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Campus Map

Birch Aquarium P1 Signature Image - Embodied Pacific

Birch Aquarium Location Image

Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Gallery QI UCSD Embodied Pacific Location Image

Gallery QI (Qualcomm Institute)

Visual Arts Gallery at Structural Mechanical Engineering Building UCSD Embodied Pacific Location Image

VAG@SME (Visual Arts Gallery at the Structural and Materials Engineering Building)

UC Kendall Frost Marsh Reserve 1 Embodied Pacific Location Image

Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve

Geisel Library Gallery 1 Embodied Pacific Location Image

Gallery and The Nest at Geisel Library

Kosay Kumeyaay Market 1 Embodied Pacific Location Image

Kosay Kumeyaay Market

The Environment

SoCal

Water and Oceans

Embodied Pacific

Mohammad Sedarat.

Mohammad Sedarat

Mohammad Sedarat: Torrey Pine

<ul><li dir="ltr">Favorite place to eat in SoCal: <a href="http://harryscoffeeshop.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harry's Coffee Shop</a> in La Jolla. It’s been there for so long. Like some of the professors I'm friends with from Scripps, who are generations older than me, have been going to Harry's since Harry was alive; their kids grew up on Harry's. It's just a diner, but when you go inside, it's like you're getting transferred back to the 50s or 60s. There’s no cell reception, they’re always playing Baroque classical music, and every square inch of wall space has some kind of cool art…historic photos, old baseball cards. And then, after a long dive day, if you finish in time—because they close early, they're more of a breakfast place—you can close Harry’s, which sounds like you're closing a bar, but it's, like, 3 p.m. You can eat as much food as you want because you've been starving in the field the whole day and you're there with your buddies from work…. Definitely some good memories right there. </li><li dir="ltr">Best kept SoCal secret: Behind the Model Railroad Museum in Balboa Park, there's a parking lot—I guess it’s the corner of the <a href="https://balboapark.org/arts-culture/japanese-friendship-garden-balboa-park/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Japanese Friendship Garden</a>—there's this lone rainbow eucalyptus. It's huge, but it's not just a usual eucalyptus tree. It's this kind that has a trunk that is all the colors of the rainbow, essentially. It’s unreal. Just one humble little tree (it’s pretty big actually). And I always try to park right there and walk by and hang out with it for a second. </li><li dir="ltr">I love SoCal because...we have Torrey Pines in Southern California and we don't really have them anywhere else. They're one of the rarest pine species, and they only naturally grow here in Southern California. And so our coastline is beautiful already, but it's that much more unique because of the tree line that these Torrey Pines create. </li><li dir="ltr">Follow Mohammad on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sea_dandy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@sea_dandy </a></li><li dir="ltr">Listen to Mohammad's playlist on <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Jo2NDnDFmKie2pt9oRIGc?si=d154c708384d45a9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spotify </a></li></ul>

Mohammad's Quick Fire SoCal Questions

Transformative Currents: Art and Action in the Pacific Ocean

Crystal Cove Conservancy Location Image

EXPAND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE
The themes in the PST ART exhibit <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://pst.art/en/exhibitions/transformative-currents-art-and-action-in-the-pacific-ocean__;!!Mih3wA!G6OUICfRmpv51AVKLlRaRAcSVyUEPvvHyLmOLhxKpo_En7jiqj1VTdAbMgq16rLmi4xh82F3AyADbcLfSpE$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Transformative Currents</a>, hosted at multiple locations in Orange County and San Diego, echo much of the work that Sedarat himself is doing: examining how issues such as climate change and pollution are affecting the Pacific Ocean and using the concept of currents to illustrate connection and mutual responsibility. 
 “Anything with environmental devastation, especially the Pacific Ocean, I'm there,” says Sedarat. “I want to know what people are talking about, especially when we're looking at the history. What can we learn from stuff that's already happened? And I appreciate that the exhibit has a cultural aspect. Being environmental is the buzzword, but there’s more to it now. And when the issue becomes more inclusive and well rounded, then it’s not so much just about science. It’s about progress, thinking both inside and outside a bigger box than what we've kind of been biased into working in. There are so many different players that aren't part of the conversation who have something to offer. So this exhibit is going to be very cool to see. And then Crystal Cove on the Newport Coast [Editor’s Note: The Crystal Cove Conservancy is one of the exhibit hosts] is gorgeous.”

Mohammad Sedarat: SDBG

TAKE A GARDEN TOUR As you travel further along the coast towards San Diego, stop off at <a href="https://sdbg.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">San Diego Botanic Garden</a>. “I’ve always loved plants,” expresses Sedarat, “and the San Diego Botanic Garden is an amazing place.” Let that garden serve as inspiration for your own and stock up at nearby nursery <a href="https://www.solanasucculents.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Solana Succulents</a>. “It’s a well-kept secret because you have to drive along the coastal 101 to even get there. You'll go in, and you'll think you're either in a park or someone's very well-curated backyard garden, but everything's for sale. And you'll find things that aren't your classic Home Depot, non-native variety of plants. The owner, Jeff Moore, he loves the native plants, especially succulents, that we find around here.”

San Diego Botanic Garden

Mohammad Sedarat: SDP

ESCAPE INTO NATURE Sedarat also has an affinity for wetlands, especially because of their ecological role in nature. “Wetlands are important,” he explains. “They're amazing in the context of sea level rise and storm flooding control.” To experience their beauty, Sedarat recommends the <a href="https://www.sdparks.org/content/sdparks/en/park-pages/SanElijo.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve and Nature Center</a> at the base of the Torrey Pines Natural Reserve. “It’s one of the few easily accessible spots [to the lagoon] and the wetlands are a quick fix if you're trying to immerse yourself in nature without having to drive hours. You walk maybe 10 minutes in any given direction, and you can't really see anything aside from the local nature.”

San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve and Nature Center

Helen and Newton Harrison: California Work

La Jolla Historical Society Location Image

MEET TWO ECOLOGICAL ARTISTS <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://pst.art/en/exhibitions/helen-and-newton-harrison-california-work__;!!Mih3wA!G6OUICfRmpv51AVKLlRaRAcSVyUEPvvHyLmOLhxKpo_En7jiqj1VTdAbMgq16rLmi4xh82F3AyADq17DByQ$">Helen and Newto</a><a href="https://pst.art/en/exhibitions/helen-and-newton-harrison-california-work" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">n Harrison: California Work</a>, also at multiple locations, showcases the life work of this husband and wife team, two of the earliest ecological artists. “I'm excited for these exhibits,” says Sedarat. “[The Harrison’s efforts] to make topsoil, that's amazing. I love how these things all connect to something that definitely hits close to home for me on an environmental level. And it’s going to be fun to check out some of these venues. Like, one of them is the La Jolla Historical Society, and I've walked by that building so many times and not realized what's in there. And then Mandeville Art Gallery at UCSD…it’s just a concrete box on the outside, but inside, it opens up and it’s the perfect gallery.”

VISIT SITES NEAR AND DEAR TO SEDARAT
The tour’s next stop is PST ART’s <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://pst.art/en/exhibitions/embodied-pacific__;!!Mih3wA!G6OUICfRmpv51AVKLlRaRAcSVyUEPvvHyLmOLhxKpo_En7jiqj1VTdAbMgq16rLmi4xh82F3AyADG68AOes$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Embodied Pacific</a>. One of the host venues is Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography where Sedarat studies and works. The exhibition is an expansive exploration of oceanography through workshops, programs, and immersive exhibits. “When I first started out as an undergraduate, I was actually pre med,” Sedarat reflects. “But [over time], I realized I was happier working in the ocean. Instead of having to take vacation from, like, a day job in healthcare to go to the ocean, I could actually just be there every day. And the Birch Aquarium was part of that realization, that tipping of the scales in that direction.” 
Another venue of Embodied Pacific is at Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Reserve, where there are more wetlands. “I would love to see infrastructure develop and start to use wetlands more than has been done so far. Wetlands’ design actually solves a lot of our extreme environmental issues and climate problems. So Kendall Frost is really awesome and I can't wait to see what's going on there in relation to this exhibit.” 
Ask Sedarat to recommend a beach in the area and he has an easy answer: “The beach near Scripps where I work. You're in the office, but you can walk down the hill or from wherever you are on campus, and get on the beach within minutes and have a surf or a swim. There are tide pools just to the north of the pier. It’s maybe a little bit on the nose, but it’s where I hang out the most.”

Mohammad Sedarat: Harry's Coffee Shop

GRAB A BITE Around now you may be feeling hungry. Head to one of Sedarat’s favorite restaurants in the area, a friendly diner: <a href="http://harryscoffeeshop.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harry's Coffee Shop</a> in La Jolla. “It’s been there for so long,” he says. “Like some of the professors I'm friends with from Scripps, who are generations older than me, have been going to Harry's since Harry was alive. When you go inside, it's like you're getting transferred back to the 50s or 60s. There’s no cell reception, they’re always playing Baroque classical music, and every square inch of wall space has some kind of cool art…historic photos, old baseball cards. After a long dive day, if you finish in time—because they close early, they're more of a breakfast place—you can close Harry’s, which sounds like you're closing a bar, but it's, like, 3 p.m. You can eat as much food as you want because you've been starving in the field the whole day and you're there with your buddies from work…. Definitely some good memories right there.”

Harry's Coffee Shop

Mohammad Sedarat: Verbatim Books

EXPLORE SAN DIEGO After you’ve refueled, it’s time to head into San Diego proper. Interested to read up on all you’ve been seeing? Sedarat suggests <a href="https://verbatimbooks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Verbatim Books</a>, a large independent bookstore that specializes in secondhand books. “They've got character, for sure. And they really seem to like dinosaurs,” he laughs. “Definitely worth checking out.”

Verbatim Books

The San Diego Museum of Art Location Image

On the outdoor theme, <a href="https://balboapark.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Balboa Park</a>—and its 1,200 acres—are well worth a wander. “They've got a rotating slew of different displays and exhibits and even just their gardens are beautiful to walk around in,” says Sedarat. “It's kind of like Central Park as far as California goes.” [Editor’s Note: There are two PST ART exhibitions in Balboa Park to check out! <a href="https://pst.art/en/exhibitions/wonders-of-creation-art-science-and-innovation-in-the-islamic-world" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World</a> at the San Diego Museum of Art and <a href="https://pst.art/en/exhibitions/blue-gold-the-art-and-science-of-indigo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blue Gold: The Art and Science of Indigo</a> at the Mingei International Museum.]

Balboa Park

Mohammad Sedarat: Rad Habits Juice Co

For a little healthy energy boost, pop over to <a href="https://www.radhabitsjuice.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rad Habits Juice Co</a>. “It’s owned by a single mom [Jenna Kuiken] who’s just, like, a total queen. The space is very artistic inside, kind of edgy at times, but all the juices are super colorful and nourishing. Sometimes, when my partner and I are on a bike ride, we’ll end up there, especially on a hot day.”

Rad Habits Juice Co.

Mohammad Sedarat:

FINISH WITH A TOUCH OF FANCY To wind up the day, stroll back through Balboa Park to <a href="https://www.pradobalboa.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Prado</a>, a Spanish-influenced restaurant housed in a National Landmark building. “It’s a more spendy option, but I like it because it's right next to the Japanese Friendship Garden and it’s got a lot of trees and plants. I'm a sucker for that, right? And the food either tastes good because I like the views, or the food is just good, too.”