Awards and rankings

The Taylor Lab will receive continued funding as part of a ground-breaking project to wean the United States’ aviation industry off petroleum-based fuel and help put the brakes on climate change. The U.S. Department of Energy announced the UC Davis project as part of a $590 million package over the next five years. The Taylor Lab’s goal: grow poplar trees that can be turned into sustainable, cost-effective jet fuel.

Due to severe water shortages, rice acres planted in California plummeted by 37 percent from 2021 to 2022, according to numbers released recently by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service. But now, thanks to University of California researchers, growers have a new tool they could potentially use to cope with droughts and other environmental and socioeconomic changes.

Boutique chefs will be pleased.

Organic legumes already developed by postdoctoral researcher Travis Parker are prized, especially in Southwest cuisine, for their colorful patterns, flavor and texture. Parker’s new work seeks even better, more beautiful beans for arid climes. The Department of Plant Sciences geneticist has received a boost for his work with a $20,000 grant, funded jointly by the Organic Farming Research Foundation and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.

Scientists Grey Monroe and Daniela Quiroz are trying to develop a technique that could speed research on processes affecting countless facets of biology – from how plants respond to stressful conditions to the changes that trigger cells’ cancerous growth. They just won a $50,000 boost for their work, with a grant from the UC Davis Science Translation and Innovative Research (STAIR™) program.

A cartoon character that looks suspiciously like a Department of Plant Sciences professor leads an animated, online tutorial that recently won a 2022 Gold Award from the Association for Communication Excellence.

Studies show high school and undergraduate students who get hands-on experience with scientific research do better at remembering the material, they feel more positive about scientific research, and they more often go on to study to science. When women and minority students get that experience, science benefits with broader participation and diversity.

The American Society of Plant Biologists, or ASPB, has released interviews with Distinguished Professor Patrick Brown and Associate Professor Troy Magney to discuss their Dennis R. Hoagland and Early Career Awards respectively.

The awards are two of the most esteemed honors given by ASPB, recognizing the world-class impact of both senior and up-and-coming researchers in the Department of Plant Sciences.  

Two professors in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis have been elected in this year’s class of fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, the world’s largest general scientific society. Part of their cohort were nine other UC Davis professors, bringing the campus-wide total of elected AAAS fellows to 11.

The association elevates members to the rank of fellow in recognition of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

If you have bitten into a ripe, store-bought peach or nectarine, you may have UC Cooperative Extension postharvest physiologist specialist Carlos Crisosto to thank.

The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) has presented Cameron Pittelkow, assistant professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, with the ASA Early Career Award for his outstanding contributions to the field of agronomy since earning his Ph.D in 2013. The ceremony was virtually broadcasted on November 12.

To be considered for the award, one must demonstrate that they have made an exceptional contribution to the field of agronomy within seven years of their most recent degree. From the award’s description, applicants are evaluated on the following contributions: