Campus News

While UC Davis is known for being a high-ranking public school and premier research institution, it can now add being a top recycling campus to résumé.

Although Poetry Night at Bistro 33 has been a successful bi-monthly event since its inception in 2006, the work involved with publicizing and promoting the event has become burdensome for UC Davis English lecturer and Poetry Night co-creator and co-host Andy Jones.

As drivers put down their cell phones July 1, the UC Davis Health Center began implementing a new rule of its own by declaring a smoke-free environment for its Sacramento campus. A kickoff event took place on the campus to declare the 140-acre site a nonsmoking zone. The health center provided resources for those who want to quit smoking as well as free nicotine gum.

The National Youth Sports Program, an award-winning youth summer camp held at UC Davis since 1995, will not take place this summer due federal budget cutbacks.

Junior chemistry major Gary Arevalo noticed last week that he received less change from the $2 he paid for a slice of cheese pizza at the ASUCD Coffee House. “A slice of cheese pizza is usually $1.75 but it’s gone up since school ended,” said Arevalo.

UC Davis faculty member Benjamin Houlton of the department of land, air and water resources has co-published a research paper examining the role of the nitrogen cycle. This better understanding of the nitrogen cycle could lead to more accurate predictions of global climate change.

Despite a year of state budget cuts that will result in a7percent increase in student fees for many undergraduates next year,it appears that forCalifornia students,UC is still the place to be. A record38,088Californiaresidentstudents havesubmitted their intent to register in the UC system in thefall of2008,a nearly13percent jump from thefall of2005,according to a UC press release.

The UC Davis School of Medicine,an institution renowned for its education and research,can now add a different kind of recognition to its long list of achievements. The American Medical Student Association recently conducted a ranking of medical schools based on their policies regarding free gifts from pharmaceutical companies.

Emergency Medical Services for Children awarded the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine a$2.67million grant to fund three more years of participation in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network.PECARN,thefirst federally funded pediatric emergency medicine research network in thecountry,servesmore than900,000acutely ill and injured children every year and conducts large-scale research projects.

UC Davis energy experts at the Western Cooling Efficiency Center (WCEC) announced the launch of the Western Cooling Challenge for design at the Retailer Energy Alliance Supplier Summit inDenver on June5.

Editor’s note:For this edition of 10 questions, The Aggie sat down with new KDVS General Manager Ben Johnson to get the lowdown on the life of a general manager and upcoming plans for the radio station. KDVS 90.3 FM broadcasts to the greater Davis area and strives to provide its listening audience with diverse, challenging, noncommercial, freeform radio.

While an estimated 800 wildfires blaze throughout California, Davis is seeing the effects in the thick layer of smoke that has descended on the town and campus this week. A fire burning on the border of Napa and Solano counties in particular is contributing the majority of the smoke that has settled in and around Davis.