Tsunami faculty seminar slated ...

A seminar titled Tsunami and Disaster -- Physical and Life Sciences Issues is scheduled for 5-6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7, in the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center.

A panel of experts will speak about issues involving the Dec. 26 tsunami and its aftermath, followed by questions from the audience.

Speaking on earthquake forecasting will be John Rundle, director of the UC Davis Center for Computational Science and Engineering, and geologists Donald Turcotte and Louise Kellogg. Also, Joseph Silva and Stuart Cohen, both specialists in infectious and immunologic diseases at the UC Davis Medical School, have agreed to speak on health-related issues.

For more information about UC Davis' efforts in tsunami relief and remebrance, visit http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/tsunami.

Center to benefit emeriti, retirees to be discussed

The winter meeting of the UC Davis Retirees' Association, featuring an update of proposals for a UC Davis retiree center, will be held Monday, Feb. 7, at the ARC (Activities and Recreation Center).

The social time for the meeting will be held from 2 to 2:30 p.m., and the meeting itself will run from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

The featured speaker will be Shelley Glazer, executive director of the UC Berkeley Retiree Center. She will outline activities that various UC campus centers offer to university retirees. Glazer, who was an undergraduate at UC Davis, has two master's degrees and 25 years of experience in administration of gerontology programs and social welfare.

The proposed UC Davis retiree center would provide services to the UC Davis Retirees' Association and the UC Davis Emeriti Association. All retirees, prospective retirees, and their guests are welcome to attend the meeting.

CAAA seeks outstanding alumni for annual awards

The Cal Aggie Alumni Association is accepting nominations for its 2005 alumni awards. The CAAA, which honors six alumni each year whose accomplishments reflect well on their alma mater, will receive nominations until March 21.

Alumni are eligible for the Jerry W. Fiedler Memorial, the Distinguished Achievement, the Emil M. Mrak International, the Outstanding Alumnus(a), Young Alumnus of the Year, Aggie Service and Citation for Excellence awards.

"You all know 'winners' among our alumni," said chancellor Larry Vanderhoef, "but these awards come their way only if you nominate them."

The CAAA will select winners from the pool of nominations in April, and awardees will be notified in May. The awards ceremony is slated to take place Oct. 8 in the ARC (Activities and Recreation Center) Ballroom.

For more information, see http://www.ucdavis-alumni.com/AWARDS.htm.

Tsunami response ideas sought across campus

Employees are urged to submit their ideas about how the UC Davis Tsunami Relief Task Force might best respond to the need for humanitarian assistance in the wake of the massive earthquake and tsunamis that struck South Asia on Dec. 26.

The task force is exploring long- and short-term responses, including opportunities to partner with city and regional relief initiatives and apply the campus's academic expertise to combat disease and restore infrastructure in the affected region.

Suggestions should be sent to Vice Provost Bill Lacy, wblacy@ucdavis.edu, or Assistant Chancellor Maril Stratton, mrstratton@ucdavis.edu. For more details, see http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/tsunami/. (Also, see the related story on page 8.)

Faculty athletics representative position opens

The campus is on the lookout for its next faculty athletics representative. Applications and nominations for the post will be accepted until Feb. 15.

Melvin Ramey, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, has served in the role since 1997. The new faculty athletics representative would serve the balance of the academic year as associate FAR and assume full responsibilities on July 1.

The new faculty athletic representative will serve as UC Davis' delegate to the Big West Conference and the NCAA. He or she would also be responsible for certifying student-athletes' eligibility for competition and informing the chancellor and the campus community of athletic news, among other duties.

The NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative Handbook states that: "the individual should have faculty rank, tenure, and status sufficient to warrant the respect and confidence of colleagues in the academic community, and the FAR should have sufficient length of service at the institution to become thoroughly familiar with that school's nature, purpose, programs and people."

The FAR will receive a stipend and 25 percent leave time to fulfill the position's responsibilities. Applications and nominations should be submitted directly to the chancellor or by e-mail to lnvanderhoef@ucdavis.edu.

Administration seeks faculty input on strategic plan

Faculty members are being encouraged to suggest ways the administration can best communicate with them about the UC Davis Strategic Plan and to consider how they might play a role in specific actions or initiatives that will advance the plan.

The new faculty assistant to the provost, Professor Pam Ronald of plant pathology, is helping foster communication between the faculty and administration. Faculty can submit their ideas at strategicplan@ucdavis.edu.

Details about Ronald and her new role appeared in the Jan. 28 edition of Dateline; see http://www-dateline.ucdavis.edu/.

Docents needed for UC-protected vernal pool tours

Docent training for leading tours at Jepson Prairie Preserve from March through May will be held weekly for five Tuesdays, starting Feb. 8.

Jepson Prairie is one of the last remaining vernal pool and bunchgrass prairie landscapes in California and is part of the UC Natural Reserve System. Located 11 miles south of Dixon, it is preserved and managed by the Solano Land Trust in cooperation with UC.

Five Tuesday evening classroom presentations by local experts are set. Training sessions run 7 to 9 p.m. in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Headquarters, 45211 Chiles Road, in Davis. In addition, four Saturday morning field trips to the vernal pool itself will take place to prepare docents to lead walks during weekend tours from March through May.

For more information, contact the Solano Land Trust (707) 432-0150 ext. 105 or kirsti@solanolandtrust.org.