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CALS Development and Alumni
1 UA RESEARCHERS ENGINEER SELF-DESTRUCTING VIRUS
University of Arizona researchers have sown the seeds of a virus'
destruction in its own genetic code--or rather, in the genetic code
of the
organisms it seeks to infect. Their work could improve both the
understanding of how viruses work as well as the ability to make plants
and
animals more virus-resistant.
Working with a virus that infects bacteria, Bentley Fane, a professor
of
veterinary sciences and microbiology and a member of the BIO5 Institute,
and
James Cherwa, a graduate student in Fane's lab, pinpointed a region
of a
protein that's crucial to building the virus' structure, designed a
modified
version of that protein, and engineered the bacteria's cells to produce
the
modified protein.
When the virus infected cells of the bacteria, it "recognized"
the modified
protein and, following the instructions encoded in its own DNA, the
virus
tried to incorporate the altered protein into copies of itself. Instead
the
protein gummed up the works of the replication process, causing the
virus to
die without producing any offspring. "We were shocked by just how
potent the
inhibitory protein was," Fane said.
The research casts light on the biology of how viruses work and how
the
proteins they create interact with one another.
To read the rest of this article published July 10 in UANews, go to
the link
below.
Fane and Cherewa's research was also covered in the Tucson Citizen
on July
9: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/90461.php
Bentley Fane, BIO5 Institute, bfane@email.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/20506
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2 NEW UA COLLEGE
The most recent college to be designated at The University of Arizona
will
work to boost access, online enrollments and collaborations throughout
the
campus and around the state. On July 1, the UA's Continuing Education
and
Academic Outreach became the Outreach College.
The Outreach College will remain devoted to some of the UA's long-held
values, such as student access and expanding the University's reach
beyond
Tucson, said Michael Proctor, UA senior associate vice president for
outreach and international programs. The college is also responsible
for
coordinating the UA's distance learning component and also oversees
the
Evening & Weekend Campus, professional development, independent
study,
continuing education and programs for children and senior members of
the
community.
The name change will also put the college in a better position to
collaborate more effectively with other UA units and off-campus partners
to
introduce new programs and services, Proctor said. "In the past,
we've never
had strategies around connecting the University like this," he
said.
Becoming designated as a college is part of a larger effort. The University
named Eugene G. Sander vice president for outreach and placed a number
of
units under his purview -- including UA South, International Affairs,
Cooperative Extension and the Outreach College. One of the Outreach
College's major initiatives over the next five years will be to increase
the
number of students enrolled in online and evening courses while increasing
the number of students who complete degrees, said David E. Cox, the
college's dean.
"The goal, and part of the reason for the name change, is so that
we can
help the other colleges to make their distance, credit outreach and
weekend
programs more visible both internally and to the public," Cox said.
"One of the charges of the Outreach College is to help departments
to
increase their enrollments in these other kinds of ways," said
Cox, who is
also associate dean of the UA's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Cox noted that the college is heavily focused on non-traditional students
and community members. Among its offerings are Arizona Youth University,
a
summer program for children and teenagers, and the Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute, or OLLI, which targets the aging population. Elderhostel
is
another program offering educational programming to people 55 years
old and
older.
See the rest of this July 9 UANow article at the link below.
Eugene Sander, CALS Administration, egsander@ag.arizona.edu Dave Cox,
CALS
Administration, dcox@ag.arizona.edu Mike Proctor, CALS Administration,
mproctor@cals.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/20491
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3 AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Traveling through Spain last month, I was struck by the vast expanses
of
wheat growing everywhere. Last month in western Tennessee and
Mississippi--an area I usually associate with cotton--there it was again:
wheat, wheat, wheat.
In Arizona, USDA forecasts that growers will plant nearly double the
amount
of wheat in 2008 that they planted in 2007. Arizona wheat acres are
expected
to exceed cotton acres for the first time since 1976. Growers in Arizona
and
worldwide are responding to market signals as USDA forecasts wheat prices
may be as high as $8.25 per bushel this year. Strong wheat prices along
with
high prices for many other agricultural commodities bode well for U.S.
farm
income.
To read the rest of this article by CALS economist George Frisvold,
published in the July issue of Farm Bureau's "Arizona Agriculture,"
see the
link below.
George Frisvold, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics,
Frisvold@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.azfb.org/news/pdf/AA_07-08.pdf
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4 BUILDING A PRIVATELY-FUNDED UA FACILITY
When Soyeon Shim wanted a new building for her school at the University
of
Arizona, she got to work and raised $24 million in donations to build
it.
Thanks to her determination and dedication, the John and Doris Norton
School
of Family and Consumer Sciences, which she directs, has moved into the
four-story, 72,000-square-foot McClelland Park Building--the first UA
academic structure created without tax dollars.
The school's new four-story facility means more space and better technology
for students, faculty and staff.
To read the rest of this opinion piece that appeared in the June 12
Tucson
Citizen, see http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/87965.php.
To hear Shim talk about how her school managed to raise enough private
funds
to build a brand new building, listen to the June 26 UANews podcast
at
http://uanews.org/node/20359.
For a comprehensive description of the Norton School and the success
its
graduates are experiencing, read "Prof raises $24 million for new
UA
building" in the June 10 Tucson Citizen at the link below.
Soyeon Shim, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences,
shim@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/87764.php
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5 NEW BOOK EXAMINES INTERSECTION OF FIRE ECOLOGY AND HUMANS
A new book, co-authored by a University of Arizona researcher, looks
at how
the ancient regime of wildfire in North America has played a role in
shaping
both nature and human habitat.
The book, "Living with Fire: Fire Ecology and Policy for the 21st
Century"
(University of California Press), was written by Guy R. McPherson, a
UA
professor of natural resources and ecology/evolutionary biology, and
Sara E.
Jensen, a conservation researcher with Defenders of Wildlife.
McPherson and Jensen detail how fire has shaped North American ecosystems,
but also now threatens human lives and property. They explore the dilemma
of
fire through fire policy, fire science and fire management and suggest
ways
to address these issues.
The book is geared primarily to help scientists, policy makers and
the
general public, especially residents of fire-prone areas, to understand
the
history of fire and how to cope with it. They offer abundant historical
and
analytic information to shed new light on current controversies.
"Living with Fire" also presents a dynamic new paradigm for
dealing with
fire that recognizes its role in the environment, and how to rebuild
important ecological and political processes to manage fire and other
complex policy dilemmas. The book is scheduled for release in early
August.
McPherson talks about the influence of such plants as well as the history
and impact of fires and fire policy on the July 17 edition of "Podcats"
at
http://uanews.org/node/20628
Guy McPherson, School of Natural Resources, grm@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/20529
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6 LATEST ISSUE OF BACKYARDS AND BEYOND
The Spring 2008 issue of Arizona Cooperative Extension's rural living
magazine Backyards and Beyond is now available. Covering everything
from
Ponderosa pine density on small lots and timing irrigation with controllers
to dealing with kissing bugs and locoweed, the publication has something
for
everyone. The magazine is designed for the small acreage landowner,
new
landowner or backyard enthusiast.
An annual hard copy subscription to the quarterly publication costs $10.00.
Susan Pater, Cochise County Cooperative Extension, spater@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/backyards
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7 ARIZONA GIVES UA $176K WATERSHED WORK GRANT
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality awarded a grant to
the
University of Arizona to fund watershed improvement projects in Safford
and
Prescott. Agency Director Steve Owens announced the $176,150 grant July
9,
saying UA does a "terrific job training volunteers to protect our
precious
water resources."
Program coordinator Candice Rupprecht said the need for training volunteers
to protect, restore, monitor and conserve watersheds is critical to
Arizona.
"We don't have a lot of surface water in Arizona, so it's really
important
for people to understand what is affecting our watershed," she
said.
"Training the volunteers to recognize the issues allows them to
help address
them."
A watershed is the area drained by a stream and its tributaries and
can
range from under a square mile to hundreds of thousands of square miles.
The
grant will fund volunteers to work on revegetation projects with the
Gila
Watershed Partnership in Safford and Prescott Creeks Partnership in
Prescott
in hopes of lessening pollution that has shown up in those watersheds.
To read more from the July 9 Tucson Citizen, see the link below.
Candice Rupprecht, Arizona Cooperative Extension, candicer@cals.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/90724.php
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8 NEW PUBLICATION: ARSENIC IN ARIZONA GROUND WATER
Following on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Arsenic
Rule"
decision to lower the allowable arsenic content in drinking water from
50 to
10 parts per billion (ppb) or less, public water systems were required
to
meet the lower limit by January 23, 2006. Private well owners are not
subject to the rule because, under Arizona law, it is the sole
responsibility of the private well owner to determine the quality
(potability) of their private well water.
However, private well owners across the state have realized the importance
of testing their own water supply for arsenic. Measurable levels of
arsenic
are found in ground water across the state. Arizona Cooperative Extension's
new publication, "Arsenic in Arizona Ground Water--Source and Transport
Characteristics," features a map of ground water wells sampled
for arsenic
across Arizona between 1993 to 2007.
The four-page publication outlines regulations, sampling procedures,
chemistry, geology and health risks for arsenic, and information on
testing
wells. Download a copy at the link below.
Kristine Uhlman, Water Resources Research Center, kuhlman@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1453.pdf
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9 ARIZONA 'PODCATS': SHUCKING THE CORN CODE
UA plant sciences professor Rod Wing led an international effort to
decode
the rice genome and has since turned his attention to corn. In the June
5
edition of Arizona "Podcats," Wing talks about the process
and importance of
mapping the corn genome, explaining that corn components are found in
just
about every food product. Wing holds the Bud Antle Endowed Chair for
Excellence in Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Listen to the podcast at the link below.
Rod Wing, BIO5 Institute, rwing@email.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/20026
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10 NINE CALS FOOD PUBLICATIONS UPDATED
Would you like to know more about food irradiation, biotechnology and
food,
vegetarian diets and other timely kitchen-related issues? Several
food-related CALS publications have been recently revised and are now
available online at the links below.
Irradiation of Food
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1060.pdf
Biotechnology and Food
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1066.pdf
Microwave Cooking
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1081.pdf
Vegetarian Diets: Build on the Basics
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1231.pdf
Diabetes -- Meal Planning, the First Step
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1228.pdf
Sugar Substitutes - Are They Safe?
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1229.pdf
The Latest in Kitchen Sanitation Issues
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az9714.pdf
Egg and Egg Product Safety and Quality
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az9715.pdf
Nine Food Safety Strategies
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az9717.pdf
Scottie Misner, Department of Nutritional Sciences, misner@ag.arizona.edu
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11 UA IDEA: TUCSONANS SAVE WATER; FUNDS GO TO RESTORE OUR RIVERS
Why conserve water when what's saved goes to serve more growth?
That question has hung over the city's water-conservation debate for
years.
Even though statistics show that many Tucson-area residents have indeed
cut
back from their use a decade ago, people continue to write letters and
speak
out at meetings that they see little point in conserving if newcomers
keep
moving in and slurping up the savings.
Now, a University of Arizona water-research center wants to offer an
alternative to ensure that saving water is helping the region's long-dry
rivers and streams.
"Conserve to Enhance" is a proposed program in which people
who save water
could set aside the money they saved by using less water to restore
long-barren rivers or streams. It's been under study for some time by
the
UA's Water Resources Research Center.
Read the rest of this article from the July 16 Arizona Daily Star at
the
link below.
Sharon Megdal, Water Resources Research Center, smegdal@cals.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/248507
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12 CALS FACULTY COMMENT ON THE FARM BILL
Find out what two CALS faculty have to say about the recently passed
Farm
Bill. Agronomist Jeff Silvertooth and economist George Frisvold offer
their
views on a segment of "Arizona Illustrated" that aired on
KUAT on June 23.
View the short feature at the link below.
Jeff Silvertooth, Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science,
silver@ag.arizona.edu
George Frisvold, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics,
frisvold@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more:
http://ondemand.azpm.org/videoshorts/watch/2008/6/23/kuat-farm-bill/
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13 THE COMPREHENSIVE SCOPE OF THE IPLANT COOPERATIVE
In January 2008, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a University
of Arizona-led team $50 million to create a global center and computer
cyberinfrastructure to answer plant biology's "grand challenge
questions,"
which no single research entity in the world currently has the capacity
to
address. Dubbed the iPlant Collaborative, the project will unite plant
scientists, computer scientists and information scientists from around
the
world for the first time to provide answers to questions of global
importance and to advance knowledge in all of these fields.
A series of articles describing various aspects of the iPlant Collaborative
was recently published in a special combined issue of Arizona Alumnus
(the
UA Alumni Association) and Advancing Arizona (UA Foundation):
-- iPlant Collaborative to Tackle the World's Most Complex Problems
-- iPlant Collaborative to Engage K-12 Students
-- iPlant's Cyberinfrastructure: Part Facebook, Part Supercomputer
See the link below.
Vicki Chandler, BIO5 Institute, chandler@ag.arizona.edu
Richard Jorgensen, BIO5 Institute, raj@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.arizonaalumni.com/Alumnus/sp08/bio5.html
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14 CALS IN THE NEWS
VOICE OF KENTUCKY DERBY, UA GRAD, DIES
Luke Kruytbosch, the voice of the Kentucky Derby for the past decade
and a
graduate of the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program, died
Monday at his home in southern Indiana. He was 47.
Mr. Kruytbosch (pronounced KRITE-boss) began his 10-year run at Churchill
Downs at the start of its 1999 spring meet. He had a voice "known
throughout
the world" by horse-racing enthusiasts, according to a UA representative.
"He was famous within the racing community," said Wendy Davis,
associate
coordinator of UA's Race Track Industry Program. "You didn't even
need to
hear him say, 'I'm Luke Kruytbosch,' because as soon as he spoke, you
knew
who he was."
Read the rest of the story from the July 16 Tucson Citizen at
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/91063.php
Wendy Davis, Race Track Industry Program, wdavis@ag.arizona.edu
GENOME COMMUNICATION
In the late 19th century Gregor Mendel used peas to show that one copy
of a
gene (allele) is inherited from the mother and one from the father.
In the
progeny, the inherited genes are expressed at the right time and in
the
right place, but until recently, it was thought that although gene products
could be modified during the life of the organism, the genes themselves
were
unchanged, except for random mutation. Now it appears that one copy
of some
genes can alter the expression of the other copy, and those changes
are
passed down to the next generation. These epigenetic alterations, called
paramutations may be important in introducing changes when plants and
other
organisms are environmentally stressed.
Dr. Vicki Chandler and her colleagues have studied paramutations in
maize
and other plants and have identified some of the genes and mechanisms
that
operate in this epigenetic process. Dr. Chandler, of the Department
of Plant
Sciences at the University of Arizona, Tucson, presented this work at
a
symposium on Maize Biology at the annual meeting of the American Society
of
Plant Biologists in Mérida, Mexico on June 28.
To read more about paramutations, read the rest of this article that
appeared in EurekAlert on June 27 at
www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/asop-gc062308.php
Vicki Chandler, BIO5 Institute, chandler@ag.arizona.edu
THE OLD MAN WHO FARMS WITH THE SEA
A few miles inland from the Sea of Cortez, amid cracked earth and mesquite
and sun-bleached cactus, neat rows of emerald plants are sprouting from
the
desert floor. The crop is salicornia. It is nourished by seawater flowing
from a man-made canal. And if you believe the American who is farming
it,
this incongruous swath of green has the potential to feed the world,
fuel
our vehicles and slow global warming.
He is Carl Hodges, a Tucson-based atmospheric physicist who has spent
most
of his 71 years figuring out how humans can feed themselves in places
where
good soil and fresh water are in short supply. The founding director
of the
University of Arizona's highly regarded Environmental Research Lab,
his work
has attracted an eclectic band of admirers. They include heads of state,
corporate chieftains and Hollywood stars, among them Martin Sheen and
the
late Marlon Brando.
Read the rest of this story that appeared in the July 10 Los Angeles
Times:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-seafarm10-2008jul10,0,3389394.story
Carl Hodges, Environmental Research Laboratory, (520) 626-3328
TOP TUCSON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN UA LABS THIS SUMMER
Twenty five exceptional Tucson high school students are learning lab
skills,
engaging in research projects and presenting their findings to their
peers,
mentors and parents during the KEYS (K-12 Engaging Youth in Science)
summer
research internship program. The summer research internship program
is
currently taking place at the BIO5 Institute and the College of Pharmacy
at
The University of Arizona.
"It is a fantastic opportunity for these students to see what
science is all
about," said Kevin Hall, director of research training and career
development for the BIO5 Institute. "It's one thing to follow a
step-by-step
lab 'recipe' in a class with fellow students, and another to design
an
experiment to solve a problem, to adjust the experiment when the data
requires it and to try a new approach again and again. It really opens
their
eyes to the process, and ultimately gives them confidence in their ability
to conduct a scientific experiment."
The summer research internship focuses on biomedical and environmental
health sciences. The students, which had to apply through a competitive
process in order to be selected for the program, select research topics
from
genetics/molecular biology, pharmacology/toxicology and computational
biology/bioinformatics.
They will work with nearly 30 renowned UA researchers, including Vicki
Chandler, BIO5 director as well as Rod Wing and David Gang, also with
BIO5.
Other contributors include the department of plant sciences, the Arizona
Respiratory Center's Fernando Martinez and Nathan Cherrington and Georg
Wondrak from the College of Pharmacy.
Read the rest of this article that appeared in UANews on July 7 at
http://uanews.org/node/20429
Vicki Chandler, BIO5 Institute, chandler@ag.arizona.edu
PLANTINGS BOOST NEIGHBORHOOD, WATER QUALITY
An old neighborhood south of the University of Arizona is conserving
water
and fighting pollution with the help of a local nonprofit group and
a
$100,000 grant from the state. The main goal of the project is to improve
the quality of water that flows from High School Wash into the Santa
Cruz
River, said Lisa Shipek, executive director of the nonprofit Watershed
Management Group.
The Rincon Heights neighborhood, bordered by East Sixth Street, North
Campbell Avenue, Broadway and North Park Avenue, floods quickly during
summer storms. Project volunteers are digging retention basins and planting
trees and bushes in the strips between the curbs and the property lines
in
the public right of way, Shipek said.
Read the rest of this article from the July 6 Tucson Citizen at
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/frontpage/90190.php
Jim Riley, Environmental Research Laboratory, jriley@ag.arizona.edu
UA RESEARCHER PROBES POTENTIAL FOR PLANTS' POWER IN MEDICINE
David Gang's laboratory and the kitchen he shares with his wife and
six
children contain some of the same ingredients.
At the University of Arizona, where he is a professor in the Department
of
Plant Sciences, Gang grows turmeric and ginger plants in greenhouses
on the
roof of a parking garage on East Sixth Street.
He raises basil plants in controlled chambers in the basement of the
Bio5
Research Institute across campus.
Read the rest of this article from the July 14 Arizona Daily Star at
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/248162
David Gang, BIO5 Institute, gang@ag.arizona.edu
____________________________________________________________________________
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