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.
When Joseph Urias transferred to UC Davis from a community college two years ago, he found allies in the Department of Plant Sciences. The flexible program let him customize his learning. Passionate about the interface of plants and people, he dove into the study of horticulture and nursery management: He aimed to strengthen the hands-on learning he was getting at Planting Justice, a nonprofit nursery and community center in Deep East Oakland.
“Education is like going to the gym,” Urias said. “Learning is exercise for your mind.” And like after a run, he’s feeling good.
When interviewed to become a University of California Cooperative Extension specialist in environmental horticulture, Lorence “Loren” Oki was asked what kind of research he wanted to conduct. In response, he showed the hiring committee a photo of a residential gutter. “Water is a big concern, and I found very little research on runoff from homes,” said Oki. Studying residential runoff is what “started his career” with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources back in 2002.
Jennifer Baumbach, a UC Davis GSR awardee, now coordinates the Master Gardener Program in Solano and Yolo counties. The GSR award supported her research and enhanced her understanding of connecting UC research to practical applications, benefiting communities and end-users.
Scientists in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences have landed $2.1 million in federal grants to develop varieties of green beans, chile peppers and alfalfa that can offer farmers greater quality, lower production costs and better yield amid the growing heat and drought already happening with climate change.
The grants from the United States Department of Agriculture come through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
This fall, three graduate students from the Department of Plant Sciences will start cultivating their confidence and growing the soft skills needed to bear their best fruit as professionals. Joseph “Zeke” Student, Madeleine Macconnell and Sire Kassama will work with professional leadership and business coaches, nourishing their ability to lead, collaborate and communicate, through the Launching Tomorrow’s Leaders program.
