PG&E helicopters conduct gas leak study

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is flying helicopters at low altitudes (200 to 1,000 feet) over UC Davis and elsewhere in Yolo and Solano counties today through Thursday (Aug. 9-11), in a gas leak detection survey.

The study includes the controlled release of natural gas at selected locations, with PG&E personnel handling the releases, according to PG&E's notification to UC Davis and other jurisdictions. One of release sites is near the east end of Arboretum Drive, between the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and Interstate 80.

“The study has been designed to ensure public safety, but because of the low aircraft altitude, it may generate public inquiries,” a PG&E engineer wrote.

Lt. Oweis named UC Santa Cruz chief

From Aggie host to chief of police: Nader Oweis is taking another step up in his law enforcement career.

Only this time, he is leaving UC Davis — headed to UC Santa Cruz. He has been with the UC Davis department for 17 years, promoted to sergeant in 1999 and lieutenant in 2005. He was an Aggie host during his time as an undergraduate; he graduated in 1992 and joined the Police Department two years later.

Jean Marie Scott, associate vice chancellor for Risk and Safety Services at Santa Cruz, announced Oweis’ appointment on July 29. She noted that the campus had conducted a national search to replace Chief Michael Aluffi, who retired in March.

The Santa Cruz department comprises 40 employees, including sworn officers, dispatchers, kiosk guards and parking enforcement officers, serving a campus with about 16,000 undergraduates and graduate students.

Read more, including the details on Oweis’ swearing-in ceremony.

Gradebook2 set for upgrade

SmartSite will be offline for several hours next Friday night while Gradebook2 is upgraded to version 1.6.

This is the second planned upgrade to the grading tool this summer. Version 1.5 was installed in mid-June, concurrent with the installation of version 2.7.2 of the Sakai system that powers SmartSite. The upgrades to Gradebook2 fix problems and add capabilities requested by faculty.

Information and Educational Technology has scheduled the work from 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 12, until as late as 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13. The summer weekend overnight timing minimizes the impact on faculty and students.

Read more about the SmartSite upgrades.

— Information and Information Technology

Box office to open early for athletics

The Freeborn Hall box office is set to open two hours early Monday (Aug. 8), the first day of single-game ticket sales for Aggie football, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s water polo.

If you’re 13 or under (or if you have children who are), you can forget about single-game tickets — by joining the new Junior Aggie Club. For $25, Junior Aggies will receive admission to most home athletic contests in 2011-12.

If you’re buying single-event tickets, you can visit the box office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. Depending on sales volume, the box office may keep the same hours Tuesday.

The box office is normally open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in the summer.

Tickets also are available online.

Read more, including information on season tickets and how to join the Junior Aggie Club.

Facebook exec to make presentation

How can UC Davis maximize the power of Facebook? Well, let’s ask one of Facebook’s public policy executives, Elizabeth Linder, who works closely with public sector clients around the world.

She is scheduled to make a presentation at midmonth at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, and the institute is extending an invite to others in the campus community who may want to attend.

Linder, a California native, joined Facebook three years ago during the week the company registered its 100-millionth user.

She is based in London as the leader of Facebook’s pan-European government and politics program. She works with government agencies, public institutions and politicians at the local, national and international levels, serving as an adviser to members of Parliament, public sector communications teams, embassy representatives, and the European Union on the intersection of Facebook and politics.

Previously she worked on Facebook’s public relations strategy in Australia, Canada, Europe, India and Japan.

Before joining Facebook, she focused on politics and education at YouTube as part of Google’s Global Communications and Public Affairs team.

Her presentation at UC Davis is scheduled from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Monday (Aug. 15) in the RMI’s Sensory Theater. The RMI notes that space is limited; people wishing to attend are asked to RSVP by e-mail to Mimi Rose, msurose@ucdavis.edu, by next Friday (Aug. 12).

Wise named chancellor at Illinois

The University of Illinois has selected Phyllis M. Wise, former dean of biological sciences at UC Davis, to be the chancellor of the system’s flagship campus, Urbana-Champaign.

An Aug. 3 news release from the University of Illinois also noted that Wise will serve as a systemwide vice president.

She is due to take up her new posts Oct. 1, pending approval by the University of Illinois board of trustees in September.

At UC Davis, she led what was then the Division of Biological Sciences from 2002 to 2005. The division has since become a college.

Wise went from here to the University of Washington, where she served as the second-highest-ranking administrator, provost and executive vice president of Academic Affairs at the University of Washington. She served as interim president during the 2010-11 academic year.

Read the University of Illinois news release.

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