News for Faculty and Staff of the University of California, Riverside • Volume 8, Number 3 • Feb. 22, 2012 • InsideUCR.ucr.edu By Iqbal Pittalwala The University of California, Riverside has awarded nine first-year graduate students an annual stipend of $30,000 for two years to increase underrepresented minority students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineer- ing and Mathematics (STEM) at the doctoral level. In addition to the stipend that covers liv- ing expenses, each student’s graduate tuition and fees are fully covered. Funded by a $988,000, two-year training grant from the National Science Foundation to the university, the awards are given out by the California Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Bridge to the Doctorate (CAMP- BD) graduate student activity that is designed to attract underrepresented minority students in STEM disciplines to UC Riverside from not only California but also the rest of the country. Fellowships Awarded to Doctoral Students in Sciences, Technology The CAMP-BD activity provides profession- al development to students to encourage their participation at state and local professional conferences, and assists them in applying to postdoctoral programs. “The goal of the CAMP-BD awards is to increase the number of ethnically underrep- resented students completing STEM doctoral degrees by offering recipients the opportunity to enroll in a graduate degree program without the financial burden typically associated with graduate education,” said Rich Cardullo, the lead investigator at UCR of the NSF grant (the principal investigator is UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake) and the UCR faculty director of the CAMP program. Cardullo explained that first-generation students from underrepresented minorities are often subject to much pressure to go to law By Sean Nealon Full-time, nontenure-track faculty at col- leges and universities lack a professional identity and a sense of self worth, accord- ing to interviews with these faculty members that formed the basis of a recently published paper co-authored by a University of Califor- nia, Riverside professor. John S. Levin, a professor in the Graduate School of Education, argues that, for this con- dition to change, full-time, nontenure-track faculty, comprised of teachers, researchers, and administrators – who lack permanent employment protection and an acknowledged role in institutional governance that tenured faculty enjoy – need to be better compen- sated and have greater institutional authority. “Right now, they have become like serfs – a labor force for tenure-track faculty,” said Levin, who is the Bank of America Profes- sor of Education Leadership. “That needs to change. Institutions need to take responsibil- ity for these employees.” Levin published the paper, “The Hybrid and Dualistic Identity of Full-Time Non- Tenure-Track Faculty,” in American Behav- ioral Scientist with Genevieve G. Shaker, an administrator at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. In the last several decades, colleges and universities have increasingly relied on part- time and full-time, nontenure-track faculty. In the United States, about 70 percent of academics now work off the tenure track, and more than a quarter of these faculty members are full-time. Full-time nontenure-track fac- ulty members constitute 60 percent of new full-time faculty hires. While much academic research has focused on such topics as the demograph- ics and earnings of full-time, nontenure-track faculty, little research has focused on how these faculty members feel about their situ- ation. That’s what Levin and Shaker set out to do. They interviewed 18 full-time, nontenure- track faculty members. All were affiliated with English departments at three public research universities. The researchers found that full-time non- tenure-track faculty describe themselves as foreigners, detached observers and members of a counterculture. As teachers, they express satisfaction. But, as faculty members they articulate restricted self-determination and self-esteem. The group has some trappings of profes- sional university faculty, especially high lev- els of education and training, but there are voids, such as identification in their field nationally and internationally and the ability to pursue intellectual curiosities. The authors conclude that full-time, non- tenure-track faculty members are more of an occupational class than a professional body. The authors also argue that is up to both the institutions and full-time, nontenure- track faculty to change the situation. By Sean Nealon The University of California Riverside has been named one of the top 75 best-value pub- lic undergraduate schools in the nation, according to a list pub- lished this month by The Princeton Review. The list is part of a book, “The Best Value Colleges: 2012 Edition,” that also selected UC Riverside as one of the top 150 best-value colleges in the nation based on its excellent academics, generous financial aid, and/or rela- tively low cost of attendance. “It doesn’t surprise me that UCR continues to do so well in the rankings, the secret is out!” said Merlyn Campos, director of under- graduate admissions. “Rankings are just one measure of how great UCR really is. We’re most happy that we have been recognized in so many areas – from our student body diversity to the fact that we’re military-friendly, from our graduation rates among underrepresented students to our standing as one of the top research institutions in the world. UCR competes with the very best and comes out on top.” The list salutes 150 undergraduate schools: 75 public and 75 private institutions. In each group, the Princeton Review identifies the top 10 colleges. The remaining 65 schools in each group are reported in alphabetical order, unranked. The Princeton Review chose the schools based on analyses of data the company col- lected from an initial list of 650 institutions it identified as having excellent academics. More than 30 data points were assessed across three primary areas: academics, cost of attendance, and financial aid. Cost and financial aid data came from the fall 2011 surveys of school administra- tors. Data on academics came from fall 2010 through fall 2011 surveys of school adminis- trators. The Princeton Review also factored in data from surveys of students attending the schools who shared assessments of their pro- fessors and their satisfaction with their finan- cial aid awards. Some of the assessments from UC River- side students are excerpted on The Princeton Review web site. They include: “The University of California - Riverside is an ‘underrated’ and ‘research-oriented’ school Researcher Finds Nontenure-track Faculty Feel Detached school, medical school and other professional schools. “But we also have a strong need for next generation scientists, engineers and educators with Ph.D.s who are underrepresented minori- ties,” he said. “The CAMP-BD awards aim at closing the gap. We awarded six fellowships last quarter. We are pleased to be able to add three more students to the mix this quarter.” The nine students selected for the awards are: Mackenzie Alvarez (chemistry), Jesse Benavides (mathematics), Carla De Los San- tos (bioengineering), Edward Laguna (chemis- try), Abdullah Madany (biomedical sciences), Maricela Maldonado (bioengineering), Irma Ortiz (botany and plant sciences), Jessamine Quijano (microbiology), and Phillip Soto (microbiology). with an ‘extensive library’ and heaps of ‘very up-to-date’ technology. Premed and the bio- logical sciences are noteworthy strengths. Computer science, engineering, and busi- ness administration are also solid. The honors program is fantastic. Cutting-edge research opportunities for undergraduates are ample ‘in virtually any area.’” Also: “If you have a passion for creepy crawly things, UCR boasts one of the best ento- mology departments in the nation. (The bug collection is astounding.) UCR is also a leader in agricultural research. There are ‘some very excellent teachers’ here who ‘go out of their way to help students learn both inside and out- side the classroom.’” UC Riverside Selected as a Best Value Left to right: Maricela Maldonado, Phillip Soto, Irma Ortiz, Mackenzie Alvarez, Carla De Los Santos, Jesse Benavides, Edward Laguna, Abdullah Madany. Not pictured: Jessamine Quijano. John S. Levin Leah Takele and the rest of the Highlander Girls cheer at last year’s homecoming celebration.
Transcript
News for Faculty and Staff of the University of California, Riverside • Volume 8, Number 3 • Feb. 22, 2012 • InsideUCR.ucr.edu
By Iqbal PittalwalaThe University of California, Riverside has
awarded nine fi rst-year graduate students an
annual stipend of $30,000 for two years to
increase underrepresented minority students
in the fi elds of Science, Technology, Engineer-
ing and Mathematics (STEM) at the doctoral
level. In addition to the stipend that covers liv-
ing expenses, each student’s graduate tuition
and fees are fully covered.
Funded by a $988,000, two-year training
grant from the National Science Foundation to
the university, the awards are given out by the
California Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority
Participation Bridge to the Doctorate (CAMP-
BD) graduate student activity that is designed
to attract underrepresented minority students
in STEM disciplines to UC Riverside from not
only California but also the rest of the country.
Fellowships Awarded to Doctoral Students in Sciences, Technology
The CAMP-BD activity provides profession-
al development to students to encourage their
participation at state and local professional
conferences, and assists them in applying to
postdoctoral programs.
“The goal of the CAMP-BD awards is to
increase the number of ethnically underrep-
resented students completing STEM doctoral
degrees by offering recipients the opportunity
to enroll in a graduate degree program without
the fi nancial burden typically associated with
graduate education,” said Rich Cardullo, the
lead investigator at UCR of the NSF grant (the
principal investigator is UC Irvine Chancellor
Michael Drake) and the UCR faculty director
of the CAMP program.
Cardullo explained that fi rst-generation
students from underrepresented minorities are
often subject to much pressure to go to law
By Sean Nealon Full-time, nontenure-track faculty at col-
leges and universities lack a professional
identity and a sense of self worth, accord-
ing to interviews with these faculty members
that formed the basis of a recently published
paper co-authored by a University of Califor-
nia, Riverside professor.
John S. Levin, a professor in the Graduate
School of Education, argues that, for this con-
dition to change, full-time, nontenure-track
faculty, comprised of teachers, researchers,
and administrators – who lack permanent
employment protection and an acknowledged
role in institutional governance that tenured
faculty enjoy – need to be better compen-
sated and have greater institutional authority.
“Right now, they have become like serfs
– a labor force for tenure-track faculty,” said
Levin, who is the Bank of America Profes-
sor of Education Leadership. “That needs to
change. Institutions need to take responsibil-
ity for these employees.”
Levin published the paper, “The Hybrid
and Dualistic Identity of Full-Time Non-
Tenure-Track Faculty,” in American Behav-
ioral Scientist with Genevieve G. Shaker, an
administrator at Indiana University-Purdue
University Indianapolis.
In the last several decades, colleges and
universities have increasingly relied on part-
time and full-time, nontenure-track faculty.
In the United States, about 70 percent of
academics now work off the tenure track, and
more than a quarter of these faculty members
are full-time. Full-time nontenure-track fac-
ulty members constitute 60 percent of new
full-time faculty hires.
While much academic research has
focused on such topics as the demograph-
ics and earnings of full-time, nontenure-track
faculty, little research has focused on how
these faculty members feel about their situ-
ation.
That’s what Levin and Shaker set out to
do.
They interviewed 18 full-time, nontenure-
track faculty members. All were affi liated with
English departments at three public research
universities.
The researchers found that full-time non-
tenure-track faculty describe themselves as
foreigners, detached observers and members
of a counterculture. As teachers, they express
satisfaction. But, as faculty members they
articulate restricted self-determination and
self-esteem.
The group has some trappings of profes-
sional university faculty, especially high lev-
els of education and training, but there are
voids, such as identifi cation in their fi eld
nationally and internationally and the ability
to pursue intellectual curiosities.
The authors conclude that full-time, non-
tenure-track faculty members are more of an
occupational class than a professional body.
The authors also argue that is up to both
the institutions and full-time, nontenure-
track faculty to change the situation.
By Sean Nealon The University of California
Riverside has been named one
of the top 75 best-value pub-
lic undergraduate schools in the
nation, according to a list pub-
lished this month by The Princeton
Review.
The list is part of a book,
“The Best Value Colleges: 2012
Edition,” that also selected UC
Riverside as one of the top 150
best-value colleges in the nation
based on its excellent academics,
generous fi nancial aid, and/or rela-
tively low cost of attendance.
“It doesn’t surprise me that
UCR continues to do so well in the
rankings, the secret is out!” said
Merlyn Campos, director of under-
graduate admissions. “Rankings
are just one measure of how great
UCR really is. We’re most happy
that we have been recognized in
so many areas – from our student
body diversity to the fact that
we’re military-friendly, from our graduation
rates among underrepresented students to our
standing as one of the top research institutions
in the world. UCR competes with the very best
and comes out on top.”
The list salutes 150 undergraduate schools:
75 public and 75 private institutions. In each
group, the Princeton Review identifi es the
top 10 colleges. The remaining 65 schools in
each group are reported in alphabetical order,
unranked.
The Princeton Review chose the schools
based on analyses of data the company col-
lected from an initial list of 650 institutions it
Emeritus is Named EditorCarlos Cortés, professor emeri-
tus of history, has been named gen-
eral editor of Multicultural America:
A Multimedia Encyclopedia, to be
published in 2013 by Sage. The
four-volume work will be available
in print and online, and will consist
of 950 entries covering a variety of
topics on race and ethnicity in the
United States, including individual
www.InsideUCR.ucr.edu • Feb. 22, 2012 • page 3
Chancellor: Timothy P. White
Vice Chancellor for University Advancement: Peter A. Hayashida
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications: James Grant
Editorial Assistant: Konrad Nagy
Inside UCR is published by the Of! ce of Strategic Communications, twice monthly, except December, July, August and September, when it is published once a month.
Send story ideas and comments to [email protected]. Issues are available on-line at www.insideucr.ucr.edu.
Grant to Korean American Center for Conference
The Korea Foundation has
awarded $20,000 to UC Riverside’s
Young Oak Kim (YOK) Center for
Korean American Studies to sup-
port an April 28 symposium on the
20th anniversary of the 1992 civil
unrest that devastated Koreatown
in Los Angeles.
The YOK Center is leading the
Sa-I-Gu Consortium that is hosting
the conference, which will examine
the social, political and cultural
implications of the riots and evalu-
ate the future of Koreatown. Sa-I-
Gu means “4-29” in Korean, and
refers to the day that the rioting
began. The daylong event will be
held at the Garden Suites Hotel in
Koreatown.
“The 1992 Los Angeles Civil
Unrest was a turning point for Kore-
an Americans,” said Edward Chang,
director of the YOK Center. “It’s
important for us to remember and
learn from events like these so that
we can move forward and not con-
tinue to make the same mistakes
that ignited the riots in 1992.”
“Confronting Sa-I-Gu: 20 Years
Awards & Honorsethnic groups; their representation
in the 2010 U.S. census; impor-
tant historical
events; ethnic
and popular
culture; and
the history of
and contem-
porary issues
c o n c e r n i n g
race and eth-
nicity, including
major court decisions.
Breakthroughs in Colon Cancer and Alzheimer’s Drugs from UCR Labs
Left: Karthikeyani Chellappa (seated) is a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of
Frances Sladek, a professor of cell biology and toxicologist. Above: Iryna Ethell
(left), an associate professor of biomedical sciences, with Crystal Pontrello, a
postdoctoral researcher in her lab.
Carlos Cortes
Edward Chang
William Lyons (left) explains his research project to Lily Oglesby at
the 23rd annual Science and Engineering Fair at UC Riverside on Feb. 9.
They were two of hundreds of K-12 students from 33 local schools who
participated.
UCPD credits a UCR baseball
player for helping close a campus
burglary investigation.
On Feb. 13 a burglary was
reported to UCPD by the Depart-
ment of Athletics of more than
$10,000 of equipment stolen from
the UCR Baseball locker room at
the Sports Complex facility on
Blaine Street and Canyon Crest
Crime Stopper: Alert Baseball Player Helps Catch Thieves
Drive. Numerous electronic items,
two fl at-screen televisions, bats,
gloves, sunglasses and other items
were stolen.
An observant UCR baseball
player noticed a craigslist ad for
some of the stolen items. He alert-
ed UCPD. UCPD detectives worked
with athletics staff to confi rm that
the items posted on craigslist were
stolen in the burglary.
UCPD detectives and members
of the University Neighborhood
Enhancement Team conducted
an undercover operation to meet
the sellers of the property at an
off-campus location. The meeting
resulted in the arrest of one juve-
nile and two adults for burglary,
conspiracy to commit burglary and
possession of stolen property.
None of the suspects have affi li-
ation with UCR as students or staff.
Numerous items of university
property stolen in the athletics bur-
glary were recovered at one of the
suspect’s homes, including a fl at-
screen TV, stereo system and 18
baseball bats valued at $400 each.
The total value of recov-
ered property is well in excess of
$10,000.
UCPD noted that the recovery
of this stolen property is important
for the continuity of our baseball
program and highlights again the
successful partnership between a
community member and the police
in identifying and apprehending
criminals.
Science Project Explained
By Iqbal PittalwalaBiomedical scientists at UCR
have identifi ed a new link between
a protein called beta-arrestin and
short-term memory that could open
new doors for the therapeutic treat-
ment of neurological disorders, par-
ticularly Alzheimer’s disease.
Beta-arrestin is expressed in
various cells of the body, includ-
ing cells of the hippocampus, the
region of the brain involved in
learning and the formation of short-
term memories. Beta-arrestin, the
absence of which impairs normal
learning in mice, is one of many
“scaffolding proteins” that support
the connections between neurons
in the brain.
As our brain develops, new
connections called synapses are
formed between neurons. In the
hippocampus, the formation of syn-
apses is a continuous process. As
we learn something new, new con-
nections are formed and some old
ones become stronger through a
process known as long-term poten-
tiation (LTP). But because brains
have only a limited capacity, other
old connections must disassemble
through a process known as long-
term depression (LTD) in order for
new synapses to form.
The researchers report online
in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences that beta-
arrestin plays an important role in
the plasticity of synaptic connec-
tions and LTD by regulating the
“actin cytoskeleton,” a fi lamen-
tous network of proteins that forms
the “backbone” of neurons and is
involved in forming new and disas-
sembling old synaptic connections.
“In some pathological condi-
tions such as Alzheimer’s disease,
loss of the old synaptic connec-
tions far exceeds the formation of
new ones, resulting in overall loss
of synapses and short-term mem-
ory loss,” said Iryna M. Ethell, an
associate professor of biomedical
sciences and the lead author of the
research paper.
“Our work, done on mice, shows
that if beta-arrestin is removed from
neurons, this loss of synapses is
prevented. But we also know that
beta-arrestin is required for normal
learning and memory; so a fi ne bal-
ance needs to be established. This
balance could be easily achieved
by pharmaceutical drugs in the
future.”
This is the fi rst time researchers
anywhere have linked beta-arrestin
to Alzheimer’s and learning/memo-
ry.
By Iqbal PittalwalaAn international research team
led by cell biologists at UCR has
uncovered a new insight into colon
cancer, the third-leading cause of
cancer-related deaths in the Unit-
ed States. The research provides
potential new avenues for diagnos-
ing and treating the disease.
Led by Frances Sladek at UC
Riverside and Graham Robertson
at the University of Sydney, Austra-
lia, the team analyzed about 450
human colon cancer specimens
and found that in nearly 80 per-
cent of them the variants of a gene,
HNF4A, are out of balance.
Human beings express several
variants of the HNF4A gene, clas-
sifi ed as P1 and P2 variants. Some
tissues, like liver, have just one type
of variant, but the colon has both
P1 and P2 variants. The P1 vari-
ant is found in the nuclei of cells in
the normal colon, but in the human
colon cancer samples this variant is
frequently either absent or located
outside of the nucleus and, pre-
sumably, no longer functional.
Using human colon cancer
cell lines and in vitro assays, the
researchers found that the imbal-
ance observed in the human tumor
tissues seemed to be the result of
a complex, multistep process by an
enzyme, Src kinase. Src kinase has
been known to be activated in colon
cancer but, until now, it was not
known to act on the HNF4a protein.
The UCR group found that activated
Src modifi es the P1 but not the P2
variant. The net result is loss of the
P1 variant in the nuclei of cells in
the colon.
Study results appeared online
in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.
“Loss of nuclear P1 HNF4a pro-
tein in the colon may be an early
sign of colon cancer,” explained
Sladek, a professor of cell biology
and toxicologist. “A healthy colon
has a good but delicate balance
of the two HNF4a variants. If you
could prevent the loss of the P1
variant via drugs, you might be able
to maintain a normal colon and pre-
vent colon cancer.”
The researchers found another
factor that increases a person’s sus-
ceptibility to the disease: certain
“single nucleotide polymorphisms”
or SNPs located in the HNF4A
gene. An SNP is a DNA sequence
variation — a minor change in the
genomic sequence that accounts
for the variations we see between
individuals.
“Individuals with certain SNPs
may be more susceptible to colon
cancer,” said Karthikeyani Chel-
lappa, a postdoctoral researcher
in Sladek’s lab and the fi rst author
of the research paper. “That’s
because these SNPs result in a
greater amount of modifi cation and
a faster degradation of HNF4a by
Src, at least in cell-based assays.
It still needs to be investigated,
though, whether individuals car-
rying these SNPs are indeed more
susceptible to colon cancer.”
Sladek noted that drugs are
already available for inhibiting the
activity of Src kinase.
“Some of these drugs are in
clinical trials for colon cancer,”
she said. “It would be exciting to
determine whether these drugs can
maintain the P1 HNF4a protein lev-
els, as well as inhibit the Src kinase
activity.”
Photo credit: Iqbal Pittalwala
page 4 • Feb. 22, 2012 • www.InsideUCR.ucr.edu
Campus Calendar
For the most up-to-date information on these and other events view the UCR Calendar at www.events.ucr.edu.
OngoingExhibition: “Post Pacifi c Standard Time” features the work of three artists from Los Angeles who represent divergent approaches in art-making that includes painting, sculpture and video. While not comprehensive of the L.A. art world in the 1980s, they represent several tendencies that arose during that time. The exhibit runs through March 24.
Exhibition: “Tahquitz” is the name of a primor-dial creature that wanders in the San Jacinto mountain range, part of the creation story of the Cahuilla people who live around Palm Springs. In collaboration with mezzo-soprano Erin Neff, Lewis deSoto will bring to life two Tahquitz stories told to him in the Cahuilla language. The exhibit runs through March 24.
Exhibition: “Stereocollision” features Ethan Turpin’s digitally mixed images appropriated from antique 3D stereo cards to present visual spaces where histories are compressed. Viewers experience a 3D vision as they observe compos-ite scenes of both natural disaster and spiritual harmony. The exhibit runs through April 14.
Exhibition: “Render” explores the moving image as a physical and phe-nomenological process in contemporary art. Commonly used in computer editing programs, “rendering” is a required process to generate and solidify special effects and transitions. The exhibit runs through April 21.
The UCR/CMP, the Sweeney Art Gallery and the Culver Center of the Arts are located in the 3800 block of Main Street, Riverside. Information: www.artsblock.ucr.edu.
February
22 WednesdayCampus Activity: Wellness Wednesday, “Coming Out Across Cultures,” 4-6 p.m., HUB 260. Free. Information: www.out.ucr.edu.
Campus Activity: Toiletry Drive, 7 a.m.-noon, bell tower. Free. The event runs through March 3. Information: www.well.ucr.edu.
23 ThursdayTraining: Communicating For Understanding, 8:30-11:30 a.m., Human Resources Building (Personnel) Employee Development Center. Free. Information: www.ucrlearning.ucr.edu.
29 WednesdayMeeting: International Women’s Exchange, 10 a.m.-noon, University Village Suite 204. Free. The event runs through March 14. Information: www.well.ucr.edu.
Recreation: Weekly Drop-in Meditation and Relax-ation Class, 12:15-1 p.m., Student Recreation Center Multipurpose Room C. Free. The event runs through March 14. Information: www.well.
ucr.edu.
Artist Panel: African American artist Charles Bibbs leads a discussion of Black art, 6-8 p.m., Rivera Library lobby. Free. RSVP by Feb. 24 to (951)
827-3221.
Gathering: Ethnic Studies Department Open House, 5:30-7:30 p.m., CHASS INTN 4043. Free. Information: www.ethnicstudies.ucr.edu.
March
1 ThursdayCeremony: Celebration for A Day of Appreciation and Recognition of Women Students, 6-8 p.m., HUB 355. Free, reservations required. Informa-tion: www.surveymonkey.com/s/FB7SGCL.
Performance: Hamlet, a play by William Shakespeare, 8-9:30 p.m., ARTS 113 Studio Theatre. $14 general, $12 students, seniors and children. The event runs through March 10. Information: www.theatre.ucr.edu.
2 FridayWeb Chat: Join an online discussion with UC President Mark Yudof, 12-1 p.m., online. Free. Information: www.ustream.tv/ucevents.
