April 2016
SBS Features
Ronald Breiger
Newest Regents' and Distinguished Outreach Professors
UA sociologist Ronald Breiger has been named a Regents' Professor, the highest level of recognition bestowed on UA faculty. One of the world's foremost authorities on the modeling and analysis of social networks, Breiger has played an important role in applying network analytic techniques to the study of terrorism. Thomas Sheridan, a professor in the School of Anthropology and the Southwest Center, was named a University Distinguished Outreach Professor. Sheridan has conducted ethnographic and ethnohistoric research in the Southwest and northern Mexico since 1971. More
Kamran Talattof will hold the Roshan Institute Chair in Persian and Iranian Studies.
Expanding Persian and Iranian Studies
A $2 million commitment from Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute will be used to bolster the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences' scholarly depth in Iranian and Persian studies.

"I am very grateful to Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute for this transformative grant," said John Paul Jones III, dean of the College of SBS. "It will enable us to build upon the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies' already strong program in Persian and Iranian Studies while advancing interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching in the historic and contemporary dimensions of this important world region." More
John Patterson, Raymond Spencer, and Neil Vance. Vance is slated to be the inaugural holder of the Kanbay Endowed Chair in Ethical Governance.
Supporting Ethical Governance
Raymond Spencer and John Patterson, co-founders of Kanbay International, are the lead donors to the Kanbay Endowed Chair in Ethical Governance in the School of Government and Public Policy. The endowment will help further the work being done by the Raymond Spencer Program in Applied Ethics, which examines the ways an organization can prevent misconduct and encourage ethical behavior. The program also teaches students how to apply concepts of moral philosophy to real-world dilemmas and offers seminars in applied ethics. More
Beth Mitchneck
Creating a More Inclusive Workplace
Beth Mitchneck, professor in the School of Geography and Development, is lead author on a Policy Perspectives article in Science on gender equity and institutional transformation. The goal of the article is not only to encourage structural changes to university work environments to improve the representation of female professors in STEM fields, but also to advance science and create a more inclusive workplace both within and outside academia. More 
Jenann Ismael
How Physics Makes Us Free
Can it really be that everything you do is determined by facts that were in place long before you were born? This is the question tackled by Philosophy Professor Jenann Ismael in her book How Physics Makes Us Free, published in March by Oxford University Press. More
Miss The Privacy Event? You Can Still Watch it!
Our March 25th event "A Conversation on Privacy" with Edward Snowden, Noam Chomsky, Glenn Greenwald, and Nuala O'Connor was met with great enthusiasm. The event sold out, and more than 63,000 people around the world watched the video stream in the week following the event. The event was also covered by more than 20 media outlets! Click here to watch the video. You can also learn about Noam Chomsky's two-week stint as a visiting faculty member in the UA Department of Linguistics here and here.
Colorado River Flows Reduced by Warmer Spring Temps
Warmer-than-average spring temperatures reduce upper Colorado River flows more than previously recognized, according to a new report. The study, led by UA geographer Connie Woodhouse, is the first to examine the instrumental historical record to see if a temperature effect could be detected. More. Woodhouse is also featured in the new documentary "Beyond the Mirage: The Future of Water in the West." More 
SBS News Briefs 
SBS Dean J.P. Jones and Azhar Abdul-Salam
* Azhar Abdul-Salam, a UA journalism and communication alumnus from Singapore, just finished a 10-day visit to Tucson, where he met with students and professors and shared his experience working in sports journalism. More
 
* John Garcia, a political science professor was interviewed about how Latinos could impact the 2016 election. More 
Vianney Careaga 
* Political science student Vianney Careaga is the newly appointed student regent. "I've been wanting to go into public service since the third grade," he said. More

* Susan Stryker, professor in the Department of Gender and Women's Studies, is quoted in the story "Transgender issue is the latest flashpoint in the rights fight in North Carolina." More 
UA journalism students talking with Savannah Guthrie
* Journalism Professor Nancy Sharkey took members of her honors class, "Inside The New York Times," to New York over spring break to visit various media outlets. Students met with alum Savannah Guthrie ('93), co-host of the "Today Show." More

* Samara Klar, assistant professor in the School of Government and Public Policy, was interviewed by the Washington Post on "Why are so many Democrats and Republicans pretending to be independents?" More 
Paul Shuler
* Political scientist Paul Schuler is quoted in The New York Times story "In one-party Vietnam, independents vie for assembly seats." Schuler is writing a book about the National Assembly. More

*
There are a lot of factors at work in Syria's ongoing civil war, but scientists believe one of them is the worst drought in 900 years. Geographer Kevin Anchukaitis discussed the topic on KJZZ radio. More  
Shahira Fahmy
* UA Journalism Professor Shahira Fahmy's analysis of ISIS propaganda is featured In the Scientific American article "Fueling terror: How extremists are made." More  

*
David Gibbs, a professor in the School of Government and Public Policy. wrote an op-ed that the idea of Kosovo as a model for humanitarian intervention in Libya is based on a series of myths. In a separate article, he says that Trump is right to question the value of the NATO alliance. 
Anna Ochoa O'Leary
* Anna Ochoa O'Leary, head of the Department of Mexican American Studies, is quoted in the story "New resolution could make it easier to study ethnic studies in Arizona." More
   
*
History Professor Oscar Martinez is quoted in the story "Why Trump's wall would be hard to build, even if Mexico pays." More 
David Cuillier
Journalism school director David Cuillier is quoted in the story "How public must science be? Union of Concerned Scientists would limit disclosures." More

* Gary Nabhan, director of the Center for Regional Food Studies, was interviewed by The Splendid Table on Tucson's designation as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. More 
Dept News
Upcoming Events
Early Books Lecture Series: "The Witches in MacBeth"
Presented by Special Collections
April 19, 6 p.m.
Location: Special Collections
Speaker: English Professor Tom Willard
More
Confluencenter Research Showcase
April 21, 2:30-5:30 p.m.
Location: Student Union, South Ballroom
UA's Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry celebrates interdisciplinary research with an afternoon of presentations, exhibits, and a reception.
More
Premier of "Thin Yellow Line"
Presented with support from the Center for Latin American Studies
April 23, 7 p.m.
Location: Harkins Tucson Spectrum 18, 5455 Calle Santa Cruz
More
"A Middle East Transformed: U.S. Foreign Policy and a Crisis of Authority"
Presented by the School of Government and Public Policy
April 26, 12 p.m.
Location: Social Sciences 311
Speaker: Ambassador Alberto Fernandez
More
"A Journey into Syrian Music"
Presented by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies
April 27, 5 p.m.
Location: Education 211
More
UA Prose Series
Presented by the Department of English
April 28, 7 p.m.
Location: UA Poetry Center
Speaker: Novelist Fenton Johnson and Essayist Brian Blanchfield
More
Tucson Poverty Project Community Forum
Presented by the School of Sociology
May 12, 1-3 p.m.
Location: Habitat for Humanity, 3501 N. Mountain Ave.
More
Relax and Elevate Your Spirit in Orvieto, Italy
June 19-26
Cultivate the qualities of mindfulness, compassion, and gratitude in the heart of the Italian countryside with the Center for Compassion Studies.
More
Stay Connected

  Follow us on Twitter
Have feedback? If you have story suggestions or comments, let us know!
 
Need past issues?
Check out the
archives for previous Snapshots.
Support
Give to SBS
Support your favorite SBS program or department today by clicking here.

SBS Snapshots
Copyright © 2016 Arizona Board of Regents. All Rights Reserved.

Editor: harwoodl@email.arizona.edu | Homepage: sbs.arizona.edu