12 August 2010
In Memoriam of Dr. Arnold Zellner
Dr. Arnold Zellner, ARE adjunct professor, passed away on Tuesday August 10, 2010 at the age of 83. He was one of the great thinkers of our times, a wonderful person, and a major contributor to the ARE department.
One of the world's foremost econometricians, he was particularly known for his pioneering work in Bayesian analysis, systems of equations, time series analysis, as well as his work in applying his revolutionary techniques to data.
He was born on January 2, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York to Ukranian immigrants, Dora Kleiman Zellner and Israel (Sam) Zellner, who, along with a loving Grandmother, reared Arnold, and his older brother Norman, with a great appreciation for the American freedoms and opportunities denied to citizens of their native country.
Arnold attended Harvard University on a scholarship, earning a Bachelors degree in Physics in 1949. Upon completing his tour of duty in the Army, he used his GI Bill benefits to attend the University of California, Berkeley and earned a Ph.D. in Economics in 1957.
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Posted by Pinar Aybar at 4:54
13 May 2010
In Memoriam: ARE Alum David Edward Buschena
Last week I lost a dear friend, collaborator, and one of our most beloved alumni as Dave Buschena past away after a valiant struggle with cancer. I first heard about Dave when his professor at University of Minnesota and our alumni, Claudia Parliament, called me to recommend him for our graduate program. She described Dave as “super bright, hard working, and a really nice guy that really cares about agriculture and the world.†This was an apt description. Dave took my first year class and even though he lacked in mathematical training, he caught on really fast and was one of the best students. I was teaching risk at the time and he would always approach me after class to ask me questions about risk management and what the theory implies for trading and farming. Many times I didn’t understand his questions and in most cases I couldn’t answer what he asked. It was clear to me that I was teaching risk, but he was managing risk. And indeed he was a practitioner of risk management, and he was a wonderful advisor to people who were interested in agricultural risk management.
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Posted by Eva St. Clair at 6:00
03 January 2001
Henry James Vaux, an innovator of forestry policy and UC Berkeley professor emeritus, dies at 88
02 Jan 2001
By Catherine Zandonella, Media Relations
Berkeley - Henry James Vaux, Sr., a professor emeritus of forestry at the University of California, Berkeley, and former chairman of California's Board of Forestry, died on Dec. 22 in Berkeley after a brief illness. He was 88.
Vaux was best known for his contributions to the field of forest economics and forest policy. His research in forestry formed the basis for the development of modern forest practices and his leadership was pivotal to the evolution of forest policy in California. Over his 45-year career as a forestry economist, Vaux emphasized the need for forestry practitioners to be accountable to the public and for forest management decisions to be based on strong scientific and professional principles.
"Henry James Vaux was one of the most innovative people in the forest policy arena," said Richard B. Standiford, associate dean for forestry in UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources. "He was one of the giants in forestry in California."
Vaux's views were frequently sought by legislators and policy makers and he played a significant role in the development of California's forestry laws during the 1960s and 1970s. These laws included a forest practices act, which created for the state a public trust responsibility to protect environmental attributes such as soil and water on forested lands. He also played a key role in a forest tax reform act which eliminated tax incentives to harvest timber prematurely, and a forest improvement act which created a fiscal partnership between the state and private forest landowners aimed at improving forest management on private land.
In 1976, then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Vaux chairman of the state Board of Forestry, which carried both policy and regulatory responsibilities. He was subsequently appointed for a second term and served in the position until 1983. Vaux's service as chairman was noteworthy for reinvigorating the board's policy-making role. Policies to strengthen the forestry profession, to improve forest management practices, to improve forest taxation and to improve forest resource planning were developed under his leadership.
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Posted by Eva St. Clair at 3:58
02 December 2002
John A. Zivnuska, Pioneer in Forest Economics and UC Berkeley Professor Emeritus, Dies at 86
by Sarah Yang
Berkeley - John A. Zivnuska, an internationally recognized expert in forest economics and policy, professor emeritus and former dean of forestry at the University of California, Berkeley, died on Nov. 18. He was 86.
Known as one of a handful of forest scientists who first applied the rigors of classical economics to forestry, Zivnuska developed a reputation as a strong and well-respected voice in forest economics over his 35-year career. His work, along with that of peers such as the late Henry James Vaux, professor emeritus and former dean of forestry at UC Berkeley, helped form the foundation upon which research and education in the economic aspects of modern forest policy and management is based.
"I came from Canada to Berkeley to do my PhD studies because he was here," said William McKillop, professor emeritus of forest economics at UC Berkeley. "His international renown attracted students from all over the world. John had an inquiring mind and excellent understanding of the forest sector of the economy."
Zivnuska's early work focused on the effects of long term supply-and-demand trends in establishing national goals for timber growth. He was openly critical of analyses - including those from U.S. Forest Service timber outlook studies - that failed to take such fundamental economic principles into account. Over the decades he authored or co-authored approximately 190 publications on topics ranging from forest taxation to forestry education.
Born in San Diego on July 10, 1916, Zivnuska would end up spending most of his life in California. After graduating from Berkeley High School, Zivnuska went on to receive his bachelor's degree with honors and his master's degree in forestry at UC Berkeley in 1938 and 1940, respectively. He left California briefly to get his doctorate degree in agricultural economics at the University of Minnesota in 1947.
World War II intervened between Zivnuska's graduate degrees. He joined the U.S. Naval Reserve as an ensign in May 1942 and quickly rose to lieutenant by November 1945, serving first as a gunnery officer on a tanker and a troop transport, and later as first lieutenant and senior watch officer on a destroyer in the Pacific.
In 1947, Zivnuska returned to California with his wife, Ethel Rowland Zivnuska, and three children to join UC Berkeley's faculty. Ethel Zivnuska died in 1962.
His son, John R. Zivnuska, said his father was eager to come back to his native state. "My father had a tremendous love of the Sierra," he said. "Our family was constantly up in the Sierra on backpacking and camping trips. He instilled in us a true appreciation of nature and the resources around us."
This fondness for the outdoors and teaching was evidenced by his dedication to a summer camp program for undergraduate forestry students at UC Berkeley. Zivnuska visited the camp as recently as this past July.
Dennis Teeguarden, professor emeritus and former chair of forestry at UC Berkeley, considered Zivnuska one of his most intellectually challenging instructors. He first met Zivnuska in 1957 as a graduate student in forestry.
"He employed a Socratic style of instruction that forced his students to think critically," said Teeguarden. "I sometimes developed tension headaches preparing for his graduate seminars in anticipation of the challenging discussions he would initiate and lead. He wouldn't let a single student escape from actively participating in the seminar."
When Zivnuska taught a survey course in general forestry, enrollment climbed from less than 100 students to more than 500.
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Posted by Eva St. Clair at 3:07
30 January 2003
Edward C. Stone, Influential Forest Ecologist and Professor Emeritus, Dies at 85
by Sarah Yang
Edward C. Stone, professor emeritus of forestry at the University of California, Berkeley, and an influential voice in the management of California forests, has died at the age of 85.
Stone, who taught at UC Berkeley for 39 years and continued to conduct research up until last year, died Jan. 11 at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Walnut Creek following a short illness.
Early in his career, Stone stood out as a persuasive leader in the field of forest ecology. His meticulous studies of how seedlings regenerate roots throughout the year led to changes in planting practices in the Sierra Nevada. Up until the 1950s, foresters planted seedlings in the fall, but Stone's research revealed that survival rates for the seedlings significantly increased if they were stored under refrigeration and planted in the spring.
There was little initial support for his views. Undaunted, Stone convinced the industry to change its practices with a provocative paper, "Planting Dead Trees - A California Tradition," presented at a meeting of the Northern California chapter of the Society of American Foresters.
"That paper and Ed's strong arguments led to a major change in nursery practices, switching from fall planting to spring planting," said Janet Cavallaro, a research scientist in forest ecology at UC Berkeley and one of Stone's last graduate students.
To better understand the factors affecting tree growth, Stone built five state-of-the-art controlled environment rooms in the basement of the Oxford Tract greenhouse, where they remain today. Many of his colleagues still consider the rooms impressive by today's standards.
"Ed installed xenon lamps to mimic daylight intensity and color, and water baths to control root temperatures," said Cavallaro, who continued working with Stone for more than 10 years after she received her PhD in forest ecology. "His growth rooms also closely controlled air temperature and humidity. He was able to conduct very solid research and became one of the foremost experts on the environmental conditions affecting the growth of redwoods, Douglas fir and other tree species."
Stone was born in Cairo, Ill., on Nov. 28, 1917, the fifth of seven children. Two years later, the entire family moved to Berkeley, where Stone attended the city's public schools. In 1940, he received his bachelor of science degree with highest honors in agriculture at UC Berkeley.
He met his wife, Gwendolyn Anderson, at UC Berkeley, and they married in 1941 shortly after she received her bachelor's degree in child psychology.
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Posted by Eva St. Clair at 3:02
23 November 2009
Tom Graff: A practical environmental visionary
By Professor David Zilberman, Agricultural and Resource Economics
As the world is preparing for a big environmental summit in Copenhagen, knowing that an agreement is very unlikely, it’s become apparent how difficult it is to reach an environmental agreement that can stick and change the course of history. People that can bring about such agreement are really rare, and last week we lost one of them, Tom Graff.
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Posted by Eva St. Clair at 0:53
14 November 2009
The College of Natural Resources morns the loss of a great environmental leader and friend
Tom Graff, 65, died yesterday, November 11, 2009, after a two-and-a-half year battle with cancer.
In 1971, Tom opened the first California Office of the Environmental Defense Fund and went on to be one of the most influential environmentalists in California water policy during the proceeding 30 years.
In 2008, to honor Tom’s work, as well as a long-standing professional association and friendship, George A. Miller and his wife, Janet A. McKinley, funded the Thomas J. Graff Chair in the College of Natural Resources.
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Posted by Eva St. Clair at 0:19
01 August 2009
In Memoriam: Prof. Ned Sylvester
Edward (Ned) Sylvester, professor emeritus of entomology at UC Berkeley, died on Saturday, July 25. He was 89.
Sylvester joined the Department of Entomology at UC Berkeley in 1944. As a teacher, researcher, department chair, dean and finally professor emeritus, Dr. Sylvester made significant contributions to both his field of entomology and to UC Berkeley, and received the Berkeley Citation in 1990.
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Posted by Cyril at 5:08
21 December 2007
Donald Kaplan, expert on plant shapes and forms, dies at 69
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Posted by Cyril at 0:16
04 August 2007
Remembering Nathaniel Gerhart
On August 3, 2007, graduate student Nathaniel Gerhart died in a fatal accident while conducting fieldwork in Indonesia. He was 32.
An NSF Fellow in Indonesia, as well as a devoted naturalist, birdwatcher and frisbee player, Gerhart was researching rain forest conservation for his Ph.D. in ESPM.
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Posted by Cyril at 7:11
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