- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Robinson, who graduated from UC Davis in 1978 with dual degrees in mechanical and aeronautical engineering, saw Earth from outer space four times during NASA shuttle missions, including the 2005 Space Shuttle Discovery.
“Our Aggienaut (alumni-turned-astronaut) will be asking questions, and we're encouraging others to follow suit and ask questions, too,” said Leal, a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and a member of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology faculty. He is a former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology.
“We've assembled another panel of experts for viewers to address their questions and concerns,” said Leal, whose peers have honored him for his research, teaching and public service.
The COVID-19 Symposium, https://bit.ly/2A2Qd8a, will be streamed via ZOOM and YouTube on Thursday, May 14 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Registration is free.
Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California system, will deliver the welcoming address.
Among the panelists: Dr. David Lubarsky, vice chancellor of Human Health Sciences and chief executive officer, UC Davis Health, Dr. Allison Brashear, dean of the School of Medicine, UC Davis, Dr. Emanuel Maverakis, professor of dermatology and Immunology, UC Davis School of Medicine, and Dr. Atul Malhotra, professor of medicine, Pulmonology and Critical Care, UC San Diego Health.
The questions will include:
- Can our pets place us at risk for contracting the coronavirus?
- Can we get the virus through sexual transmission?
- Can COVID-19 survivors get secondary infections?
- What research is underway on COVID-19 therapies, management and testing?
For registration, access https://bit.ly/2A2Qd8a. Registrants can post advance questions and also ask questions online during the symposium.
The first symposium, with a welcoming address by UC Davis Chancellor Gary May, spotlighted the cutting-edge expertise of physicians, researchers, and a recovering COVID-19 patient. It is online at https://bit.ly/2VurK3Z. It drew viewers from 10 countries and the comment “I just wanted to thank you! You are my heroes.”
“This give me a sense of hope and calmed my anxiety like nothing else,” letter writer Kim Allen continued. “To hear people, real doctors and scientists who are so knowledgeable talk about what is going on and why, is so appreciated. We need to know what we are contending with to fight it and be safe. You are all so much appreciated!”
(Editor's Note: At the first UC Davis-based COVID-19 virtual seminar, UC Davis distinguished professor James R. Carey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology delivered a presentation on “Actuarial Perspectives on the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The updated presentation is at https://youtu.be/aid69khJftU.)
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The open house was initially scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m., and the theme centered on pollinators and microbes. It will take place at a later date, officials said.
The Bohart Museum, located in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building on Crocker Lane, is directed by Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology. It houses nearly 8 million insect specimens, a live petting zoo, and a gift shop.
Department Seminars
The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology's weekly Wednesday seminars are now virtual seminars and are being live-streamed through Zoom and linked on the department's website. Access information will be posted each week. Community ecologist Rachel Vannette (rlvannette@ucdavis.edu) is coordinating the seminars.
Plant Sale
The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden Plant Sale, initially slated March 14, is also canceled.
Information on the coronavirus: See Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
UC Davis Directives (See website for updates)
From Chancellor Gary May:
Acting out of an abundance of caution amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we have decided to take additional steps in our efforts to protect our students, faculty and staff, and the community at large, as we all do our part to help contain the spread of the virus.
We take these actions in consultation with the UC Office of the President, the Academic Senate and campus administrators, as well as Yolo County Public Health (which, as of today, has reported one confirmed case of COVID-19 in the county, none on the Davis campus). As this situation continues to evolve rapidly, we will respond with further directives. For now, this letter addresses the following topics:
Instruction and final exams — Expanding on our message of March 7 to include a directive on canceling in-person final exams next week and choosing an alternative option. Paid leave and remote work — For staff and faculty who become ill or who need to stay home to care for family members who become ill, or whose children's schools are closed. Travel — Adding a caution against nonessential travel, domestic or international (beyond the international prohibitions already in place).
Gatherings — Mandating the cancellation or postponement of events with planned attendance of more than 150 people, from Thursday, March 12, through March 31. We are evaluating this timing on an ongoing basis, as we continue to consult with public health officials. This mandate does not apply to instruction through the end of this week. Our overarching goals: For the sake of everyone's health, we want to minimize face-to-face contact, in instruction and office hours, in workspaces and large gatherings. And we want to emphasize to students, staff and faculty: If you are sick, stay home.
Instruction
As we strive to minimize face-to-face contact, we announced March 7 that faculty and students have maximum flexibility to complete their Winter Quarter work without having in-class instruction. We are now strongly encouraging faculty to go online with their teaching. We said webinars would be available to faculty who needed assistance making the conversion — and we now have a schedule of four different webinars on quizzes/exams and other Canvas tools, and web conferencing and video. Each is being presented daily, every day this week. The schedule and links are here on the Keep Teaching website. It is very likely that we will need to have online capacity in place for Spring Quarter classes.
Faculty also are strongly encouraged to make use of other technologies, such as Zoom and Facetime, to provide opportunities for students to approach them with questions.
Graduate and professional instruction: Given the special nature of graduate and professional instruction, we ask the faculty involved to use their discretion in endeavoring to optimize curricular delivery (as well as graduate advising and mentoring) while remaining mindful of public health advice to observe social distancing to the extent possible. We encourage graduate and professional instructors to utilize opportunities for virtual instruction and testing where appropriate.
See more at https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/coronavirus-new-campus-directives/