News

Homegrown Horses

Annual auction June 24 at the UC Davis Horse Barn

Whoa Nelly! The annual horse auction will be held Saturday, June 24, at the UC Davis Horse Barn on LaRue Road. For sale will be a variety of horses, including a weanling, 13 yearlings, two broodmares, a gelding riding horse, and two mules fathered by the late and legendary donkey, Action Jackson. All yearlings and the weanling were bred at the UC Davis Horse Barn and raised by students.

Sustainable Solutions

Blum Center student fellows address poverty in developing nations

Six College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) undergraduates were part of a group of 26 students recently selected to be 2017 summer fellows sponsored by the UC Davis Blum Center for Developing Economies. The newest cohort of Poverty Alleviation through Action Summer Fellows will tackle issues in poverty and inequality in 14 countries, including the United States.

Honoring Bill Chancellor

The late agriculture pioneer receives UC Davis Medal

Chancellor had already been notified that he would receive the UC Davis Medal at the time of his death in February 2017 at the age of 85, and was immensely honored to have been selected for this distinction. Over almost 60 years at UC Davis, Chancellor was internationally known as a pioneer in studying energy use and information technology in agriculture, working both in California and around the world. He had a special interest in how small farms adapt to mechanization.

Congratulations Jorge Dubcovsky!

Plant scientist wins a UC Davis Innovator of the Year Award

Jorge Dubcovsky, UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Dubcovsky is a world-renowned wheat breeder and wheat geneticist whose recent innovation has greatly accelerated the study of gene function in wheat. His laboratory developed a gene capture tool and used it to sequence most wheat genes in a collection of 2,700 mutant lines.

A Message from the Dean - June 2017

Commencement is a major milestone for our graduates

Congratulations to the 1,705 undergraduate students who will cross the stage at one of two CA&ES commencement ceremonies on Sunday, June 18. This is a major milestone in their lives.

Our graduates can take pride in their hard-earned accomplishments. Graduating with a UC Davis Bachelor of Science degree will unlock many doors of opportunity for them. And society needs their ambition, creativity, and dedication to improve the lives of people in California, the nation, and the world.

Weighing pig personality

Is one sow better than another in group housing?

Piglet #3 is not sure what to make of the empty kiddie pool where she finds herself standing at the UC Davis Swine Research and Teaching Facility. She grunts softly, sniffs at the ribbed-plastic floor, and glances at the humans watching her explore.

“See how she opens her mouth and sucks in air?” asks Professor Kristina Horback, an animal-cognition expert with the Department of Animal Science. “Pigs use their strong sense of smell to gather information.”

Exceptional Graduates

Seven outstanding students will be honored at the CA&ES commencement ceremonies, to be held at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 18, in the UC Davis ARC Pavilion. Tiffany Do will receive the College Medal for scholastic excellence. Valerie Fates and Jessica Jones will receive the Mary Regan Meyer Prize for a demonstrated expertise and an interest in serving humanity. Kat Perkins and Devin Murphy will receive the Charles Hess Community Service Award for outstanding public or community service during their undergraduate years.

Oh Happy Day for African Orphan Crops

$1 million machine will speed fight against malnutrition in Africa

The bioinformatics company Illumina has donated a state-of the-art DNA sequencer to a global plant-breeding effort to fight malnutrition and poverty in Africa by improving the continent’s traditional crops. UC Davis is partnering in the African Orphan Crop Consortium, which is working to map and make public the genomes of 101 indigenous African foods.

Estuary scholar honored

Kate Hewett receives Van Alfen/MacDonald Graduate Student Support Fund award

Kathryn (Kate) Hewett is the 2017 recipient of the Neal Van Alfen and James MacDonald Graduate Student Support Fund award for her exemplary research and leadership on the science of estuaries.

“The selection committee was very impressed with her strong academic record and demonstrated commitment of service to the campus and community,” said Helene Dillard, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.