Your Peer Research and Writing Specialist ("Pro" for short) for the Food Cluster is Taylor Sieverling. Set up a consultation with Taylor to talk about research, writing, assignments, study skills, and getting settled in the Cluster program and at UCLA!
Office Hours:
Mondays at 11am-1pm
(Powell Ground Floor)
Appointments: Schedule here
Welcome to your Cluster M1 Research Guide! This is where you'll find resources to support your research and writing for Food: A Lens for Environment and Sustainability.
In addition to this guide, the Food Cluster has its own Library Team. We are available to answer questions and meet to discuss your assignments for the course. Keep in touch!
Taylor Sieverling
Peer Research & Writing Specialist ("Pro")
tjane2001@g.ucla.edu
Office Hours:
Schedule an Appointment (In-person & Online)
Ashley Peterson
Research & Instruction Librarian, Media & Data Literacy
ashleypeterson@library.ucla.edu
Schedule an Appointment (In-person & Online)
Alexandra Solodkaya
Rothman Family Food Studies Librarian
asolodkaya@library.ucla.edu
Schedule an Appointment (Online)
Throughout the fall quarter, the Library Team will be presenting key resources each week to support your research, writing, and overall well-being at UCLA.
The UCLA Library is huge: so many people, buildings, and resources! One of the easiest ways to explore how we can support your research is to talk to us. From quick online chat questions to booking a consultation to discovering librarians who specialize in your major, this page will show you the many, many ways to reach out and keep in touch.
The Library's live online research workshops offer a variety of resources and tips related to getting started with research, finding sources through the UCLA Library, citing sources, and more! They even offer Adulting 101 Workshops that cover important life skills. Check out their upcoming events!
WI+RE is a learner-led community at UCLA focused on helping everyone succeed in their writing and research projects. The WI+RE team leverages a learner-centered design toolkit to create and continually improve open online learning modules. On their site, you'll find a range of interactive tutorials on topics like turning research questions into keywords and creating annotated bibliographies.
CAPs is the UCLA Counseling and Psychological Center here to support your mental well-being as you work towards your academic goals. They offer free or very low cost individual or group therapy sessions, psychiatric evaluations and treatment, and programs and workshops focusing on wellness promotion.
The UCLA RISE (Resilience In Your Student Experience) Center is a “holistic wellness hub that provides an array of programs, classes, training, and self-directed resources to foster and support resilience, connection, and well-being for our UCLA community.” Located at Lu Valle commons, this free space offers meditation, yoga, handouts, playlists, and other mind-body resources.
The teaching kitchen is an interactive educational space focused on food and wellness, including nutrition, culinary skills, and food insecurity. Check out their workshops, such as a culinary bootcamp or a session on budget-friendly, balanced meals. The teaching kitchen is community-centric and inclusive - all skill levels and backgrounds are welcome!
HCI encompasses seven pods, each with their own focus but an ultimate goal of fostering health and wellness within the entire UCLA community. Pods include EATwell, Breathewell, or Engagewell, among others! As students, you can get engaged by attending events, listening to thier podcasts, or joining a pod as a member.
The thesis you craft for your chosen research question is the foundation of your paper, so I would encourage you to read through the UCLA UWC's guide on developing a sophisticated thesis. It breaks down the essential elements with helpful examples!
As you continue to collect sources, you must begin to think about how they will compliment each other to support your thesis. Generating a well-constructed, nuanced argument relies on your ability to synthesize multiple pieces of information (i.e. what you found via research!). Check out Purdue Owl's short guide to synthesizing sources!
Now that you have sources, you'll need to start utilizing them to support your argument/response. This guide differentiates between paraphrasing and direct quotes as well as provides tips for how and when to use each method.
Library Resource of the Week: Research Tutorial
This tutorial has been tailor-made for you all as first-year students in the Food cluster. It includes a demo of using the UC Library database and finding governmental sources, advice for researching and finding relevant sources, an explanation on the distinctions between google scholar and uc search, and other tips. You can refer to the slides that go along with it here.
Enrollment is opening up soon, so I've included some advice and tips that I wish I knew earlier in my UCLA career. Enrollment can be stressful, but using these strategies have personally reduced anxiety and prevented enrollment hiccups/troubles. I've also provided clarifications on your Writing 1 & 2 requirements - each year, students have similar questions so take a look!
I’ll be hosting a movie night (with free snacks!) in the De Neve Auditorium on November 16th from 7:30-9:30pm (Wednesday of week 8)! RSVP if you'll try to make it!
1. Drop by my office hours on Mondays between 11am-1pm. First-come first-served! @ the curtained tables in Powell's ground floor (head down the stairs when you first walk in).
2. Make a one-on-one appointment with me!
3. Drop in or make an appointment with the Undergraduate Writing Center (UWC).
a. For drop-ins, you'll add your info to a waitlist and email the writing center to let them know you're waiting. You'll then access the zoom link via MyUCLA.
b. For future appointments, you'll make a request through MyUCLA. Just be sure you're signed in first, otherwise the link won't direct you properly!
The Undergraduate Writing Center (UWC) has created two helpful handouts with strategies for editing and revision. I encourage you to use their exercises to enhance your paper: How to Be Clear in Your Statements & Reverse Outlining.
Based on consultations with students, I have created a document that provides answers to frequently-asked questions related to the writing assignment. Check out my responses and the additional resources that I have included!
Stressbusters is a series of events and resources created by the UCLA library to support students during week 10 and finals week! There are live events like therapy dogs or a Jazz performance, curated playlists, recommended FREE movies, selected WI+RE tutorials, coloring pages, calming videos, and more!! Check it out!
The mission of the UCLA Library is to provide access to and delivery of information resources to UCLA students, faculty, and staff in support of the research and instructional mission of the university. Relying on its highly skilled staff, the Library encourages innovation, capitalizes on appropriate technologies, forges effective partnerships and aggressively promotes excellence.
