This past year brought hurdles as we have never encountered in our 75 years, including a punishing state budget shortfall, dramatic cuts to Federal research funding, a significant drop in international applications, and the Federal Government’s open declaration of war on higher education, to name but a few.

Through it all, the College of Letters and Science stayed true to our vision and mission and delivered world-changing insights and solutions that address challenges ranging from climate change to food security to human rights and beyond. From successful clinical trials of hallucination-free psychedelic compounds that treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to clothing and textiles that monitor your physical health to data-driven insights on the impacts of deportation, we continued to provide the world with actionable information and real results. 

The following are just a few of our greatest hits from 2025 — the insights and solutions that make us proud to be part of this amazing college.

What Was the American Dream?

The American Dream, as both an idea and an ideal, despite its complexities, has played an undeniably powerful role in shaping values and aspirations in the U.S. and beyond its borders. We spoke with faculty and students in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis, who bring a wealth of knowledge and perspectives that help us consider American society’s past, present, and future. 

A Year of Advances in Psychedelic Medicine at the Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics

Psychedelics, and the neurotherapeutics inspired by their molecular design, have the power to shift the landscape of brain disease and mental health. The UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics (IPN) is at the forefront of this effort, conducting foundational research into how psychedelics bestow neurotherapeutic properties onto the brain and then following up with the design and synthesis of new compounds for drug development. With so many people struggling with mental health disorders like PTSD, depression, and schizophrenia, among others, and with no medicinal recourse, neurotherapeutics endowed with the beneficial properties of psychedelics open the door to an alternative path for healing. IPN takes a holistic approach to this research, studying both the benefits and limitations of this new class of drugs.       

• Researchers Develop an LSD Analogue with Potential for Treating Schizophrenia
• UC Davis Researchers Achieve Total Synthesis of Ibogaine, Creating Opportunities to Study Its Therapeutic Properties
• Psychedelics and Non-Hallucinogenic Analogs Work Through the Same Receptor, Up to a Point
• Psilocybin May Present Unique Risks During the Postpartum Period
• UC Davis Health’s IFM Fund Backs Delix Therapeutics in First Investment

Teaching Middle Eastern & Arab American History in a Time of Active Conflict

The violence that erupted in Gaza in 2023 changed the political climate of teaching about the Middle East in schools across the U.S. The UC Davis California History-Social Science Project has released new materials that teachers everywhere can use to confidently teach the history of both the Middle East and of Arab Americans. 

New UC Davis Institute Advances Sustainable Design, Fashion and Textiles

The newly launched Maria Manetti Shrem Institute for Sustainable Design, Fashion, and Textiles will serve as a first-of-its-kind hub dedicated to innovation, collaboration, and global impact. The institute, housed in the Department of Design, will advance wearable and smart textile technologies and promote sustainability across multiple facets of design.

UC Davis Unveils Maria Manetti Shrem Art District: A Bold New Era for the Arts

The University of California, Davis, ushered in a new era for the arts with the grand opening of the Maria Manetti Shrem Art District — a vibrant hub designed to expand creativity, innovation, and collaboration on campus and beyond. The Maria Manetti Shrem Art District, spanning Hutchison Drive from the historic TB 9 art building to Shields Library, recognizes Manetti Shrem’s historic support of multiple disciplines in the arts at UC Davis. The district is a public symbol of her vision to strengthen collaboration across these areas and demonstrate a holistic approach to the arts.

Sifting Through the Cosmic Noise: Origins of the Rubin Observatory with Chief Scientist Tony Tyson  

For 30 years, UC Davis Distinguished Research Professor Tony Tyson has led the ideation and technology development for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, an advanced astronomical facility jointly funded by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. Launched in 2025, the facility, equipped with the largest digital camera ever built, aims to unravel the biggest mysteries of our universe, from its origin and structure to the nature of dark energy and dark matter. In this profile article, we follow Tyson's journey from his obsession with faint radio signals as a sickly child to his research career at Bell Laboratories and beyond.

Adele Zhang Brings Design Collection to the International Stage

Adele Zhang, the manager and curator of the Jo Ann C. Stabb Design Collection, shipped 134 of the collection's objects to London, where they will were exhibited for the first time internationally. To make it happen, Zhang worked with partners across UC Davis and launched a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Breathe In, Breathe Out: Reflections on Environmental Catastrophe

The exhibit, Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice, showcased art that explored the intersection of climate change and social justice through connection, contamination, catastrophe, and hope. Three UC Davis scholars toured the gallery and talked about how these works connect to their own work and the broader world. 

Echoes of Eugenics

UC Davis science historian Emily Merchant explores the legacy of eugenics and its echoes in today’s polygenic embryo screenings for intelligence.

Textile Exhibit Weaves Story of Shared Human Existence

From ancient sewing needles and woven baskets to wearable technology, textile production is a uniquely human endeavor. As part of a co-curated exhibit drawn from the Jo Ann C. Stabb Design Collection at UC Davis, "Textiles: The Art of Mankind" put this shared history—and future—on display at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London.

UC Davis Researchers Look at How the Brain Prioritizes What We See

UC Davis researchers combined electroencephalogram, or EEG, data with eye tracking and machine learning to study “anticipatory attention,” which is attention that enables a person to prepare to perceive upcoming sensory events. They employed this method to learn how our brain processes incoming information.

The Carbon Dioxide Climate Debt

As humanity reckons with a climate shaped by a legacy of burning fossil fuels, implementing solutions we already have requires large-scale coordination and overcoming social challenges that stunt action.

Clinical to Compassionate: Educating the Next Generation of Health Care Workers

The Critical Medical Humanities Program at Aggie Square in Sacramento offers undergraduates an immersive, cohesive learning experience that examines medical issues from multiple cultural and ethical perspectives, providing a more well-rounded foundation for their work. Taking place across just one quarter, the program meets the requirements for the medical humanities minor. The first official cohort and one of the program's creators discuss the importance of the humanities in health care.

UC Davis Scholars Tackle Antisemitism and Islamophobia

When the most recent war broke out between Israel and Palestine's leaders in the Gaza Strip, UC Davis Associate Professors Sven-Erik Rose and Mairaj Syed decided to confront the controversial topic head-on, facilitating talks on campus and teaching a class on antisemitism and Islamophobia. Students were asked to think critically about the past and to question narratives that use stereotypes to pit people against each other.  

The Color Lab Uncovers the Soothing Effects of Light 

An interdisciplinary research collaboration between the California Lighting Technology Center, or CLTC, and the Center for Mind and Brain, or CMB, The Color Lab is part of an effort to implement human-centric lighting designs to optimize well-being.

Nobel Laureate Adam Riess Explores the Expanding Universe in a Packed Lecture at UC Davis

In a lecture infused with cosmic curiosity, humor, and stellar visuals, Nobel Laureate Adam Riess told a packed audience at UC Davis how he and his team discovered the accelerating expansion of the universe. 

UC Davis Research Team Shares Experiences From Recent Field Season in Antarctica

A group of UC Davis researchers shared their experiences after completing a four-week field season at Antarctica's Lake Fryxell. The seminar titled “UC Davis in Antarctica” was broadcast via YouTube livestream from Antarctica’s McMurdo Station.

Teaching LGBTQ+ History from the Ground Up

In 2012, the California legislature mandated more comprehensive representation of everyone who contributed to the state’s and the nation’s histories. The UC Davis California History-Social Science Project (CHSSP) brought together leading teachers and scholars to develop an LGBTQ+ curriculum that connects all students to a richer shared history.  

International Students Boost Startup Creation, Lifting Local Jobs and Revenue, New Research Shows

International graduate students have created a disproportionate number of new businesses in the United States over the past decade. They also increased entrepreneurialism among their U.S.-born peers, according to new research from the UC Davis College of Letters and Science.