University News

Professor Francene Steinberg, chair of the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis, has been named the winner of this year’s UC Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement. The $55,000 prize, funded through philanthropic gifts managed by the UC Davis Foundation, is among the largest of its kind in the country.

Once again, University of California, Davis, leadership in the fields of veterinary science, and agriculture and forestry has been recognized — this time in the 2022 QS World University Rankings by Subject released today (April 6). 

Quacquarelli Symonds, considered one of the most influential international university rankings providers, ranked UC Davis first in the nation and second in the world in both subjects.

We are seeing signs of spring everywhere, and in the world of academia, spring is marked by the beginning of the admissions cycle. With that said, it is time to congratulate our newly admitted Aggies!

Bill Patterson, longtime butterfly collector and supporter of the University of California, Davis, is giving $1 million to the university’s R.M. Bohart Museum of Entomology to help maintain its permanent insect collection. This gift will provide the museum with the necessary financial security to support its ever-growing collection.                             

The almond orchard blossoms have exploded into beautiful pink and white hues, and the numerous sunny days lull many of us into believing that spring has sprung, yet it is hard not to acknowledge the paradox of feeling warmed and invigorated by the sunshine while recognizing the very real concern of yet another desperately dry year.

UC Davis plant geneticist Pam Ronald has been named the recipient of the 2022 International Wolf Prize in Agriculture, given by the Jerusalem-based Wolf Foundation in recognition of her “pioneering work on disease resistance and environmental stress tolerance in rice.”

Two professors from the University of California, Davis, have been elected as members of the National Academy of Engineering. Professors Kate Scow and Daniel Sperling join 13 other current UC Davis faculty members who are in the academy. (See list here.) 

UC Davis has named a new class of Chancellor’s Fellows — faculty members who will carry the chancellor’s imprimatur for five years in recognition of their outstanding work in academia.

“These 12 newest fellows represent our university at its very best,” Chancellor Gary S. May said. “They are now part of a proud 22-year history for the Chancellor’s Fellows program. These fellows are making advances that help solve complex and critical issues, while also helping our students become critical thinkers and problem-solvers.”

January is always a time of reflection and setting new goals and intentions. In the college, it is an opportunity to think about the work we’ve done, the lessons we’ve learned and how we want to move forward in the new year. When I think back on the past two years, I am in awe and inspired at how much we’ve adapted and accomplished in this era of uncertainty and change.

Linda and Bill Sullivan have invested $1 million in UC Davis students to advance the donors’ belief that all scholars deserve an enriching college experience without the burden of high levels of debt.

The couple’s gift to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will support the college’s annual fund — which Dean Helene Dillard directs to areas of highest need — and their existing William and Linda Sullivan Environmental Sciences Scholarship Fund.