College Faculty Lead Three UC Davis ‘Grand Challenges’
Four focus areas for UC Davis’ first “Grand Challenges” are bringing together experts from across the campus to address climate change, emerging health threats and sustainable food systems — and to reimagine the university itself.
“UC Davis’ extraordinary diversity makes it well suited to show how transdisciplinary research can be put into practice to improve the lives of people in California, the United States and the world,” said UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May. “Grand Challenges will help our community make critical connections across disciplines and elevate the impact of the work we do every day.”
College of Letters and Science faculty are championing three of the Grand Challenges.
- Climate Crisis — Isabel Montañez, Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and director of the UC Davis Institute of the Environment.
- Reimagining the Land Grant University — Beth Rose Middleton Manning, professor of Native American studies.
- Sustainable Food Systems — Justin Siegel, associate professor of chemistry.
In addition, English professor John Marx is a faculty advisor to the Grand Challenges initiative.
Christine Kreuder Johnson, director of the EpiCenter for Disease Dynamics at the One Health Institute, is championing the Emerging Health Threats focus area.
“These focus areas represent some of the most pressing issues we face today,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan. “We have people doing amazing work in each of these areas. Through their combined expertise and our ability to bring in additional disciplines from our campus community, we will see UC Davis move to the front of generating solutions to the world’s most vexing problems.”
To learn more, get involved or nominate additional focus areas, visit the Grand Challenges website.
— Adapted from an article by Adam Jensen, communications manager for UC Davis Grand Challenges.