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Finals are over, students are done, families are gathering—it’s commencement, the inspiring culmination of why we’re here, doing what we do. I will be on stage for this year’s ceremonies, as I have been for almost all of them over the last decade. This year, however, will be my last as dean of the College of Biological Sciences.

Each spring, the College of Biological Sciences celebrates graduating students whose achievements exemplify the spirit of discovery, leadership, and service that define UC Davis. At the college’s annual undergraduate awards ceremony, students are recognized for exceptional accomplishments in research, academics, mentorship, and community engagement.

Robert D. “Bob” Grey, Ph.D., a pillar of the UC Davis campus and community for nearly 60 years, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, in May at the age of 86.

The College of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025-26 CBS Faculty Research and Teaching Awards. These annual honors recognize faculty members whose contributions exemplify the college's commitment to advancing discovery and providing outstanding educational experiences for students.

Satoshi Namekawa, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics whose research has advanced our understanding of fertility, epigenetics and genome organization, has been named chair of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (MMG). He will begin serving in the role on July 1, 2026.

As wildflowers go, the mountain jewelflower is demure, clever and quietly unbreakable. It has spread across many of California’s iconic landscapes, from Sonoma wine country to the oak-dotted foothills, even over the Sierra Crest, where snow covers the ground during winter.

Frédéric Chédin, a professor and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and a renowned expert in genome biology, will be the next dean of the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences. Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan selected Chédin to lead the college following a nationwide search. He will start on September 1.

The Phi Sigma Honor Society’s Gamma Delta chapter at UC Davis celebrates academic excellence and leadership among students in the College of Biological Sciences. Throughout the 2025-26 academic year, the chapter brought together students who are not only strong scholars, but also emerging leaders committed to advancing research, healthcare, innovation, and community engagement.

The causes of male infertility can be hard to diagnose, with many tests failing to detect genetic defects. Sometimes, infertility doesn’t even involve the genes themselves. It can arise from improper folding of the father’s DNA in the sperm. If a couple conceives, this mispackaged DNA can damage the lifelong health of the child.

A kestrel swoops to grab a smaller bird on the wing and eats it, right in front of a group of men in the garden at California Health Care Facility, or CHCF, a prison in Stockton, where the garden has become both a thriving ecosystem and a science classroom for people incarcerated there. As the feathers fly, UC Davis researcher Laci Gerhart pulls out a bird guide and shows the incarcerated men how to identify the bird by its size and coloration, noting that kestrels are North America’s smallest raptor and one of the few that are sexually dimorphic.