Dean's Message

This April we completed our move into the new Life Sciences Addition, bringing together 30 faculty research laboratories in cellular and molecular biology. The new facility is proving to be a wonderful environment for research, and for promoting interactions between students, faculty, staff, and other members of the campus and regional scientific communities.

In June more students graduated with degrees from undergraduate biology programs in the division than at any point in the campus's history. The large number of campuswide awards given to division students this year clearly reflects the high caliber of students drawn to our programs.

Also in June the division became the administrative site for the campus's Biotechnology Program, which promotes interaction between UC Davis and the biotechnology industry. Our faculty has benefited significantly from mutually rewarding collaborations with industry scientists, and I am committed to increasing such collaborations. I also value our exchange with industry leaders for the role it plays in shaping the division's curriculum, recruitment, and research programs.

Please feel free to contact us. We're always interested in hearing from our readers.

Mark G. McNamee
Dean of Biological Sciences