Speed Thrills

An education is the product of years of study. For one night, however, UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education (GGSE) offers an expedited presentation of research that’s shaping education and applied psychology.

“Fast & Curious: ED Talks from UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School,” will take place Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Faulkner Gallery at the Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu St. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature three faculty members, one graduate student, one alumna, one retired faculty member/alumna and one non-GGSE professor. Attendees are asked to RSVP for planning purposes to: rsvp@education.ucsb.edu. Please put “Fast & Curious” in the subject line.

The event is the brainchild of Jeffrey Milem, who became dean of GGSE in July 2016. “Upon arriving in Santa Barbara I was struck not only by the immensely talented faculty and the breadth and depth of their research, but also by their commitment to the public good and their desire to make that research matter,” he said. “This series is a very direct — and fun — way for faculty, alumni and eventually our students to share their insights with the local community.”

A reception in the Faulkner Gallery will follow immediately after the presentations.

This evening will be the seventh in the successful series that began in February 2017. Videos of talks from the other events, which drew crowds of approximately 75 each, can be seen online.

Presenters and titles for Oct. 23 include:

• Alison Cerezo, assistant professor, Department of Counseling, Clinical and School Psychology, “Identity as Resistance: Queer Latinxs and the Politics of Belonging.”

• Ann Lippincott, retired former associate director of the Teacher Education Program and Department of Education alumna, “Yes, Mental Health Matters.”

• Melissa Morgan Consoli, associate professor, Department of Counseling, Clinical and School Psychology, “Overcoming Adversities Using Things our Grandmothers Taught Us.”

• Rebeca Mireles-Rios, assistant professor, Department of Education and GGSE alumna, and Victor Rios, professor of sociology, “Supporting At-Promise Students Through Community Engaged Research.”

• Diana Santacrose, assistant professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University and GGSE alumna, “Voz y Poder: Latinx Youth Empowerment.”

• Kelly Whaling, doctoral student, Department of Counseling, Clinical and School Psychology, “Serving our Kids ... All of Our Kids: Mental Health Needs of Incarcerated Adolescents in Santa Barbara County and Adolescent Gang Members in California.”

To further strengthen the partnership between the Gevirtz School and the Santa Barbara Public Library, this edition will focus on the themes found in the 2019 Santa Barbara Reads selection “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

Affectionately referred to by fans as Ari and Dante, this multiple award-winning young adult novel is a coming-of-age story that explores topics such as racial and sexual identities, family relationships, families with incarcerated members, queer youth, veterans and mental health issues.