- Author: Jennifer Caron-Sale
The snapshot highlights several dozen examples of research and extension occurring in each Strategic Initiative and in the field of sustainable energy. The Federal Report Snapshot can be used as a tool by anyone in ANR or shared with stakeholders and potential donors to better understand the breadth of projects and range of impacts that occur throughout ANR in a given year.
Each spring the UC ANR Office of Program Planning and Evaluation compiles and submits a report to our federal funding partner, USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
In June, NIFA approved UC ANR's 2016 report. The report captures the annual activities, outputs and outcomes that occur throughout ANR on campuses, in counties and at the research and extension centers.
Information for the report comes from submissions entered in REEport, DANRIS-X and UC Delivers, which includes those from ANR competitive grant final reports. Content experts identify the most significant research highlights and write the program area narrative summaries. This year, we can thank Chris Greer, Cheryl Wilen, Keith Nathaniel, John Harper, Doug Parker and Jeff Dahlberg for serving as content experts.
Because the report is thorough and lengthy, Program Planning and Evaluation has created this condensed snapshot, which is drafted with input and support from the Strategic Initiative Leaders and Communications Services.
The full 2016 federal report is available at http://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Divisionwide_Planning.
- Author: Jodi Azulai
Sign up for HR Partners newsletter
When you sign up for ANR's bi-monthly HR Partners Newsletter you will receive:
- Updates and shortcuts for Human Resource procedures
- Announcements about compliance training
- Professional development opportunities
- Helpful hints for recruitment
- and more
To subscribe, send an email to Patricia Glass at pglass@ucanr.edu.
According to Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside and author of the How of Happiness, nearly all of us buy into what she calls “myths of happiness.” To access happiness, there are things we need to stop believing and others that we need to start believing.
That is where Lynda.com coach Chris Croft comes in with Happiness Tips Weekly. In weekly mini sessions, Croft provides practical actionable techniques for finding more time for the things you love and maximizing your day-today happiness.
Find out how you can remove sources of unhappiness from your life, reduce stress, change your thoughts, and be creative in new ways by viewing Happiness Tips Weekly here.
Webinar: 5 healthy Lynda.com habits for people managers
Join our ANR exclusive Lynda.com webinar for ANR People Managers to explore how you can incorporate 5 healthy Lynda.com habits for you and your team.
The webinar will be held Thursday, Aug. 24, from noon to 1 p.m. at https://bluejeans.com/9495636582/5719?src=calendarLink.
UC ANR supervisors are and will continue to be instrumental in the UC ANR 2016-20 Strategic Plan People Goal 8 opportunity: “UC ANR must support the career development of UC ANR academics and staff in order to retain an engaged workforce who can conduct relevant programming and respond to complex challenges.”
Lynda.com is an excellent resource to help advance your employees and yourself toward Goal 8. Learn how you can:
- Develop your employees by finding appropriate learning content for them
- Create and share playlist with your employees
- Manager groups and users
- Use reporting feature to follow employee completions
- Develop your people management skills
Registration now open for 2017 NAEPSDP annual conference
Registration for the 2017 National Association of Extension Program and Staff Development Professionals (NAEPSDP) Annual Conference is now open.
This year's conference will be held at Green Valley Ranch Resort in Las Vegas, Nev. The conference will be held Dec. 5-7, 2017. The tentative 2017 NAEPSDP Annual Conference Agenda is posted as a PDF online.
To register for the conference, go to the NAEPSDP website and do one of the following:
- For current NAEPSDP members - If you are a current 2017 NAEPSDP member (dues paid in full by the time you register), log into the association website (http://naepsdp.org) using your member email and password. (If your email address has changed since you created or last updated your member profile, go into your member profile before registering and update your member email address and any other information that has changed.)
Go to the "2017 Annual Conference Registration" link under the "Conferences" tab at the top of the homepage. Select the "2017 Annual Conference Registration Information" tab and follow the registration instructions. (You can also access the conference registration information by selecting the "For more information about conference registration, click here" link in the 2017 Annual Conference - Save the Date box located on the website homepage.)
Most of the information for your registration will be pre-populated with the information from your member profile. It is important that the email address that is pre-populated from your member profile is your correct current email address.
If you are registering for another individual who is not a current NAEPSDP member, don't log into the website using your member ID and password to register for that individual. Follow the steps outlined below for non-members.
- For non-members of NAEPSDP - Go to the association website at http://naepsdp.org. Under the "Conferences" tab at the top of the homepage, click the "2017 Annual Conference Registration" link. Select the "2017 Annual Conference Registration Information" tab and follow the registration instructions. You can also access the conference registration information by selecting the "For more information about conference registration, click here" link in the 2017 Annual Conference - Save the Date box located on the website homepage.
Please make sure that the information and email address asked for during the non-member registration process are those of the non-member. Follow the registration instructions.
Keep in mind that you will only see the registration categories for which you are eligible. Association members will see those categories that are available for members. Non-members will see only those categories that are available to non-members. To be eligible to receive the member registration rate, NAEPSDP membership dues for the current year must be paid in full prior to your registration.
Payment:
You can pay your registration fee online through the NAEPSDP PayPal Guest Checkout (using your own credit or debit card, no PayPal account needed) or pay offline with a check or money order. If you choose to pay online, you will receive a payment receipt as soon as your payment is processed. If you choose to pay offline, an invoice will be emailed to you for your use in payment.
There is an "early bird" registration period for both members and non-members. The early bird registration period ends at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 30. Registration for this conference will end on Nov. 27. There will be no onsite registration.
Lodging:
Information about lodging options at Green Valley Ranch Resort are at Green Valley Ranch Resort Reservations. A block of rooms has been reserved for the conference, but it is limited, so please make your reservations early.
If you have questions, contact Teresa Byington at byingtont@unce.unr.edu or (702) 222-3130, or Julie Robinson at jrobinson@uaex.edu or (501) 671-2082.
Call for NAEPSDP presentation proposals
The theme for the 2017 conference is “Creating the Future: Extension as the Catalyst.”
Presentation proposals will be accepted from NAEPSDP members and non-members alike for four different tracks and four different session types. Proposals from graduate student research or projects are encouraged.
The four tracks for which proposals will be accepted are:
· Organizational and Staff Development
· Program Development and Delivery
· Evaluation and Assessment
· Technology and Communications
The four session types are:
· One-hour presentation
· Forty-five-minute presentation
· Ninety-minute workshop
· Five-minute “ignite” presentation (five minutes with 20 slides)
To submit a proposal, click here and complete the proposal submission form. The proposal must include:
· Lead presenter's name and contact information
· Names, titles and affiliations of co-presenters (if any)
· Presentation type
· Presentation track
· Presentation title
· Brief description/abstract of the presentation (500-word maximum)
· Any specific additional technology needs for presentation (projector, laptop and screen provided)
All presentation proposals must be submitted no later than Friday, Aug. 18, 2017. All presenters must register for and attend the conference. For conference registration information, go to www.naepsdp.org.
For more information, contact Teresa Byington at byingtont@unce.unr.edu or (702) 222-3130 at Nevada Cooperative Extension Service, or Julie Robinson at jrobinson@uaex.edu or (501) 671-2082 at University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
New ANR employee guide
UC ANR has a new online orientation guide for new employees. It begins with a welcome video from Vice President Glenda Humiston and continues to a table of contents where new employees will find topics such as ANR Mission and Vision, ANR Core Messages, History of ANR, ANR programs and unit overview videos, as well as personal responsibility, employee resources and more.
Forward the link http://ucanr.edu/newanremployeeguide to your new hires and give them a running start in aligning to ANR and all the great things we do!
Onboarding new employees quiz for supervisors
Use the Onboarding New ANR Employees: Supervisor's Guide to prepare you for the quiz below. Answer them correctly and you win!
- Onboarding is
- A single event
- An ongoing strategy
- Studies have shown a correlation between no or poor onboarding and
- Employee engagement and retention
- Employee disengagement and turnover
(Answers: 1b; 2b)
Use the Guide to prepare for, welcome, and engage your new employees; bring your newly hired employees up to speed with the policies, processes, culture, expectations, and day-to-day responsibilities of your program or unit.
- Author: John Fox
Taking a break from work is important for your health and well-being. Summer is a great time to work with your supervisor to schedule time away from the office, and ensure that you will continue to build up your leave balance.
How much vacation leave do I have?
Vacation leave accrual is calculated based on your appointment type, percent of time worked and how long you have worked at UC. You can see how much vacation you have accrued, as well as your maximum vacation accrual balance, by checking your time and attendance record in the Time Reporting System (for employees paid through UC Davis payroll).
For staff employees: When should you use your compensatory time off?
Some non-exempt staff earn compensatory time off (comp time) in lieu of overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours in a workweek. Comp time is tracked in the Time Reporting System separately from vacation leave. If you have earned comp time hours, it is best to use those hours first before using vacation leave (unless you are approaching your maximum vacation accrual balance).
Please talk with your supervisor about taking vacation leave or comp time to ensure that you have the opportunity for rest and renewal, especially if you are approaching or have already reached your maximum vacation accrual balance.
If you still have questions regarding your leave balances, please contact ANR Human Resources.
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Lange was born and educated in western Washington. In 1942, he joined the Naval Air Corps and, after three and a half years of active duty, he returned to Oregon State University, where he graduated in 1950 with bachelor's and master's degrees in horticulture.
In 1954, Lange earned a doctorate degree in plant physiology at UCLA and accepted an associate horticulturist position at the University of Hawaii. In 1958, he moved across campus to head the Weed Control Research Program for the Pineapple Research Institute of Hawaii.
Lange returned to California in 1962, accepting the position of weed control specialist with UC Cooperative Extension, first at the Davis campus and later at UC Riverside. In 1970, after spending part of a sabbatical leave in Columbia, Chile, and Central America, he relocated to Kearney.
During Lange's years in California agriculture, he was active in the California Weed Conference as a frequent speaker and a member of the steering committee. In 1986, he was named an honorary member. With the financial support of the California Weed Conference, he initiated the Grower's Weed Identification Handbook. Lange was named a fellow of the Western Society of Weed Science in 1977.
Lange retired in 1986 with the emeritus title. In retirement, Lange managed his Honey Crisp Farm in Reedley. He excelled at producing tree- and vine-ripe fruit as well as unsulfured dried fruit, which he sold at a roadside stand, at farmers markets, to fresh produce distributors and restaurants.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
In the early 1990s, the UC Cooperative Extension specialist needed a place to test drywood termite detection and control methods. The College of Natural Resources wasn't keen on infesting a building with destructive pests near UC Berkeley's historic buildings, but ultimately allowed Lewis to construct the Villa Termiti in Richmond, about six miles north of campus.
“Babysitting my brothers and sisters sure helped develop my negotiating skills,” said Lewis, the oldest of 10 children.
Built at the UC Richmond Field Station in 1993, the 400-square-foot, wooden structure has been fumigated, x-rayed and featured on the cover of Popular Mechanics. It nearly burned when six test boards were scorched by a microwave device that was supposed to kill termites; Lewis observed termites living in the wood despite the microwaves and fire. Fortunately, the damage was minor.
Villa Termiti has since hosted ants, subterranean termites, wood-boring beetles and bed bugs for subsequent research projects.
The Minnesota native's interest in insects was piqued as a kindergartner, after Lewis moved from Minnesota to live with his grandparents in Fresno for six years. “California has a lot more bugs because Minnesota is frozen six months out of the year,” he said wryly. “During recess, while other kids were kicking balls, I was catching grasshoppers and feeding them to harvester ants.”
For many years, pest control operators relied on fumigation. As claims were made without scientific basis that microwave, freezing, heating, electricity, orange oil and modified fumigation were effective, Lewis tested the methods.
“If it didn't work in a lab set-up, it's not going to work where conditions are more complex in homes and buildings,” said Haverty, who published a paper with Lewis in 1996 comparing six techniques. “Nothing was as effective as fumigation.”
Lewis showed how best to do spot treatments for termites rather than tenting a whole house for fumigation, which can be expensive for homeowners.
University of Georgia entomology professor Brian Forschler said Lewis is trusted for his integrity.
“Urban entomology programs across the country are essentially funded by donations from industry so you have to walk a tightrope in that funding scenario,” Forschler explained. “You don't want to fall prey to telling your sugar daddy what they want to hear. Vernard is clearly not in that league, he has garnered respect and remained an objective scientist.”
Lewis has found mentoring young scientists at UC Berkeley and stimulating children's interest in science rewarding. In 2000, he joined the City Bugs project with Oakland Unified School District, educating K-12 school teachers and students about insects, life sciences and biodiversity.
In 1993, for a presentation in front of 300 students at Claremont Middle School in Oakland, Lewis brought a Madagascar cockroach, which measured two to three inches long.
“A kid in the second row asked to see what was in the box. He asked to hold it so I put the cockroach in his hand and he dropped it on the floor. As the cockroach ran around, kids are flying out the door. We're trying to catch it and calm the kids down, calling ‘Come back.' It was wild,” Lewis said, adding, “The Madagascar cockroach is big, but it won't hurt anybody.”
“It's been fun,” said Lewis about his career, but he is quick to point out his academic success wasn't served up with a silver spoon. “I had no spoon,” he said, jokingly.
“My high school counselor said I wasn't bright enough to go to college. I took offense to that,” said Lewis, recalling that he had scored well on the IQ tests that were administered liberally in schools in the 1950s and 1960s. “I asked him what was the best university in the country. He said, ‘UC Berkeley,' so I decided to go there.”
In 1979, Lewis earned an M.S. in entomology at UC Berkeley and started his own pest management business, IPM Systems, Inc., in 1982. Prison trustees affectionately dubbed him “Killer” when he exterminated bed bugs and cockroaches as San Quentin State Prison's vector control coordinator from 1986 through 1988. He earned his Ph.D. in entomology at UC Berkeley in 1989 and continued his entomological research on campus as a postdoctoral fellow.
In 1991, Lewis was hired as a UC Cooperative Extension specialist in entomology in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management (ESPM) at UC Berkeley.
An advocate for diversity, Lewis is one of 20 entomologists featured in the book “Memoirs of Black Entomologists,” published by the Entomological Society of America in 2015 to encourage black students to pursue careers in the life sciences and providing practical advice on how to become successful in science. Of ESA's 7,000 members, only about 100 are African or African American.
Lewis's research and extension has been honored by several institutions and organizations, including his induction into the Pest Management Professionals' Hall of Fame in 2016, an Urban Entomology award from the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America in 2002 and the Orkin Outstanding Research Award in 1998. The Florida Entomological Society recognized his efforts to promote diversity in the field of entomology by presenting him with its Pioneer Lecture Award in 2015. Lewis delivered a lecture on Margaret James Strickland Collins, the first African American woman entomology professor, whom he knew and admired.
While Lewis's work has focused on California, his career has also taken him out of the country. Lewis was a visiting professor at Kyoto University in Japan in 2011. In 2000, the United Nations selected him as the leader and founding member of its Global Termite Expert Group. He chaired the 20-member group, which worked together on projects from 2000 to 2008. Internationally, mosquitoes are the No. 1 pest and termites are No. 2.
“We couldn't stop the use of DDT on mosquitoes, but we can stop its use on termites,” Lewis said. The UN group presented lower-risk alternatives for termite management and negotiated with pest control professionals in different countries to change their practices. “That was one of the most rewarding projects,” he said, noting that China significantly reduced its use of the insecticide.
In retirement, Lewis looks forward to taking a few months to “clear my mind,” before considering offers from private companies and international contacts. While his wife, Lisa Kala, continues her work in the School of Education at UC Berkeley, Lewis intends to spend more time with their daughter, Aikane, and young grandson, Tahir. He has been granted emeritus status and will continue leading efforts to promote diversity and equity for the College of Natural Resources.