Sagebrushers

In this episode of Sagebrushers, University of Nevada, Reno President Brian Sandoval meets with Rick Parsons, director of the Holman Arts & Media Center located at the University’s Wayne L. Prim Campus. Parsons, who also serves as the director of the Summer Arts Workshops, is a sculptor whose work has been showcased around the country.

During the episode, Sandoval and Parsons talk about the Holman Arts & Media Center, a recently remodeled space that allows students and faculty to work on projects in a variety of mediums including pottery, sculpture and 3D printing. They also discuss the Summer Arts Workshops, hosted on the Prim Campus throughout the summer for members of the public to attend. In addition, Parsons shares his passion for incorporating environmental sustainability and stewardship into his teaching. This episode was recorded in the summer of 2023.

In this episode of Sagebrushers, University of Nevada, Reno President Brian Sandoval meets with Dr. Paul Hauptman, dean of the University’s School of Medicine and chief academic officer for Renown Health. Hauptman is a nationally recognized researcher of advanced heart failure, cardiac care delivery and clinical trials.

During the episode, Sandoval and Hauptman explore Hauptman’s medical background working with underserved populations and pioneering new clinical protocols. They also discuss the impacts of the new affiliation agreement between UNR Med and Renown Health, the importance of graduate medical education and other plans that Hauptman has for the school. Hauptman even shares some of his favorite activities since moving to Reno, including checking out the food scene.

In this episode of Sagebrushers, University of Nevada, Reno President Brian Sandoval meets with and Dr. Sarah Bisbing, director of the Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area and an associate professor of forest ecosystem science in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources. The Whittell Forest is a 2,650-acre property owned by the University that serves as a living laboratory of forested mountain land in a primitive state for research and instruction.

During the episode, Sandoval and Bisbing explore Bisbing’s journey to the University, her research related to forest persistence potential (ensuring that there are forests in the future), and her role as director of the University’s forest. They also discuss what the biggest threats facing forests are, what it means to work in a living laboratory and what makes the Whittell Forest unique. In addition, Bisbing shares some of the recent community partnerships her team has worked on and their efforts to recruit and train the next generation of foresters.

In this episode of Sagebrushers, University of Nevada, Reno President Brian Sandoval meets with Dr. Jake DeDecker, director of the University of Nevada, Reno Extension and associate dean for engagement in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources. DeDecker, who began his role with Extension in the summer of 2022, previously worked with Extension at Michigan State University.

During the episode, Sandoval and DeDecker explore DeDecker’s background growing up on a pig farm in Illinois as well as their shared experience of participating in the 4-H program as children. DeDecker also talks about the broad-reaching impact of Extension, which is located in all 16 Nevada counties and Carson City, and the unique roles it plays in each community. In addition, they discuss the evolution of Extension from its agriculture and mechanical arts roots to the community education and economic development program that exists today.

In this episode of Sagebrushers, University of Nevada, Reno President Brian Sandoval meets with Dr. Jill Heaton, senior vice provost of the University. A professor of geography, Heaton served as Sierra Nevada University’s (SNU) executive vice president and provost during the acquisition year of the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe location from 2021 to 2022. 

During the episode, Sandoval and Heaton discuss her nearly 20 years on campus and her research related to reptiles in Africa. They also dive into Heaton and her team’s work with the SNU acquisition, plans for the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe location and exciting opportunities available through the Semester at Lake Tahoe program.

In this episode of Sagebrushers, University of Nevada, Reno President and host Brian Sandoval chats with Dr. Peter Reed, director of the Sanford Center for Aging. The Sanford Center, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, enhances the quality of life and well-being among Nevada's elders through research, education and community outreach.

During the episode, Sandoval and Reed discuss the programs and services offered by the center, the center’s efforts to provide support for elders around the state and important insights regarding the aging process. They also highlight the legacy of Graham and Jean Sanford, who founded the center in 1993, and the center’s plans to honor its 30th anniversary this year.

In this episode, University President and host Brian Sandoval interviews Cary Groth, the director of the Sports Management programs within the College of Business. Groth is a highly accomplished athletics administrator with over 40 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics and the founder of the PICTOR Group.

During the episode, Sandoval and Groth explore the evolution of the Sports Management programs, which include a sports management minor at the undergraduate level and an executive certificate at the graduate level. Groth also discusses the role of the Sports Management Executive Board, with industry leaders from every intercollegiate and professional sports organization within the state of Nevada and national sports leaders in intercollegiate and professional sports.

They also chat about the Lake Tahoe Sports Summit held in May 2023 with guest speakers Emily Prazer, chief operating officer of the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, and Lauralyn Sandoval, first lady of the University and vice president of new markets for Aristocrat Technologies. Those interested in participating in the sports management minor or executive certificate can learn more on the Sports Management programs website.

In this episode of Sagebrushers, University of Nevada, Reno President Brian Sandoval hosts the dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Erick Jones. Jones was most recently a senior science advisor in the Office of the Chief Economist at the U.S. State Department prior to joining the University in September of 2022. Sandoval and Jones discuss Jones’s background working with supply chains as an industrial engineer, his first nine months as dean and the partnerships the College of Engineering has made with corporations and government agencies. They also discuss the lithium initiative and the ways in which the College of Engineering and other schools and colleges on campus are giving students hands-on learning opportunities that they cannot receive anywhere else in the world.

President Brian Sandoval takes listeners around the globe during his conversation with Dr. Sudeep Chandra, a professor of limnology, and Dr. Zeb Hogan, a research associate professor of biology. As friends and colleagues for 20-plus years, Chandra and Hogan have worked together to protect bodies of water and fish species in places such as Mongolia, Cambodia, Russia and Lake Tahoe.

This extended episode looks at Hogan and Chandra’s work with the Wonders of the Mekong Project, an international collaboration based out of the University’s Global Water Center to research, educate and advise on water and biodiversity issues in the Mekong River basin in Cambodia. Sandoval, Chandra and Hogan also recount the January 2023 visit to Cambodia by Sandoval and other University faculty to build connections between the University and the Cambodian government, the benefits of the new University of Nevada, Reno Lake Tahoe location for research and policy development, and the popular National Geographic television show “Monster Fish,” with an in-person exhibit now open at The Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum.  

In this episode of Sagebrushers, President Brian Sandoval hosts GAIN Scholar Jess Buelow. The GAIN Scholars program, which stands for Graduate Acceleration through Innovation and Networking Scholars program, is funded by the National Science Foundation. The program, overseen by the University’s Graduate School, works to increase the retention and success of first-generation and historically underrepresented groups within graduate programs.

During the episode, Sandoval and Buelow, a second-year Ph.D. student studying ecology, evolution and conservation biology at the University, discuss the impact and benefits of the GAIN Scholars program as well as the challenges faced by someone who is the first in their family to attend graduate school. Buelow also shares her current research projects related to bumble bee behavior, cognition, and nutrition and debunks a common myth about local honey being a cure for allergies.