This past month has been a great one for our faculty. With recognition from the National Academy of Inventors, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the on-campus Chancellor’s Fellowship, CBS faculty have certainly received significant recognition for their outstanding work. As ever, I am inspired by the remarkable work our faculty do to innovate, mentor and advance our planet’s knowledge.

March is National Women’s History Month, and I would like to take this chance to recognize the outstanding women in our college. From our faculty ranks to our dedicated staff - advisors, fundraisers, business personnel, administrative officers and student employees - I celebrate your many, many accomplishments and contributions to our campus, our community and our world.

This month has some notable events. The Storer Lectureship returns on Tuesday, March 7 with Harvard’s Sean Eddy. A computational biologist, Eddy's talk is entitled, “Sequence Homology Searches: The Future of Deciphering the Past.” The Center for Neuroscience’s popular and longstanding NeuroFest is on Saturday, March 18 and this year is focusing on artificial intelligence. Registration is open through March 8.

Spring starts officially later this month. Though it has already started to feel a little warmer here in Davis, we’ve still had the rain and cold that comes with winter in Northern California. It’s nice to think that before long the days will be a little clearer, the air a little warmer and the plants a little less bare.

In the meantime, amid drier and drier years here in the state, we’ll take all the rain we can get. 

______________



Mark Winey, Ph.D.

Dean, College of Biological Sciences

Distinguished Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology 

Featured image: Distinct populations of the mountain jewelflower (Streptanthus tortuosus) live throughout California, from low-elevation foothills to the high alpine. Researchers in the Department of Plant Biology and colleagues use the jewelflower to understand how plants adapt to varying climates. (Image credit: Julin Maloof)

Justin Siegel was recognized for work engineering enzymes to improve health. Siegel has developed a naturally derived blue food coloring and created a company, VinZymes, that is helping the wine industry adapt to climate change.

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Wilsaan Joiner was recognized for using both biological and engineering approaches to improve mobility. "Our newest fellows represent the very best of UC Davis," said Chancellor Gary May.

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Kate Laskowski was named a 2023 Sloan Fellow by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. She uses the Amazon molly, a small freshwater fish that clones itself, to understand the origins of individuality. 

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Ranging in topic from the impacts of global change on trees and ponds in the Sierra Nevada, to uncovering the mysteries of beetles and snails on the California coast, the films highlight the breadth of research conducted by UC Davis graduate students.

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Researchers in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior found that a keto diet improves muscle function in older animals by preventing muscle mass loss due to age. 

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