Campus News

Tony Simon, a neuroscientist with the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, was recently awarded a five-year $2.6 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue his research on the gene linked to autism, schizophrenia and ADHD.

Simon, who has found that the deletion of the gene leads to various disorders, has been conducting research to discover how the brain changes when the deletion takes place.

Over 1000 people gathered around drum circles and traditional dancers in the Pavilion on Saturday for the 37th annual UC Davis Powwow. The event, presented by the Native American Student Union (NASU) attracted an estimated 1,300 guests during the course of the daylong event.

ASUCD Senate meetings are scheduled to begin Thursdays at 6:10 p.m. Times listed are according to the clock at the Apr. 9 meeting location, the Memorial Union's Mee Room.

UC Davis has accepted fewer than one in two freshman applicants for fall 2009.

The university considered 39,288 applicants, admitting only 18,146, or 46.2 percent. In comparison, last year the university received 37,747 freshmen applications and accepted 19,762 students, a 52.4 percent admissions rate.

In the Apr. 7 issue of The California Aggie, the article "New eligibility requirement could mean fewer Asians at UC" incorrectly spelled Susan Hsieh, spokesperson for Chinese for Affirmative Action, as Hseih. The Aggie regrets the error.

Nearly half of graduate students in the U.S. leave without finishing their degrees, but UC Davis officials are looking to change this statistic with the creation of a new task force aimed at identifying the barriers students face.

The fairness of last quarter's ASUCD elections will have to wait at least another week to be decided, as the court delayed hearing the complaint made by student Chris Ambriz.

The court was scheduled to hear the case tonight, but cancelled the hearing late yesterday because Ambriz was late turning in his brief. The court has not yet rescheduled the hearing date.

UC Davis geneticist Neil Hunter was recently chosen by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as one of the nation's best and most creative early career scientists for his research on chromosome repair. Hunter, associate professor of microbiology and molecular cell biology, is one of 50 scientists who received a $1.5 million award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for research purposes.

The new UC eligibility requirements have sparked an uproar with some Asian American community leaders, who say the change will cause a decline in the university's Asian American population.

Chinese for Affirmative Action is among several national advocacy organizations that have expressed concern over the eligibility changes. The organization has suggested that the new eligibility requirements could cause "unintentional whitening" of UC.

Two parts carbon, one part nitrogen and two chickens roaming about.

That was the equation for backyard composting at Project Compost's educational workshop on Saturday in the Tri Co-ops.

"Compost is what I like to call black gold," said Liz Fitzgerald, a junior American studies major and education and outreach coordinator for PC. "It's just this nutrient rich soil that you can make with waste that would otherwise just sit in a landfill."

The images on screen weren't the only long things on Thursday night's screening of Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge. Lines to get into the triple X-rated pornographic film extended around the Chemistry 194 building, making it hard to get in.

ASUCD's Entertainment Council brought the biggest adult production, a $10 million sequel to 2005's Pirates, to campus last Thursday evening for free, garnering excited responses from students.

ASUCD Senate meetings are scheduled to begin Thursdays at 6:10 p.m. Times listed are according to the clock at the Apr. 2 meeting location, the Memorial Union's Mee Room.

Chair of California Democratic Party to speak on campus

As part of the La Raza Law Students Association's Cesar Chavez Day weeklong celebration, Art Torres, chair of the California Democratic Party and former state legislator, will speak at the UC Davis School of Law at noon today.

Dozens of officers sat in respect on Tuesday afternoon, some nibbling on chewy treats, others calmly heeled beside their human partners, to observe a moment of silence for their fellow police dogs that have fallen in the line of duty since 1974.

As scientists continue to uncover major breakthroughs in their research, the need for explanation and communicating these ideas to "the average person" becomes increasingly important. As part of the Conversations with Writers series, the University Writing Program and the UC Davis Bookstore will present a talk from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in MU II on Thursday with Professor Daniel Sperling, an internationally renowned researcher and expert in transportation technology.