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Transcript of CA&ES Outlook · Webmaster This publication is funded ... become open by retirements and...
Message from the Dean
Sustainable Agriculture: New Term, Old Concept
Awards and College Celebration
Development
Outreach
Students
Faculty
Research
In Memoriam
Alumni
CA&ES Outlook is a publication of the
College of Agricultural andEnvironmental Sciences
CA&ES Dean’s OfficeUniversity of CaliforniaDavis, CA 95616-8571Phone (530) 752-9328
Fax (530) [email protected]
http://caes.ucdavis.edu
EditorRhoda McKnight
Director of Communications
Production CoordinatorMargarita Camarena
Senior Artist
Contributing WritersNeal Van Alfen
DeanRichard Engel
Director of Student Services and Outreach
Rick SwantzDirector of Development
Dorothy RossEditor, Department of
Environmental Horticulture
CA&ES Outlook OnlineJohn WestonWebmaster
This publication is fundedpartially through gifts from the
J.G. Boswell Foundation.
Printed on recycled paper
The University of Californiadoes not discriminate in any of itspolicies, procedures or practices.
The university is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.
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Message from the Dean
Neal K. Van Alfen(Ph.D., ’72, PlantPathology) Dean, College ofAgricultural andEnvironmentalSciences
By Neal K. Van Alfen
Sustainability is an issue that weighsheavily on the minds of many thesedays -- particularly the subject ofeconomic sustainability. We knowthat many businesses and individu-als have been challenged economi-cally during the past few years. Thecuts targeted for our AgriculturalExperiment Station and CooperativeExtension budgets that our collegehas endured during the past twobudget years are of historic size andare sufficient in scope to bring sus-tainability into mind during ourplanning process.
To meet these budget cuts, thecollege currently is in the process ofdownsizing our AgriculturalExperiment Station and CooperativeExtension faculty ranks by about 70faculty positions. The downsizingwill be through attrition, but thismeans that it will be some time inthe future before we will be able tostart replacing faculty positions thatbecome open by retirements andresignations.
Such economic woes alwaysbring into question whether or notall of our programs are sustainable.It is obvious that we cannot contin-ue to do everything in the futurethat we once did in the past.Difficult programmatic decisionsmust be made to reduce the scope ofour activities so that the programsthat we choose to retain can be notonly sustainable but will be in aposition to retain their internationalexcellence. In response to this eco-nomic challenge, much reorganiza-tion and planning is underway andwill be the subject of a futureCA&ES Outlook issue.
Just as our immediate concernrevolves around the sustainability ofour college, we also are concernedabout the long-term sustainability ofthe closed system in which lifeexists on this planet. Everythingnecessary to sustain life must beextracted from this closed system.
We are aware that humans havedeveloped a density and lifestyle onearth that is not sustainable in thelong run and that we are relying oncurrent and future research to reme-dy this situation. Just as our collegeis currently surviving on our “rainyday fund” until our actual numberof faculty members is reduced tomeet our budgeted number, humansare dependent upon mining non-renewable resources to maintain ourcultures until we reach that sustain-able state.
One of the primary roles of ourcollege is to provide the researchand education that will help usreach the necessary level of sustain-ability in extracting food, materialsand energy from our planet’s naturalresources while providing a desir-able landscape in which to live.Obviously, economic sustainabilityand social adoption are fundamentalto any change. Changes that will beassisted by sound, scientific researchwill be introduced to make long-term sustainability possible.
Our college has been a nationalleader in research in agricultural andenvironmental sustainability. OurLong-Term Research in AgriculturalSystems (LTRAS) program is anexample of the college’s commitmentto funding research on the sustain-ability of different farming systems.This study is planned to last 100years in order to assure that thelong-term consequences of our cur-rent practices are understood. Thisis just one example of the variousprograms that our college and theUC Division of Agriculture andNatural Resources sponsors toaddress long-term sustainability.
The scope and diversity of ourprograms related to sustainabilityissues has reached a point wheremany faculty and our external stake-holders are unaware of all that weare doing in this important area. Myoffice felt that it was time for thecollege to take inventory of its activ-ities and develop a plan for coordi-
nation of these activities. It was alsofelt that we should develop a planfor how we might address sustain-ability issues in the future.
To this end, a committee chairedby Professor Emeritus Eric Bradfordprepared a report of our activitiesand made a number of recommen-dations. This report was widely cir-culated both on and off campus andstakeholder input regarding the rec-ommendations was solicited(http://www.aes.ucdavis.edu/AcadProg/SustAgCmte.htm).
Based on committee recommen-dations, the college is establishing aCenter for Agricultural and NaturalResource Sustainability to coordinateits activities in this area. During thecommittee’s inventory process, over150 faculty members were identifiedwhose research activities are in sup-port of the vision of the proposedcenter. This center will cross allthree of our college’s disciplinarydivisions and be an important centerfor outreach from the college to ourstakeholders.
The faculty also identified theneed for a new undergraduate cur-riculum in the area of sustainabilityand is actively developing this newcurriculum. Although the college isinvesting heavily in the area of sus-tainability already, we recognize thatmore, not less, attention must bepaid to this important area in thefuture. Thus, even though our col-lege’s budget is currently not in astate of sustainability, we have madethe decision to lay the foundationnow for this important investmentin all of our futures.
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By Dorothy Ross
In ancient times, farmers learnedthrough trial and error that theyneeded to devise methods to keeptheir land viable, lest they depletethe soil and lose their capacity togrow food. Over time they devel-oped common-sense approaches,such as crop and grazing rotation,the use of cover crops, and allowingfields to lie fallow every seven years.
Farmers gradually assimilateddiscoveries in biology and chemistryto these time-tested methods withresulting increases in crop produc-tion and efficiency. Selective cropbreeding techniques date to themonk in the garden, of course, butbiotechnology offers researchersopportunities for genetically improved,high-yielding crop varieties.
The benefits of modern agricul-tural approaches are obvious: morefood can be grown on less acreage ina shorter time with far greater relia-bility. But is it sustainable?
Admittedly, sustainable agricul-ture can mean different things to dif-ferent people. Some equate it closelywith organic farming.
Sustainable agriculture in itsbroader interpretation can be regard-ed as a farming system that servessocietal needs in both the short andlong term, one that is economicallyviable and environmentally soundand that promotes healthy commu-nities. By this definition, sustainabili-ty has long been the goal of manyCA&ES programs, whether involv-ing organic, conventional or biotech-based approaches.
Researchers within the collegehave addressed the challenge of con-tinually improving the nutritionalquality of food, fiber and floriculturecrops by focusing on every phase ofproduction and harvest systems,postharvest storage and handling,and the economics that support orlimit each step. CA&ES researchersand extension specialists are justlyproud of the contributions the
college has made towards solving theworld’s hunger problems by develop-ing nutritious and high-yielding fruitand vegetable varieties.
Special CommitteeDetermined to place CA&ES at theforefront of research, teaching andoutreach programs to enhance sus-tainability, Dean Neal Van Alfenappointed a special committee toreview sustainable agriculture activi-ties throughout the college. It ischaired by Eric Bradford, professoremeritus in the Department ofAnimal Science.
The committee’s report recog-nizes that concerns about sustain-ability of agricultural and naturalresource use in California and else-where relate to many issues, includ-ing increased salinity of irrigatedsoils, low agricultural prices due toglobal competition, diversion of irri-gation water to non-agriculturaluses, and pollution from livestockoperations and agricultural chemicals.
The report also addresses popu-lation growth in California and itsimpacts: the urbanization of primecrop-producing lands, stress onrange and forest systems, and threatsto the economic and social well-being of rural communities.
Two committee suggestions maybe enacted in the areas of researchand curriculum. A new center willcoordinate and support more than35 college programs and projectsrelated to sustainable agricultureand will generate funding and publicity for these and future effortstowards sustainability.
In addition, a new undergraduateacademic major may be offered soonto bring CA&ES expertise related toagricultural and natural resourcesustainability to students in a com-prehensive and organized curricularprogram. This can ensure a work-force well trained in all facets of the field -- from biotechnology andecology to agricultural economicsand community development.
History The college has supported agricultur-al viability since its inception almost100 years ago, but several programsaimed directly at increased agricul-tural sustainability also have a lengthy track record.
IPM Established at UC Davis in 1980,with the State Legislature’s supportand encouragement, the UCStatewide Integrated Pest Manage-ment (IPM) Program develops andpromotes the use of integrated, eco-logically sound pest managementprograms. IPM is an ecosystem-basedstrategy that focuses on long-termprevention of pests.
LTRASBegun in 1993, the Long-TermResearch on Agricultural Systemsproject (LTRAS), which bills itself as“The World’s Youngest 100-YearExperiment,” hosts a variety ofexperiments focused on improvingthe sustainability and reducing theenvironmental impact of agriculture.The 100-year experiment wasinspired by results from other loca-tions, showing that short-termtrends can be poor predictors oflong-term sustainability.
SAFSThe Sustainable Agriculture FarmingSystems team recently relocated tothe LTRAS site for research on howreduced tillage practices might beincorporated into conventional,organic and low-input approaches.
SAREPSince 1986, the Davis campus hasbeen home to the UC SustainableAgriculture Research and EducationProgram (SAREP), a statewide spe-cial program to support environmen-tal health, economic profitability, andsocial and economic equity withinthe farming community throughresearch and education. It is the firstsuch venture to be established at any
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land grant institution in the countryand is the model for the USDA’s ownSARE program.
SAREP associate director JennyBroome proudly points to Califor-nia’s Biologically Integrated FarmingSystems (BIFS) program as a suc-cessful collaboration among the uni-versity, the Legislature and farmers.
According to Broome, “The adop-tion of biologically integrated farm-ing systems has generated benefitssuch as reduced pesticide use,improved soil fertility, decreased ero-sion and nitrogen leaching and mayhave increased wildlife populations.”
Seminar SeriesThe college joined with SAREP andother partners to sponsor a two-quarter seminar series titled “TheScience of Sustainable Agriculture:Measuring the Immeasurable.”
Nineteen experts from around theworld were invited to campus toaddress key issues and topics relevantto agricultural sustainability inCalifornia and elsewhere. WilliamLacy, UC Davis vice provost forUniversity Outreach and Interna-tional Programs, kicked off the springsessions with an overview of whatsustainable agriculture is and how theuniversity provides a challengingcontext within which to address it, inlight of disciplinary boundaries andreduced public funding.
Presenters spoke about globalfood access and poverty alleviationefforts, and the role of the intensifi-cation of production in addressingworld hunger. Other lecturers dis-cussed globalization and its impacton food production, and how specif-ic public policy tools impact sus-tainability.
The fall series explored the inter-action of agriculture and naturalresources, as well as the socialimpacts of agricultural systems.
The Future Even in these times of severe finan-cial cutbacks, the college and itsstakeholders are investing in innova-tive initiatives to meet the burgeon-ing requirements of our students
and faculty, farmers and landowners,industry and government, and thepublic in regard to issues of sustain-ability.
Each new plant science facilitywill focus on areas of viability with-in the agricultural community. TheD. Gould and Virginia Bowley PlantScience Teaching Center; the CoreGreenhouse Complex; the PlantReproductive Biology building; andthe Ralph M. Parsons FoundationTransformation Facility are all dedi-cated to the sustainability of theirconstituencies.
Seed BiotechnologyThe Parsons Seed BiotechnologyCenter, which recently moved intothe new Plant Reproductive Biologybuilding on campus, is a model ofcollaborative effort. In cooperationwith the UC Davis BiotechnologyProgram, the Seed BiotechnologyCenter (SBC) offers programs ongenetic markers, bioinformatics andmolecular techniques, plus intensiveshort courses on seed biology, pro-duction and technology.
SBC works to enhance publicawareness of seed industry issuesand joins with CooperativeExtension to keep growers informedabout the latest scientific advances.
Seed biotechnology researchersare working to develop varieties thatwill be disease resistant, fungicideresistant and/or drought resistant,depending upon grower demands.
According to Kent Bradford, SBCdirector and professor in the Depart-ment of Vegetable Crops, “Crops that are genetically engineered to beherbicide resistant could result inlow-tillage farming, thereby savingvital topsoil.”
In this area of breeding for resist-ance to troublesome conditions,Professor Eduardo Blumwald, Depart-ment of Pomology, is enjoying thefruits of his scientific labors. Recentlyawarded the prestigious AlexanderVon Humboldt Award for agriculturalresearch, he is internationally recog-nized as a leader in the developmentof salt-tolerant plants. The ability of aplant to survive in a high-saline envi-
ronment is particularly important forcrops grown in arid areas where suc-cessive seasons of irrigation result inincreased soil salinity.
“In order for California agricul-ture to remain viable,” Blumwaldstresses, “it must meet several keyrequirements. First of all, agriculturemust remain profitable for farmers.In order to do so, it must make thebest use of a declining water supplyand a constantly shrinking land base.We must strive to grow more andbetter crops on even less acreage. Ifwe can accomplish this in California,with the help of science, the result-ing technologies can be appliedtoward the problems of feeding thehungry throughout the world.”
By Blumwald’s definition, bettercrops mean nutritionally enhancedvarieties. Researchers soon will havethe ability to modify seeds genetical-ly to assure high quality, nutritiousvegetables and fruits.
Food for Health andWellness ApproachProfessor Bruce Hammock,Department of Entomology, andProfessor Bruce German, Departmentof Food Science and Technology,advocate a Food for Health andWellness approach to the sustainabili-ty of communities. They maintainthat UC Davis has the capability tointegrate agricultural advances withnutritional data and medical scienceto provide information to health prac-titioners and the public about howand what to eat to improve and main-tain health.
Hammock further emphasizesthat what sustainability really meansis “decreasing the human footprinton the earth.” We have the responsi-bility to see that our usage does notdeplete nature’s bounty.
Food and AgriculturalPracticesRichard Michelmore, professor inthe Department of Vegetable Crops,suggests that the answer may be acategory of food and agriculturalpractices, intermediate between con-ventional and organic farming,
Outlook Fall 2003
increased productivity has the effectof lowering prices, which steps upthe demand for even greater produc-tivity; new technologies result insubstantially improved productivity-- and the treadmill grinds on.
Because many technologicaladvances in agriculture are relativelyeasy to replicate, producers world-wide are quick to update their methods based on discoveries andapplications developed at universi-ties such as UC Davis. The increasedproductivity of farmers in othercountries, coupled with reasonableand reliable transportation, resultsin a global market for commodities.
The result, says Blank, is that“today, commodity prices are global,but productions costs are local.”
which could minimize the use ofchemical inputs while utilizing thepotential of technological advances.
Estimates of the importance ofagriculture to California’s economyvary, but they range as high as 10 per-cent of the state’s gross product. Nodiscussion of sustainability in agricul-ture would be complete without inputfrom an agricultural economist.
The Treadmill EffectSteven Blank, a farm financial man-agement specialist in the Departmentof Agricultural and ResourceEconomics, has been tracking the‘treadmill’ effect on agriculturethroughout his career.
As Blank puts it, competitionpushes towards greater productivity;
UC Division of Agricultureand Natural Resources (ANR)programs located at UC DavisAgricultural Issues Centerhttp://aic.ucdavis.eduCenter for Cooperativeshttp://cooperatives.ucdavis.eduGenetic Resources ConservationProgram (GRCP)http://www.grcp.ucdavis.eduIntegrated Pest Management (IPM)http://www.ipm.ucdavis.eduSmall Farm Centerhttp://www.sfc.ucdavis.eduSustainable Agriculture Research &Education Program (SAREP)http://sarep.ucdavis.eduResearch and Extension Centershttp://danrrec.ucdavis.edu
Related UC Davis programsBiotechnology Programhttp://www.biotech.ucdavis.eduCenter for History, Society and Culturehttp://chsc.ucdavis.eduJohn Muir Institute of the Environmenthttp://johnmuir.ucdavis.edu/links.htmlCenter for Ecological Health Researchhttp://ice.ucdavis.edu/cenr/
Center for Integrated WatershedScience and Managementhttp://watershed.ucdavis.eduCenter for Natural Resource PolicyAnalysishttp://johnmuir.ucdavis.edu/affiliates.html#cnrpaInformation Center for the Environmenthttp://ice.ucdavis.edu
Regional and national programs located at UC DavisGlobal Livestock CRSP (USAID)http://glcrsp.ucdavis.edu/index.htmlUSDA/ARS Exotic Pests and Diseases Research Programhttp://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/EXOTIC/aboutexotic.htmlUSDA/ARS National ClonalGermplasm Repositoryhttp://www.ars-grin.gov/corWestern Center for Agricultural Healthand Safetyhttp://agcenter.ucdavis.eduWestern Region Integrated PestManagement Centerhttp://www.wrpmc.ucdavis.eduNational Institute for GlobalEnvironmental ChangeWestern Region, (NIGEC)http://nigec.ucdavis.edu
ConclusionConsumers naturally purchase thecheapest available produce, and theCalifornia farmer, caught in aninevitable profit squeeze, bringsmore pressure to bear on researchersto develop technologies to raiseyields and expand outputs.
The challenge for all facets of theagricultural community is to meetthe ever-growing demand forincreased productivity while main-taining an agricultural system that is viable, both economically andenvironmentally. The College ofAgricultural and EnvironmentalSciences is dedicated to the long-term sustainability of California’sagriculture and will support theresearch required to fulfill the prom-ise of a continued bountiful harvest.
UC Davis programs relatedto sustainable agricultureCA&ES Informatics Center http://ic.ucdavis.eduCalifornia Institute of Food and Agricultural Researchhttp://www.cifar.ucdavis.eduCenter for Aquatic Biology andAquaculturehttp://caba.ucdavis.eduCenter for Biosystematicshttp://cbshome.ucdavis.eduFoodSafe Programhttp://foodsafe.ucdavis.edu/homepage.htmlFruit and Nut Research and Information Centerhttp://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.eduLong-Term Research in AgriculturalSystems (LTRAS)http://ltras.ucdavis.eduSeed Biotechnology Center http://sbc.ucdavis.eduPlant Science Teaching Center and Student Farmhttp://studentfarm.ucdavis.eduSustainable Agriculture FarmingSystems (SAFS)http://agronomy.ucdavis.edu/safs/home.htmVegetable Research and Information Centerhttp://vric.ucdavis.eduWeed Research and Information Centerhttp://wric.ucdavis.edu
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For more than two decades, studentshave coordinated an award programeach year to recognize the “care, com-mitment, dedication and outstandingservice exhibited by one staff and onefaculty adviser on the UC Davis cam-pus.” The student coordinator of theUC Davis Academic Peer AdvisingProgram organized the 2002-03 pro-gram. Awards were presented in a cere-mony at the International House.
JoAnn Espitallier,Department ofHuman andCommunityDevelopmentundergraduateadviser, was namedOutstanding Staff
Adviser for 2002-03. She came to cam-pus 16 years ago, starting in a part-timeposition with Student Special Services.After seven years, she became an under-graduate staff adviser in the college.
Espitallier advises students in
Outstanding Faculty and Staff Advisershuman development, community andregional development, and internationalagricultural development majors. Sheexplains that many pursue careers inthe ‘helping professions.’
“I meet students every day who havejobs, participate in internships andcampus activities and contribute manyhours of volunteer work,” she said.“They are amazing!”
“I was very surprised and honoredto get this award,” Espitallier said. “I’mblessed to have three incredible peeradvisers, a great advising assistant anddedicated staff. We all work together,and I feel strongly that this award is tobe shared by our team.”
Professor J.Edward Taylor,Department ofAgricultural andResourceEconomics, wasnamed OutstandingFaculty Adviser.
A graduate of UC Riverside and UC Berkeley, Taylor focuses hisresearch on economic development,population and resources; labor economics; economy-wide modeling;and applied micro-econometrics. Hejoined the department in 1987.
Taylor is director of the Center onRural Economies of the Americas andthe Pacific Rim, co-director of theProgram for the Study of EconomicChange and Sustainability in RuralMexico, chair of the UC Institute onMexico and the United States (UCMexus) Advisory Committee and co-editor of Rural Migration News.
When presented his award, Taylorcommented, “My goal always has beento blur the lines among teaching,research and advising -- taking studentsout into the field and including them inresearch and outreach projects. Theopportunity to do this is one of thegreat advantages of being at an out-standing teaching and research institu-tion like UC Davis.”
Professor ThomasFamula, geneticistin the Departmentof Animal Science,was named the col-lege’s recipient ofthe 2003 Excellencein EducationAward, presentedby the AssociatedStudents of UCDavis. The newlyestablished awardrecognizes one out-standing facultymember from eachundergraduate col-lege on campus.
“My goal is to help studentsunderstand how animals have beenused by humans for the past10,000 years,” Famula said. “I amthrilled for this recognition, partic-ularly because it comes from the
students. It givesme some hope thateven though theclass I teach islarge, I am makingit ‘feel’ small.”Famula has beenworking in doggenetics for thepast seven years.He is a breedingconsultant toGuide Dogs for theBlind in San Rafael,as well as workingwith other non-profit service doggroups including
Seeing Eye and CanineCompanions for Independence. Hiswork in canine disease geneticsincludes projects on epilepsy,Addison’s disease and heart diseasein several breeds of dog.
Excellence in Education Award College CelebrationThe College of Agricultural andEnvironmental Sciences held its 15thannual College Celebration on Friday,November 14, 2003, to recognize theaccomplishments of alumni, faculty,staff and friends.
Once each year at CollegeCelebration, individuals are honoredwhose contributions and achieve-ments have enriched the college’simage and reputation and enhancedits ability to serve the public.
Awards recognize individuals,families or organizations for excel-lence in leadership, achievement, support and/or meritorious serviceto the college or for bringing dis-tinction to the college through theircareers. Selection categories for2003 include Alumni; Family orFriends of the College; YoungAlumni; Faculty; and Staff.
A list of this year’s award recipientsis at http://www.aes.ucdavis.edu/Events/Celebration/Default.htm.
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2003 Citation forExellence Awards
2003 Walker AwardCommencement!
Congratulations to the manyCollege of Agricultural andEnvironmental Sciences staff mem-bers who received Citation forExcellence awards. Honorees wererecognized at a reception at thechancellor’s residence and also at theTGFS BBQ hosted by the UC DavisStaff Assembly in conjunction withThank Goodness for Staff festivities.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDSGeneral ContributionsElaine Bose Agronomy and Range ScienceRobert DeBargeCA&ES Dean’s OfficeElizabeth GrassiEnvironmental Science and PolicyJudith HowardFood Science and TechnologyElizabeth LorenzenLand, Air and Water ResourcesYuri RodriguezHuman and Community DevelopmentDaniel SehnertAnimal ScienceKaren StrackFood Science and TechnologyKelly WadeAnimal ScienceDawn WhitakerFood Science and Technology
General Contributions/Campus ServiceKaren HunterFood Science and Technology
SupervisionPat ConnersHuman and Community Development
TEAM AWARDSGeneral ContributionsDella Nunes and Linda WiegandViticulture and EnologyBart Wilsey and Cory SimersonUC Hopland Research and Extension Center
Commencement2003 reflectedpast accomplish-ments of our grad-uates and passageinto a time of new beginningsand futureachievements.
CharleySoderquist (M.S., ’73; Ph.D., ’78,Agricultural Chemistry), consultantand president of the TechnologyDevelopment Center, was keynotespeaker. He is chairman of the boardof the UC Davis CONNECTProgram, which links entrepreneurswith the UC system.
Soderquist was an adjunct pro-fessor for the UC Davis GraduateSchool of Management, a UC Boardof Regents member and president ofthe UC Davis Alumni Association.
AWARD RECIPIENTSCollege MedalMarlies NaglLandscape Architecture
Charles Hess CommunityService Award (Female)Poppy MajorNutrition(Male) David Amir ZarghamiManagerial Economics
Mary Regan Meyer PrizeCelia LauManagerial EconomicsMami ShindoCell Biology Ashley WaddingtonAnimal Biology
Knowles A. Ryerson Award in AgricultureMami ShindoCell Biology
Marlies Nagl
Staff research assistant and lecturerJoan Chandler (B.S., ’75, HomeEconomics; M.S., ’77, ConsumerScience), Division of Textiles andClothing, was presented the 2003Walker Award at a ceremony/recep-tion held in Mrak Hall. The award,named for lecturer emeritus HarryWalker, Department of Land, Airand Water Resources, recognizes thecollege’s outstanding academic staffadviser.
Chandler said that she is deeplyhonored to receive the award“because my students nominated meand the honor represents how muchthe college values advising. I amthrilled to continue Dr. Walker’sfocus on advising.”
Chandler teaches several coursesand works with apparel industryrepresentatives to develop intern-ships for undergraduate students.She is site director of the NationalTextiles Center program, connectingwith industry representatives andacademics from other universities.
Chandler and Professor SusanKaiser are studying people’s percep-tions of their appearances and cloth-ing. They are interested in themeanings people attach to theirfavorite clothes. Some of theirresearch focuses on sensory evalua-tion of fabrics and garments.
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The three-year-old BiotechnologyProgram at Davis Senior High School,funded by the Yolo County RegionalOccupation Program, has expandedfrom a single-semester course to afull-year course. In addition to theirclasswork, students are encouraged tocomplete a 90-hour internship in alocal research laboratory during thespring semester.
In a collaborative effort betweenthe high school and the university,many UC Davis professors havedonated their time and resources tothe program.
Last spring, nine of the studentswho were involved in the internshipportion of the course worked inCA&ES labs.
High school junior Sarah Crumley
interned in Richard Michelmore’s labin the Department of Vegetable Crops.She said, “I enjoyed being an internbecause not only did I learn a lotabout how research works, but I alsomet an amazing group of people. It isfun, educational and a great way toget graduate work experience!”
Professor Michelmore shares herenthusiasm. “This is a good programin terms of outreach and the opportu-nity to excite young scientists,” hecommented. His lab has beeninvolved in the program for severalyears and often employs the highschool students as summer researchassistants so that they can gain moreexperience and observe the outcomesof their experiments.
Eduardo Blumwald, the professorin pomology who recently was award-ed the prestigious von Humboldt Prizefor Agricultural Research, stated thathe was glad to fulfill the college’s out-reach mission as a land grant institu-tion by giving something back to thecommunity.
“It is important that young peoplebe exposed to 21st century science as apoint of reference when they makecollege and career decisions,”Blumwald said.
Bobby Medina, who interned inBlumwald’s lab, said, “I had the experi-ence of working in a genetics lab. Thiswas the greatest experience, and Iwould like to thank all my teachers fortheir time.”
Alexandra Sanchez, a formerintern with associate professor JorgeDubcovsky in agronomy and rangescience, is now an undergraduate inthe college, majoring in animal sci-ence and working as a student assis-tant in Dubcovsky’s lab. When askedto comment on the program,Dubcovsky echoed his colleagues’commitment to the outreach compo-nent of the CA&ES mission.
Other student interns and theirlab hosts: Winnie Kuo – TrevorSuslow, Department of VegetableCrops; Stephanie Droker – DougCook, Department of Plant
Biotech Begins in High School
Pathology; David Leu – TheaWilkins, Department of Agronomyand Range Science; MargaretPettygrove – Pam Ronald,Department of Plant Pathology. Thelaboratories of Gale McGranahan,Deparment of Pomology, and DinaSt. Clair, Department of VegetableCrops, also participated in the pro-gram.
The course developer, Davis highschool biology teacher Ann Moriarty,has 10 years of research experience inboth academics and industry and hastaught school for five years.
“My long-term goal has been tocombine my skills into a programsuch as this. It was worth the waitand has been a pleasure for me toteach,” Moriarty says.
Winnie Kuo
Bobby Medina
Stephanie Droker
David Leu
Sarah Crumley
Margaret Pettygrove
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When developmentfolks think sustainable . . .
they mean endowments and dedicat-ed facilities -- things that last.Leaving a legacy is a sustainable con-cept. An endowed chair or a facilitynamed for someone will be a part ofthis college indefinitely. That’s sustainable.
John B. Orr was raised in WestTexas. At age 17, with his parents’permission, he enlisted in the U. S.Navy and became a signalmanassigned to the U.S. Marine Corps.On his 18th birthday, he was involvedin the Battle of Iwo Jima, and hespent the balance of World War II inthe Pacific Theater. Orr subsequentlyserved in the Korean War.
After studying entomology fortwo years at Texas Tech, Orr movedto California. He worked as a glazierin the UC Davis Maintenance Shopfor more than 20 years. His co-work-ers describe him as a good, hardworker, liked and respected by all,and a classic loner who had a won-derful way with animals and plants.He was involved in cross-country
horse racing as a support team member and owned Appaloosas.
Before buying his home in RioLinda, Orr lived in rental apartments.He took pride in the fact that healways left the grounds in better condition than he found them.
Orr so enjoyed his career at UCDavis that he bequeathed 85 percentof his estate to the UC DavisFoundation to establish the John B.Orr Endowed Fund. His gift is dedi-cated to the following purposes:“Approximately one-half (1/2) is tobe used annually in the area of plantsciences, and approximately one-half(1/2) is to be used annually in thearea of environmental studies.”
In his will, he states, “In makingthis gift, it is my intention to serveUC Davis and its students, and it ismy desire that the foregoing state-ment of purpose be liberally con-strued so that this objective may befully accomplished.”
The total distribution from JohnOrr’s estate to the UC DavisFoundation was $370,259.39. Sincethis is more than enough to fund anendowed faculty position, we areestablishing the John B. OrrEndowed Chair in EnvironmentalPlant Sciences.
Dean Neal Van Alfen will appointa committee to recruit a tenuredcampus faculty member to serve asthe first John B. Orr chair holder.
Plant Sciences Facilities This fall, the college celebrated theopening of our new plant sciencesfacilities: the Plant ReproductiveBiology Building, the CoreGreenhouses, The Ralph M. ParsonsPlant Transformation Facility, andthe D. Gould and Virginia BowleyPlant Sciences Teaching Center.
The Plant Reproductive Biologyfacility, which houses the SeedBiotechnology Center and supportrelated research in the plant sci-ences, was funded through a part-nership between the seed industryand the campus.
Funding for the CoreGreenhouse complex was a jointeffort of the campus, the college, theDivision of Biological Sciences, theOffice of the Vice Chancellor forResearch, UC Agriculture andNatural Resources, and a grant fromthe National Science Foundation.
The Ralph M. Parsons PlantTransformation Facility, located inRobbins Hall, was made possible bya grant from the Ralph M. ParsonsFoundation.
The D. Gould and VirginiaBowley Plant Sciences TeachingCenter that forms the nucleus of theplant sciences complex was financedby a generous gift of $1.3 millionfrom Virginia Bowley.
The close proximity of the newfacilities serves to further encouragecollaborative, cross-disciplinaryresearch and teaching in plant andseed research, addressing the broadrange of challenges to California’sagricultural community.
Rick Swantz Director ofDevelopment(530) [email protected]
DEVELOPMENT
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Can you locate the Student Farm Field House -- originally known as the TruckCrops Bulb House -- among the new plant sciences facilities?
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The Global Reach ofa UC DavisEducation
Exchange programs have long beenpart educational systems in manycountries. The opportunity to live ina foreign country for a year, or hosta student from another nation, is acommon occurrence in may highschool and college programs.
The benefits of students travelingabroad are numerous. Exchangeprograms are an excellent way ofenhancing the academic foundationof an educational experience, frommaking new friends and establishingfuture career connections to betterunderstanding and celebrating ourworld’s diversity.
Today’s exchange programsallow students to choose from anarray of programs that can provideinformation on specific technicalareas or remain very broad to estab-lish a basic understanding of variousissues and cultures. While some stu-
in Denmark and the UniversityCollege Cork in Ireland.
This past summer, UC Davis sentfive CA&ES Aggie Ambassadors toFrance, two students to Denmarkand two to Ireland. In return, ourcampus hosted seven students fromFrance and two from Denmark. TheFIPSE program is completing thesecond year of a three-year grant.
For more information on studyabroad programs specific to the agri-cultural and environmental sciences,contact Fabrice De Clerck at (530)752-9480 or [email protected].
UC Davis Washington CenterThe UC Davis Washington Centerbegan operations in the 1990-91academic year. It provides studentsand faculty new and expandedopportunities in the nation’s capitalto enrich their education andresearch.
The center offers undergraduateacademic internships, fellowshipsand internships for graduate stu-dents and fellowships and researchgrants for faculty. The center islocated in a new, 11-story, state-of-the-art facility in downtownWashington, D.C.
Internships are open to under-graduate students from all majorswho have completed 89.9 unitstoward graduation. Students willearn 15 units of academic credit andcontinue to receive full-time regis-tered student status during theinternship.
For more information, contactthe UC Davis Washington Centeroffice at the Internship and CareerCenter, (530) 754-5718.
Richard Engel Director of StudentServices and Outreach(530) [email protected]
OUTREACH
&CA ES& dents are able to take an entire aca-demic year for study abroad pro-grams, others prefer to travel foronly the summer or a single quarter.
UC Davis offers several opportu-nities for off-campus study, bothnationally and internationally, tomeet the needs of interested students.Here are two of the many programsavailable to students, faculty and staffin the College of Agricultural andEnvironmental Sciences.
FIPSE (Fund to theImprovement for Post-Secondary Education)The U.S. Departments of Educationand several European nations collab-orated to develop a grant program topromote trans-Atlantic mobility. Thecollege is one of six partners in agrant funded by FIPSE titled TheFood and Society Nexus. The pro-gram enables students to explore thesimilarities and differences in agri-cultural policy, production and foodculture between the U.S. andEurope.
Iowa State University, UC Davisand the University of Nebraska,Lincoln, are linked to the InstituteSuperior Agricole de Beauvais inFrance, Dalum agricultural college
FIPSE students, including five Aggie Ambassadors, enjoy a break in Paris.
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UC Links to DixonMigrant Center Lynn Fowler-Huneke of advising serv-ices is coordinator of the LeadingRoles Program funded by a grant fromthe W. K. Kellogg Foundation. “The
grant is aimed at helping students becatalysts for change,” she explains.
An important aspect of the program is the Summer LeadershipInstitute, an eight-week course sheteaches. The institute partners withUC Links program, directed locally by James Grieshop, CooperativeExtension specialist, Department ofHuman and Community Develop-ment, to bring computer education torural and migrant communities.
Part of the summer program is aninternship, supervised by postgraduateresearcher Esther Prins and graduatestudent Alyssa Nelson at the DixonMigrant Center. Interns work with thefarm workers’ children in the daytimeand offer classes for high school stu-dents and adults in the evening -- incomputer literacy and in skills such as handcrafts, cooking and team-building.
Grace (Wai Kwan) Yeung, a seniormajoring in economics, says, “Theimmigrant kids are just like theAmerican kids; they are very curiousabout this world and want to knoweverything. Even though I have somelanguage barriers since I don’t speakSpanish, I try to use more gesture andbody language to communicate. Itsounds funny, but it works.”
The UC Links program is head-quartered in the Graduate School of Education on the UC Berkeleycampus.
STUDENTS
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Esther Prins, far right rear, AlyssaNelson, second from right rear, andintern Peter Villareal, far left rear, aCRD major, pose with Dixon MigrantCenter computer students of all ages.
How do you getthe most out ofyour college expe-rience? DonielleRobinson knows.This year she isstudent assistantto the chancellor.
She previously worked at the Cross-Cultural Center and served as a peeradvising counselor. While she hasbeen involved in campus organizationssince her freshman year, it was notuntil this past spring that Robinsonthought about participating in studentactivities off campus, or even outsideDavis or California.
In March, Robinson attended the18th annual Minorities in Agriculture,Natural Resources and RelatedSciences (MANRRS) conference inAtlanta, Georgia. The organization
helps connect students with theUSDA, EPA and other organizationsand schools through internships andjob opportunities.
“I went to the conference with thegoal of attending graduate school toreceive my master’s degree in socialwork. I learned about the SummerUndergraduate Research Program, aneight-week program at the Universityof Georgia in Athens where partici-pants can experience life as a graduatestudent. I applied and was accepted,”she writes in an essay submitted aftershe returned to Davis.
Program participants completedresearch papers, posters and gave oralpresentations. Robinson worked at theCenter for Family Research on twostudies focusing on adolescents inGeorgia. Her paper is titled, “ParentingPractices That Lead to Positive Racial
Identity in Rural African-AmericanAdolescents.”
Robinson lives one hour away fromher parents and had never traveledout-of-state prior to the MANRRS conference and SURP experience.
“I would never have left Californiaif I was not a part of MANRRS,” sheexplained. “In fact, the first time I leftCalifornia was to attend the MANRRSconference in Oregon. ErlindaGonzales [MANRRS program coordi-nator] was the first person I met atDavis. She introduced me to programs,organizations and clubs that havechanged my life. I encourage others toleave [their] comfort zones and experi-ence life.”
For more information about MANRRS,contact Erlinda Gonzales at (530) 752-0109; [email protected].
Student Profile: Donielle Robinson
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Three students in the TransportationTechnology and Policy Graduate
Group are recipi-ents of presti-gious nationalhonors.Belinda Chenreceived twoawards that pro-vide full funding
for multiple years: the Dwight DavidEisenhower Fellowship from theU.S. Department of Transportation,for which she ranked third in thenation; and the EnvironmentalProtection Agency’s STAR (Scienceto Achieve Results) Program fellow-ship. Chen is studying advanced
vehicle technolo-gy and green-house gases.
DeborahSalon, a Ph.D.candidate in theDepartment ofAgricultural and
Resource Economics, received aDwight David EisenhowerTransportation Fellowship travelaward, which will enable her toattend several meetings in her field.
Salon is studying transport and res-idential choice patterns among urbanresidents. She is analyzing survey datafrom New York City in an attempt todiscover the determinants of car own-
The Department of Land, Air andWater Resources presented Under-graduate Opportunity FundExcellence awards of $1,000 eachto four students.
Jafet Andersson was honoredfor outstanding scholarship anddedication to the field of hydrolo-gy and for interest in “real-worldproblems” on several continents.
Sabrina Litton was recognizedfor broad experience beyond theclassroom while maintaining aGPA above 3.0, citing her workexperience with two LAWR pro-
fessors and a state agency. Ariel Rivers’ award was given
for outstanding contributions tothe department and campusthrough leadership and workactivities.
Dylan Beaudette was recog-nized for outstanding scholarshipand for contributions to theCommun Nycorhizal Networkproject, for computer work on theWeb site and laboratory work onthe project. Several animal sciencegraduate students were chosen fortop campus honors.
Opportunity Fund Excellence Awards
Three Receive National Fellowships
Left to right, Sabrina Litton, Dylan Beaudette, Jafet Andersson and Ariel Rivers
ership in a dense urban environmentwith public transit options.
First-year graduate studentThomas Barron, not pictured, wonthe National Park Scholars Fellowshipand will spend a year working inYellowstone Park and Puerto Rico --after completing a summer internshipat Toyota in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Student ReportsFindingsPh.D. candidate Jonathon Gelbardrecently published two articles onhis research. With Professor SusanHarrison, of the Department ofEnvironmental Science and Policy,he wrote in the journal EcologicalApplications about the effects ofroad-building on inland Californiafoothill grasslands. They found thatnative plants were more plentiful atabout a half-mile from developedroads than they were at locationsquite close to roads.
In Conservation Biology, Gelbardand U.S. Geological Survey researchecologist Jayne Belnap, reportedsimilar findings from their study ofplant diversity near roads in andaround Canyonlands National Parkin Utah. The Utah study showedthat the more improved the roadbed,the more invasive non-native weedplants became.
Animal ScienceStudents RecognizedMaster’s student Wendy Wardreceived an Outstanding GraduateStudent Teaching Award. Ward wasnominated by an appreciative under-graduate student and a co-teachingassistant in her Animal Genetics 107course.
Jeff Mason, recipient of lastyear’s Outstanding Graduate StudentTeaching Award, was selected toreceive the 2003-2004 Chancellor’sTeaching Fellowship.
Graduate student CindyBatchelder was chosen as a fellowin the Professors for the Future pro-gram.
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James Oltjen,management sys-tems specialist inthe Department ofAnimal Science, isthe 2003 recipientof the AmericanSociety of Animal
Science Extension Award, sponsoredby Pfizer Animal Health. He wasrecognized for his international reputation as an authority on sys-tems analysis for animal production.
Oltjen’s efforts are focused on ani-mal enterprise management, naturalresource monitoring and modeling andlivestock quality assurance programs,with simultaneous computer decisionaid development.
The Desert Research Instituteannounced that this year’s NevadaMedal award was presented to CharlesR. Goldman, professor of environ-mental science and policy, in recogni-tion of his long career studying waterclarity and quality at Lake Tahoe andmany other places around the globe.This is the first time a UC Davis scien-tist has won this award, which is theinstitute’s most prestigious andincludes a $10,000 prize.
Husein Ajwa, extension specialist inthe Department of Vegetable Crops,was among scientists on the USDA/ARS Water Management ResearchLaboratory/Methyl Bromide Alterna-tives Research Team recognized forwork on Preservation of Stratos-pheric Ozone through New Techno-logies for Crop Fumigation. Theteam received the prestigious WhiteHouse Closing-the-Circle Award forenvironmental stewardship.
In addition, the team received the2003 Secretary’s Honor Award fromthe Department of Agriculture in thecategory Expanding Economic andTrade Opportunities for United StatesAgricultural Producers.
Susan Handy, associate professor ofenvironmental science and policy, was recently appointed to the Insti-tutes of Medicine Committee on thePrevention of Obesity in Children andYouth and to the National AdvisoryCommittee for the Robert WoodJohnson Foundation’s Active Livingby Design program.
Both appointments are the result ofHandy’s research on the connectionbetween the physical design of com-munities and people’s choices aboutmodes of travel -- private auto use ver-sus walking and bicycling, in particu-lar -- and the potential contributionsfrom the field of urban planningtoward the exploration of the relation-ship between the built environmentand physical activity.
The 2003Alexander VonHumboldt Awardfor agriculture wasawarded to plantbiologist EduardoBlumwald,Department of
Pomology, for his research on salt-tol-erant crops. The award is presentedannually to one individual consideredto have made the most significant con-tribution to American agriculture dur-ing the previous five years.
Blumwald’s research has focused onhow plants respond and adapt to harshenvironmental conditions such asdrought, cold and salty soils or water.He is continuing research announcedin 2001 of a genetically engineeredtomato plant that thrives in saltyirrigation water. He hopes to devel-op other salt-tolerant crops that willbe useful for agricultural productionin other areas of the world.
Professor Bruce Hammock of theDepartment of Entomology receivedthe award in 1995; the late CharlesRick of the Department of VegetableCrops received the award in 1993.
At the same ceremony, graduatestudent Tyler Thomas, Department ofViticulture and Enology, received theAlfred Toepfer Scholarship Awardwhich enables him to study agriculturein Europe.
Clyde Elmore, extension specialist forthe weed science program in theDepartment of Vegetable Crops, hasbeen inducted into the CaliforniaFloriculture Hall of Fame. Elmore hasworked extensively on finding a viablealternative to methyl bromide as a bio-cide in ornamental crops.
Pomology professor Ted DeJong’scareer work on peaches has been rec-ognized by the National PeachCouncil, which presented him withthe Carroll R. Miller OutstandingPeach Researcher Award. DeJong isknown internationally for his researchon crop responses to environmentalstresses, and he was instrumental inorganizing the International PeachSymposium held at UC Davis in 2001.
Alex McCalla, professor emeritus inthe Department of Agricultural andResource Economics, was honored bythe Inter-American Institute forCooperation on Agriculture (IICA) asone of “60 at 60” at its recent 60thanniversary celebration held inWashington, D.C. The event honored60 individuals who contributed torural prosperity and food security inthe Americas over the past 60 years.
The institute cited McCalla’s serviceas study director of the first review ofInternational Agricultural ResearchCenters of the Consultative Group inInternational Agricultural Research;his chairmanship of the Group’sTechnical Advisory Committee; hisfive-year directorship of the WorldBank’s Agricultural and NaturalResources Department; and his manypublications addressing agriculturalpolicies and the world markets.
Sharon Shoemaker, director of theCalifornia Institute of Food andAgricultural Research (CIFAR) andacademic administrator in theDepartment of Food Science andTechnology, was appointed by USDASecretary Ann Veneman as the publicmember of the Cranberry MarketingCommittee. Shoemaker also serves onthe Cranberry Scientific AdvisoryBoard of the Cranberry Institute.
FACULTY
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Daniel Sperling,professor ofEnvironmentalScience and Policyand CivilEngineering anddirector of theInstitute of
Transportation Studies in Environ-mental Science and Policy, was award-ed the 2002 Carl Moyer MemorialAward for Scientific Leadership andTechnical Excellence by the CaliforniaCoalition for Clean Air.
Martina Newell-McGloughlin,adjunct professor in the Departmentof Plant Pathology, was named oneof the Faces of Innovation by theCouncil of Biotechnology Innovation,whose membership representsbiotechnology companies and tradeassociations. She is director of theUC Systemwide BiotechnologyResearch and Education Program.She serves on the World TradeOrganization Panel on Technology,the International Food InformationCouncil Expert Panel, and theUnited Nations Technology
Discussion Panel on SustainableAgriculture.
Architect Richard Berteaux, associ-ate professor in environmentaldesign, received a 2003 HonorableMention Award from the CaliforniaCouncil of the Society of AmericanRegistered Architects for his designof the Tan Orthodontics office inWoodland, Calif. The projectrequired updating a turn-of-the-century building, working withinthe city’s preservation guidelines.
Two of the Journal of Irrigation andDrainage Engineering’s four annualnational awards went to scientistsassociated with the Department ofLand, Air and Water Resources.Professor Wes Wallender, with co-author Dursan Buyuktas, received theaward for the best research paper --“Enhanced Subsurface IrrigationHydrologic Model.”
Francesca Ventura, Ben A. Faberand Khaled M. Bali, along with fourother co-authors, received the awardfor the best practical paper -- “Modelfor Estimating Evaporation and
Transpiration from Row Crops.”Ventura was a visiting scientist inLAWR when she worked on the paper,and Faber and Bali are LAWR graduates.
Adel Kader, professor, Department ofPomology, received the AcademicSenate’s Distinguished GraduateMentoring Award for 2003, recogniz-ing his career-long commitment tograduate students and postdoctoralscholars. Over the past 25 years, Kaderhas mentored 75 graduate students,postdoctoral fellows and visitingresearchers from 21 countries.
The ComparativeNutrition Societyvoted KirkKlasing as presi-dent-elect at itsannual meeting inAntwerp, Belgium.Klasing is a profes-
sor in animal science and chair of theAvian Sciences Graduate Group. Hisresearch examines the nutritional costof immunity in birds.
The Comparative Nutrition Societyis an international organization of sci-entists studying nutrition as it relates tothe biological sciences.
Klasing also was appointed chair ofthe National Academy of Sciencescommittee on Toxic Nutrients in Dietsand Water for Animals.
Cooperative Extension’s Eatfit pro-gram, which works to change theeating and fitness habits of middleschool students, is the 2003 univer-sity recipient of the DannonInstitute’s Award for Excellence inCommunity Nutrition.
The UC Davis Center forAdvanced Studies in Nutrition andSocial Marketing, the UC DavisSchool Partnership Program, and theExpanded Food and NutritionEducation Program and the FoodStamp Nutrition Education Programare all involved in the Eatfit pro-gram. Marilyn Townsend, a CEassociate specialist in nutrition, isproject director.The Soil Science Society of America
Wildlife, fish and conservation biology professor Joseph J. Cech recently wasnamed director for the Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture (CABA).CABA was established to provide leadership, focus and support to UC Davisresearchers addressing problems associated with California’s wild and culturedaquatic biological resources. Cech’s research focuses on physiological adapta-tions and adjustments of fishes to their environments.
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elected Randal Southard, divisionalassociate dean for environmental sci-ences and professor in the Departmentof Land, Air and Water Resources, oneof its 2003 fellows. His most recentresearch focuses on the mineralogyand health effects of agricultural dust,and on soil genesis and mineral alter-ation processes in Hawaii and Icelandas possible model systems for mineralalteration on Mars.
The American Heart Association andthe Council on Nutrition, PhysicalActivity and Metabolism named professor in nutrition and internalmedicine Judith Stern a fellow. An expert on diet and nutrition,Stern has published extensively on nutrition, obesity and the effect of exercise on appetite andmetabolism.
Biological and agricultural engineer-ing professors David Slaughter,Michael Delwiche and Paul Chen(emeritus) have received the 2003USDA Secretary’s Honor Award inthe category of Promoting Health by Providing Access to Safe,Affordable and Nutritious Food.Their multi-state research project is titled “Technology and Principlesfor Assessing and RetainingPostharvest Quality of Fruits andVegetables.” According to a USDAspokesperson, the secretary’s awards“are the most significant recognitionthe department can bestow toacknowledge outstanding contribu-tions to agriculture.”
Carl Winter, extension food toxicolo-gist in the Department of Food Scienceand Technology and director of theFoodSafe Program, was appointed tothe United Nations’ Food andAgricultural Organization/WorldHealth Organization Joint ExpertCommittee on Food Additives. He will serve until 2006.
Winter also received the 2003 HodOgden Award from the U.S. Centersfor Disease Control and the Associa-tion of State and Territorial Directorsof Health Promotion and PublicHealth Education. The award honors
imaginative and creative efforts pro-moting good health.
ProfessorVictoria Rivers,Department ofEnvironmentalDesign, has beenselected as anAmerican ArtistAbroad in the
Artists in U.S. Embassies programthrough the U.S. Department ofState. Currently, she has three piecesin an exhibition at the U.S. Embassyin Ghana, and will visit that countryto lecture, teach and interact withGhanian artists.
Rivers’ work in “endangered”ethnographic textiles has taken heraround the world -- including India,Indonesia, Thailand, Borneo andTurkey. She authored The ShiningCloth: Dress and Adornment ThatGlitters.
Graham E. Fogg, professor ofhydrogeology in the Department ofLand, Air and Water Resources andAgricultural Experiment Stationhydrogeologist, was elected fellow ofthe Geological Society of America.Much of his research centers on thehealth of California’s groundwaterresources.
Professor Andrew Waterhouse,Department of Viticulture andEnology, was named the John E.Kinsella Chair in Food, Nutrition andHealth. The chair was established tosupport research and teaching, focus-ing on the interrelationships amongfood, nutrition and health. Waterhousewas recognized for his research expert-ise in the chemistry of secondary plantcompounds.
Barbara Shawcroft, professor,Department of Environmental Design,has completed a sculpture installation,“Spirit of Materials,” at the SilkeborgArt Museum in Jutland, Denmark,where she was invited to represent theU.S. in creating site-specific works. Shewas also interviewed by the DanishBroadcasting Corporation on the
methodology of her structural processand particular use of materials.Exhibiting with Shawcroft are artistsfrom Holland, Iceland and Finland.
Professor emeritus Kenneth Tanji,hydrology program, Department ofLand, Air and Water Resources, partic-ipated in two major activities of theThird World Water Forum (WWF3)in Japan. He attended the Pre-Sympo-sium for WWF3 that focused on themulti-functional roles of paddy fieldirrigation in the Asian monsoonregion. He served as editor of a back-ground document for WWF3 titled “AMessage from Japan and Asia to theWorld Water Discussion.”
At the WWF3, Tanji was a paneliston the session on Agriculture, Foodand Water and served as reporter onthe Diversity and Multi-FunctionalRoles of Irrigation session.
ChristopherCalvert, professorand vice chair,Department ofAnimal Science, isa recipient of the
UC Davis 2003Distinguished Teaching Award, whichis presented annually by the AcademicSenate. In addition to classroomteaching, Calvert advises 35 to 40undergraduates in the animal sciencemajor each year. A former student,Phillip Miller, who is now an associ-ate professor in the department, traceshis desire to become a teacher back tohis former instructor.
Established in 1973, the award ispresented to as many as four facultymembers annually. Calvert, who usessystems analysis and modeling in sup-port of his research in biochemistryand metabolism, is the fifth person inhis department to receive this honorin the past six years.
The Senate also recognizedProfessor Adel Kader, Department ofPomology, with the DistinguishedGraduate Mentoring Award.
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Sustaining NutrientsA new study by a food science andtechnology group including assistantprofessor Alyson Mitchell, CE special-ist Diane Barrett, graduate studentsDanny Asami and Yun-Jeong Hong,shows much higher levels of phenolicmetabolites in fruits and corn grownusing organic or “sustainable” farmingsystems as compared to conventionallygrown foods. Additionally, higher lev-els of these nutrients were retained inproduce that was freeze-dried ratherthan air-dried or frozen.
These phenolic metabolites are ofspecial interest due to their potentantioxidant activity and wide range ofpharmacological properties.
Re-Leafing OaklandGregory McPherson, research scientistwith the Center for Urban ForestResearch, Department of Environ-mental Horticulture, helped OaklandRe-Leaf land a two-year research awardfor planting 1,800 street trees in westOakland.
An additional research award wassecured by Qingfu Xiao, professor inthe Department of Land, Air andWater Resources, to monitor the newtrees and record data about their inter-ception of precipitation so that amodel can be created that will predicthow tree canopies reduce storm waterrun-off volume and modify groundwa-ter chemistry.
Part of Xiao’s grant will be used totrain underserved young people to dothe monitoring.
Watersaving InnovationsThe Department of Pomology isrunning several projects involvingwater-use efficiency in tree crop production.
Professor Kenneth Shackeldesigned and commercialized a hand-operated devise for measuring plantwater status in orchard trees. UsingShackel’s methodology and his newtool (based on an air-rifle pump mech-
anism), tree crop growers have realized40 to 50 percent water savings withoutsacrificing productivity.
Extension pomologist LouiseFerguson is investigating the use ofwaste-quality water for irrigation inpistachio orchards. Her results showthat pistachios can be grown usingwater with salinity levels equalingapproximately 25 percent that of sea-water without affecting productivity.
Conversion CostsCalifornia Farmer reported that theUniversity of California CooperativeExtension (UCCE) released a studyshowing current per-acre transitionand production costs for convertingalmonds from conventional to organicproduction in the northern SanJoaquin Valley. The studies’ preparersincluded Extension specialist Karen A.Klonsky and research associateRichard L. DeMoura, both in theDepartment of Agricultural andResource Economics.
Findings will be helpful in mak-ing production decisions, determin-ing potential returns, preparingbudgets and evaluating productionloans. Tables show establishmentcosts, profits over a range of pricesand yields, monthly cash costs,hourly equipment costs, investmentand business overhead costs.
Radio Waves Zap PestsElizabeth Mitcham, CooperativeExtension specialist with theDepartment of Pomology, tests the useof radio waves to kill pests in driedfruit and nuts. Mitcham says improve-ments in the technology and decreasedcosts make the process a viable alter-native to chemical treatments.
The radio-wave alternative alreadyis used in drying cereal and crackers.Industrial-size radio frequencymachines will be tested at a largepackinghouse in January and couldbe available for commercial use byfall 2004.
Methyl bromide, a pesticidecommonly used by dried fruit andnut producers, will be bannedbeginning in 2006.
Math Multiplies SolutionsProfessor of environmental scienceand policy Alan Hastings wrote inthe journal Science about the manynew links and promising collabora-tions between mathematicians andbiologists.
The article, co-authored byMargaret Palmer, aquatic ecologist atthe University of Maryland, listed suchproblem-solving possibilities as: stop-ping a disease outbreak, reducing therisk that insects could become resist-ant to genetically modified crops orpredicting a wide range of effects ofglobal climate changes.
Hastings and Palmer cited themath-biology collaborative success incurtailing the foot-and-mouth epidem-ic in the United Kingdom in 2001.
Accommodating DisabilitiesMartha Stiles, academic coordina-
tor, and James Meyers, health special-ist, Cooperative Extension Farm Safetyprogram in the Department ofBiological and AgriculturalEngineering, have partnered withEaster Seals to establish the CaliforniaAgrAbility project. Agricultural pro-duction is one of the three most haz-ardous occupations in the nation,resulting in more than 20,000 dis-abling injuries on California farmseach year. The program aids farmers,workers and families by providingeducation, assistance and support todisabled individuals.
CalAgrAbility can help with work-site modification: peer support; farmjob restructuring; farm safety; equip-ment purchase or modification; identi-fication of funding, services or careresources; stress management; or com-munity and health care coordination.For more information, contact MarthaStiles, (530) 752-2606.
Extending LongevityJames Carey, a biodemographer in theDepartment of Entomology, reportedin the journal Aging Cell that he,Shelley Cargill, reproductive physiolo-gist in the Department of AnimalScience, and co-authors found thatfemale mice who received ovariestransplanted from much younger mice
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lived significantly longer than controlgroups.
At the age of 11 months -- equiva-lent to 50-years for a human woman --when the mice are normally past theirreproductive stage, the mice with thedonor ovaries had a life expectancygreater than 60 percent better thantheir counterparts. This is equivalentto an increase in life expectancy for awoman from the current U.S. level of80 years to a remarkable 98 years.
Ag Research FrontiersSeveral UC Davis-based scientists werepart of the National Academy ofSciences committee that recommendedthe U.S. Department of Agriculturerefocus its $2 billion annual researchbudget to reflect changing public val-ues and needs.
Davis contributors include Janet C.“Jenny” Broome, UC SustainableAgriculture Research and EducationProgram (SAREP) associate director;Julian Alston, agricultural andresource economics professor; andChristine Bruhn, UC CooperativeExtension consumer food marketingspecialist.
The subcommittees provided keyinput to the synthesis committee’sreport, “Frontiers in AgriculturalResearch: Food, Health, Environmentand Communities.”
Synthesis committee membersincluded vice provost William Lacy;former SAREP interim director RobertReginato; and professor of animal sci-ence Ransom Baldwin, Jr.
Wildfire PreventionMichael Barbour, professor in theDepartment of EnvironmentalHorticulture and ecologist with theTahoe Research Group, recommendsthat purposely set fires known as ‘pre-scribed burns’ should be used as amanagement tool in the forests sur-rounding Lake Tahoe. Such fires areintended to alleviate the massivebuildup of fuel caused by the suppres-sion of wildfires during the past centu-ry and prevent catastrophic fires byburning smaller trees, brush and forestlitter. Prescribed burns, coupled withjudicious thinning, should foster the
survival of the most mature trees.Remote sensing, a technique that
relies on satellite images of Earth, isnow used to monitor the amount ofvegetation in an area and gauge therisk of wildland fires. Susan Ustin, aremote-sensing expert and professor inthe Department of Land, Air, andWater Resources, is working withNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, theLos Angeles County Fire District andresearchers at UC Santa Barbara todevelop a better vegetation map of thefire-prone Santa Monica Mountains --using satellite sensor capabilities.
The airborne sensor producesinfrared images indicating how muchbrush is present and also the type andwater content of the shrubs. Thisinformation indicates where fire islikely to start, in which directionflames are likely to spread and whereprescribed burns may be most useful.
Perchlorate Clean-upSeveral researchers in the Departmentof Land, Air, and Water Resources areinvolved in the clean-up of perchlorate-- a salt used in the production ofrocket fuel, flares, fireworks andmatches -- that is now contaminatingsome of the state’s water supplies.
Hydrogeologists Graham Foggand Eric LaBolle and ecotoxicologistMichael Johnson are analyzing whereand how fast such contaminants travelthrough the subsurface They are devel-oping a three-dimensional computermodel using the latest groundwater-modeling technology coupled withwater-distribution models.
Dennis Rolston, professor of soilscience and director of the John MuirInstitute of the Environment, studiesthe transport and biodegradation ofseveral organic and inorganic con-taminants in soil. His work withgraduate student Deborah Tiptoninvestigated when soil and environ-mental factors control the movementand biodegradation of perchlorate invarious soil materials.
Kate Scow, professor of soil micro-bial ecology, in collaboration withRolston and postdoctoral researcherMamie Inoue, is studying thebiodegradation of perchlorate by
indigenous microbial communities insoils, using DNA-based technologies.Scow hopes to determine if the use ofchemical additives or microorganismsenhances perchlorate removal.
Pacific Rim PlanningThe UC’s Pacific Rim ResearchProgram has awarded a grant to MarkFrancis, professor, Department ofEnvironmental Design, to organize athree-day workshop titled “Construc-ting Communities in the Face ofChange: Workshop on CommunityDesign and Social Change in thePacific Rim.”
The 2004 workshop will gatherscholars and practitioners from China,Japan, Taiwan, the U.S. and Canada toengage in a transnational and cross-cultural dialogue on changing commu-nities and implications for communitydesign in the Pacific Rim. The work-shop will involve participants from thefields of architecture, city and regionalplanning, community development,landscape architecture, sociology andurban design.
Francis’ research focuses on theo-ries and methods of community andurban design. He has been involved inthe design of urban projects through-out the world and has lectured abouthis work in Japan, New Zealand andCanada.
Ergonomics in AgricultureThe National Institute for Farm Safetyrecognized an Agricultural ErgonomicsResearch Center team and county-based collaborators with a researchaward for the article, “Priority RiskFactors for Back Injury in AgriculturalField Work,” published in the Journalof Agromedicine.
The award, for contributions tothe prevention of agricultural injuryor illness, was made to JamesMeyers, agricultural and environ-mental health specialist, John Miles,professor, and Diana Tejeda,research coordinator, Department ofBiological and Agricultural Engineer-ing, and to their co-authors. Theteam identified jobs in wine grapevineyards and cited proven preven-tive concepts for those tasks.
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Field EcologyPeter Moyle, professor in theDepartment of Wildlife, Fish andConservation Biology, teamed withJeffrey Mount, a geology professor, tooffer a field course on WatershedEcology that involved 26 studentsfrom three UC Davis colleges --College of Agricultural andEnvironmental Sciences; Letters andScience; and Engineering.
Working in teams, students lookedat the condition of coho habitat in theScott Valley streams of the Scott River,a tributary of the Klamath River.
Because much of the coho habitat ison private ranch land, several socialevents were arranged on the ranchesso that students and landowners couldmeet.
Moyle wrote the Expert Columnfor the Spring 2003 issue of Stream-keepers Log, the quarterly newsletter ofCalifornia Trout. The article, “GooseLake Redband Trout: High DesertSurvivors,” illustrates the resiliency oftrout and the positive effects thathumans can have on the future of aspecies.
Ralph D. Cochrane(’59, Plant Pathology; ’59
Horticulture)October 6, 2002
Knox F. Parker(’67, Agricultural Business
Management)December 28, 2002
Thomas B. Lewis(’48, Plant Science)December 31, 2002
Winifred B. SpurrAdministrative Assistant
Graduate Group in EcologyJanuary 22, 2003
Robert W. Allard(’41, Agronomy)
Professor EmeritusDepartment of Agronomy
and Range ScienceMarch 25, 2003
Harry H. LaidlawProfessor Emeritus
Department of EntomologySeptember 19, 2003
IN MEMORIAM
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On July 7, campus and college leadersgathered with representatives from theUnited Arab Emirates to initiate anagricultural research collaborationfocused on salt-tolerant crop researchconducted by Eduardo Blumwald, pro-fessor in the Department of Pomology.Two year’s ago, Blumwald announcedin the journal Nature Biotechnologythat he had genetically engineeredtomato plants that thrive in salty irri-
gation water. This research producedthe first truly salt-tolerant crops andoffered hope that other crops alsocould be genetically modified forplanting in many areas of the worldthat have salty irrigation water andsalt-damaged soils. Blumwald wasawarded the 2003 Alexander VonHumboldt Award for his research.
During a ceremony at the Walter A.Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center,
UC Davis Chancellor LarryVanderhoef and Dr. AbdulrahmanKhaleg, agriculture adviser to thePresident of the United Arab Emirates,signed a Cooperation Resolution,pledging to further develop a scientificexchange. Vanderhoef noted that thenew collaboration is in keeping withthe campus’s tradition of extendingnew research developments through-out the nation and abroad.
The campus currently collaborateswith 80 universities around the worldand has an extensive exchange of stu-dents and scholars between UC Davisand other nations.
College Forges Collaboration with United Arab Emirates
During an exchange of gifts, UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef, right, pre-sented Abdulrahman Khaleg with the book Abundant Harvest, about the foundingand development of UC Davis. In return, he received several books about theUnited Arab Emirates and a gold-and-marble clock featuring the camel and datepalm, two of the UAE’s most prized resources.
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Oliver C. Compton (M.S., ’32,Horticulture) of Corvallis, Ore., whoearned his Ph.D. at Cornell and is aretired professor at Oregon StateUniversity, celebrated his 100th birth-day in March of this year. In retire-ment, he identifies varieties of applesand pears sent to OSU by farmers andgardeners and cares for his two-acrefarm which grows walnuts, grapesand blueberries.
Katsumi Tokunaga (’50, PlantScience) of Campbell, Calif., recentlyretired after 50 years service withFranklin Life Insurance Company.
Michael Nury (B.S.,’51; M.S., ’52,Food Science) of Fresno, Calif., isCEO of the Vie-Del Company.
George A. Porter (B.S., ’52, AnimalScience) of Santa Barbara, Calif., isretired from veterinary practice. Hepublished two books: Pet ER: Memoirsof an Animal Doctor and ER Vet: Diaryof an Animal Doctor. He and his wife,Marilyn, a former UC Davis employ-ee, have three sons, Brad, Bart andJim. All three graduated from UC Davis.
Roderick A.Shippey (’52,Animal Science)of Ukiah, Calif., isretired and doesbeef cattle con-sulting. He alsooversees
Volunteers for Overseas Assistance(VOCA) and keeps busy as his localKiwanis Club activity chair.
Dan Coutolenc (’60, Agronomy) is acorporate executive with GrainManagement, Inc., of St. Paul, Minn.
Fredric L. Frye (B.S.,’60, AnimalScience) of Cloverdale, Calif., is apathologist and professor on the faculty of several universities in the
United Kingdom and Italy. He is therecipient of a number of prestigiousawards, including fellowships withthe Royal Society of Medicine (1989)and the Institute of Biology, London(1993).
Franklin Laemmlen (B.S., ’60,Entomology; Ph.D., ’70, PlantPathology) of Santa Maria, is SantaBarbara’s county director and farmadvisor in the UC CooperativeExtension office in Santa Maria. Herecently attended the 8th InternationalCongress of Plant Pathology inChristchurch, New Zealand, andtoured that country’s South Island.
Barbara Persson Coatney (’63,Agricultural Business Management)of Etna, Calif., is the owner ofCottage Gardens nursery in Etna.
Stephen P. Rae (B.S., ’68; M.S., ’70,Botany) of Napa is self-employed asan environmental scientist withMUSCI Natural Resource Assessment.He performs botanical surveys andwatershed assessments, researchingmoss flora of California. Rae retiredfrom the California Department ofFish and Game with 26 years service.While there, he developed the StateRare Plant Program and collaboratedin developing the Timber HarvestAssessment Program and theWatershed Academy.
Brent Harrington (’72, EnvironmentalPlanning and Management) of AngelsCamp, Calif., is president of theRegional Council of Rural Countiesin Sacramento. RCRC, a legislativeadvocacy and member services organ-ization, represents 30 rural countiesin California and administers a loanprogram for first-time homebuyers.He previously was planning directorand county administrative officer forCalaveras County. Daughter Shayegraduated from UC Davis in 2000,majoring in community and regionaldevelopment.
Candy Matthews Schaer-Johnson(‘73, Plant Science) of San Diego, isinformation technology coordinator,deputy agricultural commissioner andsealer of weights and measure for theCounty of San Diego Department ofAgriculture. She worked for EDS inEurope and in Beijing, China, beforemoving to San Diego five years ago.
Steven K. Ault (’74, Entomology) ofAliso Viejo, Calif., is a regional ecolo-gist with the World Health Organi-zation, currently working in Brazilcoordinating technical cooperation toeliminate or control vector-borne dis-eases. His wife is doing research at theUniversity of Brasilia, and their twochildren attend a bilingual school.
ALUMNI
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George Redpath (B.S., ’70, Wildlife and Fisheries; M.S., ’72, Ecology) of Kailua,Hawaii, is senior ecologist, principal scientist and manager for Tetra Tech’sHawaii office, specializing in National Environmental Policy Act reporting, biological surveys and environmental compliance services. Projects includeDepartment of Defense actions and a cultural survey for the National ParkService. He also is involved in marketing throughout the Pacific Rim, teachingNEPA workshops and conducting reef fish surveys as a volunteer for the ReefEnvironmental Education Foundation.
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Constantine Dillon (’75, Environ-mental Planning and Management) ofGrand Canyon, Ariz., is superintend-ent of the National Park Service’sAlbright Training Center in GrandCanyon. He is responsible for manag-ing the training of new NPS employ-ees and developing curriculum forNPS Resource Stewardship training.
Vernon J. Feliciano (’76, PlantScience) of Long Beach is a seniorclaims analyst with Specialty ClaimsManagement of Irvine.
Michele McRae (’76, NutritionScience) of Santa Cruz, Calif., is sen-ior manager of nutrition and formula-tion for Rainbow Light NutritionalSystems, a producer of nutritionalsupplements with vitamins, mineralsand herbs.
Richard Roush (‘76, Entomology) ofGlen Osmond, Australia, earned aPh.D. in entomology from UCBerkeley and conducted postdoctoralresearch at Texas A&M. He is nowdirector of UC’s Statewide IntegratedPest Management Program, based onthe UC Davis campus. He formerlytaught at Mississippi State University,Cornell University and the Universityof Adelaide.
Roush served as CEO of theCooperative Research Centre forAustralian Weed Management. Hisresearch in Australia focused on usinginsects and fungal diseases to controlweeds. He also studied risk assess-ment and management for geneticallymodified crops.
David M. Katz (’77, Entomology) ofSan Mateo, Calif., is a math tutor atCarlmont High School in Belmont.He serves as tutor for 1,700 students,teaching algebra and geometry. Histheme is, “Grades Going UP—Starting Today!”
Douglas J. Muhleman (B.S., ‘77,Fermentation Science; M.S., ’79, FoodScience) of Chesterfield, Mo., isgroup vice president of brewing oper-ations and technology for Anheuser-Busch, responsible for the brewing
and packing of the company’s beers inthe U.S. and 15 other locationsaround the world. He is a member ofboth the Strategy Committee andManagement Committee. He also sitson the boards of directors forAnheuser-Busch International, theAnheuser-Busch Packaging Group,and Busch Agricultural Resources.
Gary Novack (Ph.D., ’77, Pharma-cology and Toxicology) of San Rafaelwas selected as a UC Regent by theUC Santa Cruz Alumni Association.Novack is an alumnus of both UCDavis and UC Santa Cruz. His wife,Dona Greb Novak holds a B.S. inConsumer Food Science, ’78.
Sharon Gail Bias (’78, AgriculturalEconomics and BusinessManagement) of North Highlands,Calif., is the owner of AVATARBusiness Systems, a medical billingservice, established in 1989. She is anactive member of the Foothill-Highlands Rotary Club and on theboard of the Sacramento GermanGenealogy Society.
Jenlane Gee Matt(’78, HumanDevelopment) ofModesto, Calif., isa teacher whoenjoys gardeningin her spare time.She recently devel-
oped a new passion -- fishing.
Thomas Dietz (Ph.D., ’79, Ecology)of Grand Isle, Utah, is director ofMichigan State University’sEnvironmental Science and PolicyProgram, and associate dean forNatural Science and Social Science, aswell as professor of sociology andcrop, and soil sciences in the MSUCollege of Agriculture and NaturalResources.
Donna Gilmore Rhee (M.A., ’80,Agricultural and EnvironmentalChemistry) of Ashland, Ore., isretired from a career that includedbasic research for the EPA on the fateof pesticides; regulator for California
State Water Resources; director of ananalytical laboratory; director of tech-nical support for an environmentalconsulting firm; coordinator of a UCDavis hazardous waste certificatecourse; self-employed consultant; andenvironmental activist.
Bill Gerlach (M.S., ’81, Agriculturaland Managerial Economics) ofValencia, Calif., is the new productdevelopment director for Melissa’sWorld Variety Produce in Vernon,Calif., conducting research and devel-opment on exotic plant species andnegotiating with international pro-duce suppliers in an effort to identifyand secure new products for U.S.markets. He consults with USAID onagricultural trade and developmentprojects. He and his wife have a nine-year-old son.
Eileen Fay Laber (’81, Agriculturaland Managerial Economics) ofVentura, Calif., works in technicalsales for Aqua-Flo Supply.
Becky Pannell Morlock (’81, Design)of Fresno, Calif., is chief financialofficer and co-owner of ReCyCo., Inc.a leading recycling center inCalifornia.
John Morgan Benson (’83,Landscape Architecture) of Berkeleyis the Northern California manager ofcommercial real estate forWashington Mutual in Walnut Creek.He is in charge of business develop-ment and portfolio management,focusing on real estate developers andinvestors.
Neil Forsberg (Ph.D., ’83, Nutrition)of Salem, Ore. professor in theDepartment of Animal Sciences atOregon State University, recentlyfounded an agricultural biotechnolo-gy company, OmniGen Research. Thefirm is based in Corvallis, Ore., andprovides feed ingredients and diag-nostic support to the dairy industrynationally.
Forsberg’s wife, Azizah Mohd(B.S., ’78; M.S., ’81, Animal Science)is a research assistant in the Depart-
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ment of Environmental andMolecular Toxicology of Oregon State University. They have two children, Amelia and Johan.
Richard M. Kerri (’83, LandscapeArchitecture) of Livermore, Calif.,is the owner of Kerri LandscapeServices.
Karl Ockert (’83, FermentationScience) of Lake Oswego, Ore., hasspent the bulk of his career as brew-master of the BridgePort Brewery inPortland. In 2000, Ockert’s BridgePortIndia Pale Ale won the BritishInstitute and Guild of Brewing’s goldmedal and world championship forbottled ales.
Ockert, the first American brewerto win in the 115-year competition,accepted the trophy in London.
John W. Serbia (M.S., ’83, FoodScience) of St. Louis, Mo., is vicepresident of brewing for Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, Mo. Over the past20 years Serbia has held a number ofpositions with that company at bothbrewery operations and corporatestaff levels in the U.S. and othercountries. He and his wife, Roberta, aformer UC Davis employee, havethree sons, Cody, Zach and Dylan.
Sandy Archibald(Ph.D., ‘84,AgriculturalEconomics) relo-cated to Washing-ton fromMinnesota toassume the posi-
tion of dean of the Daniel J. EvansSchool of Public Affairs, University ofWashington. She was associate deanof the Humphrey Institute of PublicAffairs at the University of Minnesotawhere she had been a professor since1992. She also served as interim deanof the institute and associate viceprovost for faculty development ofthe university.
Archibald has published exten-sively on the environmental effects ofeconomic liberalization in central andeastern Europe. She is co-author of
Management and Leadership in HigherEducation. Her most recent researchfocuses on the economics of water,including the politics of water alloca-tion policy and institutional barriersto improved management.
Donna J. Moerschell (’84,Developmental Resource ConsumerEconomics) of Montgomery, Ala., is aLt.Col. in the U.S. Air Force. She isattending the Air War College atMaxwell AFB in Alabama. She is mar-ried to a retired submarine officer;they have two daughters.
Steven “Tad” Deshler (M.S., ’86,Animal Science) of Seattle Wash.,is co-owner of Windward Environ-mental, an environmental consultingfirm in Seattle, Wash. The firm spe-cializes in aquatic environmentalsciences, particularly sediment andwater quality, human health andecological risk assessment, naturalresource damage assessment andhabitat restoration. Deshler and hiswife have two children, Kira andKian.
Mark Zacharia (B.S., ’86,Physiology) of Edmonds, Wash., isthe owner of Edmonds-WestgateVeterinary Hospital. Prior to openinghis small animal hospital, Zachariaworked for six years at a clinic inCalifornia. His two sons are in ele-mentary school.
Michael Rogers (’88, Agriculturaland Managerial Economics) ofMorgan Hill, Calif., is a pension con-sultant with Invesmart, Inc., locatedin Campbell.
Julia L. Jones (’91, LandscapeArchitecture) of Bend, Ore., is a loanoriginator with The MortgageProfessionals, and the mother of aone-year-old son, Devon.
Michael B. Wofford (’91, Atmos-pheric Science) of Ventura, Calif., isa senior forecaster with the NationalWeather Service in Oxnard. He andhis wife welcomed their first childin May.
Leonard Diggs (‘92, AgriculturalScience and Management) ofForestville, Calif., was appointed tothe Roots of Change Council, a coali-tion of foundations launching a newinitiative to facilitate a greater trans-forming rate of California agricultureto a more sustainable framework.Diggs, who is a farmer, has been along-time member of the Small FarmProgram Advisory Committee and afaculty member at Santa Rosa JuniorCollege.
Also appointed to the councilwere Desmond Jolly, consumer spe-cialist in the Department ofAgricultural and Resource Economicsand director of the UC Small FarmProgram, and Richard Rominger(B.S., ’76, Agricultural Economics andBusiness Management.) of Winters,Calif., former U.S. Department ofAgriculture deputy secretary.
Shelly Bianchi-Williamson, formerlyBianchi-Tomasin, (’92, Design) ofForestville, Calif., is a geographicinformation technician for theCounty of Sonoma in Santa Rosa.
Jill Everett Hornbeck (’92, Design)of Livermore teaches interior designclasses, part-time, at Las PositasCollege in Livermore, Calif. She andher husband have a two-year-old sonand recently welcomed twins -- a girland a boy.
Robert S. Sronce (’92, AppliedBehavior) of Sacramento is a housingplanner for the City of CitrusHeights. He is responsible for updat-ing and implementing the city’sGeneral Plan housing element,including strategic planning; develop-er assistance; housing redevelopment;housing repair oversight; and down-payment assistance programs. He alsoadministers federal community devel-opment funds for the City of CitrusHeights. Sronce was a member of theASUCD Council in 1989-90.
James R. Campbell (B.S., ’94,Design; M.F.A., ’96, Textile Art andCostume Design) of Ames, Iowa,along with co-designer Jean Parsons,
Outlook Fall 2003
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both assistant professors of textilesand clothing at Iowa State Universityin Ames, Iowa, created an inauguralgown for Iowa’s First Lady ChristieVilsak. They used innovative digitaltechnology to transform visual imagesfrom a stained glass window in thegovernor’s mansion into textile sur-face design.
Scott Griffin (’94, Agricultural andManagerial Economics) of SanFrancisco is employed in theWholesale Finance Group of WellsFargo Bank’s San Francisco office. Hewas married in March to GilwaGuadamuz.
Ilene PolhemusJohnson (’94,Microbiology) ofSan Jose, Calif.,recently openedher private opto-metric practice inLos Gatos. She
specializes in family optometry, pedi-atrics and laser vision correction. Sheand her husband, Mark, have a two-year-old daughter, Morgan.
Shelley Bischoff Kavlick (’94,Agricultural and ManagerialEconomics) is studying in the Master’sof Defense Administration program atthe Royal College of Military Science,Shrivenham, England.
Susan Nelson Myers (’94,Environmental Policy Analysis andPlanning) of Portland, Ore., hasworked as a computer applicationsdeveloper with the Xerox Corpo-ration in Wilsonville, Ore., for thepast three years.
Amy Myrdal (‘94, Dietetics) of OakPark, Calif., is director of nutritionmarketing and education for DoleFood Company. After earning herdegree at UC Davis, Myrdal complet-ed an internship at the University ofMinnesota and then earned a master’sdegree in nutrition communication at Tufts University in Boston. She isco-author of The Healthy HeartCookbook for Dummies.
Michele C. Chin (B.S., Zoology ’95;DVM, ’99, Veterinary Medicine) ofCarlsbad, Calif., is an emergency andcritical care veterinarian in the VCAEmergency Animal Hospital &Reference Center of San Diego. Sheand her husband have one son.
Jeffrey A. Judson (’96, Agriculturaland Managerial Economics) ofMoraga, Calif., is a financial represen-tative with the Northwestern MutualFinancial Network in San Francisco.
Stephen Weber(’96, Microbi-ology) of Boston,Mass., graduatedin May from theBoston UniversitySchool ofMedicine, receiv-
ing both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. Heis in the residency program at OregonHealth and Science University. Hiscareer interests include facial plasticsand reconstructive surgery or headand neck oncology. His thesisresearch focused on delineating themolecular mechanism of the anti-inflammatory drug, chloroquine.Results were published in severalpeer-reviewed publications.
Daniel Nolt (’97,Biochemistry) ofFresno completeda clinical pharma-cy pediatric spe-cialty residencylast year atChildren’s
Hospital Central California, where hiswork included research on antiepilep-tic medication used in children withAngelman syndrome and the physicalcompatibility of various intravenousdrugs used in neonatal intensive care.He currently is a staff clinical pharma-cist at the hospital and an assistantclinical professor UC San FranciscoSchool of Pharmacy.
David H. Franklin (‘98, HumanDevelopment) of Mountain View,Calif., is a teacher at Benjamin BubbElementary School. He has taught sec-
ond grade and a second/third gradeclass, in addition to serving as a fourth-grade student teacher at C.E. DingleElementary School in Woodland.Franklin enjoys reading, running, vol-leyball, softball and hanging out withfriends. “School should be a place ofwonder and passion for finding thingsyou never knew,” he writes.
Mellissa Grigione (Ph.D., ’98,Ecology) of Tampa, Fla., is an assis-tant professor in the Department ofEnvironmental Science at theUniversity of South Florida. She andhusband Ron Sarno have one son,Marcus James.
Tom Palecek (’99, Genetics) ofAtherton, Calif., has been working forthe E&J Gallo Sales Company forover three years. He currently man-ages one-third of that company’schainstore business in NorthernCalifornia. Palecek is beginning stud-ies in the Stanford Graduate School ofBusiness MBA program.
Janelle Weigel (’99, Biology Sciences)of San Francisco is enrolled in themasters degree program in nursing atSan Francisco State University.
Katy Heckendorn (’01, Dietetics) ofDavis is a chemist and reference stan-dard administrator with ALZACorporation, a Johnson and Johnsonpharmaceutical company located inVacaville. She spends her leisure timetravelling around the country -- herfavorite vacation spot being the Sierra.
Erin Hung (’01, Animal Science) ofSan Jose, Calif., is a research biologistwith the ALZA Corporation inMountain View.
Deena Blumenkrantz (’02,Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)of San Francisco is a research assis-tant in the Center for Molecular CellBiology at the University CollegeLondon’s Royal Free Medical School.
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