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UC Davis News: General Interest
New Animal Biotechnology Video Makes Debut
Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
All too often, the field of animal biotechnology is viewed as more weird than wonderful. To counter such negative reactions and provide the public with a basic understanding of the nature and potential of animal biotechnology, UC Davis animal scientists have prepared a new educational video. The 30-minute video, entitled "Animal Biotechnology," will premiere at 8 p.m. Aug. 5 on UCTV. It also can be viewed via streaming video on the UC Davis Animal Biotechnology Web site at: http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/animalbiotech. The video, narrated and co-authored by Cooperative Extension Specialist Alison Van Eenennaam and animal biology graduate student William Pohlmeier, begins with a brief historical description of the development of various animal biotechnologies. "The public experience with animal biotechnology often starts and ends with Dolly the sheep, the first mammal ever cloned from an adult cell," Van Eenennaam said. "The hype that surrounded Dolly rapidly became entangled with the debate over human cloning, and the ensuing discussion failed to elaborate on, or differentiate between, the broad range of technologies encompassed by the ill-defined term 'animal biotechnology.' "We hope that this new video will address this knowledge deficit and provide the general public with the information they need to understand and evaluate these technologies," Van Eenennaam said. The video places the most controversial animal biotechnologies -- cloning and genetic engineering -- within a historical framework. It also highlights biomedical and agricultural applications of animal biotechnology and discusses some of the science-based and ethical concerns engendered by certain biotech applications. It includes excerpts from interviews with leading academic and industry scientists conducted at the 2007 UC Davis Transgenic Animal Conference. The script and visuals underwent anonymous scientific peer-review prior to release. The video was designed for college and high school students, as well as members of the general public. It was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Research Initiative. DVD copies of the video can be obtained by contacting Van Eenennaam at biotech@asmail.ucdavis.edu.
Journal Spotlights Ag Health and Safety Research
Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Six UC Davis research projects that focus on reducing illnesses and injuries in agriculture are featured in the Journal for Agricultural Safety and Health. The projects, conducted by researchers affiliated with UC Davis' Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety, reflect the "r2p" emphasis of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: translate research into practice. The national institute sponsors the campus center. The articles appear in the journal's Vol. 14, No. 2, published in July. "Lessons learned from moving research findings into practical application in agriculture need to be understood, shared and expanded," said Marc Schenker, director of the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety, and a public health physician. "This special issue of the Journal of Agricultural Health and Safety adds to our collective knowledge in this area, and provides a valuable basis for expanding and transferring this knowledge." Schenker noted that agricultural work involves large and diverse populations, with wide ranges in income, education, age and experience. Agricultural health and safety efforts need to address this diversity, he said. Issues addressed by the six research articles include: providing teenage agricultural workers with health and safety information; agricultural dust and pulmonary health; concentrated animal-feeding operations; stooped labor and back disorders; community participation in health and safety research; and a health survey of California agricultural workers. The Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, is a subscriber-only publication. Journalists can obtain copies of specific articles by contacting the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety at agcenter@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-4050. The center, founded in 1990 by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), is one of nine agricultural health and safety centers established in the United States by NIOSH to improve the health and safety of the nation's farmers, farmworkers and farm family members. More information about the center is available online at: http://agcenter.ucdavis.edu/home.php
Veterinary Couple to Head Olympic Horse Hospital
Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
UC Davis' husband-and-wife veterinary team of Jack Snyder and Sharon Spier are headed for Hong Kong, where they will coordinate the equine veterinary facility for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The pair has served at the summer games since the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea. While Beijing will be the center for most of the games this summer, the Olympic equestrian events will be held at two venues in Hong Kong, featuring approximately 280 competing horses. Snyder and Spier, both professors in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, will lead an international corps of 30 veterinarians, who will advise the veterinarians accompanying the horses. They will be prepared to evaluate lameness, treat injuries and even perform emergency surgeries. Snyder will be in charge of surgical procedures while Spier, an internal medicine specialist, will deal with infections and internal diseases. Because the horses cannot leave the Olympic compound for medical treatment once the games begin, a full equine clinic, complete with a pharmacy, must be provided. This specially built veterinary facility is located at the core equestrian venue at Sha Tin, next to the Hong Kong Jockey Club racetrack and close to the city center. In addition, a temporary veterinary clinic will be located 35 minutes away at the Beas River venue for the cross-country event. There will be six veterinary teams located on the cross-country course along with three roving teams and mobile cooling units. Eight horse ambulances and four recovery trailers will be available on the day of the cross-country event. Snyder and Spier will be available to news media, as time permits, during the summer games, where they can best be contacted by e-mail.
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