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First Research Frontiers Day features social science research on contemporary issues

Health insurance, digital divide, immigration, education, Latin America's 'left turn,' and genomics and justice are among the topics

October 08, 2013

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Twelve professors from eight disciplines in the social sciences will present their research on contemporary social challenges in the first Research Frontiers Day at UCSC.

The UC Santa Cruz Division of Social Sciences and Office of Research will present Research Frontiers Day, Friday, October 25, 2013 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring 12 faculty mini-lectures showcasing research focused on contemporary challenges.

The event is the first of its kind for the social sciences at UCSC. It is free and open to the public and will take place at Colleges Nine and Ten on the UCSC campus. Advance registration is required. Pre-registration closes at 2 p.m. October 20, however registration will be available at the event. Parking is available for $6.

Social Sciences Dean Sheldon Kamieniecki said Research Frontiers Day will "bring together faculty, students, and community members to present and learn about how social sciences faculty research is engaging key issues of the 21st century."  The goal, he said, is to "showcase transformative research, foster collaboration between researchers, students, and community members, and solve everyday challenges."

Stacy Philpott, associate professor of environmental studies and the Ruth and Alfred Heller Chair in Agroecology, will deliver the opening presentation on the Integration of Social and Natural Sciences at UCSC.

Then 12 professors will make presentations across three simultaneous tracks on:
•    Learning Environments in the 21st Century
•    Social Values and Citizenship
•    Social Sciences and the International Community

Among the subjects, talks will touch on health insurance, access to care and financial well-being, psychology and technology, immigration, the university and the public sector, and genomics and justice.

Featured professors are from the eight disciplines within the social sciences: anthropology, economics, education, environmental studies, Latin American and Latino studies, politics, psychology, and sociology. A complete list of presenters and their subjects can be found at http://socialsciences.ucsc.edu/research/research-frontiers/program-2013.html

An optional lunch is available for $10.

Keynote speaker at lunch is Alessandro Duranti, distinguished professor of anthropology and dean of social sciences at UCLA. Duranti's main research focus is the role of verbal and visual communication in political arenas, everyday life, and during music performance and rehearsals.

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