Chemical engineering professor Greg Miller and chemistry professor Mike Toney teach the “Chemical and Engineering Principles in Whiskey and Fuel Alcohol” (ECH/CHE 168) course at UC Davis, which teaches undergraduate students the chemical engineering and chemistry of making whiskey.
Chemistry professor Delmar Larsen has been awarded one of four 2022 Chancellor’s Innovation Awards. The awards, presented June 16, recognize faculty, community partners and industry leaders developing innovative solutions to improve the lives of others and address important needs in our global society.
As a college freshman, Mya Ajanel’s dreams of a veterinary degree were nearly derailed by chemistry. “I barely passed the first quarter, so I definitely had fear of just finishing the general chemistry series,” she said. “I remember crying and thinking I’m not going to be a vet, it’s too hard.”
Evidence from human and animal testing suggests the brain-altering effects of psychedelics could be repurposed for treating addiction. Now, researchers at University of California, Davis, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus plan to screen hundreds of compounds to discover new, non-hallucinogenic treatments for substance use disorders.
Assistant professor Jesús Velázquez, a material chemist in the UC Davis College of Letters and Science, is one of 18 faculty in the U.S. selected as Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholars for 2022. These faculty are within the first five years of their academic careers, have each created an outstanding independent body of scholarship and are deeply committed to education. Each Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar receives an unrestricted research grant of $100,000.
Chemistry professor Louise Berben is the lead principal investigator for one of five University of California research projects recently awarded nearly $19 million in grants by the UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program.
Kyle Crabtree, associate professor of chemistry, has been recognized with the 2022 Early Career Award from the Laboratory Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). Crabtree has established a unique career at the intersection of molecular laboratory astrophysics, astronomical observations and astrochemical modeling, the AAS said in a statement.
Copper in small quantities is an essential nutrient but can also be toxic. Human immune cells use copper to fight invading pathogens. Some microorganisms, in turn, have evolved ways to take up copper and incorporate it into biological molecules, either as a way to absorb copper for nutrition or to neutralize its toxic effects.
The University of California, Davis, is awarding $435,000 to help eight scientists advance their research and innovations toward commercial applications through three proof-of-concept grant programs. The recipient from the College of Letters and Science, Professor Louise Berben, will investigate new ways to improve flow batteries.
College students are often told undergraduate research will give them an edge in the job market. But the steps involved in finding a project can seem daunting. UC Davis makes the process easier with courses that open doors to meaningful research for all students.
