UCR Palm Desert Newsletter- April 2010
Dear Reader,
Left over from the flurry of events surrounding last week's Earth Day is a definition of sustainability that has stuck with me - "the capacity to endure."
Sustainability is often confused with terms like renewable energy, recycling, conservation, climate change, green, etc. Sustainability is actually all of those terms, and more. The many dimensions of this issue include technology, the environment, urban systems, agriculture, socio-political issues, business practices, national security and public policy. It's hard to capture all the aspects of sustainability - which is why the simple definition "capacity to endure" is appealing.
It's the limited availability of energy resources that drives conversion of our use of energy. Reducing CO2 is not just a mandate to protect the climate, but also to drive economic efficiency in the use of a limited resource. Public resources are impacted in the following ways:
- Green plants are growing in the desert and our mountains not just due to recent rainfall, but because of increased nitrogen deposition from the ocean ports of the West Coast where import traffic is increasing due to changes in our economy. The impact is increased fire frequency, placing increased demands on public resources to fight these fires.
- According to UCR professor Michael Allen, the snow to rain ratio in the Santa Rosa Mountains since 1977 has moved up 1000 feet in elevation. In addition to fire frequency, resulting in the need to improve dams and reservoirs to capture changed drainage patterns of a valuable resource - water.
With the increases in population and increasing longevity, there are now more people alive today than have ever died. This puts constraints on resources we need to survive - to endure.
At UCR we develop flood and drought resistant crops. We engineer solar cars and eco-friendly buildings. We partner with industry to tap the potential of biofuels, renewable energy and alternative transportation systems. We educate next-generation environmental scientists, conservationists, agricultural specialists and urban planners. More and more, sustainability is being integrated into our curriculum and our research agenda. UCR is a living laboratory for the exploration of the multiple dimensions sustainability and creating our capacity to endure.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Stark
Executive Director, UCR Palm Desert Center
MFA Publishing News and Updates
Eight professors teaching in the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program offered at UCR Palm Desert recently appeared at the 15th annual LA Times Festival of Books. Each of the professors, all published authors, took part in panels, discussions and book signings over the course of the weekend. The professors taking part in the LA Times Festival of Books this year included: Tod Goldberg, Rob Roberge, Mark Haskell Smith, David Ulin, Deanne Stillman, MG Lord, Elizabeth Crane and William Rabkin. The festival, the largest of its kind in the United States, annually draws more than 130,000 visitors and 400+ authors for a weekend devoted to literature.
Deanne Stillman, MFA professor, hosedt a conversation with author Helen Benedict (author of "The Lonely Soldier") at the LAPL ALOUD series on April 27. at the Mark Taper Auditorium at LA Central Library.
William Rabkin's fourth novel, "Psych: A Fatal Frame of Mind," will be published in August 2010 and his fifth novel, "Psych: Side Effects May Include Murder," will be published in February 2011. Additionally, Rabkin's first novel, "Psych: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Read," has been nominated as "Best novel - general fiction" by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.
The MFA program offered at UCR Palm Desert is a two-year low residency program where students come together twice a year for a 10-day residency period and interact electronically between residency periods. Visit MFA for more information.
EMBA Student Profile: Thelma Bloes
Executive MBA student Thelma Bloes has more than 20 years experience in accounting and business industry. She is a principal accountant and hopes to utilize the knowledge she gains in this program to assist her in obtaining an upper management position with her current employer.
She was drawn to the Executive MBA program because of the prestige of UCR, the quality of its professors and the opportunity to be a part of the inaugural class. She enjoys the schedule and format of the program as it allows her to focus on her studies and finish projects without interruptions.
"An MBA degree is part of my career plan as I prepare myself to be more visible and take on more management responsibilities at my current job," Bloes said. "This program is helping me understand the overall business operations in an academic setting and my goal is to then apply what I learn in actual business cases. Equipped with better knowledge, I would be confident taking on more or higher responsibilities," she said.
Bloes recommends that prospective EMBA students have a plan prior to enrolling. "It is important to be financially, mentally, and physically prepared," said Bloes. "EMBA programs require a commitment, and prospective students should be able to learn and enjoy the learning process at the same time."
To learn more about the Executive MBA program, attend a free information session. The next session is Saturday, May 15th at 10 a.m. at the UCR Palm Desert Center. Parking is free and refreshments will be provided. For more information or to RSVP, call 760-834-0975. To learn more about the Executive MBA program click here.
NPR Selected Shorts: LIVE READING!
The Master of Fine Arts program at UCR Palm Desert is pleased to bring to the Coachella Valley, "Selected Shorts: A
Celebration of Short Stories," the signature literary program of New York's Symphony Space.
The live reading is on Monday, May 3 at 6 p.m. at UCR Palm Desert and features Isaiah Sheffer, artistic director of Symphony Space in New York City and host of the radio program, along with Emmy Award-winning actress Fionnula Flanagan and Tony Award-winner René Auberjonois, reading contemporary and classic short fiction.
The "selected shorts" are:
"Chivalry" by Neil Gaiman, performed by Fionnula Flanagan
"Farrell's Caddie" by John Updike, performed by Isaiah Sheffer
"Taste" by Roald Dahl, performed by René Auberjonois
This reading is the second event in the Arts & Letters lecture series which provides the Coachella Valley and its visitors with a unique opportunity to examine the work and creative vision of celebrated literary figures.
Tickets may be purchased in advance for $25 by calling 760-834-0597or by paying $40 at the door. No refunds will be issued. Parking is free for this event. For more information, call 760-834-0597 or 760-834-0590.
Coachella Valley Sustainable Desert Landscape Project Making Progress
In July 2007, officials of the Palm Desert campuses of the University of California, Riverside and California State University, San Bernardino unveiled a Coachella Valley Sustainable Desert Landscape project to create a model desert garden aimed at educating the community on desert plants and water conservation.
In addition to beautifying the streetscape along Cook Street and Frank Sinatra Drive, a recreation of a palm oasis with native palms and a water feature containing our only native, endangered pup fish has just been created. This pond is ecologically balanced with plants and animals, so there will be no need to change the water or feed the fish.
Recently The Desert Sun published a story on our progress, interviewing UC, Riverside conservation biologist, Cameron Barrows. Read Desert Sun article.
To learn more about UCR Palm Desert's plans for the Coachella Valley Sustainable Desert Landscape project, contact Tamara Hedges at 760-834-0800. To help support the project, please visit our support page and designate funds to UCR Palm Desert. See our Palm Oasis photos on our Facebook page.
NEWS FROM UCR: UCR High-Tech "Smog Check" Enlisted in Air Pollution Fight
A UCR research engineer says the facility is one of only about a half dozen in North America. Read all about UC Riverside's new high-tech outdoor laboratory smog-check station. The facility was unveiled on Wednesday, April 14, 2010. View the entire article from the Press Enterprise.
Mother and Son Best-Selling Authors a Hit at UCR Palm Desert
On Saturday, April 3rd more than 250 people gathered at UCR Palm Desert for a insightful evening with authors, Anne and Christopher Rice. This event was the first of three in our Arts & Letters Lecture Series.
The night began with a private session between the authors and the MFA students at UCR Palm Desert.
From the quiet private setting to the big stage, the authors moved to the auditorium at 6 p.m. for a public conversation, which was moderated by fellow author and MFA Administrative Director, Tod Goldberg.
To learn more about the remaining events in our Arts & Letters lecture series, click here. View photos of the event on our Facebook page.
The Coachella Review Fiction Prize
The Coachella Review, the student run online literary journal for the UCR Palm Desert Center's MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts program, is currently accepting work for its inaugural Fiction Prize.
Submissions will be judged by award-winning author Mary Yukari Waters. A $500 award will be given to the writer who submits the best, well-constructed, thoughtful, and experimental story of 6,000 words or less by June 1, 2010.
To submit your entry, attach a cover page that includes the title of your work, your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. Please do not include personal information on the manuscript, only title and page numbers.
For a confirmation of receipt, please include a self-addressed, stamped post card. Work will not be returned. There is a fee of $20 for all entries. Please make check or money orders payable to "Regents-UC."
For more information about the Coachella Review, visit www.thecoachellareview.com or find them on Facebook and Twitter.
What's Happening at UC Riverside
It's not just the world-class faculty and facilities that make UC Riverside the place to be - it's also the thriving arts community, the one-of-a-kind special collections and lecture series that attract experts from around the world. It's the concerts, film festivals, dazzling dance performances, and thought-provoking theater. To learn more about these events and more visit UCR Happenings.
Become a "Fan" of UCR PD on Facebook 
Stay connected with UCR Palm Desert and our more than 100 Facebook fans on UCR Palm Desert's Facebook page. Find us on Facebook.com by searching "UCR Palm Desert" or visit palmdesert.ucr.edu and click "UCR Palm Desert on Facebook," on the bottom right side of the page.
The University of California has been active in the Coachella Valley for nearly 100 years, initially supporting the agriculture industry and more recently impacting modern growth issues through research in areas such as transportation, air quality, and energy and water conservation. The UCR Palm Desert Center, established in 2005, provides graduate education to the Coachella Valley through its innovative Executive MBA and MFA degrees.