In this Laurels column, find honors from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the National Science Foundation and more.
Dateline UC Davis welcomes news of faculty and staff awards for publication in Laurels. Send information to dateline@ucdavis.edu.
CASE Awards
UC Davis won more honors than any other public university for its marketing, communication and development projects in the latest competition from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE.
UC Davis took home 10 Circle of Excellence Awards in the global contest, topped only by Stanford University’s 13. More than 600 institutions from 33 countries submitted 4,185 entries, CASE said.
The winning entries from UC Davis:
Gold
- An Extreme Tree Hunt in the Sierra Nevada, in the category Communications (Podcasts, Occasional)
- Get Ready With Me!, in the category Videos (Student Audience, Short)
- How Generations of Pig Farming Lead to Sustainable Solutions, in the category Videos (Promotional, Long)
Silver
- Limitless: Launching the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Complex Campaign, in the category Marketing (Microsites, Fundraising)
- Grocery Shopping Without UC Davis Research, in the category Videos (News & Research)
Bronze
- CNS Fast-Pitch Competition and Director’s Circle Lunch, in the category Fundraising (Donor Relations & Stewardship Initiatives)
- Building an Internal Marketplace to Preserve Institutional Talent, in the category Leadership (Talent Management Initiatives)
- 9th Annual Leadership Giving Society Gala: Light the Dream, in the category Special Events (In-Person, Single-Day)
- Limitless Campaign Launch: UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, in the category Special Events (In-Person, Single-Day)
- Veterinary Medical Complex Expansion, in the category Videos (Fundraising and Stewardship, Short)
— Cody Kitaura
NSF CAREER Award
The National Science Foundation, or NSF, has selected Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Christina Harvey to receive a Faculty Early Career Development, or CAREER, Award.
The prestigious award supports early-career faculty who exhibit potential to serve as academic role models in research and education. NSF selects recipients based on their groundbreaking research at the forefront of science, engineering and technology, and community service demonstrated through scientific leadership, education or community outreach.
Harvey’s CAREER award will fund a project that explores how hawks move and change the shape of their wings and tails during flight to initiate and control turning maneuvers.
— Jessica Heath
William B. Heroy Jr. Award for Distinguished Service
The American Geosciences Institute, or AGI, recently announced that paleontologist Sandra J. Carlson, a professor emerita in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the College of Letters and Science, has been named the 2026 recipient of the William B. Heroy Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to AGI. This award is given in recognition of exceptional and beneficial long-term service to the AGI.
Carlson's impact has spanned governance leadership, financial stewardship, program development, and deep commitment to the geoscience community. She served on the AGI Board of Directors from 2023 to 2025, including as chair of the audit committee. In that role, she led the review and coordination of AGI's audited financial statements, ensuring accuracy, transparency and accountability during a period of organizational transition. Her leadership strengthened AGI's financial integrity and institutional resilience.
Defense Science Study Group
UC Davis Professor of Physics and Astronomy Andrew Wetzel has been appointed to the newest class of the U.S. Defense Science Study Group, or DSSG, a program directed by the Institute for Defense Analyses. The program invites outstanding science and engineering professors to apply their skills and research to the United States’ security challenges. Wetzel is one of 18 selected for the 2027-2028 cohort.
“I feel honored and excited to be selected for DSSG,” said Wetzel. “I am eager to learn more about the many facets of our national security program, especially the role of science and technology, and to help build bridges with academia, including our campus.”
A theoretical and computational astrophysicist and cosmologist, Wetzel generates simulations to model the formation of cosmic structures. These simulations are used to study star and galaxy formation, stellar nucleosynthesis and the nature of dark matter.
— Greg Watry
ACLS Open Access Book Prizes
Kernels of Resistance : Maize, Food Sovereignty, and Collective Power by Professor Liza Grandia of the Department of Native American Studies has been selected as a finalist for the 2026 American Council of Learned Societies, or ACLS, Open Access Book Prize and the Arcadia Open Access Book Award. The book chronicles how indigenous maize farmers in Guatemala have successfully defended their traditional seed-saving practices against corporate interests. The book’s wide, cost-free availability to readers around the world — including an open access Spanish edition — will help audiences learn from the experience of these communities.
The winners will be announced in the fall.
— Michael Ladisch
Media Resources
Cody Kitaura is the editor of Dateline UC Davis and can be reached by email or at 530-752-1932.