51�ԹϺ�� Davis Magazine Content

51�ԹϺ�� Davis Alum Wins Milken Educator Award for Excellence in Teaching

Jocelyn C Anderson — May 26, 2026 - 2:08pm

Harry Shontz ’12, a high school social studies teacher, is a stickler for dress-down Fridays. His colleagues at the The Leffell School in Hartsdale, New York, know this about him, and so does the school principal.

When he grudgingly agreed to wear a button-down shirt and tie to work on a Friday in April, he never imagined that a cheering crowd of students, colleagues, honored guests and reporters would be there and that he would be called to the stage for a special announcement.

Training Naturalists Behind Prison Walls

Jocelyn C Anderson — May 18, 2026 - 9:15am

A kestrel swoops to grab a smaller bird on the wing and eats it, right in front of a group of men in the garden at California Health Care Facility, or CHCF, a prison in Stockton, where the garden has become both a thriving ecosystem and a science classroom for people incarcerated there. As the feathers fly, 51�ԹϺ�� Davis researcher Laci Gerhart pulls out a bird guide and shows the incarcerated men how to identify the bird by its size and coloration, noting that kestrels are North America’s smallest raptor and one of the few that are sexually dimorphic.

Meet 4 Students from 51�ԹϺ�� Davis’ Newest Major

Jocelyn C Anderson — May 18, 2026 - 9:10am

51�ԹϺ�� Davis launched an undergraduate business major in the 2025-26 academic year.

Out of more than 8,500 applicants, only 150 students enrolled in 51�ԹϺ�� Davis’ inaugural business major cohort. The program is watching that carefully selected class begin to make its mark.

Farming with Animal Welfare in Mind

Russell L Thebaud — May 18, 2026 - 9:09am

A gate swings wide at the auction ring at the Yolo County Fairgrounds. A group of goats and sheep hesitate, then shuffle through. They move as a group; their bodies pressed against each other. Beneath it all is their ruminant instinct of wanting to return from where they came. Rancher Nathan Medlar, with NM Ranch in Auburn, has arranged these gates to accommodate that instinct.

Rooted in Community: Davis Farmers Market Turns 50

Jocelyn C Anderson — May 18, 2026 - 9:08am

Fifty years ago, a group of 51�ԹϺ�� Davis alumni and students envisioned a new way to buy local, healthy food and founded the Davis Farmers Market. They helped change state regulations around direct selling by farmers and made the Davis market a model for markets throughout the state.

Ph.D. Alum Named 2026 Stockholm Water Prize Recipient

Jocelyn C Anderson — May 18, 2026 - 9:07am

Kaveh Madani, Ph.D. ’09, noted the irony of the day he found out he had won the 2026 Stockholm Water Prize, the world’s highest water research honor.

“It was a big surprise,” he told 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Magazine. “And then I said, ‘How ironic, because eight years ago at this time, I was under arrest.’”

Based in Toronto, Madani is now director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health and research professor at City College of New York CREST Institute.

A Sanctuary for Rescued Animals

Jocelyn C Anderson — May 18, 2026 - 9:07am

The moment Rebecca Calisi-Rodriquez loosens her grip on Randy’s lead, the miniature horse drops his nose toward the nearest patch of grass and pulls her sideways with confidence. She laughs and lets him continue his landscaping, unbothered that her walk around the Skyheart Sanctuary property is taking longer than normal.

13 New Summer Reads by Aggie Authors

Jocelyn C Anderson — May 18, 2026 - 9:05am

Aggie authors have summer readers covered with a variety of topics — from fantasy fiction to academic nonfiction. Check out the list of new books by 51�ԹϺ�� Davis alumni and faculty.

ALUMNI AUTHORS

Ellen Cochrane ’84 tells a gripping — and true — survival story for middle grade readers in Follow the Water (Little Brown, 2026).

6 Ways to Research Love at 51�ԹϺ�� Davis

Russell L Thebaud — May 18, 2026 - 9:04am

Attraction, attachment, being in love: These topics have all been fodder for magazine articles in publications as varied as Nature, The Knot and Cosmopolitan. In fact, multiple 51�ԹϺ�� Davis researchers have been quoted in hundreds of stories to talk about the science of love. Turns out, most people — and many animal species — are geared toward pairing up. And life — and often, living well and healthy — depends on these bonds. At 51�ԹϺ�� Davis multiple labs are investigating these unions.

Food Fraud in Plain Sight

Jocelyn C Anderson — May 18, 2026 - 9:03am

Have you ever wondered if the labels on your products matter? Consumers may assume that ingredient lists and claims such as “extra virgin,” “pure,” or “natural” are strictly regulated and trustworthy. In reality, these terms can be vague or even meaningless.

51�ԹϺ��� Davis Magazine Content

51�ԹϺ��� Davis Alum Wins Milken Educator Award for Excellence in Teaching