Campaign Spotlighting Research Impact Wraps Up

Ice that doesn’t melt. Technology that restores voices. An AI chatbot that can improve your health. Forecasting tools that can protect neighborhoods, people and ecosystems from extreme weather. 

These are just a handful of research advancements supported by federal funding highlighted by UCDavisDelivers, a yearlong online and social media campaign meant to show the impact of research on everyday lives.

UCDavisDelivers was launched by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Letters and Science, College of Biological Sciences and the Office of Research just after Memorial Day 2025, as federal research funding was threatened in Washington, DC. It wrapped up at the end of May with more than 335 social media posts spread across Instagram, LinkedIn, BlueSky, Facebook and other platforms.

“This was an opportunity for us to share how science and research play a critical role in the everyday lives of people and to show how behind every challenge, there are dedicated researchers working toward a sustainable and nutritious food supply, healthy communities and a thriving environment,” said Caren Weintraub, director of communications for CA&ES. 

The campaign began with a video about research that has advanced human and animal health, protected the planet and our food supply and led to a more resilient society; and a story detailing 12 historic research breakthroughs from UC Davis that have improved our lives, our economy and our future.  

Each college or office produced their own social media posts based on research or advancements from UC Davis. The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and College of Letters and Science posts garnered 564,000 impressions, receiving more than 11,000 comments, likes and other forms of engagement. 

“This campaign really gave us a chance to bring the colleges and Office of Research together, collaborate under a common cause and celebrate research outside of our respective areas,” Weintraub said. 

Popular posts featured research into a freshwater relative of the jellyfish, which could lead to tissue regeneration in humans; a new fungicide that can protect crops from pathogens, how schools can design new HVAC systems for cleaner indoor air; a new form of yeast could lead to more environmentally-friendly cleaning products; and on-the-ground science that uncovered how warming permafrost is staining Alaska’s pristine rivers and streams a rusty orange color.   

Another social media post cited Professor Keith David Watenpaugh, who studies genocide, displacement and the experiences of refugees, on the importance of humanities. “Engineering can tell us how to build a nuclear bomb, but the humanities provide us with the guidance and ethical framework to know never to use it,” Watenpaugh said.

The campaign cited funding from a wealth of federal sources, including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, U.S Department of Energy.

UCDavisDelivers complemented the ongoing From Labs to Lives campaign featuring videos, fact sheets and interviews with experts and people who have benefitted from research findings, technological advancements and medical milestones that originated at UC Davis.