ٺƵ

THE DOWNLOAD: New Sculpture Perfect for a Hug

News
Waterbear statue being moved by forklift.
The tardigrade sculpture on its way to being installed at 7 a.m. Feb. 3 at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Lynn Kimsey/ٺƵ)

You can't miss it.  And it's perfect for a “bear hug.”

Artist Solomon Bassoff and Bohart Museum director Lynn Kimsey stand by the tardigrade sculpture. (Photo courtesy of Solomon Basshoff)
Artist Solomon Bassoff and Bohart Museum director Lynn Kimsey stand by the tardigrade sculpture. (Photo courtesy of Solomon Basshoff)

The newly installed sculpture of a tardigrade, or water bear, promises not only to be a cuddly campus landmark but it may be the world's largest — and only — sculpture of its kind. It weighs 2,112 pounds and measures 6 feet long and nearly 3 feet high, whereas in real life, tardigrades are microscopic.

The sculpture, located in front of the Academic Surge, anchors the entrance to the , which houses one of the world's largest tardigrade collections.

 “I'm not aware of any other statue of a water bear anywhere,” said entomology professor Lynn Kimsey, museum director. 

A crew installed the concrete sculpture, the work of artist Solomon Bassoff of Faducci LLC, North San Juan (Nevada County) last wednesday morning (Feb. 3). 

— Kathy Keatley Garvey

The power of local food

Purchasing local, organic produce comes with many benefits. In addition to being more nutritious and better-tasting, buying from nearby farmers and ranchers keeps money in the local economy and can be better for the environment. Santana Diaz, executive chef for ٺƵ Health, explains his mission — and the mission of the entire health system — during a visit to Durst Organic Growers in Esparto.

Learning more by learning languages

Women’s basketball forward Lena Svanholm speaks three languages, but doing so has taught her more than how to get around in different places and say phrases in different ways. Listen to her explain the benefits of learning other languages in the above video.

.

Primary Category

Tags