November 1, 2008

UC San Diego is a world-class university because of our people.  People like Roger Tsien, Ph.D., who recently received the Nobel Prize in chemistry.  People like our Chancellor’s 5K participants who laced up their shoes for a good cause — to help raise money for undergraduate scholarships.  And people who are at the forefront of their fields — such as sustainability, politics and economics, to name a few.

Congratulations to Roger Tsien,
Nobel Prize Winner
The entire university community applauds recent Nobel Prize winner Roger Tsien, Ph.D., an exceptional chemist, researcher and faculty member at UC San Diego.  He was recognized for his work with jellyfish that helped explain how the Green Fluorescent Protein works and for extending the protein’s palette beyond green to a rainbow of colors.  That research has allowed scientists to assign different colors to various proteins and cells, and follow several different biological processes at the same time.  I’ve been amazed over the years by the quality and importance of Roger Tsien’s contributions to the scientific community.  His long career on the UC San Diego faculty has strengthened the university as a whole. 

The late George Palade, M.D., Nobel Prize winner and professor emeritus, also enriched the university, and the UC San Diego community mourns his passing.  Palade was recruited to UC San Diego in 1990 to serve as UCSD School of Medicine’s first Dean for Scientific Affairs.  He created the department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, which has risen to become one of the preeminent cell biology programs in the nation.  Considered the father of modern cell biology, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1974 for his contributions to the understanding of cell structure, chemistry and function, a prize he shared with two other researchers.  He was an extraordinary scientist, teacher and mentor, and his contributions in science and his personal impact will live on in the work of so many brilliant scholars who benefited from his guidance and wisdom.

Leader in Solar Energy Joins UCSD,
One of the Nation’s Greenest Campuses
I’m pleased to welcome Byron Washom, a pioneer in solar energy, as our new director of strategic energy initiatives.  He has been a key advisor on a wide range of clean energy technologies to the World Bank, the International Energy Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, national laboratories, and numerous regulated utilities and corporations.  He is a four-time Rockefeller Foundation grantee and Heinz Foundation grantee.  Earlier this year, he received the UC San Diego 2008 Community Leader Award for Sustainability.

Washom will provide strategic leadership to ensure UC San Diego is able to meet both its current and future energy requirements in the most environmentally sustainable, cost-effective manner, and also ensure that we serve as a premier example to institutions around the world.  And he joins the university at an exciting time, just as we’re completing the installation of one megawatt of photovoltaic systems and beginning construction of an advanced fuel cell system powered by methane gas.  The university is also working to produce 7.4 megawatts in green energy from photovoltaic, biogas fuel cell and wind energy sources.  Under Washom’s leadership, UC San Diego will continue to blaze a path in climate change science and research.

Community Taps University’s Rich Resource of Expertise
Turn on the television, pick up the paper or check out news stories online, and you’ll probably read or hear the words of a UC San Diego faculty member.  With the downturn in the economy, the important November election and the one-year anniversary of the county’s widespread wildfires, the local, national and international media are relying on UC San Diego faculty members and researchers as a resource of expertise. 

Just in the past few weeks, our political experts have been interviewed by The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and Newsweek magazine, along with other media outlets (to see the press clips, click here).  UC San Diego’s Board of Overseers and my office also sponsored a media briefing last month, featuring five university faculty members, to talk about the political campaigns leading to the November 4 general election and how the election may affect San Diego.  Our experts talked about a range of topics including race in politics, the Latino vote, and the women’s vote.  They also covered specific San Diego ballot issues.  Click here to read the “This Week @ UCSD” story about the political media briefing.

Our economists have also been tapped by media to discuss the current financial crisis in the United States and explore future prospects for our national economy.  At the beginning of October, the Rady School of Management and the Division of Social Sciences’ department of economics co-sponsored a public panel discussion on the financial crisis.  Five UC San Diego economists and finance scholars talked about the economic bailout legislation, the role of news media in the perception of the economic crisis, faulty mortgages as the source of the poor economic conditions, and how the economy will recover.  The timely panel discussion proved to be a popular event, drawing so many people that the crowd of more than 600 spilled into a nearby room, where many had to watch the program on a large television screen. The event was also webcast.  You can watch the webcast here. 

Media organizations have also talked to our faculty experts recently about the one-year anniversary of the San Diego County wildfires; the specialized treatments offered at the UCSD Burn Center, the only center of its kind in the county; and Proposition A, which asks voters to approve a new tax to improve firefighting resources. 

As you can see, our faculty’s fields of expertise are vast and diverse.  As one of the leading higher education and research universities in the nation, it is our public service responsibility to share perspectives on important issues and be a resource for our community. 

Triton Traditions Unite the Campus
New traditions abound, and old ones carry on, as UC San Diego continues to grow and evolve as the campus approaches our 50th anniversary.  One of the things I’m most excited about is our new Triton sculpture outside of Price Center East.  The statue is a symbol of our campus pride and unity.  It’s fitting that the Triton was created by UCSD alumna and artist Manuelita Brown, and that the sculpture stands in the center of campus, where students socialize, study, eat and take a break from classes.  The Triton is also strategically placed in plain view of the Student Services Center, where potential students and visitors begin their campus tours.  I hope that our student body, as well as our faculty, staff and visitors, will treasure the new Triton and all that he symbolizes, and even develop their own traditions around it, such as visiting him before a big test.

I want to thank all of the UC San Diego family members — parents, siblings, grandparents and other loved ones — who visited campus for our first-ever, campus-wide Family Weekend.  Your support and encouragement is so important, and we’re glad we had so many family members here to celebrate the success and accomplishments of our students.  Click here to view photos from the festivity-filled weekend.

Homecoming Weekend has traditionally been hosted by UCSD Athletics, but this year Alumni Affairs and Student Affairs got in on the action with Athletics to help unite alumni, students, athletes and university friends on campus for the entertaining three-day event.  More than 800 people took part in the Homecoming festivities that included a soccer doubleheader, water polo match, picnic lunch and ice cream party.  And more than 1,300 people turned out for the Chancellor’s Challenge 5K Run/Walk for Scholars, which kicked off Homecoming Weekend.  All of the Homecoming events were such a success, and we were pleased to see so many alumni back on campus, that we’re already planning a bigger, event-packed Homecoming Weekend next year.

Hundreds Lace Up Their Shoes for a Good Cause
This year’s participants of the Chancellor’s Challenge 5K helped raise more than $207,000 for undergraduate scholarships, a cause that is very important to me.  I’m proud to say that in the 13 years we’ve held this event, we’ve raised more than $2.1 million for scholarships and helped more than 700 students.  I’d also like to congratulate our first-ever Chancellor’s Champion; UCSD economist Allan Timmermann crossed the finish line before our designated student, staff and alumni runners.  For his effort and speed, he received a trophy and a lunch invitation from me at the Faculty Club.

We are truly fortunate to have such remarkable people learning, teaching and working at UC San Diego, and supporting the university.  You make this campus a special place.  Thank you for being a part of our university community.

With warm regards,

Marye Anne Fox
Chancellor