- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The display will include:
- What's in the jar?
- Celery infected with root-knot nematodes
- Tree swallow infected with Diplotriaena
- White-tailed deer eye infected with a Thelazia species
- Peach root infected with root-knot nematodes
- Mormon crickets infected with Gordius robustus
- Lettuce infected with root-knot nematodes
- Garlic damaged by Ditylenchus dipsaci
- Horse stomach infected with three parasites: Parascaris (roundworms), tapeworms, and botfly larvae.
- Grape roots infected with root-knot nematodes
- Sweet potato infected with root-knot nematodes
- Sugar beet infected with cyst nematodes
- Peach root infected with cyst nematodes
- Sugar beet infected with root-knot nematodes
- Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm)
- Minke whale infected infected with ascaridoid nematodes
- Heartworm of dog
The event is set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the UC Davis Conference Center, 555 Alumni Lane. 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. Visitors can also sign up at the Conference Center for limited tours. Several museums or collections will be offering tours. (See news story)
"Plant-parasitic nematodes are destructive pests causing losses of billions of dollars annually," Siddique says on his website. "Economic, health, and environmental considerations make natural host plant resistance a preferred strategy for nematode control, but there are limitations to this approach. In many cases, the resistance conferred by resistance genes is partial, and some of the nematodes are able to survive. Similarly, nematode resistance genes are often effective against only one or a few species, whereas plants are exposed to several pathogens in the field. Another concern is the emergence of pathotypes that can overcome resistance. In view of all these limitations, it is important to identify additional mechanisms and tools that can be used to develop novel and sustainable approaches to the management of nematodes."
"Research in the Siddique lab focuses on basic as well as applied aspects of interaction between parasitic nematodes and their host plants," Siddique points out on his website. "The long-term object of our research is not only to enhance our understanding of molecular aspects of plant–nematode interaction but also to use this knowledge to provide new resources for reducing the impact of nematodes on crop plants in California."
Coomer, a second-year doctorate student, recently won a worldwide competition competition sponsored by the International Federation of Nematology Societies (IFNS) for her three-minute thesis on root-knot nematodes. She delivered her video presentation virtually on “Trade-Offs Between Virulence and Breaking Resistance in Root-Knot Nematodes.” She will be awarded a busary and plaque at the 7th International Congress of Nematology (ICN), set May 1-6 in Antibes, France.
Coomer earlier was selected one of the nine finalists in the 22-participant competition, vying against eight other graduate students from the University of Idaho, Moscow; and universities in England, Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Kenya, Belgium and South Africa.
The UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is traditionally held on the Saturday of Presidents' Day weekend. However, last year's event was virtual, and this year's event is centrally located in an exposition. For more information, access the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day website and/or connect with Instagram,Twitter, and Facebook.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
In an event dedicated to science, 11 UC Davis museums and collections will showcase their displays:
- 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
Scientists will be on hand to greet visitors and answer questions.
The always popular birds of prey from the California Raptor Center will include Swainson's hawks (Grasshopper and Whistler) and great-horned owls (Forrest and Luna), according to Julie Cotton, interim operations supervisor. "We most likely will also have our barn owl (Ember) and red-tailed hawk (Jack), but their appearances could be of limited duration."
In addition to the exhibits in the Conference Center, five museums or collections will offer tours. The UC Davis Bee Haven, a half-acre educational bee demonstration garden maintained and operated by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, will offer tours at noon and 2 p.m., with a limit of 20 people per tour. "We'll focus on how best to observe and identify bees in the garden, as well as suggested bee plants that grow well in our area with low water," said Christine Casey, academic program management officer of the Bee Haven. No masks will be required in the garden, she said. The site is located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road.
The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden has scheduled two 30-45 minute tours, "Climate Ready Tree Project: Texas Tree Trials." Groups will leave the Conference Center at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. "Join us at Biodiversity Day for a tour of the Arboretum and Public Garden's new Texas Tree Trial Research Grove!" invites Rachel Davis, GATEways horticulturist and museum scientist at the Arboretum and Public Garden. "Tag along and learn about what the Urban Tree Stewardship student intern team is doing to promote a resilient and climate-adapted tree canopy in the Sacramento Valley. Make sure to bring hats, good walking shoes, and a curious attitude!"
Tours are also planned by three other entities, with times and other information pending:
CrowdFund. Crowdfund projects for both the Biodiversity Museum Day and the Bee Haven are underway until 12:59 p.m., Feb. 28.
The Biodiversity Museum Day Crowdfund at https://bit.ly/3HPhSaA seeks $5000. Donors can be anonymous in name or contribution, or can donate in honor of someone, or in memory of a loved one. 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, a GATEways horticulturist and museum scientist at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden.
"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 Bee Haven CrowdFund at https://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/29773 seeks $3000 to support classroom visits from low-income schools and youth group visits. "Our CrowdFund will provide funding to three Title I schools or affiliated youth groups that will cover the guided tour fee and transportation costs for up to 50 people (students, teachers, parents) to participate in a 90-minute field trip at the Bee Haven on the UC Davis campus," related Casey. "We will fund up to $1000 per school," she writes on the Crowdfund website. "Our unique outdoor learning adventure has been experienced by nearly 50,000 visitors since 2013."
"Participants will see and learn about the 200 plant and 80 bee species that occur at the Haven. They will safely catch and observe bees and participate in a grade-appropriate bee monitoring exercise that will introduce them to scientific research and create a memorable learning adventure about bees, plants, science, and the natural world. We'll also provide books for each school's library that can be used to extend program impact."
The UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day is traditionally held on the Saturday of Presidents' Day weekend. However, last year's event was virtual, and this year's event is centrally located in an exposition. For more information, access the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day website and/or connect with Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Ella Mae Noffsinger, 84, who retired in 1991 as the senior museum scientist in charge of the UC Davis Nematode Collection, passed away March 22, 2018 in Woodland. She was a longtime resident of Palm Gardens Assisted Living, Woodland.
Noffsinger was instrumental in the development of the nematode collection, and collaborated with many nematologists in the description of species, said Steve Nadler, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. Active in the Society of Nematologists (SOM) when few women were participating, she served on the SOM executive board and as the editor of the Nematology Newsletter, as well as numerous other committees.
During her career, her research and work took her from Colorado to Wisconsin to Chile: from the Beet Sugar Development Foundation in Fort Collins, to the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, and to Santiago, Chile, from 1967 to 1969. She worked with UC Davis nematologist M. W. Allen for many years.
A native of Center, Colo., she was born into the rural ranching family of Doc and Ruth Noffsinger on March 15, 1934. She received her bachelor's degree at what is now Colorado State University, and her master's degree in 1958 from California State University in zoology.
After retiring, she spent most of her time along the coast of Brookings, Ore., enjoying fishing, and other coastal pursuits. She is preceded in death by her parents and brothers. Survivors include her many nieces and nephews, as well as her close friends in the Woodland and Davis area.
Memorial donations may be made to the Salvation Army, "or the charity of your choice," her family indicated.
Resource:
History of Nematology at UC Davis
