This Week on the Central Coast
UCSC team won gold for work on E. Coli, Watsonville appointed its first Poet Laureate, and a Youth Arts Collective co-founder opened her own art exhibit in Sand City
UCSC took gold at the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition
The team at UCSC won with “their research into a sequence specific gene elimination mechanism.” The process allowed the team to target any specific gene and eliminate it without hurting other cells. The team targeted the gene that causes E. Coli infections due to Monterey County’s focus on food production.
If the process is approved, it would allow farmers to simply give a pill t their cattle that woud prevent them from getting E. Coli. The team worked on the process for fifteen jonths, treating it like full time job when school was not on.
The team is excited to show that bioengineering isn’t inherently bad. “Our team and many others in the iGEM competition are showing that this realm of biology is going to be and is continuing to be a useful way of treating human diseases and progressing society.”
Watsonville appointed its first poet laureate.
A poet laureate is appointed by a government or other institution to represent and engage with their communities, writing original poems and going out to perform them at schools, city council meetings and more.
Robert Gomez is the first ever poet laureate of Watsonville. He has been a resident of Watsonville since 1984 and has been involved in plenty of community service events, including marching with Cesar Chavez in the 70s and chaperoning 7th and 8th graders to Watsonville’s sister city in Japan. Also, Gomez has published haikus in the Watsonville-Santa Cruz Japanese-American Citizens league newsletters.
Gomez already has ideas for his role as poet laureate. He says he wants to establish a youth poet laureate program for under eighteen and also wants to work with Poetry Out Loud, a national arts education program. “Poetry is powerful. It can change us, move us. That is why I write - to move people. I am really looking forward to the next two years.”
A co-founder of Youth Arts Collective opened her own exhibit
Marica Perry has opened her own art exhibit called “Rainbow Dance”. Marica is known for using color saturation very well in her works. In this exhibit, she complimented her 2D art with porcelain sculptures.
She decided to present the exhibit because she felt she should continue to create her own art in order to be a good role model for YAC members. She has more than 20 years experience teaching art through YAC, which is a nonprofit after-school art studio and offers mentorship for high school and college artists. “I made a conscious decision to do only positive imagery, things that make people feel good.”
Marica’s exhibit is open every Saturday and Sunday from January 8 to February 2, 12PM to 4PM. It will be located at Sylvan Gallery in Sand City.
Happy New Year and thank you for reading!
