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UCSB's Grad Slam competition is back, and it's better than ever! Here's what you need to know and how you can sign up to participate in this year's competition, scheduled for April 4-15.

"Non-traditional" doesn’t begin to describe Ph.D. Education student Rick Bacon. While most of us are getting a Ph.D. to get a better job, Rick Bacon already has a job he loves as CEO of Aqua Metrology Systems, a start-up with Goleta as a client. Instead, he’s earning his Ph.D. to help understand how to widen access of underserved populations to learning and employment opportunities.

Our Graduate Student in the Spotlight is on Brian J. Griffith, husband and father of two and a fourth-year Ph.D. student in History. He is studying Modern Italy and Italian Fascism, and has received a GSA Excellence in Teaching Award.

The newly completed work on the UC Santa Barbara Library is more than just a renovation of its outdated buildings. The project is a reinvention. That’s how university officials are describing the state-of-the-art project. Two years of construction have culminated with a festive “Reinventing the Library” grand opening ceremony, featuring speakers, dancers, musicians, a ribbon-cutting, a photo booth, and an open house.

Chris Sweeney, a fifth-year Computer Science Ph.D. candidate focusing on Computer Vision, sat down and shared the unique journey of his path to and throughout graduate school. Despite his many academic accomplishments, Chris maintains a well-rounded life.

Each year, the GradPost reports on various lists and rankings for UC Santa Barbara. We examined the analytics for the GradPost from January 1 to December 15, 2015, to find out what clicked with our readers. Once again, such articles as graduate student profiles; student awards and achievements; the Grad Slam; and prestigious annual rankings reports, topped our list.

A week ago tragedy struck my hometown of San Bernardino. I wish to first send out my condolences to the families, loved ones, and all affected by the disaster out of San Bernardino. Losing someone we know and love is never easy. Having lost several family members and friends to gun violence, I am sensitive to what those who are grieving are going through.

It’s probably no coincidence that Tanya Das, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering, is studying nano-optics. She’s been finding success by starting small for a long time. This strategy has allowed her to attempt new things as diverse as hip-hop dancing and science writing, while working her way toward her degree.

On November 7, thousands descended upon the UCSB campus as the university hosted the California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education. About 220 universities across the U.S. joined more than 1,000 undergrad and master's students in an event designed to recruit students from underrepresented backgrounds to doctoral-level study.

Michael Darling believes that graduate students should take control of their destinies and “make things happen rather than waiting for an opportunity to fall into their lap.” Throughout his life, this UCSB Art and Architectural History M.A. and Ph.D. alum has adhered to this philosophy, doing what he could to make himself stand out. And stand out he has. Dr. Darling, 47, is the James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

This is the advice that Alex Kulick, a second-year Ph.D. student in UCSB's Sociology Department, says he would give to fellow graduate students. Alex, a native of Michigan, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women's Studies from the University of Michigan and now serves as the graduate assistant at UCSB's Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity.

Stephanie Griffin is proof that graduate school can be a positive, fulfilling, and career-changing experience. A second-year Bren School of Environmental Science & Management student, Stephanie has also recently been hired as the Graduate Division's new Funding Peer.

In a column on the website The Conversation, University of California President Janet Napolitano wrote of the responsibility of the academic community to “ensure that the work and voices of researchers are front and center in the public square.” And she praised the Grad Slam as an excellent way to accomplish that.

Value Colleges ranked UCSB College of Engineering’s graduate programs No. 8 on its list of Top 50 Best Value Graduate Engineering Programs of 2016.The GradPost interviewed several engineering graduate students to get their reactions to this honor.

UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association has named retired NASA astronaut José Hernandez (M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, 1986) UCSB’s 2015 Distinguished Alumnus.