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Learn why graduate studies at UC Davis are a notch above the others.
2013
Grad student to attend Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings
Donald G. Crosby Fellowship in Environmental Chemistry namesake honored
2013 Graduate Studies Honors and Awards Ceremony
William G. Golden, Jr. and Kathleen H. Golden International Agriculture Fellowship namesake honored
Engineering grads develop non-wetting fabric that drains sweat
Grad students Sylvia Sorkin Greenfield Award for Breast CT Research
32 receive Graduate Studies honors, awards
Alumna judges the Big Brains on TV
Landscape Architecture students design sustainable UC Davis project
Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Student Symposium a Success
Meet McNair Scholars New Outreach Coordinator and Adviser
Check in with Nursing and Science Health-Care Leadership graduate
Meet these grad student foodies
Students showcase research at Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Student Symposium
UC Davis Center Develops Innovative Cooling Technologies
Grad students and chancellor participate in a "She Shares" conversation
Grad programs show strong performance in rankings
Exploring grad student career paths
Lovers' hearts beat in sync, as demonstrated by grad student's study on couples
Psychology grad student receives Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity and Community
Allen G. Marr Prize Distinguished Dissertation Award namesake honored
UC Davis studies fertilization methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
McNair Scholars Program receives new funding
Co-created and managed by grad students, sustainable Aggie Reuse Store celebrates first anniversary
New agreement between the China Scholarship Council and UC Davis for Ph.D. Programs
Grad fellowships make the difference
2012
Graduate Studies offers 'pathways' to careers in academia and beyond
Ecology grad student grows oysters in the lab to help restore wild populations
Grad students help promote "Meet a Scientist" event for kids
Geography grad gives back to his Ghana hometown
First Provost's Fellowships go to 50 UC Davis grad students
Entomology grad student is cutting Bergmann's Rule down to size
Grad student part of Large Underground Xenon experiment in South Dakota
Graduate and Professional Students Dean's Cup Bowling Competition Winners
Resources for graduate students expand at UC Davis
Proud to be Green... Grad students conduct wind turbine systems research
Ecology grad students study the rare Great Gray Owls of Yosemite
Chemistry doctoral student is NSF video finalist and needs your vote!
Doctoral candidate is captivated by medieval literature
Environment is the ultimate multi-media says English student
Geology student works on Mars' Curiosity science team
Environment is the ultimate multi-media says English student
Ecology student impacts others with science and service
Where in the World is Graduate Studies Dean Jeffery Gibeling?
Grad student chosen for prestigious plant breeding fellowship
UC Davis is 13th in nation for National Science Foundation Fellowships, with 37 awarded in 2012! Don't miss the Oct. 9 and 10 information sessions for 2013 applicants.
English Ph.D. student is named the Omnidawn 2012 Poetry Chapbook Contest winner
UC Davis smartphone application will allow instant polling for presidential debate on Wednesday
Animal Behavior grad student's research shows that scrub jays react to their dead
UC Davis remains in top 10 and is up another notch
Animal Behavior Graduate Group student's research shows that scrub jays react to their dead
Seven grad students set off to work with farmers in developing countries
Grad student and black lab track orcas off the San Juan Islands
$1.3M deal is the first partnership between Ag industry and UC Ag division
Sept. 13: UC dedicates first full-sized center pivot overhead irrigation system, public is invited
UC Davis listed among top 50 universities in the world
Grad student part of team discovery that may lead to better lure to detect fruit fly
Grad students win Howard Hughes Medical Institute scholarships
UC Davis Team wins third place at iCAN 2012
Biomedical Engineering grad student wins top research fellowship
$1.6 million grant to raise STEM achievement in K-12 schools, grad students conduct research
Grad student is the first winner of the Dannon Probiotics Fellowship
Grad Student helps local school earn $550K green grant
Nursing doctoral student wins research abstract award
Master of Professional Accountancy chair wins CalCPA's Outstanding Accounting Educator Award
Grad students receive new award for excellence
Mother and son graduate together at Graduate Studies Commencement
2012 Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award winners announced
Graduate Academic Achievement and Advocacy Program
Thursday, June 7, 2012 | Memorial Union, MU II
3:30 p.m. Refreshments and Seating, 4:00 p.m. Ceremony, Reception to follow
2012 Graduate Studies Honors and Awards
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter, Graduate Studies Dean Jeffery Gibeling, the Graduate Council and
the Postdoctoral Student Association cordially invite you to attend the 2012 Graduate Studies Honors and Awards:
- Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Assistant
- Dissertation Awards
- Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Research
McNair Scholars Program Looking for a Few Good Underrepresented Undergrads
Grad Student Support Administration Currently Under Review, with Goal of Streamlined Future
Study: Prepare grad students for work beyond academia
McNair scholars stir up interest for Ann Prepare Lavni: Haiti
White House hails Chemistry grad student as "Champion of Change"
2012 Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Student Symposium winners announced
2012-13 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships announced
Robotics company started by engineering professor and former grad student awarded NSF funding
Plant Biology graduate student lands NSF grant
Nursing school dean tapped for national advisory committee
Weed science grad students awarded WSWS scholarships
Reynoso-led task force report findings
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing grad students visit state Capitol
Animal Biology grad student wins Alltech Young Scientist Award
Center of Poverty Research's Graduate Student Retreat a success
Grad student's answer to online bug question wins him social media award
Noted alum's life's work focuses on the welfare of animals in zoos
Shining the light on Mexican scholars and scientists
English Grad Students Win Awards, Accept Prestigious Positions
2012-13 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Award Winners Announced
Pharmacology and Toxicology Graduate Group Alumni Updates
New UC health plan for grad students a big hit with students and university
Biomedical Engineering students selected as U.S. finalists to compete in China
Chemical Engineering student turns tobacco plants into living vaccine factories
Ah... mental relief! Counseling Services Geared for Grad Students
Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology student receives the Loren D. Carlson Prize
Creative fundraiser tips for postdocs in search of support
New UC LEADS Program Coordinator Gears Up for 2012 Scholars
New Master of Professional Accountancy Program Now Enrolling Grad Students
Grad study discovers: Why In-Town Big Box Stores Might Not Be As Awful As You Think
Grad student and Lifelens team member wins Microsoft 'Imagine Cup' grant for malaria app
Alumnus develops mobile app to help the farming and ag communities
Provost Gives $1.4M Boost to Grad Student Support
Doctoral student is helping rice farmers grow more with less thanks to a "Golden" opportunity
Major agreements bring Brazilian students to UC Davis
Faint 'satellite galaxy' discovered
UC Davis scientists join researchers from 13 nations to drill for climate change
Grad student leads study of the collision of galaxy clusters 5 billion light years away
UC Davis reaches $750 million fundraising milestone
2011
New group to examine ways to help graduate students move into careers
Plant Sciences doctoral candidate follows dream of working in nature
UC Davis impact on economy tops $6.9 billion
Sunlight and bunker oil a fatal combination for Pacific herring
Feb. 2: Professors for the Future Information Meeting
Grad students looking for on-campus affordable housing... immediate vacancies now available!
Now accepting nominations for the 2012 Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award
Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Student Symposium accepting applications for 2012
International grad student enrollment increases eight percent nationally
Plant Sciences grad student lands NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant
Chancellor's remarks from graduate and professional student town hall meeting
International grad student enrollment increases eight percent nationally
Google's Scholar Citations tracking now available to all
Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Student Symposium gears up for 2012
Wind experts advise on revolutionary wind-powered skyscraper
Davis takes lead in the future of agricultural technology
Dean Gibeling responds to recent campus events
Anthropology grad student discovers ancient bronze artifact at dig
UC Davis and Wageningen UR partner to feed 2B population growth
Ph.D. grad engages youth in greening inner city
UC Davis rolls out innovative new majors, minors
New McNair Scholars Program director is true student advocate
UC Davis hosts students en route to science conference
Researchers discover complexities of DNA repair
Study of Religion approved as new Graduate Group
Pharmacology and Toxicology alum is helping to eradicate polio
Alumnus develops system that predicts irrigation flooding
UC Davis Sponsors National STEM Conference for Underrepresented Students
Nation's largest planned zero net energy community opens at Davis
Geology grad student's earthquake blog is back after months of field work
WOWza! Week of Orientation and Welcome a rousing success
Chancellor Katehi discusses international student support
Grad students learn how to initiate social change in the Middle East
Drop your pencil and boot up your computer, fillable forms now online
Comparative Literature grad students receive Fulbrights
Grad finds sea turtles in strange places
UC Davis gets $4 million grant to create poverty research center
The kinds of UC Davis research funded by the Pentagon might surprise-and benefit-you
Grad develops compound that self-cleans cotton and breaks down pesticides, bacteria
Biomedical Engineering student wins Society for Applied Spectroscopy award
UC Davis, partners to launch $40 million effort to revitalize native African crops
New research grants help bridge the gap from the lab to real life
Incoming grad student has no trouble visualizing a doctorate in chemistry
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing students help Food Bank with technology
Faculty, staff reach deep to support graduate students
Ecology grad students become newest Switzer Fellows
Grad students improve their laboratory skills through teaching
Later class starts in high schools worth examining
Onset, pace of puberty tied to behavior problems
Researchers develop computer model for testing heart-disease drugs
Warming streams could be the end for salmon
Bedrock nitrogen may help against climate change
Researchers develop computer model for testing heart-disease drug
Grad Prof wins Outstanding Mentor Award
Alum is Crop Science Society of America 2011 Award Recipient
Student blogs on adaptive management and experimental island flooding in the Sacramento Delta
Study finds electric vehicles are so fun to drive, you won't want to go back
UC Davis "Wasp Woman" makes giganticdiscovery
Student discusses Android power consumption and app etiquette
Researchers solve multiple sclerosis brain-cell mystery
Agilent Technologies and UC Davis announce new Wave Research Center
Arming Middle Eastern college students with scholarship skills
Student begins testing smartphone diagnostic app in India and Ethiopia
Faculty hone mentoring skills to benefit graduate students
Ph.D. student leads science camp for teens who are sight impaired like him
Geologist advises on Mars landing site
2011 SACNAS National Conference - UC Davis field trip
Acid oceans could hit California mussels
Epidemiology graduate student honored in Canada
UC Davis researchers' lab tests safety, potency of medical marijuana
Study debunks autism as a primarily genetic disorder
UC Davis team fights food crisis
Students win national geothermal energy competition
New incubator site is hub for green innovation
Grad student published in ScienceDirect
UC Davis enters patent agreement for "iMobot"
Student receives accolades at Photosynthesis conference
Grant to fund a postdoc research fellow and grad students
Jerome Rosen, music department founder, dies at age 89
Congratulations to some recent dissertation award winners...
Anthropology doctoral student Lena Meari was awarded the Harry Frank Guggenheim Dissertation Award for 2011-2012 and Anthropology doctoral student Vivian Choi was presented with the Davis Humanities Institute Dissertation Award.
Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Award Winners:
- Nick D'Avella, Anthropology doctoral student (http://www.acls.org/research/fellow.aspx?cid=7e001ffd-0075-e011-b81f-000c293a51f7)
- Nathan Carpenter, History doctoral student ((http://www.acls.org/research/fellow.aspx?cid=7d001ffd-0075-e011-b81f-000c293a51f7)
UC Entrepreneurship Academy
September 12-16, 2011 at UC Davis
Apply online at http://entrepreneurship.ucdavis.edu/uc by August 12.
Science and engineering graduate students: come develop the commercial potential of your idea by working with leading investors, entrepreneurs and others in the business and investment community. The one-week UC Entrepreneurship Academy is the premiere academic program for commercializing science and engineering innovations and is a springboard for moving research out of the lab and into the world.
The academy includes:
- five intensive days exploring market opportunities surrounding your ideas and your research
- daily seminars and interactive sessions taught by leading venture capitalists, angel investors and entrepreneurs
- the tools to communicate the broader potential of your research
- a networking dinner with industry sponsors, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and angel investors
- an evening mentoring sessions with industry executives and investors
Livestock grazing not to blame for Yosemite toad decline, study finds
Brain state affects memory recall
Can evolution outpace climate change?
How cells' sensing hairs are made
Cows make humanized milk, but is it safe?
Lyme disease bacteria take cover in lymph nodes, study finds
Prof calls seminars 'a treasure trove,' launches UC system's new online archive
Alumnus's 'Monster Fish' earns National Geographic honor
Internationally respected neuroscientist Edward G. Jones dies at 72
Chinese genomics giant BGI and UC Davis form partnership
Campus sustainability map launched
Agricultural Sustainability Institute names grad first Bradford-Rominger Award winner
Teens and parents learn how easy it is to fool the human brain
Hands across the borders: gearing up for Brazil-UC Davis graduate student exchange
Children conceived in winter have a greater risk of autism, study finds
'Explosive' evolution in pupfish
Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Student Symposium 2011 Winners Announced
Graduate and professional students take the stage for three days
National puzzle hunt comes to Davis
Two new studies link hunting to lead in scavenger birds
Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Student Symposium April 21-23
The campus is invited to attend the Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Student Symposium starting with the poster session at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 21 at the UC Davis Conference Center. (Dessert will be served.) The campus community is also invited to the events held at the ARC on Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23. For more information about the symposium, go to http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/about/igps.html.
2011 Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award Winners
Cell death pathway linked to mitochondrial fusion
HIV protein unveils vaccine target
2011-2012 Professors for the Future
The Professors for the Future (PFTF) program is pleased to announce the selection of the 2011-2012 class of fellows:
- Lisa Auchincloss (Plant Biology)
- Lydia Beaudrot (Ecology)
- Josh Furman (Peter A. Rock Thermochemistry and NEAT ORU)
- Cara Harwood (Geology)
- Erin Hendel (English)
- Matt Jones (Plant Biology)
- Mong Thi Nguyen (Education)
- Luke Peterson (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
- Ben Reeb (Human and Community Development)
- Jessica Spradley (Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior)
- Heather Sturman (Linguistics)
- Kristen Kennedy Terry (French)
- Juliet Wahleithner (Education)
The Professors for the Future program is a competitive, one-year professional development program for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars at UC Davis. For more information, please visit http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/pftf.
New TACs Announced
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) is proud to announce the newest cohort of Teaching Assistant Consultants (TAC).
Senior TAC Coordinator: Mara Evans
TAC Co-Coordinators: Sarah Dalrymple (spring) and Ann Chang
Senior TACs: Richard Osibanjo, Chemistry (spring) and Matt Nesvet, Political Science
Newest TACs:
- Jeff Anderson, Mathematics
- Jamiella Ortiz Brooks, French
- Hsiao-chi (Angel) Chang, Education
- Heather Dwyer, Ecology
- Erin Hendel, English
- Dalia Magana, Spanish
- Henry Yeung, Food Science/Nutrition
These members will serve from spring quarter 2011 through winter quarter 2012. For more information, go to http://cetl.ucdavis.edu/egw/tacs or http://ucdtaconsultants.blogspot.com.
Pushing the cutting edge of modular robot technology
Students mentor teams in separate robotics events
Williamson Act loss threatens wildlife habitat
Where have all the flowers gone? UC Davis researcher wants to find out
Researchers discover how to measure snowmelt in the Sierra more accurately
National Biophotonic Sensors and Systems Center announced
As baby boomers age, shortage of geriatric care looms
Podcast and Materials
"Winter Dialogue with the Dean: Graduate Students with Families"
Podcast: Listen to the Dialogue with the Dean Podcast
Materials: Overview of Childbirth Parental Accommodation Policies
Institutional Comparisons of Childbearing/Parental Accommodation Policies, March 2011
Bilinski Fellowship Recipients
UC Davis has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Russell J. and Dorothy S. Bilinski Fellowship Fund, a program of the Bilinski Educational Foundation. The grant allowed the College of Letters and Science to offer dissertation fellowships in six of its top-ranked programs in the Division of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies (HArCS) and the Division of Social Sciences (DSS). This generous fellowship program is designed to support students as they begin the advanced stage of doctoral study. Congratulations to these fellowship recipients:
- Sampada Aranke, Performance Studies
- Valerie Billing, English
- Keith Hennessy, Performance Studies
- Nicole Kenley, English
- Andrew Kerr, History
- Debra Leiter, Political Science
- Michelle Schwarze, Political Science
- David Simon, Economics
- David Verbuc, Music
- Lia Winfield, History
For more information, go to http://dhi.ucdavis.edu/?page_id=6945.
From the English Department:
- Alysia Garrison is joining Dartmouth's English Department as an Assistant Professor in the fall.
- John Garrison will be joining Carroll University's English Department as an Assistant Professor in the fall, teaching medieval and early modern studies, with a focus on Shakespeare.
In memory of Viticulture & Enology graduate student Ilan Tokayer
We are officially a bicycle-friendly university, and a golden one, at that
Grad student co-writes premier issue of new magazine: Boom: A Journal of California
Study shows women still behind in getting Ph.D.s
Pain research may pave the way to understanding and controlling chronic pain
First census finds surprisingly few white sharks off California
Thursday, March 10
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
| Silo Cabernet Room
Winter Quarter Dialogue with the Dean
Graduate Students with Families
Are you interested in support for graduate students with families at UC Davis? Would you like to learn about resources that exist for graduate students with families? Do you want to know what efforts the university is making to improve academic and financial support for expecting graduate students?
Please join us for the winter quarter Dialogue with the Dean. Graduate Studies' Dean Gibeling and Associate Dean Timm will speak from about 5:15 to 5:45 p.m., and then open the floor to discussion. All graduate students are encouraged to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to exchange ideas with the dean and with each other. This is a great chance to inform yourself and to make sure your voice is heard!
Please e-mail Cassandra at gradassistant@ucdavis.edu if you plan to attend so we can make sure we have enough food. (You may also e-mail her with questions or dietary concerns.
Making stem cells stick to business
University Outreach and International Programs Funding Opportunities
Roadkill, rat poison: Can Bobcats survive?
Immune molecule regulates brain connections
Chemistry students to take quarter abroad in Taiwan
Professor and student mentor Marion Miller dies at 55
UC DAY: Yudof says 'we're running out of budget options'
Survey asks about campus e-mail service
Sitting down with popular resident brewmaster Charles Bamforth
UC Davis scholar Jack Forbes advocated for indigenous peoples
Volcanic magma could become power source
Study reinforces link between obesity, high-fat meals and heart disease
Grad students introduce K-12 youngsters to the 'aha!' moments
UC Davis Scientists Race to Develop Airport Scanner for Homeland Security
Forensic Science Grad Students Put Crime-fighting Under the Microscope
Study Shows Explosive- and Drug-Sniffing Dogs' Performance is Affected by Their Handlers Beliefs
2010
Text Rentals Save Students $388,000 in a Single Quarter
Psychological Changes from Meditation Training Linked to Cellular Health
Study Shows Plants Moved Downhill, Not Up, in Warming World
Small Music Program Gains National Recognition
Call for Graduate Student Assistant to the Dean and to the Chancellor Applications
Now Accepting Applications for Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Student Symposium
Graduate and professional school students – have you been conducting interesting work and want an opportunity to share it with our campus community? Are you interested in meeting individuals on campus who may be doing work complementary to your own? Apply to the 2011 Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Student Symposium.
This year's symposium has been completely re-envisioned and has been expanded from one day to a three-day event that includes performances, panels, art displays, and traditional papers and posters. The event will be held Thursday, April 21 through Saturday, April 23. There is a $5,000 prize for Best 10-Minute Talk and $1,000 top prizes for Best Performance/Art Display, Best Graduate Student Session and Best Poster. For details and application procedures go to http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/about/igps.html.
Student Advocate Retires After 30 Years and Gives Back to Graduate Education
After 30 years with UC Davis, Silvia Castillo Hillyer will retire following winter quarter 2011.
Silvia spent more than 20 years with the Ecology graduate group and most recently served as the program's Graduate Program Staff Coordinator (Student Affairs Officer). Silvia's was the friendly face that ecology graduate students depended on and reached out to for advice and support during their graduate years.
Silvia has always been a staunch supporter of graduate education at UC Davis. "I have worked with Silvia for over 20 years and have always found her to be an untiring advocate for graduate student and staff issues," says Cathy Jurado, Director of Graduate Admissions and Academic Services. "Silvia has been a valued friend and supporter of graduate education and has worked hand in glove with the Office of Graduate Studies to ensure that graduate students and staff are treated equally and with respect." As testament, Silvia received the UC Davis Graduate Student Association's "Award for Excellence in Service to Graduate Students" in 2009.
Even though Silvia has bid adieu to Ecology and has one foot firmly planted into retirement, she is pitching in to help with undergraduate advising in Environmental Science and Policy for the winter quarter.
With her upcoming retirement, Silvia has finally caught up to her husband, Ted, who has been retired from UC Davis for nearly five years, following a 31 year-stint. "It's a happy day for Ted and I", says Silvia. "We have many plans for our retirement. Ted has been an integral partner in this journey and a faithful Ecology Graduate Group advocate. I could never have made it this far without his love, help and support. I am super excited and looking forward to the next chapter of our lives, and recognize that I will be leaving many wonderful friends that I will dearly miss."
Silvia and Ted believe in giving back and the duo has made a gift to UC Davis graduate education. The Hillyer Fund will be an alternating endowment to benefit engineering and ecology students. "We are both very appreciative of the education, training and generosity that we have enjoyed while at UC Davis," says Silvia. "This endowment is a small token of our appreciation of all of the benefits we have received, as well as friendships we have enjoyed over the years."
Jeff Gibeling, Dean of Graduate Studies, may sum it up best. "Silvia has been a very valuable member of the graduate education administrative team on campus for many years," says Dean Gibeling. "In addition to contributing to the success of one of the top-ranked graduate programs at UC Davis, she has regularly provided advice and guidance on a wide range of policies and projects. We all have benefitted from her willingness to share her knowledge gained from experience."
Many best wishes to you, Silvia. Adventures await.
Pictured: Ted and Silvia at the annual Mardi Gras Ball, which benefits local charities. Silvia and the Ecology students have hosted the event each year.
Call for Professors for the Future 2011 Nominations
Doctoral Nursing Students Receive National Scholarships
Brain Area Critical for Forming Unconscious Memories Identified
Synchrotron Study Shows How Nitric Oxide Kills
Entomology Doctoral Candidate Tackles Malaria
Call for Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Awards 2011 Nominations
McBeth Memorial Scholarship Helps to Fund Grad's Thousand Cankers Disease Research
Insect Collection Kit Attracts Martha Stewart
NOTICE – Graduate Studies E-mail and Website Affected by Campus Shutdown
Due to the UC Davis Campus Data Center's scheduled system upgrade, all campus e-mail services, along with some campus computing services housed at the Data Center (including the Office of Graduate Studies' website) will be down for 10-48 hours beginning Sunday, December 26, 2010.
Unfortunately, because of this shutdown prospective graduate students will be unable to apply online through the Office of Graduate Studies website during this maintenance timeframe. However, please be advised that prospective graduate students can still apply for admission and fellowships by going directly to https://apply.embark.com/grad/UCDavis/33. The Office of Graduate Studies apologizes for this IET decision timeframe and any inconvenience.
Here is some additional information on the Campus Data Center's shutdown.
Fit-to-Flow' Fluid Connector Developed
Study Shows Tahoe Will Lose Much of its Snow in Coming Decade
New Forecast Warns Oil Will Run Dry Before Substitutes Roll Out
SUPER MENTORS
New Development Program for Graduate Faculty is Now In Session
Do we, as humans, ever stop learning? Or perhaps a better question would be: Should we ever stop learning?
Working on a renowned campus where abundant intellect and research rein supreme, the answer most assuredly is a resounding "absolutely not!"
It is our proud responsibility to teach the future leaders of tomorrow and release them to conquer the world. We focus on teaching these eager minds; yet isn't it also our responsible to keep learning and growing as well?
In our world of reality where universities are competing for top quality students, it is now more vital than ever that we sharpen our tools and acquire more student interaction skills to engage the potential student and retain the ones who call UC Davis home.
The Office of Graduate Studies has tried to be one step ahead of the game. In 2009, Graduate Studies conducted a doctoral student survey asking students what was going right in their graduate experience and what could be improved. Even though UC Davis has a higher graduate student completion rate than the national average, the Office of Graduate Studies would like to improve their student success rate. As part of this endeavor, last year Graduate Studies created and submitted the winning proposal to the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and Educational Testing Service (ETS) for consideration of their "ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education: From Admission through Completion". The annual award recognizes promising, innovative proposals to enhance student success and degree completion at the master's or doctoral level.
Graduate Studies Dean Jeff Gibeling and his team spent little time celebrating the award win and instead spent the next few months creating a unique, new faculty development program called "Mentoring at Critical Transitions". The development program focuses on three critical student transitions:
- Transition One: The entering graduate student and his/her course load.
- Transition Two: After the graduate student has finished all of his/her curriculum coursework, s/he prepares for the Qualification Exam. The student must pass the exam, finish all coursework and show that s/he is qualified in the breadth of his/her field.
- Transition Three: Working on the dissertation (could be one or more years), completing it, and then stepping out into the professional world.
"These are transitional milestones that all UC Davis graduate students go through," says Associate Graduate Dean Lenora Timm. "What was unique about our proposal and why we were awarded funding is because we are looking at these transitions from the faculty prospective — that is to say what can faculty do to help our students get over the hurdles and complete these transitions successfully?"
There are existing development programs on campus offered to graduate students; however, this new program offers training that is specifically created for graduate faculty — a first for UC Davis.
Mentoring at Critical Transitions (MCT) is a year-long program that was kicked off with a two-day retreat in August. In this inaugural year, there are 35 faculty members participating from three graduate programs (Pharmacology and Toxicology, Physics, and Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry), as well as faculty from the IGERT program.The program includes themed workshops each month (excluding December) and partners with internal and external experts. Workshops include guest speakers, panel discussions and participant interactions.
The September workshop focused on mentoring students and their dissertation writing skills, with Chris Thaiss, the Director of the University Writing Program as guest speaker. The October workshop featured "Mentoring Student Parents" with guest speaker Mary Ann Mason, co-director of Center for Economics and Family Security, School of Law and former Dean of Graduate Studies at UC Berkeley. Mason also spoke at a public noontime presentation, which was co-sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies and the Women's Resources and Research Center.
Upcoming workshops will offer expert advice on how to mentor underrepresented, LGBT and disabled students, as well as covering the socialization of graduate students, and scholarly integrity and ethical approaches to research. Already on the docket to speak include experts from UCLA, UCSF, UC Davis and the Educational Testing Service. This first year MCT program will wrap up with a retreat in August or September 2011.
The Office of Graduate Studies plans to continue the MCT program; however, because this first year was supported by the $20,000 ETS/CGS matching grant, future programs may need to be scaled back unless additional funds are recouped. "We would like to get this type of program institutionalized on this campus," says Timm. "It is an incredibly important development tool for our graduate faculty."
First year MCT participants also have some great takeaways. Not only will they have the opportunity to become insightful coaches and mentors for their graduate students (plus garnering higher odds of acquiring and retaining students), they are also being offered funds from the matching grant for recruitment or other activities relating to graduate student retention and completion. MCT participants must submit proposals to the Office of Graduate Studies and funds are offered anytime during or after the completion of the MCT training.
Recognition is another important factor. Participating programs become a "Certified, MCT Program" and will display the MCT certification banner on their websites. This certification shows potential graduate students that the program's faculty has successfully completed a customized program specifically aimed to successfully mentor a student through his/her UC Davis graduate school experience. How many other universities can make such a declaration?
For more information about the Mentoring at Critical Transitions program, please contact Lenora Timm.
Tentative Three-year Contract Reached for Grad Students
Food Science Students' "Mickey's Pocket Pie" Takes Disney's Top Prize
Doctoral Student Designs Costumes for Stage and Screen
Performance Student Wins New York's Coveted Bessie Award
Inaugural Nursing Classes Establish Scholarship Fund
A Big Win and a Big Invite! Double "congratulations" go to Comparative Pathology Graduate Student Wilson To
President Obama recently hosted the "White House Science Fair", which was an event honoring winners from national and international STEM competitions. Because of Wilson To's competition win in the 2010 Imagine Cup technology competition, he was invited to travel to the White House and meet the man himself, President Obama. To was also asked to join the president on stage as he discussed his education plans with audience members. For more information about the White House event, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/10/18/president-obama-host-white-house-science-fair.
About the win: The Imagine Cup is an international technology competition hosted by Microsoft Corporation that challenges high school and college students to create innovative technologies that address the world's toughest problems — which are often centered on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals). The competition draws over 300,000 students worldwide from over 100 countries. To was a member of team Mobilife. The team won the Grand Prize in the Software Design category for their project — a mobile diagnostic tool of vascular diseases. Mobilife connects Windows Phone technology with computer-assisted intravital microscopy to provide in-field analysis of the human microcirculation to detect developing microangiopathy in children.
The Mobilife team represented the U.S. at the Worldwide Finals, held in Warsaw, Poland last summer and showcased their innovation alongside hundreds of other student teams from around the world. In addition to cash and prizes awarded to the top teams, students gained real-life experience, made new friends and attended training sessions to help them turn their ideas into reality.
For more information about the award, go to http://www.imaginecup.com/community/blog/imagine-cup-teams-recognized-at-white-house-science-fair and http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2010/apr10/04-26imaginecupwinners10pr.mspx. You may also read about To's experiences at the national finals at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wilson-to/experiences-from-the-imag_b_611430.html.
Top picture: Wilson To is shown at the left wearing his red Imagine Cup shirt.
Blending Science With Wine
National Survey of Ph.D. Programs Released
Student Receives Prestigious Boren Award
International Agricultural Development master's student Sean Kearney has been awarded a Boren Fellowship to study in Uganda during the 2010-11 academic year. Kearney is studying Kiswahili at the City Language Center in Kampala, as well as with individual instructors in the village of Nkokonjeru while conducting his thesis research.
David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are sponsored by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), a major Federal initiative designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills. Boren Awards provide U.S. undergraduate and graduate students with resources and encouragement to acquire language skills and experience in countries critical to the future security and stability of our nation. There were 519 applications from graduate students and 99 were awarded Boren Fellowships. Boren Scholars and Fellows live in 51 different countries and study 43 different languages. For more information on Boren fellowships, go to http://www.borenawards.org.
Mia J. Tegner Memorial Research Grant Goes to Ecology Grad
Sarah Myhre, doctoral student in the Ecology graduate group, has been awarded the Mia J. Tegner Memorial Research Grant in Marine Environmental History and Historical Marine Ecology. The award is based on Myhre's research on "Establishing ecological and oceanographic baselines through past events of rapid anoxia." The award will help support Myhre through her next 12 months of research.
The Mia J. Tegner Program received numerous proposals to fund work in areas ranging from Australia to the North Pacific. The proposals were graded largely based on the quality of the historical ecology analysis and on its conservation implications. Myhre's award notification letter stated "Your proposal rated particularly high on these two metrics and we were greatly impressed by the quality of your proposed work." For more information about the research grant, go to http://www.mcbi.org/what/tegneroverview.htm.
Grad Students Honored For Their Malaria Research
First-ever UC Postdoc Agreement to Improve Compensation, Working Conditions
Aggienaut Alum Does Space Station Home Improvement
UC Davis Climbs to No. 6 in Washington Monthly's Rankings
Grad Students Bring Hope of College to Knights Landing Youth
Scholars See Chance of Recession Relapse by 2012
Bee Friendly Garden Opens at Research Center
International Agricultural Development and Ecology Students Awarded Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation Fellowships
Geography Students Honored at State Geography Conference
NOAA Awards Population Dynamics Fellowship to Ecology Doctoral Candidate
Grad Students are UC’s Unsung Heroes
UC Davis Researchers Explain the Potential Role of fat-carrying Lipids in Diiabetic Kidney Disease
Computer model shows speeding mantle
USDA study: Longer-lasting Cut Flowers
Study Pinpoints Training Needs for Future Plant Breeders
Graduate students drive UC research, help keep top faculty
One Health Course – Interdisciplinary Distance Learning
Convenience was drawing factor for grad student
Tobacco-plant vaccine plan wins UC Davis prize
UC Davis grad students worry about families in Thailand
Davis Rider is Amgen King of the Mountain
UC Davis Grad Student to Be Published in Asian Music Journal
2010 Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award Winners
Congratulations to the 2010 Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award winners! The award recognizes the contributions of graduate students to teaching and learning on the UC Davis campus.
- Clare Aslan, Ecology
- Abigail Boggs, Cultural Studies
- Binh C. Dao, Chemistry
- Jennifer Erin Esp, Biostatistics
- Andrew Hageman, English
- Matthew Hufford, Plant Science/Ecology
- Darren Hwee, Molecular, Celularl and Integrative Physiology
- Michelle B. Kim, Chemistry
- Garrett C. Liles, Land, Air and Water Resources – Soils and Biogeochemistry
- Rohit Thomas, Mathematics
The Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award recognizes the contributions of graduate students to teaching and learning at UC Davis.
Front row pictured from left to right: Jennifer Erin Esp, Matthew Hufford, Clare Aslan, Michelle Kim, Binh Dao. Back row from left to right: Graduate Council Chair André Knoesen, Andrew Hageman, Rohit Thomas, Darren Hwee, Garrett Liles, Abigail Boggs, Graduate Studies Dean Jeffery Gibeling.
UC Davis Good Life Garden
International Space Station is Home to Alumna Astronaut
Grad Student Shares Prize for Potentially Lifesaving Invention UC Davis Good Life Garden
Student Receives PBESA award for Melon Research
Recipients Announced for BCNM Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Research Grants
UC Davis Team Off to 'bug bowl' Games
Foreign-Student Applications Rise 7% at American Graduate Schools
Get to Know the Man Behind Graduate Education at UC Davis Interview with Dean Gibeling
Postdoc Creates Package to Help Students Using LaTeX to Write Their Thesis or Dissertation
International Grad Students Learn to Help Health, Environment and Industry Back Home
Student Receives 2010 AIBS Emerging Public Policy Leadership Award
Alumni News
- Researcher Focuses on the Processes Influencing Coastal Marine Invertebrates
- Ecology Alum Studies Impacts of Bycatch on Ocean Life
- Alumna Recognized as Leader in Wind and Solar Energy
Dean Urges Renewal of "Collective Commitment" to Principles of Community
Mosquito Researcher Wins Statewide Award
Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership Program Now Accepting Applications
Applications are now open for the first-ever graduate classes offered through the new Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. To encourage the best and brightest students to pursue graduate education, the school is offering generous financial support to each student admitted to the inaugural classes, which is made possible by the founding $100 million commitment from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. See the press release for more information.Alumni News
- Martin Yan Dishes on Lunar New Year Celebrations and Food
- Former Grad Student Wins International Prize
- San Diego Zoo Doc's Blog
- Grad Ready for Second Dream Mission as Astronaut
Science Magazine Highlights Grad Student's Forestry Work in Haiti
Chancellor to Faculty: Challenged Campus Grows Strong, Especially Green
New Fellowship Matching Program Boosts Graduate Student Support
California Sea Grant Announces Research Grant Recipients
Students' Film Premiers at Sundance
Grad Student and Family Safe Following Haiti Earthquakes
Mathias Research Projects 2009-2010
The Natural Reserve System (NRS) provides grants to support graduate students for their independent and field science studies at NRS reserves. These grants not only encourage students to conduct research, but also provide experience in applying for grants, meeting deadlines, and managing a budget. Congratulations to these 2009-2010 awardees:
- Michelle Afkhami, doctoral student in Population Biology. Reserves Used: Hastings Natural History Reservation and Quail Ridge Reserve. Report title: “Mutualism-mediated niche expansion and partitioning in California native bunchgrass, Bromus laevipes.”
- Sarah Gravem, doctoral student in Ecology. Reserve Used: Bodega Marine Reserve. Research Title: “Predator effects on communities: indirect interactions and alternate community states.”
- Clarissa Sabella, doctoral student in Population Biology. Reserve Used: Bodega Marine Reserve. Research Title: “Effect of Algal Symbionts on Local Adaptation in Anthopleura elegantissima.”
- Kelly Smith, doctoral student in Ecology, Reserve Used: Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve. Research Title: “How does California killifish behavior and hormone profile influence encounter and infection rates with the trematode parasite Euhaplorchis californiensis?”
- William Wetzel, doctoral student in Population Biology. Reserves Used: Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL) and Valentine Camp. Research Title: “Spatial abundance structures in an intraguild-predation foodweb.”
- Christopher Woodcock, M.F.A. student in Art. Reserves Used: All reserves in the system. Research Title: “A Visual Survey; photographic study of the University of California Natural Reserve System.”
For more information, go to http://nrs.ucop.edu/Mathias-09.htm.
Alumnus Spearheads Clean Water Projects in Uganda
Grad Student Joins Chancellor and Blogs from the World Universities Forum in Switzerland
Chancellor and Graduate Students Discuss Vision
Student Wins ESA's President's Prize
Ph.D. Infusion Comes to Capitol
2009
Office of Graduate Studies Wins Inaugural National Award
The inaugural “ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education: From Admission through Completion” has been awarded to the Office of Graduate Studies at UC Davis. Dean Jeffery Gibeling accepted the award on December 3, 2009 at the Council of Graduate Schools' Annual Meeting. The prestigious award is sponsored by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and Educational Testing Service (ETS).
The new annual award was created to recognize promising, innovative proposals to enhance
student success and degree completion at the master’s or doctoral level, while promoting
inclusiveness. The winning institution is selected based on the strength of its proposal to meet
the award’s goals and to serve as a model for other schools; it receives a two-year, $20,000
matching grant.
The winning proposal, “Mentoring at Critical Transitions: Faculty Readiness from Admission to Completion,” will develop a pilot program to enhance faculty preparedness in areas affecting the academic socialization and success of a diverse doctoral student population. The project will focus on the transitions from application to student, coursework to research, and research to professional career. It will offer seminars, dialogues, and a retreat to enhance graduate faculty’s readiness to mentor doctoral students at these critical transitions.
To learn more, read the complete press release or find out more about the award program.
Pictured: Dean Jeffery Gibeling (center) with David Payne, ETS Vice President and COO for College and Graduate Programs (right,) and Dean James Wimbush from Indiana University and chair of the selection committee (left).
Former Professors for the Future Fellow Heads Three-Year Project that Educates Teachers
Understanding DNA Repair and Cancer
Birds Call to Warn Friends and Enemies
Study Links Climate Change to California Droughts
"Cool" News from the South Pole... Postdoc Blogs from Antarctica
Duct Tape and Bullet Forensics Earn UC Davis $2 Million in Grants
Former Professors for the Future Fellow Heads Three-Year Project that Educates Teachers
Governor Appoints Ecology Alumna as Executive Director of the California Ocean Protection Council
Student Volunteers Help Food Banks
Dialogue with the Dean
UC Budget and its Effects on Graduate Students
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Memorial Union, King Lounge, 2nd Floor
Please join Dean of Graduate Studies Jeffery Gibeling for an evening of dialogue on the UC budget and its effects on graduate students and graduate studies at UC Davis. This quarter’s Dialogue with the Dean provides an opportunity to ask questions, express concerns, and receive valuable information about topics such as funding, the impact of the California budget crisis on the UCs, and the broad effects of the weakened economy on graduate students. In this climate of economic uncertainty, what can the Office of Graduate Studies do for students and what do students want from the Office of Graduate Studies? All graduate students are encouraged to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to exchange ideas with the Dean and with each other. Pizza will be provided. For more information about this event, please e-mail Abbie Boggs. Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies.
Graduate Studies Welcomes New GSADC
The Office Graduate Studies welcomes Abigail Boggs, Graduate Student Assistant to the Dean and Chancellor (GSADC) for 2009-10. Abbie is a fourth-year graduate student in Cultural studies and is working in the area of internationalization of higher education. As GSADC, Abbie will be interested in developing a project on the impact of globalization of higher education on the lives of both domestic and international students. In particular, she is interested in helping improve the quality of live and academic experiences of international students. Welcome, Abbie!
With Abbie joining Graduate Studies, it is time to bid a sad "goodbye" to GSADC for 2008-09, Cynthia Degnan. Cynthia is a Ph.D. candidate in the English Department. She will now go on to focus on her dissertation which examines how constructions of childhood relate to narrative structures. She begins with a reading of the Freudian concept of childhood in relation to literature, and goes on to look at this conception in relation to the Cold War and War on Terror in order to uncover ways that the child functions in discourses of U.S. nationalism. Cynthia's project further investigates the ways in which non-normative gender and sexuality, in both children and adults, complicates these discursive and narrative uses of the child. You'll be missed, Cynthia!
Grad Wins Sylvia Rivera Award
Congratulations to grad student Toby Beauchamp! Toby has won the Sylvia Rivera Award in Transgender Studies from the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) at the Graduate Center at City University in New York for his article, "Artful Concealment and Strategic Visibility: Transgender Bodies and U.S. State Surveillance After 9/11," (which will appear in Surveillance and Society, a special issue on gender and sexuality). The Sylvia Rivera Award in Transgender Studies honors the memory of Rivera, a transgender activist, and is given for the best book or article to appear in transgender studies each year. Toby was also the Graduate Student Assistant to the Dean and Chancellor for 2007-08 and has been busy this past year working on his dissertation, "Going Stealth: Transgender Bodies and U.S. Surveillance Practices." Congrats, Toby!
Alumnus Saves New Jersery Winery
Excavating Artifacts in Northern Greenland
UC Davis Top 10 in National Ranking
Snails Threaten Tomales Bay Olympia Oysters
Grad's Study Shows Glass Shape Affects Wine's Smell
Researchers Combine Manmade Devices with Biological Machines to Boost Efficiency
Anthropology and Ecology Double Major Grads' Research Undermines Dog Domestication Theory
Presidental Award Goes to Microbiology Alumnus
Meteorology Student's Paragliding Passion
Texas Salamanders Invasion Threat Study
Recent Awards for Ecology Grad Students
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) Mercer Award went to Ecology graduate group alumnus Rick Lankau (and Professor Sharon Y. Strauss) for Rick's dissertation, "Mutual feedbacks maintain both genetic and species diversity in a plant community." For more information about the award program, go to http://www.esa.org/aboutesa/awards.php.
Graduate Student Researcher Shawn Kefauver has been awarded a competitive three-year NASA Earth Sciences Graduate Fellowship. Shawn is currently working on his master's thesis on the hyperspectral remote sensing of air pollution impacts on forest health using bioindicators in Yosemite and Kings Canyon National parks. For more information about the fellowship program, go to http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external.
Lauren Garske was awarded a Nancy Foster Scholarship from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — a competitive and prestigious scholarship in oceanography and marine biology that will fully support Lauren's studies. The Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program provides support for outstanding scholarship and encourages independent graduate-level research in oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archaeology, particularly by women and members of minority groups. For more information about the scholarship program, go to http://fosterscholars.noaa.gov.
Andy Chang has been awarded a Smithsonian Institution postdoctoral fellowship. Andy's Research interests include biological invasions, estuaries, and community ecology. His current project: Functional diversity and salinity stress effects on estuarine community assembly, stability, and invasion resistance. For more information about the fellowship program, go to http://www.si.edu/ofg/fellowopp.htm.
Victory Gardens Make a Comeback
Scientists' Drill Hits Magma: Only Third Time on Record
Food on the Street — Agricultural Ecology Doctoral Candidate Discusses Taco Trucks
Students Harvest Fruit Trees for Food Bank
UC Davis Doctoral Survey Will Provide Insight into Low Retention Rates
Student Choreographers To Present Their Annual Showcase
New Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies
We would like to welcome Dr. Richard Shintaku, our new Assistant Dean, to the Office of Graduate Studies. Rich will have overall responsibility for the management and operation of the department. His broad background in university management, program development and leadership, and graduate teaching and advising will be valuable as the department moves forward with initiatives to strengthen the contributions of graduate education and postdoctoral training to UC Davis.
Rich holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of California, Los Angeles, a M.A. from Michigan State University and a B.S. from UC Davis. Rich brings broad experience in higher education administration and has had progressively increasing responsibilities at UC Davis, Willamette University, Oregon State University and most recent as Dean of Student Services and Enrollment Management at Cosumnes River College. He has also served as a faculty member and department chair at Oregon State in the area of adult education and higher education leadership. Rich's academic and professional interests center on promoting the synergies inherent in academic, institutional and multicultural excellence.
Welcome aboard, Rich!
Researchers Identify Protein That May Help Breast Cancer Spread
Researchers Discover that Behavior and Markings Often Keep Carnivorous Critters from Being Chomped On It's Official — UC Regents Approve New School of Nursing First Up — Doctorate and Master's Degree Programs
Ah, What a Sweet Bouquet... Viticulture and Enology Student Awarded Internship to Coveted Burgundy Estate
Doctoral Fellow Invents Wheelchair Control Device, University Submits Patent Application
Alum Creates Software Tool to Measure Eye Orbital Volumes
2008
Alumna and Davis Scientists to Study Biodiversity in Indonesia$586M in Research Funding: Record-breaking year and fourth straight one topping half-billion-dollar mark
Researchers study giant eddy off NorCal coast
Study: Nature corridors need to be natural-looking
Local tech bigwigs, grad student team for A/C booster startup
Grad student and professor finds that family conflict is a significant predictor of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among Asian Americans, independent of depression, low income or gender
It's Official – UC Regents Approve New School of Nursing. First Up – Doctorate and Master’s Degree Programs
Researcher receives prestigious National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Training Grant
Alumnus recognized by the California Department of Fish and Game for his work in the field of conservation of wild sheep in North America
Doctoral candidate in History is making change in Chile
Grad student pilots mini-sub in exploration of strange life forms
Graduate Students Excel in Community Service
Congratulations to two recipients of the UC Davis HumanCorps' 2007-2008 Community Service Awards. The Graduate Student Community Service Committee (GSCSC), with over 350 collective service hours contributed during the last school year, was the proud winner of a Group Award. Brandy Wiegers, doctoral candidate in Applied Math, earned the distinction of Outstanding Graduate Student for her work with the GSCSC and the Explore Math program. For a complete list of honorees, see the HumanCorps website.
AAUW Awarded to Cultural Studies Grad Student
For the third year in a row, a Cultural Studies grad student has been awarded the prestigious American Association of University Women (AAUW) dissertation fellowship. Big congratulations go out to Winnie Tam! (And “great job” to her dissertation director, Michael P. Smith.)
Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Awards 2008
Congratulations on winning the Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award for 2008:
- Cassandra Brown, Anthropology
- Patrick Dragon, Mathematics
- Benjamin Fell, Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Laura Z. Hall, Nutritional Biology
- Mary Frances Keller, Entomology
- Vannarith M. Leang, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
- Laurence Lemaire, French
- Eric O’Brien, English
- Christopher Schaberg, English
- Brant Schumaker, Epidemiology
- Lisa Sperber, English
- Eva Strawbridge, Applied Mathematics
- Diana Webb, Mathematics
- Hongtao Xie, Biomedical Engineering
The Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award recognizes the contributions of graduate students to teaching and learning at UC Davis.
UC Davis Collaboration Helps West African University Student Make History
We’ve known all along that our support of graduate education reaches far beyond our own UC Davis campus, and Robert (Bob) Gilbertson’s recent trip to Mali, West Africa is one example of our global collaboration and impact.
Bob (Professor, Plant Pathology) was in Mali participating in the Ph.D. dissertation defense exam of student Moussa Noussourou. Bob was a co-adviser of Moussa, along with Dr. Rick Foster of Purdue University and Professor Hamidou Maiga of the University of Bamako.
When Moussa passed his examination on March 13, he not only received his well-earned doctoral degree, he also made history – his Ph.D. degree is the first one granted by the Department of Biology at the University of Bamako. “We are all so very proud of Dr. Noussourou and what he has accomplished,” says Bob.
The title of Moussa’s thesis: The complex of viruses infecting tomatoes in Mali: Characterization of the virus species involved, identification of tolerant and resistant tomato varieties and the effect of a host-free period on disease development in the irrigated perimeter of Baguineda, Mali.
The support Moussa received from Bob and his colleagues is an example of the collaborative research partnership between UC Davis and Mali – addressing a critical agricultural issue impacting the Malian people. This research also benefits the people in California and throughout the U.S., as these same viruses impact crops grown in our country and the results from this important research in Mali can be applied to these viruses.
This research was supported by a grant from the USAID as part of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP).
Top picture from left to right: Bob Gilbertson, Dr. Hamidou Maiga (Moussa's adviser at the University of Bamako), and graduate Dr. Noussourou.
Bottom picture shows Dr. Noussourou along with his University of Bamako advisors, family, Bob Gilbertson, and Rick Foster of Purdue University.
Alumna Honored in Fellow Publication
UC Davis graduate student alumna Dr. Emily Prieto was highlighted in the spring 2008 issue of “ADELANTE!”, a newsletter created by National Hispanic Science Network (NHSN) and the Summer Research Training Institute (SRTI) and distributed to their Fellows.
Emily attended SRTI in 2004 when she was a doctoral student at UC Davis. While at UC Davis, Emily won the Walker Award for Outstanding Academic Staff Adviser in 2005. Her graduate work focused on HIV interventions for hard-to-reach populations in Mexico.
In July 2007 she received her doctorate in education with a specialization in language, literacy and culture. Currently, Dr. Prieto is the Director of the Latino Resource Center at Northern Illinois University. Emily says, “One of the most critical aspects of my position is ensuring that there is a welcoming and supportive environment for the Latino campus community and to develop program initiatives that enhance the undergraduate experiences of Latino students, including areas of service learning and community activism.”
The J. Robert Oppenheimer Goes to UC Davis Postdoc
Congratulations to UC Davis postdoc Dr. Moran Wang, who has been awarded the prestigious J. Robert Oppenheimer (JRO) Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
The JRO fellowship is awarded to individuals who display extraordinary ability in scientific research and show clear and definite promise of becoming outstanding leaders in the research they pursue.
After receiving his Ph.D. degree in Engineering Thermophysics from Tsinghua University in China, Moran spent one and a half years working as a postdoc in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Johns Hopkins University. He then came to UCD and joined the research group of Professor Ning Pan, a faculty member in Textile & Clothing, Biological & Agricultural Engineering, NEAT and Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, to continue his work on computational modeling of multi-physical behaviors of complex materials systems. In less than two years, Moran has published more than 10 scientific research papers focusing on transports and properties of various porous media, composites, functional gradient materials, and multiphase material systems.
UC Davis Graduate Student Wins National Council of Graduate Schools "Distinguished Dissertation Award"
UC Davis Graduate Student, Cristobal Uauy, was awarded the national “Distinguished Dissertation Award” by the Council of Graduate Schools and University Microfilms International. Cristobal’s dissertation, “Positional Cloning of Gpc-B1, a Wheat Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting Senescence and with Pleiotropic Effects on Grain Protein, Zinc, and Iron Concentration,” was the sole winner under the Biological and Life Sciences field category.
The distinguished award was presented to Cristobal at the Council of Graduate Schools’ annual meeting, held on December 6 in Seattle, Washington.
Cristobal was also the 2007 Allen G. Marr Prize winner— awarded through the Office of Graduate Studies for dissertation excellence and presented to Cristobal at the June 13, 2007 Graduate Studies commencement ceremony.
IGERT Awarded
Due to the strong effort of a multidisciplinary faculty team - lead by Karen McDonald, College of Engineering Associate Dean and Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, with the assistance from Office of Graduate Studies and the Office of Research - we are proud to announce that the campus has received a new Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) award from the National Science Foundation.
The award was based on the team's project: "Collaborative Research and Education in Agricultural Technologies and Engineering" (CREATE). This multi-institutional IGERT establishes a research and educational partnership between UC Davis, Tuskegee University, University of Ireland, Maynooth and the Teagasc Oak Park Research Center in Carlow, Ireland.
Out of 443 IGERT pre-proposals received this year, 98 full proposals were selected, and out of those only about 20 will receive the prestigious award. This award is a continuing grant and will be awarded $600,000 in the first year and up to $3.1 million over the five-year period.
Last Updated: June 6, 2013