- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The event, set Sept. 4-7 in St. Helena, Winters and Davis, is themed “Flavor, Quality and American Menus.” Both Williams and Harris will speak Thursday morning on the CIA campus at the session on “The Role of Bees in American Agriculture: From Hive Health and Honey to Sustainable Pollination.”
In his talk, Williams will cover the role of bees and pollination services in sustainable food supply, new findings about how pollination can affect fruit quality, the synergies of pollination by wild bee/honey-bee threats to bees “and what we are doing to mitigate these.”
Williams' research on pollination spans the disciplines of conservation biology, behavioral ecology and evolution. One of his primary research foci is on sustainable pollination strategies for agriculture. This work is critical given ongoing pressures facing managed honey bees and reported declines in important native pollinators such as bumble bees.
Harris has been active in the varietal honey business for more than 30 years as co-owner of Z Specialty Foods, LLC. She will discuss the establishment of the newly formed Honey and Pollination Center and will present a slide show on the goals and programs of the Center and information about honey use and consumption in the United States. The center is affiliated with the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science and the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
The four-day workshop, geared for chefs and future chefs, by invitation only, begins Wednesday, Sept. 4 at the CIA building. Opening remarks will be delivered by Michael McCarthy, chair of the UC Davis Food Science and Technology Department, and Clare Hasler-Lewis of the Robert Mondavi Institute.
Among the featured speakers are Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of food and Agriculture, and Craig McNamara, president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture and owner of Sierra Orchards. Both will address the conference on Thursday afternoon, Sept. 5.
On Friday, the group will head to Winters and UC Davis. In Winters, they will tour the Wolfskill Experimental Orchards, the Farm on Putah Creek, and the Center for Land-Based Learning, all on Putah Creek Road.
Friday’s session at UC Davis includes a tour of the RMI brewing, milk, and food processing, and winery facilities; and a sensory experience in the RMI’a Silverado Sensory Theater
Saturday’s session takes place in St. Helena on the CIA campus.
Contact:
Amy Myrdal Miller, MS, RDN, senior director of Programs and Culinary Nutrition, Strategic Initiatives, Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.
Email: a_myrdal@culinary.edu
Website: www.ciaprochef.com
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The garden, planted in the fall of 2009, is located on Bee Biology Road, next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility.
Kimsey was singled out for her work when the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America honored her and four others--"The Bee Team"--with the 2013 outstanding team award.
A Sausalito team--landscape architects Donald Sibbett and Ann F. Baker, interpretative planner Jessica Brainard and exhibit designer Chika Kurotaki--won the design competition.
The judges were Professor Kimsey; founding garden manager Missy Borel (now Missy Borel Gable), then of the Califoria Center for Urban Horticulture; David Fujino, executive director, California Center for Urban Horticulture at UC Davis; Aaron Majors, construction department manager, Cagwin & Dorward Landscape Contractors, based in Novato; Diane McIntyre, senior public relations manager, Häagen-Dazs ice cream; Heath Schenker, professor of environmental design, UC Davis; Jacob Voit, sustainability manager and construction project manager, Cagwin and Dorward Landscape Contractors; and Kathy Keatley Garvey, communications specialist, UC Davis Department of Entomology.
Others who had a key role in the founding and "look" of the garden included the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, founded and directed by the duo of entomologist/artist Diane Ullman, professor and former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, and self-described "rock artist" Donna Billick. The art in the garden is the work of their students, ranging from those in Entomology 1 class to community residents. Eagle Scout Derek Tully planned, organized and built a state-of-the-art fence around the garden.
The timeline:
Feb. 19, 2008
Häagen-Dazs Donation to UC Davis
Dec. 8, 2008
Häagen-Dazs Launches Bee Garden Design Contest
Aug. 6, 2008
Insect Virus Researcher Michelle Flenniken Named Häagen-Dazs Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Davis
Feb. 26, 2009
Sausalito Team Wins Design Competition
Aug. 6, 2009
Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven Site Preparation
Aug. 13, 2009
Bee Biology Website to Be Launched
Aug. 13, 2009
Thinking Outside the Box
Sept. 15, 2009
Campus Buzzway: Wildflowers
Dec. 15, 2009
Bee Biology Website Lauded
2010
June 6, 2010
Grand Opening Celebration of Honey Bee Garden
July 15, 2010
Art Is Where the Community Is; Blending Science with Art in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven
July 30, 2010
More Than 50 Bee Species Found in Haven: Robbin Thorp (Now there's more than 80 and counting!)
Aug. 25, 2010
Donna Billick: Miss Bee Haven
Aug. 11, 2011
What the Signs Tell Us in the UC Davis Honey Bee Garden
Aug. 24, 2011
Royal Visit to Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility
April 11, 2012
Brian Fishback: Spreading the Word about Honey Bees
Aug. 26, 2013
Eagle Scout Project: Fence Around the Bee Garden
Sept. 11 2012
A Fence to Behold
2013
April 25, 2013
UC Davis Bee Team Wins Major Award
Aug. 1, 2013
Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven Place to Be
With photo of founding volunteers
Biographies
Eric Mussen
Retired Extension apiculturist, who continues his work
Robbin Thorp
Native pollinator specialist and emeritus professor of entomology who monitors the bees in the haven
Donors
List of Donors (2009 through July 2014)
For more information on the garden or to donate, see the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven website.
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- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Agrawal, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell with a joint appointment in the Department of Entomology, will deliver the Founders’ Memorial Award lecture at the ESA’s 61st annual meeting set Nov. 10-13 in Austin, Texas.
The recipient of this annual award addresses the conferees to honor the memory and career of an outstanding entomologist. Agrawal has selected Dame Miriam Rothschild (1908-2005), best known for her work with mimicry, and a pioneer in the area of insect chemical ecology.
Agrawal researches plant-insect interactions, including aspects of herbivory, community ecology, phenotypic plasticity, chemical ecology and coevolution. Research projects include work on local biodiversity, ecology of invasive plants, the biology of Monarch butterflies, and the evolution of plant defense strategies.
From the ESA site:
"Dr. Agrawal’s research accomplishments cover the key areas of arthropod community genetics, real-time evolution of plant defense against insects, phylogenetic ecology, plant neighborhood-insect interactions, and insect colonization and induced defense. Over the course of his career to date, he has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers in high-profile journals such as PNAS, Science, and Nature, and he has edited two key books on insect ecology."
"In the relatively new area of arthropod community genetics, he has addressed natural selection on milkweed defensive traits and how plant genetic variation in these traits influences insect community structure and coexistence. In the area of real time evolution of plant defenses against insects, he has shown that the suppression of insect damage causes the evolution of decreased plant resistance and increased competitive ability. His work in the area of phylogenetic ecology uses a comparative biology approach to address problems ranging from the controls on the success of invasive species to phylogenetic signatures of coevolution. And in the area of plant neighborhood-insect interactions, his ongoing research seeks to partition the relative importance of direct, associational, and trait-mediated effects of competing plants on milkweed and its insect fauna."
Rothschild, a British natural scientist and a leading authority on fleas. authored a book on parasitism, Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos. Her father was entomologist Charles Rothschild, whose collection of fleas is in the Rothschild Collection at the British Museum.
"She is best known for her work with mimicry, and she conducted classic studies on the role of carotenoids in insect mimicry," according to information posted on the ESA website. "In addition to her work cataloging the famous Rothschild flea collection, Dame Rothschild was also a pioneer in the area of insect chemical ecology. Her work in particular on mimicry and sequestration of toxic compounds by insects was outstanding. Nature conservation was extremely important to her, and she lobbied strongly in favor of nature reserves."
Agrawal was at UC Davis in January of 2012 to deliver a seminar on "Evolutionary Ecology of Plant Defenses." His abstract: "In order to address coevolutionary interactions between milkweeds and their root feeding four-eyed beetles, I will present data on reciprocity, fitness tradeoffs, specialization and the genetics of adaptation. In addition to wonderful natural history, this work sheds light on long-standing theory about how antagonistic interactions proceed in ecological and evolutionary time."
Nearly 3,000 entomologists are expected to attend Entomology 2013. ESA, which has some 6500 members, is the world's largest organization serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. It was founded in 1889.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The free multimedia event will pay tribute to the honey bee "and the wonderful world of pollination," said cultural entomologist Emmet Brady, host of the Davis-based Insect News Network, broadcast on KDRT 95.7 FM Radio, Davis.
"The Bee-a-Thon 3 will take intelligent humans everywhere on a deep dive into the Microcosm and the wonderful symphony of pollination," Brady said.
The event will begin online with a series of videos about honey bees and other members of the Microcosm, including videos created by Brady and clips from previous Bee-a-Thons.
UC Davis will be represented by Eric Mussen, Extension apiculturist with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology; and entomologist/artist Diane Ullman and artist Donna Billick, co-founders and co-directors of the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program. Mussen, a member of the department since 1976, is world-renowned for his honey bee expertise. Ullman is the associate dean of undergraduate academic programs in the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and a professor of entomology. Billick is a self-described rock artist whose work has been shown throughout the world. She created the "Miss Bee Haven" ceramic mosaic sculpture in the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis, and the sign that graces the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility.
The schedule includes:
- a pollination fundraising luncheon, with a honey-inspired menu, from noon to 1 p.m. at Monticello Seasonal Cuisine, 630 G St. (not broadcast).
- fruit presentations from 1 to 1:30 p.m. at the Davis Food Co-Op, 620 G St.; (not broadcast)
- a live broadcast from 2 to 4 p.m. on Davis Community Television public access Channel 15
- a radio/video feed from KDRT, 95.7 FM, from 4 to 6 p.m.
- BATMAP (Bee-a-Thon Monster After Party) billed as the world’s first Pollinator Party from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Davis Media Access, 1623 Fifth St., and featuring music by Eminent Bee. Admission is free, but guests must come adorned as an insect, spider or flower.
- a lounge chat from 10 p.m. to midnight at deVere’s Irish Pub, 217 E St.
The pollination luncheon at Monticello Seasonal Cuisine, a fundraising event for Davis Media Access, will include a special honey menu prepared by the owners. Brady will be offering a special preview of his forthcoming book “The Insect Tribe: Who? What? Why?”
Brady says the art-science event is designed to ignite a community about the full story about honey bees and other pollinators — "not just the science, but the art, the anthropology, the technology and design, the pop culture."
“The interdependence we have with insects — especially bees — is profound and complex and most people are only discussing half the story," said Brady, who holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Hiram (Hiram, Ohio) College. "The key word is biocomplexity — how human behavior fits into the global ecology. It’s also about how insects inspire and amaze our society. That will all be covered on the show.”
Brady described the Bee-a-Thon as timely; Time magazine just published a cover story on “beepocalpyse.”
Noon - 1 p.m.
A pollination fundraising luncheon at the Monticello Seasonal Cuisine, 630 G St.
1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
The broadcast continues online with more videos and interviews pre-recorded for the event.
1 p.m. – 1:20
Melon Chat at Davis Food Cooperative (not broadcast). This is a special presentation about the unique connection between melons and honey bees, and the dramatic impact they had on the formation of the United States.
2 – 4 p.m.: Broadcast from the Studios of DCTV in Davis, CA
2 p.m. - Live Introduction for the Bee-a-Thon 3 and the lay-out of the event.
2:10 p.m. - Green Screen: Meet the Honey Bee
2:15 p.m.- Visit to Redwood Barn to see live bees with guest Doneice Woody-Harlan of Henry’s Bullfrog Bees with a bee observation hive
2:25 p.m. - Symbols of the Insect Tribe / BUFFER
2:40 p.m. - First musical artist - To be announced
2:45 p.m. - Interview: Patrick Adams of Blue Moon Bees and the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Yuki Kamashi, Japanese Beekeeper (pre-recorded)
2:55 p.m. - Pollinator Video: with Derek Downey of the UC Davis Bee Sanctuary, located next to the Dome Cooperative Housing (pre-recorded)
3 p.m. - Interview: Professor Ille Gebeshuber of the University of Vienna from Kuala Lampur, Malaysia (pre-recorded)
3:20 p.m. - Green Screen Video - How a Honey bees Flies
3:30 p.m. - Interview: Kim Flottum, editor of Bee Culture magazine, described as the definitive magazine for the beekeeping industry in the U.S. (pre-recorded)
3:40 p.m. Interview: Marina Marchese, founder of the American Honey Tasting Society and owner of the Red Bee Honey (Pre-recorded)
3:45 p.m. - Roving Cam: Don Shor, owner of Redwood Barn Nursery and radio host of the Davis Garden Show (live)
3:55 p.m. – Rachel Edler, designer of Bee-a-Thon graphic media and owner of Rachel Edler Designs (pre-recorded)
4:00 p.m. - KDRT, 95.7 FM – Introduction of the Insect Tribe
4:05 p.m. - Eric Mussen, Extension apiculturist and world-renowned bee expert from UC Davis (live)
4:20 p.m. - Ria de Grassi, director of federal policy, California Farm Bureau Federation (live)
4:30 p.m. - Musical Break
4:35 p.m. - Mike Somers, state director of Pesticide Watch and Pesticide Watch Education Fund (live)
4:45 p.m. - Celeste Ets-Hokin, creator of the Pollinator Gardens at Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA (live)
4:55 p.m. - Musical Break
5:00 p.m. - Eddie Dunbar, founder of the Insect Sciences Museum of California (live)
5:10 p.m.- Musician - To be announced
5:15 p.m. -Teen interview - UC Davis Bio Boot Camp youth Bjorn Bush and Jack Henderson (live)
5:25 pm -Artists Corner: Tattoo Art with Jenn Ponci and Sara Ely, co-director of the Davis Music Festival (live)
5:35 p.m. - Kamal Lemseffer, computer analyst at UC Davis (live)
5:45 p.m. Close
5:58 sign-off
6 – 7 p.m.
Broadcast continues online at www.insectnewsnetwork.com with a series of videos about honey bees and other members of the Microcosm, including videos created by host Emmet Brady.
7 – 10 p.m.
Live video stream of the BATMAP (Bee-a-Thon Monster After Party) the world’s first Pollinator Party, and featuring music by Eminent Bee. This will take place at Davis Media Access, 1623. Admission is free, but guests must come adorned as an insect, a spider or a flower. Donations are asked to support the Davis Media Access.
10 p.m. – Midnight
Lounge chat at deVere’s Irish Pub, 217 E St., Davis, with members of the Insect Tribe (not broadcast)
For more information, contact Brady at info@insectnewsnetwork.com. The telephone number for the Davis Media Access is (530) 757-2419.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Häagen-Dazs has come up with a creative way to do so and it involves downloading a free concerto timer app on your I-Phone or I-Pad, pointing it at the lid of the brand's ice cream, and listening to a two-minute concerto until the ice cream is softened or tempered.
Two minutes is perfect for allowing the ice cream to soften or temper, the ice cream specialists say.
For every download of the concerto timer, Häagen-Dazs will donate $5 toward UC Davis bee research, up to $75,000.
Häagen-Dazs, in announcing (Aug. 8) the introduction of the Häagen-Dazs Concerto Timer app, described it as "the first iOS mobile app to integrate detailed 3D Kinect technology and video data that delivers a cutting edge augmented reality experience."
According to a press release, “The Concerto Timer app features two-minute-long music concertos that help consumers understand the exact amount of time needed to prepare their Häagen-Dazs ice cream in order to get the full, rich consistency and allow all the flavors to fully bloom. Allowing the ice cream to soften slightly – also called tempering – for two minutes enhances the texture and exposes fans to the craftsmanship of premium ingredients that is characteristic of Häagen-Dazs ice cream, gelato, sorbet and frozen yogurt."
Said Cady Behles, Häagen-Dazs brand manager: “The app concept came directly from our brand loyalists who recognized the necessity of tempering to enjoy all of the flavors in our ice cream. We took their feedback and developed an advanced mobile experience – something never seen before in the ice cream industry – that would be functional and also entertain them during the optimal time period.”
"Traditionally, augmented reality technology has involved flat video or low polygon 3D objects with a very limited and robotic range of motion," according to the news release. "Unlike other augmented reality apps, the Concerto Timer app integrates detailed 3D Kinect and video data."
"The app captures the nuances of the real violin and cello performances, enhanced with expressive particles, resulting in an ethereal and unique creative style. This approach allows the musicians to move with a fluid natural motion in 3D space."
"Developed by creative agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners and digital production company JAM3, the Häagen-Dazs Concerto Timer app is now available for download in the iTunes App Store."
Some 50 percent of Häagen-Dazs flavors are honey-bee dependent. “Honey bee colonies – which are responsible for one third of the world’s food supply — are dying at an alarming rate, posing a serious risk to our natural food supply, including many of the ingredients that define Häagen-Dazs ice cream,” according to the press release.
Häagen-Dazs has a long partnership with UC Davis. It launched the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, a half-acre bee friendly garden that was planted in 2009 next to the Laidlaw facility. The brand also funded Häagen-Dazs Postdoctoral Fellow, Michelle Flenniken, an insect virus researcher formerly based at UC San Francisco. She is now a research assistant professor in the Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University.