August 20, 1999
Animal Science Professor Gary Moberg Dies
Professor Gary Moberg, Department of Animal Science, died Friday, August 13, 1999, after collapsing in the parking lot outside his office on the UC Davis campus. According to Gary Anderson, department chair, Moberg was walking to his office from the parking lot at the time of the incident. "Gary was a longtime faculty member in the Department of Animal Science to whom many of us turned for advice," Anderson said. "Gary was internationally recognized as an expert in animal stress and animal welfare. He will be sadly missed as both a colleague and a friend." Moberg also taught neurobiology, physiology and behavior in the Division of Biological Sciences and last spring was named director of the Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture. He left his post as divisional associate dean of the college's Division of Animal Biology on June 30, 1999, after six years. "Gary's contribution to the Dean's Office and to the college has been invaluable," said interim dean Andre Lauchli of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. "As the result of Gary's commitment to excellence and 'can-do attitude,' many new, innovative programs have been established across campus. He was particularly instrumental in initiating new centers in the college." Researchers in Moberg's laboratory are studying how the endocrine system's response to environmental stresses affects ovulation and the expression of sexual behavior in individual animals. Research focuses on the endocrine control of reproduction in white sturgeon, the biological response of fin-fish to stress and the impact of environmental stress on shellfish. Moberg had begun collaborating with the National Marine Fisheries Service, examining potential stress effects of certain tuna fishing practices on dolphins in the South Pacific. Born in Alexis, Illinois, where he was raised on his family's farm, Moberg earned his B.S. in biology from Monmouth College and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Physiology at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He joined the UC Davis faculty in 1970. Moberg was active nationally as chair of the board of directors of the USDA's Western Regional Aquaculture Center and regional administrative advisor for the National Animal Genome Project. He was a member of the American Physiological Society, the American Society of Animal Science, and Endocrine Society, Sigma Xi and the Society for the Study of Reproduction and numerous aquaculture organizations. His wife of 32 years, Sydney Moberg of Davis, his son, Philip Moberg of San Diego, and his daughter, Kirstin Moberg of Santa Cruz, survive him. survive him. The family requests that memorial gifts be sent to the Gary P. Moberg Scholarship Fund, c/o Department of Animal Science, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8687.
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Joseph Cech Receives Fisheries Award
Professor Joseph Cech, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, was selected to receive the Mentoring for Professional Diversity in Fisheries Award by the Equal Opportunities Section of the American Fisheries Society. The award recognizes a fisheries professional who "exemplifies the concept of mentoring for diversity in the fisheries profession." The award will be presented at the group's annual meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 30, 1999.
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John Bruhn Presented Citation Award
The International Association of Milk, Food and Environmental Sanitarians presented the Harry Haverland Citation Award to Extension dairy food specialist John Bruhn, Department of Food Science & Technology. He is honored for his dedication to the ideals and objectives of the society and for his accomplishments in the field of food safety.
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Edward DePeters Receives Applied Nutrition Award
The 1999 Applied Nutrition Award from Nutrition Professionals, Inc. recently was awarded to Professor Edward DePeters, Department of Animal Science. He was recognized for the outstanding quality of his work in applied nutrition. Nutrition Professionals, Inc. is an independent dairy nutrition and management consulting firm.
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Bill Silag Named CF3 Associate Director
Bill Silag has joined the California Food and Fiber Futures Project (CF3) as associate director. He will assist in planning statewide meetings, coordinate action team development and progress, and develop/strengthen communications via brochures, newsletters and the Web. A native New Yorker, Silag coordinated all visioning activities in the Iowa CF3 project, co-authored a book synthesizing CF3-like projects nationally and was involved in the national Leadership for Institutional Change effort. "We're fortunate to have Bill on our CF3 team," said Ross MacDonald, program director. "He brings a unique combination of experience and skills, and he knows every rock-and-roll song from the 50s through the 70s."
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Plant Science Award Recipients
Congratulations to the 1999 recipients of the Milton D. and Mary M. Miller Plant Science Award, Tracy Ackerly (agronomy) and Christopher Hartley (international agricultural development/ agronomy), M.S. students, Department of Agronomy & Range Science.
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Development Highlight
Lois Spafford gave $20,000 to establish the Ed and Lois Spafford Endowed Arboretum Maintenance Fund. Her late husband, F. Edwin Spafford, was ASUCD President in 1953. From 1954 until his retirement in 1987, Ed made many lasting contributions to the University of California and to the Davis campus. Lake Spafford, near Mrak Hall in the UC Davis Arboretum, is named for Ed.
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Rice Field Day
California Rice Experiment Station scientists and UC professors, specialists and county farm advisors will update growers on rice research at the annual Rice Field Day held August 25, 1999, near Biggs. Participants will learn about the latest in weed control, new rice varieties and other research developments. They will receive an update on new insecticides and monitoring techniques to control the rice water weevil. Registration for this free event begins at 7:30 a.m. Field tours begin at 9:30 a.m. The University of California and the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation sponsor the field day.
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Food, Land & People Symposium
Food, Land & People, a non-profit educational project founded in 1988 to provide educators with high quality, balanced and easily integrated classroom materials focusing on the complexity and interdependence of agricultural, environmental, economic and cultural issues, is hosting a symposium titled "Building Bridges of Understanding Between Agriculture, Education and the Environment." It will be held September 9 and 10, 1999, at the Presidio of San Francisco. Featured guests include prominent national leaders from agriculture, education and the environment. The keynote speaker is from the World Food Prize Foundation. The National Park Service will provide optional tours of the Presidio and Alcatraz Island.
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Biotechnology Research Grants
The UC Systemwide Biotechnology Research and Education Program announces biotechnology-funding opportunities for UC Researchers. BioSTAR Matching Grants - Deadline: October 15, 1999 Interdisciplinary Research and Training Grants - Deadline: October 29, 1999 Economic, Business, Law and Public Education Grants - Deadline: October 29, 1999
UC Biotech website
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NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
The National Science Foundation (NSF) will award approximately 900 new graduate research fellowships to support graduate study in science, mathematics and engineering. Applicants must be citizens, nationals or permanent resident aliens of the U.S. at the time of application. Those eligible to apply are college seniors, first-year graduate students and others who have completed a limited amount of graduate study in science, mathematics or engineering. Fellowships are awarded for study and research leading to master's or doctoral degrees in the mathematical, physical, biological, engineering and behavioral and social sciences, including the history of science and the philosophy of science, and for research-based Ph.D. degrees in science education. Additional awards will be offered to encourage women to undertake graduate study in engineering and computer information science.
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Life Science Informatics Funding Opportunity
The University of California's Life Science Informatics Program (LSI) is a three-way life sciences informatics partnership involving the state, industry and the university. Its purpose is to drive the California economy. LSI supports engineering and basic science disciplines. The research is pre-commercial, from basic to proof-of-concept. Example areas include agricultural sciences, animal sciences, chemistry, biological sciences, engineering, environmental sciences, medicine, veterinary medicine and zoology.
Life Science departmental website
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