www.theBulldogSolution.com

My latest blog post for DMLcentral is now online: Conferences as Catalysts for Educational Innovation and Change.

A select morsel:

The face-to-face nature of conferences is, I believe, of even more importance in an extremely digitally connected world. Whilst it’s often the case that you can get to know people very well online, there’s something about embodied interaction that makes your knowledge of that person three-dimensional. I don’t think one method of interacting is necessarily ‘better’ than the other; a blended approach is best. This, I suppose, is why social media is so popular.

In addition, my opinion on Apple’s new iBooks Author was quoted on the JISC site this week. However, they mistakenly listed me as a ‘practising teacher’.

That little slip made me realise just how much I miss it…

The daughter of iconic Mexican artist Diego Rivera visits Fresno State at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, when the university’s new Center for Creativity and the Arts presents “An Evening with Guadalupe Rivera Marín.”

Rivera Marín will discuss growing up in Mexico with her father, whom she describes as a larger-than-life figure who created unforgettable images of working people, industrial machines and life in Mexico. Diego Rivera (1886-1957) is best known for his bold murals, his leftist political commitment and his marriages to artist Frida Kahlo.

Rivera-Marin will share her children’s book “My Papá Diego and Me: Memories of My Father and His Art.” The bilingual presentation will be illustrated with rare family portraits and 14 reproductions of her father’s artistry that hold a special place in her memory, while offering readers snapshots of her childhood.

The free public event is scheduled at the Satellite Student Union at Fresno State (south of Barstow Avenue on Maple Avenue. A book signing will follow the presentation. Copies of Rivera Marín’s books will be available for purchase.

Sponsored by Wells Fargo, the presentation is part of the Center for Creativity and the Arts’ year-long series examining Immigration, migration and labor from various artistic perspectives.

Dr. Vida Samiian, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, said Rivera Marín’s visit helps fulfill a Center for Creativity and the Arts’ objective to ”engage diverse communities in artistic and intellectual discovery to understand, transform and inspire.”

For more information contact Lee Ann Jansen, the college’s director of development, at 559.278.1877 or ljansen@csufresno.edu.

(Copy by student news assistant Reganie Smith-Love.)

Related links

• Center for Creativity and the Arts
• Samiian’s Fresno Bee column on the center

Robert Dye, chief economist of Comerica Bank, will be the keynote speaker for the Central Valley Economic Forum 4-6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, at Fresno State’s Grosse Industrial Technology Building, Room 101.

The event, sponsored by Fresno State’s University Center to Advance Manufacturing, is free for manufacturers, food processors and industrial firms and $35 for other individuals.

Dye’s forum-opening topic is “Slow Headway Through Shifting Winds.”

At 5:30 p.m., Ron Flaherty, president of Flaherty Capital Markets, will discuss “Capital: What the Investment & Finance Markets Look for in a Company and Why You Need to Know.” He founded Cybus Capital Markets and is a former managing director of First National’s Investment Banking Division.

“We hope that this forum will be yet another successful meeting that links the university with the local business and industrial community,” said Don Austin, a professor in the Department of Industrial Technology.

The center provides research, workforce development and networking in manufacturing.

It promotes using resources throughout the San Joaquin Valley in partnership with the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Lyles College of Engineering and Craig School of Business at Fresno State. .

“Our plan is to provide expanded educational and networking opportunities for our students and for safety, quality and production managers in the Valley,” Austin said.

For more information or to pre-register, contact Austin at 559.278.6494 or daustin@csufresno.edu.

Copy by University Communications news student assistant Nicole Maul.

Related link:

• Center to Advance Manufacturing: University Center to Advance Manufacturing

You are invited to the UC Davis Chancellor’s Colloquium Distinguished Speaker Series featuring Michael Dukakis, former governor of Massachusetts and Democratic nominee for President in 1988. His talk, “Public Service: A Great Career” will include a question-and-answer session with audience members.

The event will take place on Monday, February 27, from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. followed by a reception at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on the UC Davis campus. To register for this free event, visit the event website at: http://tinyurl.com/6rkgmju .

If you would prefer to RSVP by phone, contact the CRB Reception desk at (916) 653-6602.

For additional information regarding CRB services, contact CRB Acting Director, Brian R. Sala, Ph.D., at (916) 8793.

Four former Fresno State football players and one coach will be on the field Sunday, Feb. 5, in Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI when the New England Patriots and New York Giants play.

Tight end Bear Pascoe, who caught a touchdown pass in the NFC championship game against San Francisco, and backup quarterback David Carr, the top player picked in the 2002 National Football League draft, play for the Giants

All-Pro left guard Logan Mankins and fellow offensive lineman Ryan Wendell must protect Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady and clear the way for runners. They’ll be supported as they were during their time at Fresno State by Patriots assistant strength and conditioning coach Moses Cabrera, a Bulldog football graduate assistant (2002-03) and assistant strength coach (2003-10).

It’s the first Super Bowl for Pascoe, Carr, Wendell and Cabrera and the second for Mankins.

Read more at Go Buldogs:  Bulldogs Headed to Super Bowl and Cabrera Reaches Super Bowl with Pats.