Monday, October 19, 1998
Community Briefs
Religious conference
to observe anniversary
The University Religious Conference (URC) at UCLA will celebrate
its 70th anniversary on Sunday.
The oldest continuous interfaith organization in Southern
California, URC was organized in 1928 when UCLA committed to move
to Westwood.
It was the first planned interfaith campus center in the United
States.
Over the years, the conference has originated and sponsored
hundreds of programs, including Unicamp and Meals on Wheels of West
Los Angeles.
The conference is home to many of UCLA’s religious
organizations, including the University Catholic Center, the Hillel
Jewish Organization, the University Buddhist Association, and the
Academy for Judaic, Christian and Islamic Studies.
Stars, community leaders to teach
Teach for America Week, a nationwide event that calls upon
successful Americans to share their knowledge in classrooms across
Southern California and 12 other regions across the country, will
take place this week, with various celebrities and community
leaders teaching classes in Los Angeles.
Participants will teach a class on a topic of their choice for
one hour. Local participants already confirmed for the event
include actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, syndicated columnist Ariana
Huffington, State Sen. Adam Schiff, actor John Lithgow and actress
Patricia Arquette, among others.
‘I am thrilled to once again be a part of such an important
event and invaluable organization,’ Huffington said. Participating
in Teach for America Week reflects … my desire to see that all
children receive a quality education, regardless of where they live
or other factors.’
The event is designed to raise awareness of the need for
teachers in under-resourced school districts, and to inspire more
recent college graduates to commit to teaching in urban and rural
school districts. Organizers hope the event will help provide
positive role models for students in problem schools.
UC Irvine chancellor wins award for science
UC Irvine Chancellor Ralph Cicerone has been selected to receive
The Franklin Institute’s 1999 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement
in Science in recognition of his fundamental contributions to our
understanding of greenhouse gases and the depletion of the ozone
layer, and for his research in biogeochemistry.
The Philadelphia-based institute bestowed its prestigious annual
award on Cicerone, who is also UCI’s Daniel Aldrich professor of
earth system science and chemistry, in honor of his accomplishments
as a chemist and his leadership in advancing public policy to
protect the global environment.
The award goes to a distinguished scientist of any nationality
for outstanding work in the physical or life sciences, and carries
a prize of a gold medallion and $250,000 Â one of the richest
American awards in science. Past recipients include Sir Martin
Rees, the Astronomer Royal of England, and Dr. Ralph Brinster of
the University of Pennsylvania. The chancellor also now joins
scientists such as Albert Einstein and Max Planck as Franklin
Institute laureates.
‘The value of Ralph Cicerone’s work lies as much in its
prevention of harm as it lies in scientific discovery,’ said
Woodrow Leake, vice president of The Franklin Center, which
oversees the institute’s awards. The Bower program awards people
with ethical standards who care about their universe. Ralph laid
the groundwork for this science, and then went into the public
policy arena and helped save the world from chemicals that hurt the
ozone.’
Compiled from Daily Bruin Staff reports.
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