MEDIA ADVISORY: Two outreach events set for Watsonville Schools to help celebrate the investiture of UC Santa Cruz's new chancellor, Denice D. Denton.

Reporters are invited to cover appearances by Harvard physicist Lisa Randall, who will meet with 100 Watsonville High School students on November 2, and renowned percussion ensemble, SO PERCUSSION, who will conduct a performance/demonstration at the Watsonville Charter School for the Arts on November 9. These two events are part of the celebration of the investiture of UC Santa Cruz's new chancellor, Denice D. Denton, and are cosponsored by UCSC Arts & Lectures and the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County. The events are not open to the general public.

Event 1: Wednesday, November 2 (2 p.m to 3 p.m.)

What: Renowned Harvard physicist Lisa Randall will have an informal Q&A-format discussion with over 100 Watsonville High School students enrolled in physics classes on Wed., November 2 (the day of her lecture for the UCSC Arts & Lectures series).

Where: Watsonville High School, 250 East Beach Street, (831) 728-6390 Cafeteria or library.

School Contact: Joe Manildi, Watsonville High School Physics, (831) 728-6390 ext. 620 e-mail joe_manildi@pvusd.net

Background: A brilliant communicator with infectious enthusiasm, Lisa Randall is the first tenured woman theorist in science on the faculty at Harvard and MIT, and one of the most cited theoretical physicists in the world. MSNBC has called her "one of Einstein's intellectual heiresses."

Event 2: Wednesday, November 9 (2 p.m. to 3 p.m.)

What: Nationally acclaimed drumming ensemble SO PERCUSSION will conduct a performance/demonstration for 180 students, grades 1-8, at Watsonville Charter School for the Arts.

Where: Watsonville Charter School for the Arts, 115 Casserly Road, (831) 728-8123, Sue Forson, WCSA principal. Outside, weather permitting; in cafeteria, if raining.

Background: So Percussion's performances convey the pure joy of drumming and the thrilling possibilities of percussive sound. Hailed by the New York Times for their "brilliant" and "consistently impressive" performances, So Percussion has made a name for itself as one of the most exciting young ensembles in the country. Recently, the ensemble was featured at Carnegie Hall.