Students and education

Students present research, network at vegetable conference

Ten UC Davis students and postdoctoral researchers recently attended the annual Vegetable and Flower Conference of the American Seed Trade Association. They enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their research during poster sessions, hear speakers and network with people in the industry. More than 800 seed professionals from 33 countries attended.

Among those attending from the Department of Plant Sciences were:

Maria Alejandra Ponce de Leon

Multicultural Scholars Program to bring underrepresented students into plant sciences

When UC Davis recruiters visit high schools and community colleges, they have new reasons to encourage students who might not usually think of college. The Department of Plant Sciences Multicultural Scholars Program now offers financial support to California students from under-represented communities to help them pursue a career in the field.

Gilbert honored for graduate advising

Matthew E. Gilbert has been honored with a Program Advising and Mentoring Award by UC Davis Graduate Studies for 2022. Gilbert is an associate professor and vice chair of crops and ecosystems in the Department of Plant Sciences.

“Student well-being, both academically and mentally, is so important, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Gilbert. “For that reason, I became chair of the Graduate Student and Post-doctoral Welfare Committee, which is a sub-committee of Graduate Council.

Kassama, Student & Macconnell grow their professional skills

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.

Tris Yasay mourned by the Department of Plant Sciences

Trisha “Tris” Nicole Sabay Yasay was a cherished and beloved student in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. Her untimely death in a collision on May 25 leaves a hole in our classrooms, at our Student Farm, in our homes and in our hearts.

“The community of students, staff and faculty of Department of Plant Sciences express their deep condolences to the family of Tris,” department Chair Gail Taylor said. “We are all devastated by the loss of her life. At our Plant Sciences Symposium today, we observed a minute of silence to hold Tris and her family in our thoughts.”

Undergraduate in plant biology course earns Prized Writing distinction

Alexander Saka, a senior biology student, has been honored by Prized Writing for his essay “Origin and Domestication of Soybean,” a paper he wrote for Distinguished Professor Paul Gepts’ Evolution of Crop Plants course in the Department of Plant Sciences. Prized Writing is an annual juried competition that highlights exemplary undergraduate writing from across the many disciplines at the University of California, Davis.

Videos: Two Plant Sciences Classes — Botany and Physiology of Cultivated Plants, and Vegetable Crop Production

Two of the undergraduate courses in Plant Sciences at UC Davis (PLS 002 and PLS 110) prepare students for post-graduation jobs and careers. Four short videos show the hands-on opportunities that students get to explore introductory and upper level concepts related to plant science and plant production. Instructors include Jeff Mitchell, Gail Taylor, and Peter Freer-Smith.