Chancellor Robert Dynes will meet with three East County organizations June 7 in an effort to celebrate the theme of the 40th anniversary, “”Giving back to the community.””
In the morning, Dynes will meet with all 20 East County School District superintendents, board presidents and representatives from Grossmont and Cuyamaca community colleges at the El Cajon Community Center. The meeting will be an “”educational roundtable.””
He will then share news of UCSD’s East County programs at a lunch meeting with 90 community representatives, also at the El Cajon Community Center.
Clinical professor of pediatrics Bronwen Anders, M.D., will speak on the work of the UCSD School of Medicine’s community health clinics in Lakeside, Alpine and El Cajon. Associate professor of ethnic studies Ross Frank will speak about a tribal digital village for 18 Indian reservations in San Diego County. Educational Talent Search Program Assistant director Felipe Rangel will discuss services with 550 East County parents and students.
After lunch, Dynes will visit an eighth grade science class at Emerald Middle School.
UCSD and Reproductive Partners to Combine
UCSD School of Medicine reproductive endocrinologists and physicians of Reproductive Partners Medical Group in La Jolla have joined to form Reproductive Partners-UCSD Regional Fertility Center.
RPMG is an internationally renowned fertility center with five offices in Southern California. RPMG’s pregnancy success rates are well above the national average.
UCSD’s reproductive endocrinology division has received international acclaim for its patient care and research, and was designated a Center for Reproductive Research by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development.
The RP-UCSD Regional Fertility Center will operate out of the Scripps/XiMed building in La Jolla. Patients will benefit from a comprehensive approach to care, including in complex situations that may require advanced services like invitro fertilization and embryo transfer.
Brain’s Visual Cortex May Not Give the Whole Picture
Research by scientists at UCSD and the University of Minnesota has shown that neurons in the visual cortex, an area of the brain which processes visual information, can respond to patterns of lines too fine for subjects to resolve.
The study revealed that some types of visual information not consciously perceived are in fact closer to the brain’s center of consciousness than previously thought.
The scientists’ work was published in the May 24 issue of Nature.
A person with normal vision can perceive patterns of lines up to a certain point, but when the spacing of lines becomes too fine, the person perceives a uniform blur. Previously, vision researchers thought this was due to optical blurring, a failure of the retina to resolve the lines.
Now, at least some of that blurring has been shown to occur in the visual cortex, which lies in the rear of the cerebrum. The blurring of lines appears to be due to processes inside the visual cortex that prevent some information from other cortical areas and consciousness.
Student Foundation Chooses Student for Scholarships
For the first time, student from UCSD’s Student Foundation have selected six community scholars to receive $1,000 scholarships.
The criteria for selection included being a current high school senior with plans to attend UCSD this fall. In addition to this, recipients were selected on the basis of community service, academics, a written essay and extra-cirriculars.
Half of the scholarships were funded by money from the Student Foundation’s own investment portfolio, which totals approximately $100,000. The UCSD Student Foundation scholarships enabled another three scholarships through matching donations from Chancellor Robert Dynes’ 5K Run/Walk for Scholars earlier this year.
