News and Events
Human Security Research Fellowships Call for Proposals
CUSA is pleased to announce a call for proposals for two research fellowships: (1) The Heather Mills Graduate Fellowship in Human Security, and (2) The Coalition Advocating Human Security Fellowships in Human Security. These fellowships are intended to support research on human security issues, including topics such as human rights, sustainable development, development of alternative energy sources and pro-poor technologies, medical and public health interventions, environmental change, peace building and conflict resolution. We especially encourage applications in fields of medicine, the natural sciences, engineering, and information technology whose work has applicability to reducing human insecurity. Application Deadline: Monday, February 1, 2010 by 5:00 pm. More details...
Research on Microfinance and Technology
Crystal Murphy Morgan presented results of her research on microfinance and technology at the Institute for Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion (IMTFI)'s First Annual Conference for Funded Researchers on November 5, 2009.
Founders of Playing for Change receive 2009 Human Security Award
Mark Johnson and Whitney Burditt, the Founders of Playing for Change, received the 2009 Human Security Award on October 22, 2009 for their efforts to create a multimedia movement to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. In addition to their inspiring music and films, Playing for Change are building music schools across the globe to foster music, education and collaboration. Playing for Change have been featured on PBS, CBS, The Tonight Show, ABC World News, NPR, Larry King Live and the Playing for Change band launched their first world tour in the Fall of 2009. Learn more about the 2009 Human Security Award recipients.
CUSA student affiliate wins Brower Youth Award
Hai Vo, a 2009 graduate of Social Ecology at UCI and a CUSA Student Research Associate, has been chosen as a winner of a 2009 Brower Youth Award. Hai co-founded the Real Food Challenge (RFC) at the University of California at Irvine (UCI) and worked with CUSA on a series of research, education and advocacy projects related to improving the sustainability of campus food systems. In their citation of Hai, Earth Island Institute noted, "In order to educate and connect students, Hai co-organized events that brought students together to "simply eat," and to discuss their understanding of food. The RFC at UCI has engaged over 500 campus and community members in leadership development, networking convergences, dinners, roundtable events, educational series, and online networks, all centered around sustainable food systems." Earth Island Institute established the Brower Youth Awards in 2000 to honor founder and legendary environmental activist, David R. Brower and to call forth a new generation of leaders. Vo was formally recognized for his efforts at the 10th Annual Brower Youth Awards on October 20, 2009 in San Francisco, California. Learn more about Hai's work.
Morgan profiled for work on microfinance in Africa
UCI has posted a profile of Crystal Murphy Morgan, a CUSA Student Research Affiliate and Planning, Policy & Design doctoral student.
"Crystal Murphy Morgan thought she would graduate from college and translate Spanish novels for a living. A humanitarian trip to Uganda as an undergraduate changed her perspective on the future.
People displaced by the war between the government and rebel groups waited hours in northern refugee camps for food and medical care. "There must have been 100,000 people just lined up, body to body, as far as the eye could see," she recalls. "I knew then that I wanted to devote my work to poor people."
A doctoral candidate in planning, policy & design at UC Irvine, Murphy Morgan is writing her dissertation on microfinance - the provision of small, low-interest loans - in post-conflict regions. Such loans can help the poor start and grow modest businesses. Supporters say microfinance alleviates poverty and encourages self-sufficiency. Murphy Morgan spent July and August in Juba, Sudan, interviewing managers of microfinance institutions and loan recipients. Displaced Sudanese and refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic are struggling to rebuild their lives after decades of civil war and ethnic conflict, and some seek microfinance loans to do so."
Read the full profile of Crystal on the UCI website.
Shaping Future Leaders for the New Global Community
CUSA is featured as a key initiative in "The Global Village Campus" of UC Irvine's Shaping the Future campaign."All of us at UC Irvine are leveraging our greatest strengths to shape the future in areas of national and global importance to benefit our community, our nation and the world. UC Irvine's Center for Unconventional Security Affairs is fundamentally changing the world for the better. The Center brings to bear the power of a major research university and a worldwide network of experts to solve global challenges such as terrorism, pandemic diseases and disasters. While many of the world's challenges can seem hopeless, the Center's research and outreach is already making a difference in saving lives and reducing human suffering. In a world full of people in great need... those who want to help must take great risks to achieve the greatest good. The Center for Unconventional Security Affairs focuses the power of our major research university to solve worldwide challenges. Solutions are found by faculty who can study problems from all aspects - political, economic, cultural, environmental, biological and medical."Learn more at the website for the Shaping the Future campaign.
Food Security in the U.S. and Canada
Bryan McDonald presented a paper on "Food Security and Global Environmental Change: Improving U.S. and Canadian Cooperation in the Face of Shared Threats and Vulnerabilities" to and interdisciplinary symposium on "Canadian Studies: On the Edge" held at the University of Southern California on October 9, 2009.
Fall 2009 Environmental Studies Newsletter
The Fall 2009 edition of the Environmental Studies Section of the International Studies Association is now online. This newsletter lists recent publications and upcoming events related to environmental studies. Visit environmental-studies.org to read the latest edition of the newsletter.
CUSA Director Richard Matthew and Advisory Board Member Anne Hammill among co-authors of Conflict-Sensitive Conservation: Practitioners' Manual
Anne Hammill, Alec Crawford, Robert Craig, Robert Malpas, Richard Matthew have co-authored Conflict-Sensitive Conservation: Practitioners' Manual(IISD, 2009).The Albertine Rift is one of the most biodiverse and ecologically unique regions of Africa. Sadly it has also been the site of some of the world's most violent conflicts in recent history. This turbulent context can pose a range of risks and opportunities to conservationists who are managing resources that can be both a seed of conflict and foundation for peace-building. With the financial support of the MacArthur Foundation and the technical support of the Conservation Development Centre, IISD has been working with the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Wildlife Conservation Society in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere) International in Uganda to better understand the context in which they operate and apply a conflict lens to their work. This work led to the development of the "Conflict-Sensitive Conservation Practitioners' Manual," which provides an analytical and decision-making framework to help conservationists understand and address natural resource-based conflict, and integrate this understanding into conservation programming and implementation. In so doing, conservationists can avoid exacerbating conflict and maximize opportunities for peace-building. Learn more and download the manual at IISD's website.
Chapter on "Environmental Security" in new edition of Vig and Kraft's Environmental Policy
A chapter by Richard Matthew on "Environmental Security" is included in the new edition of Norman J. Vig and Michael E. Kraft (eds.), Environmental Policy: New Directions for the Twenty-First Century, 7th Edition (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2009). The seventh edition of Environmental Policy once again brings together top scholars to evaluate the impact of past environmental policy while anticipating its future implications, helping students decipher the underlying trends, institutional constraints, and policy dilemmas that shape environmental politics. Learn more.
Learn more about UCI's Global Leadership Certificate Program
The Global Leadership Certificate Program (GLCP) is designed to help students broaden their understanding of what leadership means in a global society, and gain skills necessary to make a difference and initiate change. Learn more about this program at the GLCP website or at two upcoming events:
- Welcome Week Information Session - September 23, 2009, 3:00-3:45 pm in Student Services II 1010A&B.
- Program Orientation - Thursday, October 8, 4:00-5:30 pm in Student Services II 1010 A&B
CUSA at the APSA
Research on transnational threats and food security was presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association in Toronto, Canada. CUSA presented research related to our NSF funded project on American responses to terrorism and our work on food security.
CUSA at 2009 Emergency Management and Homeland Security Summit
Bryan McDonald presented to the California State University's 2009 Emergency Management and Homeland Security Summit held at the California State University Chancellor's Office in Long Beach, California on June 29, 2009. This event brought together academics, agency representatives, and homeland security professionals to showcase academic excellence and research within California on homeland security and emergency management.
Food Security, Food Safety and Food Defense
Bryan McDonald presented on "Ensuring Safety and Security in the Food System"to a conference on "Factors Influencing Emerging Infections in the Southeast"sponsored by the Southeastern Center for Emerging Biologic Threats (SECEBT) and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, June 23-24, 2009.
Climate Change Adaptation and Peacebuilding
Richard Matthew and Anne Hammill were invited to present research on "Climate Change Adaptation and Peacebuilding" to the Global Environmental Change and Human Security Convention in Oslo, Norway on June 22, 2009.
Hai Vo sows seeds of sustainable food reform at UC Irvine and beyond
CUSA Student Research Affiliate Hai Vo is featured in a profile on UC Irvine's homepage. The profile discusses Hai's work and activism on sustainable food, a topic that was the subject of a UROP project that examined sustainability in the UC Irvine dining system. "'Food is personal for Vo. "There's nothing more intimate than the relationship between humans and food,"he says. The son of Vietnamese refugees, Vo says his parents' stories all center around food - whether it was the couple starving on a boat with only a few grains of rice or his mother and grandmother cooking for a week and then making a perilous three-day trek to deliver the fare to Vo's imprisoned grandfather. "Food,"he says, "became the glue for our family.'" Read the full profile.
Meagher wins Social Sciences Alumni Academic Excellence Scholarship
We are very pleased to announce that Kelsey Meagher has been selected to receive a Social Sciences Alumni Academic Excellence Scholarship. Kelsey is a CUSA Student Research Associate and worked with CUSA this year on a UROP project to examine sustainability in the UC Irvine dining system.
Facing Global Environmental Change now available
CUSA's work on environmental security is included in Hans Gunter Brauch, et al (eds.), Facing Global Environmental Change: Environmental, Human, Energy, Food, Health and Water Security Concepts (Peace Research and European Security Studies Press, 2009). This volume is the fourth in the Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace, and contains a chapter by Richard A. Matthew and Bryan McDonald on "Environmental Security: Academic and Policy Debates in North America." Book launches for this volume have been held in Berlin and Bonn Germany and at United Nations Headquarters in New York. More information about this volume is available at: http://www.afes-press-books.de/html/hexagon_04.htm
A "Real" UCI Dining Experience
On May 16, Kelsey Meagher and Hai Vo, CUSA Student Affiliates, presented the results of their research on food sustainability at UC, Irvine. Their presentation "A "Real" UCI Dining Experience: Toward a Just and Sustainable Food System," was part of UC, Irvine's 16th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Morgan receives Heather Mills Fellowship
CUSA is pleased to announce that Crystal Murphy Morgan, a PhD Student in Planning, Policy and Design (PPD) has been selected to receive the 2008-2009 Heather Mills Graduate Fellowship in Human Security for her project "'Trust no one?': Agency and microfinance in Juba, Sudan."Established in honor of Heather Mills' significant contributions to human security issues, the Heather Mills Fellowship allows graduate students to undertake original research on pressing security issues, and allows them opportunities to use their research to help address real world challenges.
CUSA co-sponsors Real Food Series at UC, Irvine
CUSA is a proud co-sponsor of UC Irvine's Real Food Series. This series is an open dialogue and education about the connections between people, food, the environment, and sustainability. Campus and community members are embarking on an educational series about ecologically-sound production, community-based food, humane treatment of animals, and fair labor through the dynamic facilitation of meals, panels, movie screenings, and tours. More information about the series as well as a listing of events and RSVP information is available at the Real Food Series website.
CUSA participates in dialogue on energy security
CUSA Director Richard Matthew joined 25 leaders from academia, government, and the private sector for a workshop on energy policy and the need to balance national security, environmental sustainability, and economic prosperity goals. This workshop was hosted by Sandia National Laboratories and the University of California, San Diego's Sustainability Solutions Institute. Read more about this event.
Natural Resource Management Critical to Peacebuilding
CUSA's Richard Matthew and Bryan McDonald contributed to From Conflict to Peacebuilding: The Role of Natural Resources and the Environment, a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme. "Intrastate conflicts are likely to drag on and escalate without a greater focus on environment and natural resources in the peacebuilding process, according to a new report launched today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)." Since 1990 at least eighteen violent conflicts have been fueled by the exploitation of natural resources. In fact, recent research suggests that over the last sixty years at least forty per cent of all intrastate conflicts have a link to natural resources. Civil wars such as those in Liberia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo have centered on "high-value" resources like timber, diamonds, gold, minerals and oil. Other conflicts, including those in Darfur and the Middle East, have involved control of scarce resources such as fertile land and water. This major report, co-authored by IISD and UNEP, discusses the key linkages among environment, conflict and peacebuilding, and provides recommendations on how these can be addressed more effectively by the international community. Read the full report.
Wilson Center launch event for From Conflict to Peacebuilding
The Environmental Change and Security Program hosted a report launch of From Conflict to Peacebuilding: The Role of Natural Resources and the Environment on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20004. This event featured Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP); Daniel A. Reifsnyder, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment, Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science, U.S. Department of State; and Andrew Morton, Programme Manager, Disasters and Conflicts Programme, UNEP. A webcast of this event is available at: www.wilsoncenter.org
Interview with Richard Matthew about CUSA's work on Environment and Conflict
The UC Irvine homepage featured an interview with Richard Matthew related to his recent field research in Sierra Leone as CUSA's project with the United Nation's Environment Programme (UNEP) on the role of natural resources and the environment in conflict and peacebuilding. "Before a diamond ends up in a ring or pendant, it may have played a part in a cycle of violence and corruption on the other side of the world. Richard Matthew, UC Irvine planning, policy & design associate professor, studies the complex social and environmental factors that have led to the proliferation of "blood diamonds"in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo." Read the full Q&A feature...
Environmental Ethics publication now available
A new publication on "Environmental Ethics" by CUSA's Richard Matthew, Bryan McDonald and Heather Goldsworthy is now available as part of an edited volume on The Ethics of Global Governance, ed. Antonio Franceschet (Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2009). In this volume, the authors analyze the ethical controversies that are central to global governance as states and other actors navigate a complex world order. Covering the gamut of fundamental issues-sovereignty, the role of civil society, UN reform, democracy promotion, humanitarian intervention, human security, the global economy, the environment-they offer the reader a deeper understanding of the significance of ethics in the politics of global governance and at the same time provide a fresh perspective on contemporary dilemmas in international relations. Learn more about this volume.
Baker invited to take part in Antarctica expedition
CUSA Research Associate Jesse Baker participated in a March 2009 expedition to Antarctica with Robert Swan and 2041 to study issues of globalization through the various effects that can be seen in Antarctica. This expedition will focus on global climate change, alternative energy use, and international political cooperation. Jesse will use his experience as the foundation for a community education program, covering the main components associated with global climate change as seen through the effects evident in Antarctica, and what individuals can do to become part of the solution. Read more about this expedition at: Antarctica 09.
Bryan McDonald interviewed on "Privacy Piracy"
Bryan McDonald was featured in an interview on KUCI's "Privacy Piracy"with Mari Frank on Wednesday, February 25 from 5-6 pm. During the interview, Dr. McDonald covered CUSA's research, education and public service activities and provides more details on our projects related to terrorism, food security and human security. You can listen to this interview online or download a podcast of it at www.kuci.org.
Harnessing Global Trade to Promote Human Security
Matthew Mitro, President of the Indego Africa Project presented a talk on "Harnessing Global Trade to Promote Human Security: Social Entrepreneurship and the Indego Africa Model," as part of CUSA's CAHS Speaker Series. This talk was be held on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, California.
The Security of Food Production: What does the Future Hold?
Bryan McDonald presented on "The Security of Food Production: What does the Future Hold?" as part of the 2008 California Alfalfa & Forage Symposium and Western Seed Conference held from December 2-4, 2008 in San Diego, California. This conference was organized by: UC Alfalfa & Forage Systems Workgroup, University of California Cooperative Extension, Western Alfalfa Seed Growers Association, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.
Microfinance and Climate Change Adaptation
A new article on "Microfinance and Climate Change Adaptation," appears in the current issue of the Institute of Development Studies Bulletin. This article by Anne Hammill, Richard Matthew and Elissa McCarter explores potentials ways to link microfinance services with climate change adaptation efforts.
Heather Goldsworthy hopes to show that economic development and environmental protection can coexist
Heather Goldsworthy, a Social Ecology doctoral candidate and CUSA Research Affiliate, was featured in a Today@UCI profile. "Heather Goldsworthy knows microfinance loans can change lives, but at what cost to the environment? The social ecology doctoral candidate recently spent time in Uganda where she saw fishermen plying the waters of Lake Victoria and locals selling charcoal bundles at outdoor markets. Microfinance loans, which provide funds to help poor people grow very small businesses, support these entrepreneurial efforts but also contribute to overfishing and leveling of forests." Click here to read the full profile of Heather.
CUSA at the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress
CUSA's research was featured at two panels at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona from October 5-14, 2008. The WCC will bring together more than 8,000 of the world's leading decision makers in sustainable development from governments, NGOs, business, the UN and academia. One of these panels is co-sponsored by the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Project (ECSP). Read the media release for this event: "Environment Is a Key Element of Post-Conflict Stability, Say Experts at World Conservation Congress," or follow the link below to learn more about this panel:
"Environment, Conflict, and Peacebuilding: Sharing Lessons and Building Networks" (Panel 610) on October 7 at 11:30 a.m. The Wilson Center's ECSP is also co-sponsoring another panel on:
"Population, Health and Environment - Value Added from an Integrated Development Strategy" (Panel 581) on October 8 at 6:30 p.m.
Carr Kelman's sustainability work profiled on Today@UCI
Candice Carr Kelman, a doctoral candidate and CUSA Research Associate, conducted a sustainability assessment of the UCI campus and takes everyday steps to reduce her carbon footprint. Carr Kelman, a doctoral candidate in planning, policy and design, recently released a sustainability assessment of the UC Irvine campus, covering areas including dining, transportation and purchasing. The two-year study produced some encouraging results, while showing there are areas that need improvement, says Carr Kelman. Read more about her work in a Today@UCI profile.
Podcast on Virunga National Park and Conflict in the DRC
The New Security Beat, a blog maintained by the Environmental Change and Security Program (ECSP) at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has posted, has posted a new podcast featuring CUSA's director Richard Matthew talking about CUSA and his research on the environmental dimensions of conflict. "'The resource base is a point of contact for local residents, refugees, rebel groups, park rangers, [and the] military as they struggle to survive,' says Richard Matthew of the University of California, Irvine, in this podcast interview, describing the significance of Virunga National Park to the diverse collection of actors in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo." Visit the New Security Beat to hear the podcast.
CUSA in The Chronicle of Higher Education
CUSA's work on Human Security is discussed in a recent article on "Beyond Borders and Bullets" in The Chronicle of Higher Education. "The concept of human security is important as a lens that sharpens interdisciplinary work, [Matthew] argues. 'It's about how to bring together, say, economic and ethical and environmental and governance elements to bring people dignity when things fall apart.'"
Resource Scarcity: Responding to the Security Challenge
A new IPI paper by CUSA Director Richard A. Matthew on "Resource Scarcity: Responding to the Security Challenge," is now available. This IPI paper examines in detail the correlation between environmental issues and security, drawing on both scientific evidence and empirical examples, and concludes with a series of actionable policy recommendations.
CUSA recognized for work on Environment and Security
The Center for Unconventional Security Affairs (CUSA) was recognized as one of the four hubs of global research on the interface of environment and security alongside much larger organizations in Toronto, Zurich and Oslo by the German Advisory Council on Global Change in their report World in Transition: Climate Change as a Security Risk.