Davisville

Today’s Davisville looks at spiders in Davis and Yolo County, with a focus on the Explorit Science Center’s “Spiders in Your World” community science project for 2012. Explorit board President Lars Anderson—pictured here with a properly capped black widow display jar—explains why they chose this project and what they want to accomplish. Of course, we talk about the little carnivores too. Spiders are never far away. Nor have we discovered more than a fraction of the types that exist in the world. Explorit hopes to conduct solid research on spiders in Yolo County by enlisting the public, all while acquainting us with the roles spiders play beyond lurking in the corners of garages. The project includes attitude surveys, home experiments, and a website for posting spider sightings.

Lindsey Black, 20, is a Regents Scholar and transfer student who is studying the classics and history at UC Davis. She’s also a veteran of the Disney Channel series “As the Bell Rings,” a high-school comedy presented in 5-minute episodes. She played Lexi in 2008-09—in the cast photo she’s holding here, she’s third from our right. This year she appears in “16-Love,” a movie that Variety called a “lightweight, tween-targeted indie sports drama.” On today’s Davisville, Black talks about why she chose Davis for college, why history engages her, life on campus, her pursuit of an academic career, advice for others who want a shot at Hollywood—and what it’s like to work in an industry that’s so focused on appearance, she felt it prudent to ask her manager if it was OK to grow bangs.

Today’s guest is Robert Luke, 84, one of the approximately 1,550 men imprisoned at Alcatraz during its 29 years as a federal prison near San Francisco from 1934 to 1963. Not many are still alive. Alcatraz, now part of the National Park System, is legendary. Difficult prisoners were sent there. Books, TV programs and movies have been created about Alcatraz--Fox recently launched a new fictional TV show set there--and tours of the island often sell out. Since Luke’s release he has been a waiter in San Francisco, helped manage a resort, installed draperies, and worked as a marshal on a golf course, among other jobs. In 2011 he wrote a book, “Entombed in Alcatraz,” from which these photos are taken. And in January 2012, he came to Davis to speak about life in Alcatraz to the campus Entomology Club. To learn his Davis connection--and to hear him describe his five years at Alcatraz--listen in.