Announcements

Forbes appointed interim director of Publishing, other Publications contacts

Linda Forbes has been appointed interim director of Publishing, assuming many of the responsibilities held by Jim Downing, who left for a new job in Oakland. These duties are in addition to Forbes's role as Strategic Communications director.

Until a new director of publishing is hired, below are people who may be contacted for publishing needs:

• California Agriculture journal: Debbie Thompson dthompson@ucanr.edu
• UC ANR Publications submissions and peer-review process: Debbie Thompson and Masie Comtois mvcomtois@ucanr.edu
• UC ANR Publications production status: Debbie Thompson
• Graphic design requests: Sandi Osterman sjosterman@ucanr.edu
• Photography requests and image libraries: Evett Kilmartin emkilmartin@ucanr.edu
• Communication Advisory Board: Linda Forbes lforbes@ucanr.edu, Dustin Blakey dwblakey@ucanr.edu
• California Agricultural Resources Archive: Linda Forbes
• Video editing support: Linda Forbes

How accessible is your website?

The more accessible we make our information, the more people can use the information to improve their businesses and lives. In addition to accessibility being required by law for UC, making websites and social media posts accessible is also important for search engine optimization, according to Lucy Greco, UC Berkeley accessibility evangelist.

Greco recently gave a presentation for UC social media managers.

“We define accessibility as everyone being able to read, use, and act on all of our digital assets,” said Greco. “Everyone includes people with all levels of abilities.” 

Some users may have difficulty accessing information due to:

• Low vision or blind
• Hand and or other physical disabilities
• Deaf or hard of hearing
• Reading disabilities
• English as a second language

To make photos and PDFs accessible, use alt text to describe images and include all text for screen readers. Videos should include captioning. 

UCOP offers an online course with insights and best practices for making online information more accessible.

Before starting the course, you must login to siteimprove.ucop.edu using your UC credentials[MH1] .

Once you have successfully logged in, a pop-up should appear to go to the Siteimprove Academy – click on that, then click on https://siteimprove.litmos.com/course/3535108?r=False&ts=637786992813244419 and it should take you straight to the course.

Merrifield, Neelon and Hsu win ANR photo contest

Winners of the ANR photo contest were announced at the March 17 ANR town hall. Todd Merrifield, a business officer at Hopland Research and Extension Center; Marisa Neelon, UCCE nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisor for Contra Costa and Alameda counties; and Mike Hsu, senior public information representative, submitted the winning photos.

Dustin Blakey, UCCE director and farm advisor for Inyo-Mono counties, and Merrifield won honorable mentions.

The top photos were chosen from 62 entries submitted by 14 photographers.

“Every photographer entered a photo that was selected in a review committee member's top five,” said Linda Forbes, Strategic Communications director.

Photographers of the three top selections will receive a $50 gift card and two honorable mentions will receive $25 gift cards. 

All photos submitted to the contest will be stored in UC ANR's WebDam and made available for UC ANR presentations, websites, social media, etc., with credit to the photographer.

The photo review committee was composed of Forbes, Pam Kan-Rice,DoraliciaGaray, Ricardo Vela, Norma De la Vega, Miguel Sanchez and LisaRawleigh of Strategic Communications.

In Memoriam: Norman Terry

Norman Terry, a longtime professor of plant and microbial biology with more than 50 years of service to UC Berkeley, passed away on Feb. 12. He was 82. 

Born Sept. 5, 1939, in Kent, England, Terry earned a bachelor's degree in botany at the University of Southampton, and a master's and PhD in plant physiology from the University of Nottingham. His early research focused on the physiology of the sugar beet, work that kickstarted his career at UC Berkeley.

Terry joined the Department of Soils and Plant Nutrition as an assistant specialist in 1968, working on a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded research project studying the formation, translocation and accumulation of sucrose in the sugar beet. 

He was appointed assistant professor of environmental plant physiology in 1972, and later achieved the ranks of associate professor and professor in 1978 and 1984, respectively. He actively maintained research scientist positions in Berkeley's Agricultural Experiment Station throughout his academic career.

Terry's research focused on the physiology and biochemistry of environmental stresses on plants, as associated with water, salinity, mineral nutrients, and toxic heavy metals. Since 1989, his research focused on phytoremediation, the use of plants to clean up contaminated soil and water.

“As the field of plant nutrition evolved, he became a pioneer in the field of phytoremediation,” said Professor Emerita Zinmay Renee Sung, one of Terry's colleagues. “He had been teaching plant physiology and environmental plant biology steadfastly and worked until a couple of years ago when he retired. He will be sorely missed.”

While at Berkeley, Terry developed methods for using constructed wetlands to remove selenium and toxic heavy metals from agricultural and industrial wastewater and pioneered research into the development of genetically engineered plants for phytoremediation. Lewis Feldman, professor of plant biology, said Terry was regarded by colleagues as being “among the top scientists in the world in the field of phytoremediation.”

Terry authored more than 265 research publications, obtained three patents, and co-edited the book Phytoremediation of Contaminated Soil and Water. He regularly shared his findings and work on phytoremediation and environmental plant biology overseas, delivering lectures or leading seminars at international conferences and symposia.

In addition to his work in the lab, Terry co-taught Plant Biology 135 (Physiology and Biochemistry of Plants) and Plant Biology 180 (Environmental Plant Biology) with Professor Tasios Melis. An enthusiastic presence in class, students remembered Terry as an organized, knowledgeable instructor who incorporated real-world examples, practical applications, and personal stories and anecdotes into his teaching. They appreciated the fact that he was very fair and passionate about interacting with students.

He had a lifelong passion for France and French culture, first visiting the country at the age of 17. Terry began collaborating with scientists at the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), a French research institute focused on sustainable agriculture and environmental science, in 1999. He returned to France and INRA several times throughout the early 2000s, even spending a sabbatical year conducting research with INRA scientists in Versailles.

Terry retired in July 2020, after 52 years of service to UC Berkeley.

He is survived by his wife Lynn ShuiChi Terry, his children Adam, Danielle, and Matthew Terry, and his grandchildren Philip and Griffin. He is also survived by stepdaughters Peilin Chou Almeraz and Jean Kronson, and their children Mia, Gabriel, Hayden, Bailey and Aaron. 

In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of Terry may be made to the Plant and Microbial Biology Graduate Student Support Fund. Please specify that your gift is being made in honor of Norman Terry and notify his family at normanterrymemorial@gmail.com.

 

Humiston speaks to state Senate budget subcommittee; Laird comments on thank you notes

Vice President Glenda Humiston spoke to the California Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 on Education at a hearing to discuss the University of California's budget on Feb. 9.

The session was chaired by state Sen. John Laird, who championed augmentation of the 2021-22 budget for UC ANR.  

Humiston gave a status report for UC ANR via Zoom due to COVID protocols.

“Thanks to the ongoing augmentation of the 2021-22 budget for UC ANR, we have acted quickly to rebuild the UC Cooperative Extension footprint,” Humiston told the committee. “While the positions identified in March 2021 are still the focal point of the hiring plan, we also implemented a separate process to ensure identification of the highest priority academic positions across all discipline areas for today and into the future. This involved communicating with community partners and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing needs and prioritize the next round of hiring.”

She noted that, for the first time, UC ANR opened requests for placement of UC Cooperative Extension specialists to all 10 campuses.

“To date, 11 Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists have been hired and are in the field, while 35 more are currently under recruitment and expected to be hired before June 2022,” Humiston said. “UC ANR will be announcing over 40 additional new advisor positions and up to 20 specialist positions later this spring. We've expanded recruiting capacity and enhanced hiring practices to meet the evolving demands of the job market and ensure success. UC ANR is committed to hiring a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the top talent necessary to solve societal problems. We will provide the committee with a budget and impact report later this spring. 

Laird mentioned in the hearing that legislators aren't often thanked for their work, but after UC ANR received a budget augmentation, he returned from the summer recess to find a huge stack of thank-you cards on his desk.

Laird also noted that UC campuses get COLAs (cost of living adjustments) and he would like ANR's budget to be adjusted annually as well. The adjustment would apply to the overall state general fund budget, not salaries. 

Discussion of UC ANR begins at 1:46:30 of the recording at https://www.senate.ca.gov/media/budget-fiscal-review-subcommittee-1-education-20220209/video.

 

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