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The Dark Matter of Food: Uncovering the Structures of Carbohydrates

We’ve all heard the advice, “Eat more fiber.” But the reality behind that seemingly simple recommendation is much more complex when it comes to human health. As part of a $3.7 million National Institutes of Health-funded project, UC Davis scientists are building a library of biomarkers associated with specific fiber food sources as they pass through the gut. The goal is to build a comprehensive understanding of the structural diversity of fibers and how those structures influence digestive health.

Self-discovery in an Honors Thesis on an International Crisis

Torn between two academic paths — genetics and political science — graduating senior finds her passion in analysis of world response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. UC Davis undergraduate Quincy Kumfert was an aspiring scientist participating in a study abroad program in France in December 2021 when world events changed the course of her life.

Anthropological Ally

Liza Grandia, associate professor in the Department of Native American Studies and an internationally acclaimed public scholar, was barely drinking age when she stopped the World Bank and an international oil company from building a pipeline through the rural regions of Guatemala. The lesson Grandia learned then — that one is never too young to become engaged in public scholarship — is something that she emphasizes to her students at UC Davis. 

Pioneering Artist and Professor Emerita Lynn Hershman Leeson Returns to Campus

Professor emerita and groundbreaking multimedia artist Lynn Hershman Leeson returns to campus as a Manetti Shrem California Studio artist-in-residence to screen several of her films and give a talk. At UC Davis from 1993 to 2004, she is a pioneer in the fields of photography, video, film, performance, artificial intelligence, installation, interactive and net-based media art.

David Olson Receives Rising Star Award in Neurobiology of Psychedelics

The Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences at the University of Pennsylvania recently gave David Olson, founding director of the UC Davis institute, its Rising Star Award in Neurobiology of Psychedelics. The award, according to Penn, honors a researcher “at the forefront of unraveling the mechanisms underlying the actions of psychedelics in the brain or translating these discoveries into interventions that preserve, restore and enhance brain function.”

Economics Faculty Santiago Pérez Speaks at Buenos Aires Book Fair

Anyone who traces their family history knows the challenges and triumphs of documenting the lives of their ancestors. Multiply that effort by thousands and you’ll glimpse the daunting scope of Santiago Pérez’s economic history research, which he recently spoke about at the International Book Fair in Buenos Aires.

Earthquake 'Nowcasting' with Distinguished Professor John Rundle

Is it possible to predict earthquakes? For decades, earthquake researchers like Distinguished Professor John Rundle have explored various methods attempting to tackle this question. Rundle and his colleagues are exploring “nowcasting,” which uses methods inspired from the fields of finance, economics and meteorology to determine the earthquake potential of a region through time. In this video, Rundle discusses his interest in earthquake nowcasting and why this field of research is more important than ever.

Two UC Davis Chemistry Graduate Students Selected to Conduct Research at DOE National Labs

Two UC Davis chemistry graduate researchers have been selected to spend several months to a year conducting research at U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories. Anna Csencsits Kundmann and Anna Wannenmacher are among the 87 awardees from 58 universities selected to participate in the Office of Science Graduate Research (SCGSR) program. According to the DOE, graduate researchers selected to participate in the program are working on research projects “that addresses critical energy, environmental and nuclear challenges at national and international scales.”

Scholar Reconnects to UC Davis and His Homeland Through Research on San Francisco Murals

Mauricio Ernesto Ramírez, a postdoctoral scholar in the UC Davis Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, first walked through Balmy Alley when he was a student at a nearby elementary school in San Francisco’s Mission District. The block-long alley contains the most concentrated collection of murals in a city that’s a tapestry of murals. The alley’s art — which first began appearing in the early 1970s —has long been about issues relevant to the many Mission residents who trace their roots to Mexico and Central America.

Making Better Measurements of the Composition of Galaxies

A study using data from telescopes on Earth and in the sky resolves a problem plaguing astronomers working in the infrared and could help make better observations of the composition of the universe with the James Webb Space Telescope and other instruments. The work is published April 20 in Nature Astronomy.