CALS NewsLine from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
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IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED September 29 , 2008:
- $4 MILLION NSF GRANT FOR BIO5: UNDERSTANDING RHIZOMES
- MARIAN LALONDE: CALS ALUM SELECTED 2008 WOMAN OF THE YEAR
- STUDY EXAMINES RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ABSENT FATHERS, EARLY PUBERTY
- DESERT LEGUME PROGRAM (DELEP) IS 20 YEARS OLD
- LUNDGREN CENTER HOSTS CAREER DAY
- MAKE A SPLASH WITH ARIZONA PROJECT WET WATER FESTIVAL OCTOBER 3
- GRANT TO FUND NEW GRADUATE PROGRAM IN BIO5
- WINNING EDGE CONFERENCE: SPECIAL TOPICS IN SPORTS NUTRITION OCTOBER 3
- WHEN TREE LIMBS BREAK
- UA STUDY SHOWS BOYS CAN BE AS MEAN AS GIRLS
- RESEARCH INSIGHTS IN SEMIARID ECOSYSTEMS SYMPOSIUM OCTOBER 11
- NEW CALS PUBLICATIONS
- WORKSHOP ON GREENHOUSE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND CROP PRODUCTION OCTOBER 20
- CALS IN THE NEWS
1 $4 MILLION NSF GRANT FOR BIO5: UNDERSTANDING RHIZOMES
Anyone who's tried to remove Bermuda grass from their yard knows about plant rhizomes. These stubborn underground stems give weeds-and and other plants-many advantages, not the least of which is that even after you remove the above-ground plant, only a small portion of the underground stem needs to remain for the plant to survive and try to take over your yard once more.
Understanding the genetics and development of rhizomes is the focus of a four-year, $4 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to a UA-led team of scientists. "We want to find the genes responsible for producing rhizomes," says BIO5 member David Gang, PhD, associate professor of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "The genetic triggers, the signals, the regulators, and also the genes that actually build the plant."
Gang is principal investigator for the grant; his co-PIs are BIO5 member Carol Soderlund, UA research associate professor of Plant Sciences, and Jay Thelen, assistant professor of Biochemistry at the University of Missouri. The plant biologists plan to study the rhizomes of a wide range of medicinal and weedy plants, from primitive ferns and rushes to complex flowering plants.
The UA's BIO5 Institute brings together scientists from five disciplines - agriculture, medicine, pharmacy, basic science and engineering - to treat disease, feed humanity and preserve livable environments. BIO5 creates science, industry and education partnerships to engage in leading-edge research, translate innovations to the market and to inspire and train the next generation of scientists.
For more information, read the rest of the September 25 BIO5 press release at the link below.
Deborah Daun, BIO5 Institute, ddawn@bio5.org
To learn more: http://bio5.arizona.edu/news/article.php?module=NewsExport&action=ViewArticle&news_id=632&styles=2
2 MARIAN LALONDE: CALS ALUM SELECTED 2008 WOMAN OF THE YEAR
"Who I am makes a difference." That message graces a ribbon that was given to Marian LaLonde by a college professor who told her we make an impact in the lives of others, often without knowing it.
That message stuck with LaLonde, 29, the 2008 "40 Under 40" Woman of the Year. LaLonde went from a homeless, troubled youth on the streets of Tucson to become an advocate for other youths, as well as a rising star and associate attorney at DeConcini, McDonald, Yetwin and Lacy, PC. She started there as a law school intern one summer.
"Most of us had parents and other relatives to deal with life situations when we were children," says John Lacy, a partner at the firm. "Marian has had to do all of that herself, which I believe has helped her develop the qualities of diplomacy, tenacity and patience, which have been a tremendous help to working with our clients and in bringing disparate groups together."
LaLonde, who mainly deals in natural resources law, recently mitigated the interests among a mining client, residents on various tracts of Navajo land and the tribal government so that everyone walked away feeling good about it. She did it, Lacy says, by being respectful of all parties.
To read the rest of this article that appeared in the August edition of the Tucson Citizen's "Tucson Business Edge" at the link below.
Lalonde was a 2001 graduate from the UA's Department of Agricultural Education, where she was designated an "Outstanding Senior" and served as a College Ambassador. She graduated from the UA College of Law in 2006. The ribbon mentioned at the beginning of the article above was presented to her by Billye Foster, a professor in the CALS Department of Agricultural Education.
Billye Foster, Department of Agricultural Education, billye@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/tbe/40under40/winners08/woman
3 STUDY EXAMINES RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ABSENT FATHERS, EARLY PUBERTY
A study by a University of Arizona researcher and a colleague offers some insight on a phenomenon affecting girls who grow up in homes minus their biological fathers, and why they tend to go through puberty at an earlier age than their peers in intact families.
Professor Bruce J. Ellis, the John and Doris Norton Endowed Chair in Fathers, Parenting and Families at the UA Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, and Jacqueline M. Tither at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, have just published their study in the journal Developmental Psychology.
Ellis and Tither's study sought to unravel several competing theories about how this happens. Those theories vary from whether dysfunctional families and absent fathers are the cause of early puberty, or underlying environmental factors that cause family stress, such as poverty, or whether there might be a genetic link.
Understanding what triggers early puberty could give health care officials an advantage in dealing with issues that sometimes accompany it. Early puberty is often cited as a risk factor for young women, linking them to early pregnancy and an array of health problems, such as breast cancer.
See the rest of this UANews article published September 9 at the link below.
Hear Bruce Ellis discuss this research on the September 11 edition of UA "Podcats: The Link Between Early Puberty and Father-Absent Homes" at http://uanews.org/node/21509
Bruce Ellis, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, bjellis@email.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/21474
4 DESERT LEGUME PROGRAM (DELEP) IS 20 YEARS OLD
This summer, DELEP celebrates its 20th anniversary. It is difficult to believe that it has been so long ago, in June 1988, when the first seed collections were made from cultivated legumes on the University of Arizona campus. The past twenty years have seen many changes and much progress.
At the heart of DELEP is the seed bank. From humble beginnings, it has grown to a collection of 3480 accessions representing 1350 identified species. These seeds have originated from 57 countries on six continents. The seeds are stored in a walk-in freezer and two smaller chest-type freezers. Storing the seeds at 0° F extends viability and eliminates potential pest problems such as seed weevils.
For each accession with a minimum of 200 seeds, a portion is sent to the USDA Agricultural Research Service's National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation (NCGRP), in Fort Collins, Colorado for secure backup storage.
To find out more about DELEP's history, see the August issue of its newsletter Aridus at the link below.
Matthew B. Johnson, Desert Legume Program, mjohnson@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/desertlegumeprogram/pdf/aridus20_2.pdf
5 LUNDGREN CENTER HOSTS CAREER DAY
More than 200 Arizona high-school students attended the new McClelland Park building at The University of Arizona on Friday, Sept. 26, to learn about careers in retailing and the fashion industry.
The UA's Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences offers a retailing and consumer sciences major that offers students a solid foundation in retail marketing and management principles, consumer behavior and marketing products and services.
The day featured a series of guest speakers and student-led campus tours. High school students also modeled clothes for the "Just in Time for 2009" fashion show sponsored by Kohl's.
Melinda Burke, director of the Lundgren Center for Retailing in the Norton School, said the center's invitation to local high schools received an overwhelming response.
"Educators understand the need to keep students focused on college and careers," Burke said. "This event is designed to open their eyes to the possibilities, resources and opportunities available for them to launch a career in fashion."
Read more about this event in the September 22 issue of UANews at the link below.
Melinda Burke, Lundgren Center for Retailing, mburke@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/21623
6 MAKE A SPLASH WITH ARIZONA PROJECT WET WATER FESTIVAL OCTOBER 3
Some 1,000 Tucson fourth-graders are about to get their feet wet--both literally and figuratively--on water sustainability issues.
The Water Resources Research Center at The University of Arizona will take its Make a Splash with Arizona Project WET water festival to Jacobs Park on Friday, Oct. 3. The morning session runs from 9 to 11 a.m. The second session is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Arizona Project WET, or Water Education for Teachers, is part of the Water Resources Research Center at the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and manages a series of water festivals held around the state. The events are coordinated with community partners from water conservation offices, county UA Cooperative Extension offices and others.
The festival at Jacobs Park will incorporate several interactive, science-focused activities that teach students about watersheds, ground water, conservation and the water cycle.
Students will actively participate in four 30-minute lessons that are both kinesthetic and visual, said Kerry Schwartz who coordinates Arizona Project WET at the UA. Presenters at the festival are there to guide the students and ask them questions, but not to lecture to them, Schwartz said.
The activities also are correlated to Arizona academic standards and address crucial topics in water stewardship statewide. Local coordinators who help put the festivals together also help make the lessons relevant to their individual communities.
To read more about the water festival, see the rest of this article published September 24 in UANews at the link below. Listen to the UANews podcast at
http://uanews.org/node/21693
Kerry Schwartz, Water Resources Research Center, kschwart@cals.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/21669
7 GRANT TO FUND NEW GRADUATE PROGRAM IN BIO5
The UA will soon be home to a new multidisciplinary curriculum that will allow student researchers to better understand how genes and the environment affect human health, courtesy of a $1.4 million grant awarded Aug. 13.
"It's a new program that will bring together students and their faculty mentors from a variety of colleges," said Vicki Chandler, director of BIO5 Institute and co-investigator for the grant. Chandler also stated that the UA's selection from among steely competition is very rewarding.
"When you succeed at this very competitive national level of programs it's a really strong endorsement. It helps to validate the interdisciplinary faculty and students we have here at UA."
BIO5, named due to the inclusion of five different colleges--Agriculture, Science, Engineering, Medicine and Pharmacy--is UA's collaborative effort that focuses on complex biology-based problems.
The grant, which was funded by the National Institute of Health, will essentially provide funds for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who are continuing their education. However, unlike previous programs, the UA's program will build upon and interweave several disciplines.
Read the rest of this article that appeared in the August 27 issue of the Arizona Daily Wildcat at the link below.
Vicki Chandler, BIO5 Institute, chandler@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2008/08/27/News/Grant.To.Fund.New.Grad.Program-3405804.shtml
8 WINNING EDGE CONFERENCE: SPECIAL TOPICS IN SPORTS NUTRITION OCTOBER 3Would you like to learn the latest in nutritional sport science and how to apply this information to enhance personal fitness, health and athletic performance? Register for the 2008 Winning Edge Conference, to be held Friday, October 3 at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Paloma Village, 3110 E. Skyline Drive, Tucson.
Although geared toward health professionals, the content of this one-day conference is appropriate for athletes, casual exercisers, or people interested in improving their health, managing their weight, and increasing energy levels. All of the presenters actively work in the nutrition and exercise fields. This conference will provide you with the necessary skills to:
-- Choose and time fluid consumption to enhance exercise performance
-- Identify credible sources of nutrition information
-- Provide athletes of all ages and abilities with sound nutrition advice
-- Understand how physical activity influences blood sugar, and nutrition strategies diabetics can use to optimize performance
-- Find and use resources to help you assess the safety and efficacy of dietary supplements and ergogenic aids
-- Learn how to detect and manage eating disorders in athletes
-- Coordinate food and training to enhance performance
Seating is limited so register now. For more information visit the website below.
Theresa Spicer, Department of Nutritional Sciences, tspicer@email.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://nutrition.arizona.edu/snc
Recent strong thunderstorms have brought damaging winds to Southern Arizona. Many trees have had major limbs broken or have even blown over. Here are tips to speed their recovery.
Limbs broken off in storms split away from the tree and in the process do considerable damage to other branches or to the trunk. If branches are broken or partly broken, they should be removed. The resulting wounds should be cleaned: remove any loose or hanging bark around the edge of the wound, using a sharp knife. Form a smooth, oval-shaped incision around the wounded area. Remove the bark attached back to this incision, even the bark still attached to the trunk. Smooth, even edges around the wound will speed the development of callus, new growth that will protect the wound.
To learn more about how to care for damaged tree limbs, read the rest of this article that appeared in the September 7 issue of the Arizona Daily Star.
John Begeman, Pima County Cooperative Extension, jbegeman@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/byauthor/256041
10 UA STUDY SHOWS BOYS CAN BE AS MEAN AS GIRLS
A long-held notion about gender and aggressive behavior in children, it turns out, is not entirely accurate. True, boys are more apt to hit and shove, and girls are more likely to mete out subtler forms of punishment to their peers. However, researchers have begun to note that boys also use less physical forms of aggression, often called indirect, relational or social aggression, against others.
An analysis by a University of Arizona researcher and his colleagues of 148 studies of aggression in children and adolescents has found that the stereotype of physically aggressive boys masks the fact that boys are just as apt to take part in social aggression as girls.
This research also has implications for schools and parents who may be on the lookout for problem behavior. According to the researchers of this latest study, "we need to also consider social aggression among boys as well as the more direct, physical forms."
Read the rest of this September 17 article from UANews at the link below.
Listen to the interview with Noel Card, assistant professor of family studies and human development, on social aggression among boys on the September 19 edition of University Communications' podcast at http://uanews.org/node/21595
Noel A. Card, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, ncard@email.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/21570
11 RESEARCH INSIGHTS IN SEMIARID ECOSYSTEMS SYMPOSIUM OCTOBER 11
The fifth annual Research Insights in Semiarid Ecosystems (RISE) Symposium will be held on October 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Marley Auditorium, room 230, on the UA campus. Invited speakers will present recent research and/or new reflections on earlier work conducted on the USDA-ARS Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, the UA's Santa Rita Experimental Range and other outdoor laboratories. There will be time for questions from the audience. The event is designed for federal agency and university researchers, students, and stakeholders from southern Arizona.
Registration for the symposium is $10 for students and $20 for all others. A lunch will be provided during the symposium for all registered participants. The deadline for registration (as a courtesy for catering plans) is September 30. Late registrations will be accepted at the Symposium site from 8:30 to 9:00 AM.
Please use the web site below to view the RISE agenda and to register for the symposium.
Mitch McClaran, Santa Rita Experimental Range, mcclaran@email.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.tucson.ars.ag.gov/rise/
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/
SEWING PROJECTS HELP RECYCLE OLD JEANS
Don't toss your old jeans, make them into something new. Use different parts of jeans to make bags, armchair organizers, potholders, quilts and more. The new Arizona Cooperative Extension publication "Jean Jems--Simple Sewing Projects" features 14 pages of step-by-step instructions, along with information about sewing tools and techniques.
The projects move from the easiest to the more difficult and are designed to help teach basic sewing skills without requiring excessive costs for fabric or supplies. Each project can be tailored to individual tastes and are suitable for youth and adults.
See cals.arizona.edu/pubs/family/az1445.pdf
Darcy Tessman, Arizona 4-H Youth Development, dtessman@ag.arizona.edu
PRUNING CITRUS
Homeowners with previous experience pruning deciduous trees often assume that citrus trees should be pruned similarly. However citrus wood is naturally strong and is not as likely to break under the stress of a large fruit
load. Furthermore, citrus trees can produce fruit in all but the most shaded part of the tree, and need not be regularly pruned to allow more light into the interior of the canopy.
Citrus fruit quality is typically just as good or better from a minimally pruned tree as compared with one that is heavily pruned. Nevertheless, citrus trees should not be left completely unpruned. Arizona Cooperative Extension offers a new guide, "Pruning Citrus" at cals.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1455.pdf
The four-page, full-color publication includes information on when, what and how to prune.
Glenn Wright, Yuma Agricultural Center, gwright@ag.arizona.edu
13 WORKSHOP ON GREENHOUSE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND CROP PRODUCTION OCTOBER 20
IFind out about the latest greenhouse environmental design, systems and solutions at the International Workshop on Greenhouse Environmental Control and Crop Production in Semi-Arid Regions October 20-24 at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa. Geared to researchers, educators, developers and members of the controlled environment agriculture industry, the workshop includes presentations from the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, covering everything from cooling, ventilation, irrigation, shading and lighting to ornamental and vegetable crop systems and yields, disease and insect control, nutrient uptake and other topics.
The event begins with a day-long Warm-up Tour to Biosphere II and the Phoenix Mars Mission Operation Center on October 20. Other tours include the UA Controlled Environment Agriculture Center in Tucson and the Eurofresh greenhouses in Cochise County, Arizona on October 24, and a special add-on tour of greenhouses in Mexico October 25 and 26. Preregistration is required for all tours.
For registration information and a comprehensive agenda of all presentations on October 21-24, see the link below.
Gene Giacomelli, Controlled Environment Agriculture Center, giacomel@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://GHWorkshopAridRegions2008.org
UA FACULTY WIN STATE BIOTECH AWARDS
Three of the six prizes given at the annual Arizona Bioindustry Association awards dinner went to two University of Arizona faculty members and a Tucson science teacher with close UA ties. The Arizona Bioindustry Association, or AZBio, is the state's biotech trade association.
Rod Wing, director of the Arizona Genomics Institute, won the Award for Research Excellence from AZBio. Wing, who is also the Bud Antle Endowed Chair for Excellence in Agriculture and Life Sciences and a member of the BIO5 Institute, has earned worldwide recognition for his work in mapping the genomic structures of rice and corn, two critically important food crops. Rice is a staple for the majority of the world's human population and Wing has collaborated with scientists in China and the Philippines to improve crop strains. The United States also is the world's leading producer of corn, which ends up in a number of manufactured products as well as food. Wing's research could eventually lead to new crop strains resistant to disease and drought.
Read the rest of this September 19 UANews article at http://uanews.org/node/21611
Rod Wing, BIO5 Institute, rwing@email.arizona.edu
CHILE PEPPERS: THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SPICE
What makes peppers spicy? Why do some people love spicy foods? National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation" episode on September 19 was broadcast "from the heart of the 'chili belt' in Tucson, Ariz. Researchers explain the chemistry of peppers and the psychology of spice. Growing peppers isn't a low-tech task--farmers explain what goes into getting jalapenos from seed to shelf, and how science helps them to do it."
Guests included Jeff Silvertooth, professor and head of the CALS Soil, Water and Environmental Science department; Ed Curry, farmer, and owner of Curry Seed and Chile Company; Gary Nabhan, UA research social scientist and adjunct professor and author of "Why Some Like it Hot: Food, Genes, and Cultural Diversity"; and Jean England Neubauer, owner of Santa Cruz Chili and Spice Company.
Listen to the broadcast at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94805170
Jeff Silvertooth, Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, silver@ag.arizona.edu
4-H MEMBERS CREATING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PODCASTS
Young people involved with both military 4-H club programs and the rural outreach initiative called "Engaging Youth/Strengthening Communities" came to the UA campus recently and learned how to create their own podcasts. View a 5-minute program on this experience, filmed by Arizona Public Media's "Arizona Illustrated" at http://tv.azpm.org/kuat/segments/2008/7/28/kuat-4h-podcasting/.
Lisa Lauxman, Arizona 4-H Youth Development, lauxman@ag.arizona.edu
UA RESEARCHERS MAKING GAS FROM ALGAE
Forget corn or soybeans, researchers at the University of Arizona are working on a form of alternative fuel made from algae. Take a step into Joel Cuello's lab at the UA Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and you'll see pond scum growing in test tubes.
Right now corn and soybeans are used to make alternatives to gasoline, but Cuello doesn't believe they are cost effective. He explains, "They are food crops. And so using them for fuel helps increase the price of food."
Cuello, associate professor, is working to develop alternative fuel starters that are not created from food crops. He says, "Algae definitely is a wonderful candidate for that."
Read more and listen to Cuello's interview in the September 10 edition of KVOA News Online: http://www.kvoa.com/global/story.asp?s=8982092
Joel Cuello, Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, cuelloj@ag.arizona.edu
RACING OFFICIALS CONFERENCE
The Racing Officials Accreditation Program, in coordination with the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program, will host its first "Conference on Officiating Horse Racing" on December 8 in Tucson. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the day before the start of the annual Symposium on Racing & Gaming, at the Westin La Paloma Resort. The conference is designed for stewards, judges, racing commissioners, regulators, horsemen, and racing fans who are interested in the daily regulation and officiating of horse racing.
To learn more, read the rest of this article from the August 27 Bloodhorse News: http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/46775.htm?id=46775
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