Following a wildfire-filled summer that covered over336,000acres of California,the UC Davis Fire Department is doing its part to keep fires from becoming a problem here on campus. Monday marked the beginning of Fire Prevention Week,a national event sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association,said Kim Stephens,the fire prevention assistant for the UCDFD.

American scientists share Nobel Prize Three American scientists were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for their work in cell biology. Elizabeth Blackburn of UCSF,Carol Greider of Johns Hopkins University and Jack Szostak of Massachusetts General Hospital will split the prize money of$1.4million.The trio made an important discovery regarding the ends of chromosomes,with possible implications to the studies of cancer and aging.

Invasive species cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars every year. The speed of an invasion is a big concern for documenting these invasive species. Determining the rate at which these species enter a new territory allows for a prediction of the rate of invasion. Alan Hastings, UC Davis researcher and mathematical ecologist, has been working alongside Brett A. Melbourne of the University of Colorado to study the uncertainty in species invasion.

David Plouffe,campaign manager for Barack Obama,examined how election principles and strategies he oversaw can now shape the president’s approach to policy goals in a speech at the Mondavi Center Monday night. Plouffe addressed the consistent message and strategy – the “two pillars” in politics – that provided the campaign with the stability necessary to overcome external difficulties.

Once upon a few months ago, if a student woke up with a sore throat and fever, they would have to argue themselves hoarse with the appointment desk in an attempt to be seen that day. Now, with the Cowell Student Health Center’s new Open Access System, if a student wakes up feeling ill on a Monday, they can see a doctor that same Monday.

Teams:UC Davis vs.UC Riverside Records:Aggies4-7 (1-1); Highlanders1-8 (0-1) Where:Aggie Soccer Stadium When:Todayat3p.m. Who to watch? Captain Paul Marcoux scored the game-winninggoal to beat UC Irvine2-1in double overtime last Wednesday. Exactly one week later,Marcoux will lookto lead his teammates to a win in another Big West Conference bout this afternoon at Aggie Soccer Stadium. The Mountain View,Calif.native leads the team with four goals so far this season.

Lower Freeborn is how it’s spelled.But it’s often pronounced with a question mark at the end – “Lower Freeborn?” – by students struggling to find Campus Copies after their move downstairs. Campus Copies is just one of the ASUCD units forced to relocate for the2009-2010school year by the construction of the newASUCDCoffee House.Others are Campus Copies‘ partner,Classical Notes,which joins them in the Lower Freeborn maze,and the Post Office,which now resides in the Smith room on the second floor of the MU.

Plagiarism A sophomore was referred to Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) for plagiarism.The student’s paper contained material copied from multiple sources and little original work.The student claimed she had submitted the wrong copy of the paper to the professor by accident,but this claim seemed highly unlikely since copied portions of the paper were purposely altered.In any case,students at UC Davis are responsible for all work submitted,intentionally or not,as long astheir names are on it.Due to the severity of copying,the student agreed to a sanction of15hours of community service,a plagiarism writing assignment with the Learning Skills Center and deferred separation until graduation.Deferred separation means that if a student is found in violationforan act of misconduct in the future,he or she would almost certainly be suspended or dismissed.

California has reached 12.2 percent unemployment. With the results from a recent monthly study, it seems those numbers won’t drop anytime soon. The Conference Board’s monthly Help-Wanted Online Data Series found that in California, online job listings are down about 5.5 percent. In August, job postings in California had been slightly up, but by September only 366,100 listings were posted compared with 387,300 in August.

Bike theft: It happens to the best of us, and brings with it the crushing realization that the thief is somewhere in Davis enjoying your bike while you are stuck walking all the way to class. Statistically, bike theft on campus is on the rise. As of Sept. 29, the UC Davis Police Department received 38 bike theft reports in two weeks, more than the total reported thefts in the month of August.

The UC Davis Cancer Center, along with four other University of California-designated cancer centers and emerging partners, will take part in a large-scale demonstration project called the ATHENA Breast Health Network. Named after the Greek goddess to symbolize the war against breast cancer, ATHENA will follow and study an estimate of 150, 000 women throughout California for a number of decades. “One benefit of the collaboration is the opportunity to have a large number of patients,” said Colleen Sweeney, co-director of the Breast Cancer Research Program.

Over 600,000 children can count on health insurance coverage. A Sept. 3 vote of 62 to 5 by the California Assembly saved a program that provides health insurance to low income children, including close to 2,000 Yolo County kids. AB 1422, a bill authored by Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, helped recover the Healthy Families Program. Enrollment was closed in mid-July. A waiting list of 71,000 children was set up in late August due to the state’s budget crisis and General Fund reductions.