University News

UC Davis Tops Continent in Sustainability Rankings

Julia Ann Easley — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 17:28:35 PST

GreenMetric ranks UC Davis the most sustainable campus in North America for the 10th year in a row and seventh greenest in the world.

UC Davis Conducts Contact Tracing After Case of Active Tuberculosis Identified

Julia Ann Easley — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 16:56:34 PST

UC Davis has completed contact tracing after a case of active tuberculosis was identified on the Davis campus.

Extracting Rare Earth Elements from U.S. Wastewaters

Andy Fell — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 12:10:50 PST

A new federally funded research project at the University of California, Davis, endeavors to extract valuable components for magnets, lasers and other modern technologies from an unlikely source: acidic wastewater from mines and industrial processes.

Rising Heat Leads to Minimal Losses for California Processing Tomatoes

Katherine E Kerlin — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 09:00:00 PST

California’s $1 billion processing tomato industry is highly efficient and likely will be able to withstand higher temperatures from climate change, as well as traffic.

Parenting Education Program Builds Community and Developmental Awareness Among Families

Anila Mary Lijo — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 12:00:00 PST

A parenting education and support program offered by the Center for Child and Family Studies, is helping families strengthen their understanding of child development while creating a supportive community for both è�� and children.

Celebrating Excellence in Stewardship

Cody Kitaura — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:30:00 PST

Each year, the UC Davis Foundation honors faculty and staff who go above and beyond to engage donors and nurture relationships. Created in 2015, the Faculty and Staff Stewardship Awards recognize individuals who demonstrate a key part of the foundation’s mission — highlighting the impact of philanthropy and stewarding gifts to the university.

The 2025 awards were presented at a ceremony on Oct. 17 by UC Davis Foundation Chair Deborah J. Neff ’76. The recipients are:

HOLIDAY HELPING: Virtual and In-Person Toy Drives

Cody Kitaura — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:15:00 PST

Through a pair of toy drives, you can help kids have a happier holiday season no matter where you are.

Mail Services Toy Drive

The familiar blue bins for toy donations will return to the Davis campus Dec. 1-11. To help brighten the day of a Yolo County child, just deposit a new, unwrapped toy in one of the bins.

ORG CHART: Transportation Services, AVANZA, Letters and Science

Cody Kitaura — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:00:00 PST

In this edition of Org Chart, Dateline UC Davis is sharing news of two director positions, as well as a leadership role in one of the university’s colleges. Read on to find out more.

New Field of Ecological Medicine Emphasizes Health Benefits of Connectedness

Andy Fell — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 10:48:43 PST

Ecological medicine is a new approach to health science that draws on a very old idea: connecting with each other, with animals and plants, and with the natural world fosters health and well-being for people and the planet.

Among the Academies: Engineering With Nature, Not Against It

Cody Kitaura — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 09:00:00 PST

Some forms of engineering deal with predictable, controlled environments. Ross Boulanger deals with the kind that can change from place to place and day to day.

He is a distinguished professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, focusing on geotechnical earthquake engineering, a field where decisions can be shaped by the unique geologic conditions found only in the location where a dam, bridge or other project is being built.

Malala Yousafzai on Reintroducing Herself With New Memoir

Cody Kitaura — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 14:15:00 PST

Despite what anyone might think, having a Nobel Peace Prize does not immediately make you popular in high school.

Education activist Malala Yousafzai shared reflections on life beyond her own advocacy, including the difficulty of making friends as a well-known teen in a new nation, her own mental health challenges and more during a sold-out event Tuesday (Nov. 18) at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Looking Inside Icy Moons

Andy Fell — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:43:44 PST

The outer planets of the Solar System are swarmed by ice-wrapped moons. Some of these, such as Saturn’s moon Enceladus, are known to have oceans of liquid water between the ice shell and the rocky core and could be the best places in our solar system to look for extraterrestrial life. A new study published Nov. 24 in Nature Astronomy sheds light on what could be going on beneath the surface of these worlds and provides insights into how their diverse geologic features may have formed.

Checking In With Chancellor May: How We’re Using AI to Redefine Health Care

Cody Kitaura — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 11:30:00 PST

To the UC Davis community:

As an electrical engineer investigating early neural networks in the 1990s, I dreamed of a future where artificial intelligence, or AI, could build a healthier, more connected community. Today, that future has arrived, and UC Davis stands at the forefront of this transformation.

Rocks on Faults Can Heal Following Seismic Movement

Andy Fell — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 12:05:16 PST

Earthquake faults deep in the Earth can glue themselves back together following a seismic event, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The work, published Nov. 19 in Science Advances and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, adds a new factor to our understanding of the behavior of faults that can give rise to major earthquakes.

2026 Picnic Day Theme: ‘The Journey Home’

Cody Kitaura — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:00:00 PST

There’s no place like home, and Aggies will celebrate the familiar during the 112th Picnic Day, which will carry the theme “The Journey Home: Destination Davis.”

The theme was announced Monday (Nov. 17) by the students who organize the event, which is thought to be the largest campus open house in the nation.

First Employee Giving Back-to-School Supplies Drive Equips Students for Success

Anila Mary Lijo — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:40:48 PST

Helping students start the school year right by providing them with stocked pantry shelves was a key motivation behind the first annual Employee Giving Back-to-School Supplies Drive. Hosted by the Employee Giving Committee, which represents the UC Davis Employee Giving Program, the campus-wide event took place from Oct. 20-24.

Holiday Gift Guide: Seasonal Ornaments, Coffee Center Roasts, Adidas Merch and More

Jose Antonio Vadi — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 10:55:25 PST

With the holidays approaching, we’ve compiled a list of gift ideas that help ring in the season with Aggie Blue and Gold. This year’s holiday gift guide features selections from our campus stores, new Athletics gear from Adidas, Glassybaby glassware and much more:

Cabernet Sauvignon’s Long Memory Revealed

Amy M Quinton — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 09:33:09 PST

UC Davis scientists find chemical "switches" that control gene expression in cabernet sauvignon remain stable across hundreds of years of clonal reproduction.

Hayfeeders and Other Tools Can Improve Health, Welfare of Stabled Horses

Amy M Quinton — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 09:00:00 PST

UC Davis research finds items like hay feeders, giant rubber activity balls and shatter-proof mirrors can improve the health and welfare of stabled animals while also reducing frustration behaviors

Endowed Chair Named for Sustainable Design, Fashion and Textiles

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 PST

Gözde Göncü-Berk, associate professor of design, has been named the inaugural Maria Manetti Shrem Endowed Chair in Design, Fashion and Textiles and the founding director of the Maria Manetti Shrem Institute for Sustainable Design, Fashion and Textiles at the University of California, Davis. Her work focuses on development of soft wearable systems that sense, respond and adapt to the body to enhance health, well-being and performance.