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Davis, CA 95616
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Health Sciences Research Laboratories
The Health Sciences Research Laboratories are shared core support facilities with research staff available for assistance to students, faculty and staff. These facilities are the Biochemistry and Special Instrumentation Laboratory and the Survival Surgery Laboratory.
Human Performance Laboratory
The Human Performance Laboratory (HPL) was founded in 1963 and has a long history of basic and applied research and outreach in exercise physiology, biomechanics and psychology. The HPL has been involved in a variety of research areas since its inception including metabolism, heat stress, fluid balance, injury prevention, body composition and health benefits of physical activity and fitness. The HPL is represented by full-time and adjunct faculty members with varying research backgrounds and scientific interests. The HPL facilities allow measurement of a comprehensive list of human performance characteristics. Investigators have access to advanced data acquisition systems for evaluation in the areas of biomechanics, motor learning, environmental physiology, cardiopulmonary and thermoregulatory physiology, human nutrition and exercise and muscle metabolism. Specific technologies and capabilities include a biochemistry lab, extensive computing facilities, high speed 3-D video motion analysis, ground reaction force measurement, ultrasound imaging, a temperature and humidity controlled environmental chamber and systems for measurement of oxygen consumption, body composition and psychomotor performance. The HPL meets the needs of today's creative researcher and has the capacity to assist in answering tomorrows research questions.
Center for Health and the Environment
The Center for Health and the Environment (CHE) is a center of excellence within the John Muir Institute of the Environment (JMIE). The research focus of the CHE is the effect of environmental agents, including chemicals and radiation, on the health of humans, animals and other organisms. To investigate these issues, researchers at the CHE conduct epidemiologic studies in human populations, and experiments are performed with animals, organisms, cells, and molecules to measure environmental exposures as well as health outcomes associated with them.
Louis K. Mann Laboratory
Plant scientists in the Louis K. Mann Laboratory study the physiology, biochemistry, microbiology and molecular biology of pre-harvest and harvested fruits, ornamentals, vegetables and seeds to improve and maintain their quality and safety during harvest, storage, processing, distribution and marketing. The six faculty housed in this facility are members of the Department of Plant Sciences and one USDA/ARS research scientist. Research and extension activities are supported by students, postdoctoral researchers and visiting scientists. Research ranges from the basic molecular biology to practical storage technologies for horticultural crops, including whole and lightly processed products. Results are of interest to other researchers in the plant sciences and food science as well as to growers, shippers, transportation and logistics providers, marketers and consumers of fresh fruit and vegetables. The facility is equipped with 18 controlled-temperature rooms, eight research laboratories, specialized postharvest analytical equipment and a small conference room.
Natural Reserve System
In 1965, the University of California established a Natural Reserve System to acquire, maintain, and protect natural areas for research and instruction purposes. These areas comprise a representative cross-section of California's diverse ecosystems, which include deserts, off-shore islands, mountains, and submarine canyons. UC Davis administers six reserves in this system, as well as a campus reserve. The Bodega Marine Reserve is 326 acres along the northern California coastline. The Bodega Marine Life Refuge is adjacent to the reserve. Eagle Lake Biological Field Station, 250 miles northeast of Davis in remote Lassen County, is one of the least disturbed large lakes in the western United States. Jepson Prairie Reserve is located 15 miles south of the campus and is 1,566 acres of perennial bunchgrass and vernal pools. The Jepson Prairie area is typical of habitats which once covered most of California's Central Valley. The McLaughlin Reserve, 65 miles northwest of campus, consists of a rare serpentine barren plant community, riparian habitat, and juniper woodland. The UC Davis Putah Creek Riparian Reserve represents a natural central valley piparian habitat. There are 26 other reserves in the Natural Reserve System, all of which are available to UC Davis faculty and students. Quail Ridge Reserve, 18 miles west of campus, has 600 acres of oak woodland, chaparral, perennial bunch grass bordering on Lake Berryessa, and a small facility for classroom and research activities. Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve, 14 miles west of campus, has 576 acres of complex slope, aspect, and moisture gradients, that create a diversity of habitats and supports plant and animal communities characteristic of the inner and outer coastal ranges.
Student Farm
The Student Farm was founded in 1977 by students wanting to explore alternative agricultural theories and practices. The Student Farm offers students a wide range of educational and research opportunities in sustainable agriculture through numerous internship offerings, formal courses (e.g., in organic crop production, sustainable agriculture and environmental education) and research efforts. Opportunities include working in several staff-supervised hands-on projects such as year-round production and marketing of organic vegetables, on-farm composting, tractor operations and environmental education tours for school children. In addition, students may conduct field and greenhouse experiments in various aspects of sustainable agriculture or other individual projects.
Davis Botanical Society
The Davis Botanical Society is used for research in plant systematics and ecology, as well as for public service requests (especially identification of weeds and poisonous plants). The society contains more than 200,000 plant specimens, including vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, and algae. The majority of these specimens are angiosperms (flowering plants), mainly from California, but the collections are worldwide in scope, with strong holdings from North America, Ecuador, Baja California, and regions with Mediterranean climate regimes. The Davis Botanical Society is well known for its collection of weeds and poisonous plants, although it also has world-class collections of grasses, oaks, and spurges.
Veterinary Genetics Laboratory
The Veterinary Genetics Laboratory is recognized for its pioneering research on animal blood groups and biochemical polymorphisms. Current research activities include studies of genetics, genomic and forensic research of domestic and wildlife animal species, including horses, cattle, sheep, goats, camelids, dogs, cats, wild felids and canids, bears, birds and primates. Activities include DNA genotyping and mitochondria sequencing for applications in animal identification, parentage verification, forensic analyses, population structure and genetic diversity. Projects include, among others, mapping of phenotypic traits, coat color and disease genes in horse, dogs and cats; identification of causative mutations; development and validation of microsatellite and single nucleotide polymorphism markers for several species; development of robust diagnostic and genotyping DNA tests; population and breed relationship studies through allele frequency and mitochondria sequence analyses; the genetic structure of wild populations; development of software for DNA genotyping and implementation of electronic data interchange for reporting of laboratory results. VGL is also involved in high profile criminal cases both nationally and internationally through their Forensic Unit.
Last Updated: May 27, 2008