UCSB Professor Rescued From Antarctic
A group of American researchers led by UCSB Earth Science Professor Alexander Simms was rescued March 11 from the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The scientists were taken aboard the Argentinian icebreaker, Almirante Irizar, after becoming trapped by dense ice. They were conducting research at Joinville Island and it was unreachable by a U.S. icebreaker because of the dense ice. Simms research has been focused on studying Antarctic ice sheets to determine the role they play in rising sea levels.
UCOP Marks Historic 150 Years
Happy anniversary to the University of California! The UC was founded in 1868 in Oakland, CA, and today has grown to become one of the world’s most stellar university systems encompassing more than 238,000 students, 190,000 faculty and staff, and 1.7 million alumni living and working around the world. To celebrate, the UC is hosting several special events in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles and other locations. See the video and history timeline here
Alumna Returns to UCSB with High School Class
Carey Takasaki '96 recently brought her engineering class from Lemoore High School, a low income area near Fresno, CA, to UCSB to tour the mechanical engineering and Solid State Lighting & Energy labs (SSLEEC). Takasaki was a student intern in the office of Nobel Prize winner and professor Shuji Nakamura. Corporate Programs Manager Yukina Warner describes Takasaki as “one of the best interns we ever had.” Takasaki and her students spent the day at UCSB getting an up-close look at the engineering program and university life. “My students have never experienced anything of this caliber,” Carey explained. “It’s a great opportunity for them.”
UC Entrepreneurship Contest Finalists Includes a Gaucho
“I applied to this competition to increase exposure for my startup, but also to showcase the innovative spirit of UC entrepreneurs more broadly.” —Gaucho Heather Hochrein MA’16
Heather Hochrein MA ’16 is CEO and Co-founder of EVmatch was one of 5 finalist for the inaugural “I am a UCentrepreneur” campaign for alumni! EVmatch an app that allows EV drivers to find, reserve, and pay for charging stations and connect with other EV drivers.
Dr. Sophia Yen (UCSF ’97, UCB ’04), CEO and co-founder of Pandia Health won the campaign. Pandia Health is a subscription medication delivery service working to streamline how women manage their reproductive health.
The other 3 finalists were Jude Cavillo of Hyperthesis, Brian Soo of Lume and Michael Urner of Tergis Technologies
New Incubator Warms Ideas at Mosher
A new incubator space managed by UCSB’s Technology Management Program has opened at Mosher Alumni House. The 1,500-square foot space will be used by six to eight student, faculty or community teams to refine their products and take them to market. The space will be known as the Wilcox New Venture Incubator after a naming gift was received from Gary and Sue Wilcox. Gary Wilcox is a UCSB Foundation Trustee while Sue Wilcox is a member of the UCSB Alumni Association Board of Directors who worked for more than two years to make the incubator a reality
The funding for the incubator came from state legislation sponsored by Assemblymember Jaqui Irwin, who presided over a ribbon cutting at the facility on March 16. The legislation was meant to spur innovation and entrepreneurship on University of California campuses.
“NewCen” Faces Old Controversies
A proposal to tax students up to $99 per quarter to fund expansion and renovation of the University Center has run into opposition from some student groups.
A.S. President Hieu Le has made the “NewCen” effort his signature project in gathering signatures for an April ballot measure. His proposal calls for $48 million to be spent on expanding student office spaces in the UCEN as well as building a pub and a project area. He notes that the UCEN has not been renovated since 1994
But opponents of the measure are arguing that the fee, which starts at $21 a quarter for current students but inflates to $99 a quarter in 2022, would end up raising more than $190 million with most of that money going to pay off the debt required to finish construction in four years. Currently UCSB students pay some of the highest student-imposed fees in the UC system, including those campuses that fund student athletics such as football from student fees.
Deep Dive Gets Stamp of Approval
Seven of the 10 U.S. Postal Service “Bioluminescent Life” postage stamps issued earlier this year were photographed by Edith “Edie” Widde, MS ’77, PhD ’82. The stamps depict life at the very deepest part of the ocean where Widder has spent much of her professional career. She currently directs the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA) and is known for her development of deep sea diving and photography equipment. In 2014 she received the UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award
Uniting Through Music
Audiences continue to be entertained at Jeffrey’s Jazz Coffeehouse, in Isla Vista. The ongoing mini-jazz big band performances on selected Friday evenings are part of a collaboration among artists, musicians, Black Studies scholars and local intellectuals to benefit UC Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara City College student education and community social arts culture.
The venture was established in 2015 in the wake of the 2014 tragedy in Isla Vista as a way to support student culture in Isla Vista. It was also a way to use art to create community among faculty, staff, and all stakeholders in the university and the Santa Barbara community who often lack a place to gather, relax and get to know one another outside of their structured work obligations. www.facebook.com/JJCIslaVista/