The University of California San Diego’s footprint is growing. This summer it extends to Canada’s Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity where Steven Schick looms large. The distinguished professor of music, Reed Family Presidential Chair holder, and music director and conductor of La Jolla Symphony and Chorus is serving as co-artistic director of Banff Centre’s 2017 Summer Classical Music Series. In the role, Schick, along with flautist Claire Chase, is creating programming under the theme of “Create, Refine, Amplify” that features a strong focus on chamber music plus new approaches to help develop classical musicians’ skills and careers. The program attracts hundreds of individual participants, established groups and renowned composers from around the world.
Cocoon Cam, a computer-vision-based baby monitor company co-founded by University of California San Diego computer science alumnus Pavan Kumar (M.S. Computer Science 2015), recently announced that it closed a $4 million Series A funding round. Cocoon Cam is a baby monitor that relies on computer vision technologies to track breathing and other vital signs. It offers instant alerts and sleep analytics that can be accessed by parents anytime through a smartphone app.
The University of California San Diego has been named the 9th best public university in the nation for LGBTQ students, according to a new 2017 report by College Choice. The independent online publication that helps students select a school recently released their list of the “50 Best Colleges for LGBTQ Students.” In addition to being in the top 10 among public schools, UC San Diego was ranked 19th overall, public and private, in the U.S.
It’s a cheesy pick-up line: “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” It might also be something that profoundly alters how we perceive other people. According to research from UC San Diego, familiar faces look happier to us than unfamiliar ones, even when faces are objectively expressing the same emotion to the same degree.
The University of California San Diego’s Department of Theatre and Dance is among the best: Hollywood Reporter recently listed the acting program #5 in the world. Part of its reputation is due to its unique partnership with the world-renowned La Jolla Playhouse. The UC San Diego-La Jolla Playhouse partnership includes a theater and dance residency program that offers students the opportunity to gain practical experience in acting, directing, design and stage management that sets them up for professional success.
Last October, leadership at the University of California, San Diego—thrilled that His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama had accepted the campus’ invitation to be the keynote speaker at the 2017 commencement—were told by the Friends of the Dalai Lama Foundation that “all of this is bigger than anyone can imagine.” This is big: the Dalai Lama is one of the most recognized and respected individuals in the world.
