Please join me in welcoming Nobuko (Kay) Hongu, Assistant Extension Specialist in nutrition. Kay joined the Department of Nutritional
Sciences team on March 1 working in areas of obesity prevention, physical activity enhancement and prevention of diseases related to
weight problems.
I am pleased to announce that Barbara Hutchinson will become the new Assistant Dean and Team Leader of the Digital Library and
Information Systems Team for the University Libraries beginning April 1. Barbara has been Director and Librarian at the University
of Arizona's Arid Lands Information Center (ALIC) for nearly 20 years and we are very pleased that Barbara has chosen to apply her
considerable skills to leading the Digital Library and Information Systems Team.
There are several opportunities for funding this next fiscal year for Enhancement Awards, Working Groups and Statewide Initiatives.
The requirements and submittal process has changed from previous years. What has not changed is the county-campus/experiment station
collaboration. All requests for funding are due to Extension Programs by 5:00pm on May 12. To submit a proposal, go to
http://cals-cf.calsnet.arizona.edu/exact/proposals and enter the username (cals) and password (ua) to access the page. The criteria
can be found at http://ag.arizona.edu/internal/programs/fundingcriteria2006.pdf using a different username (coa) and password (ua).
The first ever Southwest Vegetable Conference, sponsored by New Mexico Cooperative Extension, was held on March 15 in Las Cruces.
Several UA faculty made presentations, including Jeff Silvertooth (nutrient uptake in irrigated cantaloupes), John Palumbo
(insect management under different irrigation regimes) and Jorge Fonseca (key aspects to extend shelf life of lettuce). About 70
vegetable growers, agency personnel and extension faculty from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California attended. The group hopes
to make this an annual event.
To increase support to off-campus units, we have purchased the SupportDesk product from Networkstreaming to allow our computer support
team of Andy Medina and Robert Armstrong remote access to desktop computers statewide and enable them to troubleshoot a variety of
problems. For those who have been around some time, this product is similar to PCAnywhere. There is nothing to install ahead of time
and when assistance is needed, you can call the ExACT Help Line (520-626-8395) and at the same time direct your Internet browser to
http://onyx.cals.arizona.edu. Andy and/or Robert will direct you from there. This should greatly help the troubleshooting process
for the county and ag center units we assist since it allows them to see and work on a computer as if they were there.
Upcoming Events & Reminders:
The Arizona Pest Management Center (APMC) is announcing the availability of funds and requests Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
proposals. This program supports applied research and education to move IPM knowledge and technologies from researchers into the
hands of end-users (e.g., farmers, ranchers, pest managers, homeowners). Interested faculty are invited to submit proposals to
address local and statewide IPM Extension needs in applied research and outreach. Funding priority will be given to those projects
that address specific priority issues identified by the APMC IPM Coordinating Committee (listed in the RFP). Approximately $50,000
is available. There is no maximum award; however, it is expected that 3-10 proposals will be funded under this RFP. Proposals are
due to Al Fournier by March 31. Funds will be distributed shortly after decisions are made by the IPM Coordinating Committee in April.
Funds should be expended by September 30, 2006. To get a copy of the RFP, or for any questions, contact Al Fournier (520-381-2240).
The 28th Annual Arizona/Nevada/Utah Range Livestock Workshop takes place on April 4-6 in St. George, Utah. The workshop includes
a field tour, activities at the fairgrounds, and a full program at the Red Hills Best Western in Kanab, Utah. For more information,
contact the Mohave County Extension Office, 928-753-3788.
The 2006 Retirees’ Reception will be held on Thursday, May 11 in the Forbes Lobby, 3:304:30 pm. The following people will be
honored: Tom Abbott, Joyce Cadenhead, Fidencio Carrillo, Rodney Cate, Vivian Gabbard, Gary Hart, Carol Jenkins, Andrea Mason,
Philip McD Hartman, Philip McLaughlin and C. Park Romney. If you, or if you know of others who are retiring and are not on this
list, contact the CALS Development/Alumni Office at 520-621-7190.
The 5th Natural Resource Extension Professionals Conference, “Finding the ‘Ability’ in Sustainability” takes place May 1417 at
the Canyons Resort, Park City, Utah. You can register by going to the conference website at http://www.ANREP2006.org and click
on “Registration.” The site includes the preliminary program schedule, speakers and presentation titles. You can also register
by phone or mail by calling 800-538-2663. Register by April 1, 2006 for the early registration rate is $285 (by April 1). The
non-ANREP members rate is $25 more, so you may want to join ANREP (membership information is available at http://anrep.org).
The theme for this year’s conference is sustainability, with the idea that to remain relevant, the Cooperative Extension System
must be at the forefront of sustainability education efforts.