Welcome to the start of a new school year! The energy on campus is quickly shifting as students settle into campus. It is great to see new faces and our colleagues in person, and I am definitely excited to see food trucks and places to purchase coffee! We have been working from home for an unprecedented amount of time, and while we expect this next phase of transition to take us time to adjust, I am continually reminded of how resilient and adaptable we are within the college, even in the face of the unknown.

U.S. News & World Report rankings released today (Sept. 13) put the University of California, Davis, among the top 10 public universities in the country and highlight the social mobility the campus offers students — adding to recognition received in recent weeks.

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Despite virtual learning and being away from campus, the UC Davis student-run organization Multiculturalism in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), was able to come together this past year to accomplish its goal of maintaining a sense of community. The group was honored with a 2021 President’s Award for Outstanding Student Leadership by the office of UC President Michael Drake for its dedication to encouraging togetherness during the pandemic.

The University of California, Davis, set a new record for external research funding, receiving $968 million in awards in the fiscal year 2020-21, up $27 million from the previous record set last year.

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The University of California, Davis, has appointed Associate Professor Amélie Gaudin as the holder of the new Endowed Professorship in Agroecology. The position was established thanks to donations at UC Davis to support the teaching, research, and service of a professor leading research in agroecology or a related field who serves in the Department of Plant Sciences.

Da Yang, assistant professor of atmospheric sciences, is gearing up to launch a new research project on the buoyancy effect of water vapor and climate change. Yang received an $810,000 CAREER Award grant from the National Science Foundation, which presents its most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have demonstrated the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education.

The Department of Plant Sciences welcomes Imtiyaz Khanday as an assistant professor of plant reproductive biology and as an assistant agronomist for the Agricultural Experiment Station in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis.

Catherine Brinkley, an associate professor in the Department of Human Ecology, has been selected to lead the Center for Regional Change (CRC) as its new faculty director. She succeeds Jonathan London, who steps down July 1.

The University of California, Davis, today (June 24) named the recipients of the 2021 Chancellor’s Innovation Awards. The awards recognize faculty, project teams and community partners for their work, dedication and success in improving the lives of others and addressing the needs of our global society through innovative solutions.

Helene R. Dillard, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is the 2021 administrator recipient of the Walter A. Robinson Community Champion Award. She was honored recently in an online ceremony hosted by the African Continuum at UC Davis, along with four other awardees.