Student News

Group of smiling people around the table on which are terra cotta cups and a pitcher and a cake. One man is standing holding one hand to his face and holding a piece of cake in the other. hi

Psychology Student's Study Shows Ethnic Pride Enhances Latinx Youth Well-Being

  • by Karen Nikos-Rose
  • July 24, 2023

Encouraging Latinx adolescents of Mexican origin to embrace their ethnic pride, cultural values, and connections to their cultural community contributes to positive development and better adjustment during adolescence, a new University of California, Davis, psychology study suggests.

“We found evidence suggesting that increasing ethnic pride and connection to cultural values may significantly improve psychological well-being for Mexican-origin adolescents,” said Lisa Johnson, lead author and doctoral student in the Department of Psychology and the Center for Mind and Brain.

A group photo of ASPIRE students in front of a brick wall with UC Davis on the front of it.

Program Gives Jumpstart to Student Researchers

  • by Kathleen Holder
  • June 26, 2023
A program that gets students into labs as early as their first year at UC Davis transforms lives — leading many to pursue careers in research. Accelerating Success by Providing Intensive Research Experience, or ASPIRE, has begun reaching out to a wider pool of students. “We wanted to find the students who, given this opportunity, would go the farthest relative to where they started,” says co-founder Steve Luck, Distinguished Professor of Psychology.

Earth and Planetary Sciences Doctoral Candidate Receives National Geographic Society’s 2023 Wayfinder Award

  • by Greg Watry
  • June 22, 2023
A UC Davis doctoral candidate investigating the hydrochemistry of southern Africa’s largest and most precious freshwater wetland was recently selected as a winner of the National Geographic Society’s 2023 Wayfinder Award. Goabaone Jaqueline Ramatlapeng joins 14 other trailblazers who were selected for their exemplary achievements in exploration through science, education, conservation, technology and storytelling.
Profile pictures of Lynnette Hersh and Emma Tolliver

Top College Awards Go to Mental Health, Justice Advocates

  • by Kathleen Holder and Jeffrey Day
  • May 31, 2023
An aspiring psychologist who aims to improve mental health care for people on the autism spectrum and a political science/English double major who plans to be a legal advocate for marginalized communities are the recipients of the College of Letters and Science’s top prizes for graduating seniors at UC Davis.

UC Davis Arts and Humanities Graduate Students’ Wide-Ranging Work Takes Center Stage With Annual Exhibition  

  • by Jeffrey Day
  • May 24, 2023
At this year’s Arts and Humanities Graduate Exhibition, on view June 8-25 at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, students in history, performance studies and English as well as design and art will take part. A free, public opening celebration will take place June 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. Art history students will present their research the following day. In all, 30 Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts and doctoral students are participating. 
A portrait shot of UC Davis Undergraduate student Quincy Kumfert

Self-discovery in an Honors Thesis on an International Crisis

  • by Kathleen Holder
  • May 11, 2023
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.
Anna Kundmann and Anna Wannenmacher

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

  • by Greg Watry
  • May 02, 2023
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.”
Caden Williams stands in front of a grassy hill

UC Davis Student Studying Ancient Microbial Life Named Goldwater Scholar

  • by Greg Watry
  • April 17, 2023
Caden Williams is among 413 college students nationwide selected from a pool of more than 5,000 applicants to receive the prestigious STEM scholarship, which was established by Congress in 1986 to honor the late U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater. The award provides up to $7,500 for college expenses. This is the sixth consecutive year that a UC Davis student has been named a Goldwater Scholar.   
Three head shots of College of Letters and Science students participating in this year's UC Davis Grad Slam

Three College of Letters and Science Students Ready to Rumble for UC Davis Grad Slam

  • by Greg Watry
  • March 28, 2023
Three College of Letters and Science graduate students will test their research communication prowess at the upcoming 2023 UC Davis Grad Slam. Created and organized by Graduate Studies, the competition provides 10 graduate students the opportunity to present a three-minute pitch about their research. The competition will be held at the UC Davis Graduate Center on April 6 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Screenshots showcasing the Fennel app user interface

Mobile App Founded by UC Davis Physics Student Empowers Socially Responsible Investors

  • by Greg Watry
  • March 10, 2023
An app founded by a UC Davis graduate student is poised to revolutionize financial investing for the socially conscious. Fennel, a mobile investing app that gives users insights into a company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics, was recently named one of Fast Company’s “10 most innovative companies in personal finance of 2023.” What’s more, the company has raised roughly $8.5 million in seed funding to support its growth during its beta stages.
black and white photo of two women their eyes blanked out by white bars in military fatigues holding guns.

Hemispheric Institute Scholars Present Recent Findings

  • by Jeffrey A Day
  • February 15, 2023

Ten doctoral students across many disciplines in the College of Letters and Science and two students from outside the college will present research done as UC Davis Hemispheric Institute on the Americas Summer Fellowship recipients. The fellowships allowed the students to travel to further their scholarship into diverse topics ranging from music about the Panama Canal to examining human remains for insights into drought and societal collapse in Peru.

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