Dean Helene Dillard is retiring in 2024 as leader of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, or CA&ES, after 10 years of service. A national search for a new dean will begin in December, and Dillard will retire once her successor is in place.

Fall always feels like the most vibrant seasonal reminder of change, with the colors shifting and the temperatures cooling as we prepare for the cold and quiet of winter. This fall, in the spirit of change, I have announced my plan to retire as dean next year after 10 wonderful years at the helm of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. You can read the official announcement here. This decision is bittersweet for me.

Students often thrive when they feel seen and heard. Faculty members from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are launching a new discussion series for educators to explore ways to further encourage inclusivity in the classroom and ensure all voices are heard.

The first “Coffee Chat” event is scheduled for 4 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28 in the Plant and Environmental Sciences building (details here).

A red wine may pair nicely with the upcoming Thanksgiving meal. But for some people, drinking red wine even in small amounts causes a headache. Typically, a “red wine headache” can occur within 30 minutes to three hours after drinking as little as a small glass of wine. 

Yolo County’s poverty rate is 25% higher than the California average. To bring that number home, nearly one in five people live in poverty in the county. Poverty is defined as living on less than $30,000 a year for a family of four. If you run the numbers for what you personally spend on food, utilities, and housing, these numbers loom starkly. Families below the poverty level face numerous additional stressors day-to-day.

Prescribed fire, which mimics natural fire regimes, can help improve forest health and reduce the likelihood of catastrophic wildfire. But this management tool is underused in the fire-prone U.S. West and Baja California, Mexico, due to several barriers. 

A paper from the University of California, Davis, pinpoints those obstacles and suggests four key strategies that policymakers and land managers can take to get more “good fire” on the ground in North America’s fire-adapted ecosystems. The paper also provides examples of how people are surmounting some of these obstacles.

Saturday, November 18
Noon to 3 p.m.
UC Davis Olive Center at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science

Register online

Includes:

-Free tastings of the 2023 limited edition Olio Novello extra virgin olive oil

A “super El Niño” is predicted for this winter. What is El Niño, how might it impact local areas, and how does it relate to atmospheric rivers and climate change? The following UC Davis experts, listed alphabetically, are available to discuss with reporters these and other related questions.

Dr. Bárbara Blanco-Ulate’s lab studies fruit biology and quality, with a particular focus on tomatoes, strawberries, and pistachios. Their research is interested in fruit ripening, fruit diseases, and postharvest physiology and developing new strategies for improving fruit quality, nutrition, and shelf-life.

Adozen early-career faculty members at UC Davis have been named to this year’s Hellman Fellowship, a program to help propel their work to the next level.

They will each receive grants from $6,000 to $50,000, for a total of $330,000 awarded this year.

“We’re proud to be able to provide this support to foster the scholarship of these promising members of our faculty,” said Phil Kass, vice provost of Academic Affairs, which administers the awards.