There’s always something to celebrate at UC Davis. You’ve now seen stories about our successful return to campus, and the decreasing prevalence of the Omicron variant. We’ve also just seen record numbers of student applications, which speaks to the deep passion of so many young people who want to further their educations at UC Davis.

And on the faculty side, John Albeck, an associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, was recently named a 2021-22 Chancellor’s Fellow, which includes $25,000 in support of research or other scholarly work. It is quite an achievement.

It's also a time of celebration. The Center for Neuroscience – an interdisciplinary research hub dedicated to understanding brain function in health and in illness – is celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year. To kick off the anniversary year, the center’s popular NeuroFest is being held next weekend on Saturday, March 12. This free event is open to all, but registration is required.

And speaking of events, Picnic Day returns this year. On Saturday, April 23 the annual event turns 108. The college will have activities for students and their families to participate in. More on that in April. 

Meanwhile, the season is growing warmer (despite the odd cold snap here and there), and we are already looking to the close of spring quarter, the break our students will enjoy, and then their return for the final stretch of this academic year.

Until then, we will round out the quarter with a commitment to exploration, and with more than a few things to celebrate.

Go Ags!

Featured image: The college's lattice light-sheet microscope is one of fewer than 30 of its type anywhere in the world and has the potential to revolutionize what is known about the living cell. (David Slipher / UC Davis) 

A new paper by researchers in the Department of Evolution and Ecology and colleagues published in PNAS shows the power of large collections of genomes such as the Earth BioGenome Project.

New research by scientists in the Department of Plant Biology on a “smoke detector” protein in pea plants may have far-reaching impacts on food production and agricultural ecosystems.

Habitat conservation can buy time for heat-sensitive species in the face of climate change – but it might also leave them in a trap, according to a study from researchers in the Department of Evolution and Ecology and colleagues.

Professor Emeritus Kenneth Burtis, who served as the dean of CBS from 2006-2011, has been named a UC Davis Distinguished Emeriti for his essential contributions to the Healthy Davis Together (HDT) program.