Page Contents:
New offerings highlight selection at annual UCSC Farm & Garden Plant Sale May 3-4
AHR offers information sessions for assistant professors
Adaptive optics researcher aids space shuttle investigation
U.S. agriculture is focus of series of panel discussions
Recreation Department invites you to stargaze, drum under the stars, and make sushi
Women at Work Retreat is sponsoring group tickets
for Shakespeare Santa Cruz
Coolidge Drive stoplight set to begin operation May 1
April 28, 2003
More News
New offerings highlight
selection at annual UCSC Farm & Garden Plant Sale May 3-4
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| New ornamentals and edibles will be offered this year at the
Farm & Garden plant sale. Photo: Marci Krass |
The inspiring selection of organic plants for sale at the Farm &
Garden’s annual spring plant sale will be even greater this year
with the addition of several new ornamentals and edibles.
The plant sale will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4, from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Barn Theater parking lot at the base of campus.
Among the highlights of this year’s new offerings are:
- Big Leaf Maple, Acer macrophyllum. Grown from seed collected below the Chadwick Garden.
- Good King Henry, Chenopodium bonus henricus. A European native
related to beets, spinach, and chard, Good King Henry is an edible green
with a spinach- or quinoa-like texture and flavor.
- Ivy Leaf Sage, Blue Vine Sage, Salvia cacaliaefolia. Native
to Chiapas State in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, this salvia’s
blue flowers rise right out of the top of the lush green foliage.
- Lavandula x intermedia, "Seal" and "Super": These relatively large lavender cultivars grow to 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 feet and feature long, soft, slender, blue-gray foliage and a relatively dense canopy if well pruned.
- Monkshood, Aconitum arendsii. This delphinium relative sports
gorgeous, deep-purple flowers and can throw a 4 – 5-foot-high flower
spike.
- Penstemon grinnelli. A striking penstemon with vibrant silvery-blue
foliage and broad iridescent lavender-blue flowers in summer.
As always, a wide selection of organically raised plants will be available,
including more than 200 species of vegetables, annual flowers, perennials,
herbs, and "everlastings," or dried flowers. All plants are
proven to grow well in the local area.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Farm & Garden and the Center for
Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems, the sale will benefit the
UCSC Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture. Members of the Friends
will receive early entry from 9 to 10 a.m. on Saturday only and a 10 percent
discount on purchases; memberships will be available at the sale beginning
at 8:30 a.m. For more information, call (831) 459-3240.
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AHR offers information sessions for assistant professors
Academic Human Resources will hold information sessions for assistant
professors on Tuesday, May 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. and on Wednesday, May
21, from 10 a.m. to noon. Both meetings will take place in Room 325, McHenry
Library. It is only necessary to attend one session.
These sessions are intended to help assistant professors understand some
of the policies and procedures in academic personnel reviews. To register,
contact Nancy Furber, Academic Human Resources, at (831) 459-4779 or furber@ucsc.edu.
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Adaptive optics researcher
aids space shuttle investigation
Julian Christou, a research specialist at UCSC's Center for Adaptive Optics, used his image processing skills to help NASA in its investigation of the space shuttle Columbia disaster.
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| One of the shuttle images Julian Christou was able to enhance for NASA |
Columbia broke up during reentry on February 1, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
Christou, who has done pioneering work on a method of image processing
called "blind deconvolution," contacted former colleagues at
Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico in February to see if he could help
enhance images of the shuttle.
The Air Force referred Christou to NASA, which sent him two photos taken
at Kirtland two minutes before the shuttle broke up. Using his blind deconvolution
technique, Christou was able to make the images much clearer for investigators.
"It was very helpful," said Lt. Col. Woody Woodyard, spokesman
for the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
The investigation board has been examining the photos for anything out
of the ordinary, Woodyard said.
The enhanced images were discussed in the investigation board's March
18 press briefing.
They were also featured in an article about the investigation that appeared
in Aviation Week and Space Technology.
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U.S. agriculture is focus of series of panel discussions
Make informed decisions about personal food choices and learn more about agricultural public policy and how to get involved in sustainable agriculture advocacy. The UCSC Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems is holding a series of panel discussions during the next few weeks, titled Critical Perspectives on the U.S. Agro-Food System. The discussions have three aims:
- To provide undergraduate students and the broader campus community with a historical context for current issues in the U.S. food and agricultural system;
- To introduce the most significant social and environmental risks and consequences associated with the development of U.S. agriculture; and
- To introduce the various concepts of sustainable agriculture, the work of the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems, and anticipated directions for sustainable agriculture's development.
The first session, the Shaping of the U.S. Agro-Food System, will take place on Wednesday, April 30, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in Room 240, College Eight. The panel will be Bill Friedland, professor emeritus of community studies, and Andrew Marshall, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Environmental Studies. Friedland's research interests include the political economy of agriculture and globalization; Marshall's interests include alternative and community food systems, political economy of agricultural biotechnology, and U.S. agricultural policy.
Subsequent panels will be held on May 7, 14, and 21, all in Room 240
at College Eight from 7:30 to 9 p.m. For more information, contact Martha
Brown at mtbrown@ucsc.edu.
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Recreation Department invites you to stargaze, drum under the stars, and make sushi
The Recreation Department is offering two evening classes. Sign up through
the Recreation Office at (831) 459-2806. Other offerings are listed on
the recreation web
site.
Astronomy Workshop: Tuesday, April 29, 7 to 11 p.m. OPERS Conference Room. An evening of stargazing. Constellation mythology and lore, the basics of observational astronomy, "cosmic ecology," and information on resources and equipment are covered first at an indoor lecture-discussion, followed by viewing constellations, planets, galaxies and nebulae (weather permitting). Bring binoculars (if you have them), and warm, layered clothing. Instructor is Joe Jordan. Cost: $10/UCSC students, $15/general.
New Moon Drum Circles: Thursday, May 1, 8:30 to 10 p.m., in the Multipurpose Room, East Field House. Hand drumming is used all over the world as a tool for unity and elevation of the spirit. And the new moon is a natural time to refresh and begin anew. Join the New Moon Drum Circle, a campuswide rhythmic celebration of community, creativity, and camaraderie. No experiences necessary. Some instruments provided; bring your own if you have any. Facilitator is Don Davidson. Cost: $5/UCSC students, $10/general.
Sensational Sushi: May 3, 8, and 31, from noon to 3 p.m. (three
separate classes) OPERS Conference Room, East Field House. SUSHI NOW!
owner chef Matisse Selman will teach the art of sushi rolling, eating,
and proper etiquette, whether at home or at your favorite sushi bar. Great
selections for vegetarians and fish lovers alike. Participants will sit
down to a feast and then help clean up. Sign up in advance. Cost: $28;
add $5 if not a UCSC student or Wellness Card holder.
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Women at Work Retreat is sponsoring
group tickets for Shakespeare Santa Cruz
The Women at Work Retreat is again this year sponsoring group tickets for staff and faculty for Shakespeare Santa Cruz plays. The group rate is available for three Friday evening performances in August, at a cost of $18 per ticket.
The reduced-price tickets are available for the following performances:
- August 8 at 8 p.m., Festival Glen, Comedy
of Errors
- August 15 at 8 p.m., Festival Glen, Hamlet
- August 22 at 8 p.m., Theater Arts Mainstage, Private Lives
To order tickets, print out the order form
and send it, along with your check, to Diana Sue Miller, c/o of Central
Purchasing. Tickets will be available for pickup in early August. For
more information, call Diana Sue Miller at (831) 459-2882.
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Coolidge Drive stoplight set to begin operation soon
Currents provides regular updates on construction projects that have an impact on campus transportation and parking. Construction update story
For more information, visit the Transportation
and Parking Services web site and the Physical
Planning and Construction web site.
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