UC San Diego · UC CAAN

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A slab of coral reef floats in black space speckled with tiny white points, as if in a field of stars. Its crusted surface shifts from slate blue to rust and coral pink, rough with knobs and branches, and a pale band of sand runs along its base.

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Project

Hearing Seascapes

Led by UC San Diego composer Lei Liang and Qualcomm Institute engineer Falko Kuester, this interdisciplinary initiative brings together music composition students and researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography to explore the creative possibilities of marine science. Through a collaborative seminar, participants translate underwater recordings and scientific imaging—including Arctic ice formations, whale echolocation, and coral reef scans—into original musical compositions and immersive experiences. Projects include a virtual reality sound installation presented at the Qualcomm Institute’s SunCAVE in 2018 and a 2019 performance by the Mivos Quartet and students featuring compositions informed by Arctic field recordings.

Three performers in blue shirts hold up a flowing blue fabric during a lively cultural performance, with a smiling woman in the center. Colorful papel picado decorations, illustrated banners, and an audience surround the stage.

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Organization

Community Stations (San Diego & Tijuana), UCSD

Spread across the San Diego–Tijuana border region, this UC San Diego network of community-based sites combines research, teaching, and service. Working with communities of color, it supports research and practice on poverty, along with educational experimentation and shared learning. Support has come from the late UC Regent Richard C. Blum and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.