USD Magazine Fall 2009

[ s y l l abu s ] Course: The Problem of God Instructor: Kathryn Valdivia DESCRIPTION: What is “reality?” Does “evil” exist? Can human beings identify omniscient truths? Pretty heavy stuff for a sunny summer morning. ANGST DU JOUR: While existential uncertainty can be unnerving, the real cause of the jitters this morning is a looming exam tomorrow. Not to worry. The professor is reassuring: “I think you’ll all do pretty darn well. I’m going to make sure you’re prepared today.” BELIEVING IN BELIEF: Everything is called into question, even the concept of “nothing.” In fact, in line with Plato’s assertion that all things in existence are good by virtue of existing, and Augustine’s posit that “evil” is therefore turning away from God, one bewildered student is compelled to ask, “So, nothing is evil?”Well, no, because “nothing” is both a noun and a concept. After further mental gymnastics, it’s no wonder another student agrees with the Prophet Isaiah, who said, “To come to any understanding at all, I have to believe in something.” A RAY OF HOPE: There is consensus by a show of hands that all of these students believe evil exists, but find the notion that there is a grain of good in even the most corrupt beings comforting. BACK TO THE TEST: Wistful glances at blue skies and golden light beckoning through large classroom windows become few and far between as discussion hones in on Dostoevsky, heartbreak and the human experience. AND, IN THE END: One student needs a definitive answer. “Are you looking for right answers on the test?”“Yes,” the professor laughs. “There will definitely be right answers.” — Stefanie Wray

work. They then spent three weeks finalizing their research before presenting it at The Neuro- sciences Institute. The experience is so powerful that former Bahia students return for short visits. Marlem Rivera, a senior at Hoover, came to see her younger brother, Jorge, go through this year’s program.“Every year there’s something different,” Rivera says.“Without this program, I know I’d have been lost.” Beyond the undeniably life- changing nature of the program, as a marine research destination, Bahia de Los Angeles is ideal. It has diverse terrain, rare sea birds, glow-in-the-dark scorpions and lush ocean life. It’s a place where University of California, Davis, professor Gary Polis enjoyed spending time. An expert on Baja California scorpi- ons, spiders and food webs, he worked extensively in the area, compiling nearly 20 years of research before a tragic accident claimed his life nearly a decade ago. Polis and eight others were returning from an island research trip when rough waves in the Sea of Cortez capsized their boat. Polis and four other scientists died. The accident was devastating, but it spurred others into action. Talley, then a UC Davis associ- ate ecologist, along with some of Polis’ postdoctoral researchers, including Gary Huxel, a survivor from the accident, stepped in to keep the project going. “The process of discovery is a great joy,”Talley says. “I think sci- entists sometimes shy away from outreach and education because they view it as important but tan- gential to their academic endeav- ors. For me, nothing could be farther from the truth.” “I never met Gary, but we all feel a connection to him because of the work he did,” Fisler says. “We talk about it every year here with our students. Being here means our students have the chance to follow in the foot- steps of some great scientists.”

STEPHEN SIMPSON

ODI executive director Shara Fisler says. Fisler, an adjunct marine science and evolutionary biology professor at USD for nine years, started ODI in 1999. Staffed by several USD alumni, as well as Talley, ODI’s pro- grams expose children living in low-income neighborhoods in San Diego’s City Heights to marine sci- ence education. “We actually start engaging youth at preschool age to come to our habitat restoration proj- ects,” Fisler says. Part of ODI’s Ocean Leaders program, Bahia is geared toward high school students; 15 students from Hoover High attended this year. Students participated in activities and swim lessons in San Diego before heading to Mexico for five weeks of research

PORTIA REMNANT

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FALL 2009