SEEDS AND STARS Ta k in g t he l o n g vi e w towa r d a better future
BY JONATHAN RIGGS
Since its inception, the UCLA College has taken a thoughtful long view by investing in today’s projects that will pay off tomorrow—even if “tomorrow” arrives years into the future. Here are a few examples of the types of long-term investments that showcase Bruins’ trademark patience, vision and foresight.
One of UCLA’s many far-sighted efforts seeks to prevent irreversible catastrophe in Central Africa. Home to the world’s largest rainforest still absorbing carbon, the Congo Basin is one of the planet’s two “lungs.” Containing approximately one of every five animal species, it faces grave threats, including climate change, exploitation of natural resources, poverty and disease. To help solve these massive challenges, UCLA and the nonprofit International Institute of Tropical Agriculture launched the Congo Basin Institute in 2015. While it unites a global network of partners, CBI crucially supports African scientists with resources and funds for labs, research and graduate students, slowing “brain drain” and bolstering their role as the continent’s greatest change agents. In one of its most impactful initiatives to date, CBI launched the Ebony Project with the support of Bob and Cindy Taylor (of Taylor Guitars) and the expertise of UCLA’s Thomas B. Smith, founding director of the Center for Tropical Research as well as a distinguished professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology. 22
PETER HOULIHAN
STRON G RO OTS
