- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Congratulations to UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal, the recipient of the Academic Senate's highly competitive 2024 Distinguished Faculty Research Award.
That makes three. Good things come in threes.
Leal is the first UC Davis faculty member to win all three of the Academic Senate's most coveted awards: in research, teaching, and public service. In 2020, the Academic Senate awarded him the Distinguished Teaching Award for Undergraduate Teaching, and in 2022 Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award.
Leal, a member of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology since 2013 and former professor and chair of the Department of Entomology, commented: "Faculty at land-grant universities, like the University of California, have three hats labeled Teaching, Service, and Research. A significant challenge is to budget time to wear them equally and avoid the temptation to emphasize one part of the job over others. It is gratifying to be recognized by my peers as excelling in all areas. The Academic Senate Faculty Distinguished Research Award is particularly humbling because more than 3000 eligible faculty excel in all research areas on this campus. Why me? Because of my students, postdoctoral scholars, visiting scholars, collaborators, and colleagues. They deserve most of the credit for this honor. I accept it on their behalf. It is a team effort, like in a honey bee colony.”
"Walter is truly a renaissance man," wrote Hammock. "He chaired our entomology department from 2006 to 2008, and under his tenure, our department was ranked No. 1 in the country. I've long admired (1) his rigorous fundamental research programs supported by National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture, and other agencies, (2) how he tackles and solves multiple challenging problems in insect olfaction and chemical ecology, (3) his grasp of how to organize and moderate highly successful worldwide research webinars (4) his generosity in helping other succeed and (4) his finely honed sense of humor."
“Walter has been exceptionally conscientious, active, and generous in professional service at UC Davis,” Hammock pointed out. “In August of 2021, he achieved a ‘first' for international science communication when he organized and led the extraordinary virtual conference ‘Insect Olfaction and Taste in 24 Hours Around the Globe.' I especially applaud him for elucidating the mode of action of the insect repellent DEET, developed in 1946 and known as ‘the gold standard of
repellents.' Its mode of action remained an enigma for six decades until Walter's discovery. Inresearching the neurons in mosquito antennae sensitive to DEET, he isolated the first DEET-sensitive odorant receptor, paving the way for the development of better repellents.”
Leal is a newly elected trustee of the Royal Entomological Society, the 13-member council that governs the 190-year-old international organization. He is the first UC Davis scientist to be elected a trustee. And he's chair of the Council of the International Congresses of Entomology, the body that ensures the continuity of the international congresses of entomology. He co-chaired the 2016 International Congress of Entomology, which drew 6,682 registrants from 102 countries to Orlando, Fla.
Among Leal's many honors: Fellow of the Entomological Society of America (2009), American Association for the Advancement of Science (2005), and the National Academy of Inventors (2019).
A native of Brazil, Leal joined the UC Davis entomology faculty in 2000, after serving as the head of the Laboratory of Chemical Prospecting, National Institute of Sericultural and Entomological Science (NISES), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Japan. In 2013, he accepted a position as professor of biochemistry, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. (See news story)
Frankly, we don't know how Leal does it all. He not only excels at research, teaching and public service, but he is widely known as "The UC Davis Ambassador," organizing campus-wide celebrations for faculty transitioning to emeriti.
As an aside, two UC Davis entomology faculty members scored two, but not three, of the Academic Senate's coveted awards. Bruce Hammock received the Distinguished Faculty Research Award in 2001, and the Distinguished Teaching Award (graduate student/professional category) in 2008. UC distinguished professor of entomology, James R. Carey, took home the Academic Senate's Distinguished Teaching Award (undergraduate student category) in 2014 and the Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award in 2015.
Six other entomology faculty members have received Academic Senate awards:
- UC Davis distinguished professor Jay Rosenheim, Distinguished Teaching Award (undergraduate student category) in 2011
- UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey (now emerita), Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award in 2016
- UC Davis distinguished professor Frank Zalom, Distinguished Scholarly Public Service in 2017
- UC Davis professor and now department chair Joanna Chiu, Distinguished Teaching Award (graduate/professional category) in 2022
- UC Davis distinguished professor Diane Ullman, Distinguished Teaching Award (undergraduate category) in 2022
And the latest to join the winner's circle: Professor Louie Yang won the Distinguished Teaching Award (undergraduate category), announced today. More on this amazing teacher and mentor is pending.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Seven members of the Senate and seven members of the Federation won awards for their teaching, research or public service. The ceremony took place in the International House.
Provost Mary Croughan, in her welcoming address, praised the 14 recipients for their excellent work, and also thanked the entire faculty workforce for their research, teaching and public service commitments during the two-year pandemic. Richard Tucker, chair of the Academic Senate, presented the Senate's awards and Martin Smith, chair of the Academic Federation, handed out the Federation's awards.
- Professor Diane Ullman, former chair of the Department of Entomology (now the Department of Entomology and Nematology) won one of the Academic Senate's three Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Awards. She was nominated by UC Davis Distinguished Professor Jay Rosenheim.
- Professor Joanna Chiu, vice chair of the department, received one of the three Distinguished Teaching Awards, Graduate/Professional category, from the Academic Senate. She was nominated by medical entomologist-geneticist and assistant professor Geoffrey Attardo.
- UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal won the 2022 Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award from the Academic Senate for his series of webinars educating the public about COVID-19. He was nominated by UC Davis distinguished professor Bruce Hammock, who holds a joint appointment with the Department of Entomology and Nematology and the Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Professor Diane Ullman
Professor Ullman, an entomologist and an artist, joined the UC Davis faculty in 1995 after serving as an associate professor of entomology at the University of Hawaii.
Wrote one student: "My experience in her course last spring was one that lifted my spirits, enriched my education and strengthened my love for art and science during a time when it was difficult to feel positive about anything.”
Rosenheim noted that Ullman's commitment to mentorship motivated her to "create a nationwide mentorship program as part of a $3.75 million grant from the USDA, for which she was the lead principal investigator, to give undergraduate students a closely mentored opportunity to conduct individual research projects. This program (Vector Pathogen Educational Network or VPEN) trained 28 postdoctoral researchers and graduate students to be mentors, and then paired each with an undergraduate student researcher mentee."
Rosenheim described the Ullman-created entomology class, ENT 001, "Art, Science and the World of Insects," as "a unique and creative course to bring together art and science. The class includes two hours of lecture each week plus a single three-hour “labudio” – i.e., a combination of a science laboratory and an art studio. The lectures cover the biology and ecology of insects, including their interactions with humans and their importance in human culture."
Undergraduate entomology student Kyle Elshoff, Class of 2024, related that Professor Ullman is "one of the best instructors" he's ever had. "She has a love and passion for both art and science that is infectious and inspires further discussion and exploration by students outside of class."
Ullman received a bachelor of science degree in horticulture from the University of Arizona and her doctorate in entomology from UC Davis in 1985. Her credentials include: chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, 2004-2005; associate dean for undergraduate academic programs for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, 2005 to 2014; and co-founder and co-director of the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, launched in September 2006. A Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2014) and the Entomological Society of America (2011), Ullman was named the 2014 recipient of the ESA National Excellence in Teaching Award.
Professor Joanna Chiu
Nominator Geoffrey Attardo, a co-instructor and a guest lecturer in some of her classes, wrote: "Joanna is skilled at communicating complex/abstract topics. She has a clear and concise manner of delivering information which is essential when dealing with aspects of molecular biology/genetics/biochemistry. This is especially so for students with little to no background in these fields. The nature of these topics requires students to internalize the information and visualize abstract interactions invisible to the naked eye. I have observed (and in fact taken classes myself) where this type of information is presented in a dense and impenetrable lecture format with little to no interaction between the professor and the students."
Graduate students Erin Taylor Kelly, Lindsey Mack, Christine Tabuloc and Yao Cai, and alumnus Kelly Hamby (now an associate professor/Extension specialist, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland) all praised her commitment to students and her ability to stimulate questions and acquire skills.
Wrote Hamby: "Her office is always open to students, whether they are visiting high school students, undergraduates, or graduate students, her own students or someone else's. She carefully guides students throughout their experiments, directly providing technical training—side by side at the bench—while developing their critical thinking and communication skills. Joanna not only imparts excellent analytic and laboratory molecular skills to her students, but also commits to providing ongoing professional advice and development."
Professor Chiu is the co-administrator of the campuswide Research Scholars in Insect Biology, which aims to provide undergraduates with a closely mentored research experience in biology. A 2019-23 Chancellor's Fellow, she received the 2019 Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology Award from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America. She holds a bachelor's degree in biology and music from Mount Holyoke College, Mass., and a doctorate in molecular genetics from New York University. She served as a postdoctoral fellow in chronobiology--molecular genetics and biochemistry--at the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.
UC Davis Distinguished Professor Walter Leal
“On March 22 came the first reported death from COVID in Yolo County,” wrote Hammock. “On April 23, Distinguished Professor Walter Leal, as a timely service to the UC Davis community and the general public, organized and moderated the first of his COVID-19 symposiums. What Dr. Leal did, and did so well in the throes of the raging pandemic, was to help the UC Davis community and the general public understand a disease that would go on to claim the lives of nearly 800,000 Americans. Two weeks prior to each symposium, he worked daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., reading the scientific literature, interviewing experts, lining up the speakers; gathering relevant questions from the public, and generally, taking care of all the logistics."
The webinars drew scores of comments. “You are my heroes,” wrote one viewer. “This (the symposium) gave me a sense of hope and calmed my anxiety like nothing else. Part of what has been so hard is all the disinformation and complete lies and contradictions that are happening daily. To hear people, real doctors and scientists who are knowledgeable talk about what is going on and why is so appreciated! I learned so much; wish you were the ones leading [our] government through this! Having a family zoom tonight to relay the info! I (offer) much gratitude to UC Davis! My husband says ditto.”
“Few are aware that Dr. Leal interrupted his sabbatical leave to complete his mission,” Hammock pointed out. “Personally, this was not unusual. Having known Dr. Leal for more than two decades, I am fully aware of how altruistic and dedicated he is. He firmly believes that a primary mission of a land-grant university is to serve the public.”
A native of Brazil and fluent in three languages, Leal was educated in Brazil, Japan and the United States, pursuing the scientific fields of chemical engineering, agricultural chemistry, applied biochemistry, entomology and chemical ecology. After serving in a leadership capacity in Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries for five years, he joined the Department of Entomology faculty in 2000. Leal chaired the department from 2002 to 2013 before accepting an appointment as a professor of biochemistry with the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Widely recognized for his research, teaching and mentorships, Leal is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, American Association for the Advancement of Science, California Academy of Sciences, Royal Entomological Society and the Entomological Society of America (ESA). The UC Davis Academic Senate named him the recipient of its 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award for Undergraduate Teaching, and the Pacific Branch of ESA presented him with its 2020 Award of Excellence in Teaching. Leal was recently selected the 2022 recipient of the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) Faculty Teaching Award. The Leal lab also won the 2020 Lab Safety Award for exceptional safety culture, signed by UC Davis Chancellor Gary May and Eric Kvigne, associate vice chancellor, Safety Services.
Faculty Distinguished Research Award. The Academic Senate's 2022 Faculty Distinguished Research Award went to UC Davis Distinguished Professor Pamela Ronald of the Department of Plant Pathology for her work in infectious disease biology and environmental stress tolerance in plants. "Professor Ronald has made discoveries that have informed our understanding of plant immune systems and have positively affected the lives and livelihoods of millions worldwide," according to a UC Davis Dateline news story. "Her work is highly recognized, having earned several national and international honors. Notably, her studies on rice — particularly on strains resistant to flooding--have helped to identify and develop more robust, tolerant varieties given our changing global climate. Her studies have also explored thenature of disease resistance in specific strains to counter diseases that had previously devastated production. Moreover, Professor Ronald's efforts to educate the public, particularly on the role of biotechnology in agriculture and to address concerns about genetically modified crops, are recommendable."
James H. Meyer Distinguished Achievement Award. Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist Thomas Harter of the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources won the Academic Federation's highest honor, the James H. Meyer Distinguished Achievement Award, given in recognition of the recipient's record in research, teaching and/or public service.
See UC Davis News website for capsule information on all 14 recipients.
/span>How to Apply - Updates
Originally, we planned to accept electronic applications only. Since then, technical difficulties have occurred (and continue to occur) on our website. We apologize for the inconvenience, and are now accepting application multiple ways:
- Pick up an application at our office.
- Download the fillable PDF. Type in your information.
- Download the PDF and print. Fill it out (please do not use cursive writing).
- Apply online https://ucanr.edu/sites/stancountymg/Become_a_UCCE_MG/
Due Date - August 31, 2021*
- Send your application to UCCE Master Gardeners, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Ste A, Modesto, CA 95358.
- Drop applications to our our address above. We are located in the Stanislaus Building.
- Scan and email to ucmgstanisaus@ucanr.edu
*late applications will be put on a wait list. You must be a Stanislaus County resident to apply. For other county programs, visit http://mg.ucanr.edu/FindUs/
/h3>/h3>
- Author: Ben Faber
Spanish-language Ag Field Supervisor Courses Available at Ventura College
Applications are now being accepted for Ventura College's Agriculture Supervisor Development Program. The 12-week program consists of Spanish-language Level I and Level II courses designed to help potential front-line supervisors develop the skills to effectively lead, communicate and manage field workers while ensuring regulatory standards are met.
The Level I course is for those new to the program; the Level II course is for those who have completed the first course. The courses are designed for Spanish speakers who are learning English. All lessons will be delivered in Spanish and will include weekly English practice. Students are expected to attend all sessions, as well as the graduation celebration where students will receive a certificate of completion.
Applications to the program are now being accepted for the November 1 – February 12 session. Classes meet each Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m (Level I) or 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Level II). Courses will be held at Ventura College, Day Road Center, 71 Day Road, Ventura, CA, 93003
/h1>- Author: Gayle Nelson
Article by Iris Craig, UC Master Gardener of Napa County, Class of 2016.
Napa has a well-kept secret: the demonstration garden at Connolly Ranch maintained by the U.C. Master Gardeners of Napa County. Master Gardener volunteers are there almost every Thursday morning pulling weeds, trimming plants and caring for the succulent and container gardens. The camaraderie among the volunteer gardeners and Connolly Ranch staff is delightful and keeps us coming back.
This is a teaching garden, designed to showcase research-based gardening practices and provide a place for the public to learn. The Napa County Master Gardeners inspired by similar gardens in Fresno County and Santa Clara County, began looking for a suitable site in 2000. It needed to be of adequate size with water, parking and accessibility, and of course it had to be affordable.
At the time, Connolly Ranch was being managed by the Land Trust of Napa County. Connolly Ranch and Master Gardeners have a similar mission, focused on education and connecting local people to the environment. Master Gardeners focus on adult gardeners' education, while Connolly Ranch aims to connect kids and their families to nature. We were offered a sloping site in the Ranch adjacent to the garden area.
In the summer of 2002, we began preparing the site for the future demonstration garden. Cleanup was the first task: hand-pulling weeds and hauling away years of accumulated debris. A tractor leveled the site and then created terraces. Master Gardener volunteers built a retaining wall and raised beds. We later added a shaded teaching and meeting location and a kiosk for posting information about the garden and upcoming events.
Master Gardeners and local businesses, including Van Winden's Garden Center in Napa and Mid City Nursery in American Canyon, donated plants and trees. A non-working fountain was repurposed as a succulent garden, and old tires were made into planters.
With enthusiasm, creativity and hard work, Master Gardeners made the many improvements that you see today. We constructed two storage sheds and a covered patio with benches and tables as well as a bulletin board built with the help of some Eagle Scouts.
We have designed and planted a bird, bee and hummingbird garden; a fire-wise garden; a succulent garden; a butterfly garden; an herb garden; a Mediterranean garden; and seasonal and container vegetable gardens. There are espaliered fruit trees and a rose garden. The roses are trained high to foil deer.
Each season, volunteers conduct field tests of vegetables and flowers to determine which varieties grow best in Napa County. Their progress is documented and made available through the Master Gardeners of Napa County website and publications. Last year, we planted corn, squash and beans by the Iroquois method. The Iroquois determined that this trio, which they called “the three sisters,” helped each other thrive. The beans feed the soil and climb up the corn stalks, while the large squash leaves shade the ground and keep weeds under control. Produce from the garden is donated to the Napa Food Bank.
The demonstration garden provides training for Master Gardeners on topics such as how to build and maintain a composting worm bin, how to espalier fruit trees and how to identify weeds. The Master Gardeners are often on hand during public events at Connolly Ranch to answer questions about gardening and provide educational garden activities for the whole family.
Master Gardeners volunteer more than 900 hours yearly in their garden to keep the it looking great and to educate the public.
The demonstration garden as part of Connolly Ranch is open to the public on the first Wednesday of every month and for special Connolly Ranch events throughout the year. See the Connolly Ranch website for details on days and times at http://connollyranch.org Connolly Ranch is located at 3141 Browns Valley Road in Napa. The parking access is off Thompson Ave. To get the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden inside the Ranch, from the parking lot walk past the greenhouse, the Beckstoffer chicken house and the big barn all on your left. Then enter the garden gate to the children's garden area and veer to the left down the path. You will see the entrance to the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden area.
Right before you enter, look to the right to see a California native plant garden dedicated to one of our members, and the hillside of white Matilija poppies, take a deep breath and enjoy the scents, then walk through the gate to our little Eden.
Workshop: U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will host a workshop on “Rose Pruning” on Saturday, January 7, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, at University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Certified Rosarian Lynne Andresen and other Master Gardener rose enthusiasts will demonstrate and explain proper pruning techniques and review rose types, common rose disorders and routine maintenance. Online registration (credit card only); Mail-in registration (check only or drop off cash payment).
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.