February 27, 2013

serving the uc davis campus and community since 1915

www.theaggie.org

volume 132, number 29

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

ASUCD bids farewell to Business Manager

News iN Brief

Davis Downtown Parking Committee seeking input

Brett Burns leaves for new position at UC Davis School of Law

By JESSICA GRILLI Aggie News Writer

The Davis Downtown Parking Committee would like individuals who typically drive to downtown by vehicle to take a three-minute survey regarding parking experience in downtown Davis.

The survey will help the committee evaluate parking in downtown, as well as provide information to the City of Davis’ Parking Task Force.

Individuals who wish to participate in the survey can do so at surveymonkey.com/s/ AutomobileParkingSurvey until March 4. Those who participate may enter a drawing to win one of four $25 downtown Davis gift cards.

— Claire Tan

Brett Burns, ASUCD Business Manager and UC Davis alumnus, has recently accepted the position of Senior Assistant Dean for Administration with the UC Davis School of Law and will be leaving his position as ASUCD Business Manager.

Burns is expected to take on his new role part-time in March and be fully immersed in his new position by April 1.

According to Burns, his new position at King Hall will involve serving

Education for Sustainable Living Program offered Spring Quarter 2013

as a key advisor to the dean and other leaders of the School of Law, with responsibility for strategic planning and administrative services. In addition, he will provide financial planning, forecasting, policy setting, organizational development and human resource management. The position serves as the school’s primary liaison with the UC Davis central administration on all financial and human resource issues.

“The UC Davis School of Law has a tremendous reputation nationally and internationally for research, scholarship and service to the community,” Burns said. “After doing my

research I found that the Law School has an outstanding student body, faculty and staff, with a passion for advancing the field of law and commitment to public service, and I want to be part of this forward-thinking team and leadership group.”

Rebecca Sterling, ASUCD President, praises Burns as a valuable asset to the campus community.

“Brett is a true student advocate — [he] thoroughly understands the student experience and what it means to be an Aggie. He is a role model to many students, and offers great mentorship

See ASUCD, page 5

De Vere’s to host St. Baldrick’s Day events Event aims to raise money for children’s cancer research

Seminar aims to increase awareness of sustainable living

Zach Land-Miller / Aggie

De Vere’s Irish Pub (pictured) will be hosting St. Baldrick’s Day events in March.

Residents can shave their heads to raise money for childhood cancer research.

By PAAYAL ZAVERI Aggie Staff Writer

Brian Nguyen / Aggie

Residents of the Domes create sustainable gardens and farms.

By PAAYAL ZAVERI Aggie Staff Writer

The city of Davis annually receives funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

Through Jan. 31, individuals can submit proposals for so-

cial service projects they feel would make good use of these funds by submitting an application to the city by 5 p.m.

The funds are aimed to help low-income families and individuals in the community. Organizations that have been funded in the past include Communicare, Davis Community Meals, Short Term Emergency Aid Committee

(STEAC) and Yolo Community Care Continuum.

City Council, the Social Services Commission, and city staff will decide on which proposals to go through with during the proposal review cycle, which ends in April.

“CDBG funds assist in public service activities, increased

See SUSTAINABLE, page 2

De Vere’s Irish Pub at 217 E St. will be hosting St. Baldrick’s Day events in March. During the events, the community can come out and shave their heads while collecting donations for childhood cancer research.

St. Baldrick’s is a nonprofit foundation for childhood cancer research that encourages people to raise money to support a good cause, said Mari Tzikas, social media and marketing representative for St. Baldrick’s.

“It’s a great community service opportunity for students and they can give something back,” Tzikas said.

The event will occur on March 13 from 5 to 8 p.m. and Supercuts volunteers will be present to shave heads. There is another event at the pub’s Sacramento location, 1531 L St., on March 11 from 4 to 8 p.m.

The goal for both events is to raise a combined total of $250,000.

“I think people agree that cancer has touched most people’s lives and it’s a terrible disease for anyone to

See DE VERE’S, page 5

Greening Project to begin construction this summer City, Arboretum ask for feedback from community

By KAMILA KUDELSKA Aggie News Writer

The City of Davis and the UC Davis Arboretum are convening a community meeting this Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. to gather feedback regarding the planned improvements that will occur to the Putah Parkway and the east end of the Arboretum.

The meeting will allow the public to voice its opinions on the designs in order to improve the outcome, and make sure that the designs meet the needs of the community.

The first hour of the event will include a walk onsite with project designers. The walk will assemble at the back of the Davis Commons parking lot. At 2 p.m., there will be a community design workshop at the University Park Inn and Suites at 1111 Richards Blvd.

Known as the Greening Project, it has been in planning and design

See GREENING, page 5

Today’s weather Partly cloudy High 66 Low 39

Aaron Juarez Kong / Aggie

The City of Davis and the UC Davis Arboretum will be hosting a meeting where community members can give feedback regarding plans to improve the Arboretum.

Forecast Spring has come early. Enjoy a nice read or nap out on the quad or just go on a nice run!

Roberto Martinez, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team

Thursday

Friday

Partly cloudy

Partly cloudy

High 70 Low 45

High 72 Low 43

The word “bed” looks like a bed. Also… shark.

Joyce Berthelsen

page two

2 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

daily calendar dailycal@theaggie.org

WEDNESDAY Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Davis United Methodist Church 1620 Anderson Rd. Free yourself from excess weight and/ or obsessional thoughts about food and body image. Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous is a 12-step fellowship based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Meetings are open and free to the public.

Visit www.foodaddicts.org for other meeting locations.

Alpha Phi Omega Service Night 7 to 9 p.m.

King Lounge, Memorial Union Make blankets for children in need with the brothers of Alpha Phi Omega while learning about the cardinal principles of Alpha Phi Omega and why we devote ourselves to service. Rides can be arranged if needed.

Contact Christian at (916) 204-0777 or Lisa at (323) 703-3357 for further information.

THURSDAY Shinkoskey Noon Concert 12:05 to 1 p.m.

Yocha Dehe Grand Lobby, Mondavi Center Come down for an afternoon of free music as Tod Brody, pianist, and I-Hui Chen, flutist, perform Schubert and Franck classics.

Kirtan Night with Langar 7 to 8 p.m.

Cal Aggie Christian Association House Join SCA for Kirtan Night this Thursday.

Bhai Tajwinder Singh from Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar will also be doing kirtan. Langar will also be provided so come hungry! Everyone and anyone is welcome.

American Red Cross Club General Meeting 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

146 Olson The ARCC is an on-campus organization dedicated to emergency preparedness and community service. Join them for their fourth general meeting.

Biomedical Engineering Distinguished Seminar 4:10 to 5 p.m.

GBSF Auditorium Join Dr. Arthur Erdman, Professor and Director of the Medical Devices Center at the University of Minnesota, as he discusses “The Emergence of Regulatory Science, High-Speed Computation and New User Interfaces in Development and Approval of Medical Devices.”

Refreshments will be served prior to his seminar.

FRIDAY

Folk Music Jam Session

Noon to 1 p.m.

Wyatt Deck Folk musicians are invited to play together informally during an acoustic jam session every other Friday this month from noon to 1 p.m. at the Wyatt Deck, located on Arboretum Drive. Pull out your fiddles, guitars, mandolins, penny whistles, pipes, flutes, squeezeboxes (you name it) and join your fellow musicians for a little bluegrass, old-time, blues, Celtic, klezmer and world music over the lunch hour. All skill levels welcome and listeners welcome.

Infectious Disease Seminar 12:10 to 1 p.m.

1020 Gladys Valley Join Dr. Jan Carette, assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine, for a talk on “Expanding the Genetic Toolbox: Haploid Genetic Screens to Identify Host-pathogen Interactions.”

SATURDAY API(A) Issues Conference 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Student Community Center, Multipurpose Room Come down for this one-day conference to explore issues within the Asian Pacific Islander American community in hopes of unifying and strengthening it on campus.

The event is open and free to all UC Davis students. Register at www.tinyurl.com/ aic-participant.

Community Meeting: Improvements to the UC Davis Arboretum East End 1 to 2 p.m.

Whole Foods Parking Lot The UC Davis Arboretum and City of Davis invite you to attend a site walk and workshop to discuss improvements to the Putah Creek Parkway between the railroad tracks and I-80 and the east end of the Arboretum.

SUNDAY Urinetown - The Musical 2:10 to 4 p.m.

607 Pena Drive Come down for a musical directed by Steve Isaacson. Urinetown is a satirical comedy musical that pokes fun at the everything, from government bureaucracy and the legal system to corporate America’s mismanagement and social irresponsibility. The show even parodies the Broadway musical itself.

To receive placement in the AGGIE DAILY CALENDAR, email dailycal@theaggie. org or stop by 25 Lower Freeborn by noon the day prior to your event. Due to space constraints, all event descriptions are subject to editing and priority will be given to events that are free of charge and geared toward the campus community.

The california Aggie

memories, as the journalist Joshua Foer posits in his book, Moonwalking with Einstein.

Mr. Foer writes that before writing, the mind Sean was the only repository of memories. People spent a Lenehan great deal of time striving to achieve memories that were unerring and absolute. To be knowledgeable, this was required.

Then came books, photos, sound and video recordings, television, movies, Twitter and Facebook. can’t do long division.

Digital media allowed us to This is odd, since I disoutsource our memories, tinctly remember agoas Foer puts it. nizing over it during grade Surely, this advent of school. I was made to learn, told it might come in technology has helped spread information fasthandy one day — calculater and farther. We could ing tip at a restaurant for not be where we are toinstance. day without our electronI could refresh my memic identities. However, ory by looking up how to Foer rightly posits that this do it on my phone. But then I might as well use the changes our function of memory. built–in calculator. That’s Technology affects our what I have to do every curve of forgetting protime I pay a check. foundly, and takes some How and when did I formemories off the curve enget what preteens can do tirely. I know I rely on my with ease? phone to remember most In due course, this fog of numbers and Facebook to forgetfulness is now creepremember most birthdays. ing into my college life.

But then we’re screwed Despite the best efforts of when we run out of batmy professor, the most enteries. And our computduring memory of freshers cannot take a test for man English is that Lord us. There is certainly valByron had loads of sex. ue in remembering more That wasn’t on the test. without the How anterabytes of noying Sleep hygiene, stress levels outsourcthat we spend all and significance of memories ing available to us. this money also play a role in retention We need and time to remember on our edmore often ucation, that we forget too much. and we invariably forget so Revisiting and livening up much of it. the memories we need to One explanation for retain — making them stuthis unfortunate pattern is pid, or funny, absurd or Hermann Ebbinghaus’ fordistinct in some other way getting curve. The German — will place them more psychologist repeatedly permanently in our heads. tested himself after memPerhaps my liberal sprinorizing groups of nonsenkling of alliterative writsical syllables. In the first ing and attempts at humor hour, he forgot over half of make all this easier to recall. them. After a day, an additional 10 percent was gone. Perhaps shamelessly advertising my alliterative writAfter a month, 14 percent ing and attempts at humor more disappeared. make all this easier to recall.

A neat curve forms, as After all, always, a lot of our memories rot away. But it’s not that simple. The ob- alliteration I wring from writing, right or wrong. stinate decay of time is not Assonance, also, I do. Do the only obstacle in the you like that too? way of remembering.

If that does not work, Mr. Acquiring new memFoer has a better idea. He ories also interferes with notes that placing memoour ability recall the old. ries in the most outlandish Conversely, old memories contexts you can imagine can interfere with our abilis a sure way to recall them ity to recall the new. Like more easily. a really great house party, So, please picture yoursome have to be crowded self reading these final senout for the fun to continue. tences upon a bed of basSleep hygiene, stress mati rice, complementlevels and significance of memories also play a role in ed by caramelized onions and garlic, seasoned with retention. This confluence saffron and chicken stock. of factors is what makes Towering above is a giant memory so capricious.

Gary Busey, who is about to Tragically, those of you eat you. who do not read this colAfter his meal, he will umn closely will almost whip out his phone to calsurely forget most of it beculate a tip for the waiter. fore the end of the day. The I dare you to forget this by same is true for those who the end of the day. have filled their heads with calculus for that final, fast approaching.

SEAN LENEHAN really wants you to remember this. You can email him at Moreover, we are consplenehan@ucdavis.edu. stantly externalizing our

Long division

I

much trouble.

While they are meant to mimic THC, the chemicals in Spice actually produce an effect that is more similar to that of cocaine or meth.

Leo There have been a Ocampo number of emergency room visits by people who feel extreme anxiety, increased blood pressure and intense pains in the chest after smoking it. forget, sometimes, that Even more disturbing, weed is illegal. there have been a numIf you’re looking for ber of suicides by teens a high, but don’t want who developed bouts of to break the law, you’ve psychosis after trying the probably heard of some drug. While these suicides of the legal alternatives and suicide attempts that can be purchased at have led certain states like smoke and tobacco shops. Arizona and Louisiana to While these over-theimmediately place a ban counter alternatives might on synthetic marijuainitially seem safer and na products, they are still more legitimate than permitted by federal law. the weed you buy on the But even when the govstreets, many times they ernment tries to prohibit can actually be very unthe sale of Spice, Spice makpleasant and even harmful. ers usually have no problem Probably the most well- finding a loophole. known legal high is an For example, they con“herbal” mixture known stantly change the ingreas Spice. I would never dients they use because ever recommend smokthe federal government ing Spice. constantly bans many of Most people smoke Spice the chemicals their mixeither because they can’t tures rely on. smoke weed due to their Spice companies have job, or simply because it is a even added a “not for hulot easier to obtain than an man consumption” laillegal substance. bel on their products. This Spice is essentially synwarning makes it even thetic marijuana. It is marharder to regulate Spice, keted as a since Spice safe and makers use But safe products should it to claim natural alternative not cause severe psychotic that they to weed, are sellreactions and the ing potfact that it pourri and is easily acincensecessible adds to the feeling type products that are not that it is harmless. meant to be smoked.

Spice looks and smells Furthermore, this warnlike tea leaves, and it is ing also makes it harder to smoked in the same exact hold Spice companies lemanner as smoking weed. gally responsible for all Like weed, Spice can the harm they cause, since have a psychoactive efagain they can claim that fect on the brain, and can their products were never make you feel relaxed and intended to be smoked in elevated and might even the first place. make you hallucinate.

But it’s no secret that they But unlike weed, Spice is know damn well that people laced with many unnamed are smoking their product. chemicals. It is these chemEven though there is icals, and not the herb itproof that Spice is hurtself, that produce a high. ing people, and even In fact, the Spice leaves though it contradicts are mainly just filler. their use of a warning laThere is no specific plant bel, Spice proponents like or flower that is cultivatDan Francis have claimed ed to make Spice. It is in interviews that Spice is usually simply a mix of no more dangerous than ground-up, dried plants. peanuts, and that it would Unfortunately, this mix al- be unjust to ban such a lows the product to be lasafe product. beled as natural.

But safe products But again, these herbs should not cause severe have absolutely no benefipsychotic reactions. cial or mind-altering effects It is a shame that there on their own, and they are exists a synthetic alternasimply the base on which tive to marijuana when Spice manufacturers can marijuana is already safe, spray various chemicals. natural and delicious.

These chemicals are the It’s even more disgusttroublemakers. ing that the public is purSpice is made using posely misled and that the same chemical comlaw-abiding citizens are pound as the one that is taken advantage of. used to make Bath Salts.

So think twice and lose Bath Salts recently made the Spice. Skip the dread headlines after it was ruand smoke weed instead. mored that they were responsible for turning people into crazed cannibals.

LEO OCAMPO thinks drug-free is the way It is not surprising that to be and can somewhat be reached at gocampo@ucadavis.edu.

Spice has caused just as

Fake weed

I

DOIN’ IT GREEN... ZERO WASTE

CORRECTIONS In the Feb. 26 print edition of The California Aggie, Tristan de Liege’s column was incorrectly titled “Religion as power.” The correct title for this article is “Mackey’s capitalism,” and was published with the online edition. The Aggie regrets this error.

Janelle Bitker Editor in Chief Hannah Strumwasser Managing Editor

Rebecca Peterson Opinion Editor Joey Chen Copy Chief

Jonathan Wester Business Manager

Brian Nguyen Photography Editor

Caelum Shove Advertising Manager

Janice Pang Design Director

Muna Sadek Campus Editor

James Kim Asst. Design Director

Claire Tan City Editor Elizabeth Orpina Arts Editor Adam Khan Features Editor Matthew Yuen Sports Editor

Amanda Nguyen Night Editor Joyce Berthelsen Asst. Night Editor Irisa Tam Art Director

David Ou Hudson Lofchie New Media Director Science Editor One Shields Ave. 25 Lower Freeborn, UCD Davis, CA 95616 Editorial (530) 752-0208 Advertising (530) 752-0365 Fax (530) 752-0355

The California Aggie is entered as first-class mail with the United States Post Office, Davis, Calif., 95616.

Printed Monday through Thursday during the academic year and once a week during Summer Session II at The Davis Enterprise, Davis, Calif., 95616.

Accounting services are provided by ASUCD. The Aggie is distributed free on the UC Davis campus and in the Davis community. Mail subscriptions are $100 per academic year, $35 per quarter and $25 for the summer.

Views or opinions expressed in The Aggie by editors or columnists regarding legislation or candidates for political office or other matters are those of the editors or columnist alone. They are not those of the University of California or any department of UC. Advertisements appearing in The Aggie reflect the views of advertisers only; they are not an expression of editorial opinion by The Aggie.

The Aggie shall not be liable for any error in published advertising unless an advertising proof is clearly marked for corrections by the advertiser. If the error is not corrected by The Aggie, its liability, if any, shall not exceed the value of the space occupied by the error. Further, The Aggie shall not be liable for any omission of an advertisement ordered published. All claims for adjustment must be made within 30 days of the date of publication. In no case shall The Aggie be liable for any general, special or consequential damages. © 2009 by The California Aggie. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form whatsoever is forbidden without the expressed written permission of the copyright owner.

The California Aggie is printed on recycled paper

Editor’s Note: The Environmental Policy and Planning Commission (EPPC) is an ASUCD commission responsible for researching environmental issues affecting the campus and its surrounding area, and providing recommendations for improvement. Doin’ It Green is a new feature that provides tips and ideas for being green.

Whether you are having a barbecue with a few friends or hosting an event for a student organization, every bit of waste reduction and recycling at your event will make an impact. With some planning, these simple tips can help you reduce waste at your event.

For starters, waste reduction starts with the most important part of the event — the food! Avoid serving individually wrapped single-serving items such as small bags of chips,

SUSTAINABLE Cont. from front page accessibility in public facilities and group-care homes, local provision of fair housing services and administration of the program,” said Housing and Human Services superintendent Danielle Foster in an email interview.

An application workshop was held on Thursday to provide potential applicants an opportunity to ask questions about the overall process.

A number of different organizations have benefited from CDBG funding in the past.

“The Community Development Block Grant program has been instrumen-

wrapped sandwiches and cans of soda. Instead, opt for the use of finger foods that require no utensils, like sub sandwiches, or serve entrees that can be served in large containers like pasta and fruit. Plan ahead to avoid wasting food by being realistic about the number of people that are attending the event and order accordingly. If there is an excess amount of food left over, don’t throw it away! Instead, find other uses for it such as saving it for leftovers, or if it’s a larger amount, partner up with other student organizations that may have use for the excess food such as the Food Recovery Network, or plan smaller events afterwards in which the food could be used.

Secondly, provide items at the event such as glasses and plates that can be washed and reused. However, if the use of paper plates, plastic cups and utensils is unavoidable, there are still steps you can take to reduce waste. For starters, buy compostable tal in funding our programs for over 20 years,” said Bill Pride, executive director for Davis Community Meals.

CDBG and the Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) also help provide money to local agencies that need funding for construction work that increases the availability of public meeting spaces, low-income services or affordable housing.

According to Mike Goodison, an administrative analyst for CDBG and HOME grant programs, one such housing program is South Davis New Harmony. Goodison said the purpose of accepting these project proposals is to try and get the money out to the community as soon as possible.

CDBG funding is estimated to be

materials such as compostable plates, bowls and napkins, which can be obtained through Campus Center for the Environment. Red plastic cups can be recycled through Red Cup Cleanup on campus, which also donates money earned from the cups to a charitable cause.

Thirdly, make sure bins for recycling, compost and landfill are available and within easy access for people to use. For smaller events such as those held in homes, backyard composting is an easy way to reduce waste at home.

More information: Food Recovery Network: Danny Friedman, dlofriedman@ucdavis.edu Compostable food serving: Sarah Shuman (CCE), swshuman@ucdavis. edu Backyard composting guide: projectcompost.ucdavis.edu Red Cup Cleanup: facebook.com/ RedCupCleanup $500,000 and HOME funding is estimated to be $300,000. All the funds except for 20 percent of the CDBG and 10 percent of the HOME funds are available for the projects.

“With the ongoing financial debates in Congress, the programs face the potential for another funding cut this year, which would impact the amount of applications that can be awarded,” Foster said. “Regardless, the city welcomes the opportunity to support the local activities of Davis nonprofit agencies who do so much good work with the limited resources available.”

PAAYAL ZAVERI can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Science &Technology

wednesday, FEBRUARY 27, 2013 3

The california aggie

Heart to heart

UC Davis study shows couples’ hearts beat in sync patterns can sync up as well.

“Physiological responses are tightly linked to emotion. For example, if someone is upset then [they] tend to breath faster and have an increased heart rate,” said Jonathan Helm, the main author of the study. “Since physiology shares a link with emotion and affect, we wanted to see if the connection between couples' affective states also shows up as a link in physiological states.”

The researchers used 32 heterosexual couples in a series of exercises to find their data.

Emilio Ferrer, a researcher in the UC Davis Department of

By NICOLE NOGA Aggie Science Writer

With Valentine’s Day just recently passed and spring upon us, you may be feeling closer than ever to your romantic partner. Most couples take this season to spend time together and do things they like or invest more energy in the common ground they have. But it turns out that activities and interests are not the only things that good couples share.

A UC Davis study has found that couples not only have their interests in sync, but over time their heartbeats and respiratory

Psychology who assisted in the study, stated that the first exercise of the experiment asked the couples to sit across from each other while blindfolded. Next, the blindfolds were removed and they were asked to make eye contact without touching or speaking to one another.

“We wanted to see if there was a connection at the baseline level,” Ferrer said.

The baseline level refers to the the initial readings of heart rate and respiration used for comparison with values relating to an external stimulus. Physical contact with one another could have disrupted the data, hence why the couples

were not allowed to touch.

Ferrer said the exercises that followed included one in which the couples were told to mimic one anothers’ actions but still avoid physical contact, and another test in which they were told to discuss the positive aspects of their relationship. The researchers found that the couples’ breathing and heartbeats were synced with one another.

When the data was shuffled around to mismatch couples, there was no correlation between the randomly paired individuals, implying that they will only sync

See HEART, page 6

Curing the incurable Cure for cancer may not be as unattainable as previously thought

By KYLE SCROGGINS Aggie Science Writer

In a recent multidisciplinary article published at the end of January in Nature Communications, lead author Peter Kaiser, professor of biochemistry at UC Irvine (UCI), along with co-leader Richard Lathrop and many others, announced the discovery of a potential new target for a cure for cancer.

Kaiser’s research focused on a specific protein, called p53, that has been heavily implicated in many different forms of cancer. P53’s primary role involves programmed cell death (apoptosis) and is thus crucial for preventing damaged cells from dividing.

Mutations to the structure of p53 cause it to to be deactivated and thus lose its function, allowing for cancer cells to grow without regulation.

“There is a lot of machinery in a cell that needs to work together to create normal cell growth and division,” said Ryan Solis, a senior undergraduate researcher at UC Davis.

Unfortunately, there are a plethora of ways that this machinery can malfunction.

Usually a cell has mechanisms to repair parts that break, but no system is perfect.

“If [DNA] is not repaired correctly after its strands break, it could lead to damaged or

even missing genes,” Solis said.

Since DNA in a living organism is too difficult to work with, doctors need to be able to find other ways of potentially treating any genetically related disease.

“Current therapies generally target rapidly proliferating cells indiscriminate of whether they are tumor cells or rapidly dividing healthy cells,” Kaiser said in an email interview.

In order to provide a better course of treatment, Kaiser and his team set out to better understand the p53 protein in hopes of potentially discovering a way to reactivate it.

They succeeded. Utilizing complex computer models called “dynamic structural models” and some in-depth statistical analysis, the researchers were able to find a tiny spot in the protein’s structure that can be used to reactivate the mutated forms.

“These simulations basically predict how a protein moves and flexes over time, and often we see new pockets open in the [movement],” said Rommie Amaro, another one of the many co-leads on the article.

According to Kaiser this pocket exists in both the normal and mutant p53 variants, but is predicted to be in a more open shape in the mutants.

See CURE, page 6

courtesy

Researchers have found a molecule, stictic acid, that will activate the p53 gene in cancerous cells. P53 is a gene involved with programmed cell death.

Chickpea genome sequencing could allow beneficial modifications of genome

courtesy

By KELLY MITCHELL Aggie Science Writer

The chickpea, also known as the garbanzo bean, is the world’s second-most widely grown legume crop after the soybean, making it a major component of the world’s diet. It is an important crop especially for smallfarm operators in Asia and subSaharan Africa. An international team of 49 scientists from 23 organizations in 10 countries have been able to sequence the genes of this notable food supply.

The chickpea plant is a type of

legume, making it very different from other agricultural crops. “[Chickpeas] can be grown on poor soils worldwide, without application of nitrogen fertilizer,” said Alison Berry, a professor of plant sciences at UC Davis.

“This is because legumes are hosts for beneficial bacteria that live inside the roots, in symbiotic structures called root nodules.

These bacteria directly provide the plants with nitrogen through the enzymatic process of nitrogen fixation.”

Fixing nitrogen refers to the plant’s ability to draw nitro-

gen out of the atmosphere and incorporate it into its cellular structure. The ability of this plant to fix nitrogen also makes this crop especially nutritious for humans.

“Crop legumes, like chickpeas, soybeans, peanuts, etc. are major dietary staples for millions of people globally, in large measure because the seeds are very high in protein as a result of the nitrogen fixation process,” Berry said.

The chickpea contains an estimated 28,269 genes. It was sequenced randomly and then put back together using the overlapping regions. The 28,000 genes contain nearly 750 million base pairs. These pairs were taken apart and put back together 100 at a time. Each group of 100 base pairs overlaps slightly with the next set, allowing them to be reassembled like a puzzle.

Since there are 7.5 million sets of 100, the reassembly was carried out by a computer algorithm, since doing it by hand would take hundreds of years.

“The assembly ‘problem’ is actually quite significant, because large genomes such as chickpeas contain many repeated sequence motifs, comprising about 50 percent of the genome, and these motifs complicate assembly,” said Douglas Cook, a

ter living. They also offer multiple tech tips of their own.

By VICTORIA TRANG Aggie Science Writer

In this technology-driven world, there are many sites dedicated to providing different types of information to help people in their daily lives. Lifehacker offers a variety of ways to “hack” your lifestyle, leading to better habits, better health and bet-

What is Lifehacker?

Lifehacker is a weblog that features advice from how to do laundry, to cooking, to repairing technology and other goods, to staying fit in the office, and even teaches you how to make the best job application possible. In addition, the weblog offers information regarding useful applications for the iPhone and other smartphones.

How much does it cost?

The weblog gives free information to everyone with internet access. An account is not required to read through the articles, but is required for posting comments about the articles or providing supplementary information.

Why you’re wrong

A

little while ago, I wrote about how amazing plants are, and how they have been here longer than us, and will be here long after we are gone. I also promised that I would have some choice words for those individuals who did not believe in evolution’s capacity to bring about these amazing organisms.

Now, I need to clarify one point that many people often get confused. People who believe in evolution do not actually “believe” in evolution; they simply understand why evolution is true.

To be clear, there is no such thing as an “evolutionist.” You either understand it, or you don’t. Some people use cell phones. Some do not.

Just picture a world where people who did not use cell phones called everyone else “phonists.” That is how stupid you sound.

Evolution does not mean random.

It does not mean improving. It has nothing to do with the origins of the universe. It has nothing to do with morality, theological claims, atheism, racism, christianity, judaism or any other ideology. Evolution means

To put this in an even better perspective, “aggressive” atheists do not kill anyone for having a religion

Tiny plant, big deal

An international team of scientists has sequenced the genes of chickpeas (pictured). Chickpeas are the second most widely cultivated legume.

Hudson Lofchie

UC Davis professor of plant pathology and a lead author on the research paper. “In the case of chickpeas, only about 75 percent of the genome could be assembled.”

With this discovery, scientists have been able to start separating the information and matching genes with traits in the species. This makes selective breeding easier for scientists, like Paul Gepts, at UC Davis. Gepts has been working with garbanzo beans in his lab where he is responsible for producing new varieties of lima beans, garbanzo beans and common beans.

“The sequencing of the genome will make the process of selective breeding more efficient,” Gepts said.

This means scientist now can better understand how to improve the species and promote the maximum crop yield.

“In the case of legumes, like chickpeas, we can apply genomic knowledge for the improvement of crop traits — drought tolerance, resistance to disease, increased yields in poor soils — that can be of benefit,” Berry said. “In addition, it may eventually be possible to understand how legumes manage to form nitrogen-fixing associations with bacteria. Maybe this trait,

See CHICKPEA, page 6

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VICTORIA TRANG can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

change over time. To deny that things, and even the universe, change over time, is to deny what is right in front of your eyes. It is to deny reality.

Now, many of you may be thinking that this aggressive “preaching” of atheist, or even agnostic, ideology is just as bad as religious aggression.

Let me tell you exactly why you are wrong.

Religious aggression is telling everyone who doesn’t agree with you that they are going to hell. Religious aggression is going door-to-door bothering people with your beliefs.

Religious aggression is threatening and killing atheists, homosexuals, or even other religious individuals who believe in a different sky fairy than you do. It is using taxpayers’ money to promote your dogma in public schools. Religious aggression is the astoundingly egocentric attitude that your beliefs entitle you to special privileges, and that the words in your book give you the right to deny people their basic civil liberties.

To put this in an even better perspective, “aggressive” atheists do not kill anyone for having a religion. Aggressive atheists promote the teaching of proven fact in schools, not archaic belief systems. They promote existing constitutional laws that prohibit the favoring of one religion over another. They write books about how illogical religion is.

But how can we have morals if we don’t learn them from our book? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but morality and good morals existed long before the New Testament, or even the Old Testament. Nearly 4,000 years ago, Hammurabi’s code outlawed murder, theft and rape. The Hittite Code of Nesilim set forth similar rules 3,800 years ago, and added punishments for those caught breaking the laws. And 2,500 years ago, the 12 Tables of the Roman Empire outlawed theft, vandalism, tax evasion and assault. The New Testament was written less than 2,000 years ago …

And it has some serious catch-up to do in many aspects of “morality.”

In the week of Feb. 3, 2013, scientists discovered a species of bacteria that makes gold as a waste product of its metabolism. The first bionic eye went on the market, allowing the blind to see. 3D printers were used to print living stem cells. Astronomical studies estimated that there are billions of habitable, earth-like planets in our galaxy. Scientists used genomic sequencing technologies to pinpoint the most recent common ancestor of all living placental mammals. All of this happened in just one week. That same week in religion? The Pope did what every good Catholic does … He pulled out early.

To those who still believe in creationism, I don’t blame you. I get it.

It’s way easier to read (or not read) one fairy tale book than it is to read a bunch of difficult ones. You talk about how we all need a shepherd, but in reality, the only people who need shepherds are sheep.

If you think that your reasoning is more sound, and that you can do better than the scientists, then show us.

The great thing about science is that the people involved are just as interested in finding out what is false, as they are in finding out what is true.

HUDSON LOFCHIE thinks that realizing he will never know everything is magnificent. The universe cannot fit in one man’s mind. He can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

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4 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

YUANdWhatArmy!?

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by Angela Yuan

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FOR RELEASE MARCH 13, 2010

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle The california Aggie Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 “Scram!”

10 Orly sight 15 Got very sore, maybe 16 Eva of “57Across: Miami” 17 If often requires a bedroom set 18 Montana motto word 19 Seventh-century date 20 Cooper’s creation 21 Accepted without question 22 Pines 25 Kung __ chicken 27 Group that “had decayed to a mere beautiful futility”: Wells 28 Features of some hotels 29 Effort 30 King deposed in 1964 31 Go along with 34 Vane reading: Abbr.

35 Sudafed alternative 38 Sight from Marie Byrd Land 40 Took off 41 Singer in the 1954 film “Secret of the Incas” 43 Like the Kalahari 45 Town inland of the IJsselmeer 46 Actress Gershon et al.

50 It may be chased by un perro 51 Lake Thun feeder 52 Studio renamed Paramount Television in 1967 53 1986 N.L. batting champ Tim 55 R&B group __ Hill 57 Show with DNA testing 58 __-garde 59 Team with a flaming ball in its logo 62 Paramecium features 63 All in all 64 Test track challenges

3/13/10

By Robert A. Doll

65 Living end DOWN 1 Know-it-all’s taunt 2 Long-legged shore bird 3 Body armor fiber 4 Poet’s preposition 5 Things to zap 6 Bumpkins 7 __ fixe 8 Top dog 9 Hiver’s opposite 10 Chop House Originals brand 11 Societal concerns 12 “This American Life” host 13 Rustic place to go?

14 “Very clever!”

21 Duff 23 Inlets 24 Cold and rainy, say 26 Anatomical cavity 29 “Gracias” reply 32 Just like, with “the” 33 Truman Dam river 35 Contest that’s usually over in less than 20 seconds

Tuesday’s puzzleSolved solved Friday’s Puzzle

(c)2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

36 One in a million 37 Approves, in a way 39 Some H.S. courses 42 Certain rush hour commuter, metaphorically 44 “__ Darko”: 2001 sci-fi film 47 Christianity’s __ Creed

3/13/10

48 French region along the Rhine 49 Bach compositions 52 “The Count of Monte Cristo” author 54 LAX postings 56 Broccoli __ 59 Hit-making group?

60 Kind 61 Solo in space

Sudoku

SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES DO NOT WORK

Employment EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS. Get paid $10-20 for completing easy 6090 min. experiment. Perform group decision-making task. Payment determined in part by individual success.

Register: www.experimetrix2.com/ ucdesp. One time participation only.

You must be at least 18 years old.

Seeking PAYMENT REPRESENTATIVE SALES/ BOOKKEEPER, If you are interested or just need more information please contact: benish1888@gmail.com

Looking for a flexible, friendly employee who can wait, do food prep and work the cash register. Cafe Mediterranee, 113 D Street Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Internship Hands-on experience, career development UCD Athletic Training staff accepting applications from dedicated individuals interested in becoming Student Athletic Trainers.

Apply at Athletic Training Facility, Hickey Gym (752-0647) or Pavilion (752-7515) http://ucdavisaggies.cstv. com/school-bio/ucda-ath-train.html Deadline March 1, 2013

Services Tutor needed for High School A.P. Calculus and Physics. Please call (530)400-0119.

Events Want to learn more about careers in business? Come to the Managerial Economics Student-Alumni Career Day. Saturday, March 2nd, 9a-3p.

Students may attend a variety of business workshops. Pre-registration required. Register in 1173 SS&H by February 26. $15 cash or check.

Breakfast and lunch provided.

Questions?manecon@primal.ucdavis.edu.

House for Rent 5 Bedroom 2 Bath House for Rent on Menlo Drive; $2,550/mo. Please call 415-948-8278 for more info.

4 Bedroom 2 Bath House for Rent on Sycamore Lane. $2300/mo. Please call 415-948-8278 for more info.

3 bedroom 2 bath. House for rent next to campus; $1,600/mo. Please call 415-948-8278 for more info.

Meetings Are you interested in a health related field? Join C.H.E. and learn more about our pre-health organization!

Meetings every Tuesday at 7:10pm to 8:00pm. For more information, contact Fabiola Sanchez at fsanchezmartinez@ucdavis.edu. See you soon!

Website/Internet Overpopulation is sexually transmitted. http://population.sierraclub.org/ population/

Personals ur my fav blob -pangda bear <3

Hard

Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit.

So must every column, as must every 3x3 square. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013 5

The california aggie

Inside the Game with Ryan Sypkens The UC Davis men’s basketball team has been putting up a lot of points on the board this year, but have struggled a bit with consistency.

One of the Aggie players who has been a backbone for UC Davis is junior Ryan Sypkens.

The Elk Grove, Calif. native sat out last season with an injury, but came back more determined than ever, having already broken the UC Davis single-season and career records for three-pointers, still with several games left in the season.

With more scoring to come, Sypkens has emerged as a present and future leader for UC Davis. He recently sat down with Aggie Sports Writer Kim Carr to discuss his life as a psychology major, what it’s like to be back on the team after sitting out last year and the dynamics of the revamped Aggies’ lineup.

So let’s start from the beginning. What made you come to UC Davis?

Well, when I was getting recruited they made me feel like I was a top priority, which is something I was really drawn to. I wanted to come to a school that made me feel like a top concern. Also, it’s pretty close to home, but far enough away. But it’s still pretty easy for my parents to come watch me play. Mostly though, I wanted to come get a degree from UC Davis. It’s a great school to get an education from.

Since you’re a local kid, is your family able to make it to every game?

Yeah, my family comes to pretty much every game. We also have a lot of conference teams in Southern California and my grandparents live down there so my whole family comes to the games down there. My whole family is at almost every game, except when work gets in the way.

Do you have any interest in the field of sports psychology?

Well first I have aspirations to play in the NBA and then I would like to become a coach. I definitely want to use it for something with basketball.

[Sports psychology is] definitely a possibility. I feel like I want to see what avenues open up in my life and if I find something I want to do I’m going to do [it]. I mean, you never know. I might end up back here someday so I can get my master’s degree but first I want to play basketball for as long as I can. Once I’m done with that, though, I’ll see what happens.

Do you have a dream team that you would love to play for in the NBA? Not really. Whoever wants to pay me, really. I want to look into the NBA but I would also love to go to Europe and trav-

ASUCD

All right, so how about music?

I listen to a lot of reggae. Bob Marley is my absolute favorite musician ever. I listen to all types of music though. Even a little country but everything from rap to blues to jazz. I still listen to a lot of blues actually.

So I’ve asked almost every single guy about the Aggie Pack and the Banduh! but most of them seem to be so focused on the game, they don’t notice the crowd. How do you think our home crowd stacks up against the other teams’ in conference?

Honestly, I think our student fans are some of the best in the conference for sure.

Long Beach and Hawai’i have good crowds but our student Aggie Pack is really good.

Lucas Bolster / Aggie

el the world as well.

to be.

So you guys went to play in Europe this summer and J.T. Adenrele said that really influenced your development as a team.

What do you think you guys improved the most over there?

I think over there we had a lot of good guys on our team and to experience something like that together — it really brought everyone a lot closer. It taught us all how to trust each other. None of us had really played with each other before so having that was a chance to get some games under our belt before we started getting into structured practices.

So when you can’t play basketball for a year, what were your other hobbies?

I love music. I’m learning to play bass guitar and I just love listening to music. It’s mostly all around music. I write a little bit of poetry too though.

So you missed last season due to injury. You’ve always been hot-handed from the three-point line but this year you just blitzed past records. How were you working during your injury to end up with these kinds of results?

Honestly, when I was injured I did everything I could but for a long time I couldn’t walk. So I would sit in a chair under the hoop and just shoot over and over and really work on form shooting. I would lift a lot of weights and got stronger. Once I was able to start walking I would hit the gym every day for weights and shooting.

I did absolutely everything that my knee allowed me to do. It was really a rough time because having knee surgery is not fun. My leg was in a cast for about three months so when I took the cast off there was no muscle left in my leg. I had to basically rebuild my leg from scratch and even now it’s not back to the point that it used

es and is able to communicate effectively and provide a bridge between ASUCD units and the campus administration. “[Burns] recognizes the special nature of ASUCD and the fact that so many important campus functions are provided by units which are led by students,” Palmere said.

“By celebrating that aspect of our university, [he] helped others become more aware of the importance of the student government and student staff in both the quality of life on our campus and the full educational experience that [UC Davis] offers.”

Burns has served many roles on campus, including working as the Director of Memorial Union Auxiliary Services, at which he worked with student unions, retail food service and event facilities in the Division of Student Affairs, and becoming the Executive Director of Auxiliary Services, with the responsibility of managing the UC Davis Stores, the Center for Student Involvement, retail food service, trademark licensing, student unions and event facilities.

In addition, Burns worked on the development and construction of the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC).

“The ARC is one of the first facilities in the country that blended recreation centers with student unions, to truly create a studentfocused facility,” he said. “Today, almost all of the new recreational centers in collegiate settings have developed into hybrid facilities with lounge space, meeting rooms, food service, pro shops and of course recreational activities. I would like to believe we were trend setters at UC Davis in this ‘fusion model’ for recreation centers.”

While discussing his history at UC Davis, Burns said that he has gained valuable experience from his encounters with members of the campus community.

“I am most proud of the relationships I have established on campus with students, faculty and staff,” he said. “UC Davis is a wonderful institution with rich tradition of achievement and I am proud to play my small part in advancing the mission of the campus through the programs and services I have been involved with over the last 15 years, none more rewarding than my experience with the Associated Students.”

In a Feb. 19 email to members of the Association, Sterling said that she and Burns are currently developing a process to find an interim manager and permanent replacement.

Cont. from front page to students,” she said in an email interview. “Further, Brett has thorough knowledge of the university, and a wealth of experience which he draws upon to contribute to the university’s advancement.”

Burns, who graduated from UC Davis in 1995 with a bachelor’s in sociology and economics with an emphasis in organizational management, has been ASUCD Business Manager for just over a year, and has worked within the Division of Student Affairs for almost 15 years, serving in different capacities. Burns’ current job as ASUCD Business Manager includes serving as both an advisor to student leaders and overseeing and managing all operations and business practices for the Association.

According to Sterling, some of Burns’ most important work for ASUCD has included easing the transition from its previous business manager, who served for 32 years, recruiting new directors for ASUCD’s two largest units — the Coffee House and Unitrans — and helping ASUCD avoid taxes and budget cuts.

Darin Schluep, Director of Associated Students Dining Services, was hired for his position

by Burns nine months ago.

“In the short time I’ve worked with [Burns], he has shown an ability to motivate people around him and generate a lot of excitement for projects. He seems to have really enjoyed the student interaction, and has impressed me with his vision for what ASUCD could and should be,” Schluep said.

According to Schluep, Burns led AS Dining Services through a transitory phase created by the retirement of Sharon Coulson, their director for 28 years. Schluep also said that Burns has motivated the AS Dining Services staff to think big when it comes to their status and position on the UC Davis campus.

Anthony Palmere, General Manager of Unitrans, said that Burns has had a positive impact on Unitrans as well. “[Burns] was able to help Unitrans articulate the impacts of administrative and funding proposals that could have resulted in higher costs and reduced service. He also helped to advance our highest priority capital project — the modernization of the MU Terminal — to keep it moving forward for projected completion in 2014,” he said in an email interview.

According to Palmere, Burns has a detailed understanding of JESSICA GRILLI can be reached at campus@ UC Davis administrative process- theaggie.org.

Bozner also writes poetry, right? Have you read any of his stuff?

Yeah. It’s mostly funny poetry but it’s pretty good.

So how does it feel to come back from an injury and break these three-point records?

You know, it really feels good. I’ve always believed that hard work pays off. I’ve always been kind of a late bloomer. I’ve always felt like a little bit behind where I want to be, and I’ve always just been like, ‘Man, I want to get better, I want to be better.’ It finally feels like it’s paying off for me.

I’m going to keep pushing and hopefully keep getting better.

All right, let’s talk some non-basketball stuff for a minute. What are your favorite movies, favorite bands, etc.?

My favorite movie is probably a tie between my top three. Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds.

I’m sensing a theme here.

[Laughs] Yeah, I like Quentin Tarantino a lot. Honestly, those three — it’s hard to say. I guess my favorite right now would be Django Unchained though.

DE VERE’S Cont. from front page go through,” said Henry de Vere White, co-owner of De Vere’s Irish Pub. “Anything we can do to raise money and help makes a difference.”

White’s father is an oncologist.

White said this is partly what inspired him and his brothers to get involved with this event.

“It’s a powerful day when you see a 5-year-old girl show up to shave her head because she is a cancer survivor, while you have some 30-year-old men who are too scared to do it because of their ego,” White said.

This is the second year Davis

GREENING Cont. from front page phases for the last two years since the city was awarded an Urban Greening Project Grant of $891,304 from the California Strategic Growth Council.

“The idea started since the Arboretum got a grant to make a native plant garden so that it can connect with the Davis community and a welcoming door to downtown,” said Emily Griswold, the director of GATEways (Gardens, Arts and the Environment) Horticulture and Teaching Gardens. “We found out that there’s this [Urban Greening Project Grant] program. [We] started thinking that this could be a way to extend the reach between this project and strengthen the Arboretum to the city.”

The Greening Project includes a 5-acre area, which includes 3.5 acres of the Putah Creek Parkway that has a bike pathway west of Olive Drive and the bike tunnel for I-80.

“Through surveys and our experiences interacting with campus and community partners, we have found that there is a lot of visitor and academic interest in native plants,” said Carmia Feldman, the assistant director of the UC Davis Arboretum. “There is a big emphasis on localism these days — eating local food, supporting local businesses — and a part of that is also understanding the local environment.

We realized that we didn’t have a part of the Arboretum that really focused on our local environment and plant communities, so

So do you actually hear them when you’re playing or do you totally tune them out?

Yeah, I can hear them but at the same time when the game is going you’re just focused on what’s happening on the floor.

You do notice it when we hit a big shot, or make a big play — they go absolutely crazy and it helps to have that energy. It’s something we can build on.

Obviously you weren’t playing, but this team went 3-13 last year. Considering that, did you expect this team to be where it’s at today?

Honestly, I thought we had a chance to be a pretty good team this year. I could see the talent we had on our team and the talent we had coming in and I was like, ‘Wow, we’ve got some good players on our team this year.’ Starting out the season [how] we started out was honestly really disappointing. I thought we were a lot better than that but I think a lot of those struggles stemmed from the fact that we hadn’t really played together that much. Our timing and our camaraderie wasn’t quite there and we weren’t quite clicking. As the year has gone on, I feel like we’re playing pretty well now and we have a chance to do something good. Next year, I think we’re going to be a really great team.

What are you hoping for for next year’s team?

You know, we have to keep what we have going. All of our guys are coming back except for Howley and Paolo so we need to keep it going. We’re going to add in Avery Johnson, Darius Graham, and those are great players. You know Darius, he got hurt early this season but the minutes he did play were really impressive for a freshman.

— Kim Carr

has hosted the event, but the fourth year for De Vere’s Irish Pub overall.

Last year, the Sacramento location shaved 375 heads, and the Davis location shaved 100. White said the pub is hoping to surpass the Sacramento location this year and raise more than them.

People can sign up to shave their heads by going to getbald.com.

The event is sponsored by the Keaton Raphael Memorial foundation, Sacramento Magazine and Yelp Sacramento.

“The money raised makes a huge impact and the event helps spread the word of cancer and keep research going,” said Dana Pearson, development coordinator at Keaton Raphael Memorial

Foundation.

According to St. Baldrick’s Foundation, over 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year and more children die from cancer than any other disease.

“St. Baldrick’s is second only to the government in raising research dollars to fight cancer, and it also sends a huge statement to young children fighting this horrible disease,” White said.

“St. Baldrick’s Day tells them that they are not alone, shows them that losing hair is OK and temporary, and most of all, inspires them to fight.”

this garden will fill that gap.”

The garden, which Feldman referred to, is the leftover 1.5 acres of the 5 acres at the east end of the Arboretum near Aggie Village and the Davis Commons shopping center. The garden will be a new California-native plant garden focused on plants native to the Putah Creek watershed.

“The idea with that site [Putah Creek] is to restore native plants to that area so people can get better sense of what vegetation would have looked like in Davis.

This side will almost feel like a nature trail,” Griswold said. “We have the garden here that is focused with native plants as well.

This would be an artistic interpretation. Our goal is to inspire people about the beauty of the native plants.”

Environmental improvements are a huge part of the project as well.

There will be habitat enhancements for native wildlife and insects, trees for shade and carbon sequestration, and improved treatment of stormwater runoff. Specifically for the treatment of the storm water runoff, a rain garden will be built, which will catch the rainwater before it goes into the storm system.

One of the main highlights for both the UC Davis Arboretum and the City of Davis is the collaboration between the two as well as having an easier and more accessible entrance to the Arboretum.

“What is really exciting for me is strengthening the connection between the Arboretum and the city,” Griswold said. “Often people don’t know what the

Arboretum is. We can strengthen that connection so that people can benefit and use this place.”

Griswold and Feldman emphasized that the connection to the city and the Arboretum is lacking. There is no clear-cut, straight path that leads to the Arboretum. A huge part of the Greening Project is to establish this connection by building an arc to the entrance as well as straightening the path from the Davis Commons shopping center to the Arboretum.

“I believe that the Arboretum is [a] unique feature of Davis that you don’t have on other campuses,” said Angelica Degnan, a second-year genetics major. “It definitely would make it more accessible if there were a walkway that would go directly to town. It would be nice.”

Additionally, the project will include increasing the visibility of the bike path so there are fewer blind spots. Safety regulations to bike and pedestrian circulation will also be improved, according to Feldman.

Construction will begin this summer. Even before construction begins, volunteers will be needed to clean up trash on the Putah Creek path. In the fall, community planting days and other events will be scheduled to help in the transformation of the Arboretum.

“The goal is to make this space a learning environment, to raise awareness of native plants and their importance of it, as well as the story of the creek,” Griswold said.

PAAYAL ZAVERI can be reached at city@ theaggie.org.

KAMILA KUDELSKA can be reached at city@ theaggie.org.

6 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

search has shown that couples who have been together for 20 to 50 years can suddenly be affected by improper muscular movement in the heart, and in some cases, die shortly after a loved one passes away.

A study in 2008 showed women who lost their partners were more than twice as likely to die and men were six times more likely. Helm discussed the syndrome and its relation to his work.

“It’s hard to make a strong statement about the two phenomena, but there is theory to support a connection. Attachment theory suggests that we use partners (mother, fathers, sisters, brothers, romantic others, etc.) to help regulate physiology,” Helm said. “A simpler way of saying this [is that] the presence of close others promotes physiological homeostasis. Hence, we naturally seek the company of those [close to us] because they make our world more pleasant, both emotionally and physiologically.”

heart

UC Davis services help high school students prepare for college

By JOYCE BERTHELSEN Aggie Features Writer

While UC Davis seniors are gearing up to delve into the real world, it’s also that stressful time of year when high school students are getting ready for the much-anticipated college experience. Before this independent lifestyle, however, students need to actually get into college.

UC Davis offers multiple programs and student services which prepare middle and high school students for postsecondary school. Programs including Educational Talent Search (ETS), the Student Recruitment and Retention Center (SRRC) and the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) provide these students with help for getting into colleges, as well as services to help them after they are accepted.

Founded in 1994, ETS is a federally funded program that helps about 1,700 students from 12 different high schools in Yolo, Sacramento and Solano counties.

Sam Blanco, director of ETS, said that their program does not recruit students for UC Davis. Instead, it helps students throughout their high school and college academic careers, following them from their first year of high school until they graduate from college.

“We work with [high school] students throughout their years in high school and get them prepared for college,” Blanco said. “We help them graduate and continue to any type of higher education, whether it be community college, state, UC, private [or] out-of-state. We do workshops, presentations and work with them one-onone.”

Blanco said that seven ETS staff members visit the high schools on a weekly basis, helping their students with “A through G” information (the requirements all California high school students must fulfill), such as time management, study skills, note-taking skills and advising. He said that high school seniors are given the most one-on-one time with their advisors.

“Our advisors make sure that they work with all their seniors on their college application, personal statements, scholarships [and] financial aid,” Blanco said.

ETS also contracts out to San Franciscobased Study Smart Tutors to offer students workshops on strategies for taking the SAT and ACT tests. Students in the ETS program can attend these workshops, which are held at UC Davis or the Davis high schools.

For further entrance exams help, EAOP also offers services designed to prepare students’ test-taking skills, according to the EAOP website. Designed for eighth to 12th grade students, the service teaches students how to take the exams, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and the importance of the tests. EAOP helps students with administrative preparations, such as registration and payment, as well as test preparation, including test-taking strategies, tips, test format and practice tests.

EAOP was founded in 1976 to help students meet requirements for college admission. With each UC school housing the program, EAOP is the University of California’s premier outreach program, according to the EAOP website. The UC Davis EAOP works with over 2,300 students in 28 schools.

“We outreach to high school and middle school students at underserved, underresourced and underfunded schools surrounding [Davis], including Sacramento,” said Mai Moua Vang, a third-year community and regional development major and EAOP student outreach assistant. “We give

them tools, guidelines and the extra support to help them get into college.”

While EAOP holds campus tours for students that visit the UC Davis campus, they also visit their middle and high schools weekly to hold workshops.

“The last workshop we held was called the ‘Game of Life’ [where] we placed students in the situation of an adult,” Vang said. “They had to make their own budget in terms of the career [they were] given, if they’re married or not or if they have children. [It] put them in their parents’ shoes and figure out how tough it is to be an adult.”

Vang said that these workshops help students develop life and decision-making skills. EAOP also offers Individual Academic Planning, where the staff talks to students one-on-one, looks over their transcripts and asks them how they are doing outside of school. EAOP helps students plan their schedules to make sure they take all required classes and meet college requirements.

The SRRC’s student-run programs also outreach to high schools and help students prepare for college. In the fall, SRRC hosts Apply Yourself, where they help high school seniors apply to colleges. In the spring, SRRC holds Senior Weekend Trip, where students admitted to UC Davis spend the weekend learning about UC Davis and spend nights in dorms or apartments with current students. This Spring Quarter, SRRC’s BRIDGE will also hold its first appeal process workshop for students who didn’t get into the UC they wanted.

“Speaking on behalf of the entire SRRC, our efforts are definitely to bring underrepresented and underserved communities into higher education,” said Kristian Marie Ocampo, a fourth-year communication and sociology — organizational studies double major and SRRC internal chair.

“So we do various workshops that are academic, social justice or culture.”

Ocampo said that the SRRC holds College 101 workshops, in which high school students are educated about different forms of higher education and how to get into them.

“We look at students from a holistic perspective,” Ocampo said. “So we don’t look at just their grades and test scores. We look at their personal experiences. Being in California or out of state, [we look at] how they’ve experienced life so far and how that can benefit the kind of higher education they’re applying to.”

Other programs that help high school students are also available on campus. The Global Achievement Program offers international students with services such as academic and entrance exams preparation, advising and support. Also available is the UC Davis Young Scholars Program, a summer research program that introduces about 40 high school students to the world of research in the natural sciences.

While SRRC outreaches to the community, ETS and EAOP is a program students need to apply for. Everything, including application, is free, but students have to meet low-income requirements and must be economically disadvantaged. Students applying for ETS must also have higher than a 2.0 GPA. For more information, visit ets.ucdavis. edu for ETS, eaop.ucdavis.edu for EAOP and thecenter.ucdavis.edu for SRRC. “At every one of our huge events, we always do evaluations [afterward],” Ocampo said. “The evaluations we get from students are always positive, very validating.

We’ve had a lot of good responses.”

JOYCE BERTHELSEN can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Cont. from page 3 with their significant other. However, similar studies have found that the physiological bond can be found in people who are related or simply have known one another for a long period of time.

Phillip R. Shaver, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Psychology, discussed how people often unconsciously mimic each other for underlying reasons regarding the attachment theory.

According to Shaver, humans are social creatures and naturally seek acceptance on many levels. Even if a previous connection does not exist, individuals can sync with people other than romantic partners when a strong connection is desired.

More research into this area could lead to answers regarding phenomena such as “takotsubo cardiomyopathy,” also known as “broken heart syndrome.” While most people consider the ailment a myth, re- NICOLE NOGA can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

cure Cont. from page 3

cules, only a single one successfully reactivated p53: stictic acid.

So why isn’t cancer cured?

“Stictic acid is chemically not very accessible. Its synthesis is very difficult and chemical modifications are hard to make,” Kaiser said. “It will be easier for us to identify other compounds with similar activity but better chemical accessibility.”

This study represents a major breakthrough in the hunt for a cure, but a lot of work still has to be done before cancer is a disease of the past.

The more open shape makes it an easier target for potential drug therapies, and since p53 is already in an active form in normal cells, the drug would only really affect the cancerous cells.

After finding the pocket, Kaiser’s team went on the hunt for something that could fit in it. They looked at a database of 2,298 molecules and pulled out the 45 most promising ones. Of these 45 mole- KYLE SCROGGINS can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

strategy to other crops.

According to Berry, a sequenced genome is like a treasure chest of future disCont. from page 3 coveries. The precise information about or some parts of it, can be transferred to every gene of an organism can open doors other crops.” to understanding fundamental questions In the future, this can lead to a great about life. number of improvements for the species and understanding how to apply this KELLY MITCHELL can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

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