- Author: Wendy Powers
The view of the snow pack from my garage window has improved somewhat over the weekend, in part due to snow fall and in part due to less fog. It is great to see snowfall at the lower elevations and rain across many areas of the state. I have become a big fan of rain, but not to the extent that I welcome sandhill cranes take up residence in my back acreage again this year. Let's all hope for a slow, soaking rain. The wind is a whole different story. Mark Bell was able to sneak away to the snow this past weekend. The photo he so eagerly shared with me is beautiful. I suspect he might be preparing for the next photo competition, vying for Dustin's title.
Neither cooler, nor warmer, temperatures seem to slow this coronavirus. I came across a cool tool for estimating separation distances for estimating aerosol movement and infection risk. Perhaps the tool will require modification as the prominent variant changes. Also released this week, by CDC, are tools to support vaccine education. The toolkit serves as a starting place to tailor materials to specific audience needs and concerns.
The UC ANR team in Imperial County (UCCE plus the Desert REC) was recently recognized for their contributions to the region. In particular, the new hires were welcomed and introduced to the local community. Congratulations to Oli, Jairo, and their teams!
While the wind has made some Zoom calls a challenge, the meetings continue. NIFA held a day of listening sessions to gather stakeholder input on priorities in animal agriculture. APLU hosted a webinar to talk about broadband's role in rural economic development. Other Zoom discussions have focused on potential partnerships and new funding in the Governor's proposed budget. Yet to occur this week is a meeting of the Vice President's Council where we will cover topics such as funding strategies, supporting volunteers, expanding DEI efforts, and navigating policies. Friday winds down with action steps to move the REC Strategic Framework forward.
I see we have a new feature in Interfolio that notifies me when academics have submitted their annual evaluation materials or dossiers for supervisor review. Nice work to all who have been able to submit in advance of the February 1 deadline! I hope those individuals get to enjoy this weekend. I know everyone else is working hard to put on the finishing touches. Good luck on your submissions. I hope the power stays on for you!
- Author: Wendy Powers
It is shaping up to be a long, short week. I know we are all anxious to see how the week unfolds. So far, so good.
The combination of prolonged COVID and national unrest is getting to all of us, inspiring retirements and departures in unexpected places. I am hoping to get a Vice Provost recruitment underway soon, backfilling Mark Lagrimini's position. In addition, I am serving on a search committee for a new Executive Director to the Western Extension Directors Association. The pool of applicants is strong with some surprising submissions. It leaves me optimistic that we will have a strong pool to fill the gap in UC ANR.
If the pressures of earth get to be too much, perhaps Mars offers a solution in the near future. We need to check in with students in Calaveras County who each had a chance to build a Mars rover, donated by the 4-H STEM program. Nice work, JoLynn!
Given the lack of rain so far, the timing couldn't be better for completing the UCANR Disaster Guide. The Guide contains great examples of how UC ANR has responded to fires and COVID-19. Thanks to Susie, Faith, and team for putting this together! I have no doubt that many will download the document!
Congratulations to Monica Cooper for the quote of the week, “This is consistent with our UCCE mission to ensure the continued economic prosperity and ecological sustainability of agricultural operations in California in partnership with industry and government agencies.” Read what Brad and John had to say as well.
Be sure to tune in for the Town Hall on Thursday from 2 to 3 pm. We will build on this week's Martin Luther King holiday by learning more about planned ANR events for upcoming Black History Month.
The UC Economic Impact Report is out; don't skip over page 64! If you aren't up to reading all 123 pages, take a look at the factsheet, the last paragraph in particular. Congratulations on a strong contribution to a strong UC!
If you are considering a hike this weekend, check in with Mark Bell for some ideas. He has been out in East Bay and to the Golden Gate area recently, taking extra care to send me photos of his adventures. During his most recent outing, Mark had the good fortune of coming across evidence of UC ANR's impact. Literally, our impact is everywhere!
Someday I will leave my garage. Until then, it seems the end of the month is already near; time to prepare for the meetings regularly scheduled for the first week of the month. This month we have an additional meeting with President Drake. I look forward to that meeting, but I have some prep work to do beforehand.
- Author: Wendy Powers
The U.S. is in a strange place. If it weren't enough to have a pandemic we can't seem to get under control because we can't stay away from crowds, now we can worry about what might happen between now and Inauguration Day. I don't know what to make of the assault of the Capitol. I can't describe how disturbed I am by the overt displays of racism by those who see the incoming administration as a threat to White culture. I sometimes wonder what rock I live under in that I can't even imagine feeling that way towards another person. It doesn't have to be that some lose while others advance; all boats can rise together if we make the commitment to implement appropriate practices and policies.
I echo the sentiment of others that the work of UC ANR is needed now more than ever. Just take a look at this recent video put together by the Strategic Communications team, outlining UC ANR accomplishments despite the pandemic! The Governor's budget brings hope that our efforts are recognized and valued by state decision makers. Our work with small farms and fire, in particular, were acknowledged. While it is early yet in the annual budget process, I have high hopes that UC will do okay in this year's budget discussions, despite the economic challenges brought on by the pandemic.
This week we made strides to finalize the strategic plan update and prepare to present it to President Drake on February 1st. I need to work on my comments and get them under 1 minute in length – time goes faster than you would think! We talked about metrics today and identification of key performance indicators (KPI) for the plan as a whole. I came across an interesting metric in my reading over the last week - authentic laughter is a metric for measuring inclusivity of an organization. I don't know how one measures authentic laughter, but perhaps this is something to think about in the future when we aren't primarily on Zoom.
Conversations to explore new partnerships, with new and existing partners, present exciting opportunities for us. I enjoy these conversations and look forward to further discussion and brainstorming. I have had a couple of such conversations this week and last, with more to come in the next couple of weeks. Thanks to all who have spent time putting ideas onto paper as either logic models or concept notes. Some of these concept notes yielded results when the Governor released his budget. I fully anticipate there will be continued return on those investments of time.
- Author: Wendy Powers
Happy 2021 everyone! My realistic hope is that 2021 has fewer surprises than popped up in 2020. Admittedly, I don't want to get my hopes up that fewer people will be unemployed, homeless or hungry, that our ANR budget will swell, that inequalities will be erased or drastically diminished, or that I will see far less of my garage. I prefer pleasant surprises over avoidable disappointment. Fortunately, I have much for which to be thankful and I have the power to make a difference for myself and others. Keeping those things at the forefront of my thoughts is my 2021 resolution.
Now, with all that said, it is tough to fully engage back in work. For this reason, I hesitate to take time off – I always have a difficult time getting back into the work routine. I turned off this winter break perhaps a bit more than customary. In fact, a full work week seems like it was long ago. With Program Council this week and the regular ‘First Friday' lineup of calls and meetings, I have no choice but to jump back in with both feet.
Believe it or, I spent much of my time off in my garage, but not on Zoom calls. What a difference walking around makes when there is no heat and the space is uninsulated. I might have to try a headset so that I don't need to be in front of the laptop during the Zoom meetings. Maybe I can get 10,000 steps in each day by marching in place.
Some good news to start off the year includes welcoming Grace Woodmansee as a Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor, based in Yreka, with programmatic responsibilities in Siskiyou County. Welcome, Grace – we have eagerly awaited your start date! Also joining us is Tian Tian as a Viticulture Advisor, based in Bakersfield with programmatic responsibilities in Kern County. Brian and the Table Grapes Commission have waited some time for the right person to fill this role. I am eager to meet Tian in the coming months. Please take a moment to welcome Tian and Grace!
Other good news includes the vaccine. I hope to hear soon that personnel across UC ANR and their families begin to receive the vaccine. Technically, I should be fairly low on the priority list, but as a caregiver I may have a chance to move up a bit. Initially we had heard we might have a chance in mid-December but the days passed without a call. Now that a more infectious strain has emerged, I am hopeful it won't be long now. I never would have imagined hoping that it might be my birthday present later this week. A vaccination would sure beat windshield wipers!
- Author: Wendy Powers
The year 2020 is almost behind us! We made it through a crazy, crazy year that, in 2019, might have seemed like some sort of virtual reality game. There is a lot to be said for just having survived it. Fortunately, despite the ups and downs, UC ANR more than survived, budget aside, we thrived. We learned that we could do what was previously considered infeasible. Partners continue to recognize our contributions. Recently, Spectrum News highlighted Niamh's work tracking coyote-human interactions, and educating professionals and local leaders on how to control coyotes. The need for more farm advisors across the state, and in the Salinas Valley in particular, was called out. Donor numbers are up remarkably, and donations followed. UC ANR personnel were honored with numerous prestigious awards. And, perhaps most important for 2020, as a whole, we have remained safe by exhibiting science-based behaviors. Let us all keep the going as we head into 2021.
A high point for me over the last week was taking a virtual tour of Ricardo's art exhibit. I have noted his talent previously and consider myself immensely fortunate to have one of his paintings in my office. I encourage all to take a trip through the art gallery. Not only did I learn more about Ricardo's emotional journey through 2020 and the meaning of color, I discovered through this augmented reality adventure, that Ricardo's talents extend into the foray of creating an augmented reality experience. I also notice that Ricardo does a great job titling and signing his work, something I was recently chastised for not doing (again) on one of my own projects. The recipient proceeded to accept the gift, but insist that I create and send a label for it.
I have been thinking quite a bit about virtual reality and augmented reality, trying to determine the differences in applications, tools and skill needed for creation. Simply put, Augmented Reality builds on what is real by adding digital elements while Virtual Reality shuts out the physical world. Ricardo's exhibit and my recent virtual try-on of eyeglasses are examples of Augmented Reality. In a scenario where I slay dragons, restore world order, and then ride off on my unicorn – that's Virtual Reality. Augmented Reality experiences can be created using a cell phone, like that of the art exhibit. Imagine the reach and impact our programming could have if we provided user experiences using Augmented Reality? Consider if a grower could logon to their computer and take a stroll through an almond orchard. At the end of a row of trees, the grower is greeted by Jhalendra Rijal who shares best practices for implementing mating disruption techniques to protect against Navel Orange Worm. The grower continues along a path and is met by Blake Sanden and David Haviland who are discussing irrigation research findings as key components of optimizing production while minimizing pest conditions. Perhaps there are options in the orchard visit to ‘choose your own topic' and you meet different scientists based on the path chosen. Similar experiences could be developed for growing a home garden – sort of a ‘plant along with me' approach, food preservation techniques, youth education, firewise landscaping….The possibilities are endless.
There is so much to look forward to in 2021. Some things didn't happen in 2020 – I couldn't see Saturn or Jupiter last night. But there is time in the future to address those things – the planets will be aligned again in 2080. In some cases, needs and priorities have changed and 2020 provided the backdrop to reveal what is most important. No matter how crazy 2020 was, the reality of it all provided one thing for sure – I wasn't bored.
