A lunchtime panel discussion on social media is planned this month for faculty educators and researchers, to help them inform, inspire and interact with targeted audiences via Twitter, Facebook and blogs.

The Office of Public Affairs and Marketing at the UC Davis Health System is putting on the free program, which is open to faculty and researchers on the Davis and Sacramento campuses. The program is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28 in the auditorium at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, 45th and X street, Sacramento.

Panelists will include the following (and where you can check out some of their social media posts):

• Michael D. Lairmore, dean and distinguished professor, School of Veterinary Medicine — Twitter @LairmoreDVMDean.
• Paul S. Knoepfler, associate professor, cell biology and human anatomy — Twitter @pknoepfler, Knoepfler Lab Stem Cell Blog.
• Kay Nelsen, director, Residency Program, Department of Family and Community Medicine — Twitter @DrKayNelsen.
• Hammad Khan, medical student, School of Medicine, and writer and public health researcher — Twitter @moses916, Facebook, The Huffington Post blog.

RSVPs are requested by Monday (Jan. 12), via email.

Free, online course: '10 Things' to know about materials science

Distinguished Professor Emeritus James Shackelford is going online to share “10 Things Engineers Should Know About Materials Science.” It is a free course for engineers and engineering students.

UC Davis Extension is offering the self-paced course, with discussion forums, Feb. 2 to March 9 on Canvas Network.

Shackelford, of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, has published more than 100 scientific papers and books, focusing on the structural characterization and processing of materials.

The “10 things” in the course title range from the menu of materials available to engineers in their profession, to the many mechanical and electrical properties of materials important to their use in various engineering fields. The curriculum includes the principles behind the manufacturing of those materials.

Here are the topics:

• The Menu of Materials
• Point Defects Explain Solid State Diffusion
• Dislocations Explain Plastic Deformation
• Stress vs. Strain
• Creep Deformation
• The Ductile to Brittle Transition
• Fracture Toughness
• Fatigue
• Making Things Fast and Slow
• A Brief History of Semiconductors

Enroll here. More information about UC Davis Extension’s engineering courses ia available online; by phone, (800) 752-8641; or email.

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