In less than a month, we'll present diplomas to more than 1,000 graduates, welcoming each of them into the proud ranks of UC Davis alumni. It's a time of year to recognize the amazing accomplishments of our students as they set out to build their careers and continue their education.

If you can't make it to campus for commencement, you can follow along with a live-stream video of the CBS Commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 17 at 9 a.m.

We'd also like to recognize Lois and John Crowe as recipients of the UC Davis Medal. As researchers and philanthropists, the two were instrumental in helping UC Davis become one of the top-rated biological science programs in the nation.

Finally, each year the college honors our top students with awards for their academic and research achievements. I invite you to read their inspiring stories below.

UC Davis is truly one of a kind, and we're proud to celebrate with all of you—our Aggie family.

Go Ags!

Last year, Kelsey Klein began a project close to her heart, and her idea to create a prostate cancer nonprofit took shape. Klein, a neurobiology, physiology and behavior senior, is recognized with the College of Biological Sciences Medal for her outstanding community service, research activities and scholarship.

Biochemistry and molecular biology senior Bita Shahrvini spends her time in the lab studying enzyme movement and disease development. For her research excellence, Shahrvini is leaving UC Davis with two of the college’s top accolades, the Undergraduate of the Year Award and the Ronald and Lydia Baskin Award. 

For excellence in biological sciences research, biochemistry and molecular biology senior Benjamin Mallory is one of two recipients recognized with the Ronald and Lydia Baskin Award. Mallory studies DNA repair in the Heyer Lab.

In high school, Connor Grant discovered a love for medicine during a visit to the emergency room. Grant, a neurobiology, physiology and behavior senior, is recognized for his outstanding leadership and scholarship with the Veloyce Glenn Winslow Jr. Award. 

After a long day of teaching and research, biochemists Richard McKenney and Kassandra Ori-McKenney usually find themselves on their patio discussing topics like the cytoskeleton and motor proteins. It’s shop talk for the couple, both assistant professors in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Was it luck that investigators got a break in the Golden State Killer case thanks to the genealogy database, GEDmatch? UC Davis population biologists Graham Coop and M. D. “Doc” Edge explain the science behind the search.

UC Davis Health's ER serves approximately 80,000 patients each year. Through the Emergency Medicine Research Associate Program, undergraduate students get hands-on experience in the Department of Emergency Medicine.

Faculty, staff and students gathered at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory in late April not for their weekly seminar, but to remember their colleague Susan Williams who died in a car crash while en route to the Davis campus to teach.

CBS Dean Mark Winey became fascinated by science at an early age. But the draw to biology—specifically, genetics—was prompted by Winey’s younger sister Christine, who as an infant was diagnosed with an inherited metabolic disease called galactosemia.

Before delving into the world of endocrinology, Assistant Professor Rebecca Calisi Rodríguez wasn’t following the path of a traditional scientist. A mystery at the Dallas Zoo ignited her passion for animal behavior.