Kicking off the meeting by expressing sympathy for everyone affected by wildfires – including the ANR members and Master Gardener volunteers who lost their homes – UC President Janet Napolitano met with the President's Advisory Commission (PAC) at their biannual meeting Dec. 13 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Emeryville.

President Napolitano focused her remarks on the challenges that remain with our food system, saying that she sees endless possibilities for ANR to bring food and ag together with science and technology for agricultural innovation. She also praised ANR for expanding access to its programs and achieving parity in participation of Latino youth in 4-H activities.

Asked about UC's role in production of the state's newly legal crop, Napolitano asked for a report from a systemwide group studying how UC can get involved in cannabis research without running afoul of federal law. VP Chief of Staff Jan Corlett, who represents ANR in that group, offered to relay the PAC's comments at their next meeting.

Napolitano invited the PAC members to join the UC Advocacy Network, or UCAN, to keep informed about state and federal issues that impact the university.

VP Glenda Humiston introduced Anne Megaro, governmental and community relations director. Megaro, who has a Ph.D. in animal science and was the California State Senate Committee on Agriculture's consultant for five years, spoke about her background and discussed how she is working with academics to cultivate relationships with elected officials by sharing stories about their work.

“Every legislator should know ANR because we're in their district,” Megaro said.

“How can I help you talk about ANR?” she asked the PAC members, who responded positively.

Gabe Youtsey, chief innovation officer, described how the Internet of Things, data analysis, robotics, artificial intelligence, drones and plant biotechnology are helping farmers cope with challenges, including workforce shortages, water scarcity and pest pressure. The Apps for Ag hackathons have produced useful tools, but poor rural connectivity is limiting the benefits. 

“If we don't solve rural connectivity,” Youtsey warned, “We'll have ag brick instead of ag tech because it won't work.”

He also described the recently launched The VINE, which is designed to catalyze a statewide system to support innovation, entrepreneurship, expand economic opportunities and develop new technology for agriculture, natural resources and rural communities. Youtsey said food and agriculture need “patient capital” investors because venture capitalists desire a fast return on their investment.

Associate Vice President Wendy Powers briefed the commission on ANR's strategic plan. Our “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” is for every Californian to recognize the positive impact ANR has in their lives. The actions will be guided by UCANR's core values: excellence, community, innovation, inclusion, collaboration and integrity. Public value statements are being developed to shape our efforts and “they will give us the elevator speech to articulate who we are and what we do,” Powers said.

Powers also updated the PAC on recent successes, including boosting Giving Tuesday donations by 24 percent over 2016. She announced that 4-H increased its statewide youth enrollment by 18 percent and number of 4-H volunteers by 15 percent and that ANR has completed a salary equity program for staff and advisors and continues to improve internet speeds in county and REC facilities.

In the deans' updates, Keith Gilless announced that in June he will be stepping down as dean of the College of Natural Resources after 11 years to return to his academic work in fire research. Deans Helene Dillard of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Kathryn Uhrich of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Michael Lairmore of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Gilless shared news of awards and large grants received and major projects underway in their respective colleges and school.

In wrapping up the meeting, Humiston announced that Mike Mellano, Dina Moore and Jean Marie Peltier will represent California in Washington D.C. for the CARET (Council on Agriculture Research, Extension and Teaching) meeting in March to advocate for agricultural research and the Farm Bill.

She invited the PAC members to meet next in April in Ontario, in conjunction with the ANR statewide meeting.

Construction of a new parking lot for the ANR building in Davis is providing an opportunity for UC ANR to demonstrate science at the site by integrating an ongoing water-quality research project.

The research project on the recently purchased 10 acres at 3031 Second St. was developed by Missy Gable, director of the Master Gardener Program; Loren Oki, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in environmental horticulture at UC Davis; Igor Lacan, UC Cooperative Extension urban forestry advisor for San Mateo County; and Marq Truscott, a retired landscape architect who lectures for the Landscape Architecture Program at UC Davis.

The researchers will evaluate the effect of parking surfaces paved with different materials and coupled to rain garden swales on storm water runoff quality and quantity, according to Jan Corlett, chief of staff to the vice president, who is overseeing the project.

The study area of the parking lot will have the swales and three different surface types – typical asphalt, a cellular confinement system and permeable pavers. The researchers will study how these features improve water quality by removing pollutants and reduce runoff volumes by improving soil infiltration. They will be able to collect samples of runoff water from the different paved surfaces.

In addition, all trees planted in the parking lot will have engineered substrates to demonstrate their long-term effect on tree health and condition.

The new lot will add 92 full-sized, paved parking spaces and 40 parking spaces on gravel to the existing 96 spaces at 2801 Second St.

In 2016, a team that did planning for the 3031 Second St. site envisioned a collaborative, systemwide showcase, supported by the following key goals:

• Enhance the visibility of ANR's mission, research and educational programs that affect the lives of all Californians
• Ensure an inclusive approach to design and programming that welcomes all members of the ANR community, as well as outside researchers and stakeholders
• Support the core mission of ANR by ensuring the campus has a full suite of properly-sized and flexibly programmed facilities and spaces
• Capitalize on the opportunity to tell ANR's story both to the University of California community and outside stakeholders
• Promote community health and wellness in every aspect of site design and facility programming
• Reflect the natural California landscape through appropriate site design and landscaping

“This project reflects many of those goals by demonstrating that everything ANR does, even building a parking lot, can include research and extension opportunities,” Corlett said. “The City of Davis is very supportive of this effort, and we expect that it will draw many visitors each year.”

The project broke ground Sept. 5 and is expected to be completed in November.

The UC ANR Training Coordination Committee is sponsoring two “Crucial Conversations” trainings this spring:

1. Tuesday and Wednesday, April 12-13, at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier. On April 12, the training is from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on April 13, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

2. Tuesday and Wednesday, May 17-18, at 2801 Second Street in Davis. On May 17, the training is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on May 18, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

3. You may also select “I can participate in either session” when you pre-register.

Training is open to all UC ANR academics, ANR staff employees, and Cooperative Extension county-paid employees who have not taken the Crucial Conversations training in the past.  All expenses related to the training (registration fee, travel, lodging, meals and training materials) will be reimbursed by ANR funds according to UC travel policy.

Twenty participants will be accepted for each training course.  Individuals selected to participate in the training will need to participate the full period of the training. Therefore, if you cannot commit to the full 14 hours of training, we ask that you not pre-register for the training.  We also encourage you to inform your supervisor of your interest to participate in this training.

If you are interested in the training, please pre-register by March 10 at http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=17197. 

Individuals who have pre-registered will be notified on March 21 as to whether they have been selected to participate in the two-day training.  A waiting list of those interested but not selected to participate in the training will be established in order for the trainers to contact them if space becomes available.

Crucial Conversations provides tools for talking when stakes are high, emotions are strong and opinions differ.  The objectives of the 14-hour training are to provide the participants tools that will assist the participant in:

• Building greater personal influence and power
• Moving “stuck” work-related relationships and projects forward
• Improving personal, team and unit results
• Reducing stress from team frustrations and blocked communication

Your program certified trainers, Jan Corlett and Linda Marie Manton, thank you for considering participation in “Crucial Conversations” training. If you have questions contact Jan Corlett at Jan.Corlett@ucop.edu.

The UC ANR Training Coordination Committee is sponsoring “Crucial Conversations” training on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 3­–4, 2015, in Davis. The training will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 3 and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 4.

Training is open to all UC ANR academics, ANR staff employees, and Cooperative Extension county-paid employees who have not taken the Crucial Conversations training in the past. All expenses related to the training (registration fee, travel, lodging, meals and training materials) will be reimbursed by ANR funds according to UC travel policy.

Twenty (20) participants will be accepted to the training. Individuals selected to participate in the training will need to participate for the full period of the training. Therefore, if you cannot commit to the full 14 hours of training, we ask that you not pre-register for the training. 

If you are interested in the training, please pre-register at: http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=10326. We also encourage you to inform your supervisor of your interest in participating in this training.

Individuals who have pre-registered will be notified on Oct. 15 as to whether they have been selected to participate in the two-day training. A waiting list will be established for those who are interested but are not selected to participate in the training and they will be contacted if space becomes available.

“Crucial Conversations” provides tools for talking when stakes are high, emotions are strong, and opinions differ. The objectives of the 14-hour training are to provide tools that will assist the participant in:

• Building greater personal influence and power
• Moving “stuck” work-related relationships and projects forward
• Improving personal, team, and unit results
• Reducing stress from team frustrations and blocked communication

Your program-certified trainers Jan Corlett and Linda Marie Manton thank you for considering participation in Crucial Conversations training.  If you have questions contact Jan Corlett at Jan.Corlett@ucop.edu.