NEWS BRIEFS: PSE Library Closure Extended

News
Workers in lift, on exterior of concrete building, with library's sign and front door in foreground.
Physical Sciences and Engineering Library is undergoing seismic retrofitting as well as renovations for the Center for Quantum Mathematics and Physics, or QMAP. (Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis)

Quick Summary

  • Happy New (Academic) Year!
  • Crocker lab to make rare isotope

The Physical Sciences and Engineering Library, or PSEL, which has been temporarily closed since June 14 to allow for asbestos abatement and installation of fire sprinklers and fire alarms as part of a larger construction project, had been scheduled to reopen Sept. 23 in time for fall quarter. However, due to unforeseen construction issues, the building will remain closed through summer 2020.

Prior to the start of the temporary closure in June, the UC Davis Library relocated key PSEL materials to Shields Library so they would remain accessible. If needs arise for print titles that remain at PSEL, the library is committed to meeting those needs promptly — either by borrowing from other libraries or purchasing new copies. Please contact researchservices@ucdavis.edu (for reference) or psecirc@ucdavis.edu (for circulation) for assistance.

If you have a book checked out from PSEL, the due date has been extended to Sept. 30, 2020. You may return these books to Shields Library before then, if you wish.

The building project, Seismic Retrofit and Renovations for the Center for Quantum Mathematics and Physics, or QMAP, which is converting floors 2 and 3 into collaboration and office space for QMAP in addition to making seismic and fire safety improvements to the building, has been underway since fall 2018. For more information about the impact on access to library resources, visit the library’s webpage about the project. If you have questions, contact Rice Majors, associate university librarian for scholarly resources.

Happy New (Academic) Year!

Campus poster calendar, cropped

The 2019-20 campus poster calendars are here! Deliveries are going out and preorders are ready for pickup at the Campus Store. Calendars are on sale at the Campus Store, Welcome Center Store, Downtown Store and The Market at the ARC.

Crocker lab to make rare isotope

The Crocker Nuclear Laboratory has received a $340,000 grant from the Department of Energy to manufacture a rare isotope, astatine-211, for medical use. The award is part of a federal program to produce critical isotopes for U.S. science, medicine and industry needs. The magnets at the heart of UC Davis’ 53-year old cyclotron were used to discover astatine almost 80 years ago. 

Astatine is the rarest element on Earth and astatine-211 shows promise as a tumor-killing treatment for some cancers. But the isotope is not available in amounts large enough for clinical testing. The new project aims to test the feasibility of making astatine-211 at the Crocker Lab. 

“We are excited to again make medically useful isotopes at the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory,” said lab director Eric Prebys, professor of physics. 

Read the complete news release by Becky Oskin, content strategist, College of Letters and Science

Follow Dateline UC Davis on Twitter.

Primary Category

Tags