SUMMER 2017 VOL. 12 NO. 3 SUMMER 2017 VOL. 12 NO. 3 THE MAGAZINE OF UC RIVERSIDE UNLOCKING PUZZLES OF THE WORLD TOGETHER Page 10 UCR Summer 2017 | 1 CHANCELLOR Kim A. Wilcox VICE CHANCELLOR, ADVANCEMENT Peter Hayashida EDITOR Lilledeshan Bose CREATIVE DIRECTOR Luis Sanz WRITERS Sean Nealon Rekha Radhakrishnan Koren Wetmore SENIOR DESIGNER Brad Rowe DESIGNERS Denise Wolf Krissy Danforth EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Shannon Koga CONTRIBUTORS Lisa Tyson Bettye Miller Konrad Nagy ILLUSTRATORS Mike Tofanelli PHOTOGRAPHERS Lonnie Duka Carlos Puma Carrie Rosema UCR Magazine is published by the Office of Strategic Communications, University of California, Riverside, and it is distributed free to the University community. Editorial offices: 900 University Ave., 1156 Hinderaker Hall, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, telephone (951) 827-6397. Users may reproduce text in any medium or format, with credit to the University of California, Riverside. USPS 006-433 is published four times a year: winter, spring, summer and fall by the University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521-0155. Periodicals postage rates paid at Riverside, CA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to UCR, Subscription Services (0063), 900 University Ave., 1156 Hinderaker Hall, Riverside, CA 92521. In accordance with applicable federal laws and University policy, the University of California does not discriminate in any of its policies, procedures or practices on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), genetic information (including family medical history), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or service in the uniformed services. Inquiries regarding the University’s equal opportunity policies may be directed to the Affirmative Action Office, (951) 827-5604. Questions? Concerns? Comments? Change of address? Contact editor Lille Bose at [email protected] THE MAGAZINE OF UC RIVERSIDE SUMMER 2017 VOLUME 12 NUMBER 3 COVER STORY 10 Multidisciplinary Research at UCR The future of problem- solving lies in collaboration FEATURES 18 20 24 28 31 Three Keys to Understanding Family Tree Living the Promise: Promoting Student Success Insects to John Chater fulfills The Campaign for Interdisciplinary Why UCR is a national Help People his grandfather’s UC Riverside Problem-solving leader in black Professor Timothy legacy through A look back at the Teresa and Byron graduation rates Paine studies insect pomegranate research symposia series Pollitt have given interactions for at UCR and more $1.5 million to UCR human benefit 03 | R View 09 | Having Our Say 39 | Page Turners A message from Chancellor Quotables from UCR’s faculty Kim A. Wilcox and staff in national media 40 | By the Numbers Tallying up the 2017 Highlander 04 | R Space 32 | Alumni Connection Day of Service Catch up on the latest news at DEPARTMENTS 41 | C Scape UC Riverside 33 | Class Acts Jimmy Torres, UCR Telefund caller What’s New? Watch videos, read online extras, and more at magazine.ucr.edu. MAGAZINE.UCR.EDU A family legacy in UCR Athletics “America, I Sing You Back” pomegranates Celebrating the 2017 Allison Hedge Coke, distinguished ON THE WEB John Chater’s research at UCR UCR Hall of Fame Awardees professor of creative writing, performs her poem “Deceit and Other UCR Gluck Fellows Possibilities” Program of the Arts Read an excerpt from the Watch a recap of the 20th celebrated book by Vanessa Anniversary Gala Hua, M.F.A. ’09 UCR Summer 2017 | 1 EVENTS artsblock.ucr.edu/Program/offtheblock2017 Off the Block is a free media literacy and video production workshop that Off the Block Film Screening teaches high school students how to make their own documentary films. The Culver Center of the Arts final productions will be shown at a special screening and reception in the Culver Center Screening Room at ARTSblock. 9.16 “Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA” On Sept. 16, a far-reaching and ambitious exploration of Latin American and Latino art will take place. Led by the Getty Center, “Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA” is a collaboration of arts institutions across Southern California, including UC Riverside. Through a series of thematically linked exhibitions and programs, “Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA” highlights different aspects of Latin American and Latino art from the ancient world to the present day — much of which is new to Southern California audiences. “Mundos Alternos” is a wide-ranging survey exhibition that brings together artsblock.ucr.edu/Exhibition/mundos-alternos contemporary international artists from Latin America, and Latino artists from “Mundos Alternos: Art and Science the United States, who have tapped into science fiction’s capacity to imagine new realities, both utopian and dystopian. Drawing on UCR’s strong faculty Fiction in the Americas” and collections in this area, ARTSblock will offer an account of the intersections 9.16 among science fiction, techno-culture, and the visual arts. A reception will be held on Sept. 30, 6-8 p.m. Admission is free. “Ex-Machina 3.0” is a performance by the group La Pocha Nostra, to be La Pocha Nostra: “Ex-Machina 3.0: held at the Culver Center of the Arts. The performance will feature a nude A Psychomagic Exorcism of the cyborg-like body, acupunctured with tiny flags representing the most insidious Tech Industry, 2017” tech companies. By requiring audience members to remove the needles, the 10.20 and 10.21 performance asks the participant to liberate the human body from corporate domination. 7 p.m. Alumni and friends are invited to receptions with campus leadership and faculty alumni.ucr.edu/regionalevents members. Connect with fellow alumni and hear about exciting developments at Living the Promise Regional Events UCR. Events will be held on Oct. 10 in Culver City; Jan. 31, 2018, in Phoenix; Feb. 21, 2018, in Thousand Oaks; March 7, 2018, in San Francisco; March 20, 10.10 through 5.8.18 2018, in Sacramento; April 18, 2018, in the Inland Empire; and May 8, 2018, in Anaheim. Visit alumni.ucr.edu/regionalevents to register. 2 | UCR Summer 2017 R VIEW UCR: Truly a Team Effort Staff and faculty members of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences celebrate the APLU trophy. It has been another great year at UC Riverside. As we close UCR’s six-year graduation rate among African American out the school year, we particularly congratulate our most recent students is 32 percentage points higher than the national average. graduates, who join more than 100,000 Highlander alumni in Both of these honors exemplify how UCR’s greatest every U.S. state and around the world. But in addition to the achievements happen through collaboration. While students annual rite of graduation, each spring gives us an opportunity to themselves deserve the most credit, their success wouldn’t be consider what we have accomplished together over the past year. possible without all of UCR working together. Our faculty and This has truly been a year of milestones. Last fall, we staff’s commitment to students pervades the entire campus and is welcomed the largest class of incoming students in UCR history. what sets UCR apart. This commitment also drives the In October, we publicly launched “Living the Promise,” UCR’s collaboration essential to these achievements. In all we do, first comprehensive fundraising campaign. In November, we teamwork is critical to our mission. began construction on a state-of-the-art research building that The cover story of this edition of UCR Magazine recounts will expand our mission of creating new knowledge. In the how researchers from across the university are working together spring, our departments of to solve the most urgent issues philosophy and entomology in California and around the were recognized as world- While students themselves deserve world. You will meet faculty leading programs in their fields. from the Department of Our schools of medicine and the most credit, their success Biomedical Sciences and the public policy held their first wouldn’t be possible without all of Graduate School of Education commencements. working to better understand But as an institution known UCR working together. autism. You will see how the nationally for diversity and study of astronomy and media student success, two accolades arts helps us better understand stand out. the universe. You will read about how our Cooperative In October, the Association of Public and Land-grant Extension program is working with chemical engineers and Universities (APLU) announced that UCR had received the 2016 entomologists to combat one of the world’s most dangerous Project Degree Completion Award. The award honors one citrus plant diseases. campus nationwide for innovation in boosting student success. While each school year is different, one thing will never As a national model for achieving parity in graduation rates change at UCR: that we work together to achieve our mission. across racial and socio-economic boundaries, UCR was recognized for the tremendous progress we’ve made as a Sincerely, university, including increasing four-year graduation rates by 11 percentage points and six-year graduation rates by 7 percentage points. And in February, the Education Trust, a national nonprofit that advocates for academic success, included UCR among 18 institutions as the best in the nation in promoting African Kim A. Wilcox American student success. UCR was the only university west of Texas on the list. Compared with the most recent national data, Chancellor UCR Summer 2017 | 3 R SPACE UCR Hits Record Enrollment Official enrollment data for Fall “It’s truly an exciting time at UCR,” 2016 indicated record numbers, said Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox. with 22,921 total students. Of “Growth doesn’t come without its these, 19,799 were undergraduates, challenges, but I’m inspired by the of whom 6,592 were new students effort across campus to make a (made up of freshmen and transfer UCR education available to more students).