We鈥檙e reaching the home stretch of 2020 and entering the holiday season. The year has tested us in so many ways, from the COVID-19 pandemic, to tragic wildfires and waves of social unrest, not to mention one of the most stressful election seasons in modern American history.
There was Jamie Peyton from the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. As viewers perked up at home with their morning coffee, Peyton spoke passionately about 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis鈥 care of animals from the wildfires, including their innovative burn therapies and care in managing pain.
We鈥檙e also beaming after seeing Theanne Griffith, a new 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis faculty member, . She鈥檚 a neuroscientist and author who shared her 鈥淭he Magnificent Makers鈥 series of children鈥檚 books. They鈥檙e designed to pass along scientific concepts in fun and creative ways, with projects that are perfect in these days of distance learning.
And of course, I hope you heard the recent news about 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis alumnus Charles M. Rice. He鈥檚 one of the recipients to share the 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. His research and dedication inspire us.
In local news, I hope you followed . The surgery took 24 hours and was considered a 鈥渓andmark鈥 by pediatric neurosurgeons at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis.
These examples show the nation that our university and city are full of people with tremendous expertise and innovative character 鈥 and tremendous heart as well for both people and animals.
Practicing healthy behavior
Speaking of good news, it鈥檚 heartening to see 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis and the City of Davis working so well together on the Healthy Davis Together initiative to prevent the spread of COVID-19. On campus, our Aggie Public Health Ambassadors have done an impressive job in reminding people about safe behaviors during the pandemic.
We鈥檙e encouraged by these efforts. In our testing of asymptomatic 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis students and staff, we had zero positive cases of COVID-19 for the first three weeks of October.
Of course, we鈥檙e not going to let our guard down. We know that a surge could be around the corner as the weather cools down and flu season kicks in. By continuing to work together, I鈥檓 confident we will get through this.
We still need to hunker down as much as possible to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. That doesn鈥檛 mean we have to disconnect from the larger community. In the coming weeks, we鈥檒l have a variety of online events to keep you inspired and engaged, and I hope you鈥檒l join us.
Staying entertained and informed from home
One of those is . I鈥檒l be leading a chat with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, two great success stories from 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis in recent years. They met at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis in the mid-1990s and are now among the most successful screenwriters of all time with their projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That includes their work on 鈥淎vengers: Endgame,鈥 which grossed nearly $2.8 billion worldwide and is now the highest-grossing film of all time.
The three of us will talk about our mutual love of comic books, their connections to 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis and what the pandemic might mean for Hollywood鈥檚 future.
We鈥檒l also be celebrating a major birthday soon. The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento is currently running a 鈥淲ayne Thiebaud 100: Paintings, Prints, and Drawings鈥 exhibit through Jan. 3.
In the meantime, . The free lecture includes Njideka Akunyili Crosby, a Nigerian American artist, as the featured speaker and will celebrate Thiebaud鈥檚 centennial birthday.
As Thanksgiving approaches this month, I鈥檓 grateful for the recent good news and upcoming events that bring us together virtually. I wish everyone the best of health and a happy holiday season in these historic times.
Chancellor Gary S. May鈥檚 monthly column appears and then in Dateline 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis.