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10 Questions with…

Features Editor
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Editor’s note: For this edition of 10 questions, The California Aggie sat down with Don Gibson, the president of Davis College Democrats who was a delegate at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

 

When did you first become involved in politics?

I first got involved in Democratic politics right as I came to UC Davis. I started campaigning at a local Democratic office – phone-calling senior [citizens and] asking them to vote – back in 2006.

 

How did you become a delegate?

Someone actually asked me to run. I was asked to run by a friend of mine in Sacramento. He was thinking, “Hey you’re a Clinton supporter, you’re young, you’re white, you’re a guy – all these demographics that aren’t the average Hillary Clinton supporter, so you should run and represent that side of the Democratic party.”

At the caucus site in Napa, I was able to get the majority of the votes for the male candidates…. I was just able to talk to [the uncommitted people] and convince them that I [would] faithfully vote for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic Convention.

 

As you were originally a delegate for Clinton, how did you feel when Obama was nominated for the Democratic presidential candidate?

Well, I cried for two days and then I started campaigning for Obama.

 

What was your most memorable moment from the Democratic National Convention?

It would probably be sitting 10 rows away from Barack Obama as he speaks to a crowd of 80,000 cheering fans.

 

In the course of your time at the convention, did you meet any notable people?

I would physically run into them in the elevator – Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles, the vice chair of the [California] democratic party, Alex Rooker, Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, Gavin Newsom, Jesse Jackson Jr., Dennis Kucinich, Ted Koppel, Howard Dean.

 

You are also president of the Davis College Democrats. What programs are you responsible for overseeing?

We have an annual fundraising goal of $4,000. We have a goal of registering 3,000 students by Oct. 19, and we have to get Barack Obama, and all Democrats down the slate, elected by maximizing the student turnout here on campus and within the Davis community.

 

How have you molded your academic program at UC Davis to mirror your political interests?

I’m a biotechnology major about to enter my third year, and my goal is to take the least number of classes possible during election season and drink a lot of coffee.

I don’t want to be a high school government teacher when I leave college. I find science very interesting; I find it one of the few truths we can have in our world, especially in politics. I hope to be involved in the biotech industry, beyond a lab research level position, so I can hopefully make, or so I can work with people who make, the life-saving drugs that will hopefully shape our society so that we can live to 150.

 

What do you think is the cause of young people’s apathy toward politics and voting?

I think that’s a misnomer, especially because [of what] we’ve seen [with] Barack Obama.… Young people are coming out in larger and larger amounts. The reason, I believe, is not simply because we’re mad about Bush or we like Obama, it’s because we have the ability to network, through Facebook [and] cell phones, at such an exponential rate now compared to what it was just 10 years ago. Simply because we now are reached out by campaigns, we won’t [necessarily] vote for them.

 

When you are not involved in politics, what do you like to do in your free time?

I’m a huge videogamer. I love my PC games.… The new game Spore is what is my most recent addiction.

 

Do you plan on pursuing work in politics after graduation?

If I don’t, I don’t know what else I would do with my life.

 

SARA JOHNSON can be reached at features@californiaaggie.com.

POLICE BRIEFS

City Editor
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SATURDAY

 

Hillary’s glass ceiling fell

There was a large amount of glass in the roadway on Fifth Street and C Street.

 

State of nature

A male subject was seen naked in a ditch by the bike path behind Eagle Place.

 

They thought it was the pool

Two groups of intoxicated subjects were seen in the pond area at Isle Royale Lane.

 

FRIDAY

 

Domestic disturbance

An individual threw an envelope at his wife, a violation of a court order, on Lillard Drive.

 

A Food Network scout?

An individual came into a school cafeteria on Birch Lane and took pictures of children and their food.

 

THURSDAY

 

Rise and shine

An intoxicated subject was arrested for banging on a bedroom window and continuing to stand there on Miller Drive.

 

WEDNESDAY

 

Suspicious circumstance

An individual saw a bike and backpack on the bike path near Olive Drive and Richards Boulevard. There were papers and binders scattered and the backpack was 15 feet away from the bike.

 

Touched by an angel

On B Street, an unknown male grabbed a female’s neck and told her she needed to find the lord. The male was arrested.

 

JEREMY OGUL compiles the police briefs from the public logs of the Davis Police Department, which represent the official version of what happened. The crime blotter can be viewed online at cityofdavis.org/police/log. This segment appears Mondays during the summer.

New law bans disposal of sharps, syringes into home trash

City Editor
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Diabetics and other medical needle users will have to start planning more trips to the landfill due to a new state law.

As of Sept. 1, it is illegal to throw away home-generated medical needles into the trash in California. Instead, sharps will have to be put in red hazardous waste containers and taken to the county landfill on designated drop-off days, said Cheryl Boney, deputy director of Public Health Programs for Yolo County.

“With the new law, sharps will be treated with heat or taken to a medical waste landfill. Sharps will stay in the red container and no one has the chance to get stuck,” Boney said.

The new law is intended to prevent landfill, trash and recycling workers from getting pricked by used needles, said Marissa Juhler, Waste Reduction Manager of the Division of Integrated Waste Management in Yolo County.

“A needle goes through the conveyor belt and workers get stuck with needles. This happens across the U.S.,” Juhler said.

The new law bans people from putting used needles into containers, such as coffee cans, and then throwing the container into the trash, which was formerly the standard disposal method. Enforcement of the law is mostly based on people’s awareness that this is a health and safety issue, Juhler said.

“Word needs to get out there that it’s banned to throw away your sharps,” she said. “It may take a while to understand this process and there really isn’t any strict enforcement.”

The law had not been well known with the Yolo County Health Department until further into the year, Boney said. The Health Department got a task force started in June, helping to prevent needle sticks.

“We want to cut down on needle sticks,” she said. “It is stressful for janitorial staff when they are pricked. They have to get tested and can get diseases such as Hepatitis B or C.”

Under the new law, there will be certain weekends each month to drop off used needles to the landfill to make sure they are disposed of properly, Juhler said. This month, Yolo County residents can drop off sharps at the landfill on Sept. 12 and 13.

But dropping off sharps may not be so easy for all residents.

“The only complaints we have been receiving is for seniors and disabled people who don’t have the ability to leave their homes,” Juhler said.

For people who cannot make it to the landfill, there is a free home pick-up service in Yolo County through the Division of Waste Management, she said.

Norma Quinn, Davis resident and volunteer at the Davis Senior Center, said she breaks the tips of her insulin needles and then tapes them into a coffee can. Now this is illegal.

“The way this new law bothers me is that it’s going to be hard to tote the needles off to the landfill,” Quinn said.

Pharmacies would be more accessible places to get containers or to drop off used needles, she said. But more importantly, people do not even know they need to change their needle-disposal methods.

“I think the word should get out. I just happened to read about the new law in the newspaper,” Quinn said.

In response to complaints about limited drop-off times and locations, two things are happening through Yolo County Waste Management, said waste reduction manager Juhler.

On any day and at no cost, drop-offs are accepted at Sacramento’s Recycling and Transfer Station on 8491 Fruitridge Road in Sacramento.

“Yolo has a partnership with the city of Sacramento so people can drop off sharps at a landfill in Sacramento any day of the week, free of charge,” Juhler said.

“Second, Yolo County is applying for a grant through the Waste Management Board to get many new sharps disposal containers,” she added.

With this grant, extra containers could be distributed to nursing homes and hospitals where people could get them free of cost, Juhler said.

The county has added sharps disposal information to their resources hotline, at 666-8729. More information on changes to the law can be found at tinyurl.com/6dyluq.

 

SASHA LEKACH can be reached at city@californiaaggie.com.

UCD researchers clarify role of brain area in memory

Campus Editor
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The human brain creates memories by linking complex details into manageable chunks. It remembers a set of words as an acronym, and recognizes someone by the face as a whole instead of a separate set of eyes, nose and mouth.

UC Davis researchers showed in a recent study that an area of the brain called the perirhinal cortex (PRc) is involved in forming these simple associations so they will be familiar to us in the future. The finding may resolve a major debate among researchers about how brain areas important for memory are organized.

“One [side] says the PRc and a brain area called the hippocampus are a large system that … links [units of a memory together],” said lead study author Charan Ranganath, a professor at the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience and the department of psychology. “To remember where you left your keys, for example, you need to link them to a particular place and time.”

“The other [side] says the hippocampus is really important for gluing these units of information together…but the PRc just encodes these units and [determines] how familiar they are,” he said.

Resolution of this inconsistency has implications for developing strategies to improve the memory of patients with hippocampus damage by utilizing other brain areas, said first author Logan Haskins, a psychology graduate student, in an e-mail interview.

In the study, volunteers viewed pairs of unrelated nouns while their brain activity was scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging. For each pair, they were prompted to rank either how well the two words fit into a sentence or how well a definition fit a combination of the two words – for example, “slopebread,” was defined as a pastry for mountain climbers. After a half-hour break outside the scanner, researchers gauged how confidently the volunteers remembered seeing the word pairs.

“The idea is when you process the pair as a sentence, you treat it as two different words…. The only way to remember them together is if you recollect [the sentence],” Ranganath said. “If you think of these [words] as a single unit, your memory performance goes up…. You can tell that you’ve seen this pairing because it’s more familiar to you.”

Imaging showed that brain activity in the PRc increased when volunteers encountered word pairs as a single compound word. The stronger the activity, the more successfully they recognized the word pairs later on.

The results suggest that the PRc can unitize, or process bits of associated information as a single unit, to help in future recognition, Ranganath said.

“We have observed these behavioral effects even after a 48-hour delay [between study and test phases]. So they do seem quite long-term,” said co-author Andrew Yonelinas, a professor of psychology and associate director of the Center for Mind and Brain.

Normal healthy adults were tested in the study, but the question remains whether changes in the brain that occur with aging could affect the ability to unitize information.

Age-related decline in a brain area called the prefrontal cortex impairs the mind’s ability to focus attention for learning and remembering new associations, Haskins said. So the elderly might be less likely to employ the PRc in this task and to benefit from unitizing.

The study suggests that unitized information processed by the PRc can be rapidly recognized and used as a cue to recall specific details about the association that are stored in the hippocampus, Haskins said.

For example, unitizing could be a useful study strategy for recognizing a link between a question and an answer choice during a multiple-choice test, Haskins said. But the strategy alone may not be as helpful for recalling details to answer an essay exam question.

The study was published in the Aug. 28 issue of the journal Neuron.

 

ELAINE HSIA can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.

CD Review:Caddywhompus EP

Arts Editor
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DEN

Caddywhompus EP

Record Label

 

Rating: 4

 

Currently touring the western half of the U.S. to promote their debut Caddywhompus EP, Los Angeles-based indie rock band DEN draws from an array of influences. They play the sort of upbeat, groovy rock and roll that reminds me of some of my favorites, old and new – the Pixies, Phil Collins, the Decemberists. The list can go on.

While their sound might not be particularly distinctive – at least, not yet – it is by no means boring, either. Lead vocalist Andres Arazoza’s impassioned, raspy vocals bring each song to life atop a layered, instrumentally diverse, jazzy rock blend.

Album opener “A Song” is a rhythmic country rock tune with a ’60s feel. Although it didn’t catch my attention at first, the more I listened to it, the more I liked it.

The second track, “Persuasion,” is my favorite. With the piano, fiddle and violins incorporated over an alternating tempo that ranges from frantic and screeching to mild and melodic, it was structurally interesting yet catchy.

Like the rest of the album, third track “Gohar” shows strong classic rock influences. Arazoza croons with the fervor of Janis Joplin to a moving blend of driving guitars, rolling pianos and tragic violins.

“Commonwealth Girl” is immediately infectious with its boisterous blend of instruments and Beach Boys-esque background vocals, incorporating a fun xylophone and pretty violin.

The fifth track, “ABABACAB” is mostly instrumental. Tambourines, organs and an array of other sounds come together in a fusion of psychedelic funk.

“Father War” is reminiscent of Neil Young. It’s a fitting final track as fluttering piano keys and soft violin create a rising, dramatic atmosphere.

DEN played at The G St. Pub on Friday. For more information on the band, visit myspace.com/dentheband.

 

–Sonia Parecadan

 

Give these tracks a listen: “Commonwealth Girl,” “Father War“

For fans of: Of Montreal, Pavement, The Breeders

Aggie Digest

Sports Editor
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Men’s and women’s cross country

Picked to finish fourth and third in the Big West Conference preseason coaches poll, respectively, the Aggies’ men’s and women’s cross country teams start their seasons this weekend.

UC Davis will play host to the Aggie Open on Saturday. The event will begin at 8:30 a.m.

 

Men’s water polo

A season removed from a school-record 22 victories and a 14-0 showing in Western Water Polo Association play, the Aggies hit the water with high expectations once again.

No. 11 UC Davis begins its season at UC San Diego’s Triton Invitational on Saturday.

The Aggies have to replace a pair of All-Americans in goalie Mike McGee and driver Nick Arrigo. The team, however, returns the likes of Adam Bennett and Grant Muenter, both of whom earned All-WWPA honors a season ago.

 

Women’s soccer

Overtime wasn’t too kind to the Aggies last weekend.

After dueling San Jose State to a scoreless double-overtime draw on Friday, UC Davis fell to Navy in overtime on Sunday, 2-1. Rochelle VanBuskirk scored the lone Aggie goal of the weekend, as UC Davis moved to 1-2-1 on the year.

The Aggies will face Central Florida on Sunday. The game begins at noon at Aggie Soccer Stadium.

–Adam Loberstein

Women’s volleyball preview

Sports Editor
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Event: Air Force Invitational

Teams: UC Davis vs. North Carolina State; Montana State; Akron; Air Force

Records: Aggies, 2-1; Wolfpack, 0-4; Bobcats, 1-2; Zips, 1-2; Falcons, 1-2

Where: Clune Arena – USAFA, Colo.

When: Friday at 9 a.m. and noon; Saturday at 9 a.m. and noon

Who to watch: Renee Ibekwe knows how to begin a season.

After opening last year with a 22-kill match against Northern Arizona, the senior outside hitter is off to a fast start again.

On Sunday at the season-opening Fresno State Invitational, Ibekwe powered 31 kills with 31 digs across seven sets to lead UC Davis to a pair of wins. For her performance, the Banning High grad captured all-tournament honors and was named Big West Conference Co-Player of the Week.

Did you know? UC Davis has yet to lose the third set of any match this season. In 2007, the Aggies were just 7-21 in the third set.

Preview: Three matches into her tenure and already head coach Jamie Holmes has UC Davis doing something it hasn’t done in years: win.

For the first time since 2003, UC Davis has a winning record.

The Aggies will look to keep it that way this weekend when they travel to Colorado for their second of three straight non-conference road tournaments.

 

–Michael Gehlken

Men’s soccer preview

Sports Editor
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Event: TLC Plumbing and Utility Invitational

Teams: No. 29 UC Davis vs. No. 21 Louisville; Michigan State

Records: Aggies, 2-0-0; Cardinals, 1-0-1; Spartans, 1-1-0

Where: New Mexico Soccer Complex – Albuquerque, N.M.

When: Friday at 1:30 p.m.; Sunday at 10 a.m.

Who to watch: Following his three-goal Copa de Causeway Classico showing, Quincy Amarikwa earned Big West Conference Player of the Week honors.

The accolades didn’t end there, as Soccer America and College Soccer News each named the senior forward to its National Team of the Week.

Did you know? The season may be young, but that doesn’t mean the games can’t have a postseason feel. No. 29 UC Davis and No. 21 Louisville both qualified for the NCAA Tournament a season ago.

Preview: With one tournament title in the books, UC Davis hits the road looking for more of the same this weekend.

The Aggies notched three second-half goals on Friday to best Long Island, 3-1, then scored in the game’s 89th minute to edge past Cal State Bakersfield, 1-0, claiming top Copa de Causeway Classico honors.

UC Davis now faces Louisville and Michigan State in the TLC Plumbing and Utility Invitational.

The Cardinals and Spartans opened the season 1-0-1 and 1-1-0 at the Courtyard by Marriott Classic and Radisson Fall Classic, respectively.

–Adam Loberstein

Aggies take positives from San Jose State loss

Sports Editor
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Simply put, San Jose State is supposed to beat UC Davis.

The Spartans are a Bowl Championship Subdivision (known to most humans as “I-A“) team. The Aggies, who compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (a.k.a. “I-AA“), are in their second season on the Division I circuit.

So when San Jose State beat UC Davis on Saturday, the world wasn’t supposed to come to an end.

The way the Aggies competed, however, probably caused a few earthquakes.

San Jose State needed to convert on fourth and 13 with eight seconds remaining to claim victory. It did, taking its first lead of the game to edge past UC Davis, 13-10.

“We outplayed them,” UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs said. “One big play there at the end made the difference in the game. We completely outplayed them – their coaches would agree.“

The Aggies outplayed them? Outplayed the lone BCS school on their 12-game schedule? Well, that can’t be good for the 11 FCS teams UC Davis will face this season.

“You know, we really set the bar high with this game,” said senior defensive tackle John Faletoese, a preseason All-American.

When the Aggies faced the Spartans last year, they lost 34-14.

This year, they led the whole game sans the last eight seconds.

“Last year, I don’t think we had a whole lot of faith,” Faletoese said. “This year, we just have way more camaraderie on this team. I think that’s what helped us the whole game.“

Whenever a BCS team needs to convert a fourth down with seconds remaining to beat a FCS school, that FCS school is good.

That FCS school is UC Davis – a school that held two-time All-Western Athletic Conference tailback Yonus Davis to 26 yards rushing. A team that lost by three points while playing without its starting quarterback, Greg Denham, who was pacing the sidelines as he recovers from a strained medial collateral ligament.

They won’t face a BCS team next week. There won’t be an All-WAC standout on the field. They’ll have Denham under center.

“There are a lot of positives to take away from this game,” Biggs said. “I feel badly for the kids, but as a coach, I feel good about this football team. We’re going to be all right.“

 

ADAM LOBERSTEIN can be reached at sports@californiaaggie.com.

Reed it and weep

Sports Editor
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Kyle Reed had been waiting years to prove himself at the college level.

On Saturday, at the worst possible time for UC Davis, he did.

On fourth and 13 with eight seconds remaining, the junior quarterback and University of California transfer found Kevin Jurovich for a 17-yard touchdown pass, rallying San Jose State past UC Davis 13-10 in front of 18,730 fans at Spartan Stadium.

Reed was the third San Jose State quarterback to appear in the game, entering on the second series of the third quarter. He completed 14 of 18 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a team-high 41 yards.

“I think the performance of Kyle Reed was just a storybook,” San Jose State head coach Dick Tomey said. “He hadn’t played in a game in four years. He did what you are supposed to do when you come in and it’s there for you. You need to make plays and he made them with his feet and his arm.”

Save Reed’s late game theatrics, UC Davis was in control throughout Saturday’s season opener, beginning on the team’s first drive of the game.

Aggies quarterback Danny Alfaro found Bakari Grant on a short screen pass, and the junior wide receiver sprinted past Spartan defenders for a 54-yard touchdown.

“It’s always good to come out with a big first play,” said Grant, who finished with eight catches and 104 yards for his third straight 100-yard game. “It all started with blocking, of course – great blocking. It was a clear field from there, so I give [the credit] to the linemen and the receivers that were helping out.”

Later in the quarter, UC Davis defensive end Steven Wulff intercepted Jordan La Secla and returned it 23 yards to the San Jose State 18-yard line. The Aggie offense then took over but had to settle for a 20-yard Sean Kelley field goal when it couldn’t score despite being at first and goal from the 6-yard line.

“It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t capitalize with another touchdown when we got down there,” UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs said. “We had to kick the field goal, and we just couldn’t knock the ball in there. That would have been the difference of the game if we had gone up 14 at that point.”

Along with the interception, Wulff had four tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery, earning him Great West Defensive Player of the Week.

UC Davis returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Central Arkansas. Kick-off is set for 4 p.m. PST.

 

O’Sullivan Sighting

J.T. O’Sullivan, UC Davis’ all-time passing leader, was seen watching the game from his alma mater’s sideline. He will be making his first NFL start on Sunday for the San Francisco 49ers when they host the Arizona Cardinals at 1:15 p.m.

 

MICHAEL GEHLKEN can be reached at sports@californiaaggie.com.

The real problem with Sarah Palin

Opinion
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It should come as no surprise that Republican presidential candidate John McCain chose, at long last, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate.

Wait, no, the announcement came as a huge surprise.

After making such a big stink about Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama being “unqualified” for the office of president, surely the choice of Palin raises some eyebrows. One wonders if they considered doing a Gallup poll to see if the most common response to the choice was “Really?” or “Sarah who?”

Thus far, the media has largely focused on a few issues that make her choice as a VP candidate highly questionable – namely her lack of experience, the fact that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, and her gender.

These issues do not concern me for the most part. She lacks experience in some areas. Governing Alaska, whose population the 2006 U.S. Census Bureau placed at just barely over 670,000, is hardly equitable to governing the entire nation’s over 300 million citizens. Her most notable qualification before becoming governor was being mayor of a town with a population of less than 10,000. This would tend to make her foreign policy credentials highly circumspect at best, which is troubling given the image the U.S. has been cultivating abroad lately.

Experience, however, should not be a heavily discussed issue among these candidates. As much as Democrats are wont to point out her gross inexperience, Obama is not terribly well versed in foreign policy himself. Moreover, despite his much more extensive legislative experience (he has served as either a state or U.S. Senator since 1997), Obama has not governed a state or even a town. To combat their inadequacies, however, Obama has Joe Biden and Palin has John McCain, not to mention the cabinet either potential administration would set up. Simply put, if either ticket wins, the United States won’t go to hell in a hand-basket because of political experience (you’ll note the qualifier in that statement).

What goes on in the personal life of Palin’s daughter isn’t really my concern, your concern or the nation’s concern. Her daughter is not a candidate, what she does is her business; nor should it reflect positively or negatively on Palin that her daughter is pregnant. Whether or not you see the fact that she’s 17 and pregnant as a good thing or a bad thing is your own personal judgment call, and it has no business being talked about in the same breath as national politics (except to say so, like I just did).

What do concern me about McCain’s VP choice are her political machinations while she was a mayor. Information about her dealings there has become increasingly public due to the voracious appetite of the world’s most intense vetting process: American political journalists.

Several news reports, most notably from The New York Times, have said that she is one of the first, if not the first, mayoral candidate in Alaska to bring political parties into play. City elections are supposed to be non-partisan. That didn’t stop Palin from securing advertisements from the Republican Party of Alaska.

Palin’s practices once she became mayor are what trouble me the most. As soon as she assumed office, she either asked for the resignation or fired city employees who she didn’t feel “supported her administration.” Two of the employees were the police chief and librarian. Local residents and former city officials have said that Palin approached the librarian about the idea of banning certain books from the library (nobody was able to say which books).

The librarian ended up keeping her job and no books were banned; in a letter to the local paper Palin described the talks about banning books as rhetorical. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I don’t like the idea of anybody in the executive branch even entertaining thoughts on censorship, rhetorical or otherwise. And while it’s true that city employees serve at the pleasure of the mayor (as a judge noted when he ruled against the police chief in a wrongful termination suit), firing someone with over 20 years of experience as a policeman because he doesn’t agree with you seems like a poor choice.

Additionally, Palin’s mayoral campaign ran with a strong undertone of religion, touting the fact that she is a born again Christian, while her opponent described himself as “not a church-going guy.” I look for several things in my political leaders; religious affiliation is not one of them. What they want to do on their own time is their business, and it shouldn’t enter into the equation of whether or not they can govern.

Attempting to censor books and opinions (religious or otherwise) are not qualities I want in someone who could wind up being president.

One wishes that McCain had spent more time vetting and chosen a more viable candidate than make such a shallow choice intended to pander to the religious right and women voters no longer able to vote for Hillary Clinton.

 

RICHARD PROCTER wants readers of last week’s column to know that Sarah Palin could also be called “Princess who serves at tables,” at least according to his research. E-mail him yours at rhprocter@ucdavis.edu.

UCD receives grant for stem cell research

Campus Editor
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UC Davis Health System researcher Paul S. Knoepfler was awarded over $2 million in grant money by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) earlier this month for his research into the safe application of stem cells for medicinal procedures.

“This is extremely exciting, it’s very competitive and a big honor,” Knoepfler said. “It’s definitely a major boost for my research and career, my whole lab is really excited and energized even more than we were before.”

Knoepfler is currently researching how stem cells use their DNA, and is specifically investigating the role of a gene called Myc.

“[Myc’s] a funny gene,” Knoepfler said. “It’s kind of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, it’s really important for normal stem cell functions, but too much of it is linked to cancer while with too little of it, cells won’t function properly.”

Myc, which has been shown to cause tumors in mice, is found in pluripotent stem cells – a category of cells that are capable of producing copies of different cells. This property makes them essential in the field of regenerative medicine, but the Myc gene’s cancer connection raises concerns about using the valuable cells.

“We’re hoping with regenerative medicine that we can get stem cells to, for example, regenerate an injured part of the spinal cord of someone who has broken their back in a car accident,” Knoepfler said. “Or stem cells could re-grow the damaged part of a person’s heart after a heart attack. We want stem cells that can do these things but not cause cancer.”

Knoepfler’s research focuses on finding an alternative stem cell that doesn’t include the Myc gene. He expects to solve the Myc problem within three years, and hopes to have the findings of his research become a part of clinical operations within five to 10 years.

“This is the fifth grant I’ve received,” Knoepfler said. “And it’s by far the largest, and it’s a five-year grant – which is great because it helps stabilize the work that I’m doing, we know that we have this funding and we can push limits and do little bit more risky, cutting edge research.”

The grant is a small portion of the $3 billion initiative California state voters approved in 2004, the biggest single funding source this country had ever seen for regenerative medicine.

“CIRM has awarded 9 grants to UC Davis totaling more than $35 million, with $20 million of that amount earmarked to support our new stem cell research facility in Sacramento,” said Jan Nolta, director of the UCD stem cell program in an e-mail interview.

Next month, UCD will be officially beginning a $60 million construction project in Sacramento to build the UC Davis Institute of Regenerative Cures, which will serve as a hub for a large part of the university’s work in regenerative medicine.

“Being able to attract talented researchers like Paul Knoepfler and Jan Nolta over the past few years clearly shows that the nation’s scientific community recognizes UC Davis as a university that provides scientists with terrific support and the opportunities to make a difference,” said Ann Bonham, executive associate dean for academic affairs, UC Davis School of Medicine.

 

CHARLES HINRIKSSON can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.

UCD private donations surpass $216 million

Campus Editor
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UC Davis received nearly $216.8 million in philanthropic donations in 2007-2008, marking a 114 percent jump from the previous year and the first time that donations have exceeded $200 million.

Donors last year ranged from various philanthropic foundations to alumni and faculty of UC Davis to graduating UC Davis students who made a donation as a senior gift. This was the 12th year in a row that private funding for UC Davis increased in comparison to the previous year.

The largest single donation came from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which gave a grant in support of the new UC Davis nursing school.

“The largest donation overall in 2007-2008 was the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation grant of $100 million,” said Cheryl Lohse, associate vice chancellor for university development. “This is the largest philanthropic contribution ever received by UC Davis.”

The grant will be allocated over an 11-year period and will fund a wide variety of functions such as recruitment of faculty, the purchase of new technology and the creation of scholarships for nursing students, Lohse said.

“The $100 million commitment has allowed the new nursing school to launch at a much more rapid pace, and also ensures a high quality school from its start,” she said.

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation was created in 2000 and has since implemented a nursing initiative committed to developing a “larger more highly skilled nursing workforce,” according to its website.

“Nurses represent one of the largest health care workforces and are essential for safe and effective patient care,” said Helen Kim, chief program officer for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in a statement on the foundation’s website. “We believe the investment in nursing resources, training, education, research and leadership is one of the most effective ways to tackle the problems in our vast health care system.”

Other notable donors in 2007-2008 included Louise Rossi, who gave $12.5 million to support programs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. UCD alumnus Maurice Gallagher (’71) and his wife Marcia donated $10 million toward the graduate school of management, Lohse said. The Gallagher donation is the largest ever made to UC Davis by an alumnus.

Eighteen donors made gifts of at least $1 million and each of UC Davis’ colleges and professional schools received private funding. In total, 26 percent of the donations were directed toward research while 58 percent was intended for faculty and student support, according to a UCD press release.

“Student support includes scholarships, fellowships and support for student programs,” Lohse said. “Faculty support principally includes endowed chairs and professorships. Philanthropic gifts in these areas help to create a more affordable, meaningful experience for students and give faculty extra funds to further their academic work.”

 

ERICA LEE can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com 

FCC and KDRT reach compromise

Arts Editor
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After facing possible termination, what began as a serious challenge to the survival of Davis-based community radio station KDRT finally reached a compromise in August.

The issue began when KMJE, a station owned by Results Radio based in Gridley, Calif., filed an application to move to Woodland. The station also operates at 101.5 FM and has a much larger range than KDRT, and the move would thus replace KDRT’s signal in Davis.

After a year-and-a-half long effort fought by KDRT supporters, the FCC altered its frequency rules and opened the previously-unavailable 95.7 frequency for KDRT. This opening will allow KMJE to operate in Woodland at 101.5 FM without removing KDRT from the air.

KDRT’s community orientation created a pivotal support base throughout its entanglement with KMJE and Results Radio. Several members of KDRT led an informational campaign to preserve the station, starting the SAVE KDRT initiative and tabling throughout various community events such as the Davis Farmers Market and Picnic Day.

“I think [the FCC was] compelled by our effectiveness and our community support,” said Autumn Labbé-Renault, a long-time staff member of KDRT and executive director of Davis Media Access. “They didn’t change all their rules, but they tweaked it enough to help us find a way to survive. I think it was an educational experience for them as well.”

Strong support came from the Davis Food Co-op, and letters of support were sent to the Davis City Council, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and California First District Representative Mike Thompson.

“Once it all came out, [KMJE] realized that they would have to work with us, and they wanted a solution too,” said KDRT station director Jeff Shaw. “There’s plenty of space on the FM dial. In the end it’s a mostly satisfactory conclusion.”

“It’s important to have a community radio station,” said Jesse Drew, a longtime member of KDRT and director of technocultural studies at UC Davis. “It’s harder and harder for the community to keep in touch, especially in terms of emergencies. Local stations play a valuable role.”

KDRT launched as a low-power FM station in 2004 as a part of Davis Media Access, which also runs Davis Community Television.

Low power FM stations, or LPFMs, were officially created by the FCC in 2000, after the emergence of underground low-wattage stations throughout the late 20th century. They are permitted to operate at 100 watts or less, which is enough for a signal range of approximately 5.6 kilometers, according to the fcc.gov website.

Moreover, LPFMs are not protected from commercial radio interference, which gives priority to larger full-power stations such as KMJE in cases of frequency overlap.

The switch to 95.7 FM will bring significant changes, according to Labbé-Renault. Planned changes include the purchase of a new antenna, which will strengthen the signal in parts of the town that originally received a weak signal from the station. Broadcasts will also begin streaming at kdrt.org, a new feature for the station.

Even so, Drew doesn’t see the compromise as a complete victory.

“For the last four years, we’ve been drilling into the people that we are 101.5,” Drew said. “Your bandwidth becomes your identity.”

But nonetheless, both Labbé-Renault and Drew view the compromise as representative of a much larger movement in low-power radio. The shift in the FCC’s rules regarding the distances between frequencies, which allowed for the opening of the 95.7 frequency, is viewed as a response to similar situations of full-power rivalry all over the country.

“[This] has been … part of something that’s been ongoing for a long time,” Drew said. “It’s part of a movement to democratize communications. It’s important for that reason.”

KDRT will begin broadcasting on 95.7 FM on Sept. 23.

 

JUSTIN T. HO can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

ARTSWEEK

Arts Editor
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0

MUSIC

The Boys After, Janette Hawkings

Today, 7 p.m, $8

The Upstairs in Sacramento

Pop punkers The Boys After remind me of basically every dude I had a crush on in middle school: the band tee sporting, rambunctious skater boy who would poke me during pre-algebra class. I like to think that I’ve matured a lot since then.

 

Nino Moschella

Today, 10 p.m., $3-5, 21

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

Nino Moschella is like an unexpected visitor – the good kind, not the kind that you ignore while they wait outside your front door. Gritty but soulful, Moschella fuses electronic and acoustic as bluesy guitars and elements of hip funk meet together in a surprising but welcome turn.

 

Curse of the Birthmark, Chad Stockdale Quartet, TBA

Friday, 8 p.m., $5

Funcastle in Sacramento

Sometimes a dark departure from the sunny summer days and its upbeat soundtrack is necessary. My solution: San Francisco-based band Curse of the Birthmark, who present the type of hypnotizing industrial rock complete with pounding drums and electro-filled guitars that remind me of why winter has always been my favorite season.

 

Boyfriendz, The Enlows, Baby!

Friday, 9 p.m., 21

The 300 Room in Sacramento

Listening to the chick rock of Sacramento band Baby! reminds me that there isn’t a female equivalent to the phrase “Rock out with your cock out.” But on second thought, I think this lack of expression is for the best.

 

The Silent Comedy, Be Brave Bold Robot

Friday, 10 p.m., $3-5, 21

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

Part Decemberists, part Neutral Milk Hotel and entirely fun-loving, San Diego group The Silent Comedy brings their own quirky brand of vaudevillian folk. Both bands will also appear tonight on “Cool as Folk” on KDVS 90.3 FM.

 

As Yet Untitled, Stunt Double, DEN

Friday, 10 p.m., $3-5, 21

The G St. Pub

What’s in a name? For Sacto group As Yet Untitled, not too much other than anonymity and vagueness. But with their definitively rock roots, it shouldn’t really matter. Meanwhile, LA trio DEN will try to prove that they’re not just another indie rock band from Los Angeles.

 

SATI, Doodle, Boron and the Grebes

Saturday, 8 p.m., $3

Firehouse

An eclectic mix of local talent is scheduled for the TB195. Davis band Doodle brings a blend of catchy pop and synthy grunge that recalls the sounds of acts like Sonic Youth.

 

Torture Path, Memento Mori

Saturday, 9 p.m., $5, 21

The Stag in Woodland

Gravelly vocals, shredding guitar riffs – the name alone should be indicative of the type of music to expect from a band called Torture Path. The element of surprise: The Woodland-based band does its own version of the hyphy classic “Thizzle Dance,” taking the song to an entirely new spectrum.

 

PhD, Boca do Rio

Saturday, 9:30 p.m., $3-5, 21

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

Second chances are so rare. I didn’t take advantage of the under-21 accessible Balcony B when Boca do Rio last appeared at Sophia’s in June, but now I can reap the benefits of being of legal age!

 

Dread Zeppelin

Saturday, 9:30 p.m., $15 in advance, $18 day of show, 21

Harlow’s in Sacramento

Three things to take note of: 1. Dread Zeppelin is a reggae-style Led Zeppelin cover band. 2. None of the band members has dreadlocks. 3. Dread Zep’s lead singer is an Elvis Presley impersonator.

 

Mirah with Spectratone International

Tuesday, 8 p.m., 21

The Press Club in Sacramento

The first time I saw Mirah live, it was for free in a crowded restaurant on the Berkeley campus and I couldn’t see shit – I’m positive that the scrilla I plan on forking over for this show will be more than worth it.

 

Digable Planets

Wednesday, 10 p.m., 21

Harlow’s in Sacramento

Digable Planets presented the world to the “Rebirth of Slick” back in ’93, but the group disbanded a year later after their ill-received sophomore album. After a reunion tour in 2005, the threesome proves that they’re still “cool like dat” with their chill fusion of hip-hop and jazz.

 

AT THE MOVIES

Bangkok Dangerous

Opens Friday at Regal Davis Holiday 6 on F Street

Bangkok Dangerous seems to have the makings of everything I would want to avoid as an intelligent moviegoer – but really, I just hate Nicolas Cage that much.

 

Bottle Shock

Opens Friday at Regal Davis Holiday 6 on F Street

California was put on the wine map in the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976. This event is featured in the film, which stars Bill Pullman as a struggling vintner and Alan Rickman as a British wine shop owner.

 

Vicky Christina Barcelona

Opens Friday at the Varsity Theater on Second Street

Two words: Threesome and ScarJo. Need I say more?

 

ART / GALLERY

Digital Images by Julie Patterson

Tsao Gallery

Julie Patterson takes the art of photography a step further, creating texture and mood as she adds layers of anything from wax and polish to chalk and plaster to her images.

 

Annual Art Auction: Beyond the Horizon

Now until Sept. 13 at the Pence Gallery

Over 100 works of fine art from local and regional artists are on display.

 

RACHEL FILIPINAS can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

 

Editor’s picks:

Mirah with Spectratone International

Tuesday, 8 p.m., 21

The Press Club in Sacramento

 

Digable Planets

Wednesday, 10 p.m., 21

Harlow’s in Sacramento

 

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