Feature Content

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.

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.

A Century of Roland Petersen: Art That Endures

Jocelyn C Anderson — March 31, 2026 - 9:10am

Inside their home in Pacifica, south of San Francisco, Roland Petersen and Caryl Ritter Petersen have amassed a trove of treasures — an eclectic mix of fanciful hats, surrealist photography, original paintings and secondhand finds. It's clearly a home occupied by working artists.

Is Wine Really Healthy? Experts Summarize the Research

Jocelyn C Anderson — January 28, 2026 - 12:30pm

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?

51�ԹϺ�� Davis M.B.A. by the Bay Program Turns 20

Jocelyn C Anderson — January 07, 2026 - 12:30pm

When the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Graduate School of Management launched its Bay Area Part-Time M.B.A. program two decades ago, it was a decisive step rooted in demand, alumni strength and a clear-eyed view of where business leadership was headed.

In fall 2005, the school welcomed its first Bay Area cohort to weekend classes at the San Ramon Valley Conference Center, strategically located along the Interstate 680 and 580 corridor.

Risks of AI Mirror Social Media

Jocelyn C Anderson — November 17, 2025 - 10:41am

Artificial intelligence is already blurring how we think about what is real, even when we know the truth.

A recent study at 51�ԹϺ�� Davis had AI chatbots send messages to people’s phones to remind them to get their steps in. Those messages were interactive. Sometimes the chatbot would tell a joke based on this example provided by the research team:

Do you know what a sloth's favorite exercise is?

Running late!

Pairing Science with Social Justice

Russell L Thebaud — February 18, 2025 - 4:00pm

Rather than petri dishes or microscopes, in Brie Tripp’s lab you’ll find diverse undergrads gathered around laptops, carrying out the lab’s unique mandate of studying how to promote social and racial justice in science classrooms.