News | College of Biological Sciences

Center for Neuroscience Hosting Virtual NeuroFest

The Center for Neuroscience is presenting a two-day, virtual NeuroFest on Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13.

Professor Nitzan Shabek Receives NSF CAREER Award

Nitzan Shabek, an assistant professor in the Department of Plant Biology, has received a $837,000 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation. The five-year award will support Shabek’s research into elucidating the sensing mechanism of an emerging and unique class of plant hormones. Additionally, as an integral part of the research activities, this project will create a unique teaching platform and outreach program to encourage young students to pursue knowledge in STEM.

Awards and Recognition

Migratory Birds Track Climate Across the Year

As climate change takes hold across the Americas, some areas will get wetter, and others will get hotter and drier. A new study of the yellow warbler, a widespread migratory songbird, shows that individuals have the same climatic preferences across their migratory range. The work is published Feb. 17 in Ecology Letters.

UC Davis Genome Center Featured in The New York Times

Late in January, the UC Davis Genome center—a keystone part of the collaborative effort between UC Davis and surrounding communities to fight the spread of COVID-19—appeared in a New York Times article that suggested the approach to rapid testing and contact tracing in Davis might be a national model.

Awards and Recognition

Uncovering How Plants See Blue Light

Plants can perceive and react to light across a wide spectrum. New research from Prof. Nitzan Shabek’s laboratory in the Department of Plant Biology, College of Biological Sciences shows how plants can respond to blue light in particular.

“Plants can see much better than we can,” Shabek said.

Exactly How Does an mRNA Vaccine Work?

UC Davis Virologist Samuel L. Díaz-Muñoz, an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, spoke with KCRA 3 in an interview late last year about the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines being hailed “as game-changers” by the medical community.

Human and Animal Health

Biology Students Appreciate Hands-On Labs Delivered to Their Doors

Faculty, staff aim to ‘recreate some of the excitement inherent in lab classes’

How do you give students a chance to have some hands-on lab experience during a pandemic? That was the question that motivated the team from the introductory biology series courses to figure out a way.

CBS Student Receives Prestigious Marshall Scholarship

By Sharon Knox

College of Biological Science student, Naomi Murray ’21, who is majoring in evolution, ecology and biodiversity, has just been awarded the prestigious Marshall Scholarship. She will pursue two Master of Science degrees, one in climate change at University College London, the other in science communication at the University of Manchester to help her communicate about climate change.

Awards and Recognition

Davis Enterprise: UCD Students Conduct Mass Testing for Class

By Julietta Bisharyan
The Davis Enterprise

With the need for mass COVID-19 testing on campus, UC Davis offers a course in which students can work at the testing kiosks and learn more about the various aspects of the virus.

The two-credit course, titled “Mass Testing for COVID-19,” or EVE 198, is managed by David Coil and led by Professor Jonathan Eisen in the evolution and ecology department in the College of Biological Sciences.

Human and Animal Health

11 Professors Elected as AAAS Fellows, 4 from CBS

Eleven UC Davis professors, including four from the College of Biological Sciences, have been elected in this year’s class of fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, the world’s largest general scientific society.

Read about them here.

Awards and Recognition