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MIND Institute lecture

The 's 2009-10 Distinguished Lecturer Series is set to wrap up June 9 with a talk by S. Jill James about the relatively unexplored topic of metabolic pathology and autism.

The monthly series is for specialists and laypeople alike; the talks are free and open to the public, with no reservations required.

Organizers said James' talk, “Oxidative Stress and the Metabolic Pathology of Autism," will explore how abnormal accumulations or deficits of specific metabolites can reveal new insights into the basic neurobiology of autism. This could then lead to targeted therapeutic strategies for treatment and-or prenatal prevention.

James is a research professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and director of the Autism Metabolic Genomics Laboratory at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute in Little Rock.

Her autism research is focused on metabolic, genetic and epigenetic abnormalities in children with autism and also in their mothers.

James' talk is scheduled from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the auditorium at the institute, 2825 50th St., Sacramento. The institute's Resource Center is open one hour before and 30 minutes after each presentation.

Seed Central Connects

UC Davis'  is co-sponsoring a new monthly series called Seed Central Connects, described as a networking opportunity for university seed and plant scientists and students, and seed industry leaders.

The first program is scheduled for June 10.

The SBC's partner in the series is the SeedQuest website, offering "global information services for seed professionals."

Each program will include a speaker, according to the organizers, who added that each presentation will be available via webcast, for people unable to attend in person.

Organizers identified the June speaker as Simon Chan, co-author of the recent Nature article “Centromeres and Chromosome Inheritance: Haploid Plants Produced by Centromere-Mediated Genome Elimination.”

For more information or to arrange reservations (to attend in person or to watch the webcast), contact Donna Van Dolah, event coordinator, (530) 752-2159, or seedcentral@gmail.com.

Postharvest short course

�ٺ���Ƶ’ 32nd annual Postharvest Technology Short Course is scheduled from June 14 to 25.

Organizers said the course is designed for research and extension workers, quality control personnel and other professionals involved in the postharvest handling of fresh fruits, nuts, vegetables and ornamentals in California.

The schedule comprises a week on campus, then moves to an optional field tour the second week, for visits to a variety of operations in the Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area, and along the Monterey coast.

Linking Agriculture, Food and Nutrition

UC Davis is hosting the 22nd annual conference of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council, June 16-18, bringing together leading scientists to identify research priorities and government policies that enhance human health through agriculture, food and nutrition.

"With health care consuming so much of the developed world's
resources, there is a critical need to understand how diet,
nutrition and the underlying agricultural production systems impact human health," said Alan Bennett, a �ٺ���Ƶ plant sciences professor and conference organizer.

The conference, titled Promoting Health by Linking Agriculture, Food and Nutrition, comprises five sessions: designing and producing healthy food, social and cultural dimensions of eating habits, bringing nutrition science to regulations, and how business can find food and nutrition innovations.

"Agriculture and conventional food systems have provided the basis for long and healthy lives, and much of that improvement can be traced to healthier diets," Bennett said. "At the same time, we are faced with a growing critique that conventional food systems are a significant contributor to the health crisis that developed countries are facing, particularly related to obesity and diabetes."

This dichotomy — agriculture and diet as both problem and  solution to the health crisis — frames the conference.

Other topics include research strategies to promote health through food and diet, and a look at how governmental regulatory systems are providing oversight of the relationship
between food and health.

The council is a nonprofit consortium of 36 U.S. and Canadian universities, institutions and government agencies — all of them leaders in agricultural research and education. The council's annual meetings focus on the safe and ethical development of agricultural biotechnology products.

UC Bioengineering Symposium

UC’s systemwide , fostering intercampus collaboration, is scheduled for June 17 to 19, with most meetings set to take place in the Health Sciences District.

In recognition of the symposium’s 10-year history, the organizers of this year’s event have invited the chairs of all UC biomedical engineering departments to attend the Friday evening gala to provide a “Chairs Retrospective.”

The organizers also announced a number of other special events, including the inaugural TATRC Grand Challenge, in which graduate and undergraduate students are eligible to compete for up to $25,000 in research money for military medicine-relevant projects.

TATRC is the , a unit of the Army’s Medical Research and Materiel Command.

Or contact Holly Ober, communications coordinator, hjober@ucdavis.edu, or Angelique Louie, organizing committee chair, aylouie@ucdavis.edu.

Produce Research Symposium

The �ٺ���Ƶ Center for Produce Safety announced that it will host its first Produce Research Symposium on June 23.

Organizers said the program will showcase the results of 11 research projects that received funding from the center.

The program is designed for people who work in the produce supply chain; for example, representatives of grower-shipper organizations, distributors, retailers and food service companies, as well as industry regulators.