SIF Newsletter - October 2021

The Stable Isotope Facility (SIF) will be closing, effective July 26, 2026.

June 3, 2026
An Update on the Plant Sciences Stable Isotope Facility

Dear Faculty, Staff, Students, and Supporters,
After a lengthy review process and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to sunset the Stable Isotope Facility (SIF) in its current form, effective July 26, 2026.

The Department of Plant Sciences continues to face hard decisions surrounding funding allocation given the campus-wide request to reduce budgets. Over the past several years SIF has been operating with a significant and growing deficit and, despite extensive efforts over the last several months to find a solution that would allow the facility to continue to provide services to the research community, we have not found a model that is financially sustainable.

I want to thank SIF’s staff for their excellent work and dedication these past 25 years, and everyone who has played a role in supporting this facility.

We are committed to doing our best to support the researchers who rely on the facility during this transition, and will be in touch with individual clients about details of specific plans for handling existing orders over the next several weeks.

Sincerely,
Daniel Potter
Professor and Chair, Department of Plant Sciences
University of California, Davis

Original Letter

Returning SIF Samples (Facility closes July 26, 2026)

Dear Valued Client, 

After a lengthy review process and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to sunset the Stable Isotope Facility (SIF) in its current form, effective July 26, 2026.

The Department of Plant Sciences continues to face hard decisions surrounding funding allocation given the campus-wide request to reduce budgets. Over the past several years, SIF has been operating with a significant and growing deficit and, despite extensive efforts over the last several months to find a solution that would allow the facility to continue to provide services to the research community, we have not found a model that is financially sustainable.

We regret to inform you that SIF staff will be unable to process your submitted samples before the facility's closure date. As a result, we would like to offer the option of returning your samples. If you would like your samples returned, please submit the request via return form on the SIF website.   If you do not wish to have the samples returned, please notify us, and we will arrange for their appropriate disposal in accordance with established protocols.

We sincerely appreciate your support of the Stable Isotope Facility and the opportunity to have served your research needs.

Sincerely,
Daniel Potter
Professor and Chair, Department of Plant Sciences
University of California, Davis

SIF Newsletter - October 2021

  • by Christopher Todd Yarnes

UCD Stable Isotope Facility — October 2021 Newsletter 

Greetings from slightly cooler and wetter California! 

Everything is starting to feel normal again as, for the first time in a long while, students returned to campus this fall! The SIF has some important news to share as we approach the upcoming holiday season.

Holiday schedules 

Upcoming holidays will interrupt mail and invoicing services. The SIF will not receive shipments on the following dates: 

  • Veterans Day, November 11, 2021. 
  • Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend, November 25–28, 2021. Please coordinate shipments to arrive no later than Tuesday, November 23, as mail service may be significantly reduced on Wednesday, November 24. 
  • Winter Break, December 23–26, 2021, and December 30, 2021–January 2, 2022. Mail delivery may be significantly reduced the last week of December. 

All major mail carriers will redeliver when campus reopens on the next business day.          

We would like to thank everyone who has followed our sample submission advice. Please continue to email your completed Analysis Order Form and Sample List to [email protected] and wait for a SIF staff member to review and provide additional shipping advice. If you do not receive a reply within 2 business days, please send a reminder email, as we are experiencing a high volume of emails. 

Also, please email [email protected] with your quote requests and funding/invoice deadlines early, because we are receiving a high volume of those requests, as well.

Personnel changes 

To the dismay of all, Dr. Joy Matthews, SIF Director and isotope expert extraordinaire, is retiring at the end of 2021. She has led the SIF since 2009, and she played a pivotal role in the expansion and success of the facility for 13 sample-packed years. Words cannot express how deeply Joy will be missed by everyone in our lab. SIF Associate Director, Dr. Chris Yarnes, who has also been at the SIF since 2009, will step into the leadership role as Director. His strong technical and scientific background will allow for a smooth transition into 2022, and his leadership will keep the SIF flourishing for years to come.  

Job openings 

The SIF is hiring multiple positions this fall to increase staffing. These new positions will improve sample throughput with the intent on reducing turnaround times. More information will be available soon regarding job descriptions, starting dates, etc. 

New website! New instruments! And more! 

The new SIF website went live in August 2021. We hope you find the new site easy to navigate. If you spot errors, encounter dead links, or have comments/suggestions, please direct them to [email protected]. Keep a lookout for an upcoming online ordering system, which should make sample submission much easier.

The SIF is purchasing two new isotope-ratio mass spectrometers to replace older systems nearing end-of-life. A new Ion Chromatograph to accurately measure nitrate concentrations may soon be on the way, too.

In early October, the SIF welcomed its first baby girl! Congratulations to Stacy Walker and her family!

A note from Joy 

I’m immensely proud to have been part of the SIF team for the past 13 years. I’ve had the opportunity to support ground-breaking science and expand the capabilities of the facility. There’s been laughter, tears, and an abundance of swearing at instruments. I’m excited for a new chapter, both personally and for the SIF. Bruce and I are returning to Virginia to be close to family. I hope to turn my glasswork into a retirement job. We’ll see…

I’m confident that the lab will rebound from COVID and thrive under Chris’s management. I will miss the lab and our researchers. I wish everyone good health, good friends, and personal fulfillment.