Sneha Jayaprakash, a sophomore at UC San Diego, is passionate about two things: computer science and social change. As part of the 2013 Microsoft YouthSpark Challenge for Change contest, she developed a winning proposal for a mobile app to engage students with volunteerism and social issues—and received a prize of $2,500 to get the project going. Now, with an additional $10,000 awarded by the Microsoft Imagine Fund last month, Jayaprakash is getting the opportunity to turn her idea into a successful startup.
Social media may fuel unprecedented civic engagement. Digital networks might make possible mass protest and revolution – think “Arab Spring.” But sometimes and maybe even most of the time, a new study suggests, the accomplishments of online activism are much more modest.
NAFTA, its impact and its future goals will be the center of UC San Diego’s Mexico Moving Forward symposium, to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 6. The symposium, hosted by the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS), will feature University of California President Janet Napolitano, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla and IR/PS Dean Peter Cowhey, as well as experts from both sides of the border.
Mexico’s most visionary leaders, vibrant culture, past accomplishments and future goals will be the focus of the University of California, San Diego’s Mexico Moving Forward symposium, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 6. The symposium, hosted by the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, will focus on Mexico’s progress and future goals 20 years after the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It also will feature University of California President Janet Napolitano, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla and the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies Dean Peter Cowhey, as well as experts from both sides of the border.
Funded by USAID for $1.38 million, a research team led by UC San Diego’s Clark Gibson will run experiments with information and communications technology in the upcoming elections in South Africa. They are seeking to increase citizen participation in the electoral process, including the monitoring of Election Day.
The University of California, San Diego has received a record 89,169 freshman and transfer applications for fall 2014. The university had the third highest number of applicants among the University of California campuses. In recent years, UC San Diego has been one of the nation’s top five universities with the most applications.
