Need some good news? Despite the recent disappointing news that we will need to slow hiring, we are steady or ever-so-slightly increasing in numbers in all but one of the academic title codes! Even slow progress is progress.

I thought the 11 ideas that emerged as pitches as the Ideation Workshop were fantastic. I glanced at the aggregated list of the remaining 200+ ideas thrown on the wall during the workshop and, I believe, many of those may 'stick' as ideas to pursue as we think about different ways of doing business. We will see after the participants complete the survey identifying those ideas they would like to see remain under consideration for development. Given that we are all in this together, at some point the entire division will need to weigh in on current ideas and propose new ideas. 

Earlier this week Igor brought me up to speed on his work to evaluate the incorporation of trees into bioswales used for urban runoff in areas without combined sewer overflow infrastructure. Admittedly, I have not paid much attention, but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen these on city streets before. Also interesting, I learned about wax motors as a carbon-friendly way opening and closing greenhouse ventilation. Who knew? Sheila gave an excellent overview of her program looking at the role of grazing in working landscapes. So much great information during a trip to San Mateo County/San Francisco.

Igor shares groundbreaking research to incorporate trees into city bioswales

The fruitcake I brought to the Davis ANR event was far from a hit. Fortunately, fruitcakes last forever so I can bring it back next year. Moreover, while I was physically present for 2018, based on the trivia questions, I was apparently not fully engaged. I am unsure how many questions the winning team had correct, but I heard from a couple of other people that I was not the only one who had completely forgotten that there was a 2018 Winter Olympics. Better luck next year. I am more of a New Year's Eve person - focused on the future and looking back only as a mechanism to better see forward.

Today I am visiting the California Pear Advisory Board to hear what is on their minds and provide an update on UC ANR. That follows a call with our commodity group liaisons to confer and see if there are any pressing issues to address. These calls are new and intended to keep lines of communication open. Similarly, the new REC User's Committee meets for the first time on Friday, again as a step to improve communication, share ideas, and gather feedback. Things are never dull! I hope we all have some quiet, creative time this weekend.