There’s no question about it, UC Davis is a home for talent, from our students to our faculty and researchers.

We’re proud to recognize Katherine Murphy, recently named UC Davis Grad Slam Champ. The plant biology Ph.D. student will compete at the UC-wide Grad Slam on May 10 (watch it live!) where she’ll present a spirited talk on how plant biochemistry can feed the future.

I’d like to congratulate Professor Mark Goldman, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and the Center for Neuroscience, for his recent appointment to the Joel Keizer Endowed Chair in Theoretical and Computational Biology. A strong advocate of quantitative biology, Mark sees the future of life sciences education incorporating more data analysis and computer learning to meet the demands of big data.

Kudos are in order for Kristin Aquilino and her team with the Bodega Marine Lab. The White Abalone Captive Breeding Program had its largest spawn yet. This program is working to bring a prized species back from the brink of extinction.

Finally, I’d like to give a shout-out to all of the amazing students who participated in the Undergraduate Research Conference. We also recognized more than 60 undergraduate and graduate students for their amazing academic excellence and service during an awards ceremony last week. Be sure to visit the Facebook album to view and share the photos of these amazing students.

Go Ags!

The biochemistry and molecular biology senior is one of 90 students from around the world who have been awarded the Gates-Cambridge Scholarship for postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge.

A parasitic amoeba that causes severe gut disease protects itself from attack by biting off pieces of host cells and putting their proteins on its own surface, according to Katherine Ralston, assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.

Designed with data collection in mind, iNaturalist acts like a pocket repository for all things wildlife. It encourages people to explore and record the natural world around them, from the city streets to the riparian woodlands.

Plant biology Ph.D. student and UC Davis Grad Slam winner Katherine Murphy studies medicinal terpenes found in corn that could help bolster other crops' defenses. She’ll compete in the University of California Grad Slam Finals on May 10 in San Francisco.

An advocate for computational and quantitative biology, Professor Mark Goldman will carry on the mantle of the late Professor Joel Keizer, a pioneering UC Davis faculty member and theoretical biologist who spent 28 years on campus.

The Bodega Marine Laboratory’s White Abalone Program has millions of new additions following its most successful spawning at the University of California, Davis, facility.

In his new lab at UC Davis, Assistant Professor Lucas Smith, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, investigates how the accumulation of scar tissue affects muscle mechanics. His aim is to develop therapies to alleviate neuromuscular disorders and restore healthy muscle regeneration.