Award Ceremony - Eudaimonia 2024: Connectors
2024-05-01 16:30 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | James West Alumni Center, Tom Davis Founders’ Room and patio, 325 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Food and refreshments will be served! Reception starts at 4:30pm and Program starts at 5pm.
The Semel Healthy Campus Initiative (HCI) Eudaimonia Award is an annual recognition award given to a member of the UCLA community past or present who exemplifies a life full of purpose and meaning.
This year our theme is: “Connectors” which is to acknowledge UCLA community members who exemplify this theme, have committed to bringing good to society, and who build up community members through care, service and advocacy.
The 2024 Eudaimonia Award recipient will be honored.
REGISTER HERE

CANCELLED - Free Food from the Dining Halls
2024-05-01 22:00, 2024-05-02 22:00 | Conference Room 1 in the Student Activities Center Basement, 220 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED – follow @uclabruindine for updates about future events.
Get a plate of free hot dining hall food in the SAC basement. Please bring your own containers and utensils. Bruin Dine is operating Tuesdays, Wednesdays, AND Thursdays this quarter.

CANCELED - UCLA First Thursdays: Farmers' Market Pop-Up and Evening Block Party
2024-05-02 12:00 - 22:00 | Westwood Village Broxton Ave, 1031 Broxton Avenue , CA 90024, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, United States
UCLA May First Thursdays (CANCELED)
From @UCLA:
“Due to the distress caused by the violence that took place on Royce Quad and the ongoing tension regarding campus demonstrations, UCLA First Thursdays, scheduled for May 2, has been canceled. While Bruins hold a variety of perspectives on this conflict, we must all protect the wellbeing of our peers and maintain an environment safe for learning.”
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Join the final First Thursdays series event for the academic year! The evening party on Broxton Ave. will be a vivid celebration of music, art and food.
Check out amazing performances from the Beatboxing Bruins, UCLA Bruinettes, Mariachi de Uclatlán, Top Shelf Brass Band, and Leela Dance Collective.
In addition to a full showcase of Spring Sing preview performances by Ella Gibson, Juliana Simone, Resonance, Icarus Contemporary Dancy Company, and Free the BLVD.

**Event Cancelled** Culture, Power, Social Change presents....The Hindu Home Kitchen and the Internet of Landlords
2024-05-02 12:15 - 13:45 | Haines Hall Room 352, 375 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
The following RFI event has been cancelled:
Please feel free to contact RFI if you have any questions or concerns.
Dr. Sucharita Kanjilal of Bard College will examine the ‘creator economy’ through an ethnographic account of Indian ‘home chefs’ — those who make a living by producing content about domestic cooking for YouTube and Instagram. Specifically, she will analyze the material and cultural mechanisms through which Indian creators’ home kitchens are being re-imagined and re-signified as start-up infrastructures.

Ed Talks @CEILS: Learning Community Meetings, "Enacting Inclusive Science in STEMM Teaching and Training"
2024-05-02 14:00 - 14:50 | Terasaki Life Sciences Rm 1100, 610 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Integration of diversity in scientific training, teaching, and inquiry is pivotal to developing an inclusive approach to science. In this talk, Dr. Ana Romero shares research findings on culturally responsive practices used to teach and train undergraduate students in STEMM from a study on the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) initiative.
About the presenter: Ana Romero is an Associate Project Scientist for the NIH-funded Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC) and the Assistant Director of the Student Affairs graduate program in the Department of Education at UCLA. Her research examines the impact of STEMM interventions on students’ success and pathways, organizational change in STEMM equity initiatives, the higher education work environment, and campus climate issues. Ana completed her Ph.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change at UCLA, M.A. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, and B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Sociology at UCLA.
REGISTER HERE

POSTPONED: Critical Ecology Lab Virtual Workshop
2024-05-02 14:00 - 17:00 | Online
Join the Critical Ecology Lab for an interactive virtual workshop on critical ecology and its applications within global change science research and teaching. As an independent research organization, Critical Ecology Lab investigates the relationships between social power, inequality and global environmental change, highlighting the relevance of this understanding to studies of ecosystem and climatic change.
Broken into two parts, the workshop will begin with an informational presentation and discussion of the critical ecology framework, its core tenets and the critical social theory from which it draws inspiration. The latter part of the workshop will be dedicated to small-group discussions and practice applying the critical ecology framework to participants’ research and teaching projects, and will be especially relevant for graduate students, postdocs and faculty working/teaching in the global change sciences or adjacent fields. If you work in an adjacent field and are unsure that the practicum/workshop is directly relevant to your work, you are welcome to leave during the break before the small-group discussions begin.
REGISTER HERE

South LA Eco Lab Community Meeting
2024-05-02 17:30 - 19:30 | HYBRID: Harvard Park and Zoom, 816 W 51st St, Los Angeles, CA, 90037, United States
Learn about the exciting South LA Eco-Lab projects that will be coming to the area in the next five years, including how to get a potentially free solar panel and cool roof! Discover paid training opportunities and more!
Please note that this will be a hybrid meeting, allowing for both in-person and virtual participation.
REGISTER HERE
The South LA Eco-Lab is transforming South Los Angeles into a healthy, thriving neighborhood — one with lush green spaces, clean air, renewable energy infrastructure, and dynamic mobility options for pedestrians, bikers, and public transit.

Environmental and Climate Change Literacy Projects Annual Forum Symposium
2024-05-03 09:00 - 17:00 | Online
Unite with PK-16 students, educators, researchers, and community partners for a transformative journey. Dive into knowledge-sharing, professional development, and collaborative networking to empower change. Together, champion climate literacy, justice, and action, turning challenges into opportunities for a greener future.
REGISTER HERE

Guided UCLA Botanical Garden Tour
2024-05-04 10:00 - 11:00 | UCLA Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden, La Kretz Garden Pavilion, 707 Tiverton Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90095
Join a Garden Guide for a free tour. Explore a living museum featuring collections of plants from around the globe!
You’ll hear the stories of selected plants in the Garden and their relevance to human society. All ages are welcome. Tours meet at the La Kretz Garden Pavilion at the northern end of the Garden and are given a grace period of 5 minutes.
Tours are free.

Light Pollution & Terrestrial Wildlife: Research Into Practice
2024-05-07 16:00 - 17:30 | Online
Learn how light pollution affects wildlife.
Part of the Audubon Everglades Speaker Series collection
Join monthly virtually and learn about the latest science and conservation with international, national and local experts.
The past 20 years have seen an explosion of research into the adverse effects of light at night on wildlife. In this presentation, Travis Longcore will describe and categorize those effects and how they affect species and ecosystems, ranging from the disruption of circadian rhythms for birds to fragmentation of landscapes for puma. Then Travis will review the different means by which such impacts can be reduced, including shielding, reduction in intensity, and the synergistic benefits of adjusting spectrum to avoid the most disruptive colors of light.
About the Presenter:
Travis Longcore grew up under the Northern Lights of Eastern Maine. He went to the University of Delaware, followed by UCLA, where he earned and M.A. and Ph.D. in Geography. He is now Adjunct Professor and Co-Chair of the Environmental Science and Engineering Program at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. His landmark article “Ecological Light Pollution” (Longcore and Rich 2004) and 2006 co-edited book Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting (Island Press) have come to define a rapidly growing research area in ecology. In 2022, he received the Galileo Award from the International Dark-Sky Association “in recognition of outstanding achievements in research or academic work on light pollution over a multiple-year period.” He is also the President of the Los Angeles Audubon Society.
New Paper: A Compendium of Photopigments and Visual Spectral Response Curves

LEDs and Terrestrial Wildlife

https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/person/travis-longcore/
REGISTER HERE

**POSTPONED** - Chinchillas: From Wilderness to Breeding Farms, from the Andes to Southern California
2024-05-07 16:00 - 17:30 | Online and 10383 Bunche Hall, 11282 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
At the turn of the twentieth century, the chinchilla was on the verge of extinction. As international prices and demand soared, the Chilean-German scientist Federico Albert wrote in 1901, hunters and the fur industry had declared “a war to death against the chinchillas.” The imminent extinction of the chinchilla and the destruction of their habitat worried people like Albert. Part of the conservationist generation of the early twentieth century, Albert and his contemporaries advocated for rational exploitation of nature, strong and modern public institutions, and laws to regulate logging, hunting, and fishing. They also believed hunters were primitive and barbaric, whose methods and greed wiped out wildlife. Angela Vergara will discuss how Latin American experts responded to the chinchilla extinction in the 1910s, and how their failure led to domestication, breeding, and ranching. By the 1920s, a new landscape emerged: cages replaced natural burrows, and family farms and laborers replaced hunters. Moreover, this landscape would be replicated in different parts of the world, from Chile to the West of the United States to South Africa.
Speaker:
Angela Vergara
Department of History, California State University Los Angeles
Cost: Free and Open to the Public
Hybrid event – REGISTER FOR ZOOM OPTION HERE

2024 Mautner Perkins Memorial Lecture Series
2024-05-07 16:30 - 18:30 | California NanoSystems Institute, 570 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
with Distingusihed Guest Lecturer Professor Omar M. Yaghi
James and Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry
University of California, Berkeley
Co-Director:
Bakar Institute of Digital Materials for the Planet
Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute at Berkeley
California Research Alliance by BASF
4:30 p.m. Reception
5:30 p.m. Lecture
REGISTER HERE

**CANCELLED** - Synthesis for Policy in Amazonia: A Participatory Approach to Tackling Threats to Biodiversity
2024-05-10 12:00 - 13:30 | Bunche Hall, Rm 10383, 11282 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
In light of safety concerns arising from recent campus events the event scheduled for May 10th between the Center for Brazilian Studies and CTR is cancelled “Synthesis for Policy: A Participatory Approach to Tackling Threats to Biodiversity.”
Evidence-informed solutions are urgently needed to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises – the 21st-century’s most significant challenges. Multiple stressors threaten Amazonia’s socio-ecological importance, highlighting the need for coordinated efforts to mitigate these threats. Effective engagement with policy, decision-makers, non-governmental organizations and local communities can improve research development and conservation planning success. This presentation analyzes stakeholder-based solutions to the main threats to Amazonian biodiversity.
Speaker:
James Moura Jr. is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol, UK—Synthesis for Policy in Amazonia (SynPAm). He is also an Associate Professor at the University for the International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony, Brazil, and a Visiting Professor at the Community, Indigenous, Liberation, and Ecopsychology Psychology Program at Pacifica Graduate Institute.

CANCELLED - Dr. Marccus Hendricks Lecture: Murky Waters
2024-05-13 16:00 - 18:00 | UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Room 2343, 337 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
A Community Approach to Evaluate and Address Sanitary Sewer Overflows and Basement Backups
As we face the growing impacts of climate change on urban infrastructure, the dialogue surrounding resilient water systems has never been more pressing. Join an in-depth session with Dr. Marccus Hendricks, who will illuminate the intersections of public health, urban planning, and environmental justice in the face of increasing sanitary sewer overflows and basement backups.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Marccus D. Hendricks is an Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Planning and the Director of the Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice (SIRJ) Lab at the University of Maryland (UMD). His role extends into Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health. Dr. Hendricks’ work is renowned for its examination of how social processes and development patterns result in hazardous human-built environments, specifically relating to urban stormwater management, flooding, and vulnerable infrastructures. His tenure as a Senior Advisor for Climate and Community Resilience in the Biden-Harris Administration has further amplified his contributions to creating resilient and equitable communities.
In his quest to forge resilient urban spaces, Dr. Hendricks has explored the intricate interplay between environmental justice and infrastructure, with a special focus on how community-driven strategies can address the risks and develop robust adaptation practices. He leverages diverse methodologies, from environmental sampling to visual inspections, advocating for a participatory approach that brings tangible improvements to both policy and the lived environment.

Global Webinar Series on Water and Sustainable Development
2024-05-14 09:00 - 10:30 | Online
The University of Glasgow, through its School of Social & Environmental Sustainability, is delighted to present a Global Webinar Series on Water and Sustainable Development. This series provides a platform for discussion on current and future water-related problems, and potential solutions from a multidisciplinary, multisectoral and multi-issues basis. Leading global academics, senior policymakers from around the world, heads of national and international organisations, and senior officials from important multinational corporations will contribute and provide insight from their expert perspectives.
Next Event: Desalination in the Context of Water Security
WATCH HERE

Yaks and Biodiversity: Contested Narratives of Land Degradation in Eastern Tibet, Lecture and Film Screening by Professor Huatse Gyal
2024-05-14 11:00 - 12:30 | Online and 10383 Bunche Hall, 11282 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Huatse Gyal will speak on the emergent and innovative forms of land restoration efforts that center land-based community building as a precondition to environmental protection on the eastern Tibetan Plateau.
Note: Interested individuals may attend in person at Bunche Hall (Rm 10383) or online via Zoom. Please note the updated location with the new building and room number.
RSVP to Attend In Person (Bunche Hall, Rm 10383)
RSVP to Attend Virtually (Online via Zoom)

A Map-Based Decision-making Framework for Equity in EV Charging
2024-05-15 12:00 - 13:15 | HYBRID: University of California Center Sacramento and Online, 1115 11th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95814, United States
State, federal, and auto industry leaders have set ambitious targets to transition to electric vehicles over the coming decade. Governor Newsom and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) have set California on a pathway to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. To support this transition, we will need millions of EV chargers. But where can we locate this new mobility infrastructure to the needs of priority communities, integrate with other transportation modes, and support connectivity and economic development? Local governments will play a crucial role, and they will need decision-making tools for stakeholder-informed processes. UC Berkeley’s Energy & Resources Group, School of Information, and School of Law are developing a platform to meet this need.
TO ATTEND IN PERSON, PLEASE CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
TO REGISTER FOR THE ZOOM WEBINAR, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Blue + Green Session 2: Kelp and the Bioeconomy
2024-05-15 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
The Blue + Green 2024 series is a 4 part monthly series taking place virtually in celebrating of Earth Day beginning Thursday April 25, 2024 and ending July 16, 2024.
The goal of the project is to shine a spotlight on emerging aquaculture sector in our economy. Aquaculture and the supporting technologies bring together all the key ingredients – future growth opportunities that support our coastal ecosystems, the economy, jobs, and our communities. This webinar series reimagines partnerships between business, government, universities, and communities through regenerative ocean research, exploration, and equity-based economic development.
Panel Discussion on the Economic Benefits of Developing a Kelp Bioeconomy will examine how developing a kelp bioeconomy can create jobs, generate revenue for coastal communities, and diversify marine industries beyond traditional fisheries.
REGISTER HERE

VC and Climate Talk
2024-05-15 16:00 - 17:30 | UCLA Anderson, Korn Convocation Hall, 110 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Join UCLA Anderson’s Center for Impact and Easton Technology Management Center for an informative discussion with Raj Kapoor, the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Climactic. Raj will delve into the venture capital industry and climate tech – specifically what we need to get a net zero planet, how innovation can help us get there, and some example companies in the industry.
With a successful track record in venture capital at Mayfield, and as a former Chief Strategy Officer at Lyft, Raj brings a wealth of experience to the table. Climactic, his venture capital firm, is dedicated to early-stage investments in climate tech for enterprise and mobility, leveraging over two decades of general tech experience to accelerate startup success. This will be interactive so bring your questions!
4:00 – 4:30 p.m. ………….. Networking Reception in D Atrium
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. …………… Speaker in Korn Convocation Hall
REGISTER HERE FOR IN-PERSON
A remote option via Zoom is available for those who cannot attend in person.
REGISTER HERE FOR ZOOM

Free Food from the Dining Halls
2024-05-15 22:00 | Conference Room 1 in the Student Activities Center Basement, 220 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Get a plate of free hot dining hall food in the SAC basement. Please bring your own containers and utensils. Bruin Dine is operating Tuesdays, Wednesdays, AND Thursdays this quarter.
Follow @uclabruindine for updates.

Preventing Silicosis: An ancient disease in modern times: Silicosis caused by artificial stone in the United States
2024-05-16 08:00 - 17:00 | Northwest Auditorium, 350 De Neve Dr,, Los Angeles,, CA, 90024
The purpose of this conference and working meeting is to bring together affected workers, employers and manufacturers with researchers, unions, community-based organizations and other stakeholders to develop practical and feasible solutions to prevent silicosis caused by artificial stone.
REGISTER HERE

**CANCELLED** - CTR Monthly Seminar Series: "Foreign Collaboration and Community Engagement - Challenges and Best Practices"
2024-05-16 14:00 - 15:00 | CA
In light of the current situation at the UCLA Campus, we regret to inform you that the CTR Seminar series scheduled for May 16th from 2-3PM PST is cancelled.
We anticipate resuming our Seminars in Fall 2024.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
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Join a presentation and discussion led by Virginia Zaunbrecher, Ary Amaya, Hannah Stouter, Nick Russo, and Isaac Aguilar.

UCLA Center for Education Innovation & Learning in the Sciences (CEILS) EdTalks: Lightning TAR (Teaching as Research) talks from CIRTL Scholars
2024-05-16 14:00 - 16:00 | HYBRID: Terasaki Life Sciences Building 1100 and Zoom, 610 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Join us as we explore the latest high quality STEM Education Research studies and how to implement effective and inclusive teaching. We welcome guest speakers from UCLA and other academic institutions to share their research and lead small group discussions with our teaching and learning community. Faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and anyone interested in STEM education research are welcome to participate.
The talks will be from 2-2:50 pm in Terasaki Life Sciences Rm 1100 (Zoom Option Available).
Light refreshments will be served at the talk + Happy Hour and Poster Session after this 5/16 Lightning TAR session
REGISTER HERE

Captivity: Assembling Nature’s Histories
2024-05-17 09:15 - 17:30 | William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, 2520 Cimarron Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90018, United States
Conference organized by Anna Chen, Rebecca Fenning Marschall, and Bronwen Wilson, University of California, Los Angeles
The conference is free to attend with advance registration, and will be held in-person at the Clark Library and livestreamed on the Center’s YouTube Channel. No registration is required to watch the livestream. In-person registration closed on Monday, May 13. Seating is limited at the Clark Library; walk-in registrants are welcome as space permits.
The early modern period was a hothouse for the study of physical things in the natural world, and for the collection and assembly of them in human-made physical spaces. In other periods, botanical samples were preserved by diarists in their journals, such as Poems and Riddles written by Mary Woodyeare Tibbits (ca. 1764–1840), and Pressed specimens of butterflies and moths (1905), compiled by Yasushi Nawa (1857–1926), which are both in the Clark Library’s collections. Nawa’s lepidochromic book showcases the technique of “printing butterflies,” or fixing the scales of their wings onto paper. Specimens of all sorts were admired for their variegated colors, curated in collections, and assembled into books. Birds were captured in aviaries for their sounds, or killed and prepared as specimens for display, study, and scientific descriptions. Plants were transported across oceans in terraria, and contained in plots and glasshouses.
Libraries were deeply implicated in these historical pursuits of the collection and classification of the contents of the natural world, as are modern libraries that now grapple with whether and how to preserve the nature that enters their collections. The interior-exterior division of libraries is a highly regulated boundary. Libraries strive tirelessly to seal the building envelope against the environmental conditions of the outdoors, as fluctuating temperature and humidity levels, mold spores, insects, rodents and natural disasters all threaten damage to their holdings. Libraries also capture books about nature on their shelves, as flora and fauna cohabitate on their grounds. At the Clark Library, Cooper hawks nest, feral cats roam, and roots of trees probe the ground in search of water. What might we learn from these efforts to capture and to conserve nature, coupled with its potential to decompose or to invade environments?

West Valley - 2024 LASAN Open House
2024-05-18 10:00 - 14:00 | LASAN West Valley District Yard, 8840 Vanalden Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 91324, United States
LA Sanitation & Environment (LASAN) holds six free Open Houses events each year, opening our district yards to the public. The Open House program showcases LASAN’s residential curbside collection programs with an emphasis on proper recycling practices and bulky item collection while strengthening partnerships with City residents.
Each Open House will feature trash trucks and equipment demonstrations in addition to facility tours, information booths, recycling games, and a free lunch. All children receive a special hat at registration and have the opportunity to operate the controls on the trucks. Parents go home with vegetable plants. Our 360 degree video booth is free for all to enjoy!
There is no charge for admission and all ages are welcome, but pets are requested to be left at home for safety. Free food, beverages, and giveaways are available while supplies last.
Learn more at www.lacitysan.org/openhouse or call our 24-hour Customer Care Center at 1-800-773-2489.
This is a Zero Waste event! Please consider bringing your own reusable water bottle, utensils, etc. We’ll have composting and recycling bins out to capture waste. Our staff will be ready to assist you if you’re unsure what goes in each bin.
* Registration is strongly recommended but not required.
REGISTER HERE

Gathering at Kuruvungna
2024-05-18 10:00 - 15:00 | Kuruvungna Village Springs, 1439 South Barrington Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90025, United States
Join starting at 10:00 AM at Kuruvungna Village Springs for a day filled with fun activities, delicious food, and great company. This in-person event is the perfect opportunity to connect with others and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Kuruvungna. Don’t miss out on this fantastic event!
REGISTER HERE

**CANCELED** - Clarkia Festival
2024-05-18 10:00 - 16:00 | Botanical Garden, 707 Tiverton Dr
NOTE: This year’s Clarkia Festival, set to take place on May 18, 2024, is canceled.
If you were planning to attend the Clarkia Festival on May 18, we encourage you to visit the Gathering at Kuruvungna, the Clark Library’s Bookish Biomes event, and the Natural History Museum’s Bug Fair instead.
The UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden will have a wonderful Clarkia Festival next spring, and many other public programs throughout the year where you can celebrate nature in community. For now, we hope you can find peace and healing by visiting the Garden.
We look forward to seeing you at the Garden and at the 2025 Clarkia Festival.

*POSTPONED* - Bookish Biomes: Assembling Nature’s Histories at the Clark Library
2024-05-18 11:00 - 14:00 | William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, 2520 Cimarron Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90018, United States
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we regret to inform you that this event has been postponed. A new date will be listed here and shared with all registrants.
The event is free to attend and will be held in-person at the Clark Library. Registration will close on Wednesday, May 15 at 5:00 p.m. Walk-in registrants are welcome as space permits.
The Clark Library preserves and provides access to over 130,000 books, manuscripts, and artworks dating from the 15th century to the present. But there is a library of living things on the five acres of green space outside the library’s building, too. This event will bring together both our indoor and outdoor collections, as we explore nature’s histories – and its present!
Participants will learn about bees and beekeeping from the Bruin Beekeepers, go on bird walks with experienced guides from Los Angeles Birders, learn about how people in the past studied and collected the natural world through our library collections, and talk to representatives from other nature- and garden-minded local groups. Attendees will also be able to make their own field notebooks, participate in a Clark Library bioblitz to help expand our knowledge of the library’s outdoor collections, trade plant cuttings and seeds with other attendees, plant seeds to take home from our heirloom seed library – and more!
REGISTER HERE

Understanding the (Fake) Meat Debates: Examining Public Perceptions of Alternative Proteins
2024-05-20 13:00 - 14:00 | 2121 Murphy Hall, 410 Charles E Young Dr E, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
SUMMARY: The alternative protein landscape, comprised of both plant-based animal product alternatives and the emerging field of cellular agriculture (including cultivated meat), has become a flashpoint for contemporary food system debate. Drawing from a mix of interpretive and empirical methods – including stakeholder interviews, media analysis, public opinion surveys, and consumer focus groups – this presentation provides an overview of key points of contestation in the “fake meat” debates. Fundamentally, the research argues that consumer attitudes and behaviors toward alternative proteins cannot be reduced to traditional determinants of food choice alone – notably taste, price, and convenience. As relevant as those factors continue to be, public perceptions of alternative proteins are also influenced by a set of broader ideologies related to meat, animals, technology, and the industrial food system as a whole. Highlighting divergent perspectives between and among devoted carnivores, flexible omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans alike, the presentation reflects on the future of alternative protein in terms of its technological development, market activity, and public discourse.
