UCSD-TV Blog

The UCSD-TV Blog Has Moved

2010-05-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

The UCSD-TV Blog now lives in its new location at:

www.myucsd.tv

Please update your bookmarks and subscriptions.

Writer’s Symposium By the Sea 2010

2010-03-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

In March, UCSD-TV will tape two of Dean Nelson’s author interviews as part of the 2010 Writer’s Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University. Look for the broadcast premieres of “An Evening with Michael Eric Dyson” and “An Evening with Bill McKibben” in April.

Watch online videos of all Writer's Symposium by the Sea programs and learn more about the series.

New State of Minds Premieres in May 2010

2010-03-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned for an new installment of UCTV's State of Minds. Learn how the magic of Folkorico dance inspires a former UC Santa Cruz student to become a UCSC professor of anthropology and producer of documentary films. Follow along as UC Davis becomes the first university to use top green design standards for a new winery, brewery and food processing facility. Join UC Riverside researchers as they pursue the right mix for growing drought-tolerant grass. Look for these stories and more in May.

Los Laureles Canyon: Available in Spanish

2010-03-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

In response to numerous requests, we have secured funding to produce a Spanish-language version of Los Laureles Canyon: Research in Action for distribution in Mexico. Look for this on line in June 2010.

Science Programs to Watch on UCSD-TV

2010-03-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

TeacherTECH: Earthquake Teaching Tools

The next program in our new series TeacherTECH, from the San Diego Supercomputer Center airs Wednesday March 24 and features the irrepressible Debi Kilb, Science Director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Visualization Center. Debi's specialties are the underlying physics of earthquakes, and getting other people really enthused about it. She's going to show you many readily accessible sources on the internet where you can find a wide range of information on seismic activity, both in the past and as it happens. And don't miss physics guru Phil Blanco's TeacherTECH presentation on Newton's Laws and Gravity on March 31. Visit UCSDTV's TeacherTECH page for other programs in the series, and more resources and information from the presenters.

Building It Better

In keeping with the theme of seismicity, Debi's TeacherTECH presentation is followed by Building It Better, a chronicle of the most massive outdoor real-time seismic test ever conducted. You'll get an inside view of the western hemisphere's largest shake-table at UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering’s Englekirk Structural Engineering Center. The shake table is the only of its kind in North America, and you'll see the amazing ingenuity and technology that is required to conduct a test of this scale.

Science Blog: Seismic Testing for a Renewable Future

2010-03-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

We’ve embarked on a new program that chronicles the seismic testing of a wind turbine conducted at UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering’s Englekirk Structural Engineering Center – home of the western hemisphere’s largest outdoor shake table. California will be expanding the use of wind generation, and as we all know, California is one of the most seismically active regions in the nation. It is the first time a turbine has been tested in this manner and will provide a wealth of information for design and deployment of wind turbines for our renewable future. We caught the turbine being subjected to forces two-and-a-half times greater than the Northridge earthquake, and we’ll be getting an inside look at a working wind farm and how this research will help advance wind power – keep watching and you’ll see the results.

Learn more about what's happening in Science on the UCSD-TV Science Blog

UCSD-TV News and Highlights: March 2010

2010-03-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

Check out the latest UCSD-TV news and highlights, including:

Lilith the Opera Soars on TV

The Reconstruction of American Journalism

...and more!

Writer's Symposium By The Sea 2009, Interview with Dean Nelson

2009-04-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

Now in its 14th year, the Point Loma Nazarene University Writer's Symposium By The Sea has become a great resource to learn about the craft of writing from some of the country's premiere authors. Host Dean Nelson gives up the inside scoop on 2009's theme of "Writing Beyond Boundaries."

UCSD-TV: The focus of the 2009 Writers Symposium is "Writing Beyond Boundaries." How do the authors featured this year exemplify that idea?

DEAN NELSON: They all take a different approach to something that is pretty common and universal, whether it be life and death, or national borders, or traditional music genres, or faith or politics. Each writer in this series took a familiar topic and turned it so that we saw it differently. That's what writers do -- the good ones don't just perpetuate what we already think about something. They turn it and make us see it differently and challenge our ideas about how things are.

UCSD-TV: How do you define where the boundaries are in creative endeavors?

DN: I suppose boundaries are cultural constructs that, when repeated often enough, get accepted as the truth. Creative people by definition don't accept that proposition, and push the boundaries out.

UCSD-TV: Can boundaries be helpful to the creative process?

DN: Maybe at first, in that they can define the arena we're in. Boundaries such as good grammar and syntax are helpful, but then a writer like a David Eggers comes along and writes sentences that are impossible to diagram, and you know what? They communicate very well! Why? Because we have something for this new work to bump up against. We understand things essentially because we can say, "compared to what?" The boundaries are what we compare new ideas to. I think boundaries are crucial initially because they teach us forms and patterns. Wallace Stegner said that we live by forms and patterns, and if they are bad, then our lives are bad. But that doesn't mean we can't create new ones.

UCSD-TV: Are boundaries in the arts created for critics or artists?

DN: Critics need boundaries so that they can say something they're evaluating is "like this," and "not like that." It's a measurement tool for them. Artists need them at first so they can know when they're breaking those boundaries. Jazz is the greatest example. It might sound like chaos to some, but jazz musicians know music theory -- a very important boundary within which most musicians work. Jazz is so great because it knowingly turns music theory upside down. There is an order to that disorder.

UCSD-TV: Was there a common thread that drives these writers to push the boundaries?

DN: Maybe in that they all, in their own unique ways, said "there is another way to consider this." Pauline Chen's writing says there is another way to think about death and dying and proper medical practice. Luis Urrea's writing says there is another way to think about identity and race. Richie Furay and Greg Laswell's music says there is another way to think about love and life. Brian McLaren's writing says there is another way to think about God and faith. Christopher Buckley's writing says there is another way to think about traditional politics and the structures it perpetuates.

UCSD-TV: Several of these authors work in strict systems with well-defined expectations - Pauline Chen in medicine, Christopher Buckley as a political speech writer. Is it harder to push beyond with those types of constraints?

DN: It is harder for them, I think, because the traditional views of medicine and politics are so entrenched. All the more reason why we need Chen to make us see an alternative -- somewhat spiritual -- view of what we assume is strictly physical, and why we need Buckley to make us see how laughable these gasbag politicians really are.

UCSD-TV: The past few seasons have featured musicians. How do they fit into the landscape of creative writing?

DN: Good writing is good writing, whether it's music, drama, screenwriting, fiction, poetry, journalism or creative non-fiction. We've had hip-hop poets perform at our Symposium. That's a kind of music. It's not really a departure from what we try to celebrate -- good writing. Last year we had Jon Foreman of Switchfoot, and I believe he is a true poet. Put his poetry/lyrics with Richie Furay's and Greg Laswell's, and you'll understand better what the human experience means. That's what any great writing does. If we can inspire, encourage and model great writing in our audiences, we've pushed out some of their boundaries, too. That makes us all better.

Bonus Videos/Interviews from SummerFest 2008

2009-02-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

Extended interviews and additional performances from selected shows.

La Jolla Music Society SummerFest 2008: A Conversation with Cho-Liang Lin

La Jolla Music Society SummerFest 2008: A Conversation with Steven Schick

La Jolla Music Society SummerFest 2008: A Conversation with Vladimir Feltsman

Photos from the 2008 Season of SummerFest

2009-01-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

Enjoy these behind-the-scenes photos from the 2008 Season of La Jolla Music Society SummerFest.

From Summerfest 2008: Commissions

From Summerfest 2008: Commissions

From Summerfest 2008: Vladimir Feltsman

From Summerfest 2008: Vladimir Feltsman

From Summerfest 2008: Legends and Rituals

From Summerfest 2008: Legends and Rituals

From Summerfest 2008: Beethoven's String Quartet in F-Major

From Summerfest 2008: Beethoven's String Quartet in F-Major

Interview with Christopher Beach, President and Artistic Director, La Jolla Music Society from the 2008 Season of SummerFest

2009-01-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

UCSD-TV: What sparked your love of chamber music?

CHRISTOPHER BEACH: My grandparents and great grandmother would have dinner parties where they and their friends would play chamber music, so as a child it was the very first music I heard. I have loved it since before I could remember.

UCSD-TV: Do you have a favorite composer?

CB: Every day my favorite composer changes, sometimes two or three times a day. The Goldberg Variations is always one of the pieces at the top. A month ago I was fixated by John Ireland. Elgar reminds me of my grandfather. Liszt and Chopin remind me of my great grandmother and my mother loved Sibelius. Grieg and I share a birthday (June 15th). And then there is opera. I worked for various opera companies for more than 15 years and Rigoletto, all Verdi, Strauss, Strauss, Strauss...you see, it is impossible to answer this question.

UCSD-TV: What piece of music could you listen to over and over?

CB: All of the above, but I love the three Mozart/DaPonte operas. They tell the story of life. Having just heard again the Vingt regards sur L'Enfant Jesus by Messian, I know it is one of the great works of the 20th Century.

UCSD-TV: What is your favorite Summerfest moment from seasons past?

CB: Last summer's performance by Jimmy and Hai-Ye Ni and John Bruce Yeh, and Christopher Taylor of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time...although Jacques Loussier's performance and the Milone Piazzolla Suite were unforgettable.

UCSD-TV: What is the biggest challenge in putting on Summerfest every year?

CB: It is like a triple decker chess game. Artists' availabilities, repertory artists would play well, who would play well together, what would sell tickets, and what can challenge the audience and yet not challenge them too much.

UCSD-TV: Summerfest is not just about great performances. So many of the events focus on educating the audience and sharing knowledge. Could you tell us a bit more about these activities and why they are so important to the chamber music community?

CB: Chamber music has more layers and more depth than any other instrumental music and yet, at the same time it is so transparent because it is so intimate. We have open rehearsals with the artist, Prelude lectures, artist workshops, and Encounters during the day that provide a context for all of the performances. I guarantee any of our audience members that if they partake of these free offerings they will leave the concert hall richer and with an even more memorable performance.

UCSD-TV: What can the viewing audience expect from the new season of Summerfest programs?

CB: Mendelssohn, Handel, Haydn and Purcell all celebrate anniversaries in 2009.

UCSD-TV: 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the La Jolla Music Society. How will you celebrate?

CB: With Gustavo Dudamel, four great international women pianists, more dance than ever, and champagne.

Body Politic Behind-the-Scenes Photos, 2008

2008-06-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Body Politic: World Views of USA, June 2008

A discussion with Stephan Haggard and Karen Ferree on how the American presidential campaign is being viewed in Europe, Africa and Asia followed by an interview with Philip Gourevitch on US soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Producer Shannon Bradley discusses topics for
the show with host Peter Gourevitch and guests Karen Ferree and Stephan Haggard.
Photo by Juanita LaHaye

Peter Gourevitch, Karen Ferree, and Stephan Haggard get acquainted on the set of The Body Politic.
Photo by Juanita LaHaye

Camera operator Harry Caruso readies the camera and teleprompter for the day's shoot.
Photo by Juanita LaHaye

UCSD-TV crew member Alan Thwaites checks the microphones before taping begins.
Photo by Juanita LaHaye

A camera operator's view.
Photo by Juanita LaHaye

Interview with Body Politic Program Host Peter Gourevitch, 2008

2008-06-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

Since 1996, The Body Politic has been examining the issues creating local, national, and international news. After a brief hiatus, the series has returned with a new, yet familiar, host: Peter Gourevitch, professor of political science at UCSD . We asked him to tell us a bit more about the series and what we can expect to see in the future.

UCSD-TV: Welcome back to The Body Politic! What prompted you to return to television?

Peter Gourevitch: I had a great experience hosting the show ten years ago and with so many important things happening now in the world and in the U.S. it seemed a good opportunity to discuss important issues with the public.

UCSD-TV: Why is it important for UCSD faculty to participate in televised discussions about issues of the day?

PG: An informed citizenship is vital to a healthy democracy. Anything the faculty can do to help inform people we should do. My colleagues know lots of valuable things and I'd like to help them communicate it to the general public. You can read about these issues in the newspapers or online but there is something more direct about hearing from someone who is part of our community.

UCSD-TV: The Body Politic premiered on UCSD-TV in 1996. How has the political climate changed since the show began? Or has it?

PG: The political climate seems even more polarized than it was ten years ago. The difficulties we face in the U.S. and in the world have gone up - Iraq, the economy, the environment, inequality, infrastructure in the U.S., education - these have all increased as problems of concern.

UCSD-TV: What topics can the audience expect to be explored on upcoming episodes of the show? Immigration? Health care? Foreign policy?

PG: Yes, all of these issues: foreign policy, immigration, the economy, health, the environment. It is a matter of matching expertise, availability and the topic. Our constraint is time!

Behind the Scenes Photos from Writer's Symposium By The Sea 2008

2008-04-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

Enjoy these photos from the 2008 season of Point Loma Nazarene University, Writer's Symposium by the Sea.

Anchee Min discusses her bestselling memoir, Red Azalea,
with host Dean Nelson.
Photo by Bronson Pate, Bauman Photographers

UCSD-TV's Alan Thwaites adjusts Jon Foreman's mic
before his unplugged performance.
Photo by Bronson Pate, Bauman Photographers

A view from the stage.
Photo by Bronson Pate, Bauman Photographers

American icon Gay Talese talks about his life as
a writer with host Dean Nelson.
Photo by Bronson Pate, Bauman Photographers

The audience listens intently for tips
on the craft of writing.
Photo by Bronson Pate, Bauman Photographers

The UCSD-TV crew is on hand to capture all the literary goodness.
Photo by Bronson Pate, Bauman Photographers

Dean Nelson and author Philip Yancey having an animated
conversation about writing and faith.
Photo by Bronson Pate, Bauman Photographers

Interview with Dean Nelson, Host and Director of Point Loma Nazarene University's Journalism Program 2008

2008-04-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

For more than a decade, the Point Loma Nazarene University Writer's Symposium By The Sea has become a great resource to learn about the craft of writing from some of the country's premiere authors. We asked host Dean Nelson to tell us a bit more about the series.

UCSD-TV: How did the Writer's Symposium by the Sea begin?

DEAN NELSON: Many schools and regions have what are called writer's workshops, and we thought we could do something that would attract great writers, but didn't want it to be about "how to write," or about "getting published," or filling would-be writers with false hope. There is a place for those kinds of gatherings, and we didn't want to duplicate what was already out there. So we thought we'd try to focus on bringing in role models who could enlighten, encourage and inspire great writing.

The interview format was something we did from the beginning, but we did it as sort of a fluke. I was begging Joseph Wambaugh to come, and he refused,saying that he didn't give lectures. But he added that if I wanted to ask him questions, he would come and answer them. His interview was such a smashing success that we stuck with it, and many writers actually prefer this format, because it takes the pressure off of them to try to prepare something profound.

UCSD-TV: How did the partnership with UCSD-TV come about?

DN: I met Shannon [UCSD-TV Producer Shannon Bradley] when I was a reporter for The New York Times, and she was running a UCSD summer school program for high school journalists during the Republican National Convention here 1996. I contacted her about the symposium and she was interested in working with me to turn it into a series of programs for UCSD-TV.

UCSD-TV: How do you prepare for your role as host? Does being an author yourself help?

DN: It helps that I am a writer because I can ask about technique and craft a little more pointedly. The secret to the interview is that I try to read as much as I can of what they have written, but I try to read their stuff in chronological order so I can see how they have changed over time. So I usually can point out some examples of how I think they have evolved. I don't pay much attention to what other interviewers have asked them.

UCSD-TV: What insights have you gained on the writing process after picking the brains of so many authors?

DN: One of the recurring themes of virtually all the speakers has been in regard to how hard it is to write well. I take perverse pleasure in hearing them say this year after year, because it's still hard for me, too. Every writer has his or her quirks, some have gotten a little lucky, but most great writers have become great writers because they were willing to commit to it and pay the price. Students don't get that because they're young and used to abandoning things that are difficult.

UCSD-TV: The past year has seen the demise of several magazines championing long-form journalism. How do we get people excited about the craft of writing again when technology seems to demand sound-bite simplicity?

DN: People will still read good writing. My daughter eats bowls of Froot Loops for a few days, then decides what she really wants is a great salad full of all sorts of stuff that's good for her. Readers do similar things when they come across something good. I am not worried about the future of long-form narrative, as long as it's well done.

UCSD-TV: The Writer's Symposium gives the live audience a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with their favorite authors. Each session generally ends with a question and answer session. Any memorable interactions with the audience?

DN: The Q&A with Anne Lamott usually turns into a love fest. Other writers say some profound things about writing during those interactions. Probably the best was Ray Bradbury telling everyone to go home and write a story. It wasn't a suggestion. It was a demand. I think everyone did it, too.

UCSD-TV: What is your current favorite book? What book could you read over and over again?

DN: This is going to sound like a cop-out, but it's usually true -- my favorite book is usually the one I am reading right now. So that would be The God of Small Things by the Indian writer Arundhati Roy. There is also one book that I find myself re-reading whole sections of, so maybe it's my favorite as well, and that is Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. He's one of the most profound, elegant craftsmen I have ever read.

Bonus Videos from SummerFest 2007

2008-01-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

Extended interviews and additional performances from selected shows.

Summerfest 2007: An Evening with Cho-Liang Lin:

Christopher Beach Interview

Cho-Liang Lin Interview

Summerfest 2007: Premieres & Reprises:

Joan Tower Interview

Marc Neikrug Interview

Real Quiet Interview

SummerFest 2007: Interview with Executive Producer John Menier

2008-01-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

La Jolla Music Society and UCSD-TV have forged a unique partnership to share the magic of Summerfest with television and web audiences. We asked executive producer John Menier to tell us a bit more about the history and making of the series.

UCSD-TV: How did UCSD-TV's partnership with La Jolla Music Society's Summerfest begin?

JOHN MENIER: The exact details are shrouded in the mists of time, but I first made contact with La Jolla Music Society in 1993. At that time I was interested in one particular event, an appearance by composer Bright Sheng at the Athanaeum Music Library in La Jolla. The resulting program turned out very well, and over the next few years we gradually developed an enduring partnership with the Society.

UCSD-TV: What are some of your favorite moments from past Summerfest seasons?

JM: I’m fascinated by rehearsals, and I love documenting the creative process...

Read the Entire Interview

La Jolla Music Society Summerfest Web Site

Interview with David Pellow and Jorge Mariscal for Growing Activism

2007-04-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

What role does activism play on a college campus? Does it leave marks on not only the people who participate but the places where it occurs? In the series Growing Activism, UCSD-TV follows two professors as they share with students the history of campus activism at UC San Diego. We asked Professors David Pellow and Jorge Mariscal to tell us a bit more about this project.

UCSD-TV: What do you hope to accomplish by bringing activists to campus?

DAVID PELLOW: We hope to (re)invigorate a passion for the broader relevance of a college education in the United States today. Education, in my experience, should be about critical thinking, engaged learning and listening, and transformative action aimed at improving societies. Anything less than that is unacceptable.

JORGE MARISCAL: We hope to provide models and inspiration so that students will feel empowered to take action on their own. The activists we spotlight believe long-term structural change should be the goal of all activism. Simply put, charity is not enough and faddish protests designed for media attention are counter-productive. Activism is a long-term, often a lifetime, commitment based on hope and courage.

UCSD-TV: How do you personally define activism?
DP: Activism comes in many forms: innovative imagination and thought; engaging dialogue, conversations, speech, and the written word; and the use of persuasion directed at one's peers and at those who enjoy positions of privilege.

JM: Activists come together around issues of mutual concern with the goal of making change. Activists volunteer time and a great deal of energy in addition to carrying out family and professional responsibilities. This is especially true for student activists who are completing an academic career at a very competitive university while at the same time trying to effect change at that university and in the society at large.

UCSD-TV: How has your own activism informed your work on campus?

DP: I've been active in social and environmental justice work for more than 20 years and that experience shapes my teaching, student mentoring, and research everyday because those three things are ultimately done for the purpose of achieving a world that is more socially just and ecologically sustainable. So you see it in the content of the courses I teach and the substance of the research that I do as a scholar.

JM: I first became active in the Chicano/Latino Concilio in the late 1980s. Concilio was created with the goal of making UCSD more responsive to the Latino community. Over the years, I have conducted research and published articles on the history of UCSD. My knowledge of the founding principles of the campus and the structures that have regulated it over the decades allow me to analyze the current moment and to work with others to try to make the campus more inclusive and democratic.

UCSD-TV: You frequently invite guest speakers into your classroom. What have been some of your favorite insights/anecdotes that those speakers have shared?

DP: One speaker from Los Angeles was Saul Sarabia, a legal scholar/activist who does incredible work with university students and communities of color in that city. He reminded students that at the end of the day, if we haven't taken care of ourselves, then we're no good to anyone else. Specifically, he mentioned that many activists experience burnout due to overwork, or have health problems because they are overcommitted to "the cause." He experienced this himself, but he bounced back and has remained an amazing asset for social change because he decided to set limits on how much of his time and energy he could give. As Cross-Cultural Center Director Edwina Welch likes to remind us, "don't reproduce the conditions of your own oppression." In other words, if we're fighting oppression, it makes no sense to do so by adopting methods that end up creating oppressive situations for ourselves.

JM: Most of the speakers have said that individuals alone cannot make effective change. Change comes through collective action. They have also talked about the need to take care of one's health and family needs as an activist because the danger of burnout is very high. My favorite speaker is probably Mr. Fernando Suarez who lost his only son during the invasion of Iraq. His son was a U.S. Marine who was not a citizen. Mr. Suarez has dedicated himself to the cause of peace. He tells young people that they can make a difference by getting an education and working in their communities.

UCSD-TV: How have students responded?

DP: The students have not only responded, in fact, they've been the driving force behind Growing Activism. They were the reason we launched this series. The students have always asked "What can I do?" or "Where can I go to get more involved in addressing this issue?" So that's been wonderful because the classes, events, and the series itself were largely mobilized from the ground up, by student demand. Their response has been outstanding. Student attendance and participation at many of the events has been strong. In many cases, the question and answer discussion segments have been more interesting and informative than the presentations that preceded them!

JM: Students always respond very positively. There is a tremendous desire among this generation of students to make meaningful change in their society. What is lacking are the conduits for action and inspirational leadership. Although some of our students are cynical, many of them are not apathetic at all. This was quite apparent in the immigrant marches of 2006 and recent organizing around sustainability and global warming.

UCSD-TV: If a student, faculty member, or community member is interested in being more active on campus, where do you suggest they begin?

DP: They can come to the Cross-Cultural Center and get all the information they need to get hooked into a great network of active folks here!

JM: They need to identify what issue moves them the most. They then need to locate others with a passion for the same issue. From there they can either find an existing organization or create a new one. Making contact with off-campus groups is a must because UCSD is the epitome of the ivory tower.

Behind the Scenes Photos from The People's History of San Diego

2007-04-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

Check out these behind-the-scenes photos from Growing Activism.

Producer Shannon Bradley preps Professors David Pellow and Jorge Mariscal for their studio interview.
(November 6, 2007)

Professors Pellow and Mariscal on set in the UCSD-TV studio.
(November 6, 2007)

Director Matt Alioto tends to the lighting.
(November 6, 2007)

Professor Jorge Mariscal takes a group of students through the Price Center, asking them to look for the missing history.
(October 9, 2007)

Professor Mariscal recounts the history of protest
at Revelle Plaza, including the story of a student who set himself on fire to protest the Vietnam War in 1970.
(October 9, 2007)