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A golden spark in this world. The kind of student who inspires a person to teach. Curious, enthusiastic, compassionate. And, someone who had a – shall we say unique? – taste in fashion.

Lacole Brooks is being recognized for all the ways she supports student success in the Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources. She is one of the recipients of the 2026 Eleanor and Harry Walker Academic Advising Awards.

LAWR's Dr. Rebecca Lybrand examines the soil along the edge of the Salton Sea as part of UC Dust. Dr. Lybrand and the UC Dust Team are working on a new state-funded study that is looking into the types of materials embedded in the dust around the Salton Sea. Learn more in the KPBS article below! 

For nearly a month, hundreds of thousands of Iowans have not been allowed to water their lawns — even though there’s no drought.

Local authorities previously asked the public to refrain from washing cars and filling pools. And some cities turned off splash pads in the height of summer heat.

Ofelia Lichtenheld shared her recipe for brewing organic compost ‘tea’ out of bat guano, kelp, molasses and vermicompost. Photo by Rob Padilla

We’re living in a modern gold rush. That's according to Samuel Sandoval Solis, a University of California Cooperative Extension specialist and UC Davis professor in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources. But don’t get your pickaxe yet, he’s not talking about minerals. He’s interested in the latest must-have crop.

As most of the U.S. sweltered in mid-July 2022 − when temperatures in many major cities reached the high 90s and even triple digits − a national weather map showed San Francisco topping out at 65 degrees.

It was just a typical foggy summer day in the city by the bay, which averaged 62 degrees that month, about the same as the next two Julys.

Atmospheric science senior undergraduate Cameron Schmitt was recently announced as a recipient of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences “Dean’s Circle Award” which is given annually to up to three outstanding seniors from across the college.  Mr. Schmitt excelled academically and philanthropically in his time at UC Davis.  He will graduate with a 4.0 GPA while having completed the bulk of his degree in just three years.  Mr.

From a small California winery to a large-scale energy project in China, floating photovoltaics — or “floatovoltaics”— are gaining in popularity. Commonly installed over artificial water bodies, from irrigation ponds and reservoirs to wastewater treatment plants, floating solar projects can maximize space for producing clean energy while sparing natural lands.

We’re excited to share highlights from the National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest, held last week in Stevens Point, Wisconsin!

In Fairfield, on the northeast edge of California’s Bay Area, there is a spot where the land drops below a gravel parking lot and into a ravine. Ledgewood Creek flows through an underpass, just out of sight from passing traffic and across from a Home Depot. On a hot day in early September 2024, researchers from UC Davis are in the creek, setting up transects to measure its size and shape.

In their third year of competing at regionals, the UC Davis Collegiate Soil Judging Team placed third, earning their first-ever qualification for the prestigious National Collegiate Soils Contest. UC Davis will face off against ~25 other top teams from across the nation in April 2025 at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.

It’s not your average solar farm.

The glassy panels stand in a meadow. Wildflowers sway in the breeze, bursts of purple, pink, yellow, orange and white among native grasses. A monarch butterfly flits from one blossom to the next. Dragonflies zip, bees hum and goldfinches trill.

From coastal redwoods and Joshua trees to golden poppies and sagebrush, California is a global botanical hotspot. It’s also a place confronted with extreme heat, wildfires and crumbling coastlines. The state’s natural beauty and history of pioneering conservation efforts make it a test bed for protecting biodiversity in the face of current and future climate change, argues a study led by the University of California, Davis.

Soils and Biogeochemistry PhD student Sarah Brickman and postdoctoral researcher Nall Moonilall have been honored with the highest recognition on campus for their outstanding role in mentoring undergraduate research. This award celebrates their exceptional contributions to guiding undergraduate students in research and/or creative activities.