Spotlight on…
Photo: Professor Emeritus Benjamin Hart and dog Ginny

Vet prof tries Indiegogo

UC Davis has jumped on the "crowdfunding" bandwagon — setting up researchers with Indiegogo for online campaigns to raise money for specific projects. In the first such campaign, Benjamin Hart of the School of Veterinary Medicine seeks $9,000 for the first phase of a project to benefit dogs' long-term health, by determining the optimum age they should be when they are spayed or neutered. [ More… ]

NEWS SUMMARY

More stories at Dateline UC Davis and UC Davis News and Information

Chancellor appoints CFO: Dave Lawlor

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi names Dave Lawlor as vice chancellor of Finance and Resource Management, and chief financial officer. Lawlor has held a senior finance post at George Washington University in the nation's capital for the last seven years and before that worked in industry in California, Illinois and Maryland. He will join UC Davis on Nov. 3. [ More… ]

Library surveys faculty and researchers

The University Library is surveying Academic Senate faculty and Academic Federation personnel to guide the library's provision of its digital and print collections and related services: "Every voice is important," University Librarian MacKenzie Smith says about the online survey, which is open until Nov. 15. The results — and those from a student survey last year — will be key in guiding how the library prioritizes its support of the UC Davis community. "We have tremendous opportunities in front of us to support the university's ambitious future," Smith said. "This study will give us the data we need to make the best investments." [ More… ]

TODAY: President Napolitano in webchat with faculty

Faculty from across the UC system are invited to join this Google Hangout with Janet Napolitano, who just completed her first year as the UC president. Panelists include UC Davis physics professor Lori Lubin, and Napolitano also will take questions from the online audience. The chat is scheduled from 2 to 3 p.m. [ More… ]

Dumit leads new Institute for Social Sciences

Joe Dumit, a professor of anthropology and science and technology studies, is named the director of UC Davis' newly established Institute for Social Sciences, which will promote interdisciplinary research in the social sciences to address challenges within a rapidly changing society. The institute will tackle, among other issues, the explosion of new data from sources as varied as Twitter and neuroscience imaging, Dumit says. [ More… ]

RESEARCH: Manipulating memory with light

Just look into the light … well, not quite, but researchers at the Center for Neuroscience and in the Department of Psychology have used light to erase specific memories in mice, and proved a basic theory of how different parts of the brain work together to retrieve episodic memories. [ More… ]

Dance coup: iTMOi ('In the Mind of Igor')

"It feels like you are being sucked into an alternative universe from the first moment," the Mondavi Center's Jeremy Ganter says about the Akram Khan dance company's new production, iTMOi, which suggests what might have been going on "In the Mind of Igor" Stravinksy when he composed The Rite of Spring, one of the monumental artistic accomplishments of the 20th century. "We knew we wanted to find a way to bring it here," Ganter says. And they have, for its only U.S. show, Oct. 24. [ More… ]

Nominations sought for 2014 Chancellor's STAR Awards

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi is looking to light up the campus with a new class of UC Davis STARS, in the second year of the Chancellor's STAR Award Program. Nominations are due by Nov. 7 for the awards that recognize policy-covered MSP and PSS student and staff employees who have gone "above and beyond" in support of the campus's core values. Each award comes with a $1,500 prize. [ More… ]

Police Accountability Board holds public forum next week

University leadership established the board last spring to develop and promote accountability, trust and communication between the broader UC Davis community and the Police Department. The board will hold public forums quarterly; the first is scheduled from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, on the Davis campus. The board will provide an update and invite comments from the audience. [ More… ]

NEWS BRIEFS: Smoke-free policy earns city proclamation

As the Davis campus begins its first full academic year as a smoke- and tobacco-free campus, the Davis City Council issues a proclamation honoring the campus for its commitment to the health and well-being of students, faculty, staff and visitors. Plus …

TRENDING: Pajamarino, premed conference, Pantry food drive

Check out the 102nd Pajamarino in Instagram posts. … Last weekend's Pre-Medical and Pre-Health Professional National Conference drew thousands of students and probably just as many tweets, including this one: "I talked to so many doctors and medical schools this weekend. So amazing." … The Pantry, run by students, for students, launches a food drive (and "a friendly little competition" with other UCs).

FEATURED COLLOQUIUM

Minds Behind the MIND Lecture Series has new format

This MIND Institute lecture series has a new format for 2014-15: The quarterly programs will be held on Saturdays, and will feature UC Davis faculty members and community representatives. The first program is scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. Oct. 18, on "Stress and Families with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Taking Care of Yourself While Taking Care of Your Family." [ More… ]

MORE COLLOQUIA

ANNOUNCEMENTS

EVENTS

Shinkoskey Noon Concerts

Thursday, Oct. 16, and Tuesday, Oct. 21, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Oct. 16: Benjamin Kreith, violin, performing works by Stefano Scodanibbio, James Tenney and Laurie San Martin. Oct. 21: Susan Lamb Cook, cello, and Gayle Blankenburg, piano, performing Beethoven's Sonata in F Major, op. 4, no. 1; Seven Variations on a theme from Mozart's The Magic Flute; and Sonata in C Major, op. 102, no. 1. Free. [ More… ]

Online and Hybrid Learning Showcase

Friday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., multipurpose center, Student Community Center

Celebrating the work of innovative faculty who designed or taught online and hybrid courses during the 2013-14 academic year. The showcase also provides a venue for interested members of the campus community to see recent developments in online and hybrid learning, participate in a workshop about teaching online and hybrid courses, and to discuss the future of online learning at UC Davis. Presented by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. [ More… ]

California Raptor Center's Fall Open House

Saturday, Oct. 18, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Owls, hawks and golden eagles! See some of them out of their enclosures, on the glove; and try your hand at sketching the raptors. Hawk Walk, 8 a.m.; open house, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; presentations on raptor biology and ecology, 10 a.m. and noon; and sketch class with artist and center volunteer Diana Munoz, 11 a.m.-noon. All ages are welcome to participate (bring sketch books and pencils). Free; donations welcome for raptor care and education programs, and to help maintain the center. [ More… ]

ARBORETUM: Nature Discovery Drop-in Day and Among the Oaks

Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 18-19

Oct. 18: Nature Discovery, a fun-filled, family afternoon exploring local wildlife. 1-3 p.m., under the trellis in the California Native Plant GATEway Garden (behind the Davis Commons shopping center). Free. Oct. 19: A tour of Shields Oak Grove, home of an amazing variety of trees from around the world. Learn about their life cycle and see why autumn is acorn time. 11 a.m., meet at the gazebo. Free. [ More… ]

Mummenschanz and Musical Robot

Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 18-19, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Switzerland-based visual theater company Mummenschanz brings its wordless universe to UC Davis for the first time, creating a playful and memorable theater experience through an inventive use of shadow and light, and manipulation of sculptural, expressive masks. 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Jackson Hall. … Free show before the Sunday matinee: Musical Robot, a two-piece band (drum and ukulele) "engineered to get kids singing and dancing." 1:30 p.m., Corin Courtyard. [ More… ]

Heroes Run and Valhalla Gala

Saturday, Oct. 25, 8 a.m.-noon, Quad

"Don your Cape of Justice, lace up your Shoes of Freedom and take the fight to the streets" in the second annual Heroes Run, benefiting the student-run We Are Aggie Pride, which provides short-term financial assistance to students in need. The 5K run starts at 9; the Valhalla Gala follows, with food, music and prizes. Register online. Hosted by Conference and Event Services. [ More… ]

Low Water Use Landscaping Workshop

Saturday, Nov. 8, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., 1001 Giedt Hall

Program includes a review of state and local drought conditions, and information on simple yet effective methods to help reduce water use (including the best plants). Plus, learn how to conduct a "water audit" of your landscape. $45. Register online or by calling (530) 752-6642. [ More… ]

More calendar listings…