Many of you know Suresh Subramani as the Executive Vice Chancellor (EVC) of Academic Affairs. And you probably know that he is a highly distinguished cell and molecular biologist. But you may not know that he has worked at UC San Diego for 30 years, or that he is a vegetarian, or that he has two favorite places on this planet and they are nowhere near each other. In this interview, he talks about his responsibilities as the campus' chief academic and operating officer; his long career at the university, from faculty member to EVC; and he gives us insight into the future of education and research at UC San Diego.
After the devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radiation scare in Japan, scores of volunteers have descended on the northeastern region of the country to help survivors deal with the massive devastation and debris removal. One of those volunteers is alumnus Jacob Searing. He lives in Tokyo, Japan and traveled several hours by bus to the affected area, where he spent eight days scooping mud out of homes and parking lots. He wrote about his experience on his Facebook page, which led an alumni coordinator to contact him and recommend that he log his hours on the university's Volunteer50 website, which he did. In this interview, Jacob talks about his volunteering experience and how he ended up living in Japan.
Even though she's a staff member, Anna Gandolfi looks forward to commencement every year. And she starts thinking about it way before June. That's because she helps to plan the numerous graduation ceremonies. In addition to her duties as the business officer at John Muir College, she took on the additional commencement coordination duties in 2008 when the Council of Provosts appointed her to the position. She has worked at UC San Diego for more than two decades and was named a UC San Diego Exemplary Employee of the Year in 2006. She has also served as Chair of the Staff Association. In this interview, she talks about the challenges and fun of coordinating so many commencement ceremonies, her volunteer work and what she's learned about UC San Diego over the years.
From "Glee" to "The Sing-Off," television shows are bringing a cappella singing into the mainstream. And a new a cappella group at UC San Diego—Acamazing—is gaining popularity right here in La Jolla. Composed of 19 students, the group has a number of songs under their belts, which they've performed both on and off campus. You can see video of their concerts on their website and on YouTube. Freshman Caitlyn Cibulsky serves as the administrative affairs officer for the group and, in this interview, she talks about why Acamazing is special.
As the new Vice Chancellor for Research, Sandra Brown oversees an office responsible for many of the university's key functions, including Organized Research Units, contracts & grants, technology transfer, animal care and welfare, research ethics and postdoctoral scholars, among others. A professor and researcher herself, she knows firsthand both the rewards and challenges of UC San Diego's research enterprise. She was appointed to her position in December 2010, just after the university surpassed $1 billion in research funding for the first time, a milestone that included bringing in more federal stimulus dollars than any other UC campus. In this interview, she talks about why research is an integral part of UC San Diego's mission and 50-year history, and what's next for the Office of Research Affairs.
After growing up in a predominantly Latino community in Los Angeles, Jacob Bailey had an eye-opening experience when he transferred from a Southern California community college to the University of Utah as an undergraduate. He realized he was one of only seven Latinos in his class at the College of Science, so he set out on a personal mission to recruit and encourage underrepresented students to attend college. Now a second-year medical student at UC San Diego, he continues his outreach efforts through the School of Medicine. He is determined to give back to his community through his research and career in medicine. .
