The application period opened today (Jan. 17) for staff adviser to the Board of Regents, according to an announcement from the UC Office of the President. The selected staff member will serve for one year as staff adviser-designate, then become staff adviser for a year.

For example, Penelope "Penny" Herbert, manager in the Department of Clinical Operations, UC Davis Health System, is now serving as staff adviser, after having served for one year as staff adviser-designate. Herbert, therefore, will have served two years total when her term comes to an end in June.

Kevin Smith, chief financial and compliance officer for the UCLA chancellor's office, will move up to staff adviser in July.

And, out of the selection process that began today, someone new will take his place as staff adviser-designate.

The staff adviser program, now in its sixth year, allows for two staff and-or non-Academic Senate academic employees to participate in open sessions of designated Board of Regents committees.

"During these times of transformational change, it is imperative to have a liaison between staff and UC leadership so staff concerns and views regarding workplace issues and policy decisions are fully considered," Herbert said. "It is an honor to serve in this role."

The application deadline is March 2. The form and more information are available online.

Questions about the staff adviser position and the application process should be directed to Jeannene Whalen, UCOP Employee Relations, at (510) 987-0853 or Jeannene.Whalen@ucop.edu.

Double-decker going home to London

RTL 1014, one of our historic double-decker buses, is going home to London, after 44 years of work on and around the campus.

The ASUCD launched the University Transit System (now called Unitrans) with RTL 1014 and another bus from the London Transport Board in 1968. The buses, and other vintage double-deckers from London acquired since then, are Davis icons — which is why Unitrans is inviting the public to a bon voyage gathering for RTL 1014.

The event is scheduled for 1 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Unitrans yard on Garrod Drive south of La Rue Road.

The London transit system operated RTL 1014 before selling it to the ASUCD. The 1950 model has been limited to special service since 2007. The bus is going to the Ensignbus Transport Museum, which made the purchase in a UC Davis Bargain Barn sale.

Unitrans still operates three of RTL 1014’s siblings, each of them running on updated, clean-burning engines. Unitrans also has two modern double-deckers.

Butterfly catcher Shapiro wins the beer — again!

He did it again. Professor Arthur Shapiro snagged the first cabbage white butterfly of the year and won his own beer-for-a-butterfly contest — as he usually does. He snagged the Pieris rapae on Jan. 8, the second earliest catch date in the contest’s 40-year history.

Shapiro, a distinguished professor in the Department of Evolution and Ecology, sponsors the contest to aid in his studies of biological response to climate change. He said the cabbage white is emerging in this region a week or so earlier on average than it did 30 years ago.

Read more.

And, speaking of insects …

The Bohart Museum of Entomology presents its first open house of 2012 with a program titled, appropriately, “A New Year, A New Bug: How Insects Are Discovered.”

The open house, free and open to the public, is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 14). The museum, which houses more than 7 million specimens from around the world, is in 1124 Academic Surge.

“Visitors will be able to learn how insects are discovered, described, drawn and even named,” said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator.

Not all the museum’s critters are dead. A "petting zoo” features Madagascar hissing cockroaches, tarantulas, scorpions, a millipede and six kinds of walking sticks.

Blood drives move to The Pavilion

Interested in being a donor at the ASUCD’s first blood and marrow drive of the new year?

You’re more than welcome — but, take note: The blood drive will be in a new location, The Pavilion at the Activities and Recreation Center. More specifically: The Pavilion’s upper level. From in front of the ARC Starbucks, enter The Pavilion's northeast lobby (under "The Pavilion" sign), then take the stairs to the upper level.

The first blood drive of 2012 is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 23 and 24. Prospective donors are advised to drink plenty of fluids and to eat something before donating, and to bring photo identification.

“Everyone is used to us being in Freeborn Hall, which means it may take a while for everyone to program in the new location,” said Brie Leon of the Sacramento-based BloodSource, which runs the blood draw. She asked people to help get the word out.

She said Freeborn Hall is now being used for academic purposes Monday and Wednesday mornings, forcing the blood drive’s relocation. The Pavilion will be the new home until further notice.

Leon said each person who turns out for the January blood draw will receive a coupon for free pint Baskin-Robbins ice cream and coupon good for a 25 percent discount at the Gap store in Davis.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Leon at (916) 416-9459 or brie.leon@bloodsource.org.

Save the date: ADMAN Conference

The Administrative Management Group is advising interested people to save the date for the 2012 ADMAN Conference, to be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 7. This year’s theme is “Tools to Build Spirit,” according to the organizers, who said other details will be released soon.

UC launches systemwide jobs boards

You can search for UC jobs by going to each campus's website — or you can go to a brand-new website that provides a snapshot of open staff positions across all UC locations, including the affiliated national laboratories.

The site also provides links to resources regarding open faculty and other academic positions.

"We developed this new website to give our employees a single source that makes it easy to look for open positions across the entire university system," said Dwaine B. Duckett, vice president of Human Resources. "People are at the heart of what makes UC world class, and there are countless career choices for them to pursue."

People using the new site can search by keyword, and can choose whether to search specific locations or all of them at once.

For each available position, the site provides the title, salary, application deadline, a brief excerpt of the job duties and a link to the full job description.

Career Management Academy

The one-day Career Management Academy is next being offered Friday, Feb. 3. Two certified career counselors are the instructors for this regular program from Staff Development and Professional Services.

The organizers said participants will inventory their work values, personality, interests and skills — all of which are integral steps in developing career goals. “Participants will emerge with a renewed sense of direction, more confident and prepared to make informed work-life choices.”

The academy runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Hamilton Room at the Heitman Staff Learning Center (between Bainer Hall and South Silo).

Online registration: lms.ucdavis.edu (click on “Career Management” in the catalog). If you have questions or need enrollment assistance, contact Staff Development and Professional Services, (530) 752-1766 or sdps@ucdavis.edu.

Funding workshop on Latin American opportunities

UC Davis has enlisted faculty members with ties to Brazil, Chile and elsewhere in Latin America to address a funding workshop: Research and Educational Opportunities with Latin America.

The brown bag event is scheduled from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, in the Institute of Governmental Affairs Reading Room, 360 Shields Library. RSVPs are requested by next Thursday (Jan. 20).

The organizers with University Outreach and International Programs said the workshop will provide an introduction to the major research and higher education funding programs available with Latin America.