After nine years with the Plant Care Facility, our Clerk, Margaret Goodwin retired on April 30, 2008.

She and her husband, Duke, plan to do a lot more traveling, fishing and visiting family and friends.

Margaret did an outstanding job and we will all miss her very much.

Laurie Wilkey joined the Plant Care Facility team on April 17, 2008, as our new Clerk.

Laurie formerly worked as a Clerk for McKinley Health Center and for Veterinary Medicine.

She has excellent experience and a winning personality. Please stop by 1214 PSL and make Laurie feel welcome!

New, automated shade curtains were installed in rooms 1804, 1806 and 1808 in May of 2008. All of the rooms in the 1800 west range now have automated, shade curtains except for one. We plan to finish that one room and four others in the 1400 east range in the spring of 2009.

The PCF Staff has been busy this past year upgrading several greenhouse rooms with new HID lights (donated by ADM) and new benches. Andy D’Urso, Michael Maddock and Evan Dawson have done an outstanding job remodeling these rooms. The old incandescent and fluorescent lighting has been completely torn out and the old, transite benches have been disassembled and all of the metal recycled. Staff installed new, Benchmaster benches that are light weight and easy to set up and tear down with PVC pipe for legs. Now, if we need bench or floor space, it is quick and easy. Check out the transformed greenhouse rooms in 5E1, 5E2 and 7E4. Staff is in the midst of remodeling room 7E2 at this time. Rooms 6E1, 6E2 and 6E3 are on the slate for 2009.

Andy D’Urso will be upgrading the mist systems in room 3E5 this fall. Netafin mist components will be installed with new solenoid valves, new wiring and new mist controllers for each of the 10 benches. The photoperiod lighting will also be upgraded at the same time.

Ruth Green
Email:  rgreen6@uiuc.edu
Phone:  217-333-3058; Fax:  217-244-8299
Cell:    217-649-9978

Commercial Pesticide Training and Certification Clinics 2001-2002

Provided by the Illinois Dept. of Agriculture and the University of Illinois Extension
Clinics will be offered starting January 9 and February 5-6 in Urbana at the Holiday Inn (I74 & Lincoln Avenue). Training and testing will be available for the General Standard test
and all other categories. Contact the U. of I. Extension office at 244-2123 or 800-644-2123 for more information.

Greenhouse Orientation Sessions
Location: 1222 Plant Sciences Laboratory
When: Sept. 5, 12, 18 & 25
Time: 4:00 to 5:00 PM
These sessions are for all new staff and graduate students who will be using Turner Hall or Plant Sciences greenhouses.

All new greenhouse users need to attend one orientation session. Sessions will include: staff introductions, sanitation practices, autoclave use, location of supplies, how to obtain soil mixes, how to obtain greenhouse space, and existing greenhouse policies.
If these times do not fit into your schedule, please contact Ruth Green at rgreen6@uiuc.edu to arrange another time.