A fundraiser like no other, the Luau and Legends of Surfing Invitational trades tuxedos and ballrooms for surfboards and sand. The San Diego tradition, now in its 22nd year, features a surf competition that draws scientists, community members and surf legends alike. Afterward, guests will enjoy a Hawaiian-themed luau with entertainment by singer-songwriter and former San Diego Padre Tim Flannery. The festivities begin at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 9 on the beach near Scripps Pier. All proceeds from the event will support research and patient care at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health.
New rankings name the University of California, San Diego the fourth best public university in the U.S. and the 21st best university in the world. The rankings by the Center for the World University Rankings (CWUR) are based on quality of research, faculty, influence, enterprise and successful alumni.
The Rady School of Management at UC San Diego has launched a Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) degree program. This intensive new program will offer hands-on training to prepare students to use data and analytics to identify business opportunities, generate business insights and create business solutions.
San Diego philanthropist, literacy advocate, and longtime supporter of the University of California, San Diego, Audrey Geisel, has donated $3 million toward the renovation of the university’s iconic flagship building, Geisel Library. The gift kicks off a major initiative to transform and revitalize the interior public spaces of Geisel Library to meet the evolving needs of students, faculty, and other Library users in the digital age. Geisel’s gift will be used to renovate and update the entry level of Geisel Library, which opened in 1972 as the university’s Central Library. In 1995, the William Pereira-designed building—known by many as “the spaceship”—was named in honor of Audrey and her late husband, Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, in recognition of a major gift from Audrey Geisel.
Marcia McNutt, a prominent geophysicist, national leader in science, and alumna of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, has been nominated to become the next president of the National Academy of Sciences.
Thomas J. Csordas, renowned anthropologist and director of the Global Health Program at the University of California, San Diego, has been appointed the inaugural holder of the Dr. James Y. Chan Presidential Chair for Global Health in the Division of Social Sciences.