University News

We are two months into the new year, and our college is thriving and alive with activity. This month has been busy for our college and the entire campus! As the days slowly lengthen, the number of prospective students coming to visit us grows. I love seeing groups of families on tours, threading their way through the Arboretum, past the Eye on Mrak, and along the bike path towards the Coffee House while listening to the guides give bits of information about why they love UC Davis. 

Two professors and 11 associate professors have been honored with an additional title: Chancellor’s Fellow.

“Our newest fellows represent the very best of UC Davis and I congratulate them,” Chancellor Gary S. May said in announcing the new fellows. “The knowledge, expertise and excellence these faculty demonstrate across a range of disciplines positively impacts our university’s mission of research, teaching and public service.”

Dean Helene Dillard with the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will gather with fellow scientists, staff and students at the 2023 World Ag Expo in Tulare, Feb. 14-16, to chat with farmers, prospective students, alumni and leaders throughout the agricultural industry.

More than 100,000 people are expected to attend this three-day event, where 1,400 exhibitors display cutting-edge agricultural technology and equipment throughout 2.6 million square feet of show grounds.

Two University of California, Davis, researchers have won prestigious national and international honors in recognition of their work using genomics to address livestock health and crop resilience in the wake of a changing climate.

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.

It’s rare to leave a lecture, field survey or casual conversation with John Eadie without a smile or a chuckle. The University of California, Davis professor is known for his sense of humor, enthusiasm and vast knowledge about ecology and wildlife conservation. It’s what students and colleagues admire most about him.

At the end of the year, I like to reflect on all our college has accomplished and give thanks for the dedication and hard work of our faculty, students, staff, alumni and friends who keep the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences a place of excellence. Please scroll down to enjoy our year in review video and photographs of some of the college’s highlights from this past year. I wish you and yours a joyous holiday season and a wonderful year ahead.

UC Davis student Sophia Simon, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in ecology, has received a Quad Fellowship. She is part of the Fellowship’s first cohort of 100 exceptional science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduate students. 

The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis is pleased to welcome Colin Dixon, who has more than 20 years of education and sustainable agriculture experience, as the the new director of the Student Farm.

Dixon, whose first job in Davis was at the Student Farm, worked as the co-design lead at Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) Science Learning in Oakland where his efforts focused on making science education more equitable.

The fall temperatures are finally dropping and the campus is busy! The bike paths are packed with students heading to and from classes, the Arboretum is teeming with wildlife and people taking time to relax in the beautiful weather, and everyone is settling into the new school year.