June 11, 2001
Summer is UCSC's season for conferences
By Louise Donahue
Community activists, scientists, and middle and high school youths will be among
those drawn to UCSC for a variety of special programs this summer.
Some 15,000 visitors from more than 30 countries are expected to take part in more
than 100 conferences, academic institutes, camps, and outreach programs.
The 10-week conference season begins June 17 and runs until August 25. Offerings
range from a conference focusing on adaptive optics and the formation of giant planets
to programs for K-12 teachers.
The conference program generates more than $4.25 million annually for UCSC. Conference
guests occupy the 4,400 beds at UCSC's nine residential colleges, purchasing food
and other services from the campus. Income from the summer visitors helps offset
room-and-board rates charged to UCSC students by about $200 per student each year.
Income is also returned to UCSC's colleges to help support student programs.
Conference participants have an impact on the local economy, often spending money
at local businesses, said Nancy D'Angelo, assistant director of Housing, Dining,
and Child Care Services. In addition, the wide range of programs exposes more people
to UCSC, she said. "It's a way of showcasing the campus and what the campus
has to offer," D'Angelo said.
Approximately 70 percent of summer bookings come from K-12 outreach programs from
UCSC Educational Partnership Programs, Extension, academic programs sponsored by
faculty and staff, and Summer Session. Businesses, sports and school groups, and
professional organizations make up the remaining 30 percent.
For more information on this summer's conferences or services offered by UCSC's Conference
and Summer Housing Office, call (831) 459-2611 or go to www.ucsc.edu/conference/.
This year's conferences include:
Northern California Setac: The Northern
California Regional Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology holds its
11th annual meeting on the UCSC campus from June 17-19. Activities include technical
papers and workshops of interest to a broad spectrum of environmental professionals
from academia, government, and industry. Keynote speakers include Russell Flegal
of UCSC's Department of Environmental Toxicology. A wrap-up session will address
environmental implications of global warming.
College Board Summer Institute: The institute,
August 5-9, is designed for new or relatively inexperienced admissions and school
relations staff and will cover admissions case studies, transcript evaluations, visiting
high schools, giving oral presentations, financial aid, testing and testing preparation,
stress management and survival skills, international students, and ethical considerations.
Adaptive Optics: Returning to the UCSC campus, the Summer School on Adaptive
Optics will provide an opportunity for participants to learn advanced topics for
adaptive optics. Among the topics included in the curriculum is image processing
for astronomy and vision science, phase diversity, blind/myopic deconvolution, and
PIXONS. Participants will learn basic functions for description of wavefront: Zernike,
Karhunen-Loeve, and edge effects in LASIK.
The Trust for Public Land: California ReLeaf Network, a unit of The Trust
for Public Land, is a growing alliance of community-based organizations that share
the common goals of planting and protecting trees, fostering an ethic of environmental
stewardship, and promoting citizen involvement. The eighth annual statewide meeting
will be held July 28-30, and participants will gather in a setting conducive to learning,
interaction, and appreciation of the urban forest.
This year's outreach and youth programs include:
ACCESS: An academic bridge program for community college students interested
in pursuing a career in research science.
COSMOS: This residential program gives the brightest high school students
from across the state the opportunity to study at UCSC with the university's top
researchers. UCSC, along with UC Irvine, will be the scene of the new California
State Summer School for Math and Science, known as COSMOS.
Center for Academic Advancement, Johns Hopkins University: Run through Johns
Hopkins University, the Center for Academic Advancement hosts academically talented
children from all over the country. Students from grades seven and up participate
in three-week sessions, choosing their studies from subjects such as engineering
design, neurobiology, psychology, and creative writing.
Nike Sports Camps: Nike Sports offers residential camps for youths ages 10
to 18 throughout the summer. Sports programs offered at UCSC include swimming, tennis,
and volleyball.
United Spirit Association (USA) Camp: Students, advisers, and coaches of cheerleading,
drill team, and other spirit groups leave this camp with usable material and tools
needed to bring the stands to life.
