News Articles

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.

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.

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.

The association elevates members to the rank of fellow in recognition of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. 

“You can’t be what you can’t see,” said Arpana Vaniya, quoting Sheila Boyington. “This really resonates with me when thinking about mentoring and why I continue to do it.”

This October marks the 10th anniversary of the Allen Distinguished Investigator program, which was launched in 2010 by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen to back creative, early-stage research projects in biology and medical research that would not otherwise be supported by traditional research funding programs.

Patrick Shih, a biologist who studies the evolution of enzymes that play a central role in taking carbon out of the atmosphere, has been awarded a 2020 Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Charles M. Rice, who earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Davis, is a recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine announced this morning (Oct. 5).

“I’m delighted to see the work of one of our alumni honored with a Nobel Prize,” UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May said. “On behalf of the entire UC Davis family, I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Professor Rice. His research and dedication inspire us. This is who we are.”

The Koret Foundation has granted $4 million to undergraduate career-preparation programs across UC Davis. Part of Koret’s Higher Education Initiative, the grant will provide signifcant support for Aggie Launch, the Big Idea that integrates career exploration and readiness in the undergraduate experience.

After 23 years, the Life Sciences building is getting a new name that befits its purpose: Melvin M. and Kathleen C. Green Hall.

The building — which opened in 1997 as an addition to Briggs Hall and houses the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences’ research laboratories, faculty and staff — will honor the late pioneering biology faculty member and his late wife, a biologist and a local politician.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, U.K., have solved the structure of the complex formed when mRNA is being scanned to find the starting point for translating RNA into a protein. The discovery, published Sept.