News

CBS Nets Multiple Year-End Mentorship and Research Awards

Amanda H Turner — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 17:55:30 +0000

CBS Nets Multiple Year-End Mentorship and Research Awards

Graduate Studies and Undergraduate Research Center recognize CBS students, postdocs and faculty

Amanda H Turner June 29, 2022

With the close of the academic year just around the corner, many in the college are being recognized for the previous year’s accomplishments by campus units. Dr. Nitzan Shabek of the UC Davis Plant Biology Graduate Group (Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Biology) was awarded with the 2022 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Education.

Click Here for the full article.

From the Dean: At the Close of Black History Month

Nicole Rabaud — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 18:22:56 +0000

From the Dean: At the Close of Black History Month

Looking back on the accomplishments of notable Black scientists

Nicole Rabaud March 02, 2022

Paramecium sp. Roger Arliner Young (1889-1964), the first Black woman to obtain a Ph.D. in zoology, made discoveries about the structures within paramecium that control salt concentration that eclipsed those of more established scientists. (Anatoly Mikhaltsov / Wikimedia)

As Black History Month draws to a close, we celebrate and reflect on the many outstanding achievements and contributions Black Americans have made to our state, our nation and to the world at large.

Read the full story here!

Grains in the Rain: Study Opens the Door to Flood-Resistant Crops

Lori Bergum — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 22:34:04 +0000

Grains in the Rain: Study Opens the Door to Flood-Resistant Crops Lori Bergum October 07, 2019

Associate Professor Siobhan Brady and Professor Neelima Sinha, both of the Department of Plant Biology, co-authored the study with colleagues from their labs, UC Riverside and Emory University. David Slipher/UC Davis

Of the major food crops, only rice (Oryza sativa) is currently able to survive flooding. Thanks to new research, that could soon change -- good news for a world in which rains are increasing in both frequency and intensity.

Click to learn more about PBGG faculty and their most recent publication!

Primary Category

Food & Agriculture

Recent PBGG Alum Publishes and Shares Grad School Experience

Lori Bergum — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 23:04:10 +0000

Recent PBGG Alum Publishes and Shares Grad School Experience Lori Bergum September 13, 2019

“The evolutionary history of chloroplasts is one area I wanted to explore when I started graduate school at UC Davis,” said Day.

This story of how a graduate student, Philip Day, and his two major professors made a significant find didn’t follow a straightforward path. It ended up being a testament to great research, resilience, perseverance, and keen mentoring.

Check out Philip's story here!

Primary Category

Student Life

DNA Repair in Plants: STAIR Grant Funds Plant Biologists’ Efforts to Create Cheaper CRISPR Tech

Lori Bergum — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 22:55:16 +0000

DNA Repair in Plants: STAIR Grant Funds Plant Biologists’ Efforts to Create Cheaper CRISPR Tech Lori Bergum July 30, 2019

Anne Britt started studying plants after arriving at UC Davis in 1990. José Luis Villegas/UC Davis photo

When Anne Britt joined UC Davis as a research scientist in 1990, she traded in studying the bacterium E. coli for the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The trade was a gamble.

Learn more how Britt's gamble paid off!

Primary Category

Science & Technology

Plant Biology Grad Group Faculty Wins Award: Dinesh-Kumar Receives the Noel T. Keen ward

Lori Bergum — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 22:22:41 +0000

Plant Biology Grad Group Faculty Wins Award: Dinesh-Kumar Receives the Noel T. Keen ward Lori Bergum July 30, 2019

Dinesh-Kumar joined the UC Davis faculty in 2010 following a roughly 10-year stint at Yale University. David Slipher/UC Davis

“Since I was on the farm, I was always interested in plants, especially why farmers grow so many varieties of rice,” said Dinesh-Kumar.

Learn more of Dinesh-Kumar's "farm to lab" story

Click here for article in Nature Communications by Dinesh-Kumar and colleagues

Primary Category

Education

Plant Biology Grad Group member John Harada: A leader who shaped vision, direction, and outreach for CBS graduate programs steps down

Lori Bergum — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 18:28:13 +0000

Plant Biology Grad Group member John Harada: A leader who shaped vision, direction, and outreach for CBS graduate programs steps down Lori Bergum July 01, 2019

Like a conductor trying to orchestrate a sublime performance, Harada is trying to figure out the genetic balance that leads to healthy and nutritious seeds. David Slipher/UC Davis

“Seeds feed the world,” said Professor Harada, Department of Plant Biology. “It’s been estimated that 75 percent of the calories that are consumed by humans actually come from seeds.”

Click to read more!

Coast Redwood and Giant Sequoia Mega-Genomes Sequenced

Lori Bergum — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 23:08:02 +0000

Coast Redwood and Giant Sequoia Mega-Genomes Sequenced Lori Bergum April 23, 2019

UC Davis Professor David Neale helped sequence the coast redwood and giant sequoia genomes.

PBGG faculty member, Professor David Neale was part of a collaboration of scientists who successfully sequenced the coast redwood and giant sequoia genomes, key for conservation and restoration of the species.

Learn more about a "23 and Me" for trees!

Primary Category

Environment

Sloan Fellowship Will Help New Faculty Patrick Shih Investigate Ancient Origins of Photosynthesis

Lori Bergum — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 21:22:10 +0000

Sloan Fellowship Will Help New Faculty Patrick Shih Investigate Ancient Origins of Photosynthesis Lori Bergum April 11, 2019

The fellowship will help fund his research to reconstruct the evolution of photosynthesis, a process that originated billions of years ago.

Learn more about Dr. Shih's exciting research!

Primary Category

Science & Technology

Plant Bio Grad Student Katie Murphy Named UC Davis Grad Slam Champ

Lori Bergum — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 21:38:38 +0000

Plant Bio Grad Student Katie Murphy Named UC Davis Grad Slam Champ Lori Bergum March 19, 2019

Update: Katie Murphy won the UC Grad Slam!

“Let's see by a show of hands, how many of you had lunch today? Now keep your hand up if you'd like to eat lunch 20 years from now.”

Click here to read more!

Primary Category

Students

Nature Paper Unravels Dynamics of Plant Hormone Interactions at Atomic Resolutions

Lori Bergum — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 19:20:22 +0000

Nature Paper Unravels Dynamics of Plant Hormone Interactions at Atomic Resolutions Lori Bergum March 06, 2019

In 1880, Charles Darwin and his son Francis explored plant architectures in “The Power of Movement in Plants.” One of their most famous experiments was based on the concept that plants bend towards the light.

Learn more about how PBGG's Nitzan Shabek expands upon these initial explorations!

Primary Category

Science & Technology

Plant Biology Graduate Group's Katie Murphy was selected on of the top ten annual Grad Slam finalists and is spotlighted today!

Lori Bergum — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 19:12:56 +0000

Plant Biology Graduate Group's Katie Murphy was selected on of the top ten annual Grad Slam finalists and is spotlighted today! Lori Bergum March 05, 2019

Plant Biology Graduate Group's Katie Murphy was selected on of the top ten annual Grad Slam finalists. For the event, students present the significance and fundamental points of their work at UC Davis in a clear, direct, and interesting manner.

Check out Katie's Spotlight!

Primary Category

Student Life

Gene Network Lets Plant Roots Handle Nitrogen

Lori Bergum — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 22:25:16 +0000

Gene Network Lets Plant Roots Handle Nitrogen Lori Bergum October 26, 2018

Dr. Brady researches in lab

As featured in Nature, researchers at the University of California, Davis, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have established a core set of genes that help plants metabolize nitrogen, the key to plant growth and crop yield. Featuring Associate Professor Siobhan Brady, Department of Plant Biology.

View the full story

Primary Category

Food & Agriculture

Feeding the Future

David Slipher — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 16:46:23 +0000

Feeding the Future David Slipher September 14, 2018

College of Biological Sciences Associate Professor Siobhan Brady and Professor Neelima Sinha in the Department of Plant Biology research and refine successful plant traits. David Slipher

To meet a projected population of 9.8 billion by 2050, global food production needs to grow an estimated 70 percent. Rising patterns of extreme weather are challenging food security. To adapt and feed the world, we need stronger crops. Learn how UC Davis Plant Biology Graduate Group researchers are exploring the survival strategies of wild and parasitic plants to help cultivate the climate-resistant food crops of tomorrow in this feature story.

Explore the research of "Feeding the Future"

Primary Category

Food & Agriculture

Plant Cell Study Adds to Protein Trafficking Dogma

David Slipher — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 16:37:07 +0000

Plant Cell Study Adds to Protein Trafficking Dogma David Slipher September 04, 2018

Ph.D. student Iniyan Ganesan and Professor Steven Theg stand with garden pea plants. David Slipher/UC Davis

There’s a prevailing dogma in the field of cell biology. When it comes to transmembrane protein trafficking—the act of molecules crossing cellular membranes—proteins need to be unfolded to cross, otherwise they’re too bulky to fit through membrane pores.

A new study, published by Biophysics Graduate Group member Professor Steven Theg, Department of Plant Biology, and his colleagues in The Plant Cell, reexamines how protein trafficking occurs in the chloroplasts of green plants. The researchers found that surprisingly large proteins don’t require unfolding to cross the chloroplast membrane. They can do so while folded.

Explore Theg's research on protein trafficking in chloroplasts

Primary Category

Science & Technology

STAIR Grant Funds Plant Biologists’ Efforts to Create Cheaper CRISPR Tech

Lori Bergum — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 22:10:33 +0000

STAIR Grant Funds Plant Biologists’ Efforts to Create Cheaper CRISPR Tech Lori Bergum August 14, 2018

Tomatoes. Assisted by the STAIR Grant program, UC Davis plant biologists are working to develop a new method for rapid and efficient genome editing in tomatoes.

When Anne Britt joined UC Davis as a research scientist in 1990, she traded in studying the bacterium E. coli for the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The trade was a gamble. Britt’s research focused on DNA repair, and at the time, plants weren’t a popular model organism for the molecular biology field.

Read the full article on Britt's research

Primary Category

Food & Agriculture