Winter 2012 Volume Seventeen A showcase of the people and progress in the UCLA College of Letters and Science 10 A New Picture of the 8 12 6 Impact of ADHD A Reflection of China’s Past Research in the life sciences led The Return of Russia Ancient Clues to Future Change Art historian Lothar von Falkenhausen, by psychologist Steve Lee shows A new book by political scientist Earth scientist Aradhna Tripati studies a pioneer of archaeological study in that children with Attention Deficit Daniel Treisman explores the three-million-year-old evidence China after the Cultural Revolution, Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are evolution of the Russian state as gathered in the Arctic to develop new has distinguished himself as one of the much more likely to develop substance it faces an extraordinary range of perspectives on the climate to come. world’s top authorities on ancient China. abuse problems as they grow up. national challenges. On the cover: Answers from Every Corner The Great Wall Renewed The California NanoSystems Institute, A corps of dedicated graduate Restoration has been completed the interdisciplinary hub for research on students serves as mentors for on the massive Great Wall of nanotechnology for faculty across UCLA, UCLA’s undergraduates, guiding Los Angeles, a project conceived including more than 40 scholars from the life them through questions large and by Chicano/a Studies professor sciences and physical sciences in the College. small to shape their academic Judy Baca. careers. 16 14 Snapshots College News Great Futures for the College An update of events and progress The impact of philanthropy in the UCLA College of Letters on the College. and Science. 28 3 Looking Back to the Beginning of the Solar System UCLA researcher Christopher Russell, principal investigator for NASA’s Dawn mission to the asteroids Vesta and Ceres, is looking for answers to fundamental questions about the formation of planets. 32 Winter 2012 Volume Seventeen UCLA college report 20 Looking for Unexpected Connections 22 Thirty-Five Years of Early Starts 18 Barbara Fuchs is immersed in multiple roles on campus and in the community The College’s summer programs Teaching Computers to See as the new director of the UCLA for freshman and transfer students, Statistics professor Song-Chu Zhu Center for Seventeenth- and which help new Bruins gain personal studies artificial intelligence to help Eighteenth-Century Studies as well and academic confidence before computers understand one of the as the university’s Williams Andrews they begin their university studies, UCLA College of most challenging skills of all. Clark Memorial Library. celebrate a milestone. Letters and Science Alessandro Duranti Dean of Social Sciences Joseph Rudnick Dean of Physical Sciences Judith L. Smith Dean and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Victoria Sork Dean of Life Sciences David Schaberg Interim Dean of Humanities College Development Stephen Jennings Assistant Vice Chancellor College Report Harlan Lebo Editor Development Writer Margaret MacDonald Media Relations An Immigrant’s Journey A Revolution in Meg Sullivan Chronicling the Lives of Others Understanding Evolution Stuart Wolpert Min Zhou, first recipient of the Biologist James Lake has spent his Walter and Shirley Wang Endowed career taking the study of evolution in Design Chair in U.S.-China Relations and extraordinary new directions—work Robin Weisz/Graphic Design Communications, explores cultural that earned him the 2011 Darwin questions that affect immigrants— Wallace Medal for advances in Please address comments to issues that also had a profound evolutionary biology. [email protected] influence on her own life. 26 © Regents UC 2012 24 Unless otherwise indicated, all photos by Reed Hutchinson. From the Deans of the College of Letters and Science Dear Friends, As the College begins planning for its 90th anniversary in 2013, we can’t help but look back at our achieve- ments. As you’ll see on page 4 of this College Report, the creation of the College of Letters and Science was a pivotal moment for the fledging Southern Branch of the University of California. The leaders of the new College were exceptional individuals who made substantial contributions to our campus and UC as a whole. These pioneers include Charles Rieber (Philosophy), the first dean of the College, who served from 1923 to 1936. Rieber studied with Josiah Royce at Berkeley. A decade later, Paul Dodd (Philosophy), dean of the College from 1945 to 1961, organized the rapidly growing College into four divisions, each headed by a dean. Franklin P. Rolfe (English), the first humanities dean, served for 14 years; he was then dean of the College from 1961 until his retirement in 1970. Dean E. McHenry (Political Science), the first dean of social sciences, later worked with UC president Clark Kerr on the California Master Plan for Higher Education and was the founding chancellor of UC Santa Cruz. Albert W. Bellamy (Biology) served briefly as dean of life sciences; later he chaired biophysics in medicine and worked on plans to develop UCLA’s Center for Health Sciences. William G. Young (Chemistry), first dean of physical sciences (1946–1957), was also the first UCLA scholar elected to the National Academy of Sciences (1951); in 1957 he became vice chancellor for planning, a position held until his retirement in 1970. The dedication and vision of these early leaders and others have provided us with the foundation on which we as current deans continue to build. Today, the College of Letters and Science is the largest and most comprehensive academic organization in the University of California system. As we look to the future, we remain dedicated to advancing the College, strengthening its distinguished faculty and nourishing its innovative academic and research programs. Sincerely, Alessandro Duranti Joseph Rudnick dean of dean of social sciences physical sciences [email protected] [email protected] David Schaberg Judith L. Smith Victoria Sork interim dean of humanities dean and vice provost for dean of life sciences [email protected] undergraduate education [email protected] [email protected] ucla College Report An update of events and progress in the College News UCLA College of Letters and Science. David Schaberg appointed interim dean of humanities Faculty Receive NEH Grants for digital tools and teaching innovation hree faculty in the College’s Division of THumanities have won major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support collaborative research, scholarly programs, and creation of new digi- tal tools and teaching methods. Joseph Bristow, professor of English, re- ceived a grant awarded through the Institutes for Advanced Topics in Digital Humanities to develop a five-week seminar program for col- lege and university faculty to explore the life and work of Oscar Wilde. Assistant Professor of Classics Christopher David Schaberg Johanson will use his digital humanities start-up grant to develop a new software plat- rofessor David Schaberg of the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures form that will use two archaeological digs in Phas been appointed interim dean of the Division of Humanities. Turkey as test cases to present findings from Schaberg assumes the post from Tim Stowell, who served in leadership roles in the archaeological sites, as well as data manage- Humanities for three decades and now returns to the faculty in the linguistics department. ment, and curating. A member of the UCLA faculty since 1996, Schaberg has served as chair of his de- Todd Presner, professor of Germanic partment as well as co-director of the Center for Chinese Studies. Languages and director of the Center for Schaberg has published articles on early Chinese literature, historiography and Jewish Studies, received funding through the thought, and Greek/Chinese comparative issues. He is the author of “A Patterned Past: Institutes for Advanced Topics in the Digital Form and Thought in Early Chinese Historiography,” which was awarded the 2003 Humanities to create a three-week summer Levenson Prize for Books in Chinese Studies. institute hosted to explore how geospatial Schaberg is also a contributor to a new translation of China’s first great historical technologies like Geographic Information work, “The Zuo Tradition,” to be published by the University of Washington Press. Systems (GIS) can be used for teaching and research in the humanities. Student Comments from Student views about Satisfied/Very Satisfied Senior Survey 2011 their UCLA experience Dissatisfied/Very Dissatisfied 100 97% 94% 91% 91% “The interdisciplinary courses that 80 I’ve taken at UCLA encouraged me to 60 integrate multiple types of knowledge, and to appreciate subject matter from 40 many points of view.” 20 9% 9% 6% 3% UCLA Academic Student and I am proud Experience Experience Campus Life to be a UCLA “Joining a research lab was a decision graduate that has provided me with priceless Each spring, seniors in the College of Letters and Science express their views about benefits. I have seen science in action, UCLA in a survey that explores academics, campus life, research opportunities, and and have been able to see what works faculty quality. The 2011 survey found seniors continue to give very high marks and what doesn’t work.” to UCLA overall, their academic experience, campus life, and their pride in being Bruins. For the full survey findings, visit www.college.ucla.edu/seniorsurvey. ucla College Report 4 ucla College Report THE COLLEGE:at the Heart of UCLA In June 2012, the College will honor its 88th graduating class when it celebrates future leaders, and looks back at a remarkable transformation that converted a “normal school” into the heart of a great research university. ow is a College of Letters and of the institution that would become year of curriculum was approved, which HScience born? UCLA. began in September 1924, thus making the UCLA was founded almost 100 years In spite of its name, the Southern Southern Branch a full-fledged four-year ago, its origins in a two-year teachers col- Branch was still a two-year school public university.