Campus News

The UC Davis’ Agricultural Issues Center (AIC) has posted an unpublished report titled Agriculture’s Role in the Economy on their website so data analysts and researchers can begin to utilize the information. The report includes information on agriculture in California, particularly its impact on California’s economy. It shows that California farming employs 7.3 percent of the state’s private sector labor force and accounts for 5.6 percent of the state labor income. California agriculture is a significant part of the overall economy and, of course, a vital source for many food products, said Daniel Sumner, a professor of agriculture and resource economics and the AIC’s director. California places in the top 10 of the world’s agriculture rankings, ahead of countries such as Canada, Mexico, Germany and Spain.

The University of California tested a new Google software that allows users to gain greater access to millions of books and records from UC and other libraries throughout the nation Mar. 13. Through a partnership between the UC and Google in August 2006, books from the UC libraries were scanned and made available to the public through Google Book Search. Users can view and download entire non-copyrighted books online at no cost. For copyrighted books, users are given background information on the book, are shown ideas of where to buy or borrow and can search within the book to evaluate its content. According to the California Digital Library (CDL), the UC has one of the largest research libraries in the world.

Detect earthquakes with your laptop An assistant professor at UC Riverside has developed an intriguing new way to detect earthquakes. Elizabeth Cochran, part of the department of earth sciences, proposed that a network of personal computers be used to help detect oncoming seismic disturbances in real time, according to a press release from UC Riverside. Currently, there is a slight gap between earthquake detecting equipment gathering information and the information being received, Cochran said.

Cesar Chavez Commemoration Week, hosted by the La Raza Law Students Association at UC Davis School of Law, continues today through Saturday. Events are free and open to the public, with lunch provided daily by El Mariachi. Kathleen Rojas, the week’s co-chairperson, said she is excited about the outreach involved with the week. It’s important to make sure we’re reaching the community and furthering our goal of diversifying the legal profession, she said.

080402_ca_farmsubsidies.CHeadline: Farm subsidies don’t cause obesity, researchers sayLayercake: UC Davis report goes against common criticismBy MIKE DORSEYAggie News Writer A team of UC Davis researchers has found that there is no evidence to support any correlation between farm subsidies and obesity in the United States. Their findings appear in the December 2007 issue Agricultural and […]

Altering an Exam Student Judicial Affairs recently resolved a case involving a junior who altered an exam and submitted it for a re-grade. The student created a new version of the exam based on the original and made substantial modifications to the answers. Because of the striking differences between the two versions of the exam, the professor was thoroughly convinced that the student had altered his test. The student soon admitted to academic misconduct and agreed to 20 hours of community service along with the sanction of Deferred Separation until graduation. Deferred Separation means that a student can continue to attend school unless he or she engages in academic misconduct again.

Though newly appointed University of California President Mark Yudof has yet to officially assume his position, he has received praise from students and faculty alike. Yudof, 63, was the president of the University of Minnesota before becoming the chancellor of the University of Texas system in 2002. He will replace departing UC President Robert Dynes this summer at a date yet to be determined. The UC announced Yudof’s appointment Mar. 27, seven months after Dynes announced his intent to step down after facing political pressure amid an executive compensation scandal. The university identified approximately 250 candidates to replace Dynes before narrowing the list down to fewer than 10, said UC spokesman Brad Hayward.

UC Davis is offering a two-day short course on the growing of olives and production of olive oil from Apr. 18 to 19. The course, held in Lodi, will feature professional olive growers, tree-fruit research specialists, and international olive experts. Attendees do not need a background in olive oil production to attend. The course is specifically designed for beginners, said Paul Vossen, organizer of the event and Farm Advisor for the Sonoma and Marin Counties Fruits and Vegetables Marketing. The course covers olive-related topics like orchard establishment, olive production in Spain, harvesting equipment and dealing with pests like the olive fruit fly.

Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef surprised UC Davis professor Brenda Deen Schildgen with a $40,000 teaching prize during her lecture at Olson Hall on Tuesday. The UC Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement has been awarded to one outstanding professor each year since 1987 and is believed to be the largest undergraduate teaching prize in the nation. The winner is selected based upon the recommendations of faculty, students and research peers, said Meg Stallard, chair of the UC Davis Foundation Board of Trustees. This prize is presented each year in the belief that excellence in undergraduate teaching, combined with distinguished scholarly achievements, is what distinguishes universities, she said.

080331_ca_ucagreement.CHeadline: UC, nurses reach contract agreementLayercake: Nearly one year negotiation ends with both sides pleasedBy ANNA OPALKAAggie News Writer After 11 months of negotiations, the University of California and the California Nurses Association recently agreed to a new multiyear contract for registered nurses at the 10 UC campuses and five medical centers. Beth Kean, director […]

cholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 are available for aspiring Hispanic engineers through the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. The deadline for the Advancing Hispanic Excellence in Technology, Engineering, Math and Science scholarships is Apr. 1 and undergraduate and graduate students interested are encouraged to complete applications available on SHPE’s website. Students awarded the scholarship money can use it for a variety of education expenses, such as books or tuition, said Rafaela Schwan, director of programs for AHETEMS.

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology will be hosting the third annual UC Davis robotics competition as a qualifier for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) national robotics competition Mar. 20 to 22. Approximately 40 teams from Northern California, averaging 20 high school students per team, will be competing in this weekend’s event. In addition to being an exciting event to watch, the event brings a number of talented and motivated high school students to campus, said Karen McDonald, director of the UC Davis engineering program and event coordinator, in an e-mail interview.