URSCA 2023 audience members overhead shot

UC Davis undergraduates take center stage to showcase their research

  • by Ginger M Welsh

UC Davis student Rogelio Castillo did not expect undergraduate research to open a path for him to create change in his community of Lindsay, California. But his family’s past experiences with rushed and impersonal health care turned him to science to discover ways to improve health and the quality of patient-provider relationships. 

Four young women proudly hold awards, smiling, dressed in coordinated outfits against a natural backdrop.

Several UC Davis students garner awards at statewide research symposium

  • by Ginger M Welsh

UC Davis students earned two awards and multiple special merit and honorable mentions at the National Science Foundation California Alliance for Maximizing Potential’s 2026 CAMP Symposium at UC Irvine on Feb. 20 and 21. 

The symposium was a two-part presentation experience. In January, students provided virtual video presentations and also met with a panel of UC faculty judges. Awards in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Computer and Information Sciences, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences were announced at the symposium’s poster session.

A person wearing a white lab coat, safety goggles, and blue gloves uses a pipette at a lab workstation. The workstation is filled with colorful lab supplies including microcentrifuge tubes, racks, pipette tips, and various containers. The individual is smiling slightly and appears to be in the middle of an experiment.

Early research opportunities accelerate career options

  • by Ginger M Welsh

From funded scholar programs to an annual research conference, the UC Davis Undergraduate Research Center connects students to hands-on research experiences.

Last year, more than 1,000 students participated in the center’s programs, courses, workshops and annual research conference.  With the start of the fall quarter, the center offers new ways students can build skills that go far beyond the classroom — such as learning transferable research skills — and may open doors to career pathways.

A person wearing a white EEG cap covered with numerous electrodes and wires sits facing the camera. Additional sensors are attached to their face, including one on the forehead with a circular black-and-white target design and another near the cheek. The person is wearing a light-colored sweatshirt and is seated against a dark background,

UC Davis puts student researchers in the forefront

  • by Ginger M Welsh

Undergraduate students find pathways to research in traditional and avant-garde ways at the University of California, Davis. For many undergraduates, early exposure to research sculpts their career journeys in new direction. Every year, the Undergraduate Research Center introduces and connects students to hands-on research through programs, conferences, workshops, awards and mentor-mentee opportunities.

A person wearing a white mask and black T-shirt stands outdoors on a sunny day, holding up both hands covered in black dirt or grease toward the camera. The person has light-colored hair pulled back and is standing in a gravel lot with metal buildings and trees in the background.

Research conference shares innovative undergraduate-led projects

  • by Ginger M Welsh

Over 1,000 student researchers presented projects on topics ranging from accelerating jalapeno growth to studying links between Alzheimer's disease and Type 2 diabetes at the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference on April 25 and 26.

 

Undergraduate researchers recognized with awards

Several research-related awards honor UC Davis undergraduate students.  The Undergraduate Research Center manages three awards:

Natasha Bibbs holding a key

Students Prepare for Undergraduate Research Conference

  • by Julia Ann Easley

UC Davis student Natasha Bibbs of Sacramento has already gone places with academic research — and she hopes to go even further.

The fourth-year student travelled about 2,000 miles to Louisiana and more than 150 years back in time to discover how someone she believes is an ancestor — perhaps her great-great-grandfather — became one of the first Black doctors in his community and used his status to contribute to the African American community.

A group of people in a medical or research lab interacting with robotic surgical equipment. One person in the foreground is seated at a Da Vinci surgical console, while another is taking a photo with a smartphone. Several individuals in the background are gathered around a screen displaying a 3D model, while others are observing robotic arms covered in blue surgical drapes. The room is well-lit, with advanced medical technology and monitors mounted on the ceiling.

UC Davis taps donors for student support

  • by Ginger M Welsh

The current Crowdfund UC Davis project offers donors the opportunity to support undergraduate students. The Undergraduate Research Center and experiential learning programs seek financial support from alumni, faculty and the community to enhance student learning experiences, near and far.

Large group of students gathered around multiple tables set up in rows.

Second Undergraduate Research Fair kicks off Oct. 10

  • by Ginger M Welsh

UC Davis undergraduate students who want to conduct research can meet with more than 37 faculty at the second-ever Undergraduate Research Fair Oct. 10.

The fair, which runs 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 10 in the ARC Ballroom and Courtyard, provides students information about how to participate in research projects, learn about research programs and explore opportunities to work in labs.

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