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Information and Educational Technology announced that , a new web publishing platform for the campus, will be available as a beta release for early adopters starting Wednesday (Oct. 19). Developers and communicators can build and manage websites with SiteFarm, which is a central service available at no cost to campus units, and includes cloud hosting.

Cascade, a content management system adopted by the campus several years ago, continues to be available.

IET’s WebDev team leads the SiteFarm project in collaboration with the Office of Strategic Communications. Inspiration for SiteFarm’s design and functionality came from аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÄÚÄ»ÐÅÏ¢ Davis’ Drupal-based home site, which launched in January. 

SiteFarm features and benefits include ease of use for content editors, hosting and site management as a unified experience, and improved search-engine optimization. In addition, SiteFarm is accessible and compliant with the Americans With Disability Act.

Chemical spill contained, cleaned up

No injuries were reported in hydrochloric acid spill in a lab in the Earth and Physical Sciences Building last week. Campus emergency personnel cleaned up the spill without having to evacuate anyone from the building.

The Fire Department and Environmental Health and Safety responded to the call that came in around noon Thursday (Oct. 13). A liter and a half of the acid had spilled under a fume hood, said James Dunbarr of Environmental Health and Safety.

Free e-waste drop-off, this Thursday

Look around your department: See any old computers, monitors, printers, phones and the like that aren’t working and you’d like to get rid of them? Aggie Surplus is here to help, by taking certain e-waste off your hands, for free. All you need to do is drop it off, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 20) at the Hopkins Services Complex.

This e-waste collection is for departments only, for university-owned items only, desktop size or smaller. They must be nonfunctioning and they cannot have university property stickers.

Here are the kinds of items you can drop off: computers, monitors and software; keyboards, mice, cords and cables; phones and personal digital assistants; printers and fax machines; speakers, projectors, televisions and VCR-DVD players; typewriters and shredders; microwaves; and UPS units (uninterrupted power supply, with batteries removed). Please remove items from packaging, and do not place them in boxes.

Unacceptable: items requiring decommissioning (e.g., containing oil or refrigerant) or containing hazardous chemicals); toner cartridges and household batteries (Mail Services will pick up toner cartridges and household batteries; simply leave them for pickup with your outgoing mail).

If you plan on dropping off a large quantity (50 or more items), please advise Aggie Surplus in advance. Contact Aggie Surplus by email or phone, 530-752-2145. Finally, if you’ve got electronic goods that are functioning and marketable, Aggie Surplus will be glad to pick them up.

The Hopkins Services Complex is at 615 Hopkins Road, across from the University Airport. Take Hutchison Drive west from Highway 113, turn left on Hopkins Road and right on Apiary Drive. Turn left at the second driveway.

Volunteers needed for November olive harvest

Students, staff, faculty and members of the surrounding community are invited to participate in the mid-November olive harvests on campus and in Winters.

Olive oil made from these hand-harvested olives will be used to make next year's Estate blend olive oil, available at аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÄÚÄ»ÐÅÏ¢ Davis Stores.

Volunteer harvesters are especially needed on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 14 and 15, at the аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÄÚÄ»ÐÅÏ¢ Wolfskill Experimental Orchard, 4334 Putah Creek Road, not far from downtown Winters. Shifts will run from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.

On Thursday, Nov. 16, volunteers are needed to help harvest the campus olive orchard off Hutchison Drive west of Highway 113. Shifts will run from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.

Want to help? . For more information, send an email to Shirley Li, assistant director of the Olive Center.

New Employee Welcome event, Oct. 27

This notice about the Davis campus New Employee Welcome next week is for new employees, of course, and for their supervisors, too, to encourage them to please encourage their new employees to attend!

New Employee Welcome, or NEW, is held quarterly for faculty, academic appointees, staff and postdocs, to acquaint them with аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÄÚÄ»ÐÅÏ¢ Davis’ mission, Principles of Community, culture and noteworthy accomplishments. The NEW schedule for 2016-17: Oct. 27, Jan. 26, April 27 and July 27, all Thursdays.

Each NEW is held from 8:15 to 11 a.m. in the Ballroom. An optional tour runs until noon. The morning program includes a full breakfast, presentations from аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÄÚÄ»ÐÅÏ¢ Davis senior leadership, a campus resource fair and opportunities to network.

New employees should have received invitations by email to the Oct. 27 NEW.

Questions about NEW should be directed to Staff Development and Professional Services, by email.

New employees also are encouraged to make use of the , your one-stop website for information on all the resources available to you at аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÄÚÄ»ÐÅÏ¢ Davis, along with information on surrounding communities.