In his new book, Spitting in the Soup: Inside the Dirty Game of Doping in Sports, UC San Diego alumnus and sports journalist Mark Johnson traces the doping culture in professional sports, from the early days when pills meant progress, to the current day, when athletes are vilified for the use of performance-enhancing drugs. In his book, Johnson, who has covered cycling as a writer and photographer since the 1980s, explores the complex relationships that underlie elite sports culture.

In today's global economy, a high-quality education is no longer just a pathway to success it is a prerequisite. Because economic progress and educational achievement go hand in hand, educating every American student for success in a new workforce is a national imperative. However, there are wide disparities in which students have access to advanced science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) education subjects critical to future success. In this inaugural Sally Ride STEAM Series event, panelists Karen Flammer of UC San Diego, Dalouge Smith of the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory, Heather Lattimer of the University of San Diego and Francisco Escobedo, the Superintendent of the Chula Vista Elementary School District, explore the importance of STEAM to the innovation economy as well as how to best to ensure equity in education. Recorded on 02/28/2017.

2016 was a good and bad year for efforts to tackle climate change. The good news is that 120 parties have ratified the Paris Convention; the bad news is the emergence of post-truth politics and the associated denial of the evidence that climate change is a threat to our future. Leading environmentalist and Member of UK House of Lords John Krebs discusses the trends and their implications for global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Recorded on 01/25/2017.

Where the built environment meets the heart of communities is the Urban Studies and Planning Program. Meet the dedicated students, faculty, and community groups who are working together to create cities that help people thrive. Gabriele Wienhausen also discusses innovating how we teach and learn through significant and positive change.

Judith Rodin begins by exploring the transformative contributions the University of Pennsylvania made to Philadelphia while she was its president, and then talks about her work as president of the Rockefeller Foundation, particularly the 100 Resilient Cities initiative. Both experiences are put in the context of UC San Diego embarking on a physical presence in downtown San Diego, modeling civic engagement in their community. 

When inmates are released after serving time, their ordeals are not over. Finding stability and purpose on the outside can be daunting, leading many to end up back in jail or prison. But, as Nicholas Alexander, director of the Reentry Success Center in Richmond, California, explains, it doesn't have to be that way. His center works with prisoners before and after incarceration to provide counseling, housing, employment, legal and other free services that help them reintegrate into their families and communities. Alexander's compassion for the people he serves is evident in this conversation with Jonathan Stein, a fellow alumnus of the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. 

All healthcare systems must strike a delicate balance between cost, quality and access. Though Obamacare focused largely on increasing access to coverage and spreading the cost of illness across the entire population, Trumpcare tips the balance largely in favor of reducing federal spending, at the risk of destabilizing insurance markets and increasing costs for older and sicker individuals. What would it take to create a healthcare system that would provide future generations with accessible, affordable care? Can this be done while also covering the sick and the underserved? Join the conversation with a panel of government, policy and legal experts. Recorded on 08/03/2017.

It's not often that the California State Treasurer makes national news, but that's exactly what happened when John Chiang suspended ties with Wells Fargo last year over the bank's creation of some two million fraudulent accounts. With its $75 billion portfolio, Chiang describes how California sets the example for holding partners to high ethical standards and for public investing in policies that lead to better lives for its residents, reductions in income inequality, and effective responses to climate change. Chiang is the 2017 speaker for Michael Nacht Distinguished Lecture in Politics and Public Policy presented by the Goldman School of Public Policy and the Berkeley Forum at UC Berkeley. Recorded on 09/18/2017.