UC San Diego Asian and Pacific-Islander Americans to Hold Monthlong Redefining
the Lens Celebration

May 1, 2009

By Pat JaCoby

Members of the Asian and Pacific-Islander American communities at the University of California, San Diego will hold a series of activities in May to mark the campus theme, Redefining the Lens: Intersecting Stories of Asian and Pacific-Islander American Experiences.

The third annual UC San Diego celebration will bring groups together to raise awareness and visibility of culture, identity and the intersections of experiences through a variety of dialogues, said Nancy Magpusao of the Cross Cultural Center. Programs will include film, multimedia art and academic presentations.

Activities will begin May 8 with a talk by Albert Lin, Ph.D., Powell Lee Fellow at UC San Diego, who will speak on “The Search for Genghis Khan: Using Modern Tools to Hunt for an Ancient Past.” While Lin’s doctoral work is in materials science, his outside interest is in anthropological exploration and he has spent the last eight summers solo trekking through Mongolia, Pakistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and the northern and western edges of China and Tibet.

Lin will speak at noon in the Calit2 auditorium.

Among other programs are:

• May 12. The UC San Diego Pan Asian Staff Association will sponsor a cooking demonstration by “Chef Larry.”  11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., International Center.

• May 19. The UC San Diego Pan Asian Staff Association and the Coalition for Asian-Pacific Islanders will sponsor a cook-off special, “Iron Chef Throwdown,” featuring students, staff and faculty. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., International Center.

Media Contact: Pat JaCoby, 858-534-7404 or pjacoby@ucsd.edu