For UC Davis College of Biological Sciences student Kiana Nava, the Dean's Circle Study Abroad Scholarship allowed her to spend the summer studying biology in Ireland as part of the "Bio Sci 2B in Dublin" program.

The College of Biological Sciences is home to more than 6,000 students, 130 faculty members, 400 staff members and an alumni base of more than 40,000. As one of the nation’s top colleges dedicated exclusively to life sciences, its departments span the breadth of biology. Get quick facts about the creation of the college.

Perhaps the best way to sum up Professor Jonathan Eisen’s philosophy is to note his belief that “It is important to fix that which is easily fixable.” Eisen “uses his powers of national influence for good,” according to his Aggie Hero nominator.

Biological sciences senior Diana Quintero likes to use the gym as an analogy for the Biology Undergraduate Scholars Program (BUSP). Initially, new fitness enthusiasts might feel like they don’t measure up to their peers. But with training and persistence, they can acclimate to the rigors of hard work.

The College of Biological Sciences celebrated its annual Fall Welcome event last Friday, commemorating the start of a new academic year. Faculty, staff, students, friends and family gathered in the Life Sciences Courtyard for food, beverages and celebration.

Professor Mariel Vazquez has been appointed as the new faculty director of the Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science, or CAMPOS, succeeding the founding faculty director, Mary Lou de Leon Siantz, professor emeritus at the Betty Irene More School of Nursing.

The BioLaunch Mentor Collective helps make the transition to the UC Davis campus easier for freshmen and transfer students. New students are paired with a returning UC Davis student, who can offer them advice and support across many areas of campus life.

This fall, the College of Biological Sciences will launch the Advancing Diversity in Neuroscience Research (ADNR) Program to help grow diversity in biomedical, behavioral and clinical neuroscience research professions.

Chancellor Gary S. May issued the following statement on Kendra Chan, a UC Davis alumna, and her father Raymond “Scott” Chan, of Los Altos, who were among the victims of the tragic Conception dive boat fire off the coast of Southern California.

Professor Paul Knoepfler, UC Davis Genome Center, studies the epigenetic and transcriptional control mechanisms that direct stem cell fate and tissue growth. He's also a writer, recently co-authoring the book How to Build a Dragon or Die Trying: A Satirical Look at Cutting-Edge Science with his daughter Julie Knoepfler. Helen Pilcher recently reviewed the book in Nature.