Have you ever wondered what kinds of research and activities take place on the different University of California campuses?
The University of California Television gives students and the general public an inside view into what they may not know about UCs.
UCTV, launched in 2000, is a satellite channel that provides educational and entertainment programs from the 10 UC campuses.
“UCTV is a mix between, Discovery Channel, PBS and C-Span,” said Alison Gang, communications manager for UCTV.
Programs offered range from art and music to science, religion, health and medicine and are broadcasted 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
It is a non-commercial, satellite channel that collects programs submitted from different UC campuses, she said. The programs are then packaged and disseminated on satellite to various outlets.
UCTV is currently available on cable television, iTunesU, YouTube, live webstream and satellite.
“Anyone can watch it for free,” Gang said.
UCTV programming includes documentaries, lectures, interviews, artistic performances and educational material for a wide audience.
According to its website, UCTV embraces the core missions of the University of California – teaching, research and public service – through quality and in-depth television that informs, educates and enriches the lives of people around the globe.
Some programs offered are “The Med Ed Hour,” “Teachers P.E.T.” and “State of Mind.”
“The Med Ed Hour” features medical programs for health professionals who wish to expand their knowledge, stay updated on new research, and obtain continuing medical education credits.
“Teachers P.E.T.” provides a series of programs that help teachers enhance their classroom experience as well as prepare students for college.
State of Mind is a 30-minute magazine-style program that features segments from the UC campuses. UC Davis senior public information representative, Paul Pfotenhauer, submits many of his pieces to “State of Mind.”
“My pieces are geared toward the general public,” Pfotenhauer said, “to inform the community of the value of research done at UC Davis and how we work to solve real world problems in California and the nation.”
Water is the primary issue in this state and a political “hot potato” in legislature, Pfotenhauer said.
“At UC Davis, we have a strong group of environmental researchers with plans to save the delta,” he said. “They are making plans to map out future water needs for the state of California and how to solve it.”
Pfotenhauer also submitted a 30-minute documentary about the challenges that zoos face in the 21st century. The documentary was recently aired on PBS.
Other UCTV programs from UC Davis are contributed by Mediaworks, a team of professionals who provide campuswide media services.
Their services include video, audio, photography, art, illustration and animation. Mediaworks submits videos of concerts and conferences that take place on the UC Davis campus.
Each of the UC campuses has media sources that submit programs to be aired at different time slots on UCTV.
“Those sources vary by campus,” Gang said. “Some campuses are very centralized and we generally get things from one unit.”
From UC Davis, she said, UCTV receives most of the content from the communication department, the Mondavi Center for Performing Arts and the UC Davis Medical Center.
“A lot of information comes out of the MIND institute,” Gang said. The Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders institute is a research organization that focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders.
“It is highly valued by the community, especially people who have children with autism,” Gang said.
In addition to informing and educating the community, students can also learn a thing or two from UCTV.
“There may be a lot of things students don’t know about the campus,” Pfotenhauer said.
The content available on UCTV can inform students about issues such as the environment or contributions made by researchers on campus, he said.
For UCTV programs exclusively from UC Davis, visit uctv.tv/davis.
THUY TRAN can be reached at features@californiaaggie.com.
