The Science of Society: Research,
Teaching and Service in the Public Interest.

Commencement Student Speaker
Richard “Ricky” Flahive, who will earn degrees in both Political Science and Sociology, is a peer mentor and aspiring community leader whose story is one of happy persistence despite countless hurdles.

Indiana Jones Meets the Sea
The Department of Anthropology and Scripps Institution of Oceanography have joined forces to launch a center for marine archaeology. The center’s researchers will investigate key underwater and coastal archaeological sites around the world, studying the relationship between marine environments and human societies.

Losing Sleep Over Climate Change
Climate change may keep you awake – and not just metaphorically. Nights that are warmer than normal can harm human sleep, researchers show in a new paper, with the poor and elderly most affected. In the future, rising temperatures may cause even more sleep loss. Nick Obradovich, an alumnus of Political Science now at Harvard’s Kennedy School and the MIT Media Lab, conducted much of the research while a doctoral student at UC San Diego.

Barnard Chooses a Leader Whose Research Focuses on Women
The New York Times publishes an announcement of the new president of Barnard College, Sian Beilock, an alumna of Cognitive Science.

Times Higher Education Ranks UC San Diego No. 1 
UC San Diego is listed first in a new Times Higher Education ranking of institutions that were founded between 1945 and 1966. The ranking cites the university’s innovative approach to education, including the establishment of the world’s first Department of Cognitive Science.