UC San Diego – Page 21

The Dalai Lama at UC San Diego

It seems fitting that His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama should deliver both a public talk and the Commencement keynote address at UC San Diego. His Holiness claims a special affinity for educators and for young people, whom he characterizes as the ones who shape the future; in his view each generation has the opportunity – indeed, the responsibility – to remake the world for the better and to redefine our place in it. Throughout his public life the Dalai Lama has extolled the nexus formed by mind, body, and spirit, stressing that to nurture one is to nurture the others, and that all are essential to lead a fulfilled life. To this end His Holiness is a strong advocate for universal and well-rounded education, and in particular believes that an understanding of the sciences is essential for safeguarding our planet’s health. (He was one of the first world leaders to warn of the dangers of climate change and the need for swift action, on both individual and societal levels.)

The Dalai Lama maintains that the true goal of a fulfilled life is happiness expressed through inner peace. Many Westerners view Tibetan Buddhism as a philosophy that emphasizes asceticism, but the Dalai Lama’s message eschews an isolated, purely contemplative “sackcloth and ashes” approach in favor of one that couples active engagement with the world with a realization that true happiness is not materially based. Rather, it comes from an optimistic outlook, good deeds, and above all, love, tolerance and compassion rooted in the acceptance of our interconnectedness through our shared humanity. Achieving this inner peace is never easy, and His Holiness acknowledges the difficulties when he tells the graduates, “Now you have completed your study period, now you begin another lifestyle – work: not easy; life will not be easy. Determination, willpower, optimism are very essential.”

Watch:

Embracing the Beauty of Diversity in Our World – His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

UC San Diego Commencement 2017 with The Dalai Lama

For more programs with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama click here.

Who Gets In?

As the number of refugees escaping violence around the world continues to rise, Americans are once again confronted with the moral question of who is welcomed into the country and who is turned away. Author and journalist Eric Lichtblau recounts a similar situation after World War II. Jewish survivors of the Nazi concentration camps were refused entry into the US while high-level German officers and scientists quietly slipped in and were allowed to reinvent themselves as new Americans. Lichtblau explores this double standard in The Nazis Next Door: How America Became a Safe Haven for Hitler’s Men, presented by the Holocaust Living History Workshop at UC San Diego. A warning: Lichtblau’s reading of the vicious, anti-Semitic remarks from General George Patton’s post-war journal is not for the faint-hearted.

Self-driving Cars

As self-driving cars get closer to being part of everyday life on the road, what are the broader social, legal, and even ethical questions they present? Such issues will become more urgent and important as collisions and accidents involving self-driving or semi-autonomous vehicles occur more often. Mohan Trivedi, Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, founding director of the Computer Vision and Robotics Research Laboratory, as well as the Laboratory for Intelligent and Safe Automobiles (LISA) at the University of California San Diego, discusses these challenges.

Watch: A Quest for Human Robot Cohabitation: Humans in the Age of Autonomous Driving – Exploring Ethics

Click here to view all the programs in the Exploring Ethics series.

Design Thinking and K-12 Education

“Design thinking” is a popular phrase in education circles and top companies are using it to develop new products and energize their staff. But what is it? As these designers explain, it’s about developing the skills to identify the source of problems correctly and then creating effective solutions centered around people’s needs. These skills are increasingly important in a knowledge-based economy as educators prepare students to succeed in the 21st century. And they make learning a whole lot more fun!

Watch Education By Design — Sally Ride Science STEAM Serieson The STEAM Channel.

Flip the Script with the Career Channel

53,000. That is the number of young adults ages 16–24 in San Diego County who are NOT in school or working. This is a shocking statistic — and one that must change. The story is not final, but we must act now to flip the script from “disconnection” to “opportunity.” These are opportunity youth. When we engage young people through jobs, school and community, we all win. When we don’t, the long-term impact is devastating on every level. Flip the Script: 53,000 Reasons to Change the Story of San Diego’s Opportunity Youth addresses the disconnection crisis and focuses on solutions.

Watch Flip the Script: 53,000 Reasons to Change the Story of San Diego’s Opportunity Youth.