Most campus buildings are heated with steam pumped through a network of underground pipes. Overnight Thursday (Feb. 2), water flooded several of the underground vaults that house steam lines and other equipment needed to circulate it throughout campus. In this case, the flooding caused electrical shorts that temporarily disabled the pumps used to clear standing water from of the vaults. The mixture of cold rainwater and steaming hot pipes, led to steam escaping from a number of grates around campus. The steam wasn’t harmful, but made for an interesting sight and sauna-like conditions aboveground. Facilities Management dispatched crews to get the pumps operational, which quickly resolved the issue.

Twitter video: Food Innovation Program students visit Davis on world tour

Food Innovation Program: At @ucdavis with @hobywedler presenting our #oliveoil #blind #tasting #experience #FIGM17

Athletes show off their art

UC Davis' athletes aren't just talented on the court or field. They recently showed off their artistic skills through an exhibit highlighting their work. Athletic Director Kevin Blue said it's another way Aggies are defying stereotypes.  

Twitter: Why take the bus when you can take a horse?

College of Biological Sciences: Now here's something you don't see on most college campuses. But for Aggies, it's just another Friday!

Häagen-Dazs teases 'virtual reality experience'

The plight of the honeybee is nothing new, but now Häagen-Dazs plans to use virtual reality to show viewers the dangers facing bees from their perspective. The company, which funds bee research on campus, says the project is part of its efforts to research bees, which pollinate many foods, including those used in its ice cream:

Over the last five years, we've lost over one-third of our honeybee colonies nationwide, due to factors such as colony collapse disorder (CCD), an alarming phenomenon that occurs when honeybees mysteriously desert their hive and die. Researchers do not know exactly what causes CCD, but they believe there may be many contributing factors, including viruses, mites, chemical exposure, and poor nutrition. If this continues, we’re forced to imagine a world without them. No tasty pears, luscious raspberries, or juicy strawberries.

Since 2008, Häagen-Dazs® Ice Cream has teamed up with leading research facilities to donate more than $1,000,000 to honeybee research. Our ongoing contributions recognize the role honeybees play in our food production. Delicious Häagen-Dazs® flavors like rocky road, vanilla Swiss almond and strawberry, among others, rely on thriving honeybee colonies. The funds we donate are used to help support the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility at the University of California, Davis, which is the largest and most comprehensive state-supported apiculture facility in North America. 

The Häagen-Dazs® Ice Cream contributions also support the maintenance of the Häagen-Dazs® Honey Bee Haven — a bee-friendly demonstration garden on the UC Davis campus — as well as the development of educational materials.
 

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