Wilsaan Joiner, a professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, was among this year’s cohort of Chancellor’s Fellows.
“Our newest fellows represent the very best of UC Davis and I congratulate them,” Chancellor Gary S. May said in announcing the new fellows. “The knowledge, expertise and excellence these faculty demonstrate across a range of disciplines positively impacts our university’s mission of research, teaching and public service.”
Despite their small size, dragonflies are arguably one of the most impressive predators in the animal kingdom. According to Rachel Crane, a biologist at the University of California Davis, dragonflies often catch up to 95% of the prey they go after, a rate she described as “wildly high compared to where most predators are.”
More incredible still, this prey capture all happens in midair.
“Dragonflies are doing these really, really fast, high-speed aerial captures,” said Crane.
A team of UC Davis researchers is on a mission to solve a key mystery in the formation of muscular fibrosis. The researchers are studying why special stem cells known as fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) get derailed from normal muscle regeneration following injury, and instead produce excess material that can lead to fibrosis. The team may have unlocked a way to prevent these cells from getting stuck in an endless loop of collagen production, causing fibrotic muscles.
David Brockman, a retired CalFire captain and avid outdoorsman, built a deck in the backyard of his home last year, without the use of his dominant right hand, which he lost in an accident. The prosthetic hand he used instead was a crude but functional steel hook-and-harness device.
Brockman has tried other artificial limbs, including a high-tech prosthesis called a myoelectric. It looks like a hand and works by using electrical signals from muscles in the forearm. But that one just didn’t work for him.
With the close of the academic year just around the corner, many in the college are being recognized for the previous year’s accomplishments by campus units. With awards for undergraduate students, as well as postdocs and faculty, CBS was well-represented across campus award and honor ceremonies. The full list of recipients can be found on the respective award websites.
