California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, issued a news release last week that said four professors in its Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Department are part of nine teams of researchers and educators to receive funding intended to foster collaboration among California’s colleges and universities.
Funding for the nine projects, the release said, "is provided by the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and totals $79,000."
The campuses involved include UC Davis, UC Berkeley, UC Riverside, and CSU campuses at Chico, Fresno, Humboldt, Pomona and San Luis Obispo. Deans and department chairs from those campuses developed the competitive grants program at a joint workshop in 2009.
The news release, written by Stacia Momburg, detailed the projects that involve Cal Poly researchers:- "Coast Redwood Forest Science Symposium” - The project team - involving scientists at Cal Poly, SLO, UC Berkeley and Humboldt State - will meet in winter 2011 to assess current knowledge of California’s coast redwood forest ecosystem and sustainable management practices.
- A Cal Poly professor is working with a UC Davis professor to determine whether obesity is associated with compromised vitamin D status and the effectiveness of a vitamin D supplement.
- Head of the Cal Poly science department will work with a researcher at UC Davis to analyze genetic marker data to improve cattle breeding efficiency and producer return on investment.
- A Cal Poly dairy science professor will study nutritional-endocrine interactions that regulate bovine epithelial cell function with the help of a UC Davis professor. The project seeks to better understand bovine mammary gland function to improve milk production.