Spring has arrived on campus! The trees are blooming and there are vibrant flowers everywhere. The sky is a brilliant bright blue, and the sun finally feels warm. Spring is one of the most tangible examples of change and a reminder that we are firmly rooted in growth and rebirth. As an institution, it is our business to facilitate growth and change in ways that inspire faculty to encourage greater understanding and expanding thought, while creating impactful solutions that educate and support our students and the communities we serve.  

Eight faculty from UC Davis – including three from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences – are among 471 scientists, engineers and innovators newly elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the society announced today, March 27. AAAS fellows are recognized for their exceptional achievements in science, including research, teaching, administration and science communication.

Here are the new fellows from UC Davis, with their fellowship citations:

Ashley Stokes, professor and dean emeritus at the University of Tennessee, will join UC Davis as its new dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences on July 1. 

Stokes, a professor of veterinary large animal clinical sciences, served as dean of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s UT Extension, overseeing a budget of $100 million and 1,000 faculty and staff. She also has held leadership roles at Colorado State University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has more than 30 years of experience in higher education. 

It was the late 1970s, and a young Chris van Kessel was at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, working on his doctoral degree in the field of nitrogen fixation in plants. His co-supervisor Robert H. Burris, a biochemist known for important contributions to the field, offered him a chance to continue his research with additional financial support. 

The global leadership of the University of California, Davis, in the fields of veterinary science, and agriculture and forestry continues to be recognized in rankings released today (March 12).

Quacquarelli Symonds, or QS, considered one of the most influential international authorities on university rankings, placed UC Davis second in the world in both subjects in its QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025. The campus was first in the nation in the two subjects.

For Sue Ebeler, M.S. ’85, Ph.D. ’93, the most rewarding part of her career isn’t the research awards or the international recognition — it’s the students whose lives she has changed.

As a professor of viticulture and enology and associate dean of Undergraduate Academic Programs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Ebeler has spent more than 30 years at UC Davis building a culture of belonging, mentorship and opportunity. Her leadership has empowered countless students — especially women — to find their place and thrive.

Warming weather, water scarcity and a loss of winter fog threaten pistachio production in California’s southern San Joaquin Valley, potentially disrupting one of the state’s most valuable crops.  

The University of California, Davis, is enhancing and expanding its Pistachio Breeding Program after a generous gift from philanthropist and pistachio farmer Rod Stiefvater, who is donating more than $335,000 over three years to develop new rootstocks that thrive under changing climate conditions. 

The past few weeks have been marked by unprecedented uncertainty for the future of research and scientific discovery. As a land grant institution, it has always been our mission to educate, research and serve the public. In the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, this is our ethos, the foundational core of our work and the reason we are so dedicated to our students, partnerships and the common good.

Dean Helene Dillard from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, or CA&ES, will gather with fellow scientists, staff and students in Tulare at the 2025 World Ag Expo, which connects farmers, growers, ranchers, prospective students, alumni and leaders throughout the agricultural industry.

Several faculty at the University of California, Davis, are among the recipients of presidential awards for excellence in STEM mentoring and research announced by the White House Jan. 13 and 14.

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring was established by the White House in 1995 and is administered by the National Science Foundation. The most prestigious mentoring award bestowed by the White House, it recognizes mentors who work with underrepresented groups to fully develop the nation's human resources in STEM.