Research Classes Boost Confidence and Belonging for STEM Students, UC Davis Study Finds

At UC Davis, Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences, or CUREs, provide an alternative path to real-world research. They allow students to conduct authentic scientific research in the classroom. A new study appearing in the Journal of Chemical Education shows that CURE classes are an effective way of bolstering student confidence and sense of belonging in the sciences.

Inside the Minds of Three Student Filmmakers

A short film about a serial bike thief slinking around the streets of Davis doesn’t seamlessly transition into meditations on how technology may hinder modern life, but no two films at the 2026 Film Festival at UC Davis could be thought of as alike, save for their resolve to serve as recognizable representations of our present-day world.

July Media Mentions

Every day faculty and students from the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis are highlighted in the news media, having their research featured and commenting on the most pressing issues facing the world. Check out some of these news media highlights from the past month.

UC Davis Researchers Selected for Landmark DOE Genesis Mission Awards to Harness AI for Scientific Breakthroughs

Five researchers from the University of California, Davis, including two from the College of Letters and Science, were listed among recipients for the inaugural awards through the U.S. Department of Energy’s, or DOE, Genesis Mission — a national program leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate breakthroughs in energy, discovery science and national security.

Five Research Projects Receive Incentives for Large Grant Awards

From creating personalized maps of Alzheimer’s risk and designing next-generation cancer therapeutics to advancing AI-driven materials discovery and recovering nitrogen contaminants from water resources, the five projects that received this year’s Incentives for Large Grant Awards from the College of Letters and Science exemplify how UC Davis research is transforming science and society.

In Memoriam: Mariel Vázquez

With deep sorrow we report the news of the passing of Mariel Vázquez on July 5, 2026, at the age of 55. Mariel was an esteemed applied mathematician and an internationally recognized member of the scientific community.