Elya Filler's Global Studies thesis on the East Asian sex industry and its historical background won that interdepartmental program's top honor for 2008-09. Now she is volunteering at a school in Cambodia and thinking about how best to continue her education while helping to battle poverty.

Professors and students hope to create portable device that could test for contaminants immediately, reports The Daily Bruin.

Cambodian activist and author Somaly Mam has rescued more than 6,000 girls in Southeast Asia from sexual slavery and helped many to rebuild their lives. She spoke last month at UCLA's law school on how to go beyond mere talk in the fight against predators and organized criminals. Watch a video about the event.

Bernardo Alvarez Herrera, the ambassador from Venezuela, says that the political crisis in Honduras and the U.S. military presence in Colombia will be pivotal issues in U.S. relations in Latin America.

Professor Steven Spiegel finds President Obama's aggressive actions in the Middle East a needed change from George W. Bush's aloof avoidance of the situation. By taking an active role in delaying Iran's nuclear ambitions and supporting Israeli and Palestinian negotiations, President Obama is taking a more effective approach to peace in the region.

In six decades at UCLA Gloria Nathanson, associate director of Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools, has become an authority on appraising the credentials of students across continents and cultures.

The coming three years may be the best chance for mainland Chinese and Taiwanese leaders to settle their differences, says former Taiwanese Foreign Minister Hung-mao Tien.

The European Union tends to favor an emphasis on multilateral means of conflict resolution and trade promotion which do not address the Arab world's domestic problems. Instead the EU refers to international tensions such as the Arab-Israeli conflict as a cause of Islamist terrorism thus the EU is obstructing interests in the democratization of the region.

Ghislaine Lydon, the new chair of the African Studies interdepartmental program, will travel to Mauritania in December to collaborate on an article and a documentary film about the last women caravanners in the western Sahara Desert.

Shaukat Aziz, who served Pakistan for eight years as finance minister and prime minister, argues that global and regional powers will need to meet with all Afghan factions, the Taliban included, and offer a Marshall Plan for Afghanistan in order to put the country on the right track.

Somaly Mam, founder of the Somaly Mam Foundation goes into detail about her personal experiences as a survivor of forced prostitution for Daily Bruin Radio. Somaly urges students to visit her website somaly.org in order to read testimonials, look at pictures and learn how to save lives.

In this article which first appeared in the Huffington Post, Professor Steven Spiegel and Professor Michael Yaffe appeal to the Obama administration to revisit the "multilateral" approach exhibited in the Middle East in the 1990's to prompt peace talks in the region.

Lectures, Colloquia, and an Open House!

Shoichi Iwasaki reports on a four-year collaborative project of international Linguistics researchers

All graduate students in China studies are invited to participate

The Center for Security Studies in Zurich, Switzerland, ranks Burkle Center podcasts as among the best of all international relations podcasts.

The Center for Security Studies in Zurich, Switzerland, ranks Burkle Center podcasts as among the best of all international relations podcasts.

Current installation at the Fowler Museum highlights fresh flavors of an ancient brew, reports The Daily Bruin. CISA Director Sanjay Subrahmanyam will lecture on changes wrought by tea production in India's Nilgiri Hills at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, as part of a related series.

Current installation at the Fowler Museum highlights fresh flavors of an ancient brew, reports The Daily Bruin.

Summer workshop for K-12 educators explores food in Middle Eastern and North African History and Cultures