This year has started with a familiar feel. Campus is quiet, students are attending remote instruction and a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded. It sounds almost like nothing has changed since the beginning of the pandemic. Thankfully, that isn’t the case.

In Davis, vaccination rates remain exceptionally high. And, as Chancellor Gary May shared in an update last week, UC Davis still has lower case numbers than most other areas in California. As a result, we continue to believe the Davis campus environment is among the healthiest in the country. So, that’s reason to be hopeful.

The pandemic has not dampened the university’s mission of teaching, research and service, either. Class of 2020 graduates joined the Class of 2021 in December to participate in make-up commencements and celebrate their academic achievements with their peers. Last year also saw a record-breaking $986 million in research funding received by the university, which will advance human and animal health, protect our planet and food supply, and enable a more resilient society. As for service, the UC Davis Genome Center continues to provide campus and surrounding communities with free, rapid COVID testing – an effort that has helped ensure the ongoing safety of our community.

On the note of community, the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior hired three new faculty members this year. Each comes to campus with a distinct expertise, but all of them share a common passion for teaching.

As a new year begins, the College of Biological Sciences is poised to continue our commitment to excellence in teaching, research and service.

Go Ags!

Featured photo: Using single-cell sequencing, scientists can track changing cell states in a Hydra polyp. Gene expression visualized in green and magenta. (Stefan Sibert, Juliano Lab / UC Davis)

For some children born without fully formed limbs, prosthetic devices can be helpful. The question is: how does the brain deal with a limb that was never there to begin with?

Madeline Kennedy’s passion for sports led her to major in exercise biology, and showed her how a career as a physical therapist could help her make an impact on other people’s lives.

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology researchers found that tau molecules, which play a role in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, can congregate together in a novel – and reversible – way. 

Department of Plant Biology researchers uncovered some of the strategies plant pathogens use to manipulate their host’s cellular recycling – or “autophagy” – systems.