Katehi talks engineering education to Congress

Chancellor Linda Katehi was scheduled to speak before a Congressional subcommittee Oct. 22 (after Dateline went to press this week) on the importance of engineering in K-12 education.

In her prepared remarks, Katehi focused on a recent study by a committee she chaired that found the introduction of K-12 engineering education has the potential to improve student learning and achievement in science and mathematics. Still, she wrote, it will be a long-term process requiring hard work and vision by leaders in schools and beyond.

“Progress will be measured in decades, rather than months or years,” Katehi stated in her expected presentation to the House Subcommittee on Research and Science Education. “The changes will require a sustained commitment of financial resources, the support of policy makers and other leaders, and the efforts of many individuals both in and outside of K–12 schools.”

The report, released in September by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council, is available at national-academies.org.

Eggheads coming back

A newly installed fence around the Mrak Hall circle indicates the impending return of the south campus’s two Egghead sculptures — titled See No Evil, Hear No Evil — that formerly sat on grassy mounds in front of the law school.

Those mounds are gone — taken out to make way for a law school addition that is now under construction.

The two Robert Arneson Egghead sculptures are moving across the street. They will be situated like before, facing each other from atop grassy mounds — though not as high.

The Eggheads are due to be set in place before the Thanksgiving break, barring inclement weather. They have been in storage since March.

Fleet Services hours

Fleet Services announced a change in hours, effective Oct. 26, for the Vehicle Maintenance Shop. The new hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Richard E. Battersby, director of Fleet Services, said auto repairs and maintenance were previously available until

2 a.m. Monday through Thursday. He said the night shift has been consolidated with the day shift.

The Rental Dispatch Office will continue to be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, and will still be closed on university holiday weekends.

For more information, call Fleet Services-Shop, (530) 752-0789, or the Rental Dispatch Office, (530) 752-0787.

2 arrests in book thefts

UC Davis police reported the arrest of two men on charges of stealing dozens of books from Shields Library.

Detective Mary Garcia said the men worked together to steal the volumes off the shelves and from the Shields reserves, and sold the books to Davis bookshops.

Garcia said police recovered about 50 books from Shields, one from UC Berkeley and one from California State University, Sacramento.

She identified the suspects as Carlos Mario Idarraga-Obando, 30, of Sacramento, and Marvin Emerson Downs, 30, of San Francisco. Garcia said the men formerly attended Sacramento State and never attended UC Davis.

Idarraga-Obanda was arrested Oct. 8 and Downs Oct. 20.

Garcia said the suspects are foreign nationals, Idarraga-Obando from Colombia and Downs from Mexico. She said their visas had expired and that immigration authorities had placed holds on both men so they can be deported.