Plants need to be able to communicate with themselves—by sending signals from their leaves to their roots to their flowers—so that they can coordinate growth and optimize resource use. They also need to communicate with other plants and organisms, which they achieve by releasing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), tiny molecules that are often associated with distinct smells. Scientists know a lot about how plants emit these odorous signals, however very little is known about how they receive and interpret them.
The UC Davis Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP@UC Davis) promotes diversity in biomedical sciences, preparing scholars for success in Ph.D. programs.
Ten faculty from UC Davis are among 502 newly elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the society announced today (April 18). AAAS fellows are scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their achievements in science, including research, teaching, administration and science communication.
During his 20-year tenure as founding director of the UC Davis Genome Center, Richard Michelmore, a Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Plant Sciences, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Medical Microbiology and Immunology, recruited more than 20 faculty members, led the center to prominence as a hub of technology-driven biology, and made national headlines by implementing an innovative, community-scale saliva-based COVID test. Quite the legacy for someone who never wanted the job in the first place.
In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, released earlier this week, UC Davis ranked 35th in the world in the broad category of the life sciences and medicine. Previous rankings, in 2023, placed campus at 38th globally in the same category.
