January 28, 2000

Jim McHenry Presented Lifetime Achievement Award
A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Jim McHenry, weed science emeritus, Department of Vegetable Crops, at the recent Forest Vegetation Management Conference in Redding. McHenry was recognizes for his outstanding lifelong contributions to the practice of forest vegetation management. During his long career in the UC system, McHenry developed many of the weed management principles used today for the control of problematic vegetation in forest plantations. He published papers on poison oak and blackberry control and identification, published the earliest work on the control of perennial pepperweed, developed management practices for the control of noxious weeds and was involved with non-crop lands and aquatic environments. The conference, comprised of professional land managers from California and the West, provides a forum for the exchange of information concerning forest vegetation management, works with landowners and managers to identify and solve forest vegetation management issues, encourages research and education, and provides public awareness of the issues of forest vegetation management.


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Greg McPherson Receives Award of Research
Greg McPherson, research scientist, Western Center for Urban Forest Research and Education (WCUFRE), received the 1999 Award of Research from the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. The award recognizes the important contribution his research has made in quantifying the benefits and costs of urban forests and their impacts on quality of life in communities. McPherson recently helped host a Department of Environmental Horticulture dedication ceremony for the WCUFRE Sustainable Garden. Dignitaries representing UC Davis, state agencies, USDA and the Teichert Foundation watched the UC Davis Fire Department demonstrate how to harvest water runoff from the center's roof.


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Ledyard Stebbins Dies at 94
Geneticist G. Ledyard Stebbins, considered the world's leading authority on plant evolution, died January 19, 2000, at the age of 94. A memorial service will be held Sunday, January 30, at 1 p.m. at the Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center. His ashes will be scattered in the Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve, a UC natural reserve named in his honor in 1980 by UC regents. Stebbins served on the UC Davis faculty from 1950 to 1973 when he retired and continued his research and writing. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1952 and received the UC Davis Distinguished Teaching Award in 1972. In 1979, he was awarded the National Medal of Science, the country's highest award for scientific accomplishment.


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Modern Biotechnology and the World's Poor
On Friday, February 4, 2000, at 11 a.m., the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics is co-sponsoring a lecture titled "Modern Biotechnology and the World's Poor" featuring Per Pinstrup-Andersen, distinguished agricultural economist and authority on the economics of food security, agricultural research and technological change and related policy. He will discuss the potential for modern biotechnology to enhance the living standards of the poor in less-developed countries through improvements in agricultural productivity and how policies adopted in both rich and poor countries might limit those gains. Pinstrup-Anderson, director of the International Food Policy Research Institute, previously was professor at Cornell University and director of the Cornell Food and Nutrition Policy Program. He has authored hundreds of publications related to food and agriculture and is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions.



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Bay Area Contemporary Furniture
"Form Follows...An Exhibition of Bay Area Contemporary Furniture" Through February 4, 2000 Design Gallery, Walker Hall Bob Morgan, co-curator

Rhonda R. O'Brien
Program Representative
Department of Environmental Design
rrobrien@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-6223

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A Forum: Future of Sacramento-Area Agriculture
An agricultural forum titled "The Future of Agriculture in the Sacramento Region: Land, Commodities and Technology" will be held Monday, February 14, 2000, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center. The forum is hosted by the UC Agricultural Issues Center, in cooperation with the Green Valley Initiative, a coalition of business, agricultural and environmental interests organized to promote open space conservation in the six-county Sacramento region. The forum will consider the emerging trends in land use, markets, profitability and technological applications that affect the ongoing prosperity of the region's farms and ranches. The program features an informational panel of UC and other experts, a commentary panel of growers representing major commodities and audience participation.


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Weed Science School
UC scientists have developed an intensive, three-day Weed Science School, the only one of its kind in the Western U.S. Enrollment is limited to 45. Classes are held at the Heidrick Ag History Center in Woodland. The school is geared toward public and private professionals involved in consulting, research, development and sales of agricultural chemicals, according to director Joe DiTomaso, UC Cooperative Extension weed specialist.

John D. Stumbos
Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
jdstumbos@ucdavis.edu
(530) 754-9554

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Agricultural Experiment Station Revisions
With the completion of the AD-421 annual reports, please review your AD-421 checklist. For those AES projects that have an estimated termination date of September 30, 2000, submit revisions to CeCe Krek in the Dean's Office by March 31, 2000. If PIs have terminated their Agricultural Experiment Station projects, please remind them they should submit a new project by the March 31 deadline. AES projects must be peer-reviewed in the department prior to submission to the Dean's Office. Funds cannot be assigned to projects until they have been approved by USDA-CSREES.



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Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
UC Davis and the American Chemical Society (ACS) entered into an agreement whereby the Journal of Agricultural and Feed Chemistry (JAFC) editorial office will be established in space provided by UC Davis for a period of two years beginning February 1, 2000, and ending January 31, 2003. Funds and support will be provided by ACS. JAFC editor-in-chief Dr. James Seiber, UC Davis emeritus professor, will head the office. It will be staffed by UC Davis employees assigned to work with JAFC and Seiber and will receive manuscripts from submitting authors worldwide and then route them through the review process. Accepted manuscripts in final JAFC format will be routed to the ACS Columbus, Ohio, office for printing.


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Development News: The Hoefer Fund
Alan R. Hoefer, president of the Hoefer Family Foundation, established The Hoefer Fund in the UC Davis Foundation with a gift of $50,000. The fund is designated for the benefit of the Department of Viticulture & Enology. The specific application of the income from The Hoefer Fund will be designated at a later date.


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Kinsella Memorial Prize
The Kinsella Memorial Prize, established in honor of Professor John E. Kinsella, is presented annually by the college to one or more outstanding individuals who submit a Ph.D. dissertation during the spring, fall or winter quarter immediately preceding the due date for nomination. Nominations require a one-page abstract of the dissertation and a three-page letter addressing the quality and originality of the work, the multidisciplinary impact of the research and the importance of the research to the college's mission to serve agriculture, the environment and human health and development.



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Water Education's "Blueprint for the Future"
The Water Education Foundation's 17th annual executive briefing will be held March 1, 2000, at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento. Leaders from water, business, agricultural, environmental and public interest groups will discuss some of the biggest changes in the water scene for 2000 and beyond. The agenda includes presentations by State Senator Jim Costa, D-Fresno; Assemblymember Mike Machado, D-Stockton; and California Department of Water Resources director Tom Hannigan.



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RFP: Strawberry Research
The California Strawberry Commission invites research proposals for year February 1, 2001, to January 31, 2002. The goal of the commission is an integrated, comprehensive research program that solves problems encountered by farmers. It is particularly interested in statewide entomology, plant pathology and pomology projects. Projects should address cultivar development, control of weeds, arthropod pests, fungal, bacterial and viral diseases. Projects should aim at a comprehensive integrated pest-disease crop management program, including the current commercial cultivars and selections emerging from the strawberry-breeding program. In addition, researchers should address how the loss of methyl bromide will effect current research and breeding programs and the strawberry industry in general.


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RFP: California Table Grape Commission
The California Table Grape Commission is encouraging research projects to assess the potential health benefits of grapes on human health using a standardized freeze-dried preparation made from fresh grapes. Research projects should be designed to provide a foundation for supplemental, large-scale studies in humans. This does not exclude in vitro and animal studies that make a significant contribution to the current body of knowledge about grapes or grape constituents and health. Candidates must have a medical or other doctoral degree and be a faculty member or project leader at a college or university, teaching hospital or established research institute or organization. Deadline: March 3, 2000

For more informationCTGC website


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RFP: UC Salinity/Drainage Program
Proposals are being solicited for funding commencing July 1, 2000, to support research, economic analyses or education activities that contribute to the positive resolution of problems associated with salinity, drainage, selenium or other toxic elements in the San Joaquin Valley. The mission of the UC Salinity/Drainage Program is to develop research and Extension activities that will help establish the optimal mix of management options leading to sustainable agriculture in an environmentally sound manner in the western San Joaquin Valley. The Prosser Trust Fund was established for the advancement of efficient use of water in agricultural operations. Modest funding is available to support research or Extension activities related to efficient use of water in agriculture. Deadline: February 25, 2000



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RFP: Sustainable Agriculture Graduate Awards
The UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) is soliciting new proposals for grants to graduate students conducting research that will advance the mission and goals of the program. Registered graduate students attending any accredited institution of higher learning in California are eligible. Proposals will be accepted on a broad range of topics and issues. Of particular interest are projects that address the sustainability of crop and livestock systems. Deadline: April 11, 2000

SAREP Online


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RFP: Grants for Educational Events
The UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) is soliciting new proposals for grants to conduct educational programs that will advance the mission and goals of the program. Funds are available to support workshops, field days, symposia, seminars and other educational events held between July 1, 2000, and June 30, 2001. Awards are limited to $1,200 per event. Those eligible to apply include individuals affiliated with California public or private educational institutions, California non-profit, tax-exempt organizations or federal or state government agencies. Proposals will be accepted on a broad range of topics and issues. Of particular interest are projects that address the sustainability of crop and livestock systems. Deadline: April 11, 2000

David E. Chaney
Education Coordinator
SAREP
dechaney@ucdavis.edu
(530) 754-8551

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RFP: Marketing Strategies for Farmers and Ranchers
A federal competitive grant effort is being launched to encourage sustainable producers to try new marketing practices that will increase farm and ranch incomes and contribute to thriving rural communities. The Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program and the Agricultural Marketing Service are offering a special call for proposals to producers who reside in the Western U.S. for innovative marketing projects that can benefit individuals and be applied to other agricultural enterprises. Individuals can apply for grants up to $10,000; producer groups can apply for up to $20,000. Grant reviewers will be looking for proposals that explore or demonstrate ways to increase sustainable farm and ranch incomes by expanding or refining more traditional market channels or by attempting new techniques, products or markets.

Check it outonline


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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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