The symposium covers three major topics: building a university-centered city in Irvine, with remarks by former Irvine Co. president Ray Watson; campus architecture, with campus architect Rebekah Gladson; and a design for academic excellence, with founding faculty member and memory expert James McGaugh.
A longtime Newport Beach resident, McGaugh joined UCI in 1964 as chair of what is now the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior. For a young man, planning UCI was a heady experience -- a "daily Disneyland."
"How many people get to help establish a university from scratch?" he asked. "It was incredibly exciting -- and fatiguing. There was so much to do I was exhausted at the end of each day."
Over four decades, McGaugh has held key administrative positions on campus while teaching and conducting groundbreaking research on how memories are stored in the brain -- "the set of machinery that captures our past and allows us to plan for the future." In 1981 he founded the renowned Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at UCI; a campaign is under way to create an endowed chair in his name.
McGaugh personifies UCI's inquisitive spirit. He likes to figure out how things work without consulting manuals. He's an avid woodworker and plays both saxophone and clarinet in local jazz groups.
"I like to work with my hands," he said. "For a while my family thought I'd become an auto mechanic. Then I went to college to study music and drama, but science captivated me."
Those like McGaugh whose interests extend beyond their chosen fields can enjoy other public events at UCI.
For music lovers, the UCI Symphony Orchestra begins its 2005-06 season with "Night in Vienna!" at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Barclay Theatre.
