Cross-Cultural Center holds interactive event on Jan. 29
Guardian
The Cross-Cultural Center presents “”She Took My Spot””, an interactive event in which the Diversity Peer Educators and CCC staff will explore the tough decisions facing college admissions and employment. The “”politically incorrect”” night aims to look at the reality of these issues 50 years after the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision and to share opinions about affirmative action.
The event, which will be held at the Cross-Cultural Center lecture room on Jan. 29 at 5 p.m., is free and open to the public.
For more information, call (858) 534-9689 or e-mail [email protected].
UCSD filmmakers featured at museum screening
A collection of short films by UCSD visiting lecturer Minda Martin and assistant professor of communication Giovanna Chesler will be screened at the Museum of Photographic Arts, located in Balboa Park in San Diego at 7 p.m. on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7.
These award-winning new films, shot in documentary and narrative styles, address issues of sisterhood, beauty and female subjectivity.
“”AKA Kathe”” is a 55-minute documentary portraying a Mexican-American family dealing with the loss of a mother and sister.
“”BeauteouS ‹ the Trilogy”” is a 43-minute collection of documentaries portraying three sisters and their relationships to beauty.
Chesler is currently developing a documentary feature film about menstruation in America and current trends in birth control. Martin’s most recent short experimental films, “”Do You Know … “” and “”Love, Minda,”” are currently screening at museums around the world and international film and video festivals.
Former Israeli soldier will share army experiences
Former Israeli soldier Ishay Rosen-Zvi will speak about his experiences in the army in a lecture on Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. in Center Hall 101.
Rosen-Zvi is currently a professor at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Students for Justice, formerly Students for Justice in Palestine.
For more information, call (858) 243-0786 or e-mail [email protected].
Med school students to talk about life in scrubs
A discussion entitled “”Real-life Scrubs: UCSD Medical Students Tell All About the Second and Third Years”” will take place on Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. at UCSD School of Medicine’s Liebow Auditorium.
The talk is designed for students in the middle of medical school to share their experiences and give attendees advice on getting in and getting through it all.
The free event is sponsored by Princeton Review and Health and Medical Professions Preparation Program.
For more information, call (858) 534-7579.
UCSB contributes to Mars Rover expedition
Materials used to shield vital components of the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity during atmospheric entry, which were tested and certified by a UC Santa Barbara research group, successfully withstood atmospheric into Martian atmosphere on Jan. 3 and Jan. 25, respectively.
Mechanical and environmental engineering and materials professor Frederick Milstein led the research group, which spent a year certifying the material’s structural integrity for use in space. He received special recognition in the form of a certificate from NASA for “”outstanding performance and lasting contribution to the success of the Mars Exploration Rover Project.””
The material, specially created for the mission by NASA, is known as SIRCA, for ‘silicone impregnated reusable ceramic ablator.’ During its research, Milstein’s group found that SIRCA is highly anisotropic, meaning it reacts in different ways when stressed in different directions. NASA engineers created the material, which is light gray and has one-fourth the density of water, by taking silica fibers and adding silicone liquid. Milstein’s group discovered that when stressed in one direction, the material gives a little before holding its shape. However, when stress is applied against the grain of the silica fibers, the material crumbles.
Without Milstein’s certification, NASA would have been obliged to redesign the rovers or cancel the mission altogether.
Milstein has worked with NASA on similar materials for the last five years.
