About the Forum

Help Bring Global Collaboration to Scripps's Backyard

The Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society, and the Environment (Scripps Seaside Forum) is the fusion of many people's dreams, from descendants of the founding Scripps family, to present and past Scripps researchers and leaders, to the larger community that will be able to share in Scripps's rich intellectual resources. The Forum will invigorate and renew Scripps's involvement in community life, enhancing the southern entrance and bringing the campus into greater harmony with the surrounding neighborhood.

Through its leadership in ocean and earth science research and education, Scripps has become a world center for scientific cooperation and collaboration. Exchanging ideas is often the key to increased understanding, and, despite advances in technology and widespread use of electronic mail and the Internet, nothing can replace personal, face-to-face communication. Timely, pertinent, and probing exchanges can be the catalyst for transforming intellectual boundaries into frontiers of new scientific knowledge. These exchanges are essential in developing the scientific understanding needed in the search for a sustainable environment and in connecting scientific discovery to decision making.

Why New Meeting Facilities?

Scripps has hosted a number of scientific meetings over the years, but the lack of modern facilities and space has become a significant handicap. Several new programs and centers are being created at Scripps and the demand for meeting space is increasing. The only auditorium on the Scripps campus, Sumner Hall, is more than 40 years old and is poorly designed to meet the needs of modern scientific meetings. In addition, there are only three conference rooms capable of holding more than 40 participants. None of these conference spaces have adequate audiovisual, computer, or teleconferencing capabilities.

What will the Scripps Forum Offer?

The proposed Scripps Seaside Forum will address the need for modern meeting facilities. It will consist of several adjacent buildings with more than 9,000 assignable square feet of meeting and support space. Located south of the Director's Office, the main building of the Forum will be an auditorium with flexible seating space for 275 persons. Seats from the main floor will be removable to accommodate many different types of meetings and events. A balcony with fixed seats and rear-walkway entrances will overlook the main floor of the auditorium, serving as a gallery for students and observers. It will have complete multimedia and conferencing capabilities, including a wireless network to allow conference participants to connect to their offices and labs during the meetings.

Four freestanding meeting rooms, each with an ocean view, will be next to the auditorium, separated from it by a covered walkway. They, too, will have advanced multimedia and networking capabilities. The conference rooms will range in size to accommodate from 20 to 100 people. There will be abundant space, both inside and out, for interaction among students, scientists, and visitors.

What are the Benefits of the Scripps Seaside Forum?

With a modern conference facility, Scripps will be able to host researchers and decision makers from all over the world. The Forum will provide a site for scientific planning of multi-institutional and multi-national programs and proposals. There will be space for scientific meetings and workshops focusing on particular topics and for site visits from funding a gencies. Scripps and UCSD students will benefit from interacting with the global scientific community, policy makers, and corporate leaders. Hosting scientific meetings of high consequence will enhance Scripps's ability to attract top-flight scientists and students, further strengthening academic and educational excellence. In addition to scientific meetings, the Forum will also provide a much-needed facility for research symposia, academic classes, public lectures, and other educational gatherings. The Scripps Seaside Forum will become a focal point for the continued development of the intellectual capital necessary to accomplish Scripps's mission.

How Can I Help?

Scripps hopes to secure an additional $750,000 in private donations quickly in order to meet UC San Diego Chancellor Fox's generous offer to match, dollar for dollar, up to $750,000 in new gifts for the project. We would like to complete the challenge by the Nov. 27, 2006, bid deadline in order to move ahead with construction of the Scripps Forum as planned. Once this challenge is met to get construction under way, Scripps will still need to seek additional funds to meet its ultimate goal of $3.5 million to complete the Scripps Forum.

Your gift in support of the Forum is greatly needed and will be appreciated by Scripps, as well as the global scientific community this new facility will serve.

Learn More

Have questions about supporting construction of the Scripps Seaside Forum? Scripps Development is happy to help. Call us at (858) 822-1865 or email supportscripps@ucsd.edu.