June 2021
Dean's Message: Outgrow the Expected

Those of us on campus are hearing the phrase “Outgrow the Expected” a lot now – even working from home. With a graduating class of seniors about to celebrate the momentous accomplishment of completing their degrees, it’s the time of year when we celebrate the students who have lived up to our campus spirit of outgrowing the expected. The last two years have seen no shortage of obstacles – from learning remotely, to remaining safe while still participating in hands-on study – so, congrats class of 2021!

Commencement begins Friday, June 11. This year’s ceremony a fusion of in-person and virtual, you can find the campus hub for all things graduation-related here. (That’s also where you’ll find the portal to the CBS annual awards webpages, which will list all of our 2020-21 student awards recipients.)

The College’s AvenueB program is looking for alumni and professional mentors for our incoming transfer students this fall. The program supports transfer students as they transition from community colleges into academic careers here at UC Davis. If you’d like to volunteer to support a new UC Davis student on their academic journey, you can find more information about how to become a mentor here.

As we enter summer celebrating the accomplishments of our students, we’ll also take some time to step away from our computer screens. The CBS newsletter will be taking a two-month break and returning in September with a few surprises, including a fresh look!

In the meantime, from all of us at CBS, we wish our graduating students the best of luck in their future endeavors and the rest of you a safe and restorative summer. 


Mark Winey, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Biological Sciences
Distinguished Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology 
News Highlights
Philanthropic Support Enables Research into Pediatric Neurodegenerative Disorder
The laboratory of Richard McKenney, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology has published new research on the role of the KIF1A motor protein in degenerative disorders in children.
Two UC Davis Juniors Receive Goldwater Scholarships
Maya Mysore and Keely Ji – both juniors studying with faculty in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics – have been named Goldwater Scholars, the nation’s premier undergraduate award in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.
Discovery Increases Likelihood of Growing Food Despite Drought
Siobhan Brady and Neelima Sinha, professors in the Department of Plant Biology, have discovered genetic data that will help food crops like tomatoes and rice survive longer, more intense periods of drought on our warming planet.
UC Davis Researchers Explore Sci-fi Solutions for Neurological Diseases
Jochen Ditterich, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, is exploring how brain stimulators may help address cognitive deficits that are not treatable with medication.
From left: Barry Nguyen, a biochemistry and molecular biology major, Katherine Hand and La Rissa Vasquez, both neurobiology, physiology and behavior majors.
CBS Undergraduates Win Big in This Year’s Lang Prize
All three of the Science, Engineering and Math winners at this year’s Norma J. Lang Prize for Undergraduate Information Research are College of Biological Sciences students.
Commencement 2021

On Friday, June 11, UC Davis will launch a virtual commencement celebration event online.