News | UC Davis College of Letters and Science

In Memoriam: Håkon Hope

Håkon Hope, professor emeritus of chemistry at UC Davis, died Nov. 22 at his home in Davis. He was 87.

Hope was a leading researcher in X-ray crystallography, and was known for his pioneering work developing low-temperature methods in biological macromolecule crystallography. His work is widely recognized as resulting in a complete transformation of the practice of biocrystallography. Hope joined the Department of Chemistry in 1965, retiring as professor emeritus in 1993.

College News

Book about Mining’s Effect on Literature Garners Support from NEH

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded a fellowship this week to English professor Liz Miller to support her work on a book about industrial mining and its effects on 19th- and early 20th-century literature. The $60,000 award, announced Dec. 12, will enable Miller to spend the 2019 calendar year writing Extraction Ecologies and the Literature of the Long Exhaustion, 1830s-1930s.

Society and Culture

New undersea maps lead to hydrothermal vent and species discoveries

A spectacular new hydrothermal vent field, named JaichMatt, has been discovered during an expedition in the Gulf of California led by Robert Zierenberg, professor emeritus.

Science

Rapid Genetic Evolution Linked to Lighter Skin Pigmentation in a Southern African Population

Study finds that a gene for lighter skin spread rapidly among people in southern Africa in the last 2,000 years. University of California, Davis, researchers and colleagues report that the gene was introduced from eastern Africa to southern African populations. Strong positive selection caused this gene to rise in frequency among some KhoeSan populations.

Society and Culture

UC Davis Student to Hit High Note With Walk at Graduation

Michael O’Hearn will be hitting a high note when he walks across the stage at the fall commencement of the University of California, Davis, on Saturday, Dec. 15.

Student News

English Professor Explores Rediscovered Writer for Groundbreaking 'Digital Collaboration'

Frances Dolan spent much of last year in the company of Hester Pulter, a little-known 17th-century British writer. Dolan, distinguished professor of English in the UC Davis College of Letters and Science, has done extensive research and writing for The Pulter Project: Poet in the Making, a “digital collaboration” launched in November.

Arts

Access to Food Stamps Improves Children’s Health and Reduces Medical Spending

In a new policy brief, Chloe N. East (Ph.D., economics, ’16), an assistant professor of economics at the University of Colorado Denver, examines how parental eligibility for the Food Stamp Program affects children's well-being and healthcare expenses, with a particular focus on U.S.-born children of immigrants.

Society and Culture

Mantle Neon Illuminates Earth’s Formation

The Earth formed relatively quickly from the cloud of dust and gas around the sun, trapping water and gases in the planet’s mantle, according to research published Dec. 5 in the journal Nature. Apart from settling Earth’s origins, the work could help in identifying extrasolar systems that could support habitable planets.

Science

First Jellyfish Genome Reveals Ancient Beginnings of Complex Body Plan

Jellyfish undergo an amazing metamorphosis, from tiny polyps growing on the seafloor to swimming medusae with stinging tentacles. The first in-depth look at the genome of a jellyfish — the moon jelly Aurelia aurita — reveals the origins of this successful survival strategy.

Science

Distinguished Professor Carlito Lebrilla Elected AAAS Fellow

Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Carlito Lebrilla is one of 10 UC Davis faculty members newly elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

College News