UC San Diego – Page 37

J. Craig Venter: Manufacturing Life with Synthetic DNA

The future is here. At least it feels that way after watching one of the most buzzed-about panels from The Atlantic Meets the Pacific forum held at UC San Diego in October.

In “Manufacturing Life: How Synthetic DNA Will Change Our World,” Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, James Bennet, chats with J. Craig Venter, CEO of Synthetic Genomics, about finding genomic-driven solutions to address global needs such as new sources of energy, food and vaccines. The program is introduced by Pradeep Khosla, UC San Diego’s new chancellor.

Watch it tonight (Nov. 26) at 8pm on UCSD-TV or online now.

The Atlantic Meets the Pacific: Predicting Election 2012

There was plenty of excitement earlier this month when two coasts collided at UC San Diego. No, it wasn’t some strange weather phenomenon but the second annual “The Atlantic Meets the Pacific,” hosted by The Atlantic magazine and UCSD. The sold-out, three-day forum brought together some of the country’s most fascinating thinkers to talk about the future of energy, health and technology.

We’ll be premiering these outstanding discussions in November, but there was one that simply couldn’t wait. In “Predicting Election 2012,” veteran political reporter Ron Brownstein of the National Journal and Republican strategist Steve Schmidt analyze the homestretch of the presidential campaign with input from James Fallows, National Correspondent for The Atlantic; Sam Popkin, UC San Diego professor and author of “The Candidate;” James Fowler, a UC San Diego professor who specializes in the biochemistry of political behavior: and longtime pollster Dan Yankelovich. Look for some fresh insight from these lively and connected pundits as they call the fates of Mitt Romney, Barack Obama and the next Congress.

Watch “Predicting Election 2012” on October 26 at 7pm — or online now — and make sure to come back in November for more in “The Atlantic Meets the Pacific” series, including conversations with Dreamworks’ Stacey Snider, Facebook’s Chris Cox, “The Happiness Project” author Gretchen Rubin and much more.

Local Legends: The Leopard Sharks of La Jolla Shores

Summertime in San Diego means the return of leopard sharks to La Jolla Shores. Contrary to popular belief, these sharks – 97% of which are pregnant females – are not giving birth or mating during their stay.

Tonight (Oct. 10) at 8, join Andy Nosal, a Scripps Ph.D. student who studies local leopards, to find out what scientists really think is going on. Discover what gadgets Nosal uses to track the sharks and learn what makes La Jolla the animals’ preferred hang out. Find out why this shark population is particularly vulnerable and how the local no-take marine reserve protects it.

Or just watch it online now!

Local Legends: The Leopard Sharks of La Jolla Shores

Summer(Fest) is Still in the Air – Starting Tonight!

Sure, the days are getting shorter, but the spirit of summer is still going strong on UCSD-TV with the premiere of three programs from La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest 2012 season.

The excitement kicks off tonight, October 5, at 8pm with Tan Dun’s Water Passion, a multicultural/multimedia oratorio, written by the acclaimed Chinese composer to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of J.S. Bach, whose “St. Matthew Passion” provided the initial inspiration for this work. The music is a theatrical mix of water bowls, drums, strings, Tibetan bells, chants, digital sounds, Chinese opera and Tuvan throat singing, with a dash of jazz and postmodernism, all filtered through Tan Dun’s adventurous sensibility.

Then tune in next Friday, October 12, at 8pm for Commissions & Premieres, part of SummerFest’s long tradition of showcasing new works. This year’s program includes stimulating pieces by American composers Gabriel Kahane, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and Aaron Jay Kernis, and French composer Marc-Andre Dalbavie.

Finally, on October 19, there’s the Finale Concert, featuring 38 of the world’s best chamber and symphonic musicians as the SummerFest Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of celebrated conductor Kent Nagano. The eclectic program includes Rossini’s beloved “Overture to The Barber of Seville,” Beethoven’s viruoso “Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major,” Maurer’s surprising “Sinfonia Concertante in A Minor for Four Violins and Strings,” and Mendelssohn’s colorful “Symphony No. 4 in A Major.”

All programs repeat throughout the month and will be available online by their premiere date.

If you’re still not ready to let summer go, visit our SummerFest series page, where you can find video of performances and behind-the-scenes interviews going all the way back to 1999. That should keep you warm during the winter!

La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest 2012: Tan Dun’s Water Passion

Jam with the Students of UCSD's Jazz Camp

Every summer, a group of talented musicians, ranging in age from 14 to adult, gather together to jam … with jazz, that is.

The five-day Jazz Camp at UC San Diego offers intermediate to advance level musicians a diverse, one-of-a-kind journey into the world of jazz with group courses and workshops, plus private lessons, jam sessions, and concerts. The camp’s extraordinary faculty of leading jazz improvisers and educators help to sharpen students’ performance skills and enrich their experience of jazz as a broad spectrum of options for musical expression.

But the students aren’t the only ones to benefit. UCSD-TV cameras were at this year’s Jazz Camp Finale Concert to capture highlights of the wonderful student ensembles performing standards and new compositions. Watch it on your TV tonight, August 10, at 8pm or get a jump on your jazz fix and enjoy it online now. No jazz hands, please.