Indonesian Dungeons & Dragons – Part 3

February 5, 2015.Reading time less than 1 minute.

AT LONG LAST, the appointed person, the requisite form, and the necessary typewriter all converged in the same time-space zone in the final phase of my research permitting process at the Indonesian Social-Political Ministry…continue reading

Indonesian Dungeons and Dragons – Part 2

January 23, 2015.Reading time less than 1 minute.

DAY TWO IN THE JAKARTAN BEHEMOTH involved dizzying circular visits to Immigration, the Indonesian Institute for Sciences, and the dreaded Sosial-Politik (Sospol) ministry. The latter we nicknamed “Cesspool,” both for the comportment of its bureaucrats and the hopeless fate of necessary documents….continue reading For Part 1, click here.

New Year’s 2015 – Another essay goes live!

January 2, 2015.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about beginning research in the world’s largest Muslim nation, in a lively essay, “Indonesian Dungeons and Dragons,” appearing in Nowhere magazine’s blog. “FOR NEW SCIENTISTS, ENTERING THE INDONESIAN PERMITTING PROCESS RESEMBLES venturing into an omnivore’s lair: narrow openings, uncertainty, dank corners. I’ve known colleagues who have nearly abandoned their field […]

FALL 2014 – SJSU Student Projects with Tribes

December 16, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

This semester’s Nature and World Cultures students outdid themselves with substantive, professional work: projects focusing on the challenges of retaining and revitalizing biocultural diversity (ancestral lands and waters, culturally significant biota, indigenous languages), in collaboration with Northern Californian tribes. MICRODOCUMENTARIES: California Native Americans: Ohlone Costanoan Esselen Nation – YouTube video by Mary Yang, Jordan Zuchowski, […]

FALL 2014 – Salmon Film Festival goes virtual

November 16, 2014.Reading time less than 1 minute.

In addition to coupling the festival with a heart-healthy 5K Salmon Walk/Run, this year we chose to feature an abbreviated set of picks (one dozen instead of our usual 30+), and to make all the films available online. See our 2014 program here.