Scrubs Café is closed for an undetermined amount of time because of a steam leak that turned into a flood inside the building after hours the weekend of Feb. 23-24, causing extensive damage.

Steam poured into the unoccupied café for about 15 hours before being discovered the evening of Feb. 24, said Kraig Brady, director of Hospitality and Dining Services. “It basically pressure-washed it,” he said. “The steam condensed, and we had standing water in the restaurant and steam throughout the facility.”

The campus uses steam to heat buildings and water.

While campus officials assess the damage and plan repairs, food trucks have been stationed outside Scrubs, one a day on a rotating basis. More temporary service may be added as demand warrants, Brady said.

A vegetarian burger slated to be served at Scrubs as part of the Cool Cuisine Burger Battle across Davis will not be offered, but other locations on campus will still present their plant-based burgers.

Information on a reopening date will be posted on the Scrubs Café website as it becomes available.

Smooth, new ride to-from Berkeley

If you haven’t ridden the Davis-Berkeley shuttle lately, Fleet Services wants you to know it has a new bus with new features:

• A smoother ride (thanks to upgraded suspension)
• USB recharging ports at every seat
• More seats (35, an increase of 10)

The extra seating is good news for people who want to take the shuttle on Fridays and Sundays — popular days when wait lists have not been uncommon.

“We got feedback that riders wanted more seating and a comfier ride, so we are happy that the new shuttle delivers on those features,” said Dan McCann, Fleet Services director.

The new bus, like the old one, also has Wi-Fi and a bicycle racks (for two bikes, first-come, first-serve).

New sessions of ‘Gatekeeper Training’  

“Gatekeeper Training” is back for four sessions in March — to equip teaching assistants, staff and faculty with skills and knowledge “to comfortably and confidently speak to students about mental health concerns and then refer them to appropriate mental health resources.” The term “gatekeeper” derives from the fact that TAs, faculty, and staff often serve as students’ gateways to help.

The free training is offered as part of a study sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs.

The upcoming schedule offers two trainings a day on two dates, all at the Student Health and Wellness Center:

• Friday, March 8 — 10 a.m-noon
• Friday, March 8 — 1-3 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 13 — 10 a.m-noon
• Wednesday, March 13 — 1-3 p.m.

If you or your department is interested in a training, send an email to the study team, specifying one training date and time. In return, you will receive an email from “Support UCD Wellness Study” with the subject line, “Invitation to a UC Davis Pilot Study of Training to Support Student Mental Health,” and instructions for completing a pre-training questionnaire.

For more information, contact Professor Carolyn Dewa by email, or you can send an email to her research assistant, Bushra Shaikh.

Honda home seeks new live-in researcher

UC Davis faculty, staff and graduate students have 10 more days to apply to live in the Honda Smart Home, which is coming available Sept. 1. The successful occupant will live in the fully furnished residence for a year and have access to the Honda Fit electric vehicle that comes with the home.

In addition to showcasing Honda’s vision for sustainable, zero-carbon living and personal mobility, the home functions as a living laboratory where the company, along with researchers from UC Davis and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. evaluate new technologies and business opportunities at the intersection of housing, transportation, energy and the environment.

The occupant must agree to specified research responsibilities, for example, recording any unexpected or unusual behaviors from the house systems: heating, cooling, lighting and hot water.

More information is available online. The webpage includes links to the Honda Smart Home Occupancy Agreement and Exhibit A (research assignment). Note that the exact content of the research can be custom-tailored to fit the occupant (the downloadable exhibit is an example). 

To be considered, please read both documents thoroughly and complete this online form. For full consideration, submit the form as soon as possible but no later than 5 p.m. Friday, March 15. (Sorry, feline and canine occupants are not being considered at this time.)

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