
UC San Diego Wellness CEO Patty Maysent, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla and President Drake tour the Hillcrest Campus, which just begun the 1st section of a multi-section, multi-billion-greenback redevelopment this week. Shots by Erik Jepsen/College Communications
It was below dazzling blue skies that College of California President Michael Drake produced a recent go to to UC San Diego—his 1st because turning out to be president in August 2020. Above two times, President Drake toured a variety of components of campus, witnessing our transformation first-hand and discovering much more about some of our innovative and impactful research. For the duration of his take a look at, he also created it a precedence to speak with pupils, staff members and school as perfectly as thank frontline employees.
Observing the transformation unfold
Though going for walks the halls of UC San Diego Health Medical Centers in La Jolla and Hillcrest, President Drake had the possibility to satisfy with frontline doctors and team who have been crucial to UC San Diego’s response to the pandemic. A medical professional himself who invested more than two a long time on the faculty of the UCSF College of Medicine, President Drake connected with the personnel and thanked them for their commitment. He also uncovered more about the multi-stage, multi-billion-dollar redevelopment of the Hillcrest Campus, the initial period of which commenced development this week.

Although strolling the halls of UC San Diego Health Health care Centers in Hillcrest, President Drake experienced the possibility to meet with frontline medical professionals and workers that have been vital to UC San Diego’s reaction to the pandemic.
President Drake also toured UC San Diego Park & Market place downtown to get a preview of the large array of cross disciplinary campus and local community partnership systems planned. He stopped by the university’s most recent Orchid Award-winning project, North Torrey Pines Dwelling Learning Community, and other manufacturer-new pupil housing on campus. When in the Pepper Canyon neighborhood, the spot for a single of two UC San Diego Blue Line trolley stations opening November 21, the president frequented the Style and design and Innovation Building, made to incubate and accelerate groundbreaking tips, and the Epstein Relatives Amphitheater, expected to open in the fall of 2022.
Getting to know the campus community
Although checking out the campus, President Drake experienced various options to satisfy with learners, staff and faculty to hear their fears, questions and strategies. He met with graduate college students and undergraduate learners, like representatives from the Graduate and Expert Pupils Association and the Connected College students. He also satisfied with leaders of the Tutorial Senate and college, and experienced a conversation with ladies tutorial leaders that was moderated by Executive Vice Chancellor Elizabeth Simmons.

President Drake achieved with students at North Torrey Pines Dwelling Understanding Neighborhood. When browsing the campus, the president had the prospect to talk with undergraduate and graduate pupils to listen to their issues, questions and suggestions.
In the course of his pay a visit to to North Torrey Pines Living Mastering Neighborhood, he sat down for a conversation with employees symbolizing the UC San Diego Employees Affiliation as perfectly as reps from the Veterans Staff members Association, the Black Employees Affiliation, the Chicanx/Latinx Staff Affiliation, the Pan-Asian Staff Association, the School & Personnel Christian Fellowship and the Mother and father, Guardians & Caregivers Affiliation.
College students, team and college shared their encounters navigating the troubles of the COVID-19 pandemic even though also expressing various concerns. The campus neighborhood was united in its commitment to encouraging expenditure in sustainability and local weather adjust efforts, which President Drake shared was a precedence of his as nicely and spoke of UC’s ongoing determination to sustainability.
Checking out wherever science and the ocean come alongside one another
To master more about some of UC San Diego’s impactful research close to sustainability, President Drake frequented the Scripps Establishment of Oceanography campus, exactly where he achieved with Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences and Director of Scripps Margaret Leinen, as perfectly as faculty users finding out climate improve and advancing research into the connections amongst oceans and human overall health.
The president reported he was acquainted with Scripps Oceanography research, possessing labored together with ocean innovator Fred Spiess in the 1990s when each chaired an academic committee. He sights Scripps as the area exactly where “science and the ocean appear together.”

President Drake fulfilled with learners and group members from CAICE, the Center for Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry of the Environment. CAICE is an NSF Heart at UC San Diego led by Kimberly Prather and Vicki Grassian.
All through the check out, President Drake discovered about the developing undergraduate software at Scripps, which serves approximately 6,000 undergraduate pupils throughout approximately 100 classes, as nicely as the fleet of exploration vessels managed by Scripps.
Mark Merrifield, the director for the Middle for Weather Adjust Impacts and Adaptation, shared information and facts on the impressive Resilient Futures plan in Imperial Seaside, which presents town officials with early warning of opportunity sea-degree increase driven coastal flooding, and exploration applying LIDAR imaging to track erosion of shorelines and cliffs. President Drake also learned about vital local weather plans managed by Scripps, such as the Keeling Curve, Argo and ALERTWildfire.
The director for the Middle for Maritime Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Bradley Moore, who shares a joint appointment with Skaggs College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, shared how UC San Diego is distinctive in the UC system in supporting a significant oceanographic establishment and health care faculty on the very same campus. This has enabled vital discoveries, this kind of as the drug Marizomib. It was developed from a maritime cyanobacteria found by Scripps researchers, and is now in the last phase of scientific trials to treat the brain most cancers glioblastoma.
To conclude the go to, President Drake frequented the Hydraulics Laboratory for a preview of the new Scripps Ocean Environment Analysis Simulator (SOARS), established to open for wide scientific use early following yr. This remarkable interdisciplinary instrument will be capable to deliver the ocean into the lab, to allow experts to closely analyze the essential air-sea interface, and simulate long run ocean situations as our weather proceeds to improve.
Share