Welcome to the UCR Alumni Association Electronic Newsletter!

In this issue:
The Press Room
UCR's New Chancellor Highlighted In Current UC Newsletter
Message Boards, A Great Way To Keep In Touch
Chinese Cultural Experience
Testimonials-See What People Are Saying
Did You Know? 

The Press Room 
University of California, Riverside groundbreaking ceremony for Engineering II
In response to a sharp demand generated by both a growth in the number of students at UC Riverside majoring in engineering and an increasing number of new faculty hired in the Bourns College of Engineering, the college began construction of "Engineering Building Unit 2" (Engineering II) on September 3, 2002. 

Occupancy in Engineering II is scheduled for the 2004-2005 academic year. The new Engineering Unit II building will provide nearly 90,000 assignable square feet of state-of-the-art research and teaching space for the Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical Engineering departments. The 55,000 square foot site is adjacent to the existing Bourns Hall, a three-story showpiece building that currently provides 104,000 square feet of office, classroom and laboratory space.


Researcher Alexander Raikhel awarded $4.3 million to study mosquitoes
The University of California, Riverside announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has just awarded a ten-year, $4.3 million research merit grant to Dr. Alexander S. Raikhel, professor of entomology at UC Riverside, to support continuing investigation into the genetic and molecular mechanisms regulating egg development and maturation in mosquitoes. Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the research has implications on preventing mosquitoes' transmission of deadly diseases, including West Nile virus and Dengue Fever.

UCR's New Chancellor Highlighted In Current UC Newsletter
The September issue of InTouch, the University of California’s newsletter, spotlights UCR’s Chancellor France A. Córdova and the UC Regents' recent endorsement of Proposition 47, the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2002.  To view the electronic version of the newsletter, click here. 

Message Boards, A Great Way To Keep In Touch!
Have you been looking for a way to connect with other alumni?  Then look no further!  Message boards are now up and running in the Online Community.  Post a message, find a friend, check out what's going on for Homecoming 2003, or in the alumni chapters!  There's no end to the information that you can find and exchange.  

Chinese Cultural Experience
Climb the majestic Great Wall.  Stand in awe in the center of historical Tian An Men Square.  Sail down the peaceful Li River. Spend the afternoon with a Tibetan family.  Experience the enormity of life, history, culture, and humanity in one of the oldest and most beautiful nations on earth—China.

We invite alumni and friends to join a cultural experience, "China Connoisseur and Tibet" from April 18 to May 3, 2003.  This 16-day, 14-night journey takes its seekers through the heartland of China.  Trip highlights include Beijing, the 800-year-old capital; Xian, the ancient capital of the first 11 dynasties and home of the stunning Terracotta Warriors; the Panda Research Institute in Chengdu; the Potola Palace in Lhasa; a cruise on the Li River in Guilin; and Shanghai, the fastest changing city in the world.  Each stop is filled with nature's creativity, Chinese innovation and architectural wonders, and once in a lifetime experiences.  The tour is complete with accommodations for fourteen nights in deluxe five-star hotels, all meals, receptions and special dinners, various cultural performances, and professional local English-speaking guides in each city.  The tour is priced at $3999 based on double occupancy.  Post-trip extensions are also available for the truly adventurous to explore Hong Kong or Huang Mountain, the glorious backdrop of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."  Contact the Alumni Association to request a brochure or to be placed on the Association's travel list.

Why do people join the UCR Alumni Association?  There are many different reasons. Some join as a practical matter to do with the benefits and discounts they realize throughout the years. And some because UCR touches their heart in ways they only realize when they leave and look back. From Bahrain, to New York, to Riverside and over the years.  See what they say...

Did You Know?
You can hear directly from from key administrators as they take you through UCR's growth and expansion? View photos and text of interviews compiled by Jan Erickson. The Oral History is both compelling and entertaining as you view the campus through the eyes of founding faculty, chancellors, and administrators.  Click here to visit this page...