The UCLA Nimoy Theater is preparing for their open house on September 17th after an extensive renovation and transformation into a flexible 299-seat performance theater. UCLA’s 2018 purchase of the former Crest Theatre was made possible by a major gift from actor, writer and director Susan Bay Nimoy. Nimoy and her late husband, actor Leonard Nimoy, have a long history as ardent supporters of the arts at UCLA. A quote from Leonard Nimoy's iconic “Star Trek” character, Mr. Spock, “Live long and prosper,” adorns the theater’s entry, symbolizing its mission to foster creativity and peace.
Just 200 steps south of the Hammer Museum and near one of the busiest intersections in the nation, the Nimoy serves as a gateway and valuable addition to UCLA's rich spectrum of arts offerings, bringing them directly to the communities where people live and work. The opening night of UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP) inaugural season at the Nimoy kicks off with Grammy Award-winning poet J. Ivy on September 23. Tickets for this performance and CAP UCLA’s 2023-24 season are on sale now.
Several research projects at UCLA each successfully competed to receive two-year grants aimed at addressing the impacts of climate change on health, technology, and other areas. The State of California funded the California Climate Action grants. The grantees from UCLA include experts from the Fielding School of Public Health, the Samueli School of Engineering, and the Labor and Occupational Safety and Health program.
Tobias Higbie, a UCLA professor of labor studies and history, was inspired by the Detroit Industry Murals, painted by Diego Rivera during the Great Depression. He aims to guide his students, many of whom come from underrepresented communities, toward meaningful encounters with labor history. Higbie is developing a new course where students will work with local labor and community organizers to interpret historic documents from organized labor movements in Los Angeles. The course will produce resources like interactive maps, videos, and artwork meant to engage other researchers and the public. Higbie hopes the experience will help students more fully understand today’s workers’ rights movements through a historical lens.
During the 2022 mayoral campaign, the housing crisis in Los Angeles was a topic of intense debate. This issue shed light on various perspectives concerning the root causes of homelessness and the most effective strategies to tackle the problem and provide shelter for the growing unhoused population. Anna Scott, a journalist and creator of the KCRW podcasts Samaritans and City of Tents, spearheaded a four-part series on L.A.'s housing crisis in collaboration with several experts. Together, they delved into efficient policies and inventive solutions to combat the ongoing crisis.
The 15th Annual UCLA Volunteer Day will bring students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and community members together to volunteer at various sites on campus and around the greater Los Angeles area. Since its inception, this event has logged over 350,000 service hours, engaged over 54,000 student volunteers, joined with 400 community partners, and provided a value of $9.2 million in service dollars to the region. Whether fanning out across Los Angeles, remaining in Westwood, or taking part in activities in cities outside of California and worldwide, Bruins will participate in various volunteer projects on Saturday, September 30.
The festivities to welcome students back to campus and into Westwood will center on Broxton and Weyburn Avenues, spanning from Kinross to Le Conte and from Gayley to Westwood.
When Irvin Garcia shared a photo of himself receiving his white coat as a first-year student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA on social media, he never expected to receive messages from strangers expressing their excitement at seeing a Latino medical student. This made Garcia realize the importance of representation and visibility, which he recently discussed with a group of Latino medical and dental students.
Garcia's experience, along with his friendship with classmate Alexis Aleman, led to the creation of an Instagram profile called @foosinmedicine
, where the two men share their experiences as first-generation Latino medical students. The page has gained over 56,000 followers and offers glimpses into the challenges and doubts that minority medical students face, in addition to the long hours and rigorous studies. Garcia shared a video of his day in the life as a student on surgery rotations, which received many supportive comments. One commenter wrote, "You are inspiring many Latinos! I'm hoping to get accepted to the UCLA program!"
While immunotherapy has been successful in treating some types of cancer that spread to the brain, it appears to be less effective against glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. A UCLA-led study found that immune checkpoint blockade, a form of immunotherapy, triggers a more efficient tumor-fighting process in brain cancers that spread to the brain than in glioblastoma. This discovery could help scientists develop more effective immunotherapy strategies for treating glioblastoma and other cancers that originate in the brain.
Since they were infants, siblings Andrea Reed Elmore and Doran Reed have been dealing with sickle cell disease - a hereditary, painful, and sometimes devastating blood disorder. They have been receiving continuous care from healthcare providers at UCLA, who have been by their side throughout their journey, even as they became adults. Despite the uncertainties, they credit their ability to persevere to their strong family bond and the support of their UCLA Health caregivers.
Recently, the siblings were recognized by the Los Angeles Dodgers in front of a stadium filled with fans, including their family members, highlighting their unbreakable family bond. "It was an amazing and emotional experience. Receiving a jersey with our names on it was unexpected, and it felt awesome to be honored by so many people. We feel truly supported, and that's a blessing," said Reed.
