Embark Magazine 2019 - UCI School of Social Ecology

University of California, Irvine School of Social Ecology 5300 Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway Irvine, CA 92697-7050

NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID JEFFERSON CITY MO PERMIT NO. 210

Spring 2019

UCI School of Social Ecology Magazine

A desire to act — to lessen someone else’s suffering — is the force behind compassion.

Empa thy

When people embrace compassion, the effect can ripple across neighborhoods, cities, states, nations. The School of Social Ecology believes in the power of

Kind n e s s

compassion to strengthen

W ellbei ng socialecology.uci.edu

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Caring

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lives around the world.

Love

communities and improve

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> Call to Action > Humanity in Prisons > The New Digital Divide

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“What should truly matter and what brings happiness is not the possessions you have, but the relationships you build.”

— Jordan Stead, Global Service Scholar

Jordan Stead spends time with a child at the HER Farm in Nepal, where she was based during her Global Service Scholar experience in 2018.

Spring 2018

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Spring 2019

INSIDE

UCI School of Social Ecology Magazine

Embark Vol. 2, No. 1 Produced by the University of California, Irvine School of Social Ecology Dean of School of Social Ecology Nancy Guerra Associate Dean for Academic Programs Susan Bibler Coutin

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Calculating the Costs of Solitary Confinement

14 Compassion: A Call to Action

Associate Dean for Research and International Programs Richard Matthew Assistant Dean Greg Reinhard Director of Communications Patricia DeVoe Editor Mimi Ko Cruz Design Rene Gauthier-Butterfield

20 Bridging the New Digital Divide

3 Dean’s Message 4 Q&A 6 Trending 8 By the Numbers 10 Field Study

12 Around the World

26 Compassionately Judging

24 25 26 29 30 32

At Work Student Spotlight Alumni Spotlight Class Notes Inspired Giving New Faculty

Contact Have a comment or suggestion?

(949) 824-6094 secomm@uci.edu Embark magazine is a publication for Social Ecology alumni, students and parents, along with community members and anyone interested in science driving solutions to the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.

Embark magazine is printed with soy based biorenewable inks on a recycled paper stock certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Please Recycle.

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Dean’s Message

Compassion calls on us to embrace our common humanity and contribute to the common good.

Compassion as Our Compass Today’s headlines offer a glimpse of the critical need for compassion in how we live and conduct our daily lives.

There is so much unrest, anger, conflict and discord not only in the United States but all over the world. We are becoming a nation and a world divided, not united. We dwell on how we are different from each other rather than on how we are the same — with similar needs, desires, and aspirations.

Here is where compassion comes in. Compassion builds on empathy and caring for self and others. It calls on us to translate these feelings into actions that embrace our common humanity and contribute to the common good.

We, at the School of Social Ecology, believe that compassion should guide solutions to the world’s problems. Our scholars — faculty members and students — are working hard researching ways to better ourselves, our relationships and our planet.

And, compassion is at the root of our endeavors, as evidenced in this issue of Embark.

As you flip through the pages, you’ll be inspired by the people and projects — from Keramet Reiter’s work on prison reform to Scott Bollens’ research on world conflict, student field studies at a thriving after-school program, Candice Odgers’ studies of digital divides, the philanthropic pursuits of peace ambassadors Kelly and James Hallman and long-time donor Gary Fudge and the Young Adult Court program helmed by Elizabeth Cauffman and alumna and Orange County Judge Maria Hernandez — that embody what it means to be compassionate. If that’s not enough inspiration, turn to our story on our compassion initiative and see how we are teaching students about it and the opportunities afforded them to share their skills as Global Service Scholars.

Our imprint on the future of the country and the world has to be guided by a much more inclusive way of acting on today’s social and environmental challenges. Compassion is the glue that can bring us together.

Dean Nancy Guerra School of Social Ecology

Spring 2019

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Q&A

Peace Ambassadors Kelly and James Hallman

Kelly Thornton Hallman founded the Living Peace Foundation in 2010 to “create opportunities for people to explore their purpose, discover their gifts, and share them with the world.”

She serves as the foundation’s board chairwoman and her husband, James Hallman, serves as president.

Together, the philanthropists propel the foundation’s mission: “In partnership with innovative thinkers and doers, we support evidence-based curricula, cutting-edge research, and transformative practicum focused on the embodied experience of inner peace and its impact on the world. We believe that a culture of living peace is possible when each of us upholds the values of collaboration, compassion, courage, and creativity. We are inspired by leaders who make good happen by using their power to spark joyful, peaceful, and compassionate change.”

To that end, the Hallmans teamed up with the leaders of the School of Social Ecology and have become the biggest supporters of the school’s compassion curriculum and Global Service Scholars program, which sends students abroad to work in areas such as sustainability, poverty alleviation and justice.

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Q: How did you become involved with the School of

so much pressure on children today, between social media,

Social Ecology?

school performance and getting into the “right” schools. How

James: Kelly’s vision was always: teach kids to love them-

can we slow that down and give kids the tools to just to be

selves and, then, go change the world. Kelly’s been working

who they are and not have to compete? I believe it’s through

toward curriculum, wanting a compassion course. I’ve always

compassion education.

had a dream about how positive it would be for students to

James: One scholar, who had been a foster child in many

take three to six months of their life between the ages of 18 and

different homes recently returned from his Global Service

22 and give back, joining something like the Peace Corps. Why

Scholar trip to Nepal. Within days of the four-week program,

not create an opportunity for kids to give back? When we met

he observed families all working together in the community

Dean Nancy Guerra about three years ago, I asked, “how can

with one common goal — to take care of everybody in the

we build a program in which we can combine the two ideas.”

community. He said you couldn’t tell which kids belonged

Nancy made it happen at UCI.

to which parents. They all were one. Coming from a broken

Q: Why is a compassion education so important to you?

family, he thought, “wow, this is beautiful.” No cell phones,

Kelly: When I first started the foundation nine years ago, I went to a business consultant. She asked me, “if you had a magic wand, how would you change the world?” I said I’d start with children and help them remember how special they are and

no technology, just simple loving kindness for one another.

The scholars came back feeling grateful for the education and opportunities they have here in America. Many of the students come back stating that they are changed forever. And, that’s

give them opportunities to share their gifts with others. For

the goal. One kid at a time. One person at a time.

me, the idea for the Center for Living Peace came from being

Q: What does compassion mean to you?

a mom and watching my kids as they grew. Raising them in

James: Compassion means the ability to first feel empathy

Orange County, I saw so much wealth and so much need, and

for others. But, it’s a little bit more than that. It’s also having

thought, how can we help balance this disparity? I was raised

the motivation to help and want to elevate others.

with farm fields in my backyard and Orange County was very

Kelly: I think of compassion as a synonym for empowerment,

foreign to me. I wanted to give my children a little more balance.

love, and goodness in the world. For both of us, it’s an honor

When we first opened the center across the street from UCI,

to be in a position where we can give back and help others

our headquarters for about six years, we had the Center for Liv-

give back. It’s a ripple effect. We were both raised in families

ing Peace sign above the door. People would come in and say,

that didn’t have a whole lot but they still gave back. My dad

“wow, it’s so nice to come into a place where peace is above

worked in construction. He was president of the Kiwanis Club

the door” and, the most frequent comment I heard, which has

and he organized the Thanksgiving baskets, the Easter egg

become more frequent: “we need more of this.” The need for

hunts for kids and the Christmas drives for our small town.

more peace and compassion in our world has only increased.

My grandmother placed foster children and my aunts were

Q: You’ve supported the School of Social Ecology’s

all teachers and nurses. Sharing our gifts with others was just

compassion initiative, which includes the course on

a part of life. So, naturally, that’s what I wanted to create for

the science and practice of compassion and the Global

kids, too.

Service Scholars program from the beginning. Why?

Q: Where do you see the compassion initiative and

Kelly: Our foundation board made a conscious decision to

Global Service Scholars program in the future?

support people who are doing good work and we feel like

Kelly: The next step is to make it grow because it’s important

Richard Matthew, the faculty director of the UCI Blum Center

to have reminders that we are all inherently good and we can all

for Poverty Alleviation, and Nancy Guerra are really wonderful

foster that goodness — one way is by giving back. In partner-

people doing great work, advancing the compassion initiative.

ship with UCI, we can do even more.

James: This program has been a creative collaboration

James: We hope that other schools would adopt this model

around compassion for self and others. Our inspiring leaders

because it’s needed. Colleges want to teach math, science,

at UCI have made it possible to incubate a sustainable model

history, etc., meanwhile kids are more stressed and depressed

that could be repeated globally. It’s definitely needed.

than ever. So, why not teach self love and compassion, setting

Q: How does compassion benefit people?

kids up for their best future. It would be helpful for all careers,

Kelly: I think of it as empowering, just reminding people that they have this inherent power and strength and there are tools they can use to slow down and highlight their gifts. There’s

whether a doctor, lawyer, teacher or engineer, to understand the roots of compassion and to study the basics of how to live a better life and then to make a better world. Spring 2019

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Trending

Calculating

the Costs

of Solitary Confinement Patricia DeVoe/UCI

Criminologist Keramet Reiter’s latest research focuses on prison reform

By Mimi Ko Cruz and Christine Byrd An estimated 100,000 prisoners are in long-term solitary confinement, placed there not by juries or judges but at the discretion of prison administrators, and the social cost, as well as taxpayer cost, is significant, according to Keramet Reiter, associate professor of criminology, law and society.

A year in solitary averages $75,000 per prisoner, about three times the average cost of incarceration, but the psychological damage, such as paranoia, anxiety and hallucinations that may continue long after prisoners are released, is even more expensive, Reiter finds.

The practice was called barbaric by the U.S. Supreme Court in the late 1800s, yet it persists today. And, how to fix solitary confinement is what drives Reiter’s extensive research, which today focuses on reform.

To that end, Reiter is conducting an in-depth research project on Washington state, including interviews with 106 people who were in long-term solitary confinement as the state sought to drastically reduce reliance on the practice.

The project will be one of the first large-scale, longitudinal studies of the impact of solitary confinement.

“We hope to understand the culture of long-term solitary confinement and the lived, psychological, and medical effects,” Reiter says.

Additionally, Reiter interviewed 77 prison staff who worked in Washington supermax prisons — facilities designed to house people in solitary confinement for years or even decades — to better understand how the experience, and the reforms, impacted their lives.

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“On a broader, institutional scale, I have documented different mechanisms of reform, from litigation to political intervention to administrative authority,” Reiter says. “While research often focuses on more obvious reform mechanisms, like lawsuits or political campaigns, I focus on the role of administrative authority — both in encouraging the institutionalization of extreme practices like solitary confinement but also, in other cases, in initiating significant reforms, as in Washington state.”

In Washington, administrators within the prison system have taken the leadership role of reforming solitary confinement, Reiter explains. This, she points out, is the exact opposite pathway of how many supermax prisons came into being, where it was often prison administrators who drove their creation and development.

Reiter says charismatic prison leaders in Washington have a well-recognized progressive history. There, prison administrators work with academics in criminal justice and create a culture of dialogue, of which they are quite proud.

“There’s a sense that they derive their legitimacy from their progressive reputation,” says Reiter, author of “23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement.” “Even retirees exert pressure on the Washington prison system to maintain its good reputation, and many former employees go on to do expert work in prison litigation around the country.”

While Reiter is in the midst of evaluating and analyzing data from her Washington state research, she reports that

Monica Lam, Center for Investigative Reporting

Cell, Pelican Bay SHU

Monica Lam, Center for Investigative Reporting

Inner Hallway, connecting multiple pods of cells, Pelican Bay SHU

some of her preliminary findings include: • When states truly focus on solitary confinement reform, ensuring that the practice is used much less often and for shorter durations, they are still left with a very challenging group of prisoners who are not easy to house in a general prison population, like seriously mentally ill prisoners and prisoners who have attacked other prisoners or staff. While this is a very small group (often only a few dozen prisoners in any state), they present challenges that prison officials often do not have the resources to handle — like treating seriously mentally ill prisoners, for instance, or working with prisoners who have experienced severe physical and sexual abuse over their lives.

• Prisoners in solitary confinement experience significant mental health challenges, but documenting and describing these challenges can be difficult, both because the symptoms

sometimes result from institutional conditions, like being locked in a bare concrete cell with no natural light for days or months at a time, rather than from better understood causes of mental illness (like drug use or chemical imbalances), and because prisoners do not always want to talk about their experiences and often resist being labeled mentally ill.

• Prison staff working in solitary confinement also suffer physically and mentally from the harsh conditions in these facilities.

“Further research in this area will provide valuable data to policymakers, leading to new evidence-based prison practices,” Reiter says. “The goal of my work is to reduce financial burdens, improve prisoner physical and mental health, and keep our communities safe. How should we treat the most vulnerable and most difficult subsets of our population and how can we develop treatment plans that minimize the harm of crime, and especially punishment, to individuals and communities?”

Reiter’s interest in prison reform stems from college, when she volunteered as a teacher at a local prison. “I learned more and more about the prison system, and got curious about where the policies came from, especially because some of them seemed so counter productive,” she says.

Later, Reiter worked for Human Rights Watch, where she was surprised by the lack of data available about criminal sentences and prison conditions, making it impossible for advocates to even know what policy decisions needed to be implemented. One such example was sending juveniles to prison for life without parole — a sentence prohibited by several international laws but still practiced in the U.S. Reiter helped conduct painstaking state-by-state research to discover that more than 2,400 people convicted as children were serving life without parole in the U.S. “Having those numbers alone became a huge staple in the reform effort, and led to the chipping away of those sentences over the years.”

The U.S. Supreme Court has since outlawed mandatory life without parole sentences for juveniles.

Those early lessons about the critical importance of data have stayed with Reiter and continue to influence and motivate her today. “The total, shocking lack of information made it impossible for people to know how to advocate,” Reiter says.

That’s a problem her work then, as now, aims to reform. 

About Keramet Reiter Associate Professor of Criminology, Law and Society Twitter handle: @KerametR Education: B.A. in mid-Eastern studies and social studies, Harvard University; M.A. in criminal justice, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY); Ph.D., in jurisprudence and social policy, and J.D., UC Berkeley Specializations: prisons, legal history, criminal justice policy, criminal and civil rights law, law and society Books: “Mass Incarceration” (2017, Oxford University Press);

“23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement” (2016, Yale University Press); and “Extreme Punishment: Comparative Studies in Detention, Incarceration and Solitary Confinement” (2015, Palgrave MacMillan) Awards: American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship, 2018; American Society of Criminology’s Ruth Cavan Young Scholar Award, 2017; U.C. Irvine School of Law Pro Bono Advocate Award, 2016; recipient of grants from the National Science Foundation, 2015, and the Langeloth Foundation, 2016 Spring 2019

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By the Numbers

School of Social Ecology — At a Glance By the Numbers (2018-2019)

418 Graduate students

Academic Rankings

#2

Bachelor's Degree in Criminology, Law and Society

61 Staff

Master of Advanced Study in Criminology, Law and Society

25,137 Alumni

—US News and World Report

#3

Ph.D. program in Criminology, Law and Society

5 Majors

—US News and World Report

#19

Ph.D. Program in Psychological Science among public universities

79

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Research Centers and Institutes

212

Field Study Community Partners

1,052 Field Study students

Degree programs

—US News and World Report

#24

Undergraduate students

Faculty

—USA Today

#2

2,943

Master of Urban and Regional Planning

Research Expenditures $4.59 (2017-2018) Million

—Planetizen

Compassion Numbers to Date

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Small Change, Better World grants totaling $16,000 in funding

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80 Global Service Scholars

400

students enrolled in the online Science and Practice of Compassion course

The School is comprised of three interdisciplinary departments: > Criminology, Law and Society > Psychological Science > Urban Planning and Public Policy

Spring 2018

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Field Study

Patricia DeVoe/UCI

Mentoring Youth to Aim High After-school organization partners with Social Ecology Field Study program to offer academic, social and health programs in Anaheim

By Mimi Ko Cruz For 11-year-old Maya, interacting with the mentors of Higher Ground Youth and Family Services, the after-school

The mutual student benefits are the aim of the partner-

program she attends in Anaheim’s Lincoln Park, is the

ship between UCI and Higher Ground. UCI’s students can

highlight of her day.

choose to do their field study at the nonprofit organization

“Whenever I’m sad, they make me laugh,” the sixth-

and gain real-world experience there and Higher Ground,

grade Abraham Lincoln Elementary School pupil says.

in turn, provides more services to the children of central

“They listen to me, they help me with my homework, they

Anaheim.

play games with me. They make me feel good about myself.”

Making a difference in the lives of their young charges is

Since the School of Social Ecology was founded in 1970, every one of its undergraduate students has been required to participate in field study, doing 100 hours of

the ultimate highlight for the mentors — UC Irvine and other

service at one of more than 200 partner sites, which include

university student interns and Higher Ground staff and

nonprofit organizations, municipal agencies, local govern-

volunteers.

ments and businesses.

“What I find most rewarding is that each student I meet

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the long run has inspired me to pursue child psychology.”

It’s a win-win situation, declares Alfonso Valdez, sociology

has as much of an influence on me as I have on them,” says

lecturer and director of UCI’s Public Policy Lab who forged

Anjanina Binas, a psychology and social behavior major.

the partnership with Higher Ground’s founder Joe Baldo

“Knowing that my presence may have a substantial effect in

four years ago.

Embark Magazine

Valdez, a Higher Ground board member, says he has his students volunteer there and at other sites around Southern California because the youth they serve are considered at risk of dropping out of school, joining gangs or getting involved in behavior that could land them in jail.

“So, my students are learning theory and seeing how it applies in the real world,” explains Valdez, a former Anaheim police officer and Orange County District Attorney’s Office investigator. Because the college students serve as role models, mentoring the kids, he says, disciplinary problems and truancy rates are down and grades are going up at

Patricia DeVoe/UCI

Social Ecology student Anjanina Binas helps a student with homework.

Lincoln Elementary.

Hundreds of youngsters are served by Higher Ground each year and the programs are expanding, thanks to volunteer service and generous donations.

“It’s not childcare,” Baldo says. “It’s an organization that engages youth in many meaningful activities on a daily basis in order to educate, equip and empower our youth to explore life’s possibilities.”

Baldo created Higher Ground in 2012 after selling his video production business and having spent years as a volunteer at Orange County’s Juvenile Hall. Today, the organization operates out of five modular units he purchased and are stationed at the park. It offers area kids and their families everything from tutoring services, music lessons, arts activities, sports, health screenings, CPR training, exercise programs, college planning workshops, a food pantry, counseling sessions and cooking and parenting classes.

Patricia DeVoe/UCI

Higher Ground founder Joe Baldo interacts with a student.

“We are providing a safe place for at-risk kids to explore new life experiences with mentors who want to help them reach their full potential,” Baldo says. “Studies have shown

“After understanding that supporting a child’s academic

that at-risk youth can greatly benefit from a caring adult in

performance is not enough, I decided to launch Healthy Emo-

their life.”

tions and Attitudes in Relationships Today at UCI,” she says.

The mentors also walk away having gained a valuable experience.

Take mentor Nicole Balbuena, a UCI sociology, Chicano/

“Through this mentoring program, UCI students will educate the students at Higher Ground about the common signs of abuse and how to formulate a healthy relationship with their

Latino studies and political science major who has been

relatives, community members, and other individuals. Our

volunteering at Higher Ground since 2016. She recalls the

mission is to encourage children to value gender equality,

time a girl asked her to pretend to be her big sister.

safety, respect, and to reject violence and coercive behaviors

“From that moment, I understood that there is more to this than simply helping a child with academic performance,” she says. “It’s about developing a relationship with a child who needs emotional and unwavering support outside of the

in their current and future relationships.”

Balbuena’s action creating her organization exemplifies empowerment and sets an admirable example, Baldo says.

“At Higher Ground, we believe that everyone has the right

school setting. They need someone to help them with their

to enjoy a fulfilling life, and is born for a positive purpose,”

confidence and self-esteem.”

he says. “Great role models can help youth by introducing

Her experience as a mentor moved Balbuena so much that

some of life’s most beneficial opportunities as they mentor

she created a student organization on campus that promotes

them through their young life’s journey, opening doors to their

healthy child-adult relationships.

future, which inevitably lead to their purpose.”  Spring 2019

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Around the World

Learning

from Conflicts Professor Bollens helps international peacemakers with his expertise on world discord

By Christine Byrd For nearly three decades, Scott A. Bollens, professor of urban planning and public policy, has been studying how national, ethnic and political conflicts play out in people’s day-to-day lives in places like Beirut, Johannesburg and Bosnia.

“The key to understanding these conflicts is considering each side’s perspective, and how they see the world,” Bollens says.

Bollens’ recently published paper in Urban Affairs Review reveals just how tricky it can be to implement national policies in major cities. Focusing on Jerusalem and Northern Ireland’s capital of Belfast, Bollens interviewed 122 officials, policy makers and community organizers to understand how national policies were implemented on the ground.

“What we’ve learned is that when national political goals are put into action in cities, they are often ineffective or even counterproductive,” Bollens says. “It doesn’t matter whether a national goal is contrary or consistent with peace, it is going to encounter trouble when it hits the turf.”

In 1980, the Jerusalem Law sought to officially make the city the capital of Israel, and aimed to maintain a 70 percent Jewish population to help assert sovereignty over the area.

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Over the years, the percentage of Arabs in the city has grown, and tens of thousands now live within the city limits, but just outside the separation barrier that Israel built for security.

In East Jerusalem, housing construction by Arabs has significantly increased over the past 20 years, even though the buildings were not licensed by the state of Israel. Today, as much as one-third of the housing units in Jerusalem where Palestinians live are considered unauthorized by Israel.

In Northern Ireland’s capital city Belfast, surprisingly similar realities play out, complicating national goals.

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement explicitly stated a desire to bringing peace, equality, and good relations between Catholic and Protestant sectarians. The government went so far as to declare that “separate but equal is not an option.”

Yet, Bollens finds that today the two sides remain both residentially separate and psychologically detached.

A total of 99 “peace walls” stretching 12 miles divide Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods in Belfast. Attempts to build shared community spaces inevitably lead

About Scott Bollens Title: Professor of urban planning and public policy and Drew, Chace and Erin Warmington Chair in the Social Ecology of Peace and International Cooperation Education: Ph.D. in city and regional planning and Master of urban and regional planning from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; and B.A. in psychology from UCLA Warmington Chair background: The endowed chair was created in 1989 to attract to UCI a scholar of distinction whose work focuses on researching pathways to a stable world peace and greater international cooperation. Helen Ingram was appointed as the first chair in 1995. Bollens is the second chair holder, appointed in 2007.

Philosophy: “War is easy, peace takes time — seeking peace in a polarized city is a political, social, and spatial

process that takes place problematically over an extended period of time. Diplomatic national peace-making accords must be anchored by urban peacebuilding initiatives that enable new opportunities for ‘intimate enemies’ to reach across ethnic and racial divides.”

Books authored or co-authored by Bollens: “Trajectories of Conflict and Peace: Jerusalem and Belfast Since 1994” (2018, Routledge); “City and Soul in Divided Societies” (2012, Routledge); “Cities, Nationalism, and Democratization” (2007, Routledge); “On Narrow Ground: Urban Policy and Conflict in Jerusalem and Belfast” (2000, State University of New York Press); “Urban Peace-Building in Divided Societies: Belfast and Johannesburg” (1999, Westview Press).

to community wrangling. As the Catholic population grows more quickly due to higher birth rates, the need for new housing has outpaced available space — yet, no one dares to build new homes for Catholics on the Protestant side of the city.

That century-old conflict has taken center stage in recent debates about Brexit, since Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and shares a border with Ireland, which remains in the European Union.

“The last thing that traumatized Northern Ireland needs is the re-imposition of a ‘hard’ border between it and the Republic of Ireland, and that is just what the chaotic Brexit process is threatening to do. That border, formerly patrolled by the British Army and monitored by opposing paramilitaries during the years of civil war, is now threatened by the possibility of economic and customs checkpoints,” Bollens says.

While his research focuses on high-conflict urban areas, the truth is that the local realities of politically conflicted areas can be found in cities everywhere.

“While Belfast and Jerusalem are extremes, we see patterns of hypersegregation, and place-based inequalities in every urban area, including in the U.S. It’s not difficult to adapt recommendations in the cities I study to many urban

areas all over the world,” Bollens says.

“I honor and respect the people I interview by showing that I know something about them, by reading local newspapers and getting inside their heads,” he adds. “That respect opens doors, and then I’m able to learn how humans act in traumatic conditions.”

Fortunately, international peacemakers are paying attention to Bollens’ work. He has been called on to share his research in Germany and Vienna, consulting with an NGO working in Afghanistan, and working with the U.S. State Department and RAND Corporation, among others.

UN-HABITAT, an arm of the United Nations focused on housing and settlements, recently called on Bollens for advice as it begins planning to rebuild war-torn Syria.

“The good news is that the UN is aware of the need to have an urban-focused recovery program, and to think differently about how to rehabilitate cities that are torn apart by conflict,” Bollens says. “That’s the hope for the future, that we learn from the mistakes of the past.”

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“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.

If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

— Dalai Lama

Compassion: A Call to Action

By Mimi Ko Cruz

When all the world’s religions endorse practicing compassion, and even Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution, argued that communities that practice compassion would be the most successful, then maybe there’s something to it, Paul K. Piff explains in his introductory lecture for the online “science and practice of compassion” course.

“Compassion is central to our ability to survive and thrive,” says Piff, assistant professor of psychological science. “Most of the problems we are facing as a species, as a nation or as individuals rest on our ability to extend our understanding, our perspectives and our kindness beyond ourselves to other people.”

Piff defines compassion as a feeling of concern and interest that you experience when you want to elevate the well-being of others. It’s rooted in the awareness that someone else is suffering or in need.

His online class takes a deep dive into compassion, how it motivates people to want to help others in distress and how it can be cultivated to help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, such as poverty, social injustice and environmental degradation.

The 10-week course, which debuted online in winter 2018, delves into the

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Patricia DeVoe/UCI

origins of compassion, how researchers study it, what its

women’s empowerment projects. Most of their travel and

effects are and why it matters. Besides live webinars with

lodging expenses and program fees are covered by support

Piff, the class features guest lectures from other experts

from the Living Peace Foundation.

on the subject, including: School of Social Ecology Dean

The Global Service Scholars program makes up one part of

Nancy Guerra; Richard Matthew, director of the UCI Blum

the Blum Center’s Compassion Action Project, which enables

Center for Poverty Alleviation; UC Berkeley’s Dacher Keltner,

us to promote compassion within the university and become

Emiliana Simon-Thomas and Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton; UC

a global resource for programs and policies to build a more

Davis’ Philippe Goldin; UC San Francisco’s Elissa Epel and Eve

compassionate world, Matthew says.

Ekman; Northeastern University’s David DeSteno; and Yale’s Paul Bloom.

The class, taken by 200 students from various UC campus-

Another part of the project is Small Change, Better World, which provides seed grants of up to $3,000 to students who want to create and implement small projects that address

es this year, is the first part of UCI’s School of Social Ecology,

specific needs in their own communities or in places they’ve

the Blum Center for Poverty Alleviation and the Living Peace

visited worldwide.

Foundation’s Global Service Scholars program, which launched

Matthew reports that Small Change, Better World has

in 2017. The program offers students an opportunity to practice

funded 12 projects, for a total of about $16,000, so far.

compassion as volunteers across the world.

Some of the projects include a library in Nepal, school

In its first year, 19 students were chosen to be Global

supplies for impoverished children in Peru, solar panels on a

Service Scholars. The students spent four weeks learning and

hospital in Uganda and hygiene kits for homeless people in

serving as volunteers at a women’s prison in Peru, at health

Orange County.

clinics and schools in Ghana and at an elephant rehabilitation camp in Thailand.

This summer, 27 Global Service Scholars — who are

“We’re trying to find creative ways to give our students more opportunities for experiential, service learning. Through the online course, the seminar, Global Service Scholars and

required to take Piff’s online course and an intensive com-

Small Change, Better World, they will get a sense of what

passion and altruism seminar taught by Dean Guerra — will

it’s like to live in somebody else’s shoes and solve problems

serve at an entrepreneurial school in Paraguay, a wom-

from that perspective,” Matthew says.

an-owned farm in Nepal and at South African youth serving agencies, health clinics, environmental conservation and 16

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Kimberly Haagenson, who was a Global Service Scholar at a soup kitchen and at an orphanage in Peru and a recipient

of a Small Change, Better World grant, says the experience indeed had that effect on her.

It “definitely changed me in a lot of positive ways,” she says, adding that in Guerra’s seminar, she learned “to interrogate my motives and to accept and deal with my honest feelings in order to do my best work for the community.”

She says she also learned about effective altruism, which prompted her to constantly ask herself: “how can I do better?” and “how can I give more?”

Haagenson, who graduated in 2018 and now works as an assistant teacher at an early childhood education center in Oceanside, calls the Global Service Scholars program enriching and rewarding.

“I believe this program makes the world a better place,” she says. “Anytime someone steps into a community and culture different than their own, there is an immense potential for compassion and understanding, and this program creates that potential for UCI students.”

But, at a certain point, social and economic inequality can become volatile, Matthew says. “People are asking: ‘why do

and educate the next generation. These are the goals of the

millions of Americans not have healthcare? Why is our mid-

Compassion Action Project.”

dle class the only middle class in the world with an average

The next step is to grow the project by opening Piff’s

of $36,000 of student debt per millennial?’ We’re creating a

online course to more students and serving as a model for

very volatile society of haves and have nots. That’s deeply

other universities to replicate and expand.

problematic. What a university can do is collect trustworthy research, develop problem-solving technologies and policies

In addition, the project plans to launch a Compassion University program, offering a series of online workshops,

Spring 2019

17

trainings and courses, contributing to the research base on

science of compassion will help” Piff emphasizes. “If your

compassion and providing a consultation service to local

problem is how to make your community happier, more

agencies and community groups on strategies for building a

organized, more driven, more cooperative, more collec-

culture of compassion.

tive, the science of compassion will help. If you want to

The project also is creating a Children’s Compassion Network

understand how to navigate climate change, the science of

that is partnering with the UNICEF Office of Research on Child

compassion will help. Inequality, global hunger, homelessness,

Rights and Protection. The purpose is to bring together leaders

all of these problems, rest, in part, on understanding how

from around the world to find ways to improve the lives of

compassion works.”

children who are marginalized, abused and neglected.

A Compassionate Capitalism initiative that would offer online and in-person workshops for businesses to increase compassion in the workplace also is in the works.

It all comes down to understanding and spreading the sci-

And, compassion is the foundation of social justice, Guerra affirms.

“People are all connected, and the compassion initiative is really a bigger way of thinking about social relationships.

Being compassionate is a call to action to build a better world

ence and practice of compassion to make the world a better

— a world with less inequality, greater access to resources,

place, Matthew, Piff and Guerra agree.

more kindness and healthier human relationships.”

“If your problem is how to be happier as a person, the

Compassion University Coming in 2020 Plans are underway to offer a day filled with opportunities to learn more about the science and practice of compassion from worldwide leaders. For details, join the mailing list at socialecology.uci.edu/compassion2020 18

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Small Change, Better World Makes a Difference UC Irvine students with big compassionate hearts and the motivation to help make the world a better place have the opportunity to do so through Small Change, Better World, which funds worthy projects.

Small Change, Better World was conceived by three humanitarians — Michael Beevers, Richard Matthew and Renard Sexton — working in Sierra Leone. After visiting many villages impacted by a decade of civil war, they realized that most existing programming cannot undertake small projects, even when they are important to the community and require some external support. From replacing lost musical instruments to finding the parts to a piece of heavy equipment donated from abroad, opportunities exist for small changes to create a better world.

Thanks to the university’s Blum Center for Poverty Alleviation, students can apply for grants of up to $3,000 to pay for such “small changes.” Launched in 2017, Small Change, Better World has funded 12 projects, for a total of about $16,000 so far. Awards are granted twice a year and deadlines to apply are May 25 and Nov. 25.

The following are all the Small Change projects and the students who directed them: > Kimberly Haagenson provided a projector and school supplies for a Community Center in Ayacucho, Peru. > Lydia Natoolo funded reliable electricity in the form of solar panels for a hospital in rural Uganda. > Zayda Sorrell-Medina supported an art program in Pittsburgh. > Michelle Krehbiel partnered with a nonprofit organization to provide school supplies for children in Orange County. > Dean Wong purchased diagnostic equipment and medications for the Flying Samaritans mobile health clinic in Mexico. > Danushi De Silva provided books and computer equipment for a school library in rural Sri Lanka. > Bhavesh Patel donated to an anti-tobacco program in Dabka, India. > Julie Lim supported a rehabilitation center by providing musical instruments for the Bridges to Life program in Anaheim. > Shine Kim worked with UCI’s Costa Rica Program to donate materials to build a covered nursery in Costa Rica. > Isabelle Tran is creating and printing multilingual materials for a health clinic’s patient education program in Garden Grove. > Louise Nicole Ives is providing eco-friendly hygiene kits, including “empowerment soaps,” for the homeless in Orange County. > Michelle Bui is sharing patient stories through a photojournalism project in partnership with the UCI Family Health Center in Santa Ana. Spring 2019

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Bridging the New Digital Divide Professor Odgers studies the effects of digital media use by young people

By Mimi Ko Cruz

Parents often don’t get it.

When psychologist Candice L. Odgers says there is

and online time affects their kids’ mental health,” says

no compelling evidence that spending time online has a

Odgers, professor of psychological science. “We hear that

detrimental effect on teens’ mental health, many parents

smartphones and social media are making our children —

get furious.

particularly teenagers — lazy, addicted, lonely, uninterested

“They think their children are addicted to smartphones and digital media, and they’re concerned about how the devices

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in having sex, too interested in viewing sex, and unable to function in the real world.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

And, there is very little evidence so far that digital technology

one in five children under 18 suffers from a mental disorder, but

is to blame for the increase in the number of teen suicides,

that was true long before smartphones were placed in their

especially among girls.

hands, Odgers notes. Mobile phones are unlikely to blame

“Young people are often rapid and enthusiastic adopters of

for the spike in serious mental health problems, including

new technologies,” Odgers says, adding that panic ensues

depression, over the past decade.

whenever new technology is introduced. “When libraries first

While young people already struggling offline may

opened, people were afraid kids would spend all their time

experience greater negative effects online, Odgers and

there, reading books and losing their social skills. Today, the

others have been finding no association between time

No. 1 fight between parents and their children is about time

spent on digital media and mental health for most teens.

spent online.”

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21

Parenting Tips A parent herself, she advises parents to find out what their kids are doing online and, when possible, join them. Joining young people in online spaces reduces fears and can create new opportunities for parents and their children to connect.

Another tip comes from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommends creating a personalized family media plan, including rules for children and their parents, and designated “media free” times.

Odgers also recommends “Media Moms & Digital Dads”

by Yalda T. Uhls. Breaking down screen time research, the 2015 book offers tips and guidance for parents worried about the impact media is having on their kids.

Most young people appear to be doing well and thriving Balancing fears and facts is difficult, but it helps to take a

in the digital age, but the different experiences and uses of

closer look at what the kids are doing online, she says. For the

digital technologies may be generating a “new digital divide,”

most part, they are connecting to the same social networks

with new opportunities for the most advantaged youth but

they have offline, as well as exploring their interests.

increased risk for the most vulnerable, Odgers notes.

For many young people, the online world offers the chance

For example, Odgers’ and others have found that young

to find supportive affinity groups that they might not have

people from low-income homes spend more time online

found otherwise. In fact, growing evidence generated by

than their wealthier peers and that their parents are less

researchers in the Connected Learning Lab at UCI suggests

likely to supervise what they do online.

that many kids are using new technologies in healthy and

In her studies, Odgers has found that adolescents who

helpful ways. For example, a review of 36 studies published

encounter more adversity in their offline lives are most likely

between 2002 and 2017 indicates that digital communication

to report negative experiences online, such as cyberbullying,

is being used to enhance teens’ relationships by enabling

and to report that online experiences lead to serious offline

them to share intimacy, display affection and arrange meetups

problems, such as social media experiences leading to

and activities, Odgers says.

physical fights or trouble at school.

Did You Know?

In the United States: > In 2018, 95 percent of adolescents have access to a mobile phone. > Teens spend an average of 6.4 hours a day on media screen time (not counting screen time doing homework). > Adolescents, according to a 2018 survey, were more likely to report that social media has a positive versus negative effect on their life. > The traditional digital divide (access to mobile and online technology) across low versus higher socioeconomic status groups is disappearing.

Worldwide: > 1 in 3 users of the internet is under the age of 18. > 70% of young people are online. > The largest population of adolescents in human history, 1.8 billion is coming of age.

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About Candice L. Odgers Professor of Psychological Science Twitter handle: @candice_odgers Education: Ph.D. in psychology, University of Virginia; M.A. and B.A. in psychology and criminology, Simon Fraser University Specializations: developmental and quantitative psychology; child mental health; social inequalities, neighborhood effects and child health; ecological momentary assessment; mobile technologies and adolescent development Website: adaptlab.org Jared Lazarus

“Those who are already struggling offline may require

Connected Learning Lab, which brings together scholars

additional supports in online spaces,” she says. “Strat-

from across computer science, education, psychology,

egies that encourage parental involvement — as well as

sociology and other disciplines to understand and design

partnerships between local governments, technology com-

technologies that support young people.

panies and educational institutions — are key to ensuring

For technology companies, Odgers advises: “Advances

that all young people, including the most vulnerable, have

in machine learning, digital mental health, and AI are needed

positive online experiences.”

to make the online world a place of opportunity rather than

Closing the Gap

posing added risk for our most vulnerable youth. What chil-

In a recent interview in BOLD (Blog on Learning and De-

dren see and experience in the online world is increasingly

velopment), Odgers offered this advice for scientists in their

shaped by algorithms, and these need to be engineered in

quest to reduce the new digital divide: “Let’s get to work and

ways that ensure safety and digital inclusion. Many tech-

produce the type of data that will inform evidence-based

nology companies are publicly addressing issues related to

policy, practice, and interventions with kids. This is a big

the relationship between mental health and the use of their

and complicated problem that will require team-based,

devices and apps.”

interdisciplinary, and open science strategies. But, we need to move quickly, as fear is winning in the absence of facts.

A commitment to transparency, open sharing of data, and team science will be critical to discovery and honest translation of the science in this field.”

To facilitate that goal, Odgers has teamed with the

Odgers and others have been finding no association between time spent on digital media and mental health for most teens.

With the World Economic Forum and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Odgers and Mimi Ito, director of the Connected Learning Lab, are convening leaders in industry, law, government and academia to ensure that children’s rights are factored into the algorithms that are increasingly shaping children’s lives and opportunities.

To policymakers, Odgers says: “Income inequality and the growing divide between the ‘rich and the rest’ has been labeled the ‘defining challenge of our time.’ For low-income children growing up in the digital age, risks will be amplified and opportunities lost if we do not work to close the ‘new digital divide’ and commit to combating online as well as offline inequalities. Here the focus needs to be not only on differential access, but also on differing experiences, and effects.”

Spring 2019

23

At Work

Sarah Pressman Sarah D. Pressman’s research examines the role that

phones to reduce stress in

positive emotions and other positive factors play in

stressful situations? How

influencing stress and health outcomes.

do we create resilience?

She studies the interplay between positive emotions,

These are just a few of

social relationships, stress and health, with a focus on the

the questions Pressman

physiological processes — hormone reactivity, cardio-

and her research assis-

vascular response, immune system change, as well as

tants ponder in the STEP

health behaviors like sleeping, exercise and other leisure

(STress, Emotion and Physical health) lab.

activities — that underlie these associations.

Pressman is an associate professor of psychological

What is the role of positive psychosocial factors in

science. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biopsychology at

buffering the detrimental effects of stress? Is happiness

Mount Allison University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in

associated with an improved ability to handle stress?

social, personality and health psychology at Carnegie Mellon

Does smiling influence well-being? Do people use cell

University. This is her workspace.

By using chopsticks instead of telling participants to smile, we can attribute changes in emotion during the experiment to the activation of smiling facial muscles instead of cognitive expectancies associated with telling someone to smile.

Testing whether higher levels of facial muscle activation during smiling (measured through EMG) are related to decreased pain during and faster cardiovascular recovery after a painful task.

Cardiovascular stress reactivity in the lab is connected to future heart health, for example, risk of hypertension.

Experimental cold pain research in the lab allows scientists to investigate actions that might help during a painful experience.

Participants report on how positive they’re feeling, how negative they’re feeling, and how much pain they’re in during the painful task. This allows researchers to see whether smiling during pain can make us feel more positive, less negative, and less pain.

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Student Spotlight Patricia DeVoe/UCI

Dean’s Translational Science Fellow Doctoral student Yasmin Barrientos Kofman has

science in 2021. She earned her B.A. in psychology and

been named the inaugural School of Social Ecology

M.A. in psychological research from Cal State Long

Dean’s Translational Science Fellow.

Beach. Her faculty adviser is Ilona S. Yim, associate pro-

The fellowship, which comes with an award of $45,000, focuses on interdisciplinary scholarship, addressing social

fessor of psychological science.

“I learned early in my career that even as student

and environmental problems and advancing science-

researchers, we can have a positive impact by harnessing

driving solutions.

academic resources to service the community in ways

Kofman is working on community outreach and partici-

that are relevant, practical, and empowering,” Kofman

patory research to target the needs of women most at risk

says. “Health is a fundamental human right, but unfor-

for stress-related disorders during pregnancy.

tunately, health disparities and inequities are pervasive

“I am examining the relationship between intimate

in the U.S. For this reason, I have focused my research

partner violence, depressive symptoms, and obstetric and

on the biological and psychosocial mechanisms that

neonatal outcomes in pregnant women who are in severe

underlie this issue, especially in pregnancy which is a

crisis and experiencing chronic homelessness,” she says.

particularly vulnerable time. Identifying these mech-

“This is an important area of research because experiencing

anisms enables us to develop sustainable, culturally

complex, chronic stressors during pregnancy can have long-

tailored interventions to reduce health inequities and

term negative health effects on a mother and her infant. By

spur change in health and social policy.”

understanding both the biological and psychosocial mecha-

She is grateful for the fellowship and says that the award

nisms involved, we can lay the groundwork for interventions

“goes beyond the confines of our university and bridges the

that might mitigate some of the harmful effects of stress.”

gap between academia and the most marginalized in our

Kofman plans to complete her Ph.D. in psychological

community.” Spring 2019

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Alumni Spotlight

Patricia DeVoe/UCI

Compassionately Judging Social ecology alumna presides over Orange County Young Adult Court

By Mimi Ko Cruz One young man “graduated” to the next phase of Young

successful, and if you’re successful, than our community is

Adult Court (YAC). In the same afternoon, another was sent

successful because you will be a productive member of the

to jail for failing to comply with the YAC terms, another

community.”

provided an update on his job search, another talked

What is Young Adult Court?

about his housing woes, another expressed his desire to go to school and need for grief counseling and another

the ages of 18 and 25, also known as the transition age

asked for help with bus fare and food.

youth, or TAY, population. Launched in Orange County as a

All were given words of encouragement, and those who needed it were given directions to a food pantry and instructions on where to go for job coaching, counseling

pilot project in August 2018, it is one of few such courts in the country.

It was created through the efforts of Judge Hernandez;

and help finding affordable housing. The one who moved

Professor Elizabeth Cauffman; Cauffman’s former post-

on to the next phase received a round of applause and gift

doctoral student Zachary Rowan, who now is a faculty

cards to Target and In-N-Out Burger.

member at Simon Fraser University in Canada; the Orange

“We’re going to help and make sure you have the

County Probation Department; the Orange County Public

resources you need,” the Orange County YAC judge, UCI

Defender and Defense Bar; Orange County District Attor-

alumna Maria D. Hernandez, tells the men. “We want to see

ney’s Office; and the Orangewood Foundation.

you succeed. You keep investing in yourself and you will be

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YAC is a collaborative court for felony offenders between

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With a $780,000 grant from the National Institute of

Justice, Cauffman and her team of researchers are evaluating

maturing from childhood into early adulthood. The brain’s

the Orange County YAC, the first to serve randomly chosen

frontal lobe — which regulates emotion and impulse control

offenders, who can have their felony convictions dismissed or

— isn’t fully mature until about age 25. Increased impulsivity

reduced upon successful completion of the program.

among young adults suggests that their criminal conduct is

By studying the program over the next three years, Cauffman and her team will be able to produce evidence on whether YAC works.

“We will find out if we do reduce recidivism rates with this

driven less by a cold rational calculus and more by an inability to regulate their own behavior, Cauffman explains.

For example, in a study of more than 1,300 serious felony offenders between the ages of 14 and 17, Cauffman found that

program, but we’re going to capture a lot more than that,

about 90 percent stopped offending by the time they turned 25

such as whether participants find stable housing and jobs and

due to an increase in maturity and self-control.

whether their mental health improves and substance abuse issues decline,” Hernandez says.

One of the most consequential incentives of participating in the YAC is the reduction of a felony charge to a misdemeanor or the complete dismissal of the felony charge, Hernandez and

She notes that it costs more than $100,000 each year to incarcerate one child in a California juvenile detention center.

Four kids could be educated in the University of California system for that amount, she says.

Cauffman also has found that longer stays in juvenile facilities

Cauffman point out.

do not reduce reoffending. But, “youth who received commu-

Evidence-based Action

nity-based supervision and aftercare services were more likely

“It is known that the ‘felon’ label produces a wide variety of

to attend school, go to work and avoid further offending during

collateral consequences (e.g., employment, education, hous-

the six months after release, and longer supervision periods

ing, voting),” Cauffman notes. “In California alone, the National

increase these benefits,” she says.

Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction estimates

Research also shows that those in the TAY population are

that there are nearly 700 collateral consequences attached to a

the biggest offenders, Hernandez points out. “Roughly 10

felony conviction (NICCC, 2017). As an example, the threshold

percent of the general population is this segment, your

for triggering collateral consequences attached to felony theft

18- to 25-year-olds yet, it comprises over a third of the prison

in California is the difference between stealing property worth at

population. These young adults are offending and reoffending

least $950 and property worth $949 or less. Thus, a single dol-

at a much higher rate than anybody else. So what can we do to

lar can differentiate being denied public housing, employment

address this problem? We need to try evidence-based practic-

and educational opportunities for a young adult. The detrimen-

es to reduce recidivism.”

tal effects of treating young adult offenders to harsh sanctioning

A Community of Support

disrupts the acquisition of human and social capital, which can

The Orangewood Foundation case managers along with

generate substantial inequalities among young adults exposed

probation officers follow each participant’s progress and

to the criminal justice system. The damage associated with

provide resources and guidance so that they can move through

official sanctioning and collateral consequences for 18- to

the four phases of the program and “graduate.”

25-year-olds is particularly startling when we consider the fact

“Each phase is individually driven and tailored,” Hernandez

that these individuals have a significant portion of their lives still

explains. “We want each person to be able to set goals and

ahead of them. This is not only important for the youth, but for

accomplish them, use the resources available and, ultimately,

our community as a whole. If we want these youth to be pro-

to be self-sufficient and functional. We have multiple agencies

ductive members of our society, we cannot saddle them with a

working with these young people and we urge them to engage

label that limits their opportunities.”

us, and build rapport and trust with their case manager and

The program, which can take about 18 months, consists

communicate their needs because we are here to help them

of developing a “youth action plan,” which lays out all the

succeed. If they succeed, it’s a win-win — for them because

steps participants must complete such as attending all court

they change their life trajectory and for the community because

hearings, meeting with probation officers and case managers,

they’ll be law-abiding productive citizens.”

getting substance and/or alcohol abuse treatment, mental

About the Judge

health counseling and employment and education advice and

Hernandez, who presided over Orange County Juvenile

following through. The goal is to address and prevent criminal

Court for nine years before taking on YAC, says she is

behavior in the future.

passionate about the program because “it’s the right thing

Researchers have documented that the brain is continually

to do.”

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27

Alumni Spotlight

She calls her late father, Michael Daghlian, her role model and hero. “He was a blue collar worker, who owned a gas station and was one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever known. He taught me that no matter what you do, you need to work hard at it and always do right by and stand up for people, especially the vulnerable who aren’t being protected and don’t have a voice.”

He did so as a school board member in San Diego County in the 1970s, Hernandez recalls. “And, education was always emphasized even though he didn’t go to college himself.”

Hernandez, who was born and raised on a farm in Fallbrook, was the first in her family to complete a college degree. She earned her bachelor’s degree in social ecology from UCI in 1986 and her law degree from Western State College of Law in 1991.

Now living in Huntington Beach with her husband Al Hernandez, the mother of four children and grandmother of Steve Zylus/UCI

two, worked as a public defender until she was appointed an Orange County Superior Court Commissioner in 2006, then as a judge by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009.

As a UCI student, Hernandez was a member of the volleyball team and her education was partially funded by scholarships. During her law school years, she worked as a waitress and a police department dispatch operator.

Her Purpose Grateful for her life’s blessings, she says, it’s her responsibility to serve as a role model to the participants in the YAC program, especially because many of them grew up without role models.

“I use my voice for those who don’t have a voice, for children, victims, families, the vulnerable and marginalized,” Hernandez says. “That’s my purpose.”

Cauffman, one of the country’s leading scholars on juvenile crime and justice, says Hernandez is what every judge should aspire to be.

“Her unwavering commitment to youth, her visionary lens for change and her steadfast commitment to building a better system are what make her an inspiration to all,” she says. “No other judge I have ever worked with is as passionate and committed as Judge Hernandez.”

Their collaboration on the YAC program “epitomizes the science to practice model,” she adds. “Not everyone understands the importance of research to ensure that this program be rigorously evaluated. Judge Hernandez is a true leader. She knows the power of research and believes in building the bridge between science and practice.”

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“You keep investing in yourself and you will be successful, and if you’re successful, then our community is successful because you will be a productive member of the community.”

— Judge Maria D. Hernandez

Jermaine Griggs ’05

Social Ecology

Criminology, Law and Society

The work Katherine Lyon Daniel did on her dissertation, focused on communicating risks of longterm health impacts, while she was a doctoral student at UCI has had practical implications throughout her career over the past couple decades at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

“I really feel that my Ph.D. in social ecology set me on the path to work at the CDC although I didn’t know it at the time,” she says. “I was very concerned with not just studying problems that affect people but also solving them, and that was always a part of what I studied when I was at UCI.” She joined CDC as an epidemiologist/behavioral scientist in the birth defects prevention branch in 1996. Today, she serves as associate director for communication, overseeing the agency’s communication for disease prevention, health protection and crisis response. https://socialecology.uci.edu/daniel

It was 2017 when entrepreneur Jermaine A. Griggs came to a profound realization: “these are our best years together and we shouldn’t spend this time trapped in what society wants us to do.”

So, he and his family sold their dream house and set off for a year of travel around the world. They learned about the people, cultures and history of the places they visited — including Africa, Belgium, Cambodia, Egypt, France, India, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and 27 other countries.

The experience exposed them to “a broader world, expanding their vision, giving them a heart for all people, diversifying their thinking, and becoming well-rounded individuals,” Griggs says. “When you’ve met, fellowshipped and laughed with someone on the other side of the world, then politics, war, media and global agendas won’t be able to influence you as readily.” https://socialecology.uci.edu/griggs

Gia DiLeo ’95

Mark Manley ’99

Criminology, Law and Society

Criminology, Law and Society

While busy caring for her newborn and a 2-year-old toddler in New Orleans one day at the end of 2011, Gia DiLeo craved a quick salad for lunch.

“I thought I’d really like something healthy to eat, but with two babies, I couldn’t sit around in a restaurant waiting for an hour,” she recalls.

That’s when the former trial attorney dreamed up a business for people searching for fast healthy food.

So, she ordered a custom-made bicycle, made salads from her home and sold them around town. That’s how DiLeo started her business, Green To Go, a socially conscious and environmentally friendly meal delivery restaurant that primarily uses locally-grown organic produce and compostable packaging. “I want to be as green as possible,” she says. “You want to feel good once you’ve eaten something but you also want to feel good about eating it.” https://socialecology.uci.edu/dileo

As a federal investigation continues into a college admissions bribery scandal sweeping top universities across the nation, USC’s professionalism and ethics director and UCI alumnus Mark M. Manley is doing his part to ensure transparent and fair resolutions.

Recently hired as the new office’s second in command, Manley calmly explains: “we are helping facilitate the federal government’s ongoing investigation and like all the other universities involved, we’re doing our own internal investigation as well.”

Such probes define his new position in the Office of Professionalism and Ethics. It is the central hub for the monitoring and tracking of complaints and investigations of all types, like student and workplace conflict, discrimination and inappropriate behavior. https://socialecology.uci.edu/manley

Class Notes

Katherine Lyon Daniel ’93

Send us your news We want to hear about your big life changes, job updates and exciting accomplishments. Tell us about them by submitting your news online at http://bit.ly/SEclassnote.

Spring 2019

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Inspired Giving

No Fudging

on Giving Philanthropist Gary Fudge provides scholarships to help students facing hardships

By Mimi Ko Cruz Gary Fudge was reading the newspaper some eight

journey. His goal was — and is — to enable their academic

years ago when he came across a story about a struggling

success. The results have been tremendous.”

college student who was able to stay in school and complete his degree, thanks to a scholarship.

“The scholarship enabled him to even graduate a little

recipients are hard-working students with high grades. Some

earlier since he didn’t have to take another part-time job,

are parents, juggling kids’ schedules and jobs. Others have

and I thought, I’d like to do something to help like that,”

faced daunting challenges and overcome myriad challenges.

Fudge recalls.

So, Fudge, a big fan of the School of Social Ecology,

“They have the most amazing stories,” says Fudge, of Newport Beach. “One student told me about his struggles

met with Professor Valerie Jenness, who was dean at the

growing up. He hardly went to school his freshman year

time, and created the Fudge Family Scholarship for social

of high school and did drugs and alcohol. His dad died his

ecology undergrads who are facing hardships supporting

junior year, but his best friend’s mother took him in and told

themselves and are in need of financial assistance.

him he had to go to college so he went to community college

“Gary came to me with a deep commitment to helping Social Ecology students and a clear vision how to do so,” Jenness recounts. “Simply put, he wanted to provide the

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Every year since 2012, two or three students are named Fudge Scholars and each receives a $5,000 scholarship. The

and worked three part-time jobs, then transferred to UCI, got on the Dean’s honor list and then went to law school.”

Other Fudge scholars who overcame staggering odds

financial means to support hardworking students who

and completed their degrees include a battered wife and

had overcome considerable obstacles on their academic

one-time UCI dropout, who raised her teenage son alone

Embark

and paid off medical bills from spinal surgery she underwent as a result of her ex-husband’s attacks when she re-entered UCI at age 50; a former foster child who had dropped out of middle school; and a victim of sex trafficking, who was raised by a single mom battling mental illness, alcoholism and drug addiction.

They are resilient, successful and inspiring, Fudge affirms, saying that providing the scholarship is his great pleasure. “It makes me feel good to do something that makes a difference for someone.”

And, his beneficiaries are grateful.

“Thanks to the Fudge Family Scholarship, I was able to purchase a quality prep course and obtain an LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) score in the top 90th percentile,” says Brad Bowlin, who earned his bachelor’s degree in criminology, law and society in 2013 and now is an Orlando public defender. “I was accepted to University of Georgia School of Law, a top 30 ranked law school, with a substantial scholarship.

Getting into a good law school and leaving with as little debt as possible was a big goal of mine because I knew that I wanted to be a public defender, which of course, meant I would not have a large salary. The Fudge Family Scholarship has had a much more far reaching effect than I would have ever expected.

By that same token, I have been able to provide assistance to hundreds of indigent individuals through my work as a public defender. Gary Fudge and the Fudge Family Scholarship are a testament to the idea that a single philanthropic act can have a much greater and far-reaching positive influence on the world.”

For Fudge, who survived a massive stroke in 2010, it’s a matter of “doing nice things for people.”

The 75-year-old philanthropist says that since the day he didn’t die, his philosophy is simple: “Enjoy today and make it count. It could be your last day.”

Scholarship awards are more than just a nice gesture, says School of Social Ecology Dean Nancy Guerra. “They have a transformative effect on the future of the students, transcending the immediate economic impact while in school. The honor builds their reputation among peers and future colleagues.”

Fudge, who has four children and four grandchildren,

Fudge Scholars The following are all the students who have received Fudge Family scholarships, the year they received them and their majors. Most have completed their bachelor’s degrees.

2018 Kevin McKinnon, criminology, law and society Dawn Murphy, psychology and social behavior

2017 Stephanie Leon, criminology, law and society Sonya Tillman, criminology, law and society

2016 Braelyn Havig, criminology, law and society Gabriel Rosales, criminology, law and society Michael Bender, criminology, law and society

2015 Kaitlin Kalisvaart, social ecology and criminology, law and society Candice Sandoval, criminology, law and society and Chicano/Latino studies

2014 Helen Tiik Daar, psychology and social behavior Patricia Jean Place, psychology and social behavior

2013 Anthony Pham, social ecology Sahar Salehpour, psychology and social behavior

2012 Brad Bowlin, criminology, law and society Cryssie Anne Brommer, social ecology Linda Rita Jones, social ecology

earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from Princeton and an MBA from American University. He was successful investing in startup companies and now spends his time as a trustee of the Fudge Family Foundation, which supports worthy organizations including UCI and Hoag Hospital, where he credits doctors for saving his life after his stroke.

“I’m grateful I’m alive and I just want to make other people’s lives a little bit better,” Fudge says. Spring 2019

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New Faculty

Julian F. Thayer

Hun Kim

Distinguished professor of psychological science

Assistant professor of urban planning and public policy

Degrees: Ph.D. and M.A.

Degrees: Ph.D. in city and

in psychophysiology,

regional planning with a

New York University; B.A.

designated emphasis in global

in psychology, Indiana

metropolitan studies, UC

University

Berkeley; M.C.P. (Masters of City

Research interests: health psychology, psycho-

Planning) and B.A. in philosophy, UC Berkeley

pathology, health disparities, heart rate variability,

Research interests: urban transformations, urban

emotions, stress and neuroimaging

informality, late-socialist cities, transnational urban finance

Compassion research: Thayer studies the longest

and expertise, development theory, urban theory, Southeast

nerve — vagus — in the body, as it relates to compassion.

and East Asia

He has found that those who are more compassionate exhibit more activity along their vagus nerve. For example, persons with greater vagus nerve activity, as

Stephen Schueller

indexed by the variability between heart beats, were more forgiving of the transgressions of others when

Assistant professor of psychological science

asked to recall such transgressions. Research has

Degrees: Ph.D. in clinical

shown that those with greater vagus nerve activity are

psychology, University of

less likely to assign blame to others who have commit-

Pennsylvania; B.A. in

ted a transgression against them. More generally, activity

psychology, UC Riverside

of the vagus nerve and the associated brain regions, is linked with feelings of well-being and safety.

Research interests: clinical psychology, technology, digital mental health, implementation science, mental health services, depression, positive psychology

Brandon Golob

Christopher Seeds

Assistant professor of teaching in criminology, law and society

Assistant professor of criminology, law and society

Degrees: Ph.D. in communi-

New York University; J.D.,

cation, University of Southern

Cornell Law School; B.A. in

California; J.D., UCLA School

economics, Oberlin College

Degrees: Ph.D. in sociology,

of Law; B.A. in rhetoric and

Research interests: punish-

interdisciplinary studies, UC Berkeley

ment and social control, law and society, criminal justice, social

Research interests: law-related education programs,

theory, life sentencing and capital punishment

social media and online privacy, inclusive pedagogy, law and popular culture; media effects

Alyson K. Zalta Assistant professor of psychological science Degrees: Ph.D. in clinical psychology, University of Pennsylvania; B.A. in psychology, Harvard Research interests: trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, resilience, prevention and treatment

32

Embark

Breakfast Speaker Series

Daybreak Dialogues Breakfast Speaker Series

The new 2019/2020 season of Daybreak Dialogues will kick off in October.

Join the ChangeMakers and community members for a provocative and educational slate of conversations featuring:

October 2019

April 2020

Bordered City/Bounded Mind:

The Trouble with Memory

Soul Trekking in the World’s Divided Cities

Exploring the Reliability of the Constructed Past

Scott Bollens, Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy

Elizabeth Loftus, Distinguished Professor of Criminology, Law and Society and Psychological Science

January 2020 Adolescent Development & Juvenile Justice If adolescents are so smart, why do they do such stupid things?

Elizabeth Cauffman, Professor of Psychological Science

To receive updates on these future Daybreak Dialogues, please join our mailing list at: bit.ly/2JC1JaK To view past Daybreak Dialogues, visit soceco.uci.edu/daybreak

Are You a ChangeMaker?

“I got involved with ChangeMakers because of my desire to support ongoing research and teaching activities that expand our understanding of complex social issues. What I learned in Social Ecology has informed me throughout my career as a transportation planning consultant.”

John Kain ‘75 Principal - Urban Crossroads ChangeMakers, Social Ecology’s premier support group, are dedicated to bolstering the research, science and teaching that tackle society’s most pressing social and environmental problems.

Learn more about ChangeMakers at: socialecology.uci.edu/changemakers

Join John as a ChangeMaker and your membership will support students and faculty generating real-world solutions to help make our world a more vibrant place.

University of California, Irvine School of Social Ecology 5300 Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway Irvine, CA 92697-7050

NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID JEFFERSON CITY MO PERMIT NO. 210

Spring 2019

UCI School of Social Ecology Magazine

A desire to act — to lessen someone else’s suffering — is the force behind compassion.

Empa thy

When people embrace compassion, the effect can ripple across neighborhoods, cities, states, nations. The School of Social Ecology believes in the power of

Kind n e s s

compassion to strengthen

W ellbei ng socialecology.uci.edu

rv

Caring

ic

e

lives around the world.

Love

communities and improve

ness Happi

ism tru Al

de u t i t a Gr

Se

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