Contents of this page: Staff invited to apply to Career Focus Program More researchers, staff prepare to move back into Sinsheimer Labs Chicano/Latino Research Center marks anniversary with a conference Engineering dean Kang gives speech at S. C. Tech Symposium California high school students invited to apply to COSMOS summer program Support breast cancer research when you file your taxes Hawaiian poet and playwright to perform March 7 Workshop offers help with managing priorities Construction update	March 4, 2002 More Campus News Staff invited to apply to Career Focus Program Whether you are looking for career direction, planning a job or career change, or just want to learn career development skills you can apply in the future, the Career Focus Program is for you. Cosponsored by Training & Development and Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action, the program uses career development exercises and activities to assist participants in developing long-term career strategies and planning skills. The Career Focus Program takes place in six sessions on April 4, 11, 18, and 25, and May 2 and 9. Each session is from 1 to 5 p.m. There is no fee, but an application is required. The application is available on the web. Applications must be received by Training and Development no later than Friday, March 15. For more information about the Career Focus Program, visit the web site or contact workshop@cats.ucsc.edu. Back to top More researchers, staff prepare to move back into Sinsheimer Labs More of the researchers and staff who were displaced by the fire and subsequent closure of Sinsheimer Laboratories in January and February are scheduled to move back into the science building this week. Occupants on the first three floors of the south wing have been notified that reoccupation of their offices and labs was scheduled to begin on Monday, March 4. Occupants on all four floors of the north wing began moving back into the building on February 19. It is estimated that reconstruction of the south wing's fourth floor, where the fire was located, will take six to eight months to complete. See Currents articles on Sinsheimer Labs fire. Back to top Chicano/Latino Research Center marks anniversary with a conference In honor of its 10th anniversary, the Chicano/Latino Research Center (CLRC) is hosting a conference March 8-9 on "Gender, Sexuality, and Human Rights in the Americas." The commemoration begins Friday, March 8, with the premiere in Classroom Unit 2 at 7:30 p.m. of the film Senorita Extraviada (Missing Young Woman), with director Lourdes Portillo. This is a human-rights documentary about the more than 300 Mexican women who have been murdered on the Mexico-U.S. border. A discussion and book signing will follow with director Portillo and UCSC's Rosa-Linda Fregoso, professor of Latin American and Latino studies, authors of the new book The Devil Never Sleeps and Other Films by Lourdes Portillo. The morning session on Saturday, March 9, will address "Human Rights on the Line: Bodies and Borders," a panel discussion moderated by Lionel Cantu, assistant professor of sociology at UCSC. In the afternoon, associate professor of politics Sonia Alvarez will moderate a discussion entitled "Desires and Be/longing: Sexual Cultures and Citizenship." Angela Davis, professor of history of consciousness, will deliver closing remarks at 5 p.m. Both sessions will take place in the Baobab Lounge at Merrill College. Details of the conference are available on the web at www.lals.ucsc.edu/clrc. For disability-related needs, contact Evelyn Parada at clrc@cats.ucsc.edu or (831) 459-3789. Back to top Engineering dean Kang gives keynote speech at S.C. Tech Symposium Steve Kang, dean of the Baskin School of Engineering, was the keynote speaker at the Santa Cruz Technology Exhibition and Symposium, held last week at the Cocoanut Grove and the WestCoast Santa Cruz Hotel. The third annual symposium brought together the technology community of the Monterey Bay region, providing sales and marketing opportunities for regional vendors of technology goods and services. In his talk, Kang emphasized the importance of strong partnerships between UCSC and the region's high-tech industry. "We must develop close ties to local industry in Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley, as well as in Silicon Valley," he said. Kang described the engineering school's existing strengths and his plans to focus on three areas of excellence: information technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. He noted that UCSC's involvement in two of the multicampus California Institutes for Science and Innovation--the Institute for Bioengineering, Biotechnology, and Quantitative Biomedical Research (QB3) and the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS)--will help stimulate research in these areas. Back to top California high school students invited to apply to COSMOS summer program California math and science students should know that the deadline to apply to COSMOS (California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science) at UCSC is March 15. This popular and selective summer program is open to students completing grades 8-12 by summer 2002. COSMOS is an academic four-week residential program for talented students who are interested in math and sciences. Cutting-edge research, hands-on science labs, field trips, and engaging discovery lectures are all part of the exciting curriculum of COSMOS. Courses cover areas of science including astronomy, neuroscience, marine biology, game theory, volcanology, and more. COSMOS students have the rare opportunity to work directly with the university's top educators, scientists, and researchers. A large number of needs-based scholarships are available, and all students should apply regardless of their ability to pay tuition. For more information and an application, go to the COSMOS web site or call UC Santa Cruz COSMOS at (831) 460-3077. COSMOS programs are also offered at the UC Davis and Irvine campuses. Back to top Support breast cancer research when you file your taxes If you haven't filed your taxes yet, here's an easy way to support the search for a cure for breast cancer. Line 56 on the 2001 California Income Tax Return Form 540 provides an opportunity to make a donation from your tax refund--or add to your tax bill a contribution--to the Breast Cancer Research Fund. The California Breast Cancer Research Program, which is administered by the University of California, spearheads research efforts into the causes, prevention, detection, and treatment of breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common cancer to strike women in California. In 2002, it is estimated that more than 20,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in California alone, and more than 4,200 women in the state will die of the disease. For more information about the research your contributions will help to support, go to the California Breast Cancer Research Fund web site. Back to top Hawaiian poet and playwright to perform March 7 Leilani Chan Leilani Chan, an internationally known poet and playwright, will perform her one-women show "E Nana I Ke Kumu: Look to the Source" on Thursday, March 7, at 8 p.m. in the Porter College Dining Hall. Interweaving hula, poetry, monologue, and music, Chan will deconstruct Hawaii's stereotypical lei-wearing, surf-boarding society. A native Hawaiian, Chan has worked as a performer, writer, director, and producer at many multicultural theaters, which has led to the development of the Los Angeles-based TeAda Productions. As artistic director and founder of TeAda Productions, Chan has united many of L.A.'s ethnic communities in performances that offer authentic stories for, by, and about people of color. Admission is free for UCSC students with ID and $5/general. The performance is sponsored by the Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center. Back to top Workshop offers help with managing priorities Do you have too much to do? A staff workshop on "Managing Multiple Priorities" may offer the help you need. The workshop will be led by Elaine Fukuhara Schilling, an experienced workshop presenter who is on the faculty of the College of Health and Human Services at San Francisco State University and is a former manager of training and development at UC Berkeley. Fukuhara Schilling will discuss some approaches and techniques for effectively managing priorities at work and at home. The brown-bag workshop, offered by EEO/AA and the Women's Center, will take place on Thursday, March 14, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Conference Room D at the Bay Tree Bookstore. Drinks and desserts will be served. All are welcome, but preregistration is required. Contact Roberta Valdez at the Women's Center, (831) 459-2169 or rvaldez@cats.ucsc.edu. Back to top Construction update Currents provides regular updates on construction projects that have an impact on campus transportation and parking. Construction update story For more information, visit the Transportation and Parking Services web site and the Physical Planning and Construction web site. Back to top Return to Front Page