Graduate Studies is pleased to announce and celebrate the dedicated and talented individuals who have earned awards and recognition for their exceptional achievement in the 2021-2022 academic year.

The following graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and professors are recognized for outstanding contributions in research, teaching, and mentorship.

Alumna and communication researcher Laura Lindenfeld Ph.D. ’03 will return to UC Davis as the keynote speaker for the 2022 Graduate Studies Commencement on Thursday, June 9, at the University Credit Union Center.

Lindenfeld is the Dean of the School of Communication and Journalism and a professor of journalism at Stony Brook University, where she oversees a team of dedicated faculty and staff, including Pulitzer Prize winners, to educate and train the next generation of multimedia journalists and communication professionals.

In a nod to the crucial role of science and testing during the pandemic, Nam Tran, a professor of clinical pathology, has been named parade marshal for UC Davis’ 108th Picnic Day, being held in person on the Davis campus this Saturday, April 23.

Growing up as the oldest of five children in a single-parent home, Britt Loofbourrow, Ph.D. ’22 remembers a difficult decision her family had to make every month. 

“There were questions of, OK, what’s going to be the most important thing? Hot water, electricity, or food?” she recalls.

Her personal experience with food insecurity has not only inspired her doctoral research and degree in nutritional biology, but also her volunteerism with the Graduate Student Association Pantry and her future career.

In graduate education, the faculty mentor plays the primary role in guiding a graduate student from recruitment through graduation—and often on to job placements—for several formative and demanding years. Faculty mentors also play an increasing role in responding to the mental health needs of graduate students, who face the stressors of the pandemic, ongoing racial injustice, climate change and political unrest. While this mentoring relationship is central for graduate students, it is one often fraught with challenges.

In the annual Grad Slam tournament, master’s and doctoral students are challenged to share their research stories, concisely and compellingly, in three minutes or less. The top 10 finalists will present their research to an audience and panel of external judges for a chance to win $2,500.

El Niño, an oceanic phenomenon that affects worldwide weather patterns, significantly affected the number of enslaved Africans transported from West Africa to the Americas between the mid-1600s and mid-1800s, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. 

Dear Graduate Students,

As was the case in fall 2021, the default mode of instruction for Winter 2022 will be in-person, with an exception for hybrid and virtual courses previously approved by the Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCI).

The University of California, Davis, named 19 Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars as fellows in the 2021-2022 Leaders for the Future (LFTF) program.

Supporting Graduate Student Success Through Mentorship 

Having a strong mentor can be a life-changing experience. Positive mentor-mentee relationships have shown to increase academic persistence, productivity and satisfaction in graduate student mentees. Additionally, mentorship can help increase overall graduate student well-being. Students with mentors report feeling less imposter syndrome, anxiety, and depression. 

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has awarded 2021-22 fellowships to four scholars at the University of California, Davis. Recipients will pursue academic work and lead innovative community projects to empower women and girls.
 
•    Sarah Biscarra Dilley, an American Fellowship, is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Native American and Indigenous Studies, Critical Gender Studies, Visual Arts, Geography, and History.