UC Davis received a$6.8million grant from the National Science Foundation to help unravel the mysteries of the wheat genome. Led by geneticist Jan Dvorak,UC Davis will attempt to create a physical map of a wheat chromosome– the first step that will hopefully have practical applications in developing higher resistance to pests and diseases and a better tolerance to weather conditions.

UC Davis engineers,plant scientists and geneticists are heading a Chevron-sponsored project to develop the Jatropha curcas plant as a crop for biodiesel production in California.The three-year collaborative research program,now nearing its first year of completion,focuses on plant domestication,yield improvements and harvest optimization.Oil extracted from jatropha seeds can be processed to fuel diesel engines while the plant’s remnants can be used to power electricity plants and create other practical byproducts including fertilizer.

Sometimes at2a.m.more is lost than an opportunity to buy beer.Early in the morning on New Year‘s day inOakland,of all places,a man named Oscar Grant was shot and killed at the Fruitvale BART station by BART police.Beside the fact that I was at that station15minutes before this shooting,there are a couple things you should know about the situation:

A performing arts,cultural studies,and history medley with a twist of technology,technocultural studies offers an innovative major that is unique to UC Davis. Based off a word not found in the English dictionary,technocultural studies is an interdisciplinary major that bridges the arts,humanities,technologyand the sciences in away so that students have hands-on experience with digital production equipment.

Chlamydia,syphilis rates at all time high A new report issued by the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the Chlamydia and syphilis infection rates in the United States have all-time highs. According to Dr.John M.Douglas Jr.,the director of the STD Prevention Division at the CDC,the two diseases were responsible for approximately1.5million reported STD cases in2007.

As of spring2010,UC Davisstudentswill no longer turn to the CowellStudentHealthCenter for their medical needs.Instead,theywill be able togoto the Health and Wellness Center that iscurrentlyunder construction on the west side of La Rue Road,just opposite from theActivities and Recreation Center and adjacent to The Colleges at La Rue.

Everyone is doing it.Or at least it seems that way when it comes to the number of people using Facebook. A MySpace.com communications manager even admits to having a Facebook because, “a lot of my friends have Facebooks and it’s a way to stay connected with them.They do have a very successful growth model.“

Before taking a sip of bottled water,UC Davis‘ Frank Loge probably thinks about more than just drinking it. A professor of civil and environmental engineering,Loge examines every aspect of the hydrogen oxygen combo – from the sky to the ground,from waste to our mouths and everything in between.

I was skeptical when I first heard about Beach Hut Deli,which opened last month downtown.After all,there are already a slew of sandwich options at Davis and its name is a little hokey. But Beach Hut Deli is more than a bro’d out version of Subway.Its sandwiches are of gargantuan size,albeit more expensive than what you could order on campus.However,with a friend of similar tastes,you could split a specialty sandwich and walk out the door full.

TODAY ASUCD Blood Drive 10a.m.to5p.m. Freeborn Hall Stop by and give a free pint of blood.In exchange ASUCD and Blood Source will give you a free pint of Baskin-Robbins ice cream!

A correction in the Jan.5issue of The California Aggie incorrectly stated that Jeffrey Gibeling will become chair of the Council of Graduate Students.In fact,Gibeling will become chair of the Council of Graduate Schools.The Aggie regrets the error.

It’s a simple enough concept:use the human body’s own potential to renew itself to turn victims of degenerative mental and physical disease into happy and healthy outpatients. I’m talking of course about stem cell research.Despitevastly open-ended applications for stem cells,the practice is burdened to a standstill due to unfortunate controversy.Cries come from the pro-life movement that geneticists are in fact baby-butchers,violating the rights of every zygote to enjoySCHIP benefits,pay taxes and vote.