- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Admission and parking are free, but visitors must adhere to the COVID-19 Campus Ready guidelines. Masks will be required in accordance with campus policies, organizers said. (See news story)
It's a science-based event featuring scores of exhibits and it's an opportunity for visitors to chat with the scientists. Eleven UC Davis museums and collections will showcase their displays, ranging from stick insects to hawks to yeast cultures:
- Arboretum and Public Garden
- Bee Haven
- Bohart Museum of Entomology
- Botanical Conservatory
- California Raptor Center
- Center for Plant Diversity
- Department of Anthropology Museum
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology
- Nematode Collection
- Paleontology Collection
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection
In addition to the central exposition, several side tours are planned. Destinations: Bohart Museum of Entomology, Bee Garden, Botanical Conservatory and the Yeast Culture Collection. The newest addition?
The Texas Tree Trials project is an exciting one. In the face of climate change, what trees should we plant in the Sacramento Valley region that could might do better in our triple-digit temperatures and ensuing drought? What trees are the most resilient?
As Urban Tree Stewardship interns Akanksha Pabari and Karla Tapia of Learning by Leading write on the Arboretum website: "As climate change becomes a more urgent issue and global temperatures continue to rise, 58% of our current urban tree species are predicted to be to be unsuitable for the projected 2100 climate in the Sacramento Valley region (McBride & Lacán, 20181). To prepare for this monumental loss, the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden is working hard to establish a more resilient and climate-adapted tree canopy. With support from the Saratoga Horticultural Research Endowment, the Texas Tree Trials will provide the long-term research needed to adapt by testing the drought and heat tolerance of 40 new and underutilized tree species from west and central Texas. The knowledge and selections from these field trials will help the Sacramento Valley region diversify its urban forest to ensure its resilience in a changing world."
The team collected seeds from west and central Texas, referencing climate models.
Some of the trees are virtual "food banks" for insects.
"Many of the trees are keystone oaks that support tons of insects," Davis related. "There are also some flowering trees like Mexican buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) and mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) that are amazing for pollinators." Check out the full list here.
The mesquite tree, for example, attracts honey bees and native bees that forage for nectar and pollen. It's also the host plan for several species of butterflies.
"Through this research, the Arboretum and Public Garden hopes to expand the availability of promising, climate-adapted, and resilient trees to ensure that our beautiful and vibrant tree canopy continues to flourish," the Pabari-Tapla team wrote. "So next time you visit the Arboretum and Public Garden, be sure to stop by and enjoy the new planting site with all of the novel trees that will hopefully shade us for generations to come."
In the meantime, get out those walking shoes for the March 6th Texas Tree Trials Tour (TTTT)!
And if you'd like to help support the Biodiversity Museum Day Crowdfund, which ends at 12:50 p.m., Feb. 18, you can access the project at https://bit.ly/3HPhSaA. Donors can be anonymous in name or contribution, or can donate in honor of or in memory of someone. Contributions from $5 on up are welcome, said the two project managers Tabatha Yang, education and public outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology, and Rachel Davis. The goal is $5000.
"Donations will not only help us sustain the free, in-person event, it will enable our student interns to take science outreach to a whole new level," they said. "The goal of our event is to connect people from all walks of life to science and the biodiversity surrounding them. All donors will be recognized on the Biodiversity Museum Day social media accounts with a shout-out post."
The UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is traditionally held on the Saturday of Presidents' Day weekend. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year's event was virtual, and this year's event is centrally located in the Conference Center. For more information, access the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day website and/or connect with Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is planned for Sunday, March 6, 2022. This is the 11th year of this free, science-focused event. It was initially scheduled for Feb 20, but was changed due to concerns about the Omicron COVID-19 surge and making the event accessible to undergraduates.
It will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the UC Davis Conference Center, 550 Alumni Lane, with special access "field trips" to places like the Department of Entomology and Nematology's Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee garden on Bee Biology Road.
COVID-19 pandemic precautions kept the 2021 event virtual (traditionally it's scheduled for Presidents' Day Weekend) but in 2022 it will be in person. And, of course, state, county and university safety guidelines will be closely followed. "Currently those are UC Davis-symptom survey approval, masks, and either a vaccine card or a negative test from the prior 72 hours," says coordinator Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology. "We will have people checking at the front doors. UC Davis requires a safety plan for an indoor event for over 100 people and so we are developing that and will be working with event conference center staff to ensure we are following all the guidelines. We are excited to try in person this year after our 100 percent virtual event last year, but we want to be smart and safe about it for us as well as for visitors."
In the past, participants enjoyed visiting these collections in person:
- Anthropology Museum
- Arboretum and Public Garden
- Bohart Museum of Entomology
- Botanical Conservatory
- California Raptor Center
- Center for Plant Diversity
- Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven
- Nematode Collection
- Marine Invertebrate Collection
- Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology
- Paleontology Collection
- Phaff Yeast Culture Collection
- Viticulture and Enology Collection
Stay tuned for which collections will be featured at the 2022 event in the UC Davis Conference Center, and what special- access field trips are planned. The committee is working out the details at its Zoom meetings. For up-to-date information, visit the the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day and follow on Twitter and Facebook.
Just be sure to clear your calendar for Sunday, March 6, 2022. The 11th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is happening.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Registration for the seventh annual International Pollinator Conference, billed Wednesday, July 17 through Saturday, July 20 in the UC Davis Conference Center, is now underway.
You can register online on the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center site.
At the conference, chaired by pollination ecologist/professor Neal M. Williams and Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño, both of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, you can learn of recent research advances in the biology and health of pollinators.
The conference, themed “Multidimensional Solutions to Current and Future Threats to Pollinator Health,” will cover a wide range of topics in pollinator research: from genomics to ecology and their application to land use and management; to breeding of managed bees; and to monitoring of global pollinator populations. Topics discussed will include recent research advances in the biology and health of pollinators, and their policy implications.
Keynote speakers are Christina Grozinger, distinguished professor of entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research, Pennsylvania State University, (the research center launched the annual pollinator conferences in 2012) and Lynn Dicks, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, England.
Grozinger studies health and social behavior in bees and is developing comprehensive approaches to improving pollinator health and reduce declines. Lynn Dicks, an internationally respected scientist, studies bee ecology and conservation. She received the 2017 John Spedan Lewis Medal for contributions to insect conservation.
Other speakers include:
- Claudio Gratton, professor, Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Quinn McFrederick, assistant professor, Department of Entomology, UC Riverside
- Scott McArt, assistant professor, Department of Entomology, Cornell University
- Maj Rundlöf, International Career Grant Fellow, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sweden
- Juliette Osborne, professor and chair, Applied Ecology, University of Exeter, England
- Maggie Douglas, assistant professor, Environmental Studies, Dickinson College
The UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, directed by Amina Harris, is playing a major role in the international conference. Events manager Elizabeth Luu is the conference coordinator.
Early-bee registration: $350 (general) and $175 (student discount). After May 15, 2019, registration is $450 (general), $250 (student). For more information, check the website, https://honey.ucdavis.edu/events/2019-international-pollinator-conference.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Except for a little liquid sunshine.
Unexpected rain, however, won't deter beekeepers, bee scientists and other bee enthusiasts from gathering in the UC Davis Conference Center on Alumni Drive at 8:30 a.m. for the all-day conference. They'll wear their rain gear and wield their umbrellas.
One thing, however, has changed. the outdoor reception planned for the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road, west of the central campus, has been moved indoors to the Sensory Building, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science on Old Davis Road.
Keynote speaker is noted bee scientist/professor/author Tom Seeley of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., who will speak on "Darwinian Beekeeping."
The event is sponsored by the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science, and the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
The daylong event "is designed for beekeepers of all experience levels, including gardeners, farmers and anyone interested in the world of pollination and bees," said Amina Harris, director of the Honey and Pollination Center. "In addition to our speakers, there will be lobby displays featuring graduate student research posters, the latest in beekeeping equipment, books, honey, plants, and much more."
As of today (March 1), 25 more attendees can be accommodated.
The conference begins with registration and a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m., with welcomes and introductions at 9 a.m., by Amina Harris and Neal Williams, UC Davis professor of entomology and faculty co-director of the center. Seeley's keynote address at 9:15 a.m. follows.
10:15 a.m. The Evolution and Chemical Ecology of Orchid Bees
Santiago Ramírez, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Evolution and Ecology
10:45 a.m. Break
Graduate student posters available for viewing
11 a.m. Understanding the Nuances of Honey: An Educational Tasting
Amina Harris, director, Honey and Pollination Center, Robert Mondavi Institute of Wine and Food Science, UC Davis
12 Noon. Master Beekeeper Program
Honoring the Apprentice Level Master Beekeepers—Pin Ceremony
Elina Lastro Niño, Extension Apiculturist, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology
Bernardo Niño, staff research associate, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology
12:30 p.m. Lunch
Graduate student poster presentations
Educational exhibits
2 p.m. An Update from Project Apis m
Danielle Downey, executive director, Project Apis m
2:45 p.m. Designing Bee-Friendly Gardens
Kate Frey of Hopland, Calif., ecological garden designer, consultant and columnist, and co-author of The Bee-Friendly Garden (with Gretchen LeBuhn, professor of biology, San Francisco State University). The book won the American Horticultural Society 2017 Book Award.
3:30 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. Lightning Round
4 to 6-minute presentations about many different programs in the world of beekeeping followed by a question and answer session
4:30 p.m. Winners of the Graduate Student Poster Competition Announced
4:45 p.m. Close
Reception in the Sensory Building, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, Old Davis Road
To register for one of the 25 spots available, just access the Honey and Pollination Center website. For more information, contact Amina Harris at aharris@ucdavis.edu or Liz Luu at luu@caes.ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Things are buzzing over at the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Science on the University of California, Davis campus.
The RMI folks are gearing up for the big Honey! event, set for 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 21 in the UC Davis Conference Center.
It's not every day that there's an all-day event about honey. Clare Hasler-Lewis, executive director of RMI and executive assistant Kim Bannister promise a "sweet" event--"too sweet not to miss."
Yes, there will be talks about honey and bees, a honey-themed lunch, honey tasting and a honey taste-off. To add to the sweetness: Gimbal's Fine Candies of San Francisco is donating individual-sized packets of Honey Lovers, its popular candy made with honey. This company generously donates 5 percent of the proceeds from the sale of Honey Lovers for UC Davis bee research (Department of Entomology).
And, then there's the sweet harmony of the Honeybee Trio, comprised of three teenagers from Vacaville. They'll sing "Sugartime," and...cross your fingers...they may come up with a version of Jimmie Rodgers' "Honeycomb."
Meanwhile the "bee guys"--Eric Mussen, Brian Johnson and Norm Gary--are polishing their speeches as are the other speakers, Louis Grivetti and Liz Applegate, all UC Davis faculty or former faculty.
Beekeeper Brian Fishback of Wilton will bring in two bee observation hives. Other displays include a beekeeping exhibit from the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility and bee specimens from the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
Check out the Honey! agenda on the RMI website. You can reserve your space there or contact Kim Bannister at kbannister@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-5171.