Welcome to the June 2003 issue of the IU News. June's lead story reports on award winning work by the IU supported Y-PLAN (Youth: Plan, Learn, Act, Now). The rest of the issue reports on a number of year-end events that are the fruition of work begun by projects in classrooms last fall. And you will find a list of some of the summer workshops and institutes offered or hosted by IU affiliated projects. So as summer shifts into high gear, take a minute to note some of the year's accomplishments, and check out the summer calendar. The June newsletter is full of this information, and more. The lead story is introduced on the IU Main page and printed in full below. Stories featured in this issue are:
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Award Winning Work at Y-PLAN Project
The Y-PLAN Project has worked with high school students in West Oakland for the past three years, providing them with opportunities to participate in and understand urban planning and design. Each year the project's focus changes—responding to redevelopment needs within the community. This year Y-PLAN participants expressed desire to undertake a project that would create something tangible they could take pride in. They did not have to look far to find a challenge—directly across from their school was a blighted park. They decided to make it better. Two classes of McClymonds students worked with UCB graduate student mentors, and, over the course of 10 weeks, created the design for a new McClymonds Mini Park. The students presented their plan for the park at Oakland City Hall on Thursday, May 8th.
Then, just a couple weeks later, on May 20th, the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco presented the Y-PLAN with the 2003 Youth + Architecture Award for outstanding work engaging young adults in the urban environment.
The Oakland City Hall presentation and the AFSF award capped another successful year of Y-PLAN work. The Redesign and Development of McClymonds Minipark project involved a number of graduate students from UC Berkeley, as well as more than 40 McClymonds students and 3 teachers at the school. IU's Deborah McKoy once again served as the project leader.
The May 8th City Hall meeting gave the students an important forum in which to present their work. In attendance were key political, business and community leaders, such as City Councilmember Nancy Nadel (Downtown-West Oakland), Oakland parks manager Noel Gallo, McClymonds Neighborhood and Business Association member Kiri Eschelle, and Trust For Public Land project manager Joe Ingenito.
Next year the Y-PLAN will take parts of its program to San Francisco Unified Schools, when it will integrate community research and social action/enterprise into SFUSD career academy development.
This fall, Seventeen Magazine plans a story on how urban teenagers participating in Y-PLAN are engaging in city planning to improve their communities.
With these kinds of successes, it is no surprise that Y-PLAN is also garnering awards. The Youth + Architecture Award was presented at the annual Architectural Foundation of San Francisco breakfast, on May 20th. Architect and Professor, Dr. Shirl Buss, from San Francisco State University's Department of Design and Industry, made the presentation. More than two hundred architects, policy makers, businesses and residents committed to improving urban communities by empowering youth to reshape their neighborhoods, were in attendance, as was San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.
Y-PLAN is an IU Internet Learning Community Project, and receives support from UC Berkeley's Department of City and Regional Planning, and from UC Links.
For more information about the Y-PLAN presentation at Oakland City Hall, read this story from the Oakland Tribune by Laura Casey, and this mention of Y-PLAN work by Chip Johnson in his May 9, 2003 column in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Environmental Science Seniors Present Presidio Plan
On May 22, students from San Francisco’s Galileo Academy of Science and Technology presented their recommendations for the restoration of the Tennessee Hollow Watershed in the Presidio of San Francisco National Park. The seniors, completing Richard McDowell's "Tier Two" Environmental Science Honors course—a product of IU's Environmental Science Internet Learning Community Project—are the second class to participate in this upper level offering that combines classroom learning with field study and service work.
Before an audience of several dozen at the Presidio's Crissy Field Center, the students described the results of their year-long research at Presidio sites, including both the natural and cultural history of the Presidio and its resources: soil, water, macro-invertebrates, vegetation, and air. Using a PowerPoint presentation and an acetate-covered map of the watershed, class members introduced the issues affecting the Presidio and sketched out the important changes and land-use priorities proposed in their restoration plan. The students also submitted a 32-page written report to support their findings .
Among environmental professionals, educators and park personnel in attendance were Galileo Principal Margaret Chiu, UC Berkeley Faculty members Bill Berry and Ling-chi Wang—Principal Investigators of the Environmental Science project—and Alison Stone, who, as Tennessee Hollow Project Manager for the Presidio Trust, heads the ongoing public planning efforts that seek to daylight the creek, enhance the surrounding habitat, and restore an ecologically functioning system in the watershed.
For the second year, the Presidio Environmental Science program was facilitated by Doug Kern of the Urban Watershed Project. Rob Weinberg and Charity Maybury of the Crissy Center, and UC Berkeley's Steve Andrews ("Dr. Soil") provided assistance. All told, the afternoon was a grand finale to a successful year for the class. No sophomore slump here! Read about last year's presentation in the June 2002 IU News.
Tele-Actor Visits Applied Biosystems Laboratory
On Friday May 9, 2003, Professor Ken Goldberg's team of UC Berkeley graduate students conducted a Tele-Actor event at Applied Biosystems in Foster City that enabled Lincoln High School students from San Francisco to see lab results and do analysis of work they had done in their classroom. In preparation for the event, George Cachianes' biotechnology class spent 2 weeks creating DNA sequencing gels, which were then sent to Applied Biosystems for more rigorous testing.
Because the Applied Biosystems laboratory must maintain a controlled, sterile environment, it is not possible for outside audiences to be admitted and observe work being done in the lab. Enter the Tele-Actor. The Tele-Actor is an individual trained in observational and technology skills, and outfitted with cameras and microphones connected to a wireless digital network. These tools and skills enable the Tele-Actor to become a proxy observer for viewers in remote locations. Live video and audio are broadcast to participants via the Internet or interactive television.
On May 9, the students viewing from their classroom at Lincoln High directed the Tele-Actor in the Applied Biosystems lab to perform specific tasks, which enabled them to gather data and information, and answer pertinent questions online regarding their gel samples. By means of remote video technology, the Internet, and a skilled observer—the Tele-Actor—an entire biotechnology class was able to complete its class experiment and take a field trip without ever leaving the classroom.
See the IU News story from December 2002 about the Tele-Actor at Galileo Academy.
Updates from CLAS, BAWP and ORIAS
The Center for Latin American Studies
Has NAFTA brought us any closer to “fair trade”? What have been its successes and failures? How have they been measured? By whom? At the CLAS Summer Institute, players from different sides of the NAFTA debate will analyze how free trade has affected Mexico and U.S.–Mexico relations and speculate about where it might lead in the future. During two and a half days of meetings, topics relevant to 10th and 11th grade history and 12th grade economics curriculum standards will be discussed. The institute is free and open to all, registration is required. Enrollment is limited to twenty-five. Applications are available online, or by calling 510-642-2162.
The Bay Area Writing Project
It's not too late to register for a BAWP summer program. Registration is open for programs in June, July and August in the Summer 2003 Teacher Series, and there are several rich opportunities for students in the 2003 Summer Young Writers' Camps. Visit these sites for more information about the 11 courses offered for teachers – including courses in grammar, theory, English language acquisition and literature and composition – plus the many offerings for young writers at sites in Albany, Fremont, Larkspur and Walnut Creek.
Office of Resources for International and Area Studies
ORIAS continues its timely offerings with an early summer two-day teacher's institute, followed later by a weeklong summer institute for high school teachers. See below for details of both of these offerings
Teaching About Africa, Africa America & the African Diaspora is a two-day teacher's institute for K-12 and college educators, organized by the Center for African Studies with ORIAS, the Department of African American Studies, and the Center for Race and Gender. Monday-Tuesday, June 16-17, 2003.
Religion in World History 2003. Religious practices have defined and sustained social and political identities throughout history. The 2003 ORIAS summer institute for teachers will focus on the role of religion in world history. During a week of meetings with university scholars and mentor teachers we will discuss topics relevant to the 6th, 7th and 10th grade world history curriculum standards. ORIAS Summer Institute for Middle and High School Teachers. July 28 - August 1, 2003.
Controversial Work of UC Berkeley Professor Analyzes Academic Disengagement
The controversial work of Berkeley professor of Anthropology John Ogbu has been widely discussed since publication last January of Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb: A Study of Academic Disengagement. Ogbu's claim that the black students he studied in Shaker Heights, Ohio put little effort into schoolwork because of a culture that looks down on academic success as "acting white," has drawn heated responses from other academics and educators. He has also had many defenders.
Recent local newspaper articles have discussed Ogbu's work. Susan Goldsmith wrote a cover article for the May 21st East Bay Express, Rich, Black, Flunking, and Joan Ryan wrote two columns that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on May 20th and 21st.
Bon Voyage to an IU Colleague
This issue of the IU News marks the departure of Karin Kusuda from the IU team. As with many departures, sorrow is mixed with celebration. Karin leaves Berkeley to pursue a Masters degree in Education at Harvard University. In her nearly three years with the IU, she has supported IU work in the San Francisco schools, designed web development curriculum resources for K-12, and done web and graphic design for IU web sites and presentations. Much of the evolution and improvement in the look of the IU News over the last two years can be attributed to Karin's ideas and design work. She began working with us as an undergraduate, and moved to full time upon graduation. After traveling in Europe this summer, Karin will settle in Boston and hit the books. We'll miss Karin, and wish her well in her academic endeavor.
