Spotlight on…

UC Davis will ‘Dream Big’ at this year’s state fair

As part of its centennial celebration, UC Davis is hosting a 6,000-square-foot exhibit hall at this summer’s state fair: Go inside a silo to create your ideal tomato. See the dramatic reduction in emissions from an alternative-fuel car. Toss a token into a machine and watch as it simulates the conversion of food waste to energy. Enter a 3-D theater and take a journey into the Earth. Want to volunteer at the exhibit? Find out how to sign up. [ More… ]

NEWS

Chancellor taps interim social sciences dean

Ron Mangun, professor in the departments of psychology and neurology and director of the Center for Mind and Brain, has agreed to serve as interim dean of the Division of Social Sciences, effective Aug. 1. His appointment is subject to approval by the Board of Regents. Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef described Mangun as a “respected faculty member and administrator” with “the experience and skills to ably fill the position of interim dean” while the national search for a permanent dean continues. [ More… ]

In memoriam: John Tucker, Oak tree expert and former herbarium and arboretum director

John Tucker, professor emeritus of botany and an internationally recognized oak expert, died July 5 at Sutter Davis Hospital from complications of a stroke. He was 92. An authority on the classification and naming of plants, particularly oaks, he served for 39 years as director of the J.M. Tucker Herbarium, now part of the UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity herbarium, a collection of more than 250,000 dried plant specimens. Tucker also served as director of the UC Davis Arboretum for 12 years. [ More… ]

California’s water future: A canal runs through it

A team of UC Davis scientists and the Public Policy Institute of California recommend in a report Thursday that a peripheral canal that would carry water around the Delta is the most promising way to balance two critical challenges: reviving a threatened ecosystem and ensuring a reliable, high-quality water supply for Californians. [ More… ]

How will new auto fuels affect the air we breathe?

UC Davis is the lead player in the U.S. EPA’s new $900,000 research project aimed at determining what emissions today’s alternative-fuel vehicles produce and how climate change might affect those emissions. [ More… ]

No ifs, ands or ‘butts’

The Sacramento campus is now a smoke-free zone. Beginning July 1, a new policy no longer allows smoking in outdoor areas throughout the UC Davis Health System’s 140-acre clinical and research campus. The policy is in keeping with the health system’s core mission of advancing health and maintaining a healing environment for patients, visitors, students and employees. [ More… ]

Parking enforcement raises funds, tempers

The campus’s parking enforcement officers are arguably among the most misunderstood — and under-appreciated — employees on campus. Just ask them. You know who they are: they wear dark blue pants, blue shirts and they walk through parking lots with a hand-held calculating device that can print out a ticket faster than you can say, ‘Hey, wait a minute.’ [ More… ]

UC Davis adding women’s field hockey in fall 2009

Field hockey will become UC Davis’ 15th women’s varsity sport when the team begins competition in 2009, Director of Athletics Greg Warzecka announced on Thursday. It will be the sixth women’s sport added since the 1996-97 academic year. With the newest addition, UC Davis will offer a combined 27 varsity sports for men and women. [ More… ]

Up for discussion: Personality and disease

Are some personality types more likely to get sick? Do people with different personalities also have differences in their immune systems? John Capitanio, psychology professor and associate director of the California National Primate Research Center, blogs about the latest findings highlighted in a special issue of the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. Join the discussion on Egghead, the campus’s research blog. [ More… ]

UC service workers go on strike

UC service employees continued their strike this week, despite a court order calling off the action. Hundreds of workers throughout the University of California system walked off the job Monday, including those at UC Davis’ Davis and Sacramento campuses. Representatives from the state Department of Public Health were at the Sacramento campus Monday to monitor care and ensure the university was in compliance with state regulations. Health system officials said patient care areas were fully staffed and there was no interruption of care. [ More… ]

DIRECTIVES

No new directives were issued this week.

EVENTS

Arboretum tour: More color in your garden

Sunday, July 20, 10 a.m., Gazebo, Garrod Drive

Learn what and how to plant for year-round color. [ More… ]

Public invited to magical mathematics show

Wednesday, July 23, 5 p.m., 1100 Social Sciences and Humanities Building

Math professor and professional magician Arthur Benjamin presents “Mathemagics: The Art of Mental Calculation” as part of Math Fest. The festival, aimed at people of high school age and older, also includes mathematical puzzles, games and movies. [ More… ]

UC Davis Day at Six Flags

Saturday, Aug. 9, 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m., Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo

Staff members have until Aug. 2 to buy specially priced tickets for UC Davis Day at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. The celebration is planned for Saturday, Aug. 9. The UC Davis tickets are priced at $31.99, an $8 savings off the regular general admission price. [ More… ]

More calendar listings…