The latest Laurels column in Dateline UC Davis has news on awards for teaching and research, as well as communications and other activities that support the academic mission. Read on for more information.

Dateline UC Davis welcomes news of faculty and staff awards, for publication in Laurels. Send information to dateline@ucdavis.edu.

Circle of Excellence Awards

Nearly a dozen UC Davis communication, marketing and development projects have been honored in an international awards competition by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE. Eleven projects from UC Davis earned Circle of Excellence Awards; they were among thousands of entries from 600 institutions in 28 countries.

The winning entries:

Gold

• Davis Day of Reflection – Healing Together, in the category Special Events (In-Person - Single-Day Events)
• The Art of UC Davis: Donor Stewardship Video, in the category Video (Fundraising and Stewardship, Long)
• IDEA$ at Work: Engaging Employees to Help Solve Budget Challenges, in the category Communications (Communications Initiatives, More Than 25 Staff)
• Annual Stewardship — You're the Gift That Keeps on Giving, in the category Fundraising (Donor Relations and Stewardship Initiatives)
• A Day in the Life of Marine Science Student Researchers, in the category Video (Student Audience, Long)

Silver

• Accessibility and Inclusivity Guide for UC Davis Communicators, in the category Leadership (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives)
• Aggie Accord: An App for Gift Agreements at UC Davis, in the category Advancement Services (Advancement Services Initiatives, More Than 25 Staff)
• Pod of Orcas, in the category Communications (Podcasts, Occasional)

Bronze

• Last Chance to Give Video: Cori and UC Davis, in the category Video (Fundraising, Flash Campaign/Giving Day)
• Parent & Family Weekend 2023, in the category Special Events (In-Person, Multi-Day Events)
• The Learning DO — Development Officer Boot Camp, in the category Leadership (Talent Management Initiatives)

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards

Two faculty and one professional staff member have received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award for the 2024-2025 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Fulbright Scholar Awards are prestigious and competitive fellowships that provide unique opportunities for scholars to teach and conduct research abroad. Fulbright scholars also play a critical role in U.S. public diplomacy, establishing long-term relationships between people and nations.

The Fulbright Scholars from UC Davis are Mary Alurwar, international scholar advisor in Global Affairs, Lynna Dhanani, assistant professor in the Department of Religious Studies, and Ron Mangun, director of the Center for Mind and Brain and distinguished professor in the Department of Psychology. 

Read more on the Global Affairs website.

— Ali Loge

NSF CAREER Award

Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Jonathon Schofield has been recognized for his research with a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development, or NSF CAREER Award — an accolade that supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department.

With this new recognition, Schofield seeks to further develop the efficacy of prosthetics for children born without fully formed limbs.

“We're trying to offer more functional options that cater to the innate capabilities that these children have,” he said. “Then we're going to investigate how that helps with learning, and if we can allow them to feel a sense of body ownership and incorporate prosthesis into their body image.”

Read more on the College of Engineering website.

— Roxanne Demorest

T. Christine Stevens Award for Leadership Development

Professor of Mathematics Jesús De Loera has received the Mathematical Association of America’s T. Christine Stevens Award for Leadership Development. The award recognizes the importance of professional development that seeks to build leadership capacity within the mathematical sciences. 

“It was a pleasant surprise,” De Loera said of receiving the award. “I have been doing a lot of mentoring both on and off campus for years, but I didn’t even know I was being nominated. So it was a bit of a surprise.” 

While he’s enthusiastic about awards, the honors come second to the lives De Loera influences daily. This year marked the 20th graduate student that’s finished a doctoral thesis with De Loera. He’s mentored over 60 undergraduate students through their senior thesis projects.   

Read more on the College of Letters and Science website.

— Greg Watry

Smoke and Tobacco-Free Policy Report Card

UC Davis earned an A+ grade for its smoke and tobacco-free policy, which prohibits smoking, chewing and vaping everywhere on campus, from the California Youth Advocacy Network.

The policy went into effect 10 years ago on the Davis campus; UC Davis Health enacted its own ban six years earlier.

All UC campuses are smoke and tobacco-free, and all earned A+ grades on the report card.