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Climate Change Likely Led to Violence in Early Andean Populations

Violence during climatic change has evidence in history. University of California, Davis, researchers said they have have found a pattern of increased violence during climatic change in the south central Andes between A.D. 470 and 1500. During that time, which includes the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (ca. A.D. 900-1250), temperatures rose, drought occurred, and the first states of the Andes collapsed.

To Combat Life’s Stress, People Seek Negative Entertainment

When the day is filled with news of mass shootings, police malfeasance and “me too” courtroom escapades, people turn to entertainment media, where they watch — as it turns out — more negativity, a new University of California, Davis, study suggests.  Researchers have long known that people use media to manage their emotions. But why do some people watch a Disney animated flick and others a biopic about the holocaust, asked Richard Huskey, assistant professor of communication and corresponding author of the study.

Maurice Prize for Fiction of $10K Accepting Submissions

Submissions are being accepted for the 2023 Maurice Prize for Fiction, a $10,000 award for the best novel written by a UC Davis graduate who has not yet published or been accepted for publication by the contest deadline. Submissions are limited to novels; no short story collections.

The deadline for submission is Aug. 14.

College Honors Four Faculty as Prized Teachers

Four faculty members have received the 2023 College of Letters and Science Teaching Awards. The awards recognize outstanding teaching on the undergraduate and graduate levels, both inside and outside the classroom.

Mathematician, Designer and Science Historian Named Dean’s Faculty Fellows

A mathematician studying the geometry behind refractions, a technologist creating wearables for the chronically ill, and a science historian revealing the complex history of sociogenomics have been named the 2023 Dean’s Faculty Fellows for the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis. The three-year fellowships are part of the College of Letters and Science Faculty Investment Initiative to support early faculty research excellence and development.

Top College Awards Go to Mental Health, Justice Advocates

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.

VIDEO: Watch the Ko Lecture 'A Radical Approach to Antibiotic Resistance'

If you missed the most recent Winston Ko Professorship in Science Leadership Lecture, you still have the opportunity to check out the presentation. On May 15, Squire J. Booker, an esteemed biochemist from Pennsylvania State University, presented a lecture titled “A Radical Approach to Antibiotic Resistance.” Check out the lecture!

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

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. 

Perception Inception: Exploring Decision-Making in the Brain with Rishidev Chaudhuri

Associate Professor Rishidev Chaudhuri’s research sits in the nexus of mathematics, physics and neuroscience. Chaudhuri studies processing strategies in the brain using mathematics and physics. One direction of his research concerns the neural underpinnings of decision-making, an avenue of research that’s making neuroscientists rethink longstanding narratives about how the brain functions.

New Technology to Improve Dietary Protein Aims to Meet Global Demands and Advance Health Outcomes

Led by researchers from UC Davis, Digestiva is developing a cutting-edge solution of specialized enzymes to enhance the nutritional efficacy of dietary proteins. Their goal is to make proteins more easily digestible, which may allow people to access the full health benefits of proteins without compromising their cultural and personal connections to food.