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 Stripe riddle solvedQuestion: Why do zebras have black-and-white stripes? Camouflage? Heat management? To confuse predators? Answer: None of the above. After a systematic analysis, a UC Davis-led team says blood-sucking flies are the evolutionary driver for zebra stripes. [ More… ] |
NEWS SUMMARY
More stories at Dateline UC Davis and UC Davis News and Information
Highway project will get you coming or going
Caltrans late last week announced a revised work plan to reduce congestion and lane closures during rehabilitation of U.S. Highway 50 in central Sacramento. But if you use the elevated freeway to get to or from the Davis or Sacramento campuses, Fix 50 is still going to get you, in one direction or another. [ More… ]
IN MEMORIAM: Professors Jungerman, Kustu
John A. Jungerman, professor emeritus of physics and founding director of the university's Crocker Nuclear Laboratory (which is housed in John A. Jungerman Hall), was 92. Sydney Kustu, an alumna and former faculty member in bacteriology, was 71. [ More… ]
LAURELS: For novelist Yi and historian Kelman
English professor Yiyun Li (whose works include The Vagrants and Kinder Than Solitude) is the recipient of the Benjamin H. Danks Award, given by the American Academy of Arts and Letters to an exceptional young writer; and history professor Ari Kelman (and associate vice provost of Undergraduate Education) wins Columbia University's Bancroft Prize for A Misplaced Massacre: Struggling Over the Memory of Sand Creek. [ More… ]
MORE LAURELS: Dean Lavernia named TMS fellow
The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, or TMS, honors Enrique Lavernia, dean of the College of Engineering, for outstanding contributions to the development of novel metal processing techniques, and leadership in academic administration. … Plus honors for a film scholar, scientists and the fire marshal, too — and for UC Davis as a whole, as a Tree Campus USA for the sixth year in a row. [ More… ]
FACULTY ABROAD: Physicist in Iran, veterinarian in Egypt
Professor Warren Pickett and two other U.S. physicists emerge at least a nanoscopic bit hopeful of closing "the scientific chasm" between the United States and Iran, after meeting with Iranian government and university officials. Professor Mary Christopher gains a deeper appreciation and compassion for a complex culture, after being caught in the Egyptian revolution of 2011. Now you can read about her journey, and take in an exhibition of her photos on subjects ranging from the continuity of life amid wrenching and often violent political and social change, to the animals of Egypt. A program and reception are scheduled for Wednesday, April 9, in Gladys Valley Hall, where the photos are on display through June. [ More… ]
Campus names first director of academic advising
UC Davis has its first academic advising director, Brett McFarlane, appointed by the Office of Undergraduate Education after a national search. He is charged with leading the development and implementation of a comprehensive, campuswide plan for the improvement of undergraduate academic advising. [ More… ]
Climate forum Thursday, collaboration workshops April 7-16
Improved campus climate and better collaboration are the focus of a Davis campus forum this week and a new series of workshops starting next week. The climate forum is the first of a set of proactive steps to promote diversity, equity and civility, in response to the results of a survey. In the three-hour, interactive workshop, experienced mediator and teacher Carolyn Penny will lead an exploration of collaboration — what it is, ways to build trust and accountability, considerations when deciding whether to collaborate, and options to address common collaboration pitfalls. [ More… ]
PROVOST'S FORUM: 'The Humanities and the Common Good'
Scheduled for Friday (April 4) and featuring two humanities deans (from UC Santa Cruz and UC Santa Barbara) as speakers, and a panel of three UC Davis professors: Margaret Ferguson, English; Ralph J. Hexter, classics and comparative literature; and Christopher Reynolds, music. This is another in Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Hexter's series on the Public University and the Social Good. [ More… ]
Public health symposium's keynote topic: Covered California
UC Davis' annual symposium on public health is set for next week, with Covered California's senior medical adviser, Jeffrey Rideout, as the keynote speaker. Covered California (Affordable Care Act) had set a signup deadline of March 31 — but, according to news reports, extended it to April 15 to accommodate a last-minute rush. Rideout is sure to have the details for his talk, "Covered California — Where We Are on the Road to Improving the Health of the Community and Fulfilling the Promise of the ACA." [ More… ]
Mind Body Wellness Challenge: It's for your own good
Ready, set ... let's improve our well-being, in the annual UC Davis Mind Body Wellness Challenge. Everyone's invited to participate: students, faculty, staff and retirees. Registration is underway, and the official kickoff event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. next Tuesday, April 8, in the Activities and Recreation Center Ballroom. [ More… ]
WHAT'S NEW ON UCNET?
- Disability survey coming to your email soon
- Reminder to file 2013 flexible spending claims by April 15
- UCOP Chief Financial Officer Peter Taylor resigns
NEWS BRIEFS: Chancellor honors Catalyst Award winners
Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi will be in New York City tomorrow night (April 2) to honor the winners of the 2014 Catalyst Awards, recognizing innovative organizational programs that promote the recruitment, development and advancement of women. Plus …
- Fulbright workshop set for April 9
- Decision UC Davis brings throng to campus
- Jaw surgery delayed for wounded collie
- Ombudsperson has Sacramento office, too
FEATURED COLLOQUIA
- "The Science and Art of Saving the Planet" — Bill Jordan, who coined the term "restoration ecology," gives this talk in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden's Thought Leader Series. (April 2)
- Confronting Child Labor in Global Agricultural Supply Chains — This law school program will identify contemporary practices to confront the worst forms of child labor in agriculture. (April 4)
- 45th annual Irving L. Neumiller Moot Court Competition — Students argue before federal appellate Judges Consuelo M. Callahan, Steven M. Colloton and Frank H. Easterbrook. (April 5)
- "Challenges in Air Quality in the Agricultural Setting: How to Meet Needs and Demands" — Presented by Keith Bein and Kent Pinkerton of the Center for Health and the Environment. They are also investigators with the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety, which hosts this program. (April 7)
- Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous (LASER) — With speakers who fuse art and science in their work. Sponsored by the Art-Science Fusion Program. (April 7)
- "My 40-Year Journey" — Merry Edwards, owner, Merry Edwards Winery, in the Walt Klenz Lectureship Series at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. (April 8)
- UC Global Health Day — Registration now open for this annual program, being held this year at UC Davis. (April 26)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Audio available; comments welcome on vice provost candidates — The campus has made audio recordings available from recent forums with the three finalists for vice provost of Undergraduate Education, and extended the deadline to April 4 for comments to give people more time to listen to the recordings.
- Call for nominations: Kleiber Graduate Research Prize
EVENTS
Farmers Market returns for the spring
Every Wednesday, April 2-June 4, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Silo Patio
The organizers said Monday that the market will go on, rain or shine! Pick up some fresh produce and have lunch at a food truck or one of the Silo's restaurants. [ More… ]
Tea and Conversation
Wednesdays, April 2-June 11, 12:05-12:55 p.m., 3013 Wickson Hall
A series of salon-style discussions of Chinese folk customs, the Chinese family and Chinese community. Free; registration required. [ More… ]
NEW EXHIBITIONS: Photography by Wendy Red Star, Paul Hollingshead
Opening April 3 and 7
New and iconic works by Wendy Red Star, at the C.N. Gorman Museum, April 3-June 12 (artist talk and reception, 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, April 16). Hollingshead: The Art of the Portrait, by the late Woodland photographer, at the Nelson Gallery, April 7-May 4 (opening reception 4-6 p.m. Thursday, April 10).
CONCERT: Matt Haimovitz, cello
Thursday, April 3, 12:05 p.m., Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts
First Shinkoskey Noon Concert of the spring quarter; 10 concerts in all, every Thursday through June 5 at the Mondavi Center. Free. [ More… ]
PLAY: Je reviens de la vérité (I Return from the Truth)
Thursday, April 3, 7:30 p.m., Main Theatre, Wright Hall
Adaptation of the play Qui rapportera ces paroles? by Charlotte Delbo, French resistance member and Auschwitz survivor. Performed in French, with English supertitles, by the Compagnie Prospero Miranda of Paris. Free. Sponsored by the departments of French and Italian, and German and Russian; and David Biale, the Emanuel Ringelblum Distinguished Professor of Jewish History. [ More… ]
ARBORETUM: Plant sale, open to the public
Saturday, April 5, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Arboretum Teaching Nursery
Attractive, drought-tolerant, easy-care, region-appropriate plants for "The New Front Yard," where water conservation is key. [ More… ]
Rang Barsey: A Celebration of Colors
Sunday, April 6, noon-4 p.m., arboretum gazebo
It's the Indian festival of Holi, featuring music and food, and lots of play with colors — colored powder and colored water. Presented by the Indian Graduate Student Association, Indian Student Association, Arboretum Ambassadors and the Hindi-Urdu Program. Tickets: $10 in advance (look for tables at the Memorial Union and Silo); $12 at the event. [ More… ]
M.F.A. thesis projects: 'Possession by Certain Fantastical Beings'
April 8-13, Wyatt Pavilion Theatre
Two programs, each presented three times, plus a special performance on Picnic Day. Program 1 features work by Lindsay Beamish, Mary Ann Brooks and Deirdre Morris, 6 p.m. April 8, 10 and 13. Program 2 features work by Peet Cocke, Andrea del Moral and Amanda Vitiello, 6 p.m. April 9 and 11, and 3 p.m. April 13. The program for Picnic Day (April 12) consists of one work only, 11 a.m. [ More… ]
Tai chi class
Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 8-June 10, 6-7:30 p.m., outdoors, on campus
Sponsored by the Confucius Institute and led by Janny Wu, who was trained in China and has taught in the Sacramento area since 2007. $150 for the series; registration required. [ More… ]