- Author: Wendy Powers
I left the garage and had a chance to get out to see our programs! I have been in Davis regularly for the last 5 months and even traveled for work a limited amount. However, the President's Advisory Commission meeting, that included the Lindcove Citrus Tasting, was more like ‘old times' than any other experience over the last 18 months. I had no idea there were so many varieties of citrus. I had previously thought that ‘Satsuma' was the variety of mandarin, but it turns out there are over a half dozen varieties of the Satsuma mandarin. Despite all of the new flavors tested and different types of citrus that included limes, kumquats, oranges, and grapefruit, my favorite citrus remains the Chandler pomelo.
The fact that we were all masked throughout the day didn't stop lively discussion whether on the bus, walking through the Woodlake Garden, or visiting booths hosted by our academics. It was so nice to get an update from Konrad about his barley research, learn from Karl about the outcome of his deficit irrigation work with wine growers, and see Joy's soil settling demonstration. Thanks to Michael and Ruth, and the Lindcove team, I left with the makings for a couple new recipes. The ginger, baby bok choy, and lemongrass were perfect for a red curry lemongrass soup. The Buddha hand didn't go to waste either, becoming a citron pound cake. The fridge is full and I had a taste of the most rewarding part of the job. Thanks so much to Karmjot, Ashraf, and their teams for all of the work to make it a great day for all who participated!
Things are slowly getting back to more like pre-COVID time. During my recent days in Davis, I can hear voices of others throughout the building. I would never have thought about that before COVID; now it is such a welcome sound. I, as much as anyone, appreciate the benefits of not having had the commute, especially on high wind days like we had this week. On the flipside, the work feels different when it is all completed from my garage office; it is not as engaging and somehow disconnected from the value of our programs. I, too, look forward to in-person interviews and hallway conversations. Twenty months of this mode is long enough. However, this doesn't mean I will let down my guard on safety precautions. We remain in a difficult time and we are all tired of the pandemic conditions. It is hard to believe that this week last year the first COVID vaccine was administered in the U.S. No question, we have come a long way and have so much for which to be grateful. There are good times ahead!
- Author: Wendy Powers
I've been living out of a suitcase for what seems like a month, but I don't dare actually confirm that. For some unexplainable reason March, July and October have always been months filled with travel throughout my career, regardless of where I was or what position I have had. Anyone else see the same thing? At least this year it has been more interesting than on average.
I had a chance to visit Kearney REC and Lindcove REC back at the end of February. I can't thank Jeff Dahlberg and Beth Grafton-Cardwell enough for the time they spent with me. I had no idea Kearney was like its own campus. In spite of knowing it was the ‘largest' REC that campus look and feel caught me off guard. Andre Westphal drove around to see some of his plots. I've already said all I know about nematology but clearly he is working with colleagues from around UC and beyond that have expertise in a whole host of disciplines. It was fascinating to see his work where trees have been cloned from one another. In the photo, below, the row of trees on the far left are all from the same parent stock (clones) and those in the row immediately to the right are also clones but from different parents. See how all of the trees in the left row are bent and consistently to the same extent, while those in the right are consistently more upright? Who would have thought? It certainly makes a case for nature over nurture; not a concept I had thought much about as far as its applicability to the ‘uprightness' of trees.
Andre and I discussed at length the topic of cost to doing research (indirect costs, user fees) and the value of partnerships with the commodity groups across California. He was in the middle of trying to get a proposal submitted so I didn't want to take too much of his time but appreciated the conversation. I have the same concerns and certainly had them over my career as I have watched the cost of research (tuition and assistantship rates, as well as IDC and user fees) skyrocket to the extent I sometimes hoped I didn't get the grant because managing the resources, while still producing defensible science, would be such a struggle. The stress was certainly much greater when I was more junior in my career, even though costs were much lower. So clearly a constant worry I suspect throughout all of our careers. No doubt Andre and I will have more conversations about this; perhaps when I meet with UCR at the end of the month.
Lindcove REC also caught me off guard. After spending 8 years in Florida I certainly wasn't expecting any ‘new' when it came to seeing a citrus orchard but then, there it was – a citrus grove with snow-covered mountains in the backdrop. Absolutely beautiful and just one more example in the list of surprises California has to offer. The facility is a tremendous resource from the meeting space to the lab to the amazing pack house. I could definitely spend some time playing with that software and instrumentation. And to see the regular investment by the industry into the facilities underscores the strength of the partnership UC has with the industry.
Much has happened since those visits but too much to write about here. Back in airports (another unexpected overnight) but hope to get back to sharing more ANR adventures soon.