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The College of Letters and Science Magazine

@ltrscimag

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The official magazine of the College of Letters & Science at UC Davis. Read More ⤵️

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How do Latina activists support their communities?

New research from UC Davis sociologist Ariana Valle examines how Latina and Puerto Rican activists in central Florida built coalitions, organized resources, and used their experiences to address inequalities in their communities.

The study highlights three approaches that helped activists turn local knowledge and resources into community action.

Visit the link in our bio to learn more. A person holds a megaphone at a demonstration, with others in the background. A sign with "Love" is partially visible. Text overlay reads: "How Latina Activists Support Their Communities Despite Political and Social Hostility." taken in UC Davis by @ltrscimag

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3 days ago

What if you could bring the wonders of the cosmos to your community? 🌌

UC Davis physicists Lloyd Knox and Markus Luty created Cosmic Connections, a free event series featuring conversations, presentations, and Q&As about the universe.

They’re currently looking for opportunities to bring the series to different communities throughout California.

Visit the link in our bio to learn more. Four silhouetted figures stand under a starry night sky with a visible Milky Way. A caption reads, "Cosmic Connections Hits the Road." taken in UC Davis by @ltrscimag

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3 days ago

Think of DNA as a cookbook and RNA as a copy of one of its recipes. 🧬 📖

UC Davis researchers are exploring how to correct that recipe through RNA editing — without changing the original cookbook.

Their work on ADAR enzymes could help advance new therapies for genetic diseases and has already contributed to compounds entering clinical trials.

Read how Letters and Science research is helping develop the next generation of therapeutics at the link in our bio. A 3D illustration showing a pink and purple abstract molecular structure intertwined with a DNA strand. In the corner, a blue rectangle contains the text "The Cookbook of Health and Disease." The background is plain and light. taken in UC Davis by @ltrscimag

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4 days ago

Why do we procrastinate — even when we know we shouldn’t? 🧠

UC Davis psychologist Emorie Beck is studying why procrastination affects students differently and how personalized strategies could help STEM students overcome it.

Her new NSF-funded research will track students’ emotions, environments, and habits in real time to better understand what drives procrastination.

Learn more at the link in our bio. Students are seated in individual study booths in a university setting. Each booth has a yellow background. Text reads, "New UC Davis research aims to help STEM students overcome procrastination." taken in UC Davis by @ltrscimag

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5 days ago

What happens when scientists take LSD apart, piece by piece? 🧪🔬

UC Davis researchers deconstructed LSD’s molecular structure to uncover which features are responsible for its different effects. Their work identified modified compounds with reduced hallucinogenic and cardiotoxic effects — and one that showed antipsychotic-like properties in mice.

The findings could open new pathways for psychedelic-inspired drug discovery.

Visit the link in our bio to read more. A colorful diagram on a black background shows chemical structures connected in a circular arrangement. At the center is a complex structure with various linked shapes in different colors. A label at the bottom reads, "Deconstructing LSD for Therapeutic Discoveries. by @ltrscimag

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10 days ago

Who are museums for? And how can they better serve their communities?

UC Davis art historian Heghnar Watenpaugh is exploring those questions through her work on cultural heritage, museum restitution, and human rights. After teaching in Paris, she's headed to Los Angeles as a Getty Residential Scholar.

Visit the link in our bio to read more about her work preserving and understanding cultural heritage around the world.

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Image description #1: Professor Heghnar Watenpaugh poses for a photo outside the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum at UC Davis.

Image description #2: Heghnar Watenpaugh taking photos while doing fieldwork at Ani, on the border between Armenia and Turkey. A person with glasses stands smiling in front of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. The facade of the building features the museum's name. There are plants in the background and the area is well-lit by sunlight. taken in UC Davis by @ltrscimag

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11 days ago

Genetics can reveal stories that history books sometimes leave behind.

A new study of more than 600 people across South Africa found that contemporary populations in the Western and Northern Cape retain substantial Khoe-San ancestry, despite centuries of displacement and colonialism.

Researchers also traced East Asian ancestry found in the study to Indonesia, offering a new genetic perspective on the colonial slave trade and the movement of people across continents.

Read more about how genomics is helping researchers reconstruct South Africa’s complex history at the link in our bio.

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Image description: A close-up image of a map with a pushpin placed on South Africa. Text overlay reads: "Genomic Study Reveals Ancestry and Slave Trade Influences in South Africa." Close-up of a map showing part of southern Africa with a red pushpin marking Lesotho. The map also shows South Africa with cities like Pretoria and Durban. Overlay text reads, "Genomic Study Reveals Ancestry and Slave Trade Influences in South Africa." taken in UC Davis by @ltrscimag

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11 days ago

We are immensely pleased to welcome 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗵 𝗙𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 to our faculty as a Maria Manetti Shrem Endowed Chair in Art Studio.
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“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to come back and continue working with the inspiring students and faculty at UC Davis, while also having the support to take big risks creatively,” Faught said.
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Professor of Art Faught @hjfaught draws on broader social and political histories as well as his own experiences. He is particularly interested in resilience, queer joy and the complexities and contradictions of constructing an identity while being “pulled in multiple directions at one time.”
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“Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Maria Manetti Shrem, UC Davis is emerging as a hub for textile arts and sustainable design,” said Estella Atekwana, dean of the College of Letters and Science. “The addition of Josh Faught, an exceptionally accomplished multimedia fiber artist, builds upon our legacy of excellence in the arts and reflects our commitment to providing transformative opportunities for students drawn to this dynamic and evolving field.”
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🧑‍🎨 Artist portrait of Josh Faught.
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📷 Josh guides studio art major Zitlallyc Bazan Herrera in the interdisciplinary course ART 113 "Vagabond Weaving" while Josh was a visiting professor in 2025 in The California Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residencies @californiastudio at UC Davis. (TJ Ushing/UC Davis)
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📸 Detail: 𝑆𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑦, 2017, a site-specific textile for St. Mark's Cathedral, Seattle. Hand-woven, hand-dyed cotton, hemp, and gold lamé; scrapbooking stickers; the entire 1999 season of the soap opera "Passions" (DVD); issue six of Pot Pourri, a sexual questionnaire for the 'new age;' giant clothespins, nail polish, and pins.
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📷 Josh speaks in Wright Hall's Main Theatre, 2025, wearing a white knit sweater adorned with polished stones and amber. (TJ Ushing/UC Davis)
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📸 1️⃣+2️⃣ 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑖𝑠𝑘𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑂𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒, 2019; Hand dyed, hand woven hemp, cotton, and gold lamé; abstraction appropriated from a crowd photographed at Bette Midler’s 'Divine Miss M' tour; 'How to Hide Anything' on stretched linen.
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#KendallKoppe @kendallkoppe.gallery taken in UC Davis Art Studio MFA and BA Programs by @ltrscimag

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13 days ago

We are thrilled to announce that Estella Atekwana has been reappointed to a second five-year term as dean of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science! 🎉

Visit the link in our bio to read more about her first term and her vision for the next five years. A group of people is gathered in a well-lit indoor space, engaging with each other around a table displaying various small items. The setting appears to be an event or exhibition. The individuals are dressed in a variety of outfits, and the atmosphere seems lively and interactive. taken in UC Davis by @ltrscimag

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17 days ago

A little food. A few furry friends. A whole lot of community. 🌯

When UC Davis graduate student Maria Calderon Leon saw how hard it could be for grad students to connect across campus, she started with a simple idea: bring people together over good food.
And so, “Carbs and Community” was born.

Since then, she’s created new opportunities for connection and even earned an Inclusive Excellence Chancellor’s Achievement Award.

Visit the link in our bio to read more.

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Image description: Psychology Ph.D. student Maria Calderon Leon (center) receives her 2026 Chancellor’s Achievement Awards for Inclusive Excellence from Renetta Garrison Tull (left), Vice Chancellor for Inclusive Excellence, and Chancellor Gary May on April 8, 2026. taken in UC Davis by @ltrscimag

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17 days ago

From Davis to The Big Apple 🎶✨

This Summer, UC Davis singers took the stage at one of the world's most iconic concert halls for a historic performance of The Cry of Jeremiah alongside composer Rosephanye Powell.

For our students, the trip was filled with music, new experiences, lifelong memories — and plenty of New York City adventures.

Visit the link in our bio to read more about their journey.

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Image description #1: Janevah Dorestin, now in her third year at UC Davis, rehearsing her solo with Reilly Trainor (L&S '26) ahead of the choral program's debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 20, 2026.

Image description #2: American composer Rosephanye Powell sings alongside UC Davis students and community chorus members at the final rehearsal before their performance of her work ‘The Cry of Jeremiah’ at Carnegie Hall.

Image description #3: Nicolás Dosman, associate professor of teaching and director of choirs at UC Davis, sings alongside undergraduate Michael Dunn and other UC Davis Chamber Singers during a special Juneteenth appearance at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in New York City on June 19, 2026.

Image description #4: UC Davis undergraduates practiced alongside singers from the UC Davis campus community as well as performers from other California-based choirs during rehearsal in a conference room of the New York Hilton Midtown on Thursday, June 19, 2026. A lively performance on stage at Carnegie Hall with several singers, including one holding a microphone, accompanied by seated musicians. The backdrop displays large, colorful abstract shapes, adding vibrancy to the scene. taken in UC Davis by @ltrscimag

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Is California’s “Big One” overdue?

Not exactly, says UC Davis geologist Michael Oskin.

At a recent Davis Science Café, Oskin unpacked what scientists know about California’s major earthquakes — from why another “Big One” is inevitable to why it could actually be smaller than other historic earthquakes.

He also explained why where an earthquake happens matters, what the San Andreas Fault can tell us about future earthquakes, and why scientists still can’t predict exactly when one will strike.

Visit the link in our bio to learn more.

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Image description #1: Residents overlook downtown San Francisco as fires break out across the city after the 1906 earthquake.

Image description #2: A view of the San Gorgonio Mountain from the South Fork Trail. Text overlay reads "California Earthquakes and What the Next ‘Big One’ Could Look Like"

Image description #3: Aerial view of the San Andreas Fault, on the Carrizo Plain. On the left is the Pacific Plate. On the right is the North American Plate. These are two of the largest tectonic plates on Earth.

Image description #4: Geologist Michael Oskin, wearing a hat, takes a selfie while standing in a desert-like environment. A historical black and white photo shows a group of people observing San Francisco in the aftermath of a large earthquake, with thick smoke rising from numerous fires across the cityscape. Several buildings are visible through the haze. taken in UC Davis by @ltrscimag

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