Abrazo Award Recognizes Value of University-Community Engagement
September 14, 2011 / By Tiffany Fox, (858) 246-0353, tfox@ucsd.edu
San Diego, Calif., Sept. 14, 2011 — Ramesh Rao, director of the University of California, San Diego division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), is one of the 2011 recipients of the annual Abrazo Awards.
|
“The big takeaway for me in receiving this award is a deeper appreciation for how much more we can be doing with the community,” says Rao. “We really don’t know until we participate in these kinds of activities how much of a resource we are at the university. But at the same time, it’s not just about the university influencing communities — it’s about communities influencing the university. It’s a learning opportunity for us.”
Under Rao’s leadership, Calit2 has collaborated with the UC San Diego Center for Community Well-Being and the Center for Urban Ecologies to bring Calit2-developed digital tiled display walls known as OptIPortables to San Ysidro and other San Diego communities.
In the past, Calit2 focused primarily on constructing or helping other universities construct their own OptIPortables because the systems make it easier for users to interact with one another and access, visualize and analyze data from remote locations. Now the institute is deploying OptIPortables to underserved communities to help them gain access to academic and commercial centers as a way of promoting education, job growth and social reform.
Calit2 is funding the creation and deployment of the OptIPortables, which have been installed at both Casa Familiar and the South Metro Career Center (SMCC) in San Diego’s Mount Hope community. When fully deployed, the displays are about the size of a classroom whiteboard, making them the perfect interface for classroom instruction, job training and community forums. They consist of four 1-megapixel screens, accompanied by a separate television screen for videoconferencing (via LifeSize or Skype) and a 20” tablet for freehand drawing on the big display. The only requirements for sharing data on the OptIPortable are a laptop (or even a smartphone or tablet) and a Virtual Network Computing (VNC) app, which can be downloaded off the Internet and installed in minutes.
Rao’s fellow honorees this year include actor/comedian and activist Paul Rodriguez for his exemplary work as chairman of the California Latino Water Coalition; Howard Hollman, a long time community organizer and co-founder of Union del Barrio; Vanessa Galaviz and the Healthy Borders Project Team; and Ana Molina, chief of staff to California State Assemblyman Ben Hueso. In addition, the Dolores Adame Community Involvement Award was given to Bertha Alicia Gonzalez, a long time San Ysidro community organizer.
Rao said he was especially moved by the work of Gonzalez and her longtime collaborator at Casa Familiar, Chief Executive Officer Andrea Skorepa. Both women have spent decades as tireless social warriors for the community of San Ysidro
“The story of both of these leaders was the power of setting an intention and sticking with it,” adds Rao. “With that sort of focus you really can move mountains. These women are the real role models.”
About Casa Familiar: Casa Familiar continuously works to supplement its operating budget to continue providing much needed services and programming in education, advocacy, service provision, health related projects, housing, and community development as well as arts and culture in the South Bay area of San Diego county. Casa Familiar serves more than 20,000 low to very-low income residents annually and that number continues to grow each year.
Related Links
Media Contacts
Tiffany Fox, (858) 246-0353, tfox@ucsd.edu