Headline Content

To Be or Not To Be ... in Virtual Reality

Jocelyn C Anderson — June 08, 2026 - 8:57am

How can virtual reality help people learn tough topics? This UC Davis class explores immersive, experiential learning with Shakespeare.

Top UC Davis Graduate Journeys Through Clubs, Neurodivergence, Identity

Julia Ann Easley — June 02, 2026 - 7:04am

Jason Pieck dashes from engineering classes to club meetings to music rehearsals and performances at the University of California, Davis.

“My favorite days are when I’m all over campus,” says the student from Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Pieck’s investment in both their engineering studies and the campus community stands out. They will be honored as the university’s top graduating senior when thousands celebrate earning a bachelor’s degree at five commencement ceremonies at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center June 12-14.

After the Fires: Protecting LA’s Trees While Learning Lessons for the Future

Jocelyn C Anderson — May 26, 2026 - 8:55am

Southern California is emerging from yet another round of wildfires just as the wildfire season gets underway.

Genome Biologist and Department Chair Named New Biological Sciences Dean

Cody Kitaura — May 26, 2026 - 8:45am

Frédéric Chédin, a professor and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and a renowned expert in genome biology, will be the next dean of the UC Davis ��ý of Biological Sciences, or CBS. Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan selected Chédin to lead the college following a nationwide search. He will start Sept. 1.

UC Davis Opens Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation

Amy M Quinton — May 21, 2026 - 9:39am

UC Davis opens the Resnick Center for Agricultural Innovation to advance climate-smart agriculture, sustainability and food security

This Single Mother Must Learn Quickly — Or Her Colony Won’t Survive

Andy Fell — May 15, 2026 - 12:28pm

Being a single mother of 20 is no joke, especially if the survival of a whole species depends on it.

A queen bumblebee faces this very challenge when she lays her first eggs in the spring: She is utterly alone, with no worker bees to help.

She flies miles each day, collecting nectar to feed her young. She builds a protective nursery from wax. When she’s not out foraging, she climbs atop her larvae and buzzes to warm them.

A Fresh Approach to Peppermint

Andy Fell — May 14, 2026 - 11:37am

The genomics of peppermint are not as fresh as their flavor but scientists from the University of California, Davis, have found a way to breathe new genetic variation into the species.

A Baby Bird’s Wishlist: Mild Weather, Attentive Parents, Not Being the Smallest Sibling

Andy Fell — May 11, 2026 - 10:28am

Experiences in the first days and weeks of life can have a profound impact on humans — and birds. A new study led by Sage Madden, a graduate student in evolution and ecology at the University of California, Davis, shows how weather conditions and family dynamics affect the growth of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster) chicks.

Non-Rotating Early Galaxy Is a Surprise to Astronomers

Andy Fell — May 04, 2026 - 3:06pm

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have made a surprising discovery about a galaxy long, long ago and far, far away: It isn’t rotating.

Stop-and-Go Science: Researchers Pivot to Try to Salvage Important Work

Jocelyn C Anderson — April 27, 2026 - 9:00am

When climate change is faster than the speed of science and unstable funding threatens discovery, UC Davis scientists pivot to try to save important research.