Here, in her own words, geology major Kimberly Bowman '20 describes how she discovered her passion for studying climate change.

Oliver Kreylos, a project scientist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, used advanced 3D computer graphics to analyze a photograph allegedly proving the Earth is flat. The photograph is a stunning long-distance shot of Mt. San Jacinto taken from Point Dume in Malibu, 122 miles (197 kilometers) away. Spoiler alert: the Earth is round. Watch and find out why.

Caitlin Patler, assistant professor of sociology, received the Distinguished Contribution to Sociological Perspectives award on March 29, 2019, at the Pacific Sociological Association’s annual meeting in Oakland, California. Patler was recognized for her research study exploring when and under what circumstances diverse undocumented youth reveal or conceal their status from school-based adults and peers, what factors influence these decisions, and how these decisions are linked to social and educational outcomes.

Professor of mathematics Jesús De Loera is one of 28 mathematicians worldwide elected to the 2019 class of fellows of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. De Loera was recognized for outstanding service to the community and exemplary research, including contributions to discrete geometry and optimization, polynomial algebra, and mathematical software.

Assistant Professor David Olson's work has made it to the Sweet 16 round of STAT Madness, a bracket-style competition to find the most innovative biomedical research of 2018. Now the only entry from the University of California, Olson’s lab in the Department of Chemistry investigates how psychedelic drugs affect nerve cells and might be used to treat depression, anxiety and other mental disorders.

The Earth and Moon are like identical twins, made up of the exact same materials — which is really strange, since no other celestial bodies we know of share this kind of chemical relationship. What's responsible for this special connection? Looking for an answer, professor Sarah Stewart discovered a new kind of astronomical object — a synestia — and a new way to solve the mystery of the Moon's origin. Watch the talk on TED.com.

Two professors in the UC Davis College of Letters and Science have received prestigious CAREER awards from the National Science Foundation. The NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program supports junior faculty who perform outstanding research, are excellent educators, and integrate outreach in their work.

Work from David Olson’s laboratory in the Department of Chemistry has made it to the second round of STAT Madness, a bracket-style competition to find the most innovative biomedical research of 2018.

Round 2 voting runs until Thursday (March 14), via the STAT Madness webpage. The competition is organized by the news site statnews.com.