- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The 14th annual Bruce Hammock Lab Water Balloon Battle that took place on the Briggs Hall lawn, University of California, Davis, amounted to “fifteen minutes of aim” as academics and their families gleefully tossed 2000 balloons in 15 minutes as the temperature soared into the 90s.
When the water warriors depleted their supply, they drenched their fellow warriors with excess water from the buckets and other containers.
Bruce Hammock, UC Davis distinguished professor who holds a joint appointment with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and the Comprehensive Cancer Center, managed to drench colleague Aldrin Gomes, associate professor of neurobiology, physiology and behavior, in a one-on-one soakfest.
“That was me losing Aldrin's friendship,” Hammock quipped of his four-year friendship. Hammock's office is headquartered on the ground or “garden” level of Briggs, and Gomes, on the first floor.
“Aldrin is one of our UC Davis star scientists,” Hammock said. “He works on heart failure and heart mitochondria. He's a very good guy. He has just been funded as part of the UC Davis Superfund Program (which Hammock directs).”
The water balloon battle usually draws some 50 fun/camaraderie seekers, including professors, researchers, graduate students, staff, students and family members. Hammock lab researcher Christophe Morisseau, who coordinates the traditional event, said participants first fill the water balloons near the Briggs loading dock, or “they BYOB” (bring your own balloons).
The thirsty Briggs Hall lawn benefits as do the fun seekers. The participants pick up the balloon remnants before returning to work.
The international Hammock lab and office includes personnel from Canada, Ukraine, France, China, Sweden, Japan, Germany, Korea, Uruguay and the Netherlands, besides the United States. They are post docs, researchers, graduate students, visiting scholars, visiting graduate students, visiting summer students, short-term visiting scholars and student interns.
Highly honored by his peers (but a target at the annual water balloon battle), Hammock is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, which honors academic invention and encourages translations of inventions to benefit society. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the Entomological Society of America, and the recipient of the Bernard B. Brodie Award in Drug Metabolism, sponsored by the America Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. He directs the campuswide Superfund Research Program, National Institutes of Health Biotechnology Training Program, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Combined Analytical Laboratory.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Water warriors Bruce Hammock, distinguished professor of entomology with a joint appointment with the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, and research scientist Christophe Morisseau of the Hammock lab proved to be “The Splash Brothers,” much like basketball superstars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.
But they did it with water balloons, not with a basketball.
It was all part of the 13th annual Hammock Lab Water Balloon Battle, dubbed “Balloon Battle at Briggs” last Friday afternoon. The 40 participants, including professors, researchers, graduate students, staff, students and family members, tossed 3000 water balloons in 15 minutes on the thirsty Briggs Hall lawn, as the temperature soared to 97 degrees. As the supply dwindled, they dumped the remaining water from the buckets on each other.
A highlight: “Splash Sister” Alifia Merchant of the Hammock lab, who just received her master's degree in agriculture and environmental chemistry, managed to sneak up on Hammock and drench him.
Hammock launched the annual event in 2003 as a form of camaraderie and as a means of rewarding the lab members for their hard work. The international Hammock lab includes 7 researchers, 9 postdoctorates, 3 graduate students, 10 visiting scholars, 3 staff and 1 undergrad. They represent Barbados, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Ukraine and Uruguay.
When UC Davis police officer Stephen Jerguson passed by on foot, he was invited to join in on the fun. Seven-year-old Jasmine Morisseau, daughter of Christophe Morisseau, handed him a water balloon for safe-keeping as he watched the fun-in-the-sun event from the sidelines. At the end of the battle, he handed it back to her. He then joined the group in cleaning up the balloon remnants.
Hammock, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, directs the campuswide Superfund Research and Training Program, an interdisciplinary program funded by the National Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIEHS) that has brought in almost $60 million to the UC Davis campus. The Hammock lab is also the home of the National Institutes of Health Training Grant in Biomolecular Technology. The lab alumni, totaling more than 100 graduates, hold positions of distinction in academia, industry and government as well as more than 300 postdoctorates.
The “Balloon Battle at Briggs” was canceled last year due to the severity of the California drought.
In 2014, the water warriors took drought-conservation precautions as they did this year.
“We devised a filling station out of drip line and valves so we could fill the balloons outside and also turn off the water when not in use,” said Hammock lab program manager Cindy McReynolds. “Water conservation was a big topic surrounding the (2014) event, so we also used it as an opportunity to discuss ways we have changed our daily routines to conserve water."
As an extra bonus, the annual battle provides a little water for the thirsty Briggs Hall lawn, which is used by campus wildlife, including ducks, turkeys, squirrels, birds, butterflies and bees.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
That's about all it takes to toss 2000 water balloons.
The annual event, coordinated by researcher Christophe Morisseau of the Hammock lab, begins at 3 p.m., Friday, July 22 on the north lawn of Briggs Hall, Kleiber Hall Drive.
Tabbed the alliterative "Bruce's Big Battle at Briggs," the water balloon battle draws professors, researchers, visiting scientists, postdoctoral scholars, graduate students and undergraduate students and their friends and families in showcasing what the internationally known Hammock lab does for camaraderie and fun.
Temperatures are expected to reach 97 degrees.
Hammock, a distinguished professor of entomology who holds a joint appointment with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, launched the water balloon fest in 2003 as a way to build camaraderie and gain relief from the heat.
A member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, he directs the campuswide Superfund Research and Training Program, an interdisciplinary program funded by the National Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIEHS) that has brought in almost $60 million to the UC Davis campus. The Hammock lab is also the home of the National Institutes of Health Training Grant in Biomolecular Technology. The lab alumni, totaling more than 100 graduates, hold positions of distinction in academia, industry and government as well as more than 300 postdoctorates.
Balloon filling starts at 1:15 in Room 82 of Briggs Hall. All are invited to participate, but "no filling/no throwing," Morisseau said. Many are expected to watch.
The event was canceled last year due to the severity of the drought.
In 2014, the water warriors took drought-conservation precautions.
“We did try filling the balloons differently this year to conserve water,” Hammock lab program manager Cindy McReynolds said that year. “We devised a filling station out of drip line and valves so we could fill the balloons outside and also turn off the water when not in use. Water conservation was a big topic surrounding the event, so we also used it as an opportunity to discuss ways we have changed our daily routines to conserve water."
As an extra bonus, the annual battle provides a little water for the thirsty Briggs Hall lawn, which is used by campus wildlife, including ducks, turkeys, squirrels, birds, butterflies and bees.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Bruce's Big Battle at Briggs, which draws professors, researchers, visiting scientists, postdoctoral scholars, graduate students and undergraduate students and their friends and families, showcases what the internationally known Hammock lab does for camaraderie and fun.
The event amounts to a 10-minute break from their 52 weeks of scientific work.
The water warriors are so proficient that the event actually spans about 8 to 9 minutes, said organizer Christophe Morisseau, associate research scientist.
Hammock, a distinguished professor of entomology who holds a joint appointment with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, launched the water balloon fest in 2003 as a way to build camaraderie and gain relief from the heat. Temperatures soared to 98 degrees on Thursday, July 24, the afternoon of the battle.
For the occasion, the water warriors first filled 2000 small water balloons on the Briggs Hall lawn.
“We did try filling the balloons differently this year to conserve water,” said Hammock lab program manager Cindy McReynolds. “We devised a filling station out of drip line and valves so we could fill the balloons outside and also turn off the water when not in use.”
Thirty-nine people comprise the Hammock lab: 11 postdoctoral fellows, 8 research staff, 7 visiting scholars, 4 graduate students, 4 undergraduates, 4 staff and one part-time student assistant.
The Hammock lab has always enjoyed an international presence. Of the researchers this year, 8 are from China, 3 from France, 2 from Hong Kong, 2 from the Ukraine, and 1 each from India, Japan and Canada.
“They caught on quickly,' said Louisa Suet Yi Lo, administrative assistant. “It didn't take long for them to warm up and they really enjoyed dousing each other, especially the big boss, Bruce Hammock.”
"It was great seeing everyone relaxing and having so much fun," said Grace Bedoian of the administrative staff who will be retiring July 30. "They work hard and they play hard.”
Hammock, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the Entomological Society of America, directs the campuswide Superfund Research Program, National Institutes of Health Biotechnology Training Program, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Combined Analytical Laboratory.
As an extra bonus, the annual battle provides a little water for the thirsty Briggs Hall lawn, which is used by campus wildlife, including ducks, turkeys, squirrels, birds, butterflies and bees.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Then duck.
In the end, it was a game of numbers. The 44 water warriors participating in the Bruce Hammock lab’s 11th annual water balloon battle at the University of California, Davis tossed 2000 water-filled balloons in 10 minutes.
And, they did so in triple-digit temperatures.
Bruce Hammock, a distinguished professor of entomology who has a joint appointment with the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, launched the water balloon fest in 2003 as a way to build camaraderie and gain relief from the heat. The water warriors usually toss all the balloons within 15 minutes, a feat known as "15 Minutes of Aim!"
At this year's event, held Friday, July 12, Hammock did not participate due to a meeting that lasted longer than he anticipated.
Not to worry. Administrative assistant Louisa SuetYi Lo, Photoshopped him in the group photo.
The Hammock lab has the technique down pat, said Lo, who participated in her second balloon battle. The participants fill the water balloons in the lab and then place them in a bucket half-filled with water, a technique to prevent them from popping. When throwing them, they give them a light, quick squeeze so the balloons will pop faster when they hit their target. There’s also a trick to catching them: by catching the balloon softly without popping it, it can be thrown again.
Researcher Christophe Morisseau of the Hammock lab organizes the annual event and invites the Hammock lab, members of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, other UC Davis collaborators and their families and friends.
“We didn’t see that one coming,” Lo said.
Said McReynolds: "I enjoy the progression of the event - from the camaraderie of filling the balloons, which takes a few hours--to the chaos of battle, the organized clean-up that follows, then we end the day with a picnic in a local park. It’s a great way to bring everyone together."
The Hammock lab draws scholars from all over the world. In addition to the United States, this year’s scholars are from China, Hong Kong, Korea, France, Turkey, Japan, India, the Czech Republic, Germany and Ukraine, Lo said. More are coming within the year from Italy, Brazil and Russia.
In all, the Hammock lab is comprised of 4 administrative staff, 4 graduate students, `12 postdoctoral students, 5 researchers, and 7 visiting scholars.
The Hammock lab is known for working hard and playing hard. Hammock directs the campuswide Superfund Research Program, the National Institutes of Health Biotechnology Training Program and the NIEHS Combined Analytical Laboratory. He is a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America, a member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, and the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award for Graduate and Professional Teaching in 2008 and the UC Davis Faculty Research Lecture Award in 2001.