2008 Social Sciences Commencement Ceremonies Countless hours of hard work and sleepless nights of study will soon pay off for nearly 2,000 Social Sciences undergraduate and graduate students. Adorned in their black robes and hats, many in colorful garb denoting membership to one of UCI's many student organizations, the class of 2008 is just days away from receiving their well-deserved, crisp new diplomas. This year's commencement exercises, the 43rd in UCI's history, will feature three ceremonies for soon-to-be alumni of the Social Sciences. Read On...   May Headlines In Memoriam: Charles Lave, Professor Emeritus of Economics Professor Charles Lave, colleague and friend, passed away on Friday evening, May 2. A career-long member of the Social Science community and the economics department, Professor Lave was an innovative and highly recognized researcher in transportation economics and energy use. Read On... Sandholtz publishes book on changing international laws of war In Prohibiting Plunder: How Norms Change, Wayne Sandholtz tells the colorful history of wartime looting, which was once the accepted right of victors but today is prohibited by international treaties. Through first hand accounts and official documents from wars dating back to Napoleon, Sandholtz eloquently demonstrates how international norms change over time, with episodes as recent as the 2003 looting of the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad. Read On... Douglas White is named chair of RNSC's Scientific Committee Douglas White, anthropology professor and IMBS research chair, has been named chair of the Scientific Committee for France's Reseau National des Systemes Complexes (RNSC), the society that oversees a number of French research institutions focused on the study of complex systems. Read On... Cohen and Monroe among Distinguished Faculty award winners Professors Linda Cohen, economics, and Kristen Monroe, political science, are among the seven UCI recipients of the 2008 Academic Senate Distinguished Faculty awards. Considered the highest honors awarded by the Academic Senate, the awards recognize outstanding faculty for their excellence in teaching, research and service. Read On... Beckmann selected as School honoree for 2008 Celebration of Teaching awards Matthew Beckmann, political science assistant professor, has been named the School of Social Sciences' honoree for the 2008 Celebration of Teaching Awards in recognition of his excellence and commitment to undergraduate education. Read On... Cognitive Science Society recognizes paper by Hemmer and Steyvers A paper co-authored by Pernille Hemmer, second year cognitive sciences graduate student, and Mark Steyvers, cognitive sciences associate professor, has been awarded the Cognitive Science Society's Best Paper Prize for Modeling Higher Level Cognition. Read On... In pursuit of peace Global Connect closed out it's sixth successful year during Friday's "In Pursuit of Peace" symposium. Headlined by Dateline NBC news correspondent Keith Morrison, the symposium brought together more than 350 students and educators who took part in this year's program. Participating schools included Costa Mesa, Estancia, Laguna Hills, and Newport Harbor High School as well as Te Winkle Middle School. Read On... Internationally acclaimed ecologist and activist addresses rising food crisis International food and agricultural activist Dr. Vandana Shiva headlined UC Irvine's Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies' 17th Annual Margolis Lecture on April 30, sharing with the audience her more than 30 years of work on biodiversity and conservation efforts, primarily in India. Read On... China's historical bridges topic of fifth annual Kiang Lecture China is a country rich in cultural traditions, its origins dating back some 3,500 years to the world's earliest civilization. On Tuesday, May 6, Ronald Knapp, distinguished professor emeritus at the State University of New York, shared his research on some of the country's oldest architectural wonders in his lecture on China's "lost bridges." Read On... Social Sciences undergrads awarded prestigious campus-wide awards Benjamin Bohr and Curtis Brown have been awarded two of UCI's most prestigious undergraduate awards, according to Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships assistant director Chau Luu. Bohr, a third year global cultures and political science major, is the 2008-09 recipient of the Dan and Jean Aldrich Award, named in honor of UCI's founding chancellor. Curtis Brown, also a political science major, has received the 2008-09 Nicholas Aeberhard Award for outstanding freshman, honoring the former UCI student who shares the award's namesake. Both recipients were nominated for the competitive $1,500 prizes by the School of Social Sciences. Read On... Student thrives on stage and in the 'courtroom' Meet Marissa Jaroscak Oxman. She's a third-year dance major at UCI, an accomplished accordion player, and she plans to pursue a career in law. While an accordion-playing dancer-attorney might sound like a character out of a script for "Boston Legal," Jaroscak Oxman explains the concept is not that farfetched. Read On... International Influence We've all seen clips from The Tonight Show's popular "Jaywalking" segments where random Californians answer current world news and events questions with shockingly off target responses. While it may make for good late night TV, the fact that many Americans are so seemingly out of touch with local and global issues is no laughing matter. John Wie, a political science major and one of two students selected to deliver this year's Social Sciences commencement address, has spent his last four years at UC Irvine working to change all that. Read On... 2008 Jeff Garcilazo Undergraduate Paper Prize award winners Established in honor of the late Chicano/Latino studies and history professor Jeff Garcilazo, the annual Undergraduate Paper Prize which bears his namesake provides students the opportunity to examine the historical and contemporary experiences of Chicano/Latino communities. Read On... If you have a good idea for a feature story or would like to post a news item to the School of Social Sciences website, please contact your department manager or Heather Wuebker, hwuebker@uci.edu.     Social Sciences in the Media Tackling Costa Mesa's 'terror' problem The following social Social Sciences faculty are quoted in the OC Register on May 1, 2008: Humberto Caspa, political sciences lecturer; Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies chair; Ruben Rumbaut, sociology professor. Read On... Immigrant rights rally draws only 200 marchers to Santa Ana Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the OC Register on May 1, 2008. Read On... Employment status by race in today's America David Neumark, economics professor, is quoted in Helium on May 2, 2008. Read On... Drivers' pain is the planet's gain Kenneth Small, economics professor emeritus, is quoted in the New Scientist on May 10, 2008. Read On... Higher fuel prices may mean less pollution Kenneth Small, economics professor emeritus, is quoted in the United Press International, May 12, 2008. Read On... Immigrants assimilate quicker today, study shows Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the OC Register on May 12, 2008 Read On... Move over big fella Kenneth Small, economics professor emeritus, is quoted in the Reno News & Review on May 15, 2008. Read On... Mexican immigrants prove slow to fit in Ruben Rumbaut, sociology professor, is quoted in the U.S. News & World Report on May 15, 2008. Read On... Meet the world's worst archaeologist: Indiana Jones Bill Maurer, anthropology professor and department chair, is quoted in the OC Register on May 16, 2008. Read On... Flags for peace to fill UCI park John Wie, political science major, is quoted, along with other Global Connect program participants, in the OC Register on May 17, 2008. Read On... Tales from the front: Killing 'culture' clashes at home Thomas Sim, political science major, is featured in the Daily Pilot on May 17, 2008. Read On... The hidden faces of the war Deborah Avant, political science professor and director of international studies, is interviewed on NPR on May 19, 2008. Read On... Latino turnout could hold key to White House Louis DeSipio, political science associate professor and Chicano/Latino studies department chair, is quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle on May 21, 2008. Read On... Expert says Bird Rock Bandits not a gang Alfonso Valdez, social sciences lecturer, is quoted in the San Diego Union Tribune on May 21, 2008. Read On... Airline fits the belt Volodymyr Bilotkach, economics assistant professor, is quoted in La Opinion on May 22, 2008. Read On... Blackwater's proximity to border draws concerns Deborah Avant, political science professor and director of international studies, is featured on KPBS on May 22, 2008. Read On... 3-minute interview: Joseph White Joseph L. White, social science professor emeritus, is featured in the San Francisco Examiner on May 24, 2008. Read On... ICE eyes 400,000 deportations Ruben Rumbaut, sociology professor, is featured on NPR on May 27, 2008. Read On...     June 2008 Events (as received prior to June 1, 2008) 05/29/2008 to 06/01/2008 Fourth Japan-North America Conference on Mathematical Sociology Crowne Plaza Hotel, Redondo Beach, Calif. 06/03/2008 11:00 a.m. The Writing of Erased Faces: Inspiration and Meaning Graciela Limon, Professor Emeritus, Loyola Marymount University Donald Bren Hall (DBH) 1100 06/03/2008 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Students Left Behind: Developing a Valid Measure of High School Completion Thurston Domina, University of California, Irvine - Education Social Science Plaza B, Room 4206 06/03/2008 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Fashion, Consumer Cultures, and Muslim Diasporas Humanities Instructional Building 135 06/03/2008 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Darwin's Greatest Discovery: Design without Designer Francisco J. Ayala, UC Irvine Crystal Cove Auditorium (CCA) 06/05/2008 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Scagnostics Leland Wilkinson, SYSTAT and UCI Department of Computer Science Social Science Plaza A, Room 2112 06/07/2008 4:00 p.m. 2008 Social Sciences Graduate Commencement Ceremony Bren Events Center 06/15/2008 1:00 p.m. 2008 Social Sciences Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies Social Sciences Graduation Ceremony 1 Bren Events Center 5:00 p.m. Social Sciences Graduation Ceremony 2 Bren Events Center For current Social Sciences events, make sure to visit our website, http://www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/events.php. If you would like to post an event to the School of Social Sciences calendar, please contact your department manager or Heather Wuebker, hwuebker@uci.edu.

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