at Lake Michigan. I have been trying to sail on the lake as much as possible. I also like food a lot and exploring new restaurants and cuisines. I do both with my kids, which is a lot of fun.

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

That I have a secret passion and growing knowledge about vintage Italian sports cars, even though I don’t own one myself.

What’s on your bucket list of things to do that you haven’t done?

I’d like to check off more countries in the world to travel to. Travel is one of my favorite things. ... On a quick count, I think I have been to 22 countries. Strangely, I have never been to Portugal, which I would like to see, and I think it is about time I find a way to visit South Korea, India, and Vietnam.

***

More on Dr. Michael Darling:

Fear No Art Chicago’s video interview with Dr. Michael Darling, 2011

Q&A: Michael Darling talks about curating “David Bowie Is,” TimeOut Chicago

David Bowie Is, by Michael Darling

New Curator Is Chosen for MCA, New York Times

Shawn Warner-GarciaShawn Warner-Garcia, previously the GradPost’s and Graduate Student Resource Center’s Professional Development Peer Advisor, has been named Professional Development Program Coordinator for the UCSB Graduate Division.

Warner-Garcia, a linguist by trade who has worked for many years in job training and program management, is a Ph.D. candidate in the Linguistics Department. Her research focuses on the discourses of sexual ethics among Baptists in America.

Warner-Garcia joined the Graduate Student Resource Center as Professional Development Peer Advisor in the summer of 2014. In that role, reporting to Graduate Division Director of Graduate Student Professional Development Robert Hamm, she provided support for large events such as the New Graduate Student Orientation, fall fellowship receptions, the Grad Slam, and the Beyond Academia conference. She has also offered workshops of her own (writing CVs and cover letters, the Versatile Ph.D., and maintaining one’s digital reputation) and conducted one-on-one advising. She has worked with Academic Services Director Rickie Smith on the quarterly dissertation and thesis filing workshops and helped Director of Admissions and Outreach Walter Boggan with his summer research scholars.

Shawn Warner-Garcia presents a workshop to summer scholars in July 2015. Credit: Patricia Marroquin“Shawn does a lot for the Graduate Division and our students,” said Hamm. “I have no doubt that she will be instrumental in growing the services and trainings we offer through the Graduate Student Resource Center.”

As the Professional Development Program Coordinator, Warner-Garcia will continue to provide workshops and advising to help graduate students identify and achieve their professional goals. She will also continue to report to Dr. Hamm.

“I hope to continue and expand professional development programming for graduate students,” she said. “There are three areas that I am particularly committed to: (1) ensuring that graduate students feel supported and prepared to pursue a variety of career options after graduate school; (2) improving the visibility and accessibility of the Graduate Division’s professional development resources to graduate students; and (3) expanding resources available for targeted populations of graduate students, including new students, student parents, and underrepresented students.”

Shawn Warner-Garcia, right, attended a fall fellowship reception in October 2015 with colleagues Don Lubach, Associate Dean of Students, and Lana Smith-Hale, Graduate Career Consultant. Credit: Patricia MarroquinWarner-Garcia says she has learned a lot in her previous role, and looks forward to future opportunities that her new role affords. “Working at the Graduate Division, first as a student employee and now as a staff person, has already opened up a lot of doors for me,” she said. “I’ve learned so much about the administrative side of the university, and I’ve been able to develop skills in event management, advising, marketing, and many other areas that will serve me well within or outside of academia. Plus, getting to work with graduate students is immensely rewarding because I get to know some truly brilliant individuals and hopefully play a small part in helping them find success and fulfillment both in grad school and afterward.”

Warner-Garcia, her husband Jonathan, and 2-year-old son Austin have lived in Storke Family Student Housing for the last two and a half years. “It has been an amazingly supportive community for us!” she said. “We have made great friends and have been integrated into the campus and surrounding community in really enriching ways.”

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Language and Linguistics from Baylor University and a master’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. Warner-Garcia has worked as a job training specialist at Goodwill and as the program coordinator for the SKILLS academic outreach program at UCSB. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son, reading, traveling, and watching football.

“One of my favorite things about working in the university administration is the camaraderie and collaboration,” Warner-Garcia says. “There is a growing groundswell of support for graduate students across the UCSB campus, and lots of people are brainstorming to find new and better ways to help graduate students. I’m really looking forward to being a part of that movement.”

You may contact Warner-Garcia via email at shawn.warner-garcia@graddiv.ucsb.edu or phone, 805-893-4649. For more information on graduate student professional development, view the Graduate Division’s Career and Professional Development page.

About 1,300 students attended the California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education and its accompanying recruitment fair on UC Santa Barbara's Sciences Lawn. Credit: Patricia Marroquin

On Saturday, November 7, thousands descended upon the UC Santa Barbara campus as the university hosted the biannual California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education. About 220 private and public universities from throughout the nation joined more than 1,000 undergraduate and master's students in an all-day event designed to recruit students from underrepresented backgrounds (low-income, first-generation college students; and African-American, American Indian, Latino, Filipino, Pacific Islander, and Asian American students in non-professional degree programs) to doctoral-level study. The majority of the student participants in the Forum, now in its 25th year, were members of the University of California and California State University system.

Recruiters from Mills College, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and Kansas State University speak with students about graduate education opportunities on their campuses. Credit: Patricia MarroquinAfter a welcome by UCSB Graduate Division Dean Carol Genetti, UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Henry T. Yang kicked off the plenary session, held on the Sciences Lawn, with his own welcome and a personal testimony of the importance of diversity in graduate education. Following Chancellor Yang was keynote speaker Dr. Victor Rios. Dr. Rios provided a riveting account of his rise from a marginalized graduate student at UC Berkeley to his current position of full professor and educational ambassador to the White House. Rios emphasized the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity and the trend in higher education to diversify both student and faculty populations – a trend that students in attendance were encouraged to take advantage of by pursuing a graduate education.

Following the morning plenary session, students attended informational workshops held in nearby classrooms. Topics included how to finance graduate education; how to write a winning statement of purpose; demystifying the GRE; the relationship of the master’s degree to the Ph.D.; how to prepare for the GRE; and the role of undergraduate research in graduate admissions.

The main event of the day was the recruiter fair held from noon to 3 p.m., also on the Sciences Lawn. This is where all 215 universities set up tables with representatives to promote and share information on graduate programs to potential students.

Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! Actually, nothing scary here. These are just some of the college and university mascots and freebies displayed at recruiter booths at the California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education on Nov. 7 at UC Santa Barbara. Credit: Patricia MarroquinAdditional workshop sessions on the aforementioned topics were held in the afternoon for students interested in attending more than one session. The Forum concluded with discipline-based workshops. Disciplines included social sciences, engineering and computer science, behavioral science, physical sciences and math, business and management, life science, education, health and human services, fine arts, and humanities.

Several students from UCSB's McNair Scholars Program participated in the recruiter fair alongside visiting students from across California. They spoke of the importance of the Forum to them.

“The Forum provided the route for me to explore my future," said Buki Akinyemi, UCSB McNair Junior Scholar and a biopsychology major. "Talking to different graduate program reps about their experiences in grad school and struggles to success made me want to achieve that high level as well. The future is looking pretty promising as the faces of higher ed are changing to look more like me.”

Joshua Hudson, UCSB McNair Junior Scholar and a Sociology and Global Studies double major, also praised the Forum: “The Diversity Forum impacted me a lot because it showed me that people from underrepresented communities – including myself – have the opportunity to go further into higher education and make a difference in academia.”

UC Irvine Ph.D. students, from left, Sean Drake and Soledad Mochel, spoke about the keys to success and survival in graduate school during a Forum workshop. Credit: Patricia MarroquinFor Victoria Melgarejo, UCSB McNair Junior Scholar and a Linguistics and Spanish double major, the event "made me realize how important it is for students of color to be represented, not only in graduate school, but later in academia.”

And Ema Angeles, a UCSB McNair Junior Scholar and Anthropology major, called the Forum "a great experience that helped me answer questions, meet with graduate schools, and feel prepared to move onto the next step in my education. It was great to realize the diversity that is about to enter academia.”

A large event of this magnitude required support from university leadership. Chancellor Yang, the UCSB Graduate Division, and McNair Scholars Program were key in the coordination and implementation of the Diversity Forum. In addition to university leadership, more than 150 UCSB student volunteers helped with various logistical issues during the day. The Graduate Division would like to give a special thanks to these volunteers, who helped to make the event a success. For a snapshot of the day's events, view the video below.

“The Forum provided the route for me to explore my future. Talking to different graduate program reps about their experiences in grad school and struggles to success made me want to achieve that high level as well. The future is looking pretty promising as the faces of higher ed are changing to look more like me.”
– Buki Akinyemi, UCSB McNair Junior Scholar and a biopsychology major

Tanya DasIt’s probably no coincidence that Tanya Das, a fifth year Ph.D. Candidate in Electrical Engineering, is studying nano-optics. She’s been finding success by starting small for a long time. This strategy has allowed her to attempt new things as diverse as hip-hop dancing and science writing, while working her way towards her degree.

You could say STEM was a family tradition for Tanya. Growing up in Rochester, Michigan, she had father with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, a mother with a M.S. in Computer Science, and an older sister pursuing medicine as a surgeon. So while you might not be surprised to learn Tanya went on to earn a B.S. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Michigan, you might raise an eyebrow to find out she became a published poet at the same time.

Tanya, as I came to learn, had a variety of interests both in and out of academia. We sat down in the Graduate Student Resource Center to talk about her research in nano-optics, one of the best places to get cupcakes in Santa Barbara, and how starting small can lead to bigger success.

Let’s start with your research. How would you best describe your research to someone in an elevator who wasn’t in your field?

I study how light interacts with nano-scale objects. Most of the previous research in this field has been on how changing the properties of the object affects the interaction. Instead, I look at how changing the properties of the light affects the interaction, specifically the light polarization, or the direction of the electric field. 

You’ve been in school five years now. What advice would you give to a new graduate student?

Grad school is pretty straightforward when you start: you take classes, there are lectures, homework, and exams, so lots of structure. But the moment you finish classes, things become completely open-ended. That’s when it’s important to impose your own structure on your schedule. You need to identify what your specific research goals are and then break them down into small, manageable steps in order to make progress. Without this, it’s very difficult to get anywhere in your research.

You seem to have a lot of extracurricular interests (e.g., poetry, dancing). Can you tell me about them and also how you manage to structure your schedule to pursue them and graduate school?

I’ve always been a very curious person. In undergrad, I took film, creative writing, and religious studies classes. In grad school, I’ve taken hip-hop and dance classes and I’m taking an acting class right now. For me, the best way to manage my time is to start really small.

For example, I once thought I wanted to be a science writer. At a conference where I was presenting a talk on my research, there happened to be a science writing workshop, so I gave it a try. I got to learn about techniques of science writing, and I also volunteered as a science reporter at that conference and wrote brief news articles on the scientific talks being given. I got a small taste of what it might mean to be a science writer, and even though it was only for a few days, the experience helped me hone my personal and career goals.

So basically, I like to explore things in small ways. When I discover something I like, I dig deeper. That way, I make the most of my time that I spend outside of research.

How do you relax from all your structure?

Culinary adventure in cooking breakfast. Credit: Tanya DasI really enjoy reading. I’ve recently gotten into nonfiction and I’ve been going through all of Atul Gawande’s books. He’s a surgeon at a hospital in Boston and I’m currently reading his book called “Complications.” I feel like I’m learning secrets about my sister’s life by reading it. And I really enjoy cooking. I’ve tried all kinds of dishes. I enjoy making complicated things from scratch, like pizza, samosas, and fresh pasta. I love the process of cooking because it’s fun and creative. And at the end you get something delicious to eat, unlike research, where you might get one small result after months of hard work that you can’t eat.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

When I’m feeling really down, I treat myself to sushi, cupcakes, and the Gilmore girls. I especially like Enjoy Cupcakes at the Public Market. They have a variety of really good mini-cupcakes in interesting flavors. 

What’s in high rotation on your playlist these days?

I’ve been listening to the NPR Tiny Desk Concert series. One performer I discovered through them is Slyvan Esso. They do electronic stuff with a good beat but with soft vocals on top.

Who helped shape who you are today? 

Tanya and her best friends at the junior year homecoming dance. Photo courtesy of Tanya DasWhen I was in middle school I fell into this group of five friends. We grew up together and have stayed incredibly close over the years. They are my best friends in the world, but we do completely different things. One friend recently started her own company to guide actors in building their careers, one is an ESL teacher, one is a medical writer, one works for the Boy Scouts of America, and another works in the radio business.

They are all incredibly kind, curious, and passionate people. They’ve kept and continue to keep me grounded and have opened up my mind to so many things outside of engineering and science. I’m better for them.

What would people be most surprised to know about you? 

When I was in college, I won third place in a poetry contest. I was completely mortified when the poems were published with my name because they were supposed to be published anonymously. In the long run, it turned out well, as it forced me way out of my comfort zone and to own up to my identity as a writer.

Tanya at the top of Angel's Landing with some college friends on a camping trip at Zion National Park. Photo courtesy of Tanya Das

What is your biggest accomplishment in life and why?  

During my fourth year of graduate school, I decided I wanted to get involved in some meaningful volunteering, and in particular, something outside of science because I felt I wasn’t giving enough value to my interest in writing at the time. I contacted a volunteer coordinator at Partners in Education, a Santa Barbara nonprofit that coordinates many volunteer efforts in SB County, and she helped set me up a weekly poetry workshop at the local juvenile probation center in Goleta. I started completely from scratch with the poetry workshop and made up my own structure, lesson plans, and rules. 

Tanya making a snowman named "Francois" in Michigan. Photo courtesy of Tanya DasNervous barely captures my level of fear when I arrived at the center for my first workshop. I wasn’t sure how the kids I was working with would respond. I was afraid they would be rude, dismissive, and extremely uninterested, but they turned out to be the complete opposite. 

I had to stop after a few months because I didn’t have the time to balance research, classes, and a weekly poetry workshop, as it was pretty taxing. But it is something I hope to return to later if I get the time, and something I am proud of myself for pulling off.

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

I’m interested in careers outside of academia relating to science policy, science education, and generally bridging the gap between science and society. When people hear I’m an engineer, they always say, “That’s hard,” and it really bothers me that science has this elitist status with the general public. I want to change that by making science a level playing field, and convince people that anybody can understand science. 

My immediate goal after graduate school is to pursue a position in a science policy fellowship. I feel that there are not enough scientists contributing their expertise to positions outside of science. 

Mario Galicia Jr. Credit: Patricia MarroquinExactly one week ago tragedy struck my hometown of San Bernardino. I wish to first send out my condolences to the families, loved ones, and all others affected by the recent disaster out of San Bernardino. Losing someone we know and love is never an easy thing. Having lost several family members and friends to various forms of gun violence, I am sensitive to what some of those grieving are going through.

I never thought that my experience with losing loved ones to gun violence would be relevant to my existence as a student at UC Santa Barbara, until we experienced our own mass shooting in Isla Vista in May 2014. At that time, I found myself consoling students in my classes – much as I had been consoled in my time of grief – by offering a space for these students to express their grief. As a university representative I also suggested additional resources available to help them through their process. Over the past year and a half I have tried to make peace with the fact that regardless of where my family and I choose to live in the U.S., we will more than likely have to deal with some type of gun violence affecting our community.

Last Wednesday while playing with my children, I couldn’t shake the thought of calling my mom. My mother and I speak regularly on the phone, and now that my children are old enough to communicate, they also get on the phone and chat with their "Nana" for a little while. So, as I strategized my day to figure out a good time to call mom, I began receiving text messages, emails, and social media alerts regarding a mass shooting that had occurred in my hometown of San Bernardino. My heart sank as my thoughts turned to the family members and friends who live in San Bernardino. I immediately called my mother but was unable to get through to her. I decided to try her back in a couple of minutes; I figured she might be on the line with someone else, checking in on her as well.

Mario Galicia Jr. in his senior year of high school in San Bernardino. Photo courtesy of Mario GaliciaSoon after, when various reports stated that the gunmen involved in the mass shooting were on the loose, my anxiety rose. I picked up my phone and kept dialing until I was finally able to get through to my mom. She explained to me that they were all OK. They were a little frightened, and confused, about what was going on, and why. My mother explained to me that all of the local government buildings and schools had been placed under "lockdown," including a school one of my nephews attends. I later spoke with him and he told me that nothing traumatic had occurred. Most people on campus, he said, were just following the news – online or through social media.

I’m relieved that my family is safe, but my heart still aches. It aches because as a human being, I can’t help but empathize with someone else who has experienced a loss of life. It seems that my whole life I have been dealing with death as well. Prior to moving to San Bernardino, my family and I lived in a southern section of the Rampart District in Los Angeles. All I can really remember about our neighborhood was the violence. I remember the violence, either associated with drugs, gangs, or police brutality. Matter of fact, one of the main reasons our family moved out of Los Angeles was due to this violence. As a result, I was raised in San Bernardino from the time I was in second grade.

Although once popularly known as the site of the first McDonald’s restaurant and where Taco Bell’s founder opened his first fast-food stand, in addition to being home to the Little League Western Regional tournament, San Bernardino today struggles to move past its 2012 bankruptcy. Its residents struggle to find hope, motivation, and inspiration – in anything – to help them get through the day.

Mario Galicia Jr. played in the Little League in San Bernardino in the 8th grade. Photo courtesy of Mario GaliciaOver the last 6 months, the Los Angeles Times has published three articles detailing some of these conditions: "Broken City," (June 14); "No Room at the Inn for Innocence," (July 22); and the latest, "San Bernardino: Broken" (November 6).

As someone who grew up in a working-class household, I understand the financial difficulties that many families face in San Bernardino today. Struggling to find where one might get their next meal, struggling to find stable housing, stable employment, stable relationships. Always struggling.

An important question still exists: "What is going to be done to help San Bernardino move forward?" San Bernardino, like many other working-class cities, needs help. San Bernardino needs other communities to open their hearts and offer their support (emotional and fiscal). We need to rally behind San Bernardino, use this tragedy to bring some much-needed national attention to other social issues that have long plagued the residents of this once-thriving Inland Empire community. The residents of San Bernardino need more investment toward creating, and sustaining, permanent employment opportunities for its residents. They also need better funding for their public schools and after-school programs. Children need to feel like their communities believe in them and their futures. Parents need to feel like they can provide for their children.

One way to show our youth that we believe in them is by investing in their futures. Many civic leaders (Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells, Paolo Freire, Carter G. Woodson, Cesar Chavez, Malala Yousafzai, to name a few) have long argued that literacy is the key to freedom: physical or otherwise. I believe that much like the Phoenix, San Bernardino will rise from its ashes to forge a "new beginning." I believe it will do so because the people of San Bernardino have the heart and the resilience to do so. I send my love and warm wishes, from one SB to another SB.

***

Editor's Note: Teaching Assistant Mario Galicia Jr. is a Ph.D. candidate in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education. He was the 2015 Graduate Division Commencement student speaker and previously was the Graduate Division's Diversity and Outreach Peer Advisor.

If you're staying in town for the holidays, you can still access many of the services at Student Health. See below for more details.

Hours and Services for Dec. 14-18 and 21-23

What is open: Student Health, Pharmacy, Laboratory, Radiology, Insurance Office, Dental Care Center, and Eye Care Center

When it's open: 8 a.m. - noon

More Details and Exceptions

• Urgent Care: No appointments needed
• Eye Care Center: Closed Dec. 23, call 805-893-3170 for appointments
• Psychiatry and Social Work Counselors: Call 805-893-3087 for appointments
• Alcohol/Drug Counselors: Call 805-893-5013 for appointments
• Dental Care Urgent Needs: Monday, 12/14, to Thursday, 12/17, call 805-893-2891 for further information
• Pharmacy: Mail-order service available, call 805-893-2116 for information
• Student Health Administrative Offices: Open full days during break weeks; call 805-893-5339 for further information

All Student Health Services Closed from Dec. 24-Jan. 3

During the break, all students have access to the 24-hour Nurse Line at 800-539-1387 for any medical questions or concerns. Students with mental health questions or concerns may also call the 24-hour telephone service available through Counseling and Psychological Services at 805-893-4411.

When Student Health is closed, UCSB Students will need to utilize other local Urgent Care and Emergency Department services for medical problems that cannot wait until they reopen. Further information on these locations in Santa Barbara County can be found here.

Students with Gaucho Health Insurance (GHI) have benefits to cover emergency medical and pharmacy costs at outside facilities when Student Health is closed. No referrals are needed for gynecology or services more than 50 miles away. More information on GHI is available here, including how to print a temporary identification card.

Each year, the GradPost reports on various lists and rankings for UC Santa Barbara. For example, there's the Leiden ranking (UCSB is No. 7 in the world this year); U.S. News & World Report's "Top 30 Public National Universities" (UCSB is No. 8); and Washington Monthly's list of "Top 100 National Universities" (UCSB is at No. 14). Now it's that time of the year again for the GradPost to present its list – of the Top 15 GradPost Stories of 2015.  

We examined the analytics for the GradPost from January 1 to December 15, 2015, to find out what clicked with our readers. Once again, such articles as graduate student profiles; student awards and achievements; the Grad Slam; and yes, those prestigious annual rankings reports, topped our list. Below are the GradPost’s Top 15 most-read stories originally published in 2015, followed by a list of five more noteworthy articles that just missed the list. (If you’re curious about past years, read our 2014 list and our 2013 list.)

The GradPost sends you all warm wishes for a joyous holiday season, and a safe and happy new year. We would like to remind you to please subscribe to us, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter, to keep up with the latest graduate student news and events.

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Top 15 GradPost Stories Originally Published in 2015

1. 4 UCSB Students Chosen to Attend Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting This Summer in Germany, March 10
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/3/10/4-ucsb-phd-students-chosen-to-attend-lindau-nobel-laureate-m.html
Four UCSB Ph.D. students are among more than 670 young scientists from 88 countries selected to participate in the 65th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting on the picturesque island of Lindau in Germany, where they will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with 70 Nobel Laureates. The four – Stacy Copp of Physics; Matthew Gebbie and Gregory Su of Materials; and Nikki Marinsek of Dynamical Neuroscience – were selected in a highly competitive process. UCSB was 4-for-4 this year, with all of the university’s nominees named participants for the 2015 meeting. The GradPost interviewed the winners.

From left, UCSB Ph.D. students Stacy Copp, Nikki Marinsek, Matthew Gebbie, and Gregory Su.2. Making It Work: UCSB Graduate Student Parents in the Spotlight, January 12http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/1/12/making-it-work-ucsb-graduate-student-parents-in-the-spotligh.html
The GradPost interviewed four graduate students to ask them about the challenges, rewards, resources, and life as a parent in graduate school. The students interviewed are Natalie O’Connor Holdren, a Ph.D. student in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education; Federico (Fede) Llach, a Ph.D. student in Music Composition; Phillip (Phill) Rogers, a Ph.D. student in Linguistics; and Derek Smith, a Ph.D. student in Mathematics.

Clockwise from top left: Derek’s daughter Myla running along Goleta Beach; Natalie helping daughter Liv feed giraffes at the Santa Barbara Zoo; Fede with Gaby and Carmen in their family student housing garden plot; Phill’s children Rosie and Isaac hanging out at a park

3. Getting to Know You: Introducing Our 2015 Incoming Graduate Student Cohort, September 21
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/9/21/getting-to-know-you-introducing-our-2015-incoming-graduate-s.html
In the fall, UCSB welcomed 841 new graduate students. The GradPost presented statistics about this new cohort, such as state and country of origin; ages of the oldest and youngest graduate students; and most popular disciplines. We asked some of our new grad students to tell us more about themselves, including what degrees they will be pursuing, favorite things to do, and what they are most looking forward to doing in graduate school. The eight new UCSB graduate students interviewed are: Amanda Kaczmarek (Psychological and Brain Sciences); Jenny Selvidge (Materials); Luke Rosedahl (Dynamical Neuroscience); Michelle Grue (Education); Petra Peršolja (Piano Performance); Rick Thomas (Environmental Science and Management); Shriniwas Patwardhan (Electrical and Computer Engineering); and Tara Clark (Education).

4. Graduate Student in the Spotlight: Sara Sutherland Discusses Madagascar, Motherhood, and Motivation, March 23
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/3/23/graduate-student-in-the-spotlight-sara-sutherland-discusses.html
The Ph.D. student in Economics shares how studying in Madagascar fueled her fascination with conservation; why a boy named Jack motivates her; how she avoided a near disaster on a camping adventure in The Everglades; and more.

5. Mark Your Calendars With Events from the Graduate Division’s 2015-2016 Programming Preview, September 24
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/events/2015/9/24/mark-your-calendar-with-events-from-the-graduate-divisions-2.html
The GradPost offers a preview of the year’s programming by the Graduate Division. It’s packed with valuable, informational, and fun workshops, conferences, seminars, and other events. The programming includes workshops on grant writing, resume/CV writing, presentation skills, and funding; the Beyond Academia conference; and the Graduate Student Showcase and Grad Slam events.

6. Grad Slam Final Round for UCSB: The Right to Represent, April 20
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/4/20/grad-slam-2015-final-round-for-ucsb-the-right-to-represent.html
After eight preliminary rounds and three semifinal rounds, it came down to this: UC Santa Barbara’s Finals round. Ten finalists competed, and the judges selected UCSB’s Champion (Daniel Hieber of Linguistics) and two runners-up (Abel Gustafson of Communication and Jessica Perkins of the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management). We offer a recap.

The 10 finalists were acknowledged by the audience and Graduate Division Dean Carol Genetti before they took questions. Credit: Patricia Marroquin

7. UCSB Ph.D. Students William Ryan and Stacy Copp Win Fiona Goodchild Award for Work as Mentors to Undergraduate Researchers, June 3
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/6/3/ucsb-phd-students-william-ryan-and-stacy-copp-win-fiona-good.html
Stacy Copp of Physics and William Ryan of Psychological and Brain Sciences are announced as the winners of the Fiona Goodchild Award for Excellence as a Graduate Student Mentor of Undergraduate Research. The GradPost interviewed Stacy and Will on topics related to their graduate education and their work as mentors.

8. Graduate Student in the Spotlight: Selvi Ersoy Pursues Science ‘Theatrically,’ April 27
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/4/27/graduate-student-in-the-spotlight-selvi-ersoy-pursues-scienc.html
The multitalented Microbiology Ph.D. student and Grad Slam finalist discusses such topics as women in science; what it was like to compete in the Grad Slam; being an award-winning Teaching Assistant; and how her dancing, singing, and musical theater background helps her in her graduate education.

Abel competing at the AVP Manhattan Beach Open. Credit: Ed Chan9. Graduate Student in the Spotlight: Abel Gustafson on Playing Like a Champion, May 24
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/5/24/graduate-student-in-the-spotlight-abel-gustafson-on-playing.html
The Communication graduate student placed runner-up in the 2015 Grad Slam for his three-minute talk on how Wikipedia can be used to help predict election outcomes. In this Spotlight, he discusses what graduate life has been like for him; his research on social behavior and influence; and his involvement in a pro beach volleyball tour, among other issues.

10. Fellowship and Grant Money: What’s Taxable? January 14
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/funds/2015/1/14/fellowship-and-grant-money-whats-taxable.html
Kyle Crocco offers some valuable resources and tax tips for students regarding tuition, fellowships, and grants.

11. UC Santa Barbara Ranked No. 7 in the World in Leiden Ranking of Impact in the Sciences, May 22
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/5/22/uc-santa-barbara-ranked-no-7-in-the-world-in-leiden-ranking.html
In Leiden University’s annual rankings of the 750 best major universities in the world in terms of impact in the sciences, UCSB was listed at No. 7, rising one spot from last year. The GradPost interviewed a few graduate students to get their reactions to this prestigious honor.

Karly Miller at Big Sur. Photo courtesy of Karly Miller12. Graduate Student in the Spotlight: Karly Miller, Fulbright Scholar, Shows the Power of Listening, May 8
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/5/8/graduate-student-in-the-spotlight-karly-miller-fulbright-sch.html
The Marine Science Ph.D. student, water scuba instructor, and Fulbright Scholar talks about her lifelong passion for the ocean and her research and experiences in such places as Ecuador, New Zealand, and Peru.

13. 4 UCSB Graduate Students Win 2014-2015 Academic Senate Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards, April 24
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/4/24/4-ucsb-graduate-students-win-2014-2015-academic-senate-outst.html
The recipients of the Academic Senate’s Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards – Mario Galicia Jr. (Education), Keith Avery (Computer Science), Selvi Ersoy (Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology), and Jeremy Chow (English) – talk about what the award means to them.

14. Ph.D. Candidate Mario Galicia Jr.: Coming ‘Full Circle’ as UCSB Graduate Division’s 2015 Commencement Student Speaker, May 28
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/5/28/phd-candidate-mario-galicia-jr-coming-full-circle-as-ucsb-gr.html
The Graduate Division’s 2015 Commencement student speaker discusses why UCSB is such a special place for him; gives thanks to those who have influenced him along the way; and offers a preview of his Commencement message.

15. UCSB Graduate Division Debuts Graduate Education Magazine, May 29
http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/headlines/2015/5/29/ucsb-graduate-division-debuts-graduate-education-magazine.html
The Graduate Division’s inaugural Graduate Education magazine showcases the “spirited and creative thinkers” who make up UC Santa Barbara’s graduate student body. The issue contains nearly a dozen articles on current graduate students, accomplished alums, exceptional programs, and one very special donor, philanthropist Michael Towbes.

***

5 More Stories That Just Missed the Top 15 List

16. Graduate Student in the Spotlight: Levi Maaia and the 'Maker' Culture, July 29

Credit: Patricia Marroquin17. UCSB Grad Students React to Supreme Court Same-Sex Marriage Ruling: One Big Step, but More Work to Do, June 26

18. UCSB Is Ranked No. 8 on List of Top 50 Best Value Graduate Engineering Programs of 2016, October 9

19. Workshop on Interviews and Negotiating a Job Offer, January 7 (Note: The recap of this event may be read here: http://gradpost.ucsb.edu/career/2015/1/23/event-recap-interviews-and-negotiating-a-job-offer.html)

20. UCSB Climbs to No. 8 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 List of ‘Top 30 Public National Universities,’ September 9

The Graduate Division's Peer Advisors are here to help you. Each peer keeps office hours in the Graduate Student Resource Center, which is located in the Student Resource Building, Room 1215.

Chris Sweeney, a fifth-year Computer Science Ph.D. candidate focusing on Computer Vision, sat down and shared the unique journey of his path to and throughout graduate school. Despite his many academic accomplishments (including receiving top honors at the Association for Computing Machinery Multimedia Open-Source Software Competition in Australia last October), Chris maintains a well-rounded life. When he’s not in the Four Eyes Lab, he can be found performing with the local Santa Barbara Improv Group, swimming, or volunteering his time in local and international communities.

Where did you grow up? Tell us a little about your family, childhood, and early education.

Chris SweeneyI grew up in Northern Virginia, near D.C.  I attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, where I began my love of computer science. I went to college at the University of Virginia, where I received a B.S. in Math and Computer Science. As an undergrad, I always knew what I wanted to study, and I’ve been following that path since then.

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

I’m working in data visualization and computer vision. Specifically, I’m looking at 3D geometry from images for programs like CAD. This came by way of undergraduate research I participated in: large-scale image processing. As a Ph.D. student, I’m working on making large-scale Structure from Motion more accessible by developing 3D modeling software and sharing it on my software’s website. Some examples of models I’ve made with my software are below:

A screenshot of a reconstructed model of the Colosseum in Rome, using Chris’s 3D modeling software. Credit: Chris Sweeney

A screenshot of a reconstructed model of Dubrovnik, a medieval city – better known as King’s Landing from Game of Thrones. Credit: Chris Sweeney

To create these 3D models, I have a script that crawls Flickr for landmarks (i.e., the most heavily photographed places in the world), then I take the images and run them through my software to recover full 3D models of the scenes.

What has graduate student life been like for you?

It’s been very rewarding. I’ve had several travel opportunities and internships. I’ve had three internships for Google Goggles, and from September 2014 through April 2015, I was a visiting student at ETH Zurich [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology] in Switzerland. I’ve also enjoyed meeting cool people from these experiences.

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

Funding can be a real struggle!

Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and why.

Chris, center, accepting the top prize for Open-Source Software at the 2015 ACM Multimedia Conference in Brisbane, Australia. Photo courtesy of Chris SweeneyI’m having a hard time choosing between two big accomplishments: winning my Open-Source award, and my time as a visiting student to ETH Zurich. The Open-Source Software competition is sponsored by the Association of Computing Machinery, and my Theia Open Source Library for 3D Modeling won first place this past fall. I’m proud of this award, as it’s a validation of both my own hard work and the general community’s commitment and contributions to open source.

Secondly, being a visiting student to ETH Zurich was incredible. Professionally, it was really neat to be invited to the top labs there. Personally, it was a challenge to be in a country whose language was German. Although the working language of the labs was English, I had to improve my German language skills to get by day-to-day.

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

I’m very self-motivated, which has helped me accomplish a lot during school. It also helps that I’m in an industry that’s currently seeing a boom, and many digital imaging ideas are now becoming tangible products.

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

Chris and his girlfriend enjoying the local fauna on a trip to Australia. Photo courtesy of Chris SweeneySome of my favorite hobbies include wine tasting along the Central Coast, playing soccer, and woodworking. So far, I’ve made desks and tables. I also like to travel, which is a benefit of grad school and the industry, since there are so many international and regional conferences.

Have you taken any other interesting international trips?

In college, I participated in Alternative Spring Breaks in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. These were week-long service trips in which we volunteered with local elementary schools. More recently, I traveled to Tamale, Ghana, with Community Water Solutions [now Saha Global]. Our team built a water purification center in town and taught local women how to run the facility and about sustainable leadership. We encouraged the women to charge a nominal fee for their work, which helped improve their economic standing.

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

I come from a big family – I’m one of five kids. I feel that families aren’t usually that big anymore, especially on the West Coast. People are usually surprised to hear how many siblings I have.

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

For a while, I’d hoped to stay in academia, ultimately as a tenured professor. However, recently I’ve felt a growing potential toward working for a tech company. I could see myself doing R&D work, for the right company. I’m starting my postdoc work in January at the University of Washington, so I’ll see where that takes me down the road.

Do you have any advice for current grad students?

Be open to talking about any problems you may be facing – whether it’s financial, research, or life in general. It’s important to communicate openly with your advisors, colleagues, and other faculty members.

Presiding at the UCSB Library ribbon-cutting are, from left, University Librarian Denise Stephens; UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang; Executive Vice Chancellor David Marshall; Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services Marc Fisher; GSA President Aaron Jones; and Associated Students President Jimmy Villareal. Credit: Monie Photography

The newly completed work on the UC Santa Barbara Library is more than just a renovation of its outdated buildings. The project is a reinvention of what an academic library at a top-tier research institution aspires to be and can be.

That’s how university officials are describing the state-of-the-art project, which was first proposed two decades ago. Two years of construction culminated last week with a festive “Reinventing the Library” grand opening ceremony, featuring speakers, dancers, musicians, a ribbon-cutting, a photo booth, and an open house.

Highlights of the celebration include, clockwise from left, an address by University Librarian Denise Stephens (credit: Patricia Marroquin); patrons entering the new library (credit: Sonia Fernandez, Office of Public Affairs and Communications); and the structure brightly lit at night (credit: Monie Photography).Key features and major components of the UCSB Library project, designed by Pfeiffer Partners Architects, include:

• A three-story building addition on the north side of the library for Special Research Collections, with state-of-the art technology for preservation; Interdisciplinary Research Collaboratory; and 24-hour Learning Commons.
• Complete renovation and seismic retrofit of the original two-story building to house the Art & Architecture Collection, plus additional study, gathering, collections, and exhibition spaces.
• A new “Paseo,” or grand walkway, that connects all parts of the library as well as the east and west sides of campus, and serves as the library’s new entrance.
• The addition of about 60,000 square feet and the renovation of about 92,000 square feet.
• LEED Silver certification. Environmentally friendly features include recycled and regional building materials; reflective roof and ground; energy-efficient lighting; window filters; and water-saving steps such as low-flow faucets and drought-tolerant outdoor landscaping.
• 20 percent more study space.
• Expanded wireless access and more power outlets.
• A sit-down eatery called the Summit Café.
• Bright reading galleries.

GSA President Aaron Jones speaks at the ceremony. Credit: Monie PhotographyUniversity Librarian Denise Stephens told the GradPost that specific programs and areas will be of particular interest to grad students. “As both scholars and instructors,” she said, “graduate students will benefit from new library programs such as the Interdisciplinary Research Collaboratory, which encourages and inspires data creation and analysis across all disciplines; a new Graduate Study that allows for quiet individual work; and group study areas throughout that allow for conversation and collaboration. We hope the new library, designed in part with feedback from graduate students, will serve their needs and allow them to engage with information in the most productive and meaningful ways – online or on site.”

Graduate Division Dean Carol Genetti said the building, with its new spaces, has stirred enthusiasm on campus. “It is thrilling to have the beautiful new library open, to walk through its halls, and to see that it has already become a significant locus of student study and interaction,” she said. “I predict it will become iconic for the campus, exemplifying the collaborative and interdisciplinary interaction that is the hallmark of UC Santa Barbara. The new resources, such as the Collaboratory and the redesigned special collections, will both enhance and accelerate graduate research. I’ve been on campus for more than 25 years and I’ve never before had the feeling that a new building was such a source of excitement and renewal. I couldn’t be more pleased!”

The grand opening ceremony featured speeches by University Librarian Denise Stephens; Chancellor Henry T. Yang; Executive Vice Chancellor David Marshall; GSA President Aaron Jones; and Associated Students President Jimmy Villareal; as well as performances and music by students from the UCSB Departments of Music, and Theater & Dance.

Guests at the library's Open House were treated to "UCSBreakin'," a break-dancing performance in the Courtyard. Credit: Monie Photography

“I think the library has always been the heart and soul of the university,” Danelle Moon, head of the library’s  Special Research Collections, said in an Office of Public Affairs and Communications video, posted below. “You can just see the excitement on the students’ faces coming in and oohing and ahhing over the new building – the architecture, the furniture. … It’s telling that the students are embracing the importance and the significance of the library and through their studies they are going to be documenting the significance of what libraries hold, which is the history of the world.”

For more information about the UCSB Library, including entrances; new spaces and places; the new Summit Café; and events and exhibitions, visit the “Reinvented UCSB Library” page. And you may view a fun gallery of grand opening photo-booth images in this Flickr album.

Dancers from the Department of Theater & Dance perform "Four Birds" on the library's Paseo Bridge. Credit: Karen Lindell, UCSB Library

Brian J. Griffith posing at San Francisco's Grace CathedralOur latest Graduate Student in the Spotlight column focuses on Brian J. Griffith, husband and father of two, and a fourth-year Ph.D. student in History, who is studying Modern Italy and Italian Fascism. He was also a recipient of the GSA Excellence in Teaching Award in 2014.

What would people be most surprised to know about you?

I used to play guitar for a Bay Area punk-rock group called The Drive Home. We put out a few records and did some extensive touring throughout the western half of the United States before disbanding in 2004. In addition to making a lot of really good memories, I learned a lot about hard work, dedication, and doggedly pursuing my personal or professional objectives over the long-term. Despite my band’s dissolution, those experiences and skills, I think, have really helped me during the course of my graduate training.

"It’s quite difficult to pursue an M.A. or a Ph.D. program with a lukewarm attitude. You should be burning with passion and dedication for what you’re doing or you’ll likely find yourself overwhelmed and prematurely burnt out." – Brian Griffith

What is your biggest accomplishment in life and why? 

The personal, or intellectual, obstacles that I’ve had to overcome in order to be studying and working here at UCSB, I think, constitute my greatest accomplishment. Prior to my intellectual awakening, I had largely failed my way through my high school years. As a result, I emerged as an early “adult” with very little intellectual foundation. And I really sensed my personal inadequacies vis-à-vis my peers. But after watching so many of my friends and loved-ones begin, and complete, their degrees, I was inspired to go back to school. I suppose you could say I had a positive intellectual context around me for many years, which reinforced my inherent curiosity and productive energies. And once I set my mind on, first, earning my B.A., I did it. And then I completed an M.A. two years later. And then I was invited to study here at UCSB for my Ph.D. in 2012. When I look back on all of these milestones, I realize how far I’ve come personally. This, for me, is my greatest accomplishment.

Brian J. Griffith , left, playing guitar with The Drive Home at Anaheim's Chain Reaction in 2003.

You won a GSA Excellence in Teaching Award in 2014. Any teaching tips you can hand down?

I’d say that if you’re passionate about what you’re teaching, then let it show in your classroom. I come to every section meeting, every lecture excited – genuinely excited – for whichever topic we’ll be reviewing together. I don’t think that studying and teaching History is just enjoyable; I think it’s important. And I utilize that sense of importance, and urgency, as an inspiration for getting my students excited and engaged. I think if you can develop ways for helping your students discover their hidden passions for your discipline, you’ll likely make a significant impact in their academic and, possibly, even personal lives.

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

Thankfully, I was pretty well prepared for the realities of graduate-level professional training prior to starting my M.A. and Ph.D. programs. I think anyone considering a graduate program should be prepared to put their heart and soul into what they’re doing for two to seven years, depending on the degree(s) they’re pursuing. It’s quite difficult to pursue an M.A. or a Ph.D. program with a lukewarm attitude. You should be burning with passion and dedication for what you’re doing or you’ll likely find yourself overwhelmed and prematurely burnt out. Graduate programs are briskly paced, which can be a challenge for some people. But I can say from personal experience that that brisk pace, over the long term, will compel you to grow both as a scholar and as a person.

What is your favorite thing you do to relax?

I live only 15 minutes from the beach, so I like to take walks or bike rides out to the nearby bluffs with my family. I also enjoy gardening, playing my guitar and accordion, and watching old Italian films (preferably a Fellini or a Rossellini) over a nice glass or three of Chianti Classico.

What’s in high rotation on your playlist these days?

Lately, I’ve been listening to The Misfits and Django Reinhardt. 

Brian J. Griffith walking the streets in Florence, Italy, during his Fall 2015 research trip, which was funded by a Council for European Studies Pre-Dissertation Research Fellowship.

How would you best describe your research to someone who wasn’t in your field?

My current research explores the intertwining of viti-viniculture (table and wine grape production), autarkic (materially self-sufficient) consumerism, the physical environment, and identity construction in interwar Italy.

My dissertation – Bacchus’ Blackshirt – analyzes the centrality of Italy’s viti-viniculture industry within the Fascist regime’s intertwined campaigns for encouraging the development of a national identity in Italy and establishing a synchronized community of popular consumption under the auspices of the Corporatist State. Since grape vine cultivation was such a widespread practice in Italy, it offered the dictatorship an agro-cultural platform for projecting its socio-economic program to the Italian masses.

By promoting Italy’s winemaking heritage via popular campaigns and outreach, I contend the regime aimed to stimulate domestic consumption of Italy’s grapes and wines and, simultaneously, to impress upon the masses that Italians, regardless of their regional affiliation and geographical separation, shared these histories and practices as a singular patrimony. In doing so, I am arguing, Mussolini’s dictatorship hoped to motivate domestic consumers to recognize themselves as Italians.

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

Like most starry-eyed Ph.D. candidates, I hope to be working as Professor of History at a four-year university. However, in light of the unfavorable job market out there, many feel compelled to begin planning for options B and C.

Brian J. Griffith with his wife Stephanie and their son Matteo at Goleta's Stow House.

Rick Bacon: CEO and Ph.D. studentThe term non-traditional doesn’t even begin to explain second-year Ph.D. Education student Rick Bacon. While most of us are getting a Ph.D. to get a better job, Rick Bacon already has a job he loves as C.E.O. of Aqua Metrology Systems, a Silicon Valley start-up. Instead, he’s earning his Ph.D. to help understand how to widen access of underserved populations to learning and employment opportunities and wants to get business involved to help make it happen.

It’s all part of a process of giving back. Rick originally grew up outside of the U.S., near Chichester, U.K, in a farming community. While many of his friends never left, he was afforded the chance to get a good education and earned a degree in Land Economy from Cambridge.

I sat down with him and an undergraduate student, Cani Villasenor (a UCSB Undergraduate Senior in Hydrological Sciences and Policy), who was working on Rick’s business and education partnership in Goleta. We talked about what inspired him to come back to university, what he hopes to achieve, and what he and Cani had learned from collaborating on the education project.

What would people be most surprised to know about you?

Most people are surprised to hear that a CEO is doing a Ph.D.

So why did you come back?

I’ve been lucky in life. I had the opportunity to get a first class degree. And then I looked around me and saw bright kids, in underserved populations who were in need of access to new types of learning and employment opportunities. It’s a social justice issue supported by a non-profit, helping inner city students learn how to read the world and what it takes to be successful. I wanted to replicate this model, but education systems do not operate like a business. I met an alum of UCSB, and they said I would need to learn how education works, how learning takes place in order to avoid the mistakes many business people make by thinking they have ready-made answers for how to improve the education system. This resonated with me so much that I petitioned to become a student at UCSB.

How would you best describe your research to someone who wasn’t in your field?

I’m using an interactional ethnographic lens to examine ways that partnerships between business and education leaders form and develop to create learning and development opportunities for young people in underserved populations.

Rick Bacon with the water monitoring equipment in GoletaSo how are you doing that here on your project in Goleta?

Rick: At Aqua Metrology Systems (AMS), we design and manufacture online water quality monitoring systems that test water for contaminants, such as chrome or arsenic. One of our clients who uses this technology is the City of Goleta. They have several undergraduate interns working for them. So this is a model for business to work with and involve undergraduates and graduates in a project for the benefit of the community. It’s a win-win-win for everyone involved.

What do the undergraduate interns do?

Cani: We look at water quality because of the drought. We use the analyzers from AMS. All the data goes to the cloud. I use the analyzer to make improvements and operational changes.

What have you learned as part of this project?

Cani: I learned skills to lead a team of my own interns. That by using this analyzer we were able to make a bigger impact on water quality. Also without using the cloud, we would not be able to give work to other people. The company doesn’t want to employ five interns at the facility. So by using technology and the cloud, more people are able to be involved.

Rick: It’s a telling case, of how we (business, water agencies, students and faculty) could work this way across the state. It’s also a very interdisciplinary approach bringing together different types of knowledge and expertise. How do you bring all these different actors and systems together and create a common language? I am an  ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’ to this, and it’s the basis of my Ph.D. research of a statewide water quality improvement project that is in the planning phase.

This chaotic lab space shows an instrument for Chrome 6, Arsenic (contaminants of concern in many parts of California) or Lead (of serious concern in Flint, MI)What’s the statewide project?

The Water Resources and Policy Initiatives project out of CSU San Bernardino in support of cleaner water for Disadvantaged Communities (DAC). They will work with 400 underserved communities, as part of a 3-year project involving students from every level: CSUs, UCs, and Community colleges and NGOs.

Turning back to school. After so many years away, what do you wish you had known before you started grad school?  Writing an essay is not like writing a business report, and I forgot how intensive education is. If you take it seriously, it’s very hard work. What most surprised me was some students are happy just to get the passing grade, rather than make the most of this amazing opportunity.

You’re a businessman and graduate student, what is the your favorite thing you do to relax?

I run, play tennis, and listen to music (everything from classical to flamenco).

What’s in high rotation on your playlist these days?

I’m going to see Merle Haggard and Bruce Springsteen next month.

What is your biggest accomplishment in life and why? 

Three wonderful kids, all married and four wonderful grandkids. – I started young!

Rick Bacon with his biggest life accomplishment: his family

What has had the biggest impact or influence on you and helped shape who you are today?

I had a mentor at school. He told me to forget my dream of becoming a professional  soccer player because it was a poor use of my talents. He convinced me to go to college. Also Professor Judith Green here, who convinced me I could bring something to the world of education.

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

Improving educational and employment access for underserved communities, either through policy or by being involved in the practical business side. 

UCSB's Grad Slam competition is back, and it's better than ever! Here's what you need to know and how you can sign up to participate in this year's competition, scheduled for April 4-15.

What is the Grad Slam?

Launched in 2013, Grad Slam is an award-winning campus-wide competition for the best three-minute talk by a graduate student. Participants are judged on the basis of having a clear and effective presentation that is geared for a general university audience and has demonstrable intellectual significance.

Why should I compete?

For fortune and fame, of course! This year, we're giving away more than $15,000 in cash and prizes, including a Grand Prize of $5,000. Plus, the winner will get to compete in a UC-wide Grad Slam competition for the chance to win even more money!

I'm intrigued, but I need a snazzy video to entice me more.

Here you go!

I'm sold. Where do I sign up?

Glad you asked! Click here to fill out the registration form. The deadline to sign up is Friday, March 4.

OK, I signed up. Now what?

We will be launching the 2016 Grad Slam page soon, but in the meantime you can check out previous years' competitions for more information. And be sure to stay tuned to The GradPost for more information on workshops, resources, and more to help you craft and refine your presentation. If you have questions, you can email Robert Hamm.

Working in lab: Using a routine technique called gas chromatography- flame Ionization detection (GC-FID) to identify the components in liquid mixturesJacob Barrett, a second-year Ph.D. student in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, shares a little bit about his upbringing, his research, and lessons we can all learn from his mentor, Batman. Jacob, a native of Los Angeles, earned a B.A. in Chemistry with distinction from Sonoma State University. He grew up with his mother, Tranita Barrett, his father, Barry Katz, and Renee Green, his older sister. 

Is there any particular event(s) that had a big impact or influence on you? 

A particular event I wouldn't say, but I really love museums. One of them in particular is the La Brea Tar Pits, which I try to go to every time I am in Los Angeles. It's an exhibit of extinct mammals that have been dug up from bitumen, which is a natural asphalt pit. I was excited to go there. I thought that one day I was going to be a paleontologist, but it also sort of contributed to my interest in animal life and earth's natural cycles. 

Tell us a little about your research and what you plan to achieve with that.

Basically, what I try and do is use a catalyst to convert wood into chemicals. Traditionally, these chemicals are derived from petroleum. The overarching goal of my research is to replace specific petrochemicals. The ones that I look at are high-value aromatic compounds. I would like to found a company based on garbage collection and utilization. Instead of throwing our waste into a landfill, we can find different ways to transform it into something useful. Specifically, I want to take green waste and make it into fuels and chemicals instead of just composting it, which is what most garbage collection agencies do now. 

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

I wish I had known how easily you can burn out. I understand now that your mental and emotional health is so important for your success in grad school. 

Emre Discekici and I ready to hit Wildcat!

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

The way it was explained to me by my undergraduate advisor Dr. Carmen Works, she really had a good impression on me, was that "you get to choose what you do." I really liked that aspect of it. The more education you get, the more freedom you have in what you do with the rest of you life. I kind of liked that, and that's what really drew me towards coming to graduate school versus going and working as a lab technician. 

What keeps you going now that you are in graduate school?

Well, definitely the friends that I have made here keep me going. I mean the first person I got to know well was Emre Discekici, a fellow grad student. My girlfriend Sabrina is immensely important to me. And my roommate Jordan is also really important. I live with a group of people, Michael and Sam, who are also in the Chemistry Department and we can just unwind together and we are not all stressed all the time.  

Who are your hero(oes) and/or mentors and why? 

He probably does not know who I am because he only met me once, Harry Gray is a professor at Cal Tech. I met him during a poster session for a conference. He was talking to me about my research, and I was answering his questions and discussing different experiments that he thought I should try. Basically, he was like "so you are going to apply to grad school, right?" I told him I was thinking about it, but I didn't have the grades for that. He told me that I should apply to grad school, for sure. Coming from the keynote speaker of a conference, that was just really inspiring, and so I feel like he is one of my heroes. 

Credit: DC Comics

I would really like to be like my undergrad advisor because she was such a good mentor. We do have a professional relationship, but she also has been good at managing a friendship with me. So, I really try to emulate her as a mentor with students that I work with.

You do know that my other hero is Batman? Well, Batman has completely dedicated himself to an idea, and, especially in some of the comics, he comes to a point where he realizes that what he was working on was not enough and he take it a step further. Basically, Batman's dedication is what inspires me about him the most. Batman does not let physical or mental boundaries affect him, and I wish I was capable of that. 

Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and why.

Hiking in Arenal Volcano National Park during the CSU LSAMP Project NUTria research visit in Costa Rica 2012

When I was in undergrad, I was part of Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation(LSAMP). Sonoma State does not have a very large minority population, so I ended up being one of the first students selected to go on one of the study abroad programs. It was a CSU-wide thing, and I went to Costa Rica for a summer project. After I graduated, I found out that they had nominated me for the PROUD Award, which is a CSU-wide award. You get selected from the different CSU campuses to be in this program. It was really cool. Still talking to Dr. Sam Brannen, my scholarship advisor from LSAMP, and talking to my academic advisor as well, it's crazy to see just how much they appreciated what I was doing and really I was appreciating them for giving me all these opportunities. It was a really nice symbiotic relationship between us. 

What do you do to relax? Favorite places?

I really like going to the beach and looking out at the ocean. I enjoy walking in nature. Going on hikes. I enjoy playing sports. Noodle City is by far my favorite place here. I really like Wildcat. 

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

Most people don't know that I had a Bar Mitzvah and that I am Jewish. My mother is Creole and my father is an all-American Jewish man. To appreciate what's it like to be Black and Jewish, see video below. 

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

In five years, I hope to be running my own garbage and recycling company. Ten years from now? I am not sure. I really do enjoy teaching, so it might be nice at some point to be a professor. I definitely want to own a home and maybe have some kids. 

Do you have any advice for current graduate students?

You can find research that you like, but do you get along with your advisor and do you get along with the people in your group? If you can't do those things, then you are going to have a miserable time. 

Yosemite Summer 2015 trip with UCSB and new friends. #yesnewfriends