We had a huge turnout (24 people) for the Salt Point state park camping trip and it was definitely one of the most enjoyable BESA events during the last year. Carpools were arranged in advance, and most people were there by early afternoon. The drive to Salt Point was really scenic with the highway overlooking the ocean, though it got a little foggy at times. We initially had 2 camp sites, but we decided to get another one to accommodate everybody more comfortably. After lunch, some people decided to go hiking, some went to Gerstle cove which was about a mile away from the camp site and some others drove down to Fort Ross. The pictures on the photos section of the website have been collected from folks that went to Gerstle cove and Fort Ross. We relaxed for a bit after getting back to the camp site, and volunteers started making pasta for everyone (special mention should be made of Iwan Schie!) We also got a nice fire going and everybody sat around the fire as it got cooler and cooler. Conversation, fun and games went on late into the night on Saturday. We had bagels for breakfast on Sunday and we had to vacate the site by 12 in the afternoon, so we started packing up at around 11. Some people decided to meet and have lunch together in a nearby town and the rest decided to head back to Davis. All in all, it was a great experience! Thanks for organizing the event Erica!

Check out the pictures on the photos section of the website!

The combined spring BBQ with the chemical and material science (CHMS) engineering department was a success, with around 30-35 people showing up at West Manor Park. The number of faculty present could have been higher, though poor faculty showing was probably because of the timing of the BBQ. BESA could plan the spring BBQ next time for a weekend before finals week, and more people would be able to fit it into their schedules. Moreover, the CHMS department could have been contacted a few months in advance, and they could have encouraged their faculty and students to try and make it to the event.

The weather on the 13th was great, though it was a little windy. Some students and faculty brought their families along, and it was great to see everybody having a good time. Dr. Tonya Kuhl brought some wiffleball gear along and encouraged people to participate in a BME vs CHMS game. The game was pretty exciting with BME leading until the last innings, when CHMS overtook BME and won! No worries, we’ll get ‘em next time!

BESA recently sponsored a trip to Sky High Sports in Sacramento. Carpools were organized and about 15 members showed up to bounce around for an hour in rooms with walls and floors made of trampolines! Laughs were shared, memories were made, and stress was relieved with some friendly competition. Some quotes overheard at the event include: “…The best thing I’ve ever done in my life…”, “…wow, it’s been an hour already?”, and “…I never knew bouncing on a trampoline and throwing things at people could be so much fun”. So check out the pictures of our awesome social event (photos page) and remember to keep them in mind when BESA plans its next trip to Sky High Sports.
http://www.jumpskyhigh.com/

The Holiday party was an extremely well-organized affair, which can be explained by the fact that the BME Chair, Dr. Simon Cherry, took special interest in putting it together. The Rec Pool Lodge was very well decorated and felt really homely. Many of the BME faculty and staff brought along their families.

The baby picture contest was great fun. There were 22 baby pictures of BME faculty, staff and BESA officers, and people had to write down and submit their guesses. There was a significant amount of resemblance in some cases, but some of the folks did not look like their baby-selves at all! Overall, it was n’t very easy to guess, but the winner, Dr. Leonor Saiz, got just two wrong despite being new faculty! Matt Soicher won second prize and Christal Wintersmith was third.

The skit, 12 days of Christmas, was very entertaining as well! Lab Notes performed quite a few Christmas songs and reminded us that the holidays are just a few days away! Jake Setterbo entertained us with his prelim love song. The food was great, and overall, the Holiday Party was great, thanks to BME staff and especially Susie Helton!

This was the first time that BESA tried organizing a student-faculty dinner, and the turnout was pretty good. The first year students came directly after a class, and many grad students working in GBSF took a break from research and joined them in the 3^rd floor gathering space. Some faculty had to attend a meeting from 6 to 7PM, so they could only make it to the dinner after that.

We had an unusual problem this time- we ran out of the steak and chicken burritos and there were too many veggie burritos! (Usually, it is the other way around.) Anyway, 35% veggie burgers was definitely overkill and BESA apologizes for overestimating the number of BME vegetarians. We will bring down the percentage of veggie items next time, we promise.

Some suggestions discussed during the dinner that BESA will try to accommodate:

Rock band/guitar hero contest
Napa wine tasting trip
Skiing at Tahoe
Biking trip from Sac to Folsom
Paintball
Camping at Big Sur
River Tubing