Contents of this page: All staff invited to a free breakfast May 22 $1 million grant funds West Coast biodiversity surveys 15th annual Prediction Walk/Run a big hit with staff Updated campus Editorial Style Guide on the web Open forum on faculty and staff housing May 20 Outdoor Rental Center is having a surplus sale Alumni Association invites nominations for annual awards Construction update	May 20, 2002 More Campus News All staff are invited to a free breakfast May 22 Helen Mayer (left) and Virginia Fierro at last year's staff breakfast Photo: Jennifer McNulty Last year's grand prize winner, Janette Crutch, is looking forward to this year's staff breakfast and raffle. The Staff Advisory Board and Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood invite all staff employees to "Pancakes and Jazz with M.R.C." on Wednesday, May 22, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Stevenson Dining Hall. Enjoy a hearty breakfast, listen to the Latin jazz sounds of Carne Cruda, relax, and chat with friends. There will be a drawing for prizes, including Chardonnay Sailing Charters tickets, a recreation pass for one quarter, a Macy's gift certificate, University Club lunch tickets, and more. Stevenson and Cowell parking lots will be reserved for staff. Extra shuttles will be available on campus and for UBP and DASCOM. RSVP right away to sab-breakfast@cats.ucsc.edu. Back to top $1 million grant funds West Coast biodiversity surveys UCSC biologists have received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior to conduct a biological inventory of coastal areas from San Diego to Washington. Peter Raimondi, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, is the project's principal investigator. The new project complements the work Raimondi and associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Mark Carr are doing as principal investigators in the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO), a multi-institutional project funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The PISCO project is focusing on the connections among the nearshore biological communities along 1,200 miles of coastline from southern California to Oregon. "With this additional money, we can do a more detailed investigation of biodiversity, and we can extend the range to include the whole West Coast of the U.S.," Raimondi said. The researchers will do formal biodiversity surveys of the intertidal zone at 66 sites. This involves mapping the topography of the area, then mapping the distribution of all of the plant and animal species found at the site. "There's more to it than just counting species. We are creating three-dimensional maps of the sites, with all of the species layered on top of the topography, so that we can see how habitat affects the numbers and types of species," Raimondi said. The resulting data is allowing the scientists to address questions such as how human activities affect biodiversity along the coast. Back to top 15th annual Prediction Walk/Run a big hit with staff Lit Ladies Do Lunch, a team made up of (l-r) Clare Greene, Sheryl Coulston, Patty Lease, and Pam Lawson, dressing formally for the occasion in pearls, matching hats and handbags, and carrying sparkling cider, won the costume/baton competition and came in fourth in the relay. Teams of mostly staff members from all over campus showed that fitness can be fun as they walked, jogged, and ran around the East Field Track last week at the 15th annual Prediction Walk/Run. Seventy-one teams, with four people each, vied for prizes in the event, which took place May 14. All participants received a free T-shirt and refreshments. Prizes went not to the fastest teams, but to those most accurately predicting how long it would take their team to walk or run the two-mile relay race. The competition for the best costume/baton, in which the winner was chosen by applause, gave teams an opportunity to display their creativity and distinctive office personalities. The top prizes were gift certificates for kayaking, sailing, and outdoor equipment rental. First place went to the "Physical Plant Phlyers," made up of Peter Butterworth, Sue Carter, George Williams, and Juergen Wunder (two seconds over their prediction). Second place was "E Z Duz It," with Margie Harris, Eric Brewer-Garcia, Susan Walsh, and Glenda Dixon (three seconds under their prediction). Third place went to "Rembrandt's Recharges," with Rebekah Fessenden, Gayle Berry, Ruth Mutch, and Mary Keelin (four seconds under their predicted time). The event was sponsored by OPERS, with prizes, refreshments, and additional support provided Staff Human Resources and the Bay Tree Bookstore. Back to top Updated campus Editorial Style Guide on the web The campus Editorial Style Guide has been newly updated and is available on the web. If you have questions, send them to Jeanne Lance at lance@cats.ucsc.edu. Back to top Open forum on faculty and staff housing May 20 Faculty-staff housing is the subject of an open forum from noon to 1:45 p.m. on Monday, May 20, at the Media Theater, Room M110. All faculty and staff members are invited to attend and offer their input. Comments about housing are also encouraged at the Campus Welfare Committee web site. John Simpson, campus provost and executive vice chancellor, has directed the committee to review current housing policy. Back to top The Outdoor Rental Center is having a surplus sale Tents, surfboards, wet suits, booties, sleeping bags, and much more--all at great discount prices at the OPERS Outdoor Rental Center Surplus Sale on Thursday, May 30. Students get first crack from noon to 3 p.m. and must show current student ID. Staff and faculty may purchase items from 3 to 5 p.m. with current ID. First come, first serve, and all sales are final. For more information, call (831) 459-2800. Back to top The Alumni Association invites nominations for annual awards Each year the UCSC Alumni Association invites the university community to submit applications for the association's Distinguished Teaching Award, Outstanding Staff Award, and Alumni Achievement Award. Recipients of the awards receive recognition and a $500 cash award at a luncheon in their honor. Each of these awards is explained in detail and a list of past recipients is provided on the Alumni Association web site. To make an award nomination, submit the nomination form with a statement (200-word minimum) describing your nominee's qualifications. The form may be submitted on the web or mailed to the UCSC Alumni Association, Carriage House, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064. The nomination deadline for 2002-03 awards is Friday, May 31. Questions? Call (800) 933-SLUG, or e-mail the association at alumni@cats.ucsc.edu. Back to top Construction update Currents provides regular updates on construction projects that have an impact on campus transportation and parking. Construction update story For more information, visit the Transportation and Parking Services web site and the Physical Planning and Construction web site. Back to top Return to Front Page