As students prepare to graduate and embark on the next phase of their journey, eight undergraduates with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) are being honored for their academic excellence, distinctive leadership and community service. Below are the recipients of this year’s CA&ES commencement awards, which are the College Medal for scholastic excellence, the Mary Regan Meyer Prize for serving humanity, the Charles Hess Community Service Award for outstanding public or community service, and the Dean’s Circle Award for outstanding academics and community service.

College Medal

Ameya Naik, who is graduating with degrees in both atmospheric science and computer science, is the recipient of the College Medal. During his time at UC Davis, Naik completed an independent study on the interaction between tornadoes and the terrain of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Naik enjoys storm chasing in his free time. He is currently an intern with the National Weather Service office in Hanford, CA where he documents and analyzes tornadoes. After graduation, he plans to attend the University of Oklahoma for graduate school to study tornadoes using doppler radar.
 

Charles Hess Community Service Award

Christopher Prajogo, who is graduating with a degree in biotechnology with minors in both economics and technology management, has earned the Charles Hess Community Service Award. Prajogo, a UC Regents scholar, has conducted research on the effects of dietary fatty acids on the risk of type II diabetes, with the hopes to develop new dietary suggestions for prediabetic people. He has also served as a member of a team of consultants that provides free business management advice to local businesses.

Stephanie Ha, who is graduating with a degree in human development with a minor in public health, has earned the Charles Hess Community Service Award. During her time at UC Davis, she has researched how early life exposures and other contextual factors can affect health outcomes in various communities. She volunteers with the student-run health clinic Vietnamese Cancer Awareness Research and Education Society (VN CARES) and is a founding member of Educational Organizers for Racial Equity (EORE). She has also worked as a sexual well-being student coordinator at Health Education and Promotion. Her future plans include applying for graduate school programs.

Mary Regan Meyer Prize

Indira D'Souza, who is graduating with a degree in global disease biology with minors in human rights studies and political science, has earned the Mary Regan Meyer Prize. During her time at UC Davis, she has served as president of Students for Reproductive Freedom, chief of staff for a student-run clinic, and as a peer advisor within her major. D’Souza, a UC Regents scholar, is a researcher in perinatal health and is completing her honors thesis on diet quality for pregnant people. She plans to attend UC Berkeley this fall to pursue a master’s degree in maternal, child and adolescent health.

Alexandra “Allie” Larman, who graduated last summer with a bachelor’s degree in community and regional development and a minor in Spanish, has earned the Mary Regan Meyer Prize. She’s currently working as an assistant planner with the CA Governor’s Office of Planning and Research with a focus on helping to develop a grant program for California communities to plan and implement extreme heat adaptation strategies. As a Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellow, she conducted research under the direction of Assistant Professor Eric Chu to evaluate and map vulnerability to extreme heat events in the communities surrounding UC campuses. She also helped create and co-taught with Assistant Professor Mark Cooper a course titled, Student Leadership for Climate Change, which aims to empower climate leaders on campus.

Dean’s Circle Award

Gabrielle Basuki, a recipient of the Dean’s Circle Award, is earning a degree in food science and plans to attend Brown University this fall to pursue a master’s degree in innovation management and entrepreneurship. With a passion for making healthy food taste good and accessible, she created a plant-based yogurt during the pandemic that was sold in her hometown of Surabaya, Indonesia. She’s a research assistant with Professor Ameer Taha’s lab studying oxylipins in milk. Currently, she is co-authoring a paper about research she conducted with Associate Professor Julien Delarue on the effect of food shapes on people’s perceptions. She has also completed internships with food and beverage companies, including Nutpods, Oobli and Chobani.

Alicia Hans, a recipient of the Dean’s Circle Award, is graduating with a degree in environmental science and management, with an emphasis in soils and biogeochemistry. Hans is a UC Regents Scholar and has been a member of the University Honors Program since her first year at UC Davis. Since last spring, she has been working as a student research assistant in the Soil Biodiversity and Health Lab studying how mycorrhizal fungi interact with soil biological properties and plant health parameters. After graduation, she plans to join the U.S. Forest Service in New Mexico as a soil scientist.

Ivan Martinez, a recipient of the Dean’s Circle Award, is graduating with a degree in sustainable agriculture and food systems and has been accepted to join the UC Davis Horticulture and Agronomy Graduate Group. During his studies, he developed a hydroponics system, which is a technique of growing plants using a water-based solution instead of soil, to experiment with nutrient deficiencies in cacao plants. That worked gave him the opportunity to work with Mars, Inc. on nutrient management in cacao plants. He has also spent time volunteering with Three Sisters Gardens, a local non-profit that provides fresh food to communities in need and offers farming workshops for kids.