March 26, 2013 (San Diego) – With more than 350 education abroad programs in more than 50 countries, international study is a central part of the educational experience at San Diego State University. Through the university’s Office of International Programs and the College of Extended Studies, SDSU continues to expand its international offerings to include educational, research and service-learning programs.

This spring break, April 1-5, many SDSU students will travel abroad to prepare for positions of leadership in a global society. Some of the highlighted destinations include South Africa, Mexicali and Guatamala.

Article by Dennis Moore

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle.”   --Frederick Douglass

March 6, 2013 (San Diego)--Thousands of federal employees in the San Diego area are soon to be impacted by sequestration, automatic budget cuts mandated by the federal government.  These cuts may have a larger impact on San Diego County than anywhere else in the U.S., since our region is home to wide-ranging naval operations, a bustling border and vibrant biotech and drone sectors. About $37 billion flows into the County each year, including billions of dollars for defense contracts and millions more for research efforts.

The Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C) is a Washington, DC based organization that promotes equality as well as exposes retaliation and racism in the federal government. “Civil servants (i.e., agents, air marshals, food inspectors, investigators, corrections officers, firefighters) function as America’s first line of defense against domestic threats. Therefore, we must protect our federal workforce against managerial abuse and reprisal in order to better protect our citizens.” That is what Tanya Ward Jordan, the founder of C4C, believes and espouses in her daily activities and advocacy on behalf of this organization. Now C4C is ramping up to strengthen its fight for federal workers.

January 16, 2013 (Washington, D.C.)--The Democratic Caucus earlier this month approved additional committee assignments for Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) has been assigned to serve on the House Science, Space and Technology committee.

E - The Environmental Magazine

Written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss

December 27, 2012 (San Diego)--Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that children are sicker today than they were a generation ago and that pesticides have played a major role?                                             -- Maria Jenkins, Clewiston, FL

An SDSU professor uses Hollywood technology to research facial movements and speech-language development in children with cerebral palsy.

December 20, 2012 (San Diego)--In a speech, language and hearing sciences research lab at San Diego State University, children with cerebral palsy and those who are typically developing are experiencing a certain kind of fame. 

Speech language professor Ignatius Nip is researching and analyzing the interaction between facial movements and speech-language development in these children using the same motion capture technology that transfers actor's expressions to computer-generated film characters. 

December 2, 2012 (El Cajon) -- Cuyamaca College, known throughout the state for its longtime commitment to the green movement, is hosting its third annual Sustainability Symposium Thursday, Dec. 13, at the college’s performing arts theater.

This is the first year the 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. forum will be followed by a Green Vendor and Networking Fair from 1:30-3:30 p.m. In another first, the event doubles as a scholarship fundraiser for students pursuing careers in green or sustainable industries.

E - The Environmental Magazine

Written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss

Dear EarthTalk: What is the Burrowing Owl Conservation Network and why is it so important to put so much effort into saving one species?                               -- Ginny Bateman, Portland, OR

November 9, 2012 (California) --  Western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) are tiny, long-legged members of the owl family, native to the Americas and preferring open landscapes where they can dig new holes or use existing ones (such as abandoned prairie dog, skunk or armadillo homes) to nest and rear their young. Unlike most other owl species, these small but charismatic birds are more often seen out and about during daylight hours, but they are most active and do their primary feeding at night, preferring a diet of small rodents and large insects.

September 11, 2012 (San Diego) – World Lymphona Awareness Day is September 15 and it’s the perfect time to do what you can to support the need for more research and treatment options.  Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are, like leukemia and multiple myeloma, blood cancers. They attack the blood, bone marrow, or lymphatic system.