The Department of Mathematics and Statistics hosts Dr. Qin Wang of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) for its Fall 2012 Statistics Colloquium this Friday, October 26, from 11am to 12pm in Room 401 of the Mathematic and Psychology (MP) building.

Dr. Wang’s contribution for this week is entitled “A general SDR approach via Hellinger integral of order two.” It deals with the concept of sufficient dimension reduction (SDR), which according to the abstract is “a useful tool to study the dependence between a response and a multidimensional predictor.” The focus will be on a new approach to SDR called the Hellinger Integral of order two, a collaboration between Wang and Drs. Xiangrong Yin at University of Georgia and Frank Critchley at The Open University of UK, and which has a number of advantages such of minimal assumptions, relative effiency, and its unitary aspects of previous methodologies, among others.

Refreshments will be available in MP 422 before the event. Those desiring to meet with Dr. Wang should e-mail Dr. Yaakov Malinkovsky at yaakovm@umbc.edu.

The E. Diane Champé Institute (EDCI) is seeking THREE students to participate in their Board Meetings.

The E. Diane Champé Institute (EDCI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to help adult survivors of child abuse and neglect. EDCI will provide neighborhood Centers where survivors can congregate, socialize, and gain life-skills training while building a healthy lifestyle. The Centers will not provide any type of professional therapy as is done in almost every other recovery setting. Instead, the Centers will be places to promote community, connection, and wellness, which the experts have stated is vital to promote engagement with the world.

EDCI Vision Statement: Our vision is a world where adult survivors of child abuse and neglect receive the validation, encouragement, and resources that will empower their healing.

Ms. Connie Harrington

Human Resources Consulting Services

at HR.Resources@verizon.net

Nurit Katz, UCLA's first Chief Sustainability Officer, sat down recently with Judy Walton, AASHE's chief publications officer, to discuss Nurit's work on campus and involvement in the AASHE 2012 conference. Nurit also serves on AASHE's STARS Steering Committee and is an instructor for UCLA Extension's Global Sustainability Certificate Program. While a graduate student, Nurit founded the UCLA Sustainable Resource Center, served as president of the Graduate Students Association, and assisted in developing an interdisciplinary graduate certificate program, Leaders in Sustainability. She holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, a Masters in Public Policy from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and a BA in Environmental Education from Humboldt State University. Nurit was recently honored as one of 100 Inspirational Alumni for the 75th Anniversary of UCLA Anderson. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Luskin Center for Innovation and on the Board of Opportunity Green.

If you are interested in participating in the AASHE Interview Series, email Niles Barnes at niles@aashe.org.

JW: I hear your UCLA Extension class, “Principles of Sustainability I,” was recently cited as one of the “10 Best Classes in L.A.” by L.A. Weekly magazine. Congratulations! Can you tell us a bit about the class?
NK: “Principles of Sustainability I” is the first core course in Extension's Global Sustainability Certificate Program (which is also offered online through a partnership with Empowered). The Principles course is an introduction to the broad field of sustainability – from sustainable agriculture to corporate responsibility, design, and everything in between. It gives students the analytical frameworks and tools to help them tackle the global social and environmental challenges we face. As a survey course, it also helps students choose what they want to focus on in the field and exposes them to different topics and career options.

The students who take this course are incredibly diverse in occupation and level of experience. We've had architects, teachers, accountants, lawyers, aerospace engineers, even a script writer and a stuntwoman. We also have many international students – from Brazil, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, Belgium and all over the world. It’s an amazing opportunity to engage in a rich dialogue on critical topics. Students who have graduated from the program have gone on to positions as diverse as their backgrounds, from environmental policy analyst for a local city councilman, to solar project management, to starting companies like a sustainable food truck business.

JW: You once said your passion lies in transforming UCLA into a “living, learning lab.” Can you describe what this means to you, and how it frames your daily work?
NK: At UCLA and throughout the UC system, we’re working on integrating research, education, and operations, using the physical campus as a live, learning laboratory. One great example of this is our Action Research Team program. Coordinated by the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, this innovative program is part of a set of student-led undergraduate courses called the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP). In the ESLP Action Research Team course, students in research teams work with faculty and staff stakeholders to tackle campus sustainability issues such as energy efficiency, transportation, waste stream management, sustainable food practices, and curriculum development.

Another great project that illustrates the learning lab concept is a recent pilot of a smart water filtration system to filter blowdown water from our cogeneration plant. The project enabled Professor Yoram Cohen and his grad students to test a new technology while demonstrating a way to save thousands of gallons of water per day. That project was presented at the AASHE conference in L.A. last week, and we’re currently seeking funding for a permanent installation. Over in our engineering buildings, Professor Rajit Gadh and his lab are doing exciting work with smart grid technology and EV charging stations, using campus buildings as experimental test sites. These types of projects are great examples of the potential of the physical campus and operations to be a learning laboratory for sustainability.

JW: What advice do you have for others hoping to develop successful sustainability programs?
NK: It might sound trite, but I believe successful sustainability programs are all about teamwork. We have a strong group of staff, students, and faculty working together through committees and taskforces. Sustainability is inherently multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral. It crosses every department of the university. Getting the right people at the table together and building those connections is half the battle. Although it tickled me when I learned that UCLA has a Committee on Committees, and I sometimes use that as an example of our enormous bureaucracy, committees are an effective and important tool for campus sustainability. For example, our Water Taskforce, which is working on drafting a Water Action Plan to help us achieve our goals for reducing potable water use, has representation from our Plumbing department, Capital Programs, Landscaping, EH&S and Energy Services (our cogeneration plant uses 20% of our overall water consumption), as well as faculty and student members. Having that broad expertise and decision-making authority at the table will enable us to take a truly “system approach” to campus water management. Building bridges across organizational silos and creating integrated decision-making is key to institutionalizing sustainability.

JW: It was great seeing you last week at the AASHE 2012 conference in L.A. Can you tell us a bit about UCLA's involvement in the event?
NK: Yes, we were a host institution and master sponsor of the conference, and we played an active role in it, including sponsoring the Continuing Education Units. We were also pleased to host a tour of UCLA (glad you could join us on the tour, by the way!) which highlighted several ways we’re making UCLA a more sustainable urban campus and demonstrating how sustainability can be put into practice. It included lunch at one of our exposition-style dining halls, which use herbs grown on campus and locally sourced and organic produce. We also visited several LEED certified buildings and our 44 MW, natural gas cogeneration plant, which generates 90% of the energy on campus and uses gas from a local landfill.

JW: How is UCLA tracking its progress toward sustainability?
NK: We use a number of different metrics. Our UC Sustainable Practices Policy has concrete targets, such as by 2020 reaching 1990-level greenhouse gas emissions, 20% sustainable food purchases, 20% reduction in potable water use per capita from baseline, and zero waste. We were also a charter participant in AASHE’s STARS program, which covers all aspects of campus sustainability from education and research to operations, investment and diversity. This year I’ve been serving on the STARS Steering Committee and helping to develop STARS version 2.0, which is now open for public comment.

JW: What campus sustainability successes are you most proud of?
NK: Probably our progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our policy target is 1990 levels by 2020 and our ACUPCC goal is climate neutrality by 2050. Since 1990 we have grown more than 40% as a campus – adding more than 8 million square feet – yet we have been able to keep our emissions almost level. This has meant a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per square foot of almost 27%. We still have a long way to go towards climate neutrality, but I believe our progress so far sets an important example. And we’ve been able to achieve these reductions through direct measures – such as energy efficiency and efficient on-site power production.

While lighting and HVAC retrofits, occupancy sensors, and other efficiency and conservation projects might not be as sexy as renewable energy projects, they can have a significant impact. And even more importantly, they show that it’s possible to address climate change and sustainability in a way that‘s financially feasible and responsible, even in the toughest budget climate.

On the mobile emissions side, as you know, LA has a reputation as the land of the automobile and sprawl: the average drive alone rate for the area is more than 70%. But through our award-winning Transportation program’s comprehensive suite of initiatives – transit subsidies, carpool matching, vanpool, car sharing, cycling programs, etc. – we’ve been able to get to where almost half our staff and three quarters of our students commute by sustainable means and don’t drive alone to campus. If we can make that happen in Los Angeles, it can be done anywhere! We are also partnering with other universities, businesses and government through Clean Tech Los Angeles to grow sustainable business and clean technology throughout the region.

JW: What’s your greatest challenge?
NK: Hmmm…getting enough sleep? Ha. Though finding a sustainable work pace can be tough, my greatest challenge at UCLA is probably communication. With a population of 70,000, many of whom turn over each year, education and outreach is a constant challenge. Surveys we’ve done, and feedback I get from students, staff, and faculty at UCLA show that most of our community cares about social and environmental issues, but many don’t know how they can get involved, or what the university is doing in sustainability. We have the usual channels of communication, such as newsletters, the website, and social media, and articles in our student and staff newspapers, but in a media saturated world it is hard to break through. We’re trying to get more creative in our approach. One great project - a collaboration between UCLA Communications, Athletics, and a student group called the Film Production Society - was the creation of a public service announcement (PSA) starring the UCLA Basketball Team, which we play in the basketball pavilion before all of the games.

JW: How are you addressing the social dimension of sustainability?
NK: Addressing the social equity piece of the sustainability puzzle can be more complex than the environmental piece – harder to measure and quantify. We do have many programs that address the social dimension - from community partnerships to diversity programs – and one area we’re trying to tackle more as a system this year is socially responsible investing. Some programs, such as a student initiative called Project Greenlight, address the social and environmental dimensions. That program provides education and information about energy efficiency and cost savings to low income neighborhoods. Another example is the UCLA Labor Occupational Safety & Health (LOSH) Program’s Green Jobs program. This grant-funded education and placement program for unemployed local community members covers a breadth of environmental and sustainability topics, including LEED standards, construction safety, green chemistry, and environmental justice. Participants also get other job and life skills training, such as construction math, resume preparation, and interview skills.

JW: I understand you completed a full Ironman distance triathlon in 2010. Impressive! Is that how you spend your free time?
NK: I did Ironman with Team in Training, a program of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, in honor of my mom who is a Lymphoma survivor. The training took a lot of time and dedication that year, and I am not training for anything currently, though I do love to go cycling and swimming when I can. Training for the full distance is a serious time commitment, but Team in Training also has shorter distances available. I highly recommend the program for anyone considering trying a long distance run or triathlon. I wasn’t an athlete growing up – I was a marching band nerd – but they have amazing coaches who can work with any beginner and help you go the distance. My teammates were amazing, everyone was so supportive and collaborative, and so dedicated to the cause. It was truly a life changing experience.

We are still accepting applications for the U.S. Department of State Student Experience Program (formerly known as the U.S. Department of State Internship Program Spring/Summer/Fall).

Click here (https://state.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/326501200) to go directly to USAJobs to start the Gateway to State online application. Please note that the deadline to submit completed applications is November 2, 2012.

This program offers U.S. citizen undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to participate in 10-week, unpaid internships that provide intensive educational and professional experience within the environment of America’s principle foreign affairs agency.

The unpaid internships are available at many of the over 265 U.S. embassies, consulates and missions to international organizations around the world, as well as at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. and other locations throughout the U.S. Participants gain first-hand, hands-on experience, and learn the realities of working in – and with – Foreign and Civil Service professionals who are at the forefront of America’s diplomatic efforts.

As a Student Experience intern, you may have the opportunity to:

• Participate in meetings with senior level U.S. government or foreign government officials;
• Draft, edit, or contribute to cables, reports, communications, talking points, or other materials used by policy makers in furthering U.S. foreign policy objectives;
• Help organize and support events, including international and/or multi-lateral meetings and conferences on critical global issues;
• Contribute to the management and administration of the Department of State and America’s foreign policy; and
• Engage directly with U.S. or foreign audiences to promote U.S. foreign policy and improve understanding of U.S. culture and society.

So consider spending your summer 2013 with the U.S. Department of State, witnessing and participating in the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy, working closely with the U.S. diplomats and civil servants who carry out America’s foreign policy initiatives. You’ll not only have an experience of a lifetime, you may even earn educational credit.*

* Applicants who are selected for a U.S. Department of State Student Experience can contact the selecting bureau, or the central Student Programs office, if they require further details about the program to support their request for academic credit.

Please visit http://careers.state.gov/students/programs for more information about the Student Experience Program, and to start the online application process via USAJobs. Please note that the deadline to submit completed applications is November 2, 2012.

We appreciate your interest in a career with the U.S. Department of State.

Visit our forums if you have any questions, or to search for topics of interest. The forums can be found under Engage on the careers.state.gov website. You can also search our FAQs for more information.