Samjhana Khanal, a doctoral student studying disease resistance in lettuce, has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Schlumberger Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports science and technology education.
Doctoral student Marie Klein, of the Department of Plant Sciences, was part of a team that took first place in the UC Davis Food and Agriculture Business Case Competition. The event brought together teams from several universities to solve a business challenge for global seed company Hm.Clause. Here, team member and MBA student Danielle Kleiner-Kanter describes their journey to first place. She also offers three tips that helped them grow their business plan from idea to presentation.
Leslie Roche has received the Outstanding New Academic Award from University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources. Roche is an associate professor of Cooperative Extension, based in the Department of Plant Sciences. Her research looks at the agricultural, environmental and social aspects of ranching and livestock production.
Better management of walnuts in the field, and better handling and storage of the nuts after they are harvested, are key to boosting nut quality, keeping consumers happy and benefitting growers who supply nearly one-quarter of the world’s market each year.
The Soil Science Society of America has recognized Bruce Linquist’s leadership and research excellence, naming him a fellow of the society. Linquist was among 11 people honored for 2024. He’s a professor of Cooperative Extension in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, with collaborative research projects in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Four students connected to the UC Davis Department of Plant Science have received grants from the Milton D. and Mary M. Miller Plant Science Award, which supports learners interested in careers with Cooperative Extension. The 2024 awardees are Maya Shydlowski, Erika Escalona, Sam Dudley and Ben Baldi. All four students said they are eager to share what they are learning with people in the field who need solutions for everyday problems.
Venkatesan Sundaresan has won a Wolf Prize in Agriculture for developing "synthetic apomixis." The method for creating clonal seed at greatly reduced cost is a boon to agriculture, especially for farmers in developing countries.
Patrick H. Brown and Cai-Zhong Jiang have been recognized by the American Society of Horticultural Science. Brown was awarded the 2024 Outstanding Researcher Award, and Jiang was named a fellow of the society.
Two undergraduates in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences – Khushi Chawda and Deysi Alvaro Ceja – have been named to the Borlaug Scholars class of 2024. The National Association of Plant Breeders’ Borlaug scholarships pair students with an NAPB mentor.
Richard Michelmore, founder of the UC Davis Genome Center, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Michelmore is a molecular biologist and distinguished professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences who pioneered saliva-based COVID-19 testing for large-scale use, among other key contributions.
