Critic Maya Phillips to Give Talk on Stories of Alternate Realities

The multiverse, long a topic of science fiction and fantasy, seems to be popping up in narratives everywhere, notes Maya Phillips, cultural critic for The New York Times. Phillips will explore “Storytelling in the Multiverse of Madness” in a talk on May 5 at 4:10 p.m. at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis — one day before “Dr. Strange” opens in theaters nationwide.

Wangechi Mutu Will Give Thiebaud Lecture

Wangechi Mutu will give the Betty Jean and Wayne Thiebaud Endowed Lecture on May 12 at UC Davis. The 4:30 p.m. free talk at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art is presented by the Department of Art and Art History.

Student Autism Researcher Named a Goldwater Scholar

A UC Davis psychology major who hopes to someday work as a clinical psychologist with clients on the autism spectrum has been awarded a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s leading scholarship for undergraduates pursuing research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. Lynnette Hersh is one of two UC Davis students and among 417 sophomores and juniors nationwide selected from a pool of more than 5,000 applicants to receive the prestigious STEM scholarship

How the Indigenous Practice of 'Good Fire' Can Help Our Forests Thrive

In the past several years, California has endured the most extreme fires in its recorded history.

2018’s Camp Fire grew into the state’s deadliest and most destructive fire on record, devastating the towns of Paradise and Concow. Last year the state suffered the Dixie Fire, raging for months through five Northern California counties on its way to becoming the single-largest blaze in state history.

The California Studio Wraps Up Inaugural Year With Groundbreaking Artists

The UC Davis Department of Art and Art History will host Ann Hamilton, Michael Mercil and Beatriz Cortez as the spring quarter artists in residence in The California Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residencies. Launched in fall 2021, The California Studio brings artists to campus in residencies focused on teaching and studio art education.

State Department Names 2 College Students as ‘Critical Language Scholars’

Two UC Davis College of Letters and Science students will travel to Morocco and Brazil this summer for intensive foreign language and cultural studies as part of a U.S. Department of State program. Charles Sills, a history doctoral student, and Carlie Whiteman, an undergraduate communication major, are among five UC Davis students selected by the State Department as 2022 Critical Language Scholars.

Three College Faculty Honored for Teaching

The UC Davis Academic Senate and Academic Federation recently announced their annual awards given to members for exceptional research, teaching and mentoring, and public service. Three faculty members in the College of Letters and Science have been recognized.

On Icy Enceladus, Expansion Cracks Let Inner Ocean Boil Out

In 2006, the Cassini spacecraft recorded geyser curtains shooting forth from “tiger stripe” fissures near the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus — sometimes as much as 200 kilograms of water per second. A new study suggests how expanding ice during millennia-long cooling cycles could sometimes crack the moon’s icy shell and let its inner ocean out, providing a possible explanation for the geysers.