Wednesday (July 1) will be the Sacramento region’s second Spare the Air Day in a row. With such official declarations, rides are free on Unitrans and Yolobus as an incentive for people to park their cars.

The AQI (air quality index) forecast for today (June 30) is 129: unhealthy for sensitive groups. The forecast is the same for July 1.

“To reduce pollution, cut back on your driving and postpone errands that can wait until air quality improves,” the Spare the Air website states.

We’re not the only UC campus to go chimeless this summer.

Last week we told you the Memorial Union chimes had been turned off because of work on the MU’s fifth floor.

Now comes word that Berkeley’s Campanile chimes have also gone silent — only not on purpose. The Campanile’s four clocks — one on each side of the tower — have come to a halt, and that means no chimes at the top of the hour, or on the quarter hours.

The Campanile’s carillon is unaffected, so there’s been no interruption in summer music from the tower.

A UC Berkeley news release stated: “Because the Campanile’s clock installation is anything but ordinary — thought to be one of the nation’s largest when it was made 100 years ago — it’s going to take some time to find or craft the right parts that will ensure it runs for many years to come.”

The MU’s chimes are due to come back on at summer’s end.

TECHNEWS: New wireless security, new network in dorms

After a week’s delay, Information and Educational Technology installed a new electronic security certificate for the campus wireless network today (June 30). The certificate includes advanced encryption technology for increased security.

IET advises faculty, staff and students: Your device might accept the new certificate automatically, or you might need to accept the certificate after you receive the prompt. The experience varies, depending on your device, model, and operating system.

IT Express has posted a Knowledge Base article with information about the new certificate. If you experience problems, or have questions about the certificate or process, contact the IT Express Service Desk by phone, (530) 754-HELP (4357), or email.

Also starting today, the residence halls are using eduroam, not moobilenetx, as their wireless network. The change affects you if you live, work in or visit student housing.

The campus will retire moobilenetx as soon as next year, and starting new students on eduroam when they move into the residence halls this fall will save them a little transition time down the road.

ANR’s departing Allen-Diaz receives Berkeley Citation

Barbara Allen-Diaz, head of UC’s Agriculture and Natural Resources since 2011, is the recipient of the Berkeley Citation, UC Berkeley’s highest honor, recognizing academic achievement and university service.

Keith Gilless, dean of the College of Natural Resources, made the surprise presentation June 19 at Allen-Diaz’s retirement party at the Lawrence Hall of Science. 

Allen steps down today (June 30) as the Russell Rustici Chair in Rangeland in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at Berkeley, and as the UC vice president in charge of ANR.

She earned three degrees at Berkeley (bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral) and joined the faculty in 1986, studying the effects of livestock grazing on natural resources, oak woodlands and ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada, and the effects of climate change on rangeland species and landscapes.

“Her leadership as chair of the Department of Environmental Science, Polic, and Management, as executive associate dean of the College of Natural Resources, and finally as the vice president for Agriculture and Natural Resources has produced a legacy of accomplishments that few academics can match,” Gilless said. “The college would not have its remarkable Geospatial Innovation Facility without her foresight and willingness to make the necessary investment. ANR would not have the strategic plan that has guided a resurgent sense of how to implement the university’s land-grant mission.”

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