A person leans forward on a back of chair to talk with people seated at a table.
Dean Ashley M. Stokes met with students as part of Coffee with the Dean event. (Jael Mackendorf / UC Davis)
A collage of two photos, on the left a two people stand together in front of a stage. On the right, a person takes a selfie with a group of young people in FFA jackets.
Dean Stokes attended the California Farm Bureau annual conference in Anaheim and connected with farmers, ranchers, supporters and California FFA members too!
A group of people stand together outside a building.
Students in the Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management held a mock legislative hearing at the Capitol as part of the course Policy Development and Implementation. (Tiffany Dobbyn / UC Davis)
A collage of two photos, on the left a group of people line up and take highlighters and snacks from a table. On the right, a person writes a note on a piece of paper asking for words of encouragement.
CA&ES advisors and peer advisors welcomed students to take a break from finals and grab some snacks and leave some encouragement for others during our recent Study Break event. (Flora Jathanna / UC Davis)
A person sits at a desk using a computer.
Students examine LIDAR data captured by a drone over an orchard as part of the Unmanned Aerial Systems course. (Jael Mackendorf / UC Davis)
A collage of two photos, on the left two people stand together in front of a banner. On the right, a group of people stand behind a table for the UC Davis Clear Center at a booth.
Dean Stokes joined faculty and staff from CA&ES, Clear Center and School of Veterinary Medicine at the annual California Cattlemen’s Association meeting. CA&ES representatives connected with industry producers, industry representatives and businesses. (Ashley M. Stokes / UC Davis)
A woman in a UC Davis jacket stands next to two other people in front of a fire truck.
Dean Stokes toured the UC Davis Police Department and our UC Davis Fire Department to learn more about the campus and off-campus safety, preparedness, response, training and student opportunities. (Ashley M. Stokes / UC Davis)

A Message from the Dean - December 2025

  • by Ashley M. Stokes

Happy Holidays!

These past five months have been a whirlwind of activities, and I have really enjoyed getting to know many of you and learning about your research, curriculum and partnerships. I am so impressed with the level of excellence, professionalism, dedication and community that you all bring to your work. Each month I meet incredible new people and learn more about your research, outreach work and teaching, and I feel so privileged to be a part of this amazing place! 

This holiday season, we celebrate a wonderful example of the bounty that our students bring to our college. We paired our new student wine with a fresh strawberry salad loaded with a variety of specialty crops and asked our talented nutrition students to prepare it for you! Watch their work in the kitchen and learn more about the origin, ingredients and the nutritional value of this cheerful recipe. We hope the combination will bring you brightness during these foggy days.   

We also took some time to share a bit of college joy to a few of my new friends—please enjoy those gift giving moments in our latest holiday video! 

This month brings so many wonderful examples of science and discovery. Our researchers continue to advance our understanding of the environment, agriculture and human sciences. One team received a U.S. Department of Energy grant to study how to extract rare earth elements in acid mine waste and wastewater to develop magnets, lasers and other technologies. A team of agricultural economists studied more than one million processing tomato truckloads to find that the industry will be able to withstand higher temperatures and traffic congestion with minimal postharvest losses. An interdisciplinary team was instrumental in defining a new health science known as ecological medicine. Experts in wine and agricultural economics discussed the future of the wine industry on an episode of the podcast Unfold entitled Sip Happens: What’s Behind Wine’s Decline.

And tremendous congratulations to plant biologists Venkatesan Sundaresan and Imtiyaz Khanday who won a VinFuture Special Prize for Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields during a ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam earlier this month!

As we wind down over the holiday break, I hope you can make space for joy, relaxation and reflection on all we’ve accomplished. Take time to enjoy the season, and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year. Together, we are making a difference!

Go Ags!

 

 

 

Primary Category

University News

Tags

A Message From the Dean