The Highlander
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
For the week of Monday, December 7, 2020
VOL. 69, ISSUE 10
est. 1954
COURTESY OF FREEPIK
NEWS
UCR issues winter quarter instruction update A TOTAL OF 50 COURSES HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION; NO IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES THAT USE STANDARD CLASSROOMS OR LECTURE HALLS HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY UCR. AMANI MAHMOUD Editor-in-Chief
On Nov. 30, UCR Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Thomas A. Smith provided a campus update on the status of the winter quarter. According to Smith, a total of 50 courses have been approved for in-person instruction with remote options for winter. This represents 2% to 3% of UCR’s overall course offerings. The approved courses that will meet indoors require specialized settings such as studios and laboratories. Other approved courses will meet outdoors or off-campus and are subject to the health and safety protocols of the host location. This includes courses that might meet outdoors for fieldwork or off-campus internship courses. All of these approved courses are consistent with state guidelines. Smith wrote that UCR will continue practicing the policy that was in place during the fall quarter. This means that individual study, thesis, practicum and similar ► SEE WINTER PAGE 4
WATKINS WILL BEGIN HER POSITION AT UCR IN MAY OF 2021 PENDING APPROVAL FROM UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESIDENT (UC) MICHAEL DRAKE. COURTESY OF BARBARA RIES VIA UCSF
NEWS
Elizabeth Watkins appointed as new UCR provost and executive vice chancellor
AMANI MAHMOUD Editor-in-Chief
UCR Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox has appointed Elizabeth Watkins as provost and executive vice chancellor, effective May 1, 2021. The appointment is pending approval from University of California (UC) President Michael Drake. Watkins currently serves as the dean of the graduate division, vice chancellor of student academic affairs and as a professor in the Department of Anthropology, Department of History and the Department of Social Medicine at UC San Francisco. Watkins’ research focuses on the interrelations of medicine, science, commerce and culture in the United States in the 20th to 21st centuries.
Watkins has published pieces on topics such as the history of prescription drugs, birth control, estrogen and female aging, testosterone, male aging, stress and disease. Watkins’ research has been funded by the Natural Science Foundation, the Natural Institute of Health, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Academy of Education. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and her doctorate in the history of science, both at Harvard University. The provost and executive vice chancellor is responsible for managing the daily operations of the UCR campus, developing academic and administrative policies and working closely with the chancellor, the chair of the Academic Senate and the deans of UCR’s colleges,
schools and divisions to formulate and realize campus goals. The provost is also responsible for the academic enterprise and numerous organizations report directly to the office. The provost is in charge of initiatives and ongoing projects related to the academic enterprise, including strategic planning and current and upcoming projects related to students, faculty and campus planning. Former UCR Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Cynthia K. Larive left the position after being appointed by the UC Board of Regents as the 11th chancellor of UC Santa Cruz. She served as the provost and executive vice chancellor of UCR from 2017-20. ► SEE WATKINS PAGE 3
FEATURES
Scientific trailblazers: Celebrating UC’s Nobel Prize winners THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HOSTS A VIRTUAL DISCUSSION IN HONOR OF FOUR NOBEL PRIZE RECIPIENTS TO DISCUSS THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY. COURTESY OF ELENA ZHUKOVA VIA UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
ALEXANDRIA ESTEBAN Assistant Features Editor
On Thursday, Dec. 3, the University of California (UC) held a virtual discussion titled, “In Conversation: UC’s 2020 Nobel Prize Winners on Changing the World Through Scientific Discovery,” in honor of four individuals who have been recognized by the Nobel Prize committee for their accomplishments in their fields of study. The recipients were
Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, Reinhard Genzel, Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, Andrea Ghez, Ph.D. at UCLA and Charles Rice Ph.D., a graduate from UC Davis. The event ran from 1 p.m to 2 p.m and featured a Q&A with each of the Nobel Prize recipients. The discussion was introduced by John A. Pérez, the current chair of the board of regents and was moderated by Michael Drake, the president of the UC. Unfortunately, one of the
Nobel Prize recipients, Genzel, was unable to attend the event, but he left a message with Pérez expressing his “deepest gratitude” toward the University of California and the Nobel committee for their recognition of his work. Throughout the discussion, the three recipients who were able to attend the event shared stories about their experiences in their field and on receiving a Nobel ► SEE NOBEL PAGE 8
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