The University Scholar Series is co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the University Library, Division of Research and Innovation and the Spartan Bookstore. Hosted by Provost Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr., this series provides a unique opportunity for showcasing the important research and scholarly activities of SJSU faculty members. During each semester there are typically three speakers. The presentations included here date from the Fall 2010 semester to the present.
All students, faculty, and staff members are invited to attend these events. Members of the public are welcome as well.
If you would like additional information, please contact Annina Wyss-Lockner in the University Library at annina.wyss-lockner@sjsu.edu.
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University Scholar Series: Alejandro Garcia
Alejandro Garcia
Collaborating with DreamWorks
On April 25, 2012 Professor Alejandro Garcia spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Ellen Junn at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Professor Alejandro Garcia developed and teaches Physics of Animation, a science course for visual artists. During 2011, he took a professional leave and worked in DreamWorks Animation's department of Artistic Development as a physics consultant on Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. In this seminar, Alejandro Garcia describes the animation industry from both the scientific and artistic perspectives
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University Scholar Series: Kim Komenich
Kim Komenich
"Revolution Revisited"
On March 21, 2012, SJSU Assistant Professor Kim Komenich spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Ellen Junn at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Kim Komenich worked for 30 years as a photojournalist for the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner. He was awarded the 1987 Pulitzer Prize in Spot News Photography for photographs of the Philippine Revolution he made while on assignment for the Examiner. Komenich’s current creative project, “Revolution Revisited,” is a 25th Anniversary look back at the 1986 Philippine “People Power” Revolution. In 2012, he will publish the book, Revolution Revisited, and a full-length documentary film by the same name.
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University Scholar Series: Ruth Wilson
Ruth Wilson
Genes, Guts and Grit: The Legacy of Three Extraordinary African American Women
On February 29, 2012 Dr. Ruth Wilson spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Ellen Junn at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Ruth Wilson is a Professor and the Chair of the African-American Studies Department at SJSU. Her current research focuses on African American women and the new black diversity in the African-American community. In this seminar, Ruth Wilson provides an overview of three women "She-roes" in American history: Lucy Terry Prince, Maria Stewart, and Henrietta Lacks, whose contributions add texture to the characteristic descriptions of the 18th, 19th, and 20th century American woman. Their pursuits of life, liberty, and happiness included extraordinary acts of courage, intellect, strength, and generosity.
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University Scholar Series: Brandon White
Brandon White
Use and Applications of HeLa Cells in Science and Biotechnology
On October 26, 2011, Dr. Brandon White spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Gerry Selter at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Brandon White is an Assistant Professor in Biological Sciences at SJSU, teaching courses in molecular biology, molecular biological techniques, and cell biology. His research focuses on Notch signaling and identification, and characterization of natural products involved in cell death of cancer cells. In this seminar, Dr. Brandon White discusses the use and applications of HeLa cells in science and biotechnology.
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University Scholar Series: Monika Kress
Monika Kress
Meteorites and the Origin of Habitable Worlds
On November 30, 2011, Dr. Monika Kress spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Gerry Selter at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Monika Kress is an Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at SJSU and also a member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute's Virtual Planetary Laboratory. In this seminar, she presents the theory of solar system formation, focusing on meteorites. Dr. Kress also describes a first-hand account of how meteorites are recovered from the most fertile meteorite-hunting ground on Earth: Antarctica
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University Scholar Series: Danelle Moon
Danelle Moon
Daily Life of Women During the Civil Rights Era
On September 28, 2011, Danelle Moon spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Gerry Selter at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Danelle Moon is the Director of Special Collections & Archives, a Full Librarian, and Adjunct Professor of History at SJSU. In this seminar, she talks about her book, Daily Life of Women During the Civil Rights Era, which looks at the variety of women's experiences in promoting social justice and human rights into the United States from 1920 to the 1980s. It gives the audience a deeper understanding of the complexity of gender, class, and race in America.
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University Scholar Series: Jonathan Roth
Jonathan P. Roth
Roman Warfare
On April 13, 2011 Jonathan Roth spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Gerry Selter at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Jonathan Roth is a Professor in the History Department at SJSU. In this seminar, he examines the evolution of Roman war over its thousand-year history. He highlights the changing arms and equipment of the soldiers, unit organization and command structure, and the wars and battles of each era.
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University Scholar Series: Marc d'Alarcao
Marc d'Alarcao
Synthetic Organic Chemistry to Shed Light on Type II Diabetes and Cancer
On March 16, 2011 Marc d'Alarcao spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Gerry Selter at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Marc d'Alarcao is a Professor in the Chemistry Department at SJSU. In this seminar, he gives a progress report on his work aimed at developing and synthesizing new compounds that are designed to take advantage of this metabolic difference. His hope is that these compounds will be selectively toxic to cancer cells and may provide a new strategy for treating this major threat to human health.
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University Scholar Series: Natalie Batalha
Natalie Batalha
The NASA Kepler Mission
On February 16, 2011 Natalie Batalha spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Gerry Selter at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. As deputy science team lead for NASA's Kepler Mission, SJSU Associate Professor Natalie Batalha was at the forefront of today's confirmation that the mission has discovered its first rocky planet, named Kepler-10b. Measuring 1.4 times the size of Earth, it is the smallest planet ever discovered outside our solar system. As a member of the Kepler team, Batalha is responsible for the selection of the more than 150,000 stars the spacecraft monitors and works closely with team members at Ames to identify viable planet candidates from Kepler photometry.
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University Scholar Series: Mary Pickering
Mary Pickering
Auguste Comte: An Intellectual Biography
On November 17, 2010 Mary Pickering spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Gerry Selter at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Mary Pickering discussed her three-volume Pulitzer Prize nominated work entitled Auguste Comte: An Intellectual Biography. Comte was a French Philosopher and the father of sociology. Professor Pickering teaches courses at SJSU in French history, German history, European women's history, and urban history.
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University Scholar Series: Scott Myers-Lipton
Scott Myers-Lipton
Rebuild America: Solving the Economic Crisis through Civic Works
On October 13, 2010, Scott Myers-Lipton spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Gerry Selter at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Scott Myers-Lipton is a Professor in the Sociology Department at SJSU. His recent book, titled Rebuild America: Solving the Economic Crisis through Civic Works, analyzes the history of U.S. public works and explores the federal government's new emphasis to create jobs and build infrastructure.
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University Scholar Series: Laurie Drabble
Laurie A. Drabble
Alcohol and Drug Addiction Among Marginalized Populations of Women
On September 29, 2010 Laurie Drabble spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Gerry Selter at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Laurie Drabble is an associate professor in Social Work with her research focusing on understanding alcohol and drug-related problems among marginalized populations of women and she has conducted a number of studies exploring collaboration between addiction treatment and child welfare fields. She has worked as Executive Director of the California Women's Commission on Alcohol and Drug Dependencies and a consultant in prevention strategies, strategic planning, and non-profit management.
