December 21, 2001

A Message From Dean Neal Van Alfen: Looking Back and Ahead
The holiday season is a special time of the year when we often review the events and accomplishments of the past year. As we assess our college's past year, special recognition must be given to the faculty and staff of our college -- you are what makes us great. I appreciate your efforts and commend your willingness to contribute to our college in so many diverse ways. The events of this year have been historic for the college, so we have much to celebrate this holiday season. In 2001, our drive to upgrade facilities was realized in many ways, from the $25 million Mondavi gift to the completion of several projects, including the Bowley Plant Science Teaching facility, the Joe A. Heidrick Sr. Western Center for Agricultural Equipment, the bee biology building renovation, the Briggs Hall renovation for entomology, and the Plant and Environmental Sciences Building. We've also begun construction on the Contained Research facility and the Genome Launch and Seed Biotechnology Center, and have established core research facilities in Robbins Hall to support our efforts in genomics. Beyond physical growth, we continue to flourish intellectually. We attract the finest student talent to the college and our faculty has paced the campus in the amount of contracts and grants received as we continue to break new research ground. As the bell rings in 2002, our college is making a significant impact on theeconomic health of California, from the well-being of our communities to the preservation of our environment. Although this past year will long be remembered for the terrorist attacks that our nation has endured, we will be able to look back and recognize that 2001 was a year of significant advancement for CA&ES.

Neal K. Van Alfen
Dean
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
nkvanalfen@ucdavis.edu

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Researchers Address COPIA Seminar
On Dec. 11, food scientists and nutritionists discussed health-boosting foods at COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts in Napa. Titled "Scientific Perspectives on Antioxidants for Sustaining Health," the all-day seminar was the first UC Davis event held at COPIA. Researchers talked about the different food products made from plants that may reduce disease risks by thwarting oxidation of potentially harmful compounds in the body. The program featured speakers from the food industry, Ohio State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. CA&ES speakers included professors Louis Grivetti, Department of Nutrition, Carl Keen, chair of the Department of Nutrition, Neal Van Alfen, dean of CA&ES, and Alyson Mitchell, Bruce German and Edwin Frankel from the Department of Food Science and Technology. Andrew Waterhouse and Susan Ebeler, Department of Viticulture and Enology, and Charles Stephensen, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Nutrition, also spoke. UC Davis' California Institute of Food and Agricultural Research sponsored the event.

Carl L. Keen
Professor
Department of Nutrition
clkeen@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-6331

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Thomas Cahill Discusses the Perfect Dust Storm
Professor emeritus Thomas Cahill, Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, was quoted in the Christian Science Monitor on dust plumes from Asia that cross the Pacific and spread over North America. Cahill is part of an international team that studied fine atmospheric particles, called aerosols, in Asian regions where many dust storms originate.

UC Davis news item


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Christine Peng's Buzz on Bees
Professor Christine Peng, Department of Entomology, referenced her research on eradicating mites from honeybees in Capital Press, the agricultural weekly. She has been working on a fungus that would biologically control the pest - and after successful early results is about to begin field-testing. "The new fungus was found to be infectious to varroa mites, but not to honeybees," she said in the article, which covered the California State Beekeepers Association's annual convention in Sacramento in November.


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Michael Barbour and Deborah Elliott-Fisk Critique Christmas Trees
Professors Michael Barbour, Department of Environmental Horticulture, and Deborah Elliott-Fisk, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, were cited in a Los Angeles Times article on the shortcomings of Southern California conifers as Christmas trees.

Online version of article


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Carl Winters, the EPA and Pesticides
Professor Carl Winter, Department of Toxicology, was quoted in a Los Angeles Times story on a recent Environmental Protection data that indicate the very young are more vulnerable to pesticides because of their relatively greater consumption of fruits and vegetables. Winters does not believe the EPA will make significant changes in pesticide regulations.

View the articleonline


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Martha Stiles Drives Traffic Safety Measures
Staff research associate Martha Stiles, Department of Human and Community Development, participated in a Dec.19 press conference held by Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol. The event highlighted the $35 million worth of traffic safety directives planned for Highway 16 between the Yolo County towns of Madison and Brooks. Warning signs and additional speed limit signs are among the new measures for the 50-mile, two-lane road. Stiles conducted a 10-year study and found an extremely high accident rate for that stretch of rural road.

Martha Stiles
Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
mcstiles@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-2606

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Spotlighting the Mondavi Gift
The New York Times wrote an article on COPIA - "A Temple Where Wine and Food are the Deities" -- and referenced the $25 million Mondavi gift to the college. Sacramento's Comstock magazine also ran a cover story that featured the Mondavis and their support of CA&ES - "The Art of Giving."

The Times story can be foundonline


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Op-Ed Service for Faculty
Faculty often like to share their knowledge in the form of opinion articles on a broad range of public issues involving their expertise. Newspapers and magazines routinely seek short, well-argued, highly readable Op-eds written by individuals with academic credentials. Now there's help from CA&ES in getting those Op-eds polished and published. Clifton Parker, senior writer in the Dean's Office, works with Op-ed authors to sharpen arguments, edit to an appropriate length and identify possible publications. Here are a few tips - "take a stand, keep it short, use everyday language, and think about structure." Contact Parker for editing assistance and a two-page tip sheet on writing Op-eds.

Clifton Parker
Senior Writer
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
cparker@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-2120

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Water Theme at County Advisors Meeting
On Jan. 22-23, the second annual County Advisors Meeting will be held at UC Davis with several faculty members from CA&ES participating in panel discussions. The topic, a major priority in the college's academic plan, is "Water and Watersheds - Meeting Conflicting Demands in Agriculture and the Environment." Professor Randal Southard, associate dean for the Division of Environmental Sciences, will deliver introductory remarks on California's water issues. Held at the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center, the program will include CA&ES faculty, Cooperative Extension specialists, county advisors and Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources representatives. The registration deadline is Jan. 10.

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

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Upcoming Farmers Conference
The 8th Annual PlacerGROWN Farm Conference, designed for small-scale and entry-level farmers, will be held Saturday, Feb.2, 2002 at Lincoln High School in Placer County. More than 26 workshops are scheduled between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., covering a wide range of subjects such as getting started in farming, agricultural tourism, growing mandarins, wine grapes, blueberries, livestock, agricultural marketing, and farmers' markets. The keynote speaker for the conference will be cookbook author and chef Deborah Madison. Registration is $40 per person. Lincoln High School is located at 1081 7th Street in Lincoln.

Check outhttp://www.placergrown.org/


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Arboretum Events for January
On Jan. 8 at 7 p.m., a discussion titled "Coast Redwoods: Nature & Culture" will be held at the Veterans Memorial Club Room on 14th Street in Davis. Michael Barbour, UC Davis plant ecologist, and Sandy Lydon, Cabrillo College historian emeritus, will discuss the biology, ecology and cultural history of coast redwoods and sign their new book. No charge. On Jan. 9 at noon, a "Walk with Warren" will start at the gazebo and include introductions to the arboretum collections with superintendent Warren Roberts. No charge. Every Tuesday from Jan. 29 through March 5, arboretum writer-in-residence Maria Melendez will lead "Winter Sun: Poetry and Place," a workshop focused on the writing of tanka, haiku, haibun, and the poetry of place. Classes will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Registration closes Jan. 22.


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UCTV Explores Foot-and-Mouth Disease
UC Davis scientists' efforts to manage potential outbreaks of serious food animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth and mad cow diseases are featured on "Frontiers: Research Explorations," a half-hour documentary to be shown on University of California Television (UCTV) in December. The program airs nationwide a dozen times between Dec. 17 and 23 on Channel 9412 of the Dish Network satellite service. For more information, call (559) 241-7514.


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New Studies Analyze Strawberries
Three new cost-of-production studies for coastal Californian strawberries are now available from the Cooperative Extension. The study covers Monterey and Santa Cruz counties and focuses on strawberry production for the fresh market. The studies were prepared by Warren E. Bendixen, Cooperative Extension farm advisor, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties; Karen M. Klonsky, Cooperative Extension specialist, and Richard L. De Moura, research associate, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

Rich DeMoura
Staff Research Associate
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
rdemoura@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-3589

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Student Awards Available
Three student awards will be open for nominations until Jan. 18. The Howard Walton Clark Prize in Plant Breeding and Soil Building makes $1,000 available for exceptional seniors involved in plant breeding or soil building. The Charles Hess Community Service Awards of $1,000 each recognize recent graduates who have contributed to their local communities. The Mary Regan Meyer Prize goes to outstanding graduates with "broad intellectual interests" who are advancing to graduate education.

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

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