May 07, 1999
CA&ES Send-Off Party
Wednesday, June 2, 1999 4 to 6 p.m. University Club We're honoring ... Dean Barbara O. Schneeman Associate Dean Alan B. Bennett - Plant Sciences Associate Dean Gary P. Moberg - Animal Biology Associate Dean David S. Reid - Human Health and Development Associate Dean Michael S. Reid - Environment ... for their outstanding contributions to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Please join us!
Sharon E. Lynch
Assistant Director for Relations
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
selynch@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-1602
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Annual Spring Faculty Meeting
The annual spring meeting of the Academic Senate and Academic Federation members of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is scheduled Wednesday, June 9, 1999. It will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Alpha Gamma Rho Hall of Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center. Participants are invited to arrive 10 minutes early for refreshments.
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Bruce Hammock Elected to National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announces the election of Bruce Hammock, professor, Department of Entomology, to membership in the academy. He is recognized for his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Membership in the academy is considered one of the highest honors accorded U.S. scientists and engineers. The academy honors scientists of distinction, addresses matters of importance in science itself and assists the nation in addressing problems where the insights of science are of central significance.
Online NAS Directory
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Pamela Ronald Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship
Associate Professor Pamela Ronald, Department of Plant Pathology, has been awarded the 1999 Guggenheim Fellowship which provides recipients the opportunity to freely pursue their work in a manner they choose for six to 12 months. Fellows are selected on the basis of distinguished past achievements and exceptional promise for future accomplishments. The $33,000 fellowship allows Ronald to spend several months next year in Toulouse, France, at the National Center for Scientific Research's National Institute of Agronomic Research. She will work in the institute's Laboratory of Plant Microbe Interactions, looking at the molecular components that mediate interactions between plants and bacteria that cause plant diseases. Ronald is a molecular biologist whose research focuses on the genetic basis of disease resistance in rice. In 1995, she and her colleagues became the first research team to genetically engineer disease resistance in rice. In 1997 she initiated a graduate education fund at UC Davis designed to compensate developing nations for valuable genes obtained from their native plants and animals. Money for the fund will be drawn from industry contributions and future patent royalties accruing to UC Davis from patenting of UC genes such as the rice disease-resistance gene that her laboratory isolated and cloned. In 1999, the Guggenheim Foundation appointed 179 U.S. and Canadian Fellows from among 2,800 applicants.
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Andrew Waterhouse and Susan Ebeler Edit New Book
Chemistry of Wine Flavor," a 225-page book compiling the latest wine flavor chemistry research results, has been released in the American Chemical Society (ACS) Symposium Series. Andrew Waterhouse, associate professor, and Susan Ebeler, assistant professor, Department of Viticulture & Enology, edited the book. The compilation includes text and graphics from 16 presentations ranging in content from "Why Do Wines Taste Bitter and Feel Astringent?" to "Analysis, Structure and Reactivity of Labile Terpenoid Aroma Precursors in Riesling Wine." ACS collects and publishes the presentations in order to communicate the latest scientific advances in an accessible reference format to academia and the private sector.
The table of contents is published on the distributor'swebsite
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Desmond Jolly Appointed to Advisory Board
Consumer Specialist Desmond Jolly, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and director of the Small Farm Center, has been appointed to the USDA National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board. The board is charged with annually reviewing the relevance of USDA-funded research to the priorities set by the board as accepted by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman. The board advises on procedures for merit and peer review of research and education project proposals and helps the USDA in the development of guidelines for partnerships with land grant colleges and universities. Jolly also is vice chair of the National Commission on Small Farms, director of the UC Statewide Small Farm Program and a member of the board of directors of the Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture.
Desmond A. Jolly
Small Farm Center
dajolly@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-8136
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Martha Stiles Co-hosts DCTV Segment
Staff Research Assistant Martha Stiles, Department of Human and Community Development, is co-hosting a program about the Yolo County Child Car Seat Coalition on Davis Cable Channel 5 on May 18 and 20, 1999, at 7 p.m. The segment focuses on how and why the coalition was founded and discusses how the group trains the community in safe installation of car seats and the safety of children in automobiles. Stiles is coordinator of the Highway 16 Safe Communities Program in Yolo County and co-founder of the Yolo County Child Car Seat Coalition. The coalition is comprised of health, law enforcement and safety professionals, as well as citizens interested in reducing injuries to children as the result of car crashes. According to Stiles, there are more than 2,000 births in Yolo County annually, and the law requires hospitals and birthing clinics to be certain that each child who is discharged and leaves in an automobile is placed in a car seat. The training provided by the coalition assures that the car seat and baby are secured safely.
Martha Stiles
Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
mcstiles@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-2606
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Emanuel Epstein Certified AAAS 50-Year Life Member
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) announces that it has certified Emanuel Epstein, professor emeritus, Department of Land, Air & Water Resources, as a 50-Year Life Member of the organization. Epstein joined AAAS in 1949, the year he finished his Ph.D. research in plant physiology. His first science paper was published in 1954; his most recent paper was published in 1988. Epstein commented that the AAAS certification brings with it a handsomely framed certificate and non-dues-paying status. "Both good things," he said.
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Distinguished Service Awards Presented
The Academic Assembly Council of the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) presented 25 members of the division Distinguished Service Awards for significant contributions in bringing reliable, research-based information to Californians. Strong nominations were received in 15 categories of the competition. Five awards were presented to CA&ES faculty: Tom Lanini, weed scientist, Department of Vegetable Crops, received the Outstanding Teaching - Specialist Award. He has primary responsibilities for vegetable crop production; however, his wide-ranging expertise also enables him to extend knowledge in wildland, aquatic, forestry, alfalfa, specialty crop and non-crop areas. Joe DiTomaso, Extension weed ecologist, Department of Vegetable Crops, received the Outstanding Research - Specialist Award. He developed a comprehensive research and educational program for rangeland weed control, emphasizing yellow starthistle biology and control. He coordinated statewide efforts that involve all facets of the university and industry to offer an effective, viable control program. James Hill, professor, Department of Agronomy & Range Science, was one of four members of a team receiving the Outstanding and Creative Teamwork Award. Hill and Stacey Roberts, postgraduate researcher in the Department of Agronomy & Range Science, are members of the UCCE Rice Water Quality Team. They provided the research basis and outreach program that resulted in modified rice production practices and improved water quality in the Sacramento River. Their decade-long effort solved a major environmental quality problem while allowing continued high rice production in the region. Diane Barrett, associate Cooperative Extension specialist, Department of Food Science & Technology, worked with seven others to form the Processing Tomato Variety Evaluation Team which received the Outstanding and Creative Teamwork Award. They spent countless hours assessing traits of processing tomatoes, each year conducting uniform, replicated trials throughout the Central Valley in which they compared new commercial varieties with established standards. The team performed a full battery of quality evaluations in addition to yield potential, vigor and disease susceptibility. James MacDonald, professor and chair, Department of Plant Pathology, received the Outstanding Teaching and/or Research with Specialists and Advisors (non-CE faculty member) Award. He has consistently provided expertise to AES and CE academics on and off campus and to the horticulture industry via workshops and diagnostic services. He was instrumental in getting test kits developed that allowed nursery growers to identify pathogens to insure proper control and has been testing alternatives to methyl bromide.
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CA&ES Custom Apparel Program
If the question is: Where do I find that "perfect little something" for someone special? Then, the answer is: The CA&ES Custom Apparel Program! The Dean's Office has six items in its new College Custom Apparel Program. Each item has the UC Davis and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences logos. Sweatshirt - navy Polo Shirt - navy Tri-colored Polo Shirt - white, navy and gold Denim Shirt - button-down collar T-shirt - navy Cap - navy, six panel Proceeds benefit the Dean's Circle Fund for student leadership and recruitment activities. The new college apparel program is a huge success. Join in the fun!
Sharon E. Lynch
Assistant Director for Relations
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
selynch@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-1602
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CDPS Awarded EPA Grant
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under its Sustainable Development Challenge Grant Program, awarded a $199,940 grant to Community Design and Planning Services (CDPS). The grant includes a $265,435 in-kind match in services from partners located in Northern California and Northern New Mexico, a total of $465,375. EPA competitive grants are awarded for seed funding to leverage private and other public sector investment in sustainable communities. Over 650 applicants competed for 41 grants; UC Davis was one of two universities in the nation that received an award. The funds will be used for a three-year initiative to implement "The Urban Village Initiative: Achieving Community Based Sustainable Urbanization," developed by Randall Fleming, CDPS managing director and principal investigator. The project will occur in several communities in the Sacramento, California area and the Espanola Valley in Northern New Mexico. Matching fund partners in California include the planning offices of the City and County of Sacramento, the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, the California Energy Commission and the Institute for Ecological Health. Additional UC Davis partners include the Department of Environmental Science and Policy and the Public Service Research Program. Matching partners in northern New Mexico include the City of Espanola Planning Department and the University of California's Northern New Mexico Office. CDPS is located within the Landscape Architecture program, Department of Environmental Design.
Rhonda R. O'Brien
Program Representative
Department of Environmental Design
rrobrien@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-6223
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Art of the Wild Staff Scholarships
The Art of the Wild (AOW) is a weeklong writing program inspired by the powers of wilderness, nature and the environment. Co-sponsors are the 30th annual Squaw Valley Community of Writers, the John Muir Institute and UC Davis. Seeking to deepen and enrich the ties between nature and the literary arts, AOW emphasizes scientific literacy as a valuable aid in writing about the natural world. Participation in the 1999 program is limited to 96 writers in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. To encourage staff participation, AOW is offering a $250 scholarship to UC Davis staff applying to and accepted in the program (a 30 percent reduction in tuition costs).
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Fulbright Scholar Program
The Fulbright Scholar Program encourages faculty to participate in the 2000-2001 Fulbright Scholar Program competition. This past year, 750 U.S. faculty and professionals taught or conducted research in over 125 countries as Fulbright scholars. Their grants enabled them to expand their professional interests, enrich their teaching and advance their scholarship. Grantees come from all areas of the humanities, social sciences, and the natural and physical sciences, as well as from applied fields such as business, journalism, law and TEFL. Grants are awarded to faculty of all academic ranks, including emeritus, and to scholars from a variety of colleges and universities. Application deadline: August 1, 1999
More information at theCIES website
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Methyl Bromide Alternatives Conference
The 1999 Methyl Bromide Alternatives Options Conference Committee invites participation in this year's Annual International Research Conference on Methyl Bromide Alternatives and Emissions Reductions to be held in San Diego November 1-4, 1999. The conference will feature concurrent sessions concerning research on alternatives to methyl bromide for preplant, postharvest and structural uses. . Individuals wishing to present an oral or poster presentation should submit titles of presentations by August 6, 1999.
More information availableonline
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Bay-Delta Tour
The Bay-Delta Tour is a fast-paced, three-day trip of the San Francisco/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary sponsored by the California Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region. Participants will leave Sacramento International Airport on Wednesday, June 16, 1999 and return 6 p.m. Friday, June 18. Travel is by air-conditioned bus, Delta houseboats and the San Francisco ferry. Registration deadline: June 4, 1999
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Arboretum Activities
Oak Grove Tour Sunday, May 9, 1999 2:00 p.m. Gazebo Rare Plants of California: Slide Show Tuesday, May 11, 1999 7:30 p.m. University Club Lunchtime Arboretum Stroll With Superintendent Warren Roberts Wednesday, May 12, 1999 12:00 noon Gazebo Wild Things: Natural History With Slides and Specimens Wednesday, May 12, 1999 7:00 p.m. Putah Creek Lodge Medicinal and Culinary Herbs Sunday, May 16, 1999 2:00 p.m. Gazebo Drought-tolerant Garden Plants Demonstration Plants Tour Sunday, May 23, 1999 2:00 p.m. Gazebo Filoli Gardens Bus Tour Wednesday, May 26, 1999 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. $35 members; $45 non-members Advance registration required Managing Insects in Your Garden Sunday, May 30, 1999 2:00 p.m. Arboretum Headquarters
Arboretum calendar
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Visit CA&ES Currents online at http://caes.ucdavis.edu/NewsEvents/News/Currents/default.aspx
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CA&ES Currents, the faculty/staff newsletter of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis, is distributed every other Friday. News deadline is noon Monday preceding Friday publication. Send inquiries to Ann Filmer, afilmer@ucdavis.edu
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Issue Editor:
Rhoda McKnight
(530) 752-9328
Contributors: Donna Gutierrez, Thomas Kaiser, Susan Kancir, Rhoda McKnight, Neal Van Alfen, John Weston.
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