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Biomedical Research, the MD/PhD Track, and the Lessons of Star Trek:

Meet Maya Mysore '22, the UHP’s Newest Goldwater Scholar

UHP student Maya Mysore has earned a Goldwater Scholarship for the coming academic year. The prestigious, federally endowed award encourages students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. Mysore is among the 410 students awarded Goldwater Scholarships  for the 2021-2022 academic year, and one of two UC Davis recipients along with cell biology major Keely Ji. 

A Fond Farewell to Dr. Eddy Ruiz

Dr. Eddy Ruiz, UHP’s Associate Director, has been an essential part of this program for our students, staff, faculty, and overall UC Davis community.

In early 2016, Dr. Ruiz joined UC Davis as the inaugural Associate Director of both the newly created University Honors Program and a rapidly expanding First Year Seminars Program. Dr. Ruiz has been a tremendous partner in all aspects related to the long-term vision, daily operations, growth, and overall success of UHP and FYS.

SHAPE Brings Together Science and Art in Classroom and on Stage

The University Honors Program is excited to be partnering with the Science, Humanities and Arts: Process and Engagement (SHAPE) program to offer a very special course in Fall 2020! The course is titled Transforming Exclusion to Expression: Gender and Race in Climate Science and is co-taught by Professors Margaret Kemp and Dawn Sumner.

Psychology and Molecular & Cellular Biology Faculty Win 2020 UHP Outstanding Faculty Awards

Every year, the University Honors Program invites students to nominate UC Davis faculty for Outstanding Teaching and Faculty Mentorship Awards. These are our 2020 winners. 2020 Faculty Mentorship Award: Dr. Francis "Frank" McNally, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology

The UHP Faculty Mentorship Award is awarded to a UC Davis faculty member for providing outstanding mentorship to a UHP student. An outstanding mentor is one who is accessible, impactful, and has played a significant role in at least one UHP student's undergraduate career.

2020 Graduates Receive UHP Awards

Every year, the University Honors Program awards students for implementing values of UHP: leadership, community service, and research & innovation. These are our 2020 winners. 2020 UHP Student Leadership Award: Thuy Vi "Vi" Nguyen, International Relations

The UHP Student Leadership Award identifies a graduating UHP student who is an emerging leader on campus or in the community. This student has demonstrated a commitment to all of the values of UHP including excellence, innovation, and personal growth, and are part of a new generation of leaders.

Celebrating UHP’s Graduating Class of 2020

This year the University Honors Program is delighted to celebrate 111 graduates who have successfully completed the UHP curriculum. While we were unable to celebrate our graduating seniors in person as originally planned, we are so proud of everything they have accomplished in their time with UHP. This video was created in honor of our graduates’ accomplishments, and we look forward to hearing of their future achievements. Congratulations to the class of 2020! 

Naomi Murray '21 Awarded Prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

UHP student Naomi Murray has been awarded a Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premier undergraduate award in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.

Murray is majoring in Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity, and plans to earn a PhD in Ecology.  An active undergraduate researcher, she is already on the path to a career researching how trees affect community function and resilience, with the goal of minimizing the impacts of climate change.

Putting People First: Facilitating Community in a Remote Learning Environment

By Eric Thai '20

The novel COVID-19 virus has disrupted the functioning of everyday operations worldwide. However, for higher education institutions like the University of California, Davis, the learning continues. While many professors face the challenge of rapidly learning new technologies to adapt to a remote learning experience, Dr. Cristina Moya, an Assistant Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology and a first-time UHP instructor for Human Evolutionary Biology course, was prepared.

The Beta Lab: A Maker Space for Educational Games

By Danielle Baza '21

Up the stairs of the South Silo, tucked away in the Craft Center, lies the Textiles studio. A seemingly unusual spot for a class, the Craft Center is teeming with creativity and eccentric ideas and, as it turns out, is just the right spot for a course that thrives on unconventionalism: UC Davis’s Beta Lab.

Humanizing Health: Ryan Vinh's Service Project

Through service projects, UHP students are able to add dimension to their UC Davis experience by applying classroom lessons to the larger community.

Ryan Vinh, 4th Year Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior major, has been volunteering with Knights Landing since his 2nd year. Knights Landing One Health Center is a clinic that serves the Knights, a small, rural town of less than 1000 people that is about 30 minutes north of Davis.

One Last Advising Appointment: Thank you Heidi!

Heidi Van Beek, UHP's Assistant Director and Year 3 and 4 advisor, has been an integral part of this program since 2015 for our students, the programming, and overall UHP community.

First joining in May 2015, Heidi entered the new position of Assistant Director to act as an advocate for students in the program. She mainly worked with Year 3 and 4 students, including honors transfer students, helping these students to find a home at UC Davis and to make the most of their time here. 

UHP 50th: Inside Scoop

Honors alumni and current Honors students came together in celebration of 50 years of intellectual risk-taking, leadership in a diverse and complex world, and action on behalf of positive social change.

"It is not the program itself we are celebrating, but it is all of you that we are honoring and celebrating this weekend. You are what make this program," said Director Dave Furlow proudly during Friday night's alumni dinner. The 50th Honors Celebration brought together new and old faces through an alumni dinner, alumni-student luncheon, and various demonstrations and tours.