As many as 21,000 fish, some of which were endangered, were killed due to “catastrophic failure” at a university research facility in&nbsp;California.

The Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture, Davis, reported a loss of 21,000 fish this week. Officials believe that chlorine exposure, to which fish are sensitive, might have caused the death. However, it has not been revealed what kind of fish were killed.

The staff found the fish dead on Tuesday morning.

“It’s very distressing for all the staff. They had raised some of the fish on site from the time they were eggs,” Andy Fell, a university spokesperson, told The Guardian.

In a statement, the university said it is investigating what exactly killed the&nbsp;fish.

“We share the grief of the faculty, staff and students who worked to care for, study and conserve these animals,” the university said

“The people who conduct and support the research at this facility are conservationists, ecologists and veterinarians whose life work is devoted to understanding and supporting these species. We recognise that this loss is particularly devastating to our community,” it added.

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The university said that it is launching an independent probe and will evaluate potential risks at other university facilities.

“We know that many researchers, regulatory agencies, Native American tribes and other partners trust us to care for their aquatic species. We will work hard to earn that trust by conducting a thorough review of our facilities, holding ourselves accountable for what happened, and taking steps to prevent it from happening ever again,” the statement reads.

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The centre was studying bioenergetics — how cells transform energy — and environmental stressors on fish species including green and white sturgeon and endangered chinook salmon, both of which face challenges in the wild in California.

(With inputs from agencies)

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As many as 21,000 fish, some of which were endangered, were killed due to “catastrophic failure” at a university research facility in California. The Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture, Davis, reported a loss of 21,000 fish this week.

As many as 21,000 fish, some of which were endangered, were killed due to “catastrophic failure” at a university research facility in California. The Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture, Davis, reported a loss of 21,000 fish this week. Officials believe that chlorine exposure, to which fish are sensitive, might have caused the death. However, it has not been revealed what kind of fish were killed. The staff found the fish dead on Tuesday morning. “It’s very distressing for all the staff. They had raised some of the fish on site from the time they were eggs,” Andy Fell, a university spokesperson, told The Guardian. In a statement, the university said it is investigating what exactly killed the fish. “We share the grief of the faculty, staff and students who worked to care for, study and conserve these animals,” the university said “The people who conduct and support the research at this facility are conservationists, ecologists and veterinarians whose life work is devoted to understanding and supporting these species. We recognise that this loss is particularly devastating to our community,” it added. Also read | Study reveals how evolutionary change in voice box helped humans in speaking The university said that it is launching an independent probe and will evaluate potential risks at other university facilities. “We know that many researchers, regulatory agencies, Native American tribes and other partners trust us to care for their aquatic species. We will work hard to earn that trust by conducting a thorough review of our facilities, holding ourselves accountable for what happened, and taking steps to prevent it from happening ever again,” the statement reads. Also read | Low levels of pollution also cause major health damage, study finds The centre was studying bioenergetics — how cells transform energy — and environmental stressors on fish species including green and white sturgeon and endangered chinook salmon, both of which face challenges in the wild in California. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

21,000 fish killed due to ‘catastrophic failure’ at California university

California State University’s decision to include caste in its non-discriminatory policy is facing a backlash from a section of faculty members who are calling the order a “misguided overreach”.

More than 80 faculty members have shot off a letter to the CSU Board of Trustees opposing the move, claiming that the new policy will “cause more discrimination by unconstitutionally singling out and targeting Hindu faculty of Indian and South Asian descent.”

The signatories also expressed disappointment about not being consulted by the California Faculty Association (CFA) before the decision to adopt this policy was made.

"We had previously met with the CFA president in May 2021 about this possibility and were assured that no such decision would be made without consulting those of us who would be directly impacted by the addition of caste in the protected category. To our great disappointment, CFA did not consult any of us."

Adding caste as a specific and separate protected category would apply only to the faculty of Indian and South Asian descent, they said.

“The addition of caste is a misguided overreach given the existence of comprehensive policies that already protect against various forms of discrimination,” Praveen Sinha, professor of accountancy at CSU, Long Beach, told PTI news agency.

“We cannot but oppose the unique risk that CSU's move puts on us as they add a category that is only associated with people of Indian descent such as myself and thousands of other faculty and students in the CSU system. It is going to create divisions where they simply do not exist,” he added.

The faculty members have written that there are more than 600 CSU faculty of Indian and South Asian origin who would be rendered vulnerable should the collective bargaining agreement be passed as currently written, according to a media release.

Earlier, lawyers at the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), Suhag Shukla, Samir Kalra and Nikhil Joshi, also sent a letter to the CSU Board of Trustees, the CSU Office of General Counsel, the CSU chancellor and the president of the California Faculty Association on behalf of the CSU faculty.

Caste oppression has been documented in the United States by Equality Labs, an organization focused on ending white supremacy and casteism, the Los Angeles Times newspaper reported.

In 2016, the non-profit agency conducted a survey of 1,500 South Asians in the United States and found that 1 in 3 Dalit students surveyed reported being discriminated against during their education in the US and 2 out of 3 Dalits said they had been treated unfairly at their workplace.

(With inputs from agencies)

California State University’s decision to include caste in its non-discriminatory policy is facing a backlash from a section of faculty members who are calling the order a “misguided overreach”.

California State University’s decision to include caste in its non-discriminatory policy is facing a backlash from a section of faculty members who are calling the order a “misguided overreach”. More than 80 faculty members have shot off a letter to the CSU Board of Trustees opposing the move, claiming that the new policy will “cause more discrimination by unconstitutionally singling out and targeting Hindu faculty of Indian and South Asian descent.” The signatories also expressed disappointment about not being consulted by the California Faculty Association (CFA) before the decision to adopt this policy was made. "We had previously met with the CFA president in May 2021 about this possibility and were assured that no such decision would be made without consulting those of us who would be directly impacted by the addition of caste in the protected category. To our great disappointment, CFA did not consult any of us." Adding caste as a specific and separate protected category would apply only to the faculty of Indian and South Asian descent, they said. “The addition of caste is a misguided overreach given the existence of comprehensive policies that already protect against various forms of discrimination,” Praveen Sinha, professor of accountancy at CSU, Long Beach, told PTI news agency. “We cannot but oppose the unique risk that CSU's move puts on us as they add a category that is only associated with people of Indian descent such as myself and thousands of other faculty and students in the CSU system. It is going to create divisions where they simply do not exist,” he added. The faculty members have written that there are more than 600 CSU faculty of Indian and South Asian origin who would be rendered vulnerable should the collective bargaining agreement be passed as currently written, according to a media release. Earlier, lawyers at the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), Suhag Shukla, Samir Kalra and Nikhil Joshi, also sent a letter to the CSU Board of Trustees, the CSU Office of General Counsel, the CSU chancellor and the president of the California Faculty Association on behalf of the CSU faculty. Caste oppression has been documented in the United States by Equality Labs, an organization focused on ending white supremacy and casteism, the Los Angeles Times newspaper reported. In 2016, the non-profit agency conducted a survey of 1,500 South Asians in the United States and found that 1 in 3 Dalit students surveyed reported being discriminated against during their education in the US and 2 out of 3 Dalits said they had been treated unfairly at their workplace. (With inputs from agencies)

Over 80 faculty members oppose move to add caste in California University’s anti-discrimination policy

The San Diego campus of the University of California is attempting to reopen with precautions in place to fight COVID-19. Part of these measures include vending machines stocked with do-it-yourself coronavirus tests.

Currently, the campus has 11 dispensers, with none more on the way. School officials claim that these dispensers are one of a kind in the United States.

Based on the model of conventional vending machines, the systems intend to make testing more accessible and cheaper for students.

<img alt="People wearing masks queue up at a vending machine, placed by UC San Diego on campus for students and teachers to self-administer COVID-19 tests, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in San Diego, California, U.S., January 5, 2021." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="995c8deb-303e-46cc-a7ea-0f01f7c18cc1" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2_29.jpg" />

10,000 students live on the campus of UC San Diego. Even then 10,000 reflects a quarter of the college’s total enrollment. All students are required to get tested at least once a week. Earlier, students had to get tested every two weeks. The kits are completely free and can be taken from the machines at the swipe of a university identification card.&nbsp;

The test enables students to swab their own nostrils, after which the sample is collected by one of two campus laboratories for further analysis.

<img alt="People wearing masks queue up at a vending machine, placed by UC San Diego on campus for students and teachers to self-administer COVID-19 tests, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in San Diego, California, U.S., January 5, 2021." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="07a827e1-dfc8-453b-aa14-44024e198799" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/3_26.jpg" />

Under usual circumstances, results can be accessed within 12-24 hours, as told by University Chancellor Pradeep Khosla to Reuters.

"They're an amazing innovation - simple, effective and impactful," he said while talking about the machines. The vending machines have dispensed thousands of tests everyday since beginning operations.

Besides this, the campus has set up around 7 testing centres across campus. In addition, the university had put up a 600-bed housing unit for students testing positive.

Over the last 10 months, less than 600 students on campus have contracted COVID-19.

Images by Reuters

The San Diego campus of the University of California is attempting to reopen with precautions in place to fight COVID-19. Part of these measures include vending machines stocked with do-it-yourself coronavirus tests.

The San Diego campus of the University of California is attempting to reopen with precautions in place to fight COVID-19. Part of these measures include vending machines stocked with do-it-yourself coronavirus tests. Currently, the campus has 11 dispensers, with none more on the way. School officials claim that these dispensers are one of a kind in the United States. Based on the model of conventional vending machines, the systems intend to make testing more accessible and cheaper for students. 10,000 students live on the campus of UC San Diego. Even then 10,000 reflects a quarter of the college’s total enrollment. All students are required to get tested at least once a week. Earlier, students had to get tested every two weeks. The kits are completely free and can be taken from the machines at the swipe of a university identification card. The test enables students to swab their own nostrils, after which the sample is collected by one of two campus laboratories for further analysis. Under usual circumstances, results can be accessed within 12-24 hours, as told by University Chancellor Pradeep Khosla to Reuters. "They're an amazing innovation - simple, effective and impactful," he said while talking about the machines. The vending machines have dispensed thousands of tests everyday since beginning operations. Besides this, the campus has set up around 7 testing centres across campus. In addition, the university had put up a 600-bed housing unit for students testing positive. Over the last 10 months, less than 600 students on campus have contracted COVID-19. Images by Reuters

University of California is offering coronavirus testing kits... in vending machines!