BOOK PROJECT BUZZ: Media panel examines themes from 'Twilight'

A panel of journalists will discuss the media's responsibility in covering race and ethnicity and the tensions and benefits within a multi-ethnic society. The program runs 7 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 18 in the ARC Ballroom. Discussion will center on this year's Campus Community Book Project selection, "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992," by Anna Deveare Smith. The book portrays the riots that occurred in the wake of the 1992 Rodney King trial verdict.

Panel participants are set to include Debbie Davis, assistant publisher and editor of The Davis Enterprise; Ryan Fuller, editor of the California Aggie; News 10 TV anchor Sharon Ito, who earned an award for her work during the 1992 riots; Lawrence C. Lee, president of SacObserver.com; and Steve Magagnini, who covers the multi-ethnic beat for The Sacramento Bee and is an instructor of journalism at UC Davis.

Two UC researchers awarded 'genius' grants

Two UC faculty are among the 23 recipients of coveted MacArthur Foundation "genius" grants, announced Tuesday by the Chicago-based foundation.

The UC recipients are: Joseph DeRisi, 35, a UC San Francisco associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics who has designed new tools for exploring the activity of genes to advance understanding of such infectious diseases as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and malaria; and Maria Mavroudi, 37, a UC Berkeley assistant professor of history and an expert on Greek and Arabic cultural interaction in the Middle Ages.

The awards, presented since 1981 and commonly known as "genius" grants, provide recipients with $500,000 -- with no strings attached -- over five years. A 12-member committee selects fellows based on exceptional creativity and promise. More than 50 faculty, researchers and others affiliated with UC have been named recipients of MacArthur Fellowships.

Federation travel grant applications available

Applications are available for Academic Federation research travel grants for travel to attend professional meetings between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2005. Awards are available for up to $800 for domestic travel or international travel.

The travel grant awards enable Academic Federation researchers to present research results at highly visible conferences and meetings. Because the grant program is funded through indirect costs, the goal of the program is to support research that would generate extramural funding, thereby increasing indirect costs.

The deadline to complete the applications, including approval from the department chair, is Nov. 15. The online application is located at http://academicsenate.ucdavis.edu/tg_form.cfm.

The Sponsored Research Manual, Section 510, contains policies regarding research travel. Further questions should be directed to Kimberly Pulliam at kapulliam@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-4918.

Golf Fore Kids benefits children's hospital

The 11th annual Golf Fore Kids tournament swings into action Monday at the Rancho Murieta Country Club to raise money for the UC Davis Children's Hospital CAARE Diagnostic and Treatment Center.

The center, which focuses on the prevention and treatment of abused and neglected children, will use proceeds from the tournament to further its programs, including crisis intervention, family and individual therapy, and home-visit services for traumatized children. The center helps more than 650 youngsters a month who are victims of sexual and physical abuse and other trauma.

For details, call Maureen Pongyan at (916) 734-7616 or April Tang at (916) 734-4719.

Repro Graphics hosts customer service week event

To celebrate annual Customer Service Week, a national event that runs Oct. 4-8 and recognizes customer service and people on the front lines, the campus's Repro Graphics unit will host an open house on 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 8. All are invited.

The goal is to thank Repro Graphics clients -- the campus' faculty, staff and students.

This year's theme, "Dedicated to Service," will be an integral part of several planned events within Repro Graphics. The Client Service staff, for instance, will be visiting many of their clients on campus, thanking them personally for their printing business and support.

The Client Services team also will host a "thank you" barbeque for its "internal teams."

Farm-law topics range from labor to GMO foods

A representative of an organization that provides experienced prosecutors to help rural counties try environmental and worker-safety cases will be one of the featured speakers during a weeklong event on farm law and policy beginning Monday in the School of Law. The campus community is invited to attend the free event.

Gale Filter, deputy executive director of the California District Attorneys Association, will speak at noon Monday in the Moot Court Room of King Hall.

Other topics to be addressed in noon presentations at the Moot Court Room include animal welfare Tuesday; the role of conservation easements in protecting agricultural space Wednesday, immigration law and farm labor issues Thursday, and the legal and scientific issues surrounding genetically modified foods Friday.

Food safety law and genetically modified foods will be the focus of a presentation at 7 p.m. Thursday in King Hall.

The series has been organized by the Agricultural Law Society at the law school. For more information, e-mail crispy@gmail.com.