Posts Tagged: September 2016

Names in the News

Mathesius named UCCE agronomy advisor in Capitol Corridor

Konrad Mathesius (pronounced “Muh-tay-zee-us”) is the new UCCE agronomy advisor for Yolo, Sacramento and Solano counties.

Mathesius, who joined ANR on June 27, will be working with growers and pest control advisers in the Capitol Corridor area to address issues related to soils, pests, diseases and production efficiency. In addition to collaborating on a few projects with UCCE advisor Rachael Long in alfalfa, dry beans and sunflowers, he will work on a wide range of agronomic crops including corn, wheat, barley and safflower. 

Mathesius will work with growers and PCAs to mitigate crop losses by addressing pest and disease pressures and to help them comply with nitrogen, pesticide and water regulations. He also plans to develop crop guidelines based on difficulties associated with specific soils in the Capitol Corridor.

The native of Logan, Utah, earned his undergraduate degree at Utah State and his master's degrees in soil science and international agricultural development at UC Davis.

“After graduation, I spent a few years working in the private sector, where I gained a sense of respect for bottom lines and the hustle to make ends meet,” Mathesius said. “I intend to bring the question of cost and efficiency into most, if not all of my work.”

Based in Woodland, Mathesius can be reached at kpmathesius@ucanr.edu and (530) 666-8704.

Stein joins ANR as AVP executive assistant

Kathryn Stein has joined ANR as executive assistant to Wendy Powers, Associate Vice President 

Prior to joining ANR, Stein worked in the College of Engineering Dean's office at UC Berkeley for three and a half years. She earned a B.S. in environmental horticulture and urban forestry from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis. While in Davis, she worked for the Whole Earth Festival, an annual sustainability festival on the UC Davis campus.  

Stein is based on the 10th floor of UCOP and can be reached at Kathryn.Stein@ucop.edu  and (510) 587-6240.

Martinez and Au receive NIH Career Development Awards

Two researchers at the Nutrition Policy Institute have been awarded K01 Career Development Awards by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Lauren Au will research disparities in the relationship between the school nutrition environment and childhood obesity and Suzanna Martinez will study sleep duration and risk for obesity in Mexican-American children.

Martinez will receive $895,620 and Au will receive $840,871. Martinez has also been accepted into the K Scholars Program at UC San Francisco, which will provide her with peer support and mentorship to conduct the study.

Allen-Diaz honored by APLU

Barbara Allen-Diaz, who retired as ANR vice president in 2015, is among five Land Grant university leaders recognized for Excellence in National Leadership by the Experiment Station Section of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU).

The other individuals honored with Allen-Diaz were:

• Walter A. Hill, Dean, College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences, Tuskegee University
• Steve Slack, formerly associate vice president for agricultural administration and director of OARDC, The Ohio State University (recently retired)
• Daniel Rossi, formerly executive director, Northeastern Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (recently retired)
• William (Bill) Brown, dean of research and director of the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Tennessee

The resolution reads in part: “These leaders have personified the highest level of excellence by enhancing the cause and performance of the Regional Associations and Experiment Station Section in achieving their mission and the Land-grant ideal.”

The awards were announced at the annual Experiment Station Section meeting on Sept. 21 in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

UC ANR introduces Zoom for online conferencing

UC ANR is ready to roll out Zoom conferencing to all UC ANR staff and academics, announced Gabe Youtsey, chief information officer.

“Zoom is the easiest to use high-quality video, phone and web conferencing service on the market,” said Youtsey. “After an extensive analysis, the UC has established a systemwide Zoom contract for a very low cost, which UC ANR IT is covering. Our goal is for Zoom to become the common tool for communication within the division, and for collaboration with campus and external teams worldwide.”

Zoom can replace Skype, Adobe Connect, GoToMeeting and ReadyTalk. Some of Zoom's features include:

• Super easy video conferencing on your computer, mobile device, or room system for up to 50 connections
• Unlimited phone conferencing for up to 50
• Ability to support large meetings with up to 100 and webinars up to 500 participants (see instructions below)
• Enabled for PC, Mac, Android and iOS devices
• Compatible with any existing teleconference phones from Polycom, Tandberg, LifeSize etc.

Everything you need to log in and get started using Zoom is at http://ucanr.edu/sites/zoom. If you have a UC ANR portal account and @ucanr.edu email address, log in at https://ucanr.zoom.us.

Additional Zoom features are available to ANR employees:

• ANR has a license for a 100-participant meeting (two-way communication), which can be reserved for occasional use at no cost.
• ANR has a license for 500-participant webinars (one-way communication, which can be reserved for occasional use at no cost.
• There are a range of large meeting and webinar licenses you can purchase as “add-ons” for your exclusive use if needed. Contact the IT Service Desk for more information.
• Zoom Rooms is a great way to connect conference rooms to the Zoom service for high-quality video, phone and web conferencing. Contact the IT Service Desk for more information for equipment and pricing information.

For help to get Zoom up and running, contact the ANR IT Service Desk at help@ucanr.edu or call (530) 750-1212.

UC Food Observer launches newsletter

Now it's easier to keep up with the latest food and agriculture news from UC Food Observer. Just sign up for updates delivered to your email inbox twice each month.

It's a convenient and fast way to keep informed on must-read news about food policy, nutrition, agriculture and more, curated by the University of California as part of its UC Global Food Initiative.

Your email is only used for these newsletters. It is never used for spam. To sign up, please visit www.ucfoodobserver.com and enter your email address in the Subscribe box.

If you have any questions, please contact assistant editor Teresa O'Connor at Teresa.OConnor@ucop.edu

UC ANR takes part in its first CUCSA meeting

At its September meeting, the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA) voted unanimously to admit delegates from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. Now for the first time, UC ANR staff have representation in the statewide organization.

CUCSA delegates – who represent all the UC campuses, UCOP and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory – meet quarterly to work on special projects of interest and importance to UC staff across California, share local staff assembly best practices, and learn about advances being made by UC academics and high-level UC leadership.

UC ANR vice president Glenda Humiston was a guest at the September CUCSA meeting. She outlined the origins of the division, the activities of UC ANR specialists and advisors, and introduced future plans.

Humiston noted a difference between UC ANR's network of nine research and extension centers and the UC Natural Reserve System.

“In the Natural Reserve, scientists look, but don't touch,” Humiston said. “In UC ANR, we plow, we burn, and we plant on our research and extension centers.”

Humiston has a long-time commitment to the value of working landscapes in California. She chartered an action team on working landscapes for the California State Economic Summit.

“Working landscapes are responsible for 1.2 million jobs and $318 billion in direct sales and exports,” Humiston said. “We're a key part of California's economy.”

Under her leadership, ANR has become a part of the University Economic Development Association, which advances knowledge and practice in economic engagement by institutions of higher education.

“I believe it's all about partnerships and collaboration – synergy,” Humiston said.

The CUCSA representatives for UC ANR are senior delegate Lori Renstrom, office manager for UC Cooperative Extension in San Diego County, who will serve until June 2017; and junior delegate Jeannette Warnert, public information representative for UC ANR Strategic Communications, who will serve until June 2018. A new “junior delegate” will be elected by the UC ANR Staff Assembly in spring 2017.

Renstrom is part of the CUCSA workgroup “Mental Health, Stress and Work-Life Balance,” which will review the impacts of increasing student enrollment and ongoing change initiatives as well as the challenges caused by the economy, family demands and other personal factors on staff's mental well being, identify available resources and make recommendations to address staff needs.  Warnert is part of the “UC Community Workgroup,” which will review staff diversity statistics across the UC system and obtain staff input about the diversity efforts at their locations. This information will help the workgroup identify best practices, challenges and recommendations for improvements.

All CUCSA workgroups complete a white paper which is presented to the UC Board of Regents at the end of the term.

If you're interested in learning more about ANR Staff Assembly, go to http://staffassembly.ucanr.edu/

Comments sought on faculty conduct policy

The University invites comments on Proposed Revised Academic Personnel Manual Sections:

·         015, The Faculty Code of Conduct,

·         016, University Policy on Faculty Conduct and the Administration of Discipline

Proposed revisions add sexual violence and sexual harassment, as defined by University policy, as a form of Unacceptable Conduct to The Faculty Code of Conduct (APM - 015). Proposed amended language clarifies when the Chancellor is deemed to know about an alleged violation of The Faculty Code of Conduct (APM - 015). Proposed new language institutes a new timeline and deadline after the imposition of involuntary leave for the Chancellor to inform an accused faculty member of the reasons for the leave, the allegations being investigated, the anticipated date when charges will be brought, a statement concerning when the leave will end, and the faculty member's right to grieve the involuntary leave, to be handled by the Privilege and Tenure Committee on an expedited basis (APM - 016).

The proposals are located on the UCOP Academic Personnel and Programs website, “Policies under review,” under the “Systemwide Review” tab at http://ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/academic-personnel-policy/policies-under-review/index.html.

If you have any questions or if you wish to comment, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu no later than  Dec. 19, 2016.

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