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. 

The courtyard between Green Hall and Briggs Hall is sunny, and our trees are in full bloom. Spring is most definitely here.

And with it comes Picnic Day, the longstanding student-run UC Davis tradition, which is on Saturday, April 20. For those planning to attend, I hope you enjoy the fun and engaging activities across campus. From the parade to the doxie derby, there’s a lot to do and even more to see.

At first glance, it might seem odd to find a former NFL kicker and a Nobel laureate sharing a stage. But Rolf Benirschke ‘77 and Charles Rice ‘74 have an unusual—and unusually consequential—bond: Benirschke is a survivor of Hepatitis C, and Rice’s research on the virus led to the cure that saved him.

Charan Ranganath admits he can be forgetful. This is true of most people, but most people are not leading experts on the neuroscience of human memory.

“Everybody knows I have a terrible memory,” said Ranganath, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Davis, “and yet I got a Ph.D. and I publish papers all the time. I'm totally functional, so maybe the expectations we have are just wrong.”

Sometimes I think time must be moving in fast-forward. The quarter ends in two weeks, and our students are gearing up for their final exams, which are followed by a welcome break and then it’s spring quarter — already.

BioBoosters, the student club that organizes the ever-popular sales of College of Biological Sciences apparel is back and gearing up for a quarter of swag sales, social events and networking activities.

Best known to the college community for their swag sales, which are held at pop-up booths around campus, the club sells hoodies, vests, caps, shirts and more emblazoned with the CBS logo. Proceeds help BioBoosters organize community-focused gatherings, connect with peers, and—most importantly—continue to supply comfortable, affordable swag for students, faculty and staff!

There’s been much talk of atmospheric rivers here in California, where many are experiencing extreme weather conditions. Like all of us, I am thinking of the members of our University of California community who have been impacted by floods and other storm-related events.

Coming to Davis from Colorado was a shift – the scenery, the climate (no more show shoes!) – but after almost ten years in California, it’s now a bit of a shock when things get cold. But that is exactly what it is here now. (By cold, I mean 50°F, admittedly.)

Each year, the start of the holidays seems to get here earlier and earlier. This year is no different. It feels like just yesterday (or maybe last week) that we welcomed 6,400 CBS students back to campus for the start of fall quarter. And now, here we are—it’s time to wish them luck on their finals, and then send them back to their friends and loved ones for a well-deserved break.

Well, it’s fall. And November. Campus is busy this time of year - bikes on the streets, classrooms full and labs bustling with activity. Our students are in midterms, and we’re starting to feel winter in the air. 

Chancellor Gary S. May issued the following statement on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.

To the Aggie Community:

Our community is reeling and in pain from the terror and escalating violence we are witnessing in Israel and in the Gaza Strip. Especially horrific is the use of hostages and the great losses of both Israeli and Palestinian civilian lives. We stand in support of our Jewish and Muslim communities. We deeply mourn this catastrophic loss of life and the destruction of many families and futures.

Fall arrived just a few weeks ago. Summer felt longer this year than it really was, but that’s how things go when there’s so much activity. Since June, the college has welcomed a new associate dean of research and was proud to welcome back an alum as the new director of the UC Davis Genome Center.

Dan Starr, a cell biologist and professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, has been named the new Associate Dean of Research for the College of Biological Sciences. He will step into the role on October 1, 2023.

“I see this position as an opportunity to encourage my colleagues to branch out and expand into new research areas,” said Starr. “Our research portfolio at CBS is already very strong. My goal is to build on our successes and to support future growth in our research programs.”

Blake Meyers, a principal investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and a professor of plant sciences from the University of Missouri - Columbia, has been named the new director and Novozymes Chair in Genomics at the UC Davis Genome Center. Meyers, who studies plant RNA biology, bioinformatics and functional genomics, will step into the role on March 1, 2024.