September 2016

INSIDEROFFICE OF RESEARCH

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

OR NEWS

HR UPDATES

IT TIPS

EVENTS

AWARDS & PROPOSALS

ACCOLADES

SPOTLIGHT ONFUN IN THE SUN

Table of Contents

Drought Slows Growth of Douglas Fir Trees Across the West

Research News

Genome Sequencing May Help Avert Banana Armageddon

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, and in the Netherlands have discovered how three fungal diseases have evolved into a lethal threat to the world’s bananas.

“We have demonstrated that two of the three most serious banana fungal diseases have become more virulent by increasing their ability to manipulate the banana’s metabolic pathways and make use of its nutrients,” said UC Davis plant pathologist Ioannis Stergiopoulos, who led the effort to sequence two of the fungal genomes. Read more here.

Plant pathologist Ioannis Stergiopoulos says discovery of how three fungal diseases attack banana plants should be a “wake-up call” to the research community. (Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis)

Nearly a Century of Growth Rates Suggest Climate Change will Further Stress the Trees in Coming Decades

Fog rolls over the treetops of a forest of Douglas fir and redwood trees near the Eel River. Photo: Gary Kavanagh/Getty Images.

Whether growing along the rim of the Grand Canyon or living in the mist with California’s coastal redwoods, Douglas fir trees are consistently sensitive to drought conditions that occur throughout the species’ range in the United States, according to a study led by a researcher at the University of California, Davis.“Warm, dry conditions can push these trees beyond their threshold of tolerance,” said lead author Christina Restaino, a postdoctoral researcher in the UC Davis Department of Environmental Science and Policy.Changes in the growth rates of trees also affect carbon sequestration, biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.Read more here.

For the past 15 years, Tanya Johnson has been driving her boss nuts.It's not her job skills — Dr. Robert Szabo says Johnson is an excellent nurse — but rather her incessant knuckle-cracking that makes him want to strangle her."I kept telling her to stop, that it was bad for her," Szabo said.You'd think Johnson might have listened, given that Szabo is a hand surgeon at the UC Davis Medical

Center and former president of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.But she just kept right on cracking."I told him, 'Prove that it's bad,' " she said.But Szabo couldn't. So when his colleague Dr. Robert Boutin, a radiologist at UC Davis, asked him to collaborate on a knuckle-cracking study, Szabo jumped at the chance.Learn more here.

Knuckle-Cracking is Actually Good for You

1

The Rise of UC's Startup Culture

Research News

From the legend of Jobs and Woz launching Apple from their Silicon Valley garage to the hundreds of startup incubators spanning the state today, California has a reputation for bold entrepreneurial spirit.A study released Aug. 17 by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute reflects just how essential the University of California is in fueling the state’s innovation economy. Researchers and entrepreneurs at UC have spawned hundreds of new companies employing tens of thousands of Californians, contributing more than $20 billion to the state’s economy, according to the report.And the phenomenon is accelerating.Read more here.

It’s summertime, and the fields of Yolo County are filled with ranks of sunflowers, dutifully watching the rising sun. At the nearby University of California, Davis, plant biologists have now discovered how sunflowers use

their internal circadian clock, acting on growth hormones, to follow the sun during the day as they grow.“It’s the first example of a plant’s clock modulating growth in a natural environment, and having real repercussions for the plant,” said Stacey Harmer, professor of plant biology at UC Davis and senior author on the paper to be published Aug. 5 in the journal Science.Read more here.

2

Sunflowers near the UC Davis campus. New campus research shows how sunflowers use their circadian clock to anticipate the dawn and follow the sun across the sky during the day. (Chris Nicolini, UC Davis)

Sunflowers Move by the Clock

Spillover diseases originate in animals and carry over to humans. Many notable

diseases like Zika and Ebola have made contact with humans worldwide.UC Davis expert Jonna Mazet talks with Capital Public Radio about the rise of spillover diseases today on Insight.Listen to the podcast here.

PBS Documentary Details Rise Of Worldwide Spillover Diseases

Research Core Facilities Program Invests $2.1 Million in Designated FacilitiesThe Research Core Facilities Program (RCFP), launched in 2015 by the Office of Research, is pleased to announce the recipients of $2.1 million in new funding to help strengthen the research infrastructure at UC Davis.In its first year of operation, the RCFP developed the Campus Research Core Facilities Enhancement Funding Program to make strategic investments in shared research facilities. View the proposals and read more here.

OR NEWS

OR

3

The McClellan Nuclear Research Center (MNRC), owned and operated by UC Davis, has received approval from campus leadership to proceed with the implementation of a recently developed strategic plan that sets the direction for the facility over the next 5+ years. As part of the continued commitment, Wesley Frey, Ph.D., formerly the center’s radiation safety officer, has been appointed as the new director. Wesley accepted the appointment following the retirement of Barry Klein, emeritus professor of physics who served as director of MNRC since 2011.Read more here.

MNRC Receives “Green Light” on Strategic Plan, Appoints New Director

The UC Davis Office of Research has named Benjamin Houlton as the new director of the John Muir Institute of the Environment, known as JMIE. Houlton takes over from Mark Schwartz, who has directed the program since 2009. Houlton, a professor in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, was named associate director of JMIE in January of this year. Read more here.

Benjamin Houlton, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, has been named director of the John Muir Institute of the Environment.

New director of John Muir Institute of the Environment Looks to Solve Complex Environmental Problems

Accolades

Women Who Mean Business

4

Judy Kjelstrom, director of the UC Davis Biotechnology Program, received acknowledgement and praise for her work with the Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology graduate program. This program has given more than 220 doctoral students the opportunity to combine their scientific background with entrepreneurial elements, allowing them to look beyond a career in academic research towards business.

Kjelstrom accepting her award at the Women Who Mean Business Sacramento Business Journal award luncheon.

Jacob Vargas, Ozge Polat and Phillip Duong complete their internships with InnovationAccess.

Farewell to InnovationAccess Interns!A farewell celebration was held August 31 to congratulate these three interns. Best of luck to them and their future endeavors!

Jacob Vargas

Ozge Polat

Phillip Duong

Biomedical Engineer Undergrad

Chemical Engineering, Ph.D.

Managerial Economics, recent graduate

As a science intern Jacob worked on several things such as prior art searches (checking to see if patents were novel), non-confidential descriptions of patents, and patentability assessments.

Ozge also worked as a science intern under InnovationAccess focusing on prior art searches, patentability assessments and marketing descriptions.

In Phillip’s year at the Office of Research he was a marketing assistant. He concentrated research on companies in regards to their interests and completed campaigns using online resources.

Fun in the Sun!

Seeing double on the 4th of July as Kelly Musselman and her husband Jason celebrate their twins' first birthday!

Sheryl Soucy-Lubell Eif-fell in love with her vacation spot and took a bike ride around the city with her family.

Exploring Valley Lake with the Cheline family featuring Andrew and Taylor Cheline.

Craig and Linda Allison uncover something fishy in Alaska.

Jumping for joy with Takeshi Murai and his family around some national parks in New Mexico.

Perry King with sons Atticus and Coen striking a pose in Banff, Alberta. 5

Fun in the Sun!

Going Greek with Thanos Toulopoulos and his family visiting his hometown of Thessaloniki.

Whitney Cheung "trekked" out to Las Vegas for the Star Trek 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Here you can "sea" Bridget Gruber on her diving trip to the Catalina Islands.

Victoria Sissac found some familiar faces at Sea World in San Diego while celebrating her five-year wedding anniversary. 6

Hitting the books with Jen Place in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore.

Share a twin story! I have an identical twin, and she used to work at UC Davis as well. People get confused when they see me “in the wrong department.” My dad still can’t tell us apart. But our own kids can! Once I heard a voice message left by my sister, and I thought it was me (even our voices are the same).Do you create your own fairytale stories

for your kids? We started a new tradition of setting a trap (for a leprechaun) the night before St. Patrick’s Day.Favorite kid books? The Llama, Llama series. And the only eggs my 4 year old will eat are: Green Eggs with Ham (Dr. Seuss).What kid-outing is really for you? I admit it: I do like shopping. So I’ll tell my kids they can ride the horseys at the Galleria (so I can go shopping)!Any adventures? Every weekend we try to do something fun, like San Francisco or visiting relatives in Monterey. But my husband and I love to vacation, too (beyond

Disneyland).Next stop? We love Maui. Maybe next year.Always in the fridge? Ketchup. And something sweet hidden for me.First day of school tradition (for the twin sisters)? My mom would roll my (straight) hair in sponge curlers the night before the first day of school every year.

ANSWER to bonus question from August 2016: Victor’s pet Ruchinga of 30 years is a box turtle.

Hometown Toronto, CanadaWhat will you be doing in OR? Helping faculty get inventions patented, negotiating agreements and licenses, learning the ropes from IA, Venture Catalyst and SPO teams.What do you like to do on your time off?Cycling and frisbee with my dog.Tell us a fun fact about you: I brew beer.

Maris ApseIntellectual Property Officer

by Nancy RashidSpotlight on...

Nicole PascualHuman Resources Analyst

Welcome to the Office

Sign up for the new Office of Research

newsletter launching this summer!

7

Say you’re assistant is handling RSVPs for a meeting. How do you send your email so that (a) your assistant gets the RSVPs (not you) and (b) recipients don’t accidentally reply to the entire list and cause everyone’s inbox to melt down? Solve the RSVP problem. Not many Microsoft Outlook users know this, but it is possible to specify a different “reply to” address than your own. This little trick is under Options within the New Email window for all versions:

How to Redirect a Reply in Outlook

IT Tips Events

8

by Sheri Pulis

Fall Convocation Sept. 20, 10-11am Mondavi Center for the Preforming Arts, 1 Shields Ave, Davis.For more information click here.

McClellan Nuclear Research Center Virtual Tour and Demonstration Sept. 12, 12-1:30pm. 1147 Mathematical Sciences Building, Crocker Lane, Davis For more information click here.

Solve the “reply to all” problem. Caveat: Outlook’s really not a good choice for sending out mass emails, because emails with more than a few recipients tend to get caught in spam filters. But if Outlook’s all you’ve got, then make the most of it. Drop your mailing list into the BCC section of the header (you may have to go to the View menu to toggle it on so it’s visible). That way, even if someone hits the Reply All button, they won’t inundate the entire list with the reply because they’re basically locked out of the list, since they can’t view it. (This also has the benefit of hiding everyone’s email address from everyone else, something frequent spam recipients on your list will appreciate.)

Grant Writing Office Hours 11:00–12:00 PM Sept. 7 & 21, and Oct. 5 & 193053 Wickson HallFor questions please email Bridget Gruber at bgruber@ucdavis.edu.

Proposal Budget Office Hours 11:00–12:00 PM in Sept. 7 and Oct. 53053 Wickson HallFor questions please email Bridget Gruber at bgruber@ucdavis.edu.

HR UPDATES

September BirthdaysPaul Aigner, Natural Reserve System, 20 years

Alyssa Bunn, Interdisciplinary Research Support,

15 years

John Hyde, Primate Center, 10 years

Debbie Leung, IRB Admin, 10 years

Gary Tabler, CHPR, 10 years

Julie Wymore, Primate Center, 15 years

Milestones

Active Recruitment

Sheri Pulis eRA Projects

Special Performance and Outstanding Teamwork Award Program

Mary Brown Information Systems & Services

Doreen Prasad Information Systems & Services

Anand MeherInformation Systems & Services

September 1

Kristen FarrandOCR

September 2

Dan PopescuResearch Compliance & Integrity

September 5

Stacey FinneyInnovationAccess

September 12

Terry DuperronSponsored Programs

September 16

Sharon SerpaSponsored Programs

September 18

Jessica Ramirez Institutional Review Board

September 21

Hannah ChaleSponsored Programs

September 22

Tomoko NakaiInterdisciplinary Research Support

September 24

Valerie MyersHuman Resources

September 24

Jackson LeeInformation Systems & Services

September 25

Stephanie SyphersInnovationAccessSeptemeber 27

Rebecca LinvillVice Chancellor Executive Support

September 28

Kaitlin OwyangInnovationAccess

September 29

Training Officer Analyst VUnit: OVCR - Sponsored Programs

Apply by September 9 for full consideration.

Contracts & Grants Analyst IIUnit: OVCR-Sponsored ProgramsApply by September 13 for full

consideration.

Executive Administrative Assistant 3Unit: Vice Chancellor-ResearchApply by September 13 for full

consideration.

Phillip DuongInnovationAccess

September 29

9

1. $4,253,847 from the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences PI: Lars Berglund, Med: Clinical and Translational Science Center “UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center”

2. $3,314,184 from the NIH National Cancer Institute (NCI) PI: Ramsey Badawi, Med: Diagnostic Radiology “EXPLORER: Changing the Molecular Imaging Paradigm with Total Body PET”

3. $3,282,801 from the NIH Neurological Disorders & Stroke, National Institute of Disorders and Stroke

PI: Pamela Lein, Vm: Molecular Bio Sciences“Novel Anticonvulsant and Neuroprotective Therapies for TETS and OP Intoxication”

Awards & Proposals

10

Total Amount for Proposals:

$359,148,075Total Amount for Awards:

$137,823,370

Preliminary Data for 8/1/16 through 8/31/16

Top Awards

$0

$50,000,000

$100,000,000

$150,000,000

$200,000,000

$250,000,000

$300,000,000

$350,000,000

$400,000,000

8/31/2016

Year-to-Date Proposals

$0

$20,000,000

$40,000,000

$60,000,000

$80,000,000

$100,000,000

$120,000,000

$140,000,000

$160,000,000

8/31/2016

Year-to-Date Awards

32%

68%

Year-to-Date Awards

New Modified

73%

27%

Year-to-Date Proposals

New Modified