Foreword: Do What You Can...

Do what you can with what you have. That\u27s what Thurgood Marshall preached. That is how he lived. He used what he had to change the world forever

Invite your representative to work. Change the world. Here's how.

Today's political climate can seem hostile to science. Alternative facts, climate change denial, and relabeling of actual news as fake news are discouraging phenomena for sure. But these trends make it more important than ever to engage our politicians. Take heart! There is something you can do. You can show your representatives firsthand the amazing things you do, evidence of the economic engine that your activities generate, and the real people behind the discoveries. I did, and it was fun. We invited our congressman to the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and he accepted! For 2 hours, we explained and demonstrated efforts to cure blindness using stem cells, the medical implications of the discovery that cells can recover from the brink of death, a mosquito lab striving to eliminate insect-borne disease, and an Alzheimer's disease laboratory. Salud Carbajal peered through a microscope and met real scientists. Before his visit, he did not know what a postdoctoral fellow was, much less what stem cells look like. When he left he knew our names, how much money we bring into his district, and how important National Institutes of Health funding and international mobility are to our enterprise. Although I live in the United States, this approach should also apply to other democratic countries. If each of us converts one representative into a science champion, we can change the world

Adjusting Your Sails to Survive the Storm: Adaptive Leadership for Stage Managers

Adaptive leadership teaches individuals and organizations to deal with changing conditions through specific processes. This approach focuses, not on traits or other characteristics of a leader, but on actions of leading. Stage managers work with individuals with different personality types and can encounter unexpected problems within a production that they must be in charge of resolving. Developing the skills to adapt to these situations by changing their leadership style can make them a more adaptive leader. It is first important to know what being an adaptive leader is. How is it different from any other leadership principles one has encountered? Adaptive leaders work out adaptive challenges rather than technical challenges. They also resolve conflict and make tough decisions in a way that works for the good of the company. They are able to remain inspiring to others even when a company is going through change. Examining these principles will allow a leader become an adaptive leader. The world is changing swiftly around us all the time. As leaders, we must be able to embrace this change and lead our company towards the end goal. Being adaptable is one of the most crucial skills that any leader should have in their arsenal. Saying that you are adaptable shows that you are confident in what you do and you can handle stressful environments very well. Nothing lasts forever and if you want to be someone who rises to the top, you will need to know how to adapt and overcome the inevitable change that will occur in your life and your workplace

Transformative Learning Facilitated Dialogue: as a Tool for Social Change An Autoethnography

It is my goal, through this autoethnography, to take you through a reflective journey and present to you my personal theory of how facilitated dialogue in the context of transformative learning, critical reflection, systems thinking, shared vision, and holarchy can create a paradigm shift in our personal consciousness, decisions, behaviors, practice, and social policies—social change. My objective is to show how each theory is like a stepping-stone in the path towards social change. The purpose of this living work is to offer an alternative way of creating a healthy and whole society by exploring how facilitated dialogue can lead to the desired goal of social change. The ideas discussed throughout this document—namely the web of life, re-envisioning through shared vision—life through interruption, and new model, provide us with an opportunity to better understand how individuals can engage in a more empathetic and conscious way of being and connecting with one another, taking into consideration that we share a common world view that lies at the core desire of each human being—a whole, safe, healthy, secure, and light filled life experience. This document is offered as a living blueprint for a practical application for the creation of a healthy and whole society

Institutionalizing Mediation: The Role of Lawyers and Bar Associations

The world of trusts and estates is changing before our eyes - the multidiscipline practice trend may radically change the traditional practice of the probate bar. There is one constant, however, besides change and that is conflict. That conflict is oftentimes lurking beneath the surface when a lawyer becomes involved in the estate planning process. All of the technical knowledge you may possess about the legal system and its rules is valuable and necessary. But, the estate planning lawyer is preeminently a counselor at law. In the strongest possible way I urge students to become aware of conflict management skills and I specifically recommend that they take advantage of learning more about what mediation has to offer. My message is the same to all of you, but I offer an additional challenge to all of you: Get involved in your state or local bar association and determine how you might build that house and how you might make sure that all have access to that house. The field of mediation is still very wide open and much still needs to be done at the structural level. You may find, as I did, that this activity is both meaningful and self-satisfying. Your participation and hard work CAN make a difference