Chapman University - Happenings: September 7, 2009

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Happenings: Chapman's Staff and Faculty Online Newsletter
— Week of Sept. 7, 2009 —

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Geologist awarded Chapman’s 1st National Science Foundation’s CAREER grant

Christopher Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, has received Kim_C the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious award for early-career, tenure-track teachers and scholars.

The NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program has awarded Dr. Kim a grant of $409,542 to support his research on arsenic and other mining waste for the next five years. Dr. Kim, 36, is the first professor at Chapman to receive an NSF CAREER grant. Other schools receiving NSF CAREER grants this year include MIT, Harvard, Stanford and the California Institute of Technology.

“It’s a really great honor and a reflection of the work the students and I have been doing for a couple of years now,” Dr. Kim said. “It’s also a reflection of how Chapman has created an environment for the sciences where we can do this type of work successfully.”

Dr. Kim’s research examines arsenic and other metals waste from mines in Southern California. He’s interested in the particle size of metals because finer-grained particles are more likely to be inhaled or ingested if the particles stick to hands or unwashed food. (See video below to hear him talk about his research.)

So far, his research has shown that as the particle size decreases, the concentrations of metals, including arsenic, lead, copper, chromium and zinc increase. That means the smaller particles of mine waste are more “metal-enriched,” making them potentially more hazardous if people inhale or ingest them, Dr. Kim says.

Dr. Chris Kim, Brian Reinsch, Nathalie
Petersen, Helen Mortera and Kim Wilson.

The CAREER award honors scholars who are likely to become academic leaders in the future. The NSF also looks at how those scholars will share their work on a broader level. Dr. Kim will work with schools, where he will invite grade-school students and teachers to his Chapman lab to show them his research and also get them excited about science. He also regularly schedules town halls in communities where there is a heavy presence of old mines, to discuss the implications of the waste.

Dr. Kim received his A.B. in geology from Princeton University. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, in 2002. For more on Dr. Kim, CLICK HERE. To learn more about his research at Chapman CLICK HERE.

Chapman Chamber Orchestra nails key partnership – with a little help from YouTube

One of America’s premier modern-art museums has selected a recording by Chapman University’s Chamber Orchestra for one of its upcoming exhibitions.

And how did the museum select Chapman?

Via YouTube.

Back in 2006, Daniel Alfred Wachs, then new to Chapman as music director and conductor of the Chamber Orchestra and director of instrumental studies at the Conservatory of Music, wanted all of his orchestra’s concerts videotaped so he could post them on YouTube. The recording is part of Wach’s first concert here.

The Phillips Collection, the first modern-art museum in the United States and which is recognized for its intimate galleries, was looking for a recording of “La Creation du Monde’’ to pair with its upcoming “Man Ray, African Art and the Modernist Lens’’ exhibition. It searched on YouTube and up popped the Chapman recording of the composition, a jazz-influenced work by composer Darius Milhaud.

The museum said it had only recently received the recording, and it was still reviewing exactly how it would be incorporated into the exhibition, but was “excited about the possibilities.”

For Chapman, the partnership gives the university a bigger slice of national attention. “This is an honor for the conservatory and for Chapman,” Wachs said. “Whatever number of visitors comes through the collection, there will be lots and lots of people who will experience the visual element, but they will be listening to this wonderful piece being played by the Chapman Chamber Orchestra.”

The Man Ray exhibit, which will feature the Chapman Chamber Orchestra’s recording, is scheduled to run from Oct. 10 to Jan. 10, 2010 at the Phillips Collection. Man Ray (1890-1976), American Dadaist and Surrealist artist, translated the 20^th-century modernist taste for African art into photographs that reached a popular audience.

See the recording that caught the museum’s attention below:

Schweitzer: The “old doctor” takes center stage at Chapman

“What IS it with Chapman and Albert Schweitzer?” some newbies wonder as they wander the campus. There’s that big bust of Schweitzer in front of Argyros Forum, for one thing, and

Marvin Meyer, Ph.D., director
of the Schweitzer Institute

there’s that fascinating exhibit of Schweitzer’s life and times on the second floor of Argyros, for another. There are Chapman’s student Schweitzer Scholars, and there’s the annual presentation of the Albert Schweitzer Award at Opening Convocation to an individual or agency that best represents Schweitzer’s values and humanitarianism. And then there’s Chapman’s Albert Schweitzer Institute, world-renowned for preserving and disseminating the ethical teachings of Schweitzer as well as curating a stunning collection of the “old doctor’s” memorabilia.

Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) was a philosopher, theologian, ethicist, musician and medical doctor – a Renaissance man, indeed. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 for his inspiring work as a scholar, physician and musician. He is perhaps best known for devoting most of the latter part of his life to running a medical clinic in Lambaréné, in what is now Gabon, Africa; for his later staunch opposition to nuclear weapons; and for developing his ethic of “reverence for life,” a creative ethic of respect and reverence for all forms of life, animal, plant and human.

Did Schweitzer once lecture at Chapman? Did he go to school here? Neither, answers Marvin Meyer, Ph.D., director of the Schweitzer Institute and Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies. “We think of Schweitzer as Chapman’s guiding intellectual and ethical spirit largely because of the tireless efforts of two Chapman faculty members, Kurt and Alice Bergel. Both have now passed away, but they were personally acquainted with Schweitzer and were strong proponents of his ethic of reverence for life. When they fled Nazi Germany and settled in California, eventually joining Chapman College, they founded our Schweitzer Institute. And through their efforts, Chapman received from Lee and Dorothy Ellerbrock the marvelous gift of Schweitzer memorabilia that now constitutes the main portion of our Schweitzer collection.”

The Bergels also launched the popular Chapman course on Schweitzer’s life and ethics that Dr. Meyer now teaches. It’s a prototype for the many interdisciplinary classes Chapman now offers, as it is offered within three departments: Religious Studies, Philosophy and Peace Studies. “The focal point of the course,” says Dr. Meyer, “is a careful and reflective examination of reverence for life, and the key question: ‘Is some form of reverence for life a viable ethic for us in our world?’”

The Schweitzer Institute has presented scholarly conferences and has published books, including its latest release, an artistic book of photographs of Schweitzer and essays on reverence for life, titled Finding Lambaréné. Copies of this beautiful book are available free of charge from the Department of Religious Studies or the Schweitzer Institute (call 714-997-6636). Every Chapman office should have one!

For more about the Schweitzer Institute CLICK HERE.

VIDEO: See Dr. Marv Meyer talking about Schweitzer and his ethic of “reverence for life” at the 2009 Opening Convocation and also see Dr. Tony Garcia-Prats, recipient of the 2009 Schweitzer Award of Excellence, give his acceptance speech. CLICK HERE (This is the whole Convocation.)

Remembering Dr. Fred Kakis - Holocaust survivor, chemist

Fred Kakis, Ph.D., professor emeritus of chemistry, passed away Sept. 1 at his home in Palm Springs. A Holocaust survivor, he left Greece when he was still a young boy when, despite his age, he was actively engaged in underground activities against the Nazis. Dr. Kakis enjoyed a distinguished career as a scholar and a teacher. His career at Chapman, from 1964 to 1989, spanned years of major growth and change.

At Chapman, Dr. Kakis was head of the Department of Chemistry and also chair of the Division of Natural Sciences. He also was associate vice president of what was then called the Residence Education Centers, now Brandman University.

Dr. Kakis donated a significant collection to Leatherby Libraries. The Frederic J. Kakis papers consist of four series that date to the 1960s. The series deals with Dr. Kakis’ expertise in the field of forensics relating to the insurance industry, his academic writing in the field of chemistry, his career at Chapman College/University and the publishing information on his two books: Drugs: Facts and Fictions, and Legacy of Courage, which chronicles the adventures and survival of his Greek-Jewish family who refused to submit to the Germans. (CLICK HERE for more on Legacy.)

Last year, one of Dr. Kakis’ students, emergency medical specialist Richard T. Pitts, D.O., ’70, made a pledge that made it possible to name a room in Dr. Kakis’ honor in the Leatherby Libraries.

On hearing of his death, Dr. Pitts said: “Surviving his rigorous classes were fundamental for my success in medical school and as a practicing physician. If ever the term ‘sui generis’ applied to an individual, it would apply to Fred Kakis. I will miss him.”

First year law student wins $10,000 scholarship for video

Branigan Robertson, a first-year law student at Chapman University, won a $10,000 scholarship for his video on what inspired him to study law. The scholarship and contest were sponsored by the Access Group, a nonprofit student loan provider for more than 25 years. After Access Group made initial cuts and produced a final group of videos, the winner and runners-up were chosen by votes from the public. Robertson found out late last Monday afternoon. “I have no idea how close the voting was. I could have won by one vote or 1,000. I was very surprised, I mean I worked my butt off, but I figured every other finalist was, too. My folks are pretty happy, but no one is more happy than me ... heck, I'm the one paying for law school!”

Come watch President Doti climb the wall!

He won’t be climbing the 51-foot wall alone. Orange County Register outdoor columnist/marathon runner/triathlete/climber David Whiting (CLICK HERE to read his columns) will race President Doti on Wednesday (Sept. 9) just before the naming ceremony for the new residence hall and conference center at 5:30 p.m. Come cheer on the climbers and then stick around for the naming ceremony.

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter teaching feature writing

Edward Humes, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his newspaper reporting on the military, is teaching a feature-writing class at Chapman University (ENG 414 – Feature Writing). He has previously lectured at UC Irvine and also taught an intensive workshop at the University of Oregon, which is one of the few universities with a master's program for literary nonfiction. This is his first time teaching at Chapman.

“I'm incorporating online and social media into my course, and the message is that the skill set you need to be a successful journalist and good feature writer are just as applicable in new media as in old,” Humes said. “I do think the new generation of journalists will have to do the whole multimedia thing, from 140 characters a post on Twitter to shooting their own video and writing punchy Web copy. But they'll still need to be able to report something no one else has and to tell a good story.”

Humes is also the author of 10 narrative nonfiction books. He received a PEN Award for his book No matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court. To read more about Humes and his work, visit his Web site HERE.

Medical-device magnates meet at CEO Summit at Chapman

Innovative medical devices to assist doctors and surgeons have revolutionized patient care – and the center of the universe for the invention, design and manufacture of such devices has to be Orange County. Here in Orange County, medical devices account for more than 11 percent of the total manufacturing economy. With the crucial importance of that industry in mind, Chapman hosted a first-of-its kind “CEO Summit” for medical device manufacturers on Sept. 1. A select crowd of invited guests listened to host President Doti and guest speakers Jim Mazzo, senior vice president at Abbott and president of Abbott Medical Optics; Michael Mussallem, chairman and CEO of Edwards Lifesciences, and Joe E. Kiani, founder, board chairman and CEO of Masimo Corp., in a fascinating discussion of hot topics in the industry. The summit will be broadcast on upcoming episodes of Dialogue with Doti and Dodge (KOCE-TV and the OC Channel; streaming episodes can also be viewed HERE after the air date).

Finally! Some food over at West Palm!

For folks working over in the West Palm complex, there’s no

more suffering with just one soda vending machine. The West Palm Café opens Tuesday (Sept. 8) in the space between Financial Services and Information Systems and Technology. The café, which seats about 25 inside, features “grab and go’’ sandwiches, salads and assorted baked goods and beverages, including Seattle’s Best Coffee and other espresso drinks. Hours of operation: Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Food service provided by Sodexo.)

Does this mean she got an “A” for the course?!

Congrats to Chapman student Amy Buchmann, who won honorable mention in the History of Mathematics Special Interest Group of the MAA’s annual writing contest for undergraduates for her work on quaternions. Her adviser was Chancellor Daniele Struppa. Amy took an independent study with Chancellor Struppa last spring to write the paper and learn more about this branch of mathematics. She said they met every other week to discuss the paper. To read her paper, “A Brief History of Quaternions and the Theory of Holomorphic Functions of Quaternionic Variables,” CLICK HERE. (You’ll also see the other contest winners.)

Town Hall: “Humanities Scholarship in the Digital Age”

Mary Litch, director of Academic Technology and Digital Media, will lead a discussion of computationally based research methods in the humanities and social sciences as well as new models for scholarly publishing and communication in the first Chapman Town Hall of the academic year.

The Town Hall is Friday (Sept. 11) from noon to 2 p.m. in Beckman Hall 104 and is open to the entire Chapman community. Bring a brown-bag lunch. Beverages and dessert provided. Please feel free to drop in and leave as your schedule permits.

Was that a Chapman law professor on ESPN?

Yes. Anyone watching the “Purina Incredible Dog Challenge” on ESPN a few weekends ago would have seen Amy Peikoff, Ph.D., visiting fellow at Chapman’s School of Law, and her

Photo courtesy of Chip Joyce

dog, Boo, zipping through a dog agility course competing with the likes of Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis and his dog. Dr. Peikoff and Boo, a Pyrenean Shepherd, placed fifth out of six teams, just behind Louganis' pooch. The announcers made a point of saying she was a law professor at Chapman, so Chapman got a nice plug on ESPN. Dr. Peikoff has been competing in the sport for about 3-1/2 years. As the handler, she must guide Boo, 7, through an obstacle course that the dog has never seen before.

On her recent competition: “We had some small errors that cost us points, and we are just not quite as fast as the more experienced teams. But I was proud that my dog held up so well in the face of all those distractions – a large crowd, big scary ESPN cameras and cameramen, etc.

Photo courtesy of Ken Gee

If you had told me three years ago that my dog would be able to perform that well in that environment, I don’t think I would have believed it.” Dr. Peikoff says her goal is to get fast enough this year to make the team next May at the 2010 tryouts. Stay tuned!

We don’t have video yet from the completion but the Dr. Peikoff says the video below is one of her favorites. It includes two demonstration runs from the 2008 American Kennel Club World Team Tryouts. “In the first run, my dog and I ended up with a time that would have put us in fifth place, had we actually been trying out that year,” she says.

Wanna see a movie? Check out what’s up this week

Friday (Sept. 11) at 8 p.m.: Casablanca (1942), starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. First of several films in “Jim & Marla’s Black & White Film Festival.” Screening at the Attallah Piazza in front of the Leatherby Libraries. Admission is free, and Chapman will provide free popcorn and other movie snacks. Parking is free in the Lastinger Structure with a valid Chapman permit, or $3 for 4 hours for the general public. (In case of inclement weather, screenings will be moved to the Irvine Lecture Hall.) CLICK HERE for more details and complete schedule.

Saturday (Sept. 12) at 7 p.m.: Raga Unveiled, screening of the documentary-feature film that chronicles the history and evolution of classical North Indian music. At Waltmar Theatre. Q&A session follows with filmmaker Gita Desai. Admission is free, but RSVP to Heather Stoltzfus at heather@ektaacenter.org. Parking info: CLICK HERE. The event is co-sponsored by the Leatherby Center as the development of a film documentary involved several aspects of entrepreneurial activity, said P.K. Shukla, director, Ralph W. Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics and Vice Chancellor for Entrepreneurship.

September faculty forum sessions

Grab some lunch and gain insight into some interesting topics that faculty members will present. These sessions are open to all faculty and staff. Presentations begin at noon and are held in Beckman 404 (except the Sept. 28 session, which will be in Argyros Forum 209). The sessions run concurrent with a lunch buffet, which costs about $5.50. Questions? E-mail Kent Lehnhof at

lehnhof@chapman.edu

Sept. 16 (Wed): Tim Canova, "California's Fiscal Crisis as a Failure in Federalism"
Sept. 28 (Mon): Esmael Adibi, "The State of the Economy" *(In AF 209)
Sept. 29 (Tue): Liz Maxwell, "Somatics, Art, and Process"

Don’t miss these special lectures!

· What physics means to us: Yakir Aharonov, Ph.D., professor of physics and winner of the Wolf Prize, will explain science foundation vs. conscious experience on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Hall. This is part of the chancellor’s premier lecture series, “The Second Annual Lectio Magistralis.” It’s free and open to the public. Bring your friends and family to hear this distinguished scholar speak. (And you can ask him yourself about physics vs. reality!) For more information, call the Academic Events Office at 714-997-6565 or CLICK HERE for the Web site.
Physics Today just published an article on the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, a cornerstone of modern physics discovered by Dr. Aharonov and the late David Bohm. CLICK HERE to read.

· Refugee Jews and their families: In the complex history of the Holocaust, the refugees’ story receives only peripheral attention. A new book, Flight from the Reich: Refugee Jews, 1933-1946, by Deborah Dwork and Robert Jan van Pelt, offers a different view. “Fleeing does not write the refugees out of the story, it simply takes the story elsewhere,” the authors explain. Dwork, Ph.D., director, Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University, will talk about refugee Jews and their families on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. at Memorial Hall as part of The “1939” Club Lecture Series. This event is also free and open to the public. For more info: 714-628-7377.

Loretta Sanchez: Why international education is important

Faculty and students are invited by The United Nations Association Orange County chapter to a lunch and speech with Rep. Loretta Sanchez on Oct. 3 (Saturday) from noon to 2 p.m. at Argyros Forum 209. Rep. Sanchez will speak about “The United States, the United Nations and the importance of international education.” She recently introduced a bill in the House (HR 3359) that calls for support of K-12 international education and teacher training. Admission for Chapman students is $12 and for Chapman faculty $15 and includes the cost of lunch. Seating is limited. Please make checks payable to UNA-OC and bring before Sept. 18 to the College of Educational Studies Office, 104 Reeves Hall.

Staff & Faculty Notes

Mark Axelrod, Ph.D., professor of English and comparative literature, is collaborating with Hoosiers director David Anspaugh to write Hoosiers: The 25^th Silver Anniversary Edition, a book that explores the making of the film, which ranks as one of the Top 5 sports movies of the 20^th century. He also gave a series of lectures on screenwriting at both ARCOS and UNIACC colleges in Santiago, Chile.

Warren de Bruyn, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, Debruyn_W received a National Science Foundation award for collaborative research on air-sea gas exchange. The total award is $754,160 with $77, 667 coming to Chapman. This is an ongoing collaboration with colleagues at UC Irvine and State University of New York. Research in this area is important because the gases being studied have an impact on atmospheric chemistry and climate. Two research cruises are scheduled over the next three years.

Robert Buranello, Ph.D., Paul & Marybelle Musco Professor in Buranello_R Italian Studies, just had his 2004 article titled “Pietro Aretino Between the Locus Mendacii and the Locus Veritatis” republished in Volume 165 of Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800 in the section dedicated to the eminent 16^th century Italian letter-writer, dialogist, poet, dramatist and biographer Pietro Aretino. The series is dedicated to the great poets, dramatists, novelists, essayists and philosophers of the 15th through 18th centuries and to the most significant interpretations of these authors’ works. This 2009 reference publication places Dr. Buranello’s essay in the company of many eminent scholars of the Italian Renaissance.

Victoria Carty, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology, attended the American Sociological Association conference in San Francisco in August, as well as the Study of Social Carty_V Problems/Critical Sociology conference, also held in San Francisco. At the ASA meetings she presented a paper titled, “MoveOn as a Political Hybrid: Insider versus Outsider Posturing.” At the Critical Sociology conference she served as moderator for the panel on “New Opportunities in the Global Economy.” Dr. Carty also has published a paper titled, “A Commodity Chains Analysis of Cuba’s Re-insertion into the Global Economy via the Tourism Industry” in the Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Tourism.

Bruce Dehning, associate dean of the Argyros School of Business and Economics, recently published the paper “Measuring the Performance of Clusters and Firms Within Clusters Using the Residual Income Model” in the Journal of Economics published by the Slovak Academy of Sciences. The article, co-authored with Drahomira Pavelkova of Tomas Bata University, appeared in Volume 57, No. 3, 2009, pp. 230-246.

John Eastman, dean, School of Law, will participate in a panel discussion on constitutional interpretation at UC Berkeley on Eastman_J Sept. 16. The panel, sponsored by The American Constitution Society, will examine three recent books on constitutional interpretation: Keeping Faith with the Constitution and It is a Constitution We Are Expounding, both released by ACS in May, and The Constitution in 2020, a collection of forward-looking essays edited by Reva Siegel and Jack Balkin. ACS plans a video simulcast of the discussion.

Alicia Okouchi-Guy, assistant professor of dance, taught a series of master classes in modern dance technique and choreography for the Riverside Ballet Arts summer intensive. She taught the summer intensive with Katrina Killian from the American Ballet Theatre and Clinton Rothwell, former principal dancer from the National Ballet of Canada and the National Ballet of Holland.

Janice Park, adjunct professor of piano, and William Fitzpatrick, adjunct professor of violin, are giving a recital on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 4 p.m. at Irvine Valley College Performing Arts Center. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Vernon Smith, Ph.D., Nobel Laureate and George L. Argyros Endowed Chair in Finance and Economics, last week attended the Copenhagen Consensus in Washington, D.C., where he was part of a panel of experts discussing how to reduce the suffering from global warming.

Louise Thomas, associate professor of music, was invited once again as a faculty pianist to the nationally-renowned Idyllwild Summer Arts program in August, where she coached and performed with instrumentalists and singers for two weeks. She also had the exciting opportunity to perform with a mezzo-soprano from Arizona Opera and instrumental faculty from the University of Michigan and California's Pacific Trio.

Pilar Valenzuela, Ph.D., assistant professor of languages, was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to document two rapidly disappearing languages of the Kawapanan group: Shiwilu and Shawi. Both languages are spoken in relative proximity to one another in the Peruvian Amazon. Documentary work is especially urgent for Shiwilu, since it is in immediate danger of complete disappearance with only a few elderly fluent speakers remaining. The award is for $89,812 over two years. The start date is Sept. 15. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Valenzuela's colleague, Scott Farrar, who will be funded separately at the University of Washington, with Dr. Valenzuela as the lead investigator.

Is your faculty listing correct?

Have you updated your faculty profile lately in the Media Guide to the Experts? News organizations – reporters, editors, bloggers – as well as other staff and administration use the listings to help find experts. CLICK HERE to review your listing or add yourself to the guide.

This Week on TV

Dialogue With Doti and Dodge

Tuesday, Sept. 8, 11:30 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 13, 11 a.m.

“Comic Genius, Part II,” with Jerry Lewis, entertainer and comedian.

Wednesday, Sept. 9, 8:30 a.m., on KOCE-TV
Host Larry Santora, M.D., medical director of the Orange County Heart Institute and a cardiologist at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, demonstrates how to “bypass” bypass surgery with a non-surgical treatment. He also explains why vitamin D is the “wonder vitamin.” Raymond Casciari, M.D., of St. Joseph Hospital, discusses lung cancer and how it’s treated differently than in the past.

Sunday, Sept. 13, 8:30 a.m., on OC Channel
Jack Chen, M.D., of the Orthopedic Specialty Institute in Orange, explores the latest advancements in back surgery. Angels’ baseball announcer Rex Hudler shares his family’s journey with Down syndrome. Show host Larry Santora, M.D., explains who gets shingles and why.

Sunday, Sept. 13, 11 a.m., on KOCE-HD
Kelly Tucker, M.D., director of cardiac electrophysiology and pacing at the Orange County Heart Institute, and one of his patients discuss her new life with an artificial heart. Vintner Don Sodaro explains wine production and the healthy benefits of drinking it in moderation. Larry Santora, M.D. explores the benefits of low-dose aspirin.

The OC Channel, a partnership between KOCE and Chapman University, may be viewed on Channel 50.2 on digital television, Channel 235 on Time Warner, Channel 810 on Cox Communications Cable and Channel 470 on Verizon Fios.

Deadline? Doesn't Happenings just appear on the Web?

I wish. Sure, being on the Web is a wonderful thing. However, I Diana McCabe, Happenings Editor need to get copy in a somewhat timely manner so I can write/edit/link/get photos/video and pester you if I need more info! In general, the earlier you send me news items or ideas, the better. The deadline to be included in the upcoming week’s Happenings is Thursday at noon. Thanks for your help! (E-mail submissions to pr@chapman.edu) –Diana McCabe/Happenings Editor

What are you doing this summer?

We’d love to know what you’ve been up to this summer for Happenings. Great vacation? Pursuing a hobby? Have a new addition to the family? Please send to pr@chapman.edu. (We love photos and videos, so don’t be bashful!)

Lots of almonds, vegetables here, but bread in Germany was wunderbar!

Anuradha Prakash, Ph.D., director, food sciences program, combined work with vacation. She visited lots of farms and food processors this summer in California and Germany: “Since my

A berry stand at a market in Trier,
the westernmost town in Germany.

research deals with fresh produce, I visited farms and vegetable processors in Salinas Valley and had a chance to observe harvesting and processing of various lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach. I learned about the various challenges faced by vegetable growers: lack of water, decreasing sales and tough (and sometimes impossible to achieve) safety requirements required by buyers. The highlight this summer was a visit to Paramount Farms, the largest growers and processors of almonds and pistachios in the world.”

In Germany, Dr. Prakash found it fun to compare and contrast food-types, availability, agriculture, processed food between the United States and Germany. “Every town had regular farmers markets. Of course, supermarkets were not as large as they are here, and packaged salads were not as common. There was a lot more agriculture than I expected and the prices were not much higher than in the U.S. German bread was fantastic.”

New addition to the family! Nadia Arriaga, administrative assistant for the Department of Political Science and the Peace Studies Program, and her husband, Lawrence, welcomed their first child, Michael Lawrence Arriaga, on June 3. Michael weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce and was 21 inches long. Nadia and Lawrence thank the entire Chapman community for all of their thoughts and prayers.

Ideas, suggestions?

We're still learning as we put out the online edition of Happenings. Please send feedback and ideas to pr@chapman.edu. Diana McCabe, new editor of Happenings, loves to meet people. Give her a call at Ext: 2813 and show her around your area of Chapman or just introduce yourself.

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