You can't miss it. And it's perfect for a “bear hug.”
The newly installed sculpture of a tardigrade, or water bear, promises not only to be a cuddly campus landmark but it may be the world's largest — and only — sculpture of its kind. It weighs 2,112 pounds and measures 6 feet long and nearly 3 feet high, whereas in real life, tardigrades are microscopic.
The sculpture, located in front of the Academic Surge, anchors the entrance to the Bohart Museum of Entomology, which houses one of the world's largest tardigrade collections.
“I'm not aware of any other statue of a water bear anywhere,” said entomology professor Lynn Kimsey, museum director.
A crew installed the concrete sculpture, the work of artist Solomon Bassoff of Faducci LLC, North San Juan (Nevada County) last wednesday morning (Feb. 3).
A crowdfunding campaign paid for some of the sculpture.
Read more about the sculpture and UC Davis’ tardigrade collection.
— Kathy Keatley Garvey
The power of local food
Purchasing local, organic produce comes with many benefits. In addition to being more nutritious and better-tasting, buying from nearby farmers and ranchers keeps money in the local economy and can be better for the environment. Santana Diaz, executive chef for UC Davis Health, explains his mission — and the mission of the entire health system — during a visit to Durst Organic Growers in Esparto.
Facebook: National attention on Healthy Davis Together
UC Davis: The spotlight continues to shine on our community as a model of how we and Davis City can get through this pandemic together, via NBC News. Learn More: [click for link] #HealthyDavisTogether #EveryAggieTogether #Covid19
Learning more by learning languages
Women’s basketball forward Lena Svanholm speaks three languages, but doing so has taught her more than how to get around in different places and say phrases in different ways. Listen to her explain the benefits of learning other languages in the above video.