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UC Merced receives $4.36 Million in CIRM funding for Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry
May 7, Merced - The University of California, Merced, has been chosen as the location for a Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The facility, anticipated to cost about $7.5 million total, will be supported with $4.36 million from CIRM through its Major Facilities Grant program.

UC agricultural research leads to standardized taste testing and better eating fruit
Fresno, May 1 - For centuries farmers decided their fruit was ready to pick by plucking one from a tree and taking a bite. Agricultural scientists now know that shipping and storage affect fruit flavor and that standardized scientific tasting produces reliable results. UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources collaborated with produce industry groups, farmers to build a new 1100-square-foot laboratory designed for sensory testing at Kearney Research and Agricultural Center in Parlier. The new lab was completed last month.

Ruben Navarrette, Jr., to headline UC Merced’s 2008 Commencement ceremony
April 18, Merced - Syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette, Jr., a sought-after expert on ethnicity and national origin, will address the University of California, Merced, Class of 2008 at their commencement exercise on May 23.

Mark G. Yudof appointed 19th University of California president
March 27, Oakland - The University of California Board of Regents today (March 27) voted unanimously to appoint Mark G. Yudof, current head of the University of Texas system and a recognized leader in American higher education, the 19th president of the University of California.

UC study documents agriculture’s significant contribution to California’s economy
Feb. 15, Davis- A recent study by the UC Agricultural Issues Center has documented California agriculture’s significant contribution to the California economy. Now available on the Web, “Agriculture’s Role in the Economy,” provides the Center’s estimates of the direct and multiplier effects of agriculture in the state and in regional economies.

UC ANR programs aim to help Californians make money
Feb. 8, Oakland - The UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources serves every Californian with research on food production, nutrition, consumer sciences and youth development.

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC establishes $100,000 annual gift program
Feb. 1, Livermore - Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS) announced today the formation of a $100,000 annual gift program for local and area non-profit organizations that support science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics (STEM), community-service and philanthropic needs in communities having a large population of LLNL employees, including Alameda, Contra Costa and San Joaquin counties.

UC scientists pin down behaviors that cause children to be overweight
Jan. 29, Davis - UC Cooperative Extension researchers have received a $390,000 grant from the USDA National Research Initiative to document the specific behaviors associated with the growth of overweight and obesity.

LLNL and UC Merced research indicates human activities contribute to California’s global warming
Jan. 17, Livermore - Recent research by scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of California, Merced and the National Center for Atmospheric Research shows that California temperatures have jumped statewide by more than 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit between 1915 and 2000. This warming is likely related to human activities.

UC Merced researchers developing new screening tool to answer public health threat of drug-resistant bacteria
Jan. 16, Merced - Amid international concern about the public health threat of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aurea bacteria, researchers at the University of California, Merced, have filed for a patent on a powerful new screening tool that could someday answer widespread calls for universal staph screenings before patients are admitted to hospitals.

Upcoming Events, Programs, Classes:

UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners offer gardening tips and classes to home gardening public, Fresno
Ongoing
The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardener program is designed to meet the educational needs of home and community gardeners. Master Gardeners are volunteers, trained by the University of California Cooperative Extension. Master Gardeners provide gardening information, give classes and conduct horticultural programs for youth and adults. For more information and a calendar of upcoming events and classes please go to: http://groups.ucanr.org/mgfresno/

UCSF Fresno Alzheimer’s & Memory Center Support Groups, Fresno
Ongoing
The UCSF Fresno Alzheimer's & Memory Center (AMC) is a multi-disciplinary team of family physicians, neurologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and social workers dedicated to improving the quality of life for patients and their families with Alzheimer's and other memory impairments. The UCSF Fresno AMC, located in Fresno at 3313 N. Hilliard Lane, operates in affiliation with the UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program. The Center offers regularly scheduled support groups to Alzheimer’s caregivers. For more information please visit: http://fserve.fresno.ucsf.edu/alzheimer/ or telephone (559)227-4810.

UCSF Fresno Office of CME presents Challenges of Managing Pain Symposium, Fresno
Ongoing
Quarterly The UCSF Fresno Office of Continuing Medical Education is working in collaboration with the Mt. Zion Campus Committee and the UCSF Pain Management Center to bring live broadcast lectures via teleconferencing direct from San Francisco to the UCSF Fresno Center for Medical Education and Research. A quarterly series of lectures will be offered at no charge, with CME credits offered through UC San Francisco. The lectures will be held from 5:30-6:30 pm in the state-of-the-art Fresno Center in a specially-equipped videoconference room. For detailed information and lecture schedule please visit: http://www.fresno.ucsf.edu/continuing_ed/teleconference_lectures.htm

UCSF Fresno Office of Continuing Medical Education presents 2007-2008 Wednesday Special Lecture Series, Fresno
Ongoing
The Office of Continuing Medical Education at UCSF Fresno provides educational opportunities for physicians and health care professionals of the Central Valley. Lectures are presented by faculty from the University of California, San Francisco and other leading medical institutions. Lectures are held on Wednesdays at 12:30 pm, free of charge, at the UCSF Fresno Center for Medical Education & Research building in Fresno, with live broadcast of the lecture in Room 2A-23 at the VA Central California Health Care System and Selma District Hospital, in addition to other sites. For a schedule of upcoming lectures please visit: http://www.fresno.ucsf.edu/continuing_ed/downloads/CurrentLecture.pdf.
For additional information please call (559) 499-6532 or visit: http://www.fresno.ucsf.edu/continuing_ed/index.htm

UC offers 'Week of Blueberries' field day – Parlier
Wednesday, May 21 California blueberries — how to grow them and sell them — is the topic of educational events during the “Week of Blueberries” organized by University of California researchers. The events will include national and international blueberry experts, who will share their experiences in expanding markets and solving production problems. Planning for increased market competition is one common theme in many of the presentations, according to field day organizer Manuel Jimenez, Small Farm Program advisor in Tulare County. In Parlier, the Field Day will be held at the UC Kearney Agricultural Center on Wed. May 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Registration is $25 or $35 after May 16. For more information and to register please visit: http://news.ucanr.org/newsstorymain.cfm?story=1101

UC Alumni Events in the Valley

Members of the San Joaquin Valley UC Alumni Network are invited to participate in the following activities and events. For more information about these events, please contact Stefani Martinez, UC Merced Alumni Affairs Coordinator, smartinez6@ucmerced.edu.

SJV UC Alumni Network Board Meeting, UC Merced campus
First Tuesday of each month

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