University News

Continuity Planning Gains Momentum on Campus

Julia Ann Easley — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 12:30:00 PST

Imagine the collective sigh of relief on campus after hundreds of students safely evacuate a smoky residence hall. But with that facility out of commission, where would the university house the residents?

Or maybe a barn was lost. How would dozens of large animals, important to teaching and research, be transported to a temporary facility?

Campus units are addressing these and other scenarios as the work of continuity planning — for continuing or resuming mission-essential functions following a disruption — gains new momentum.

CHANCELL-ING: 51�ԹϺ�� Davis AI Research is Transforming Health Care

Cody Kitaura — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 09:00:00 PST

Imagine this scenario: Doctors know a small number of patients will face life-threatening complications after an illness, but they need to scan millions of records to identify the patients in need of intervention. It’s a task that would consume weeks and keep practitioners from other care needs.

Coffee Industry Leaders Give Major Collections to 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Library

Julia Ann Easley — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:46:14 PST

The University of California, Davis, has received three significant collections of coffee-related materials that together illuminate the history, science and global impact of specialty coffee.

The donations to the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Library are from Gerald “Jerry” Baldwin, co-founder of Starbucks and former president of Peet’s Coffee; Russ Kramer, president of Hacienda La Minita and veteran of Green Mountain Coffee; and the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).

Using Genetics to Understand Decision-Making in Monkeys

Jocelyn C Anderson — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 12:32:31 PST

Abigail Morris first visited the Peruvian Amazon when she was 6 years old. Now, as a Ph.D. candidate in the Animal Behavior Graduate Group, she has returned to study how seasonal flooding affects the behavior, diet and population genetics of two species of monkey: monk sakis (Pithecia monachus) and large-headed capuchins (Sapajus apella macrocephalus).

51�ԹϺ�� Davis Alum Leads Safety Efforts for Roblox’s Global Community

Jocelyn C Anderson — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 12:31:09 PST

When Matt Kaufman ’94 thinks about childhood meetups with friends, he remembers bike rides, trips to the beach, going to the movies and afternoons spent at the park.

Today’s children? They meet up in virtual worlds, and Kaufman is helping to make sure their online playgrounds are safe.

Is Wine Really Healthy? Experts Summarize the Research

Jocelyn C Anderson — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 12:30:58 PST

Wine ranks as a popular beverage that has stood the test of time, lending an effortless elegance to any occasion.

But is wine good for your health?

A Milestone Gift Supporting Veterinary Medicine

Cody Kitaura — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 07:45:00 PST

Chancellor Gary S. May issued the following letter today (Jan. 28):

To the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Community:

Please join me in celebrating a milestone $120 million donation from philanthropists Joan and Sanford I. Weill through the Weill Family Foundation, to the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. This gift launches 51�ԹϺ�� Davis firmly into the future of higher education and makes us a model campus for comparative medicine. Their gift is the world’s largest-ever contribution to a veterinary school and one of the largest in 51�ԹϺ�� Davis history.

51�ԹϺ�� Davis Receives $120M Gift, Largest Ever to Veterinary Medicine

Amy M Quinton — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 05:35:00 PST

51�ԹϺ�� Davis Receives $120M Gift, Largest Ever to Veterinary Medicine from philanthropists Joan and Sanford I. Weill.

2 First-Gen Scientists on Curiosity, Community and Discovery

Anila Mary Lijo — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 15:48:40 PST

Megan Dennis, associate professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, and Siobhan Brady, professor in the Department of Plant Biology and the Genome Center, are more than an just office neighbors — they share a similar journey at 51�ԹϺ�� Davis shaped by curiosity, resilience and a commitment to scientific progress. They are this month’s guests on Face to Face with Chancellor May.

Among the Academies: The Physician Changing How We Understand Violence

Cody Kitaura — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 10:30:00 PST

Garen Wintemute’s distinguished research career shows that violence is not only a public safety issue — it’s also a health problem.

“It has turned out empirically that violence behaves as if it were a health problem, whether we want to consider it one or not,” said Wintemute. “As such, it can be studied and approached in ways that have concrete benefits. So, if violence is a health problem, then the decision to participate in violence is a health behavior.”

Grant to Expand Self-Cloning Crop Technology for Indian Farmers

Andy Fell — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 09:40:53 PST

Venkatesan Sundaresan, a Distinguished Professor of plant biology and plant sciences at the University of California, Davis, has been awarded a Gates Foundation grant to develop self-cloning crops for Indian farmers.

February Crowdfund 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Features Record Number of Projects

Cody Kitaura — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:00:00 PST

This February, Crowdfund 51�ԹϺ�� Davis will feature more than 50 dynamic team projects, driven by students, faculty and staff, all ready to make a real impact on our campus and beyond.

THE PROJECTS

See all of the projects and donate here.

Some Corals Can Stand the Heat — Could They Help Those That Can’t?

Jocelyn C Anderson — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 08:45:57 PST

51�ԹϺ�� Davis researchers are studying why some corals can stand heat and heal from bleaching. The answers could help protect coral reefs from climate change.

Biologists and Engineers Follow Goopy Clues to Plant-Wilting Bacteria

Andy Fell — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 11:02:42 PST

Slippery, drippy goop makes Ralstonia bacteria devastating killers of plants, causing rapid wilting in tomato, potato and a wide range of other crops, according to new research. The work, published Jan. 22 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, comes from an unusual collaboration between plant pathologists and engineers at the University of California, Davis.

Breakthroughs for Preventing Pistachio Hull Split

Katherine E Kerlin — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:02:56 PST

51�ԹϺ�� Davis agricultural scientists reveal how pistachio hulls are built and how their cell walls break down, lending new insight for the $2-bilion-a year pistachio industry.

Checking in with Chancellor May: New Year, New Opportunities at 51�ԹϺ�� Davis

Cody Kitaura — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 09:00:00 PST

To the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis community:

Welcome back, Aggies! With winter quarter underway, I hope you’re feeling recharged and ready to pursue your goals.

Campus To Test WarnMe Jan. 28

Julia Ann Easley — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 09:00:00 PST

51�ԹϺ�� Davis will test its emergency notification system Jan. 28. Students and employees should verify and update their contact information on the WarnMe website.

Research Suggests Nationwide Racial Bias in Media Reporting on Gun Violence

Karen Michele Nikos-Rose — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 13:38:32 PST

Mass shootings in white-majority neighborhoods received roughly twice the news coverage of mass shootings in neighborhoods where a majority of residents were people of color, while coverage of police-involved shootings was disproportionately high in majority-minority communities, according to new research.

Chancellor May’s Letter on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Cody Kitaura — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 08:15:00 PST

Chancellor Gary S. May issued the following letter today (Jan. 16):

Dear Members of the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Community:

Tiny Earthquakes Reveal Hidden Faults Under Northern California

Andy Fell — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:54:03 PST

By tracking swarms of very small earthquakes, seismologists are getting a new picture of the complex region where the San Andreas fault meets the Cascadia subduction zone, an area that could give rise to devastating major earthquakes. The work, by researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of California, Davis, and the University of Colorado Boulder, is published Jan. 15 in Science.