On behalf of Dean Helene Dillard, who is taking much deserved time away from campus, happy new year to all our students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners who tirelessly work to make the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences a unique place of excellence for learning, research and community engagement.

We start this year with the promise of a fortified snowpack and welcome rain that we hope recharges groundwater and brings some relief to the prolonged drought. The new year also brings positivity and progress to campus.

As you’ll read in this edition of Highlights, the college is greatly contributing to that progress. We share our stories about why food additives from the byproduct of chardonnay grape processing may be good for gut and heart health, how offering telemedicine to cats can increase access to veterinary care and how students are helping older adults bridge the digital divide. We also have information about a community and regional development course being offered in Nepal, a forestry summit and the recent prestigious awards won by our faculty.

These activities speak to our mission of improving lives and the world. Although 2022 was a banner year for the college, a great deal is on the horizon and we are poised to make even greater strides in 2023. May the promise of a new year bring you hope, energy and excitement. Happy New Year!