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IN THIS NEWSLINE:
1 TREE TOUR ON APRIL 26 HIGHLIGHTS ARBOR
DAY AT UA
2 CHECK IRRIGATION SYSTEM NOW
3 PALO VERDE TREES IN THE URBAN LANDSCAPE
4 UNIVERSITY AWARDS OF DISTINCTION
5 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: AN ANTIDOTE TO DIABETES
6 PETSMART ENDOWS SECOND FACULTY CHAIR
IN NORTON SCHOOL
7 REAL-TIME INTERNET COURSE FROM ARIZONA
TO JORDAN
8 SCIENCE SATURDAY AT BIOSPHERE 2 APRIL
26
9 KARSTEN CENTER TURFGRASS RESEARCH FIELD
DAY ON MAY 15
10 RACE TRACK INDUSTRY PROGRAM HOSTS FILM
SCREENING APRIL 28
11 DESERT HORTICULTURAL CONFERENCE MAY
16 IN TUCSON
12 CONFERENCE ON COLORADO RIVER'S IMPORTANCE
TO ARIZONA JUNE 24
13 LOW VOLTAGE HELPS INCREASE CHEMICAL
YIELDS
14 CALS IN THE NEWS
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1 TREE TOUR ON APRIL 26 HIGHLIGHTS ARBOR DAY AT
UA
Saturday is Arbor Day and The University of Arizona and Trees For
Tucson
will host a tour of the great trees on the UA campus. The walk through
campus will pinpoint historic and significant trees that grace the
school's
grounds.
The walking tour starts at 9 a.m. at the Arizona State Museum,
located just
east of the UA Main Gate at Park Avenue and University Boulevard.
The tour
will cover about 1.5 miles and will take approximately two to three
hours.
The cost is $15, which includes materials from Trees of Tucson.
The UA is home to an amazing collection of desert-adapted and arid
land
trees, the oldest of which were planted more than a century ago.
Five are on
the National Register of Historic Trees. The UA's west campus is
home to
many of the older and larger trees and some trees on campus are
found
nowhere else in the region.
One example is the Phoenix dactylifera, a variety of date palm,
located just
east of Old Main. The palm was a gift from Iraq in 1955, given as
thanks for
the UA's help in creating an agriculture college there. The UA Campus
Arboretum has since 2002 been a member of the American Association
of
Botanical Gardens and Arboreta.
More information, including plant walks and wildlife maps, is on
the Campus
Arboretum Web site at http://arboretum.arizona.edu/index.html
Elizabeth Davison,
UA Campus Arboretum,
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/19354
--------
2 CHECK IRRIGATION SYSTEM NOW
The worst time to discover your irrigation system isn't working
is in May or
June. The heat and sun conspire to cook plants that need regular
irrigation
but aren't getting it due to a failed watering system.
So now is the time to inspect and make any necessary irrigation
repairs.
With drip irrigation, leaks are common and often hard to find.
To find out what to look for and what to do, read the rest of the
article
that appeared in the April 20 Arizona Daily Star, at the link below.
John Begeman, Arizona
Cooperative Extension Pima County,
To learn more: http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/234828.php
--------
3 PALO VERDE TREES IN THE URBAN LANDSCAPE
Palo verdes are popular, drought-tolerant landscape trees in the
genus
Parkinsonia (formerly Cercidium) and the family Fabaceae. The cultivated
palo verdes range from large shrubs to medium-sized trees and are
native to
the Sonoran Desert with P. praecox extending from Mexico to South
America.
Along with saguaro cactus, they are a staple of the Sonoran Desert
and are
used in many xeriscape plantings. Parkinsonia florida, blue palo
verde, and
P. microphylla, the Foothill palo verde, share the title of Arizona's
official state tree.
Palo verde trees prefer full sun and well-drained soil in cultivated
landscapes. Growth rates vary depending on supplemental irrigation
and
species. Conspicuous green, smooth bark dominates the plant's appearance
during periods of drought and cold when trees are leafless and gives
them
their common name "palo verde" which in Spanish means
"green stick."
To read more about palo verdes in the Sonoran Desert, and which
one might be
the right choice for your yard, read the rest of the article from
Aridus, a
newsletter published through the Desert Legume Program, at the link
below.
Ursula Schuch, Department
of Plant Sciences,
Jack Kelly, Arizona
Cooperative Extension, Pima County,
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/desertlegumeprogram/pdf/aridus20-1.pdf
--------
4 UNIVERSITY AWARDS OF DISTINCTION
UA Faculty members were honored for their achievements at the annual
Awards
of Distinction Ceremony, which took place in the Student Union Memorial
Center Grand Ballroom.
"It's important to take a night off to recognize the excellence
and
celebrate the accomplishments of the UA faculty," said Eugene
Sander,
executive vice president and provost and master of ceremonies.
The introduction of the ceremony featured recognition of former
UA President
Henry Koffler and his wife, Phyllis, who were in attendance, and
a short
speech by UA President Robert Shelton.
Three Henry and Phyllis Koffler Prizes were awarded throughout
the evening.
Each recipient was awarded $10,000, a medallion and a certificate
for their
achievement in their award category.
The Public Service/Outreach Koffler Prize went to professor John
Marchello
of the Department of Animal Sciences. Marchello, the founder of
the UA Rodeo
Club back in 1967, was lauded for numerous contributions in the
areas of
food safety and youth and public education throughout his 42-year
career as
a member of the UA faculty.
The Distinguished Professor Awards were presented to Paul Wilson,
a
professor of agriculture and resource economics, and Carrol McLaughlin
of
the School of Music.
In addition to being granted the prestigious title of Distinguished
Professor, the award carries a $5,000 increase in base salary.
"It's a wonderful honor," Wilson said. "I'm part
of a great department with
a lot of outstanding teachers."
Eugene Sander, University
of Arizona,
To learn more:
http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2008/04/17/News
/Faculty.Take.Home.Prestigious.Honors-3331891.shtml
--------
5 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: AN ANTIDOTE TO DIABETES
A balloon floats on the breeze created by an overhead fan. Squealing,
a
toddler chases after the balloon, his mother batting it back to
him. A
senior citizen looking on from her wheelchair joins in, scooting
forward
with her feet as the balloon brushes her arm. This simple and fun
activity
can take place just about anywhere. But on a reservation that winds
along
the Colorado River in western Arizona, it is helping people learn
how to
keep diabetes at bay.
Diabetes is a serious health concern for Americans from many walks
of life,
but it is of particular concern for American Indians. Members of
the
Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) are learning about its warning
signs and
the important role proper nutrition and physical activity have in
avoiding
or controlling its debilitating effects.
Read the rest of this article, that appeared in the Fall 2007 issue
of the
CALS magazine Arizona Land & People, at the link below.
Robin Cooper, La Paz
County Cooperative Extension,
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/landandpeople/fall2007/article5.pdf
--------
6 PETSMART ENDOWS SECOND FACULTY CHAIR IN NORTON
SCHOOL
Pet supply retail giant PetSmart Inc. has signed a $1 million endowment
agreement with The University of Arizona's Terry J. Lundgren Center
for
Retailing. This is PetSmarts second major gift to the UA.
The new pact establishes the PetSmart Endowed Professorship of
Practice in
Retailing and Consumer Sciences. This endowed professorship was
established
to recognize and promote excellence in undergraduate education in
retailing
and consumer sciences, said Soyeon Shim, director of the John and
Doris
Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, which houses the
Lundgren
Center. The Norton School is part of the UA College of Agriculture
and Life
Sciences.
"The inaugural recipient of the named professorship of practice
will be soon
announced by the University," Shim said. The first gift in
2004, also for $1
million, funded the PetSmart Distinguished Professorship, supporting
a
research-oriented position on the Norton faculty.
The UA also will use the new PetSmart gift to launch the new Career-Wise
Cats Companion Animal Track program, said Melinda Burke, director
of
Lundgren Center. The program will introduce UA students to careers
in
retailing, with a major emphasis on the PetSmart model.
Soyeon Shim, Norton School
of Family and Consumer Sciences,
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/19200
--------
7 REAL-TIME INTERNET COURSE FROM ARIZONA TO JORDAN
Tucson, Arizona and Irbid, Jordan lie 10 time zones apart at 32
degrees
latitude. Jordans climate zones resemble those in desert Arizona,
where the
drier areas in particular have problems with crops damaged from
salt buildup
in soils. Irrigation is a particular challenge.
Research and teaching conducted at the University of Arizona in
Tucson and
the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) in Irbid
offer
applied approaches to similar agricultural and environmental problems.
By collaborating internationally and sharing solutions, faculty
and students
at both universities can make a difference in how quickly new methods
and
technologies are adopted in their own areas and also in other parts
of the
world. Real-time Internet classes speed this process by eliminating
travel,
housing, visas, international tuition and other requirements that
take time
and cost money.
That was the aim of a real-time Internet civil engineering course
offered
between the UA and JUST from October 2006 to January 2007. A first
for both
institutions, 18 students in Jordan participated in a class transmitted
live
from Tucson as they sat in their classroom in Irbid.
The rest of this article, that appeared in the fall issue of the
CALS
magazine Arizona Land & People, is at the link below.
Robert Freitas,
To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/landandpeople/fall2007/article9.pdf
--------
8 SCIENCE SATURDAY AT BIOSPHERE 2 APRIL 26
The B2 Institute inaugurated its new Science Saturday outreach
program this
spring, a series of public lectures and other special events on
the
Biosphere 2 campus. This coming Saturday, April 26th, at 1:00 PM,
the
speakier will be David Breshears, professor in the UA School of
Natural
Resources, who will discuss "Hot Times and Dead Trees: Change
in the West."
For background information on Breshears' research see
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2005/article14_2005.pdf
Admission to the talk is included with the cost of admission to
Biosphere 2.
A membership program is also available, which offers unlimited annual
visits
to Biosphere 2 as well as additional benefits.
Pierre Meystre, B2 Institute, www.B2institute.org
To learn more: http://www.b2science.org/b2institutesatsci.html
--------
9 KARSTEN CENTER TURFGRASS RESEARCH FIELD DAY ON
MAY 15
Find out more about using electronic field equipment for turfgrass
evaluation and analysis at the annual Turfgrass Research Field Day,
held on
Thursday, May 15. The event will run from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
at the
University of Arizona's Karsten Turfgrass Research Center in Tucson,
and
includes lunch.
The field day includes a technology tour and demonstrations on
soil moisture
sensing, measuring soil salinity, smart controllers for improving
turfgrass
irrigation, infrared thermometry to assess plant stress, and other
topics.
A full schedule is at the link below.
David Kopec, Karsten
Turfgrass Research Center,
Kai Umeda, Maricopa
County Cooperative Extension,
To learn more:
http://turf.arizona.edu/KarstenTurfgrassResearchFieldDay08.pdf
--------
10 RACE TRACK INDUSTRY PROGRAM HOSTS FILM SCREENING
APRIL 28
On April 28, 2008, the Race Track Industry Program at the University
of
Arizona will host a special one-night screening of filmmakers Brad
and John
Hennegan's riveting Kentucky Derby documentary, THE FIRST SATURDAY
IN MAY.
This award winning documentary chronicles the journey of a diverse
cast of
six hard-working trainers and their jockeys in pursuit of horse
racing's
Holy Grail--the Kentucky Derby, "the greatest two minutes in
sports."
Seating to this event is limited and tickets are available on a
first-come
basis to the 7 p.m. screening at The University of Arizona's Gallagher
Theater. Admission is $5.00 and features a post-film question and
answer
session with Brad Hennegan. The official commemorative Derby glass
will be
included with the first 125 tickets. For more information call Wendy
Davis
621-5663.
Established in 1974, The University of Arizona's Race Track Industry
Program
offers both a Bachelors and Masters Degree program with an emphasis
on the
racing industry. It is the only program of its kind and has produced
Bob
Baffert and Todd Pletcher, two of the world's leading trainers.
Wendy Davis, Race Track Industry Program, (520) 621-5663
To learn more: http://www.ua-rtip.org
--------
11 DESERT HORTICULTURAL CONFERENCE MAY 16 IN TUCSON
The 17TH Annual Desert Horticultural Conference will be held May
16 at the
Tucson Convention Center. It's the premier annual conference for
all members
of the southwest green industry: landscape architects, designers,
growers,
retailers, contractors, maintenance personnel, suppliers, and educators.
The event features timely, research-based information relevant
for
designing, building, maintaining, and producing plants for urban
landscapes
in the arid Southwest. Four concurrent sessions in 2008 include
Arboriculture, Hot Topics/Green, Design, and Maintenance (Spanish
translation available in Maintenance session).
Attendees can earn continuing education units for various professional
organizations. Registration is $45 before May 1st and $70 thereafter.
Kathryn Hahne, Pima County
Cooperative Extension,
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/deserthort/
--------
12 CONFERENCE ON COLORADO RIVER'S IMPORTANCE TO
ARIZONA JUNE 24
The Water Resources Research Center at the UA, in collaboration
with the
Central Arizona Project, announces that registration is now open
for their
2008 Annual Conference, "The Importance of the Colorado River
to Arizona's
Future," to be held June 24 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort
& Spa in Phoenix.
This timely conference will look forward 40 years, to 2048, to answer
the
question; What will the Colorado River mean for Arizona's future?
Conference
topics include water use by major water-using sectors and regions;
implications of drought on the Colorado River to Arizona; interstate
and
intrastate water banking and recovery; implementation of the Lower
Colorado
River Multispecies Conservation Program; and meeting the water needs
of the
Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District.
The program will include presentations by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Commissioner Bob Johnson, Central Arizona Project Board President
Susan
Bitter Smith, and Arizona Department of Water Resources Director
Herb
Guenther.
The complete agenda, along with registration information, can be
found at
the link below. Early Bird Registration (closes May 15) is $125.
Beginning
May 16th, registration will be $150. Reduced rates are available
for
students and a limited number of scholarships are available for
County
Extension personnel.
Jane Cripps, Water Resources Research Center, 520-792-9591
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/azwater/programs/conf2008
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13 LOW VOLTAGE HELPS INCREASE CHEMICAL YIELDS
University of Arizona scientists have discovered that stimulating
plants
with electricity can induce them to produce certain chemicals--including
some that are commercially useful--at a much higher rate than they
normally
would, and more efficiently than current methods allow.
These chemicals, called secondary metabolites, are used in a huge
variety of
ways. Food, dyes, poisons, perfumes and medicines come from them.
Latex,
herbs like ginseng and chamomile, medicines such as morphine, digitalis
and
steroids as well as nicotine and cocaine are all secondary metabolites
whose
production by plants could be increased by electricity.
To read the rest of this article from the April 1 Arizona Daily
Star, see
the link below.
Hans VanEtten, Division
of Plant Pathology,
To learn more: http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/232283.php
--------
14 CALS IN THE NEWS
GETTING WARMER
The Earth Day Network supplies a "Climate Change Fact Sheet"
on its Web
page. One of its statements declares: "Much of the United States
has already
warmed, by as much as 4 degrees Fahrenheit."
According to Michael Crimmins, assistant specialist in climate
science at
the UA, we haven't seen that type of dramatic increase around here--yet.
"In the Tucson area," Crimmins says of the last 10 years,
"the temperature
has risen a half to 1 degree Fahrenheit on average, especially in
the
summertime. That is certainly a significant trend." Despite
this relatively
tiny increase in average temperature, Crimmins points out two noticeable
impacts brought about by climate change so far.
"We're certainly seeing (its effects) across Arizona in the
last 10 years,
with the most warm years ever, even at rural weather stations,"
he says.
"With precipitation, we're seeing a lot of variability. In
the last 10
years, there have been many dry winters and less summer rains."
Read the rest of this story that includes comments from CALS faculty
members
Michael Crimmins, Rob Call and Jeff Silvertooth in the April 17-23
edition
of the Tucson Weekly:
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=109592
Michael Crimmins, Office
of Arid Lands Studies,
Rob Call, Cochise
County Cooperative Extension,
Jeff Silvertooth, Department
of Soil, Water and Environmental Science,
NASA/SPACE GRANT INTERNS CELEBRATE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The University of Arizona played host this weekend to more than
100 college students from across the
state at the 17th annual Arizona/NASA Space Grant Undergraduate
Research
Internship Program's statewide symposium.
The program began in 1988 after Congress passed the National Space
Grant
Act, and there are now programs in every state, said Susan Brew,
manager of
both the Arizona Space Grant Consortium and University of Arizona
programs.
"The symposium is the grand finale of the program," she
said, "a celebration
of their accomplishments."
Presentations came from students at the UA, Arizona State University,
Northern Arizona University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,
Pima
Community College and South Mountain Community College. The presentations
ran the gamut of science and engineering, from aerospace to biology
and
planetary science, as well as science education and public outreach.
Barron Orr, associate director of the UA program, said the program
helps
students "get a full research experience," an important
part of which is
sharing that research. "It's a chance to see how your peers
in the
scientific community react."
Read more from the April 21 Arizona Daily Star:
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/235265.php
Barron Orr, Office of Arid Lands Studies,
UNCERTAINTIES ABOUND IN WATER PLANNING
Q Do you think it's good government here when we the people are
told to
accept, pay to clean up and use second-rate Colorado River water
while
ground water is used for agriculture?
A Good government depends on one's vantage point and I think the
person
posing this question has formulated his/her answer. Millions of
people use
Colorado River water. The laws and system of water rights authorize
agriculture in the Active Management Areas to utilize groundwater
for land
that was irrigated during the 1975 through 1979 period. I think
it is
unlikely to envision a scenario that takes these rights away. Urban
growth
has reduced the number of acres in production in the Tucson Active
Management Area.
Read the rest of this question-and-answer session conducted at
the UA's
forum on understanding growth in the Tucson region in the April
20 Arizona
Daily Star: http://www.azstarnet.com/altds/pastframe/opinion/235018
Sharon Megdal, Arizona
Water Resources and Research Center,
CALS PROFESSOR TO SPEAK AT "DAY OF SILENCE" EVENTS
This week's Day of Silence observances, held April 23-25 on the
UA campus to promote rights of
the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, will include
a
memorial service to honor Lawrence King, an openly gay California
teen who
was killed earlier this year. Stephen Russell, a professor in the
CALS John
and Doris School of Family and Consumer Sciences who has studied
the
experiences of "sexual minorities" in school settings,
will speak during the
memorial for King Thursday night.
"When LGBT people, people of color, women--when these people
feel
uncomfortable and unsafe, it comes back to this place of privilege
that
others have," Russell said. "And for many people, that
privilege is part of
the majority culture." His work attempts to help schools and
educators to
become more responsive to the needs of LGBT youth and also responsiveness
to
the discrimination they face.
To learn more about the full range of events to be held April 23-25,
see the
rest of the article that appeared in UA News on April 21:
http://uanews.org/node/19401.
Stephen Russell,
Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences,
ON 1,170 HIKES, SAME TRAIL, HE'S BOUND TO SEE CHANGES
It was love at first sight of stark, towering, reddish-brown cliffs
that led David Bertelsen to
start scaling the Finger Rock Trail in the Catalina Mountains' front
range.
It was sheer curiosity that led Bertelsen to start recording every
plant he
saw up the five-mile trail to the top of Mount Kimball and to make
the
journey as often as once a week for more than 20 years.
But it is the reality of climate change that draws scientists to
Bertelsen's
data. A retired probation officer, he has no science degree. But
several
scientists say his discoveries on the Finger Rock Trail point to
signs of
ecological change due to global warming, drought, or both.
To read the rest of this story that appeared in the April 21 Arizona
Daily
Star, go to http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/235093.php
Theresa Crimmens, Office of Arid Lands Studies,
______________________________________________________________________________
To find out about available CALS publications and upcoming events,
go to http://cals.arizona.edu
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