The butterflies seem to be stretching their wings.

Professor Art Shapiro, in the midst of his annual hunt for the first cabbage white of the year, thinks he’ll find one soon. And he’s not the only one looking.

“I have had a verbal report of a sighting as of Sunday (Jan. 11), but no photo or specimen to back it up, so it doesn’t count,” Shapiro said.

And if it doesn’t count, well, then, no pitcher of beer. Shapiro has been running his beer-for-a-buttterfly contest for 43 years, while also recording the dates of the cabbage white’s first flight in Yolo, Solano or Sacramento counties for his study of biological responses to climate change.

The professor himself has won his own contest all but three years.

Cold weather delayed this year’s first flight, as the butterfly does not emerge until temperatures have warmed to 60 degrees for several days in a row. Now, with warmer weather, Shapiro is headed to the Vacaville area, net in hand.

See the contest rules in this story. Check back with Dateline on how the search is progressing.

Management Skills Assessment Program

UC is looking within the ranks for people with the potential to serve in university leadership in the future.

The search includes the systemwide Management Skills Assessment Program for high-potential, early-career supervisors, managers and professionals.

The program is scheduled April 20-23 at the UCLA Conference Center at Lake Arrowhead. UC Davis has been allotted seven slots total for the campus and health system. Completed applications must be submitted online by noon Wednesday, Feb. 4.

“It is recommended that department heads discuss the program with supervisors, managers and professionals who exhibit potential for management development and encourage them to apply,” reads a notice from Staff Development and Professional Services.

Eligibility requirements include:

• Classification at “___” assistant iii supervisor, equivalent or above
• Full-time career status with a current, satisfactory (or better) performance evaluation
• Designation as a supervisor or manager

Participants will be selected based on an evaluation of each applicant’s career goals in management, level of skills for performing management functions, and demonstrated career path and/or strong commitment to management skill development.

The cost of the program is $1,095 (including all materials and room and board for three days and two nights). This does not include transportation or other related travel costs.

More information is available online; start the online application process here. For more information, contact Marla Dolcini (Davis campus), by phone, (530) 752-9682, or email; or Kristi McMahon (health system), by phone, (916) 734-2673, or email.

Honoring MLK with Weekend of Service

The Community Service Resource Center says one weekend of volunteering can make a difference! So, how about helping out during the center’s second annual Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend of Service?

It’s this weekend: Saturday-Sunday (Jan. 17-18) and the following Monday (Jan. 19), the university holiday in King’s honor. Everyone in the campus community is invited to participate; sign-ups are due online by midnight Thursday (Jan. 15).

“We are especially in need of volunteers who can get to the Sacramento, Woodland and Winters areas.,” the organizers said.

You can choose from a dozen or more projects, including native tree and grass planting (Putah Creek Council); tangelo harvest in Winters (the fruit goes to the Yolo Food Bank) and outdoor expo preparation at the Heidrick Ag History Center in Woodland. The list also includes volunteer opportunities in Sacramento — a children’s art project, for example.

The center organizes Weekends of Service every quarter to give students, staff and faculty the opportunity to get involved in the community and give back. The MLK Weekend of Service contributes to the national effort to treat the King holiday not as a day off but as a “day on” for volunteer service in tribute to the slain civil rights leader.

Department applications due Feb. 3 for Picnic Day

Picnic Day organizers are inviting departments to be a part of this year’s celebration, scheduled for Saturday, April 18.

Applications are now being accepted for the parade, exhibits, entertainment, animal events and more, including special events.

Online application forms are available here (scroll to the bottom). They are due by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3. Questions? Call the Picnic Day office, (530) 752-6320.

UC Davis Medical Group plans Midtown Clinic

To better serve patients who live or work in central Sacramento, the UC Davis Medical Group announced that it will consolidate three existing primary-care clinics into a single, expanded clinic, fully modernized, at the edge of the city’s Midtown.

The O Street clinic (2000 O St.), J Street clinic (2825 J St.) and the University Pediatric Associates clinic (2125 Stockton Blvd.) will come together as the Midtown Clinic at 3160 Folsom Blvd. just off Alhambra Boulevard and within two miles of the existing clinic locations.

The opening is scheduled for the fall, but changes associated with the consolidation are due to start in February. These changes involve the O Street clinic, which, because of lease arrangements, will close before the opening of the new Midtown location. Therefore, physicians, appointments and staff will be reassigned to nearby UC Davis Medical Group clinics in the interim, with patients remaining with their existing providers whenever possible.

The new clinic will include family and community medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics, as well as on-site appointments in neurology, gastroenterology, sleep medicine and other medical specialties. The combination is designed to offer greater convenience to current and future patients.

Read more.

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