Honors and accomplishments for CA&ES faculty, staff and students

From Academic Senate and Federation faculty awards to national and campus advising awards to superior scholarly achievements, CA&ES faculty, staff and students are in the limelight this month with a raft of recent acknowledgements for a job well done.

Susan Harrison, a professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors a scientist can receive. As an ecologist, Harrison studies the processes that shape and maintain plant species diversity at the landscape scale.

Gurdev Khush among those to receive highest campus honor at June 8 gala in Sacramento

Recipients of the UC Davis Medal were recently announced, and among them is Professor Emeritus Gurdev Khush of the Department of Plant Sciences. The medal is the highest honor the university bestows on individuals.

Khush is perhaps best known for his work with the International Rice Research Institute, where he spearheaded the program for developing high-yielding and disease- and insect-resistant varieties of rice. 

CA&ES faculty and staff honored by their peers for notable achievements

Frank Zalom, a distinguished entomology professor and Cooperative Extension specialist, received a lifetime achievement award for his work in integrated pest management (IPM) at the Ninth International IPM Symposium held in March in Baltimore.

UC Davis in the top 50 for seven other disciplines

The University of California, Davis, continues to be ranked first in the world in veterinary science and second in agriculture and forestry, according to the 2018 QS World University Rankings by subject released today (Feb. 28).

Plant pathology professor Dave Rizzo, the driving force behind a number of innovative student education programs at UC Davis, is being honored for his outstanding work in improving the undergraduate experience.

Human ecology professors Amanda Guyer, Jonathan London and Michael Rios, as well as nutrition professor Fawaz George Haj and plant sciences professors Andrew Latimer and Astrid Volder, have been accepted into the Faculty Leadership Academy.

The program builds leadership skills in tenured UC Davis faculty, enabling them to take on increasingly responsible roles in their units, departments, the college and the campus.

UC Davis scores first in programs for plant and animal sciences in U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Global Universities” report issued Monday (Oct. 24).

The rankings, which focus on overall research and academic reputation, rather than specific undergraduate or graduate programs, show UC Davis second in the world in agricultural sciences, and fourth in environment and ecology.

Plant science professor Paul Gepts, who leads the UC Davis bean breeding program, has been selected as “distinguished scientist” for the 2017 Agropolis Louis Malassis International Scientific Prize for Agriculture and Food.

AGU Fellows are recognized for their outstanding contributions to scholarship and discovery in the earth and space sciences. The 2017 class of fellows will be recognized December 13 at the organization’s fall meeting in New Orleans.