News Articles

Somehow it feels like February is the start of the new year. Maybe it’s because, after an initial delay in returning to the UC Davis campus after the winter break, the college and its students are finally back on campus. In October, I wrote that it was nice to see students biking past Green Hall again, and in the Science Lab Building. In that way, not much has changed. It is nice to see them back – again!

The University of California, Davis, is embarking on a major initiative to make career exploration and preparation accessible to all students as a matter of equity and social justice.

Through Aggie Launch, the university aims to foster opportunities so that all graduates — including those who are from low-income families, underrepresented minorities, first-generation college students and women — can experience meaningful, timely and gainful employment.

Nine faculty from UC Davis are among 564 newly elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, announced today (Jan. 26). AAAS fellows are scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their achievements across disciplines ranging from research, teaching and technology, to administration in academia, industry and government, to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public.

Here are the new fellows from CBS, listed with their AAAS commendations:

A study led by the University of California, Davis, has found significant differences in gut bacteria between Black and white women, even after accounting for their insulin sensitivity status. The study, published in PLOS ONE, is the first to focus on premenopausal Black and white women and to show such differences.

A global effort to map the genomes of all plants, animals, fungi and other eukaryotic life on Earth is entering a new phase as it moves from pilot projects to full-scale production sequencing. This new phase of The Earth BioGenome Project, or EBP, is marked with a collection of papers published this week (Jan. 17) in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describing the project’s goals, achievements to date and next steps.  

This year has started with a familiar feel. Campus is quiet, students are attending remote instruction and a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded. It sounds almost like nothing has changed since the beginning of the pandemic. Thankfully, that isn’t the case.

Wilsaan Joiner, an associate professor in neurobiology, physiology and behavior and Jonathon Schofield, an associate professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering, and colleagues, are working to develop better and more functional prosthetic devices for children.

Returning to the hustle and bustle of daily routines after over a year of lockdowns is a challenge many people are now facing. For former UC Davis gymnast Madeline Kennedy ’14, it is a challenge she is helping current Aggies overcome as a physical therapist at Student Health and Counseling Services.

Kennedy provides support for students’ physical well-being, many of whom are facing the realities of everyday in-person life again—whether it’s returning to club or team sports, using the ARC or adjusting to moving around campus once more.

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For the 2021-2022 academic year, the college is proud to welcome three new members to its faculty. Below you’ll learn more about the research interest of each faculty member, and what brought them to UC Davis.

Xiaomo Chen joined the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior as an assistant professor in September 2021. Before joining the UC Davis faculty, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University.

Somehow December is here already. With the end of the year just around the corner, we can look back on what we have accomplished over the last 12 months, and reflect on how far we’ve come.