President of the University of California Richard C. Atkinson will be joined by over 500 researchers, 19 UC student researchers and many others Tuesday for UC day, which will take place in Sacramento.

This year’s event is themed “”On the Threshold of Opportunity”” and will celebrate the University of California’s leadership and accomplishments.

The UC Alumni Association will sponsor the event and will also present Legislator of the Year awards to Sen. Joseph Dunn from Garden Grove, Calif. and Assembly Speaker Robert M. Hertzberg from Van Nuys, Calif.

Also during the daylong celebration, several student researchers from several UC campuses will present their work, which deals with public issues and other areas.

Hewlett Packard Grants $5 Million for Digital Network

A $5 million Digital Village Grant from Hewlett Packard will now enable local Indian reservations, in collaboration with the Southern California Tribal Chairman’s Association and the University of California, among others, to wire San Diego reservations for Internet service.

The grant will fund such projects for three years and will build high-speed, broadband connection between 17 Indian reservations to facilitate the Internet.

UCSD will take advantage of the new connection to lay the foundation to draw more Native American students to the university. Historically, Native Americans have been the most under-represented ethnic population at UCSD, and the grant from Hewlett Packard will help make more Native American students eligible for UC admission.

The Digital Village Grant is given annually to underserved communities. San Diego’s grant is one of two awarded this year.

Producer of Cellulose Acetate Grants Money to UCSD

Celanese Acetate LLC of Charlotte, N.C., the world’s largest producer of cellulose acetate, has awarded UCSD a donation that will provide patents, patent applications and trademarks for the invention of a new variety of anti-wound dressing.

The company chose UCSD for the donation because of its prominence in the field of medicine and wound management. The package given to UCSD will allow it to manufacture and license this technology for other companies. UCSD’s impressive technology transfer program was also cited for the donation.

The new product would provide a viable alternative to current products on the market and would be manufactured using cellulose acetate. The new technology would prevent the dressing from adhering to the surface of wounds.

UCSD to Offer New Undergraduate Biology Course

Beginning spring quarter, UCSD will offer a new lower division biology course, BILD 7, titled “”How Life Begins.”” The course did not make it into the catalog, but students can still enroll.

Professors Martin Yanofsky and Ethan Bier will co-teach the class, which will focus on the growth of complex organisms from fertilized eggs.

The course is intended for nonmajors, but biology majors are encouraged to enroll. Other topics to be addressed in the course include the effects of genetically modified plants for consumers, the problem of screening for disease in human genes, and the availability of individuals’ DNA sequences to outside agencies.

The course also satisfies general education requirements for Eleanor Roosevelt College, John Muir College, Earl Warren College, Revelle College and is currently being considered as a general education elective by Thurgood Marshall College.