August 24, 2001

NPR Tells CA&ES Story
A nine-minute segment on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" told part of the college's story about research on strawberries, tomatoes and grapes. The story was aired twice on the morning of May 23, 2001. Broadcast journalist Ina Jaffe interviewed Andrew Walker, associate professor, and David Mills, assistant professor, Department of Viticulture and Enology; Doug Shaw, professor, Department of Pomology; David Gilchrist, professor, Department of Plant Pathology and associate director of the Center for Engineering Plants for Resistance Against Pathogens (CEPRAP); and Sean Swezey, director of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP).

For the full story, select "Morning Edition", "Arthives" and then type in "May 23" fromNPR's Website

Donna J. Gutierrez
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
djgutierrez@ucdavis.edu
(530) 754-8961

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Airport Posters Highlight CA&ES Research
The college partnered with UC Davis Public Communications to develop a poster campaign that highlights the efforts and successes of the college and campus. Four posters reflecting CA&ES research projects rotate between Terminals A and B at the Sacramento International Airport. "We're Making a Difference" is the overall theme of the college's campaign which began in May. The 4'x 8' full-color, backlit displays show the impact the college is having on agricultural, environmental and human issues at local, regional, national and international levels. The posters will help deliver the college's primary messages to millions of airport visitors each year. The four images - representing wine, water, agriculture and nutrition - were selected from 35 suggestions because they reflect familiar Central Valley issues. Margarita Camarena, CA&ES Dean's Office senior artist, designed the posters.

The posters are viewable online at theCA&ES Website


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College Wins Eight Design Awards
The National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association (NAADA) presented five awards to Rhoda McKnight, director of communications, and Margarita Camarena, senior artist, for projects designed for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in areas of development and alumni relations. McKnight and Camarena are members of the College Advancement Team's Communications Unit. Two hundred members and guests attended NAADA's awards banquet on the closing night of the association's annual conference held in Raleigh, North Carolina. Award recipients were selected from entries submitted by land-grant colleges and universities throughout the nation. Awards include: 1st Place Category: Web Pages Project: UAP site, CA&ES Dean's Office 1st Place Category: Web Pages Project: Development site, CA&ES Dean's Office 1st Place Category: Development Projects - Annual Reports Project: Seed Biotechnology Center annual report 2nd Place Category: Development Projects - Special Campaigns and Reports Project: Seed Biotechnology Center brochure 3rd Place Category: Alumni and Donor Publications - One-to-three Color Project: CA&ES Outlook, alumni magazine In addition, the college received three APEX 2001 Awards for Publication Excellence. More than 5,100 entries were received in the international competition. The college was honored in three categories: Magazine - One-to-three Color Project: CA&ES Outlook, alumni magazine Campaign, Customer Communications Project: Seed Biotechnology Center packet Web site, One-to-two Person Produced Project: http://caes.ucdavis.edu


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College Advancement Team Formed
Dean Neal Van Alfen recently announced the formation of the College Advancement Team (CAT), one of six units operating in the Dean's Office. The unit formerly was structured as College Relations. CAT will provide effective communications, strategic relationship building and broad-based fundraising efforts for the college. The team has written a strategic plan that will rally internal and external constituencies and strengthen the college's sense of community. The new unit is led by Richard Engel, director of student services and outreach; Rhoda McKnight, director of communications; and Rick Swantz, director of development. Other members of the CAT team are Margarita Camarena, senior artist; Deborah Fredrickson, administrative assistant; Donna Gutierrez, administrative assistant; Sharon Lynch, assistant director of relations; and Steve Young, Web student assistant.


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College Celebration 2001
"Our Heritage and Our Future" is the theme of College Celebration 2001, the college's 13th annual event held to celebrate advancement and accomplishments and our impact on agriculture and the environment. The Award of Distinction ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 19, 2001, in Freeborn Hall. The Taste-of-California Reception with hors d'oeuvres and wines follows the award presentation. As guests leave Freeborn at the end of the evening, they are encouraged to take home a bag of California produce and grains from a farmer's market display in the lobby. Reservations are required. The cost is $10 per person. Complimentary parking is available for registered guests in the Howard Way parking structure near Freeborn Hall.

Sharon E. Lynch
Assistant Director for Relations
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
selynch@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-1602

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Kate Scow Appointed Kearney Director
Professor Kate Scow, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, was appointed director of the Kearney Foundation of Soil Science effective July 1, 2001. She will serve a five-year term. A soil microbial ecologist, Scow says that she is honored and excited to be able to guide and support research on carbon dynamics in California's diverse ecosystems. She said that a major goal of Kearney's mission is to strengthen the scientific foundation for understanding and predicting carbon fluxes between soils and the atmosphere, as well as carbon sequestration in soil. Scow joined UC Davis in 1989. She served as chair of the soil biology and biochemistry division of the Soil Science Society of America and last year was elected a fellow in the society. She is an editorial board member of several leading journals and a member of the National Science Foundation Ecosystems panel. Scow also is a principal investigator of the Sustainable Agriculture Farming Systems (SAFS) Project, a multidisciplinary long-term study that compares conventional, organic and low-input management systems.


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Paul Gepts Named AAAS Fellow
Professor Paul Gepts, chair of the Department of Agronomy and Range Science, is among 251 members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science worldwide named fellows by the AAAS Council. The association honors members whose efforts are scientifically or socially distinguished. Gepts was honored for research and teaching on the genetic structure, evolution and domestication of crop plants.


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Jorge Dubcovsky Receives Award
Associate professor Jorge Dubcovsky, Department of Agronomy and Range Science, was honored for his work as a wheat geneticist and presented the first-ever Excellence in Research Award by the National Association of Wheat Growers Foundation. The award was presented at the 2001 Wheat Industry Conference in New Orleans.


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Bruce Eldridge Elected ESA Fellow
Professor emeritus Bruce Eldridge, Department of Entomology, and former director of the UC Mosquito Research Program, has been elected a fellow of the Entomological Society of America (ESA). ESA, the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines, has more than 7,400 members.


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Ning Pan Elected Fiber Society President
Professor Ning Pan, Division of Textiles and Clothing, was elected president of The Fiber Society, an international professional society comprised of chemists, physicists and engineers with interests in the field of fiber science. This is the first time in the society's 60-year history that a California member was named president.


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Colin Carter and Scott Rozelle Win Essay Contest
Professors Colin Carter and Scott Rozelle, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, captured two of the top six awards in the American Agricultural Economics Association Essay for the 21st Century contest. The essay was to address an emerging food system issue with substantial implications for governmental policy in the 21st century. There were 36 entries. Their essay was titled "Will China Become a Major Force in World Markets?" Professor James Wilen and Martin Smith received a second-place award for their essay "The Marine Environment: Fencing the Last Frontier." Winning essays will be published in the Review of Agricultural Economics.



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Miguel Marino Receives Best Paper Award
Professor Miguel Marino, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, was presented the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) Best Paper Award for an article he co-authored titled "Drought Subsidence Prediction Model for the Western San Joaquin Valley, California." It was recognized as the best paper in Volume 24 of Water International. The Best Paper Award is one of the highest recognitions granted by IWRA. Selection is based on originality, innovation, technical quality, contribution to and influence on water resources management and technology and general presentation. IWRA commended Marino for his "important contribution to the science of water resources, which has international relevance."


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Kathleen Church Plummer Consults on Hollywood Bowl
Kathleen Church Plummer, lecturer in design history, Department of Environmental Design, has been invited to make a presentation to members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra on the defining elements of the Streamline Moderne style.The architectural firm currently restoring the outdoor theatre invited Plummer to speak. Plummer pioneered the definition of the Streamline Moderne style in her 1968 master's thesis. "I'm gratified to see the preservation of monuments becoming widespread, especially in my home town of Los Angeles," she said. Plummer co-edited a book of essays by several internationally recognized science fiction writers and scholars titled Unearthly Visions: Approaches to Science Fiction and Fantasy Art. It is scheduled for publication in spring 2002.

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

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CA&ES Citations for Excellence
Congratulations to these members of the college who received 2001 Citations for Excellence awards from the UC Davis Staff Assembly. All were nominated in the "General Contributions" category, which recognizes service to students and the general campus, notable contributions to department(s), attitude, and creative, original engagement in research and/or teaching. Pauline Byrd, Department of Environmental Science and Policy Margarita Camarena, CA&ES Dean's Office Patricia Conners, Department of Human and Community Development Glen Forister, Department of Environmental Horticulture Apryl Guisasola, Department of Human and Community Development Robert Kerner, Department of Vegetable Crops Susan Lindsay, Department of Human and Community Development Carmen Peterson, Department of Entomology Marine Ramos, Department of Nutrition Annette Roach, Department of Human and Community Development Yuri Rodrigues, Department of Human and Community Development Sylvia Whitley, Department of Nutrition Penny Williams, Department of Nutrition


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Weed Science School
UC scientists are offering an intensive, three-day weed science school at the Heidrick Ag History Center in Woodland, September 26-28, 2001. The school is geared toward public and private professionals involved in consulting, research, development and sales of agricultural chemicals. Twenty-two hours of pest control adviser (PCA) credit has been requested. Enrollment is limited. The school will emphasize herbicides registered for use in California and important weeds within the state. Topics include weed biology, ecology and seedbank dynamics, herbicide selectivity, resistance and additives. A hands-on laboratory will focus on herbicide symptoms and broadleaf and grass weed identification. Cost: $500

Registration and more information is availableonline


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UC IPM Workshop
Trainers of Pesticide Handlers and Agricultural Fieldworkers Winters, CA September 19, 2001 - English session September 20, 2001 - Spanish sesson

For more information,click here


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Two California Water Tours
Southern California Groundwater Tour: A three-day, two-night tour discusses groundwater recharge and conjunctive use, groundwater contamination problems and clean-up efforts, groundwater treatment, well destruction programs, groundwater overdraft and groundwater law. September 12-14, 2001 Tour leaves from Ontario International Airport Sponsored by Water Education Foundation Information: 916/444-6240 Northern California Water Facilities and Fisheries Tour: This three-day, two-night tour travels the length of the Sacramento Valley. Stops will be made at the Yolo Bypass, Sutter Buttes, Feather River Fish Hatchery, Oroville Dam, Red Bluff Diversion Dam, Shasta Dam, Iron Mountain Mine and Whiskeytown Lake and more! October 3 - 5, 2001 Tour leaves from Sacramento International Airport Sponsored by Water Education Foundation



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Design Gallery Renamed Design Museum
The Department of Environmental Design announced that the Design Gallery in Walker Hall has been renamed the Design Museum. Upcoming: "The Ghost and the Beauty Queen: Festivals of Northeast Thailand" October 14 - November 16, 2001 Guest curator, Cynthia Le Count Lecture: Sunday, October 14, 2001, 1-2 p.m., 176 Everson Hall, $10 Opening Reception: 2-5 p.m., Walker Hall lobby

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

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Arboretum Undertakes Master Planning Process
Kathleen Socolofsky, director of the UC Davis Arboretum, announced that the arboretum currently is in the programmatic planning phase of its master planning process. Other phases involve strategic, programmatic, physical and fund-development planning. In this phase, staff and volunteers have been gathering a wide range of opinions, ideas and experiences from customers and will use that information to help determine the arboretum's future role and direction. More than 50 in-depth interviews have been held; 13 focus groups were organized and various customer groups were surveyed. Following a period of analysis, a planning retreat will be held in December when the data will be reviewed and discussed. The self-assessment process will guide the arboretum's master planning efforts.


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RFP: Policy Research Center
The California Policy Research Center (CPRC) of the University of California, under the auspices of its Policy Research Program, has issued a call for proposals for 2002-03 to support UC faculty conducting research on significant policy issues facing California. Approximately $250,000 will be available for this grants competition. Deadline for full proposals: October 12, 200

The call is availableonline


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RFP: Biologically Integrated Farming Systems
The UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), with support from US-EPA, has released a new request for proposals to fund biologically integrated farming systems (BIFS) projects in field crops, row crops, orchards, vineyards or livestock. Awards usually range from $65,000 to $100,000 per year for three-year proposals. Deadline: October 2, 2001

Information available on theSAREP website


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RFP: U.S. Potato Industry
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is soliciting research proposals from major potato-producing states on ring rot disease, early dying disease, aphids, Colorado potato beetle, late blight, silver scurf and marketing research related to the U.S. potato industry. Proposals will be evaluated by ARS and state scientists and by industry representatives. Deadline: September 30, 200



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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

rjmcknight@ucdavis.edu

 

 

Contributors: Donna Gutierrez, Thomas Kaiser, Susan Kancir, Rhoda McKnight, Neal Van Alfen, John Weston.

 

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