ON CAMPUS AT UCI:UCI scholarship winners meet the Dalai Lama

When UC Irvine student Rajiv Ramdeo learned he was going to meet the Dalai Lama, the kind of inner peace espoused by Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader eluded him.

“I was anxious. I kept wondering what I was going to say to him,” he said. Then Ramdeo, a daily practitioner of meditation, regained his center.

“I figured that just being there in his presence would be enough.”

Ramdeo and another UCI senior, Aswathi Sreedharan, had a private audience with the Dalai Lama Sept. 12 in Pasadena as recipients of the university’s inaugural XIV Dalai Lama Endowed Scholarship. At first, Ramdeo simply listened while UCI Chancellor Michael V. Drake and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Manuel N. Gómez, who accompanied the students, talked with the Dalai Lama about spiritual life on campus.

“Meeting the Dalai Lama had a profound effect on me. Afterward I had a clear, peaceful state of mind,” Ramdeo says. “I was totally captivated.”

Captivated, but not tongue-tied. He and Sreedharan told the Dalai Lama about their efforts to bring his holiness’ ideals to campus. (Each student was awarded a $7,500 scholarship and $2,500 in funding to pursue projects related to ethics and leadership.)

Ramdeo, a biological sciences major, will use the money to expand the meditation club he started on campus last year. He plans to bring in a variety of leaders to discuss meditation, humanitarian work and ethical leadership.

“Everyone gets something different from meditation. It helps remind me of what’s important and gives my life a spiritual foundation.”

Sreedharan, a biomedical engineering and international studies major, plans to organize a camp where student leaders from colleges around the state will gather for activities that encourage unity among students and support world peace — an expanded version of a project she helped organize last year.

“When I entered the room to meet the Dalai Lama, I could feel the positive flow of energy in everyone,” Sreedharan says. “Each one of us offered a scarf to the Dalai Lama, who then wrapped it around our necks like a shawl. Being with him meant experiencing pure love and warmth, and I couldn’t stop smiling throughout the meeting.”

A group of private citizens created the scholarship after seeing the Dalai Lama speak at UCI in April 2004. The annual scholarship encourages students to follow the ideals he shared during the visit, such as developing compassionate and ethical leadership inside and outside the classroom.

“The Dalai Lama is one of the great ethical leaders of our time, and for UCI to have the only endowed scholarship in his name is an amazing honor,” Drake says.

More: www.vcsa.uci.edu/ DalaiLamaScholarship

UCI physicians named top cancer doctorsSix UCI doctors were listed in the 2006 Castle Connolly Guide’s America’s Top Doctors for Cancer.

Castle Connolly is a healthcare research and information company founded in 1991 to help consumers find outstanding doctors and hospitals.

Included in the annual cancer guide were Dr. Michael J. Stamos for colorectal surgery; Dr. Frank Meyskens for cancer prevention, melanoma and sarcoma; Dr. Mark Linskey for brain tumors, gamma knife surgery and skull base surgery; Dr. Michael L. Berman for gynecologic cancer; Dr. Philip J. Di Saia for ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and cervical cancer; and Dr. John Butler for breast cancer.

More: www.castleconnolly.com

Irvine celebrates ‘Tapestry of Cultures’The city of Irvine will celebrate its 35th anniversary with “Tapestry of Cultures,” featuring performances that represent the city’s cultural heritage, at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

The event includes music, dance, kung fu and other art forms from around the world. The UCI Etude Ensemble will perform “Songs of the Disinherited,” choreographed and directed by Donald McKayle, Claire Trevor professor of dance. Tickets are $12-$25.

More: (949) 854-4646

U.N. peacekeeper to receive 2006 Human Security AwardUCI’s Center for Unconventional Security Affairs will present its 2006 Human Security Award to Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire for his efforts to stop genocide. Dallaire, a senator in Canada, will speak on “Human Rights in a Complex World” at 7 p.m. Oct. 11, at the Barclay Theatre.

In 1993, while serving as commander of the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission to Rwanda, Dallaire saved thousands of lives during one of the worst genocides of the 20th century. The critically acclaimed movie “Hotel Rwanda” included a character played by Nick Nolte that was loosely based on Dallaire.

CUSA’s Human Security Award recognizes extraordinary individuals who make contributions to protecting and empowering the world’s most vulnerable people. Tickets are $8-$25.

More: (949) 854-4646 or www.cusa.uci.edu/ romeo_dallaire.htm

Researcher offers advice on ‘Successful Aging’The UCI Libraries Speaker Series presents “Strategies for Successful Aging,” featuring Carl W. Cotman, director of the UCI Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia and professor of neurology, at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 11, in Langson Library.

Cotman will talk about the ability of the adult brain to form new connections, or synapses, in response to injury and disease. His recent research suggests that exercise, environmental enrichment and antioxidants can contribute to successful brain aging.

Parking is available for $7 in the UCI Student Center parking structure at West Peltason and Pereira drives. The talk is free and open to the public.

Reservations: (949) 824-5300 or https://partners@uci.edu

Electronic art debuts at BeallThe Beall Center for Art and Technology presents “Quantizing Effects: The Liminal Art of Jim Campbell,” through Dec. 2. The exhibit explores perception, information, time, memory and knowledge through electronic and new media artwork. Admission is free.

More: (949) 824-4339 or beallcenter.uci.edu

is assistant vice chancellor of communications at UC Irvine. She can be reached at smenning@uci.edu