News Briefs

Pomp and Circumstances

More than 750 students graduated during the 1997 commencement exercises of the Division of Biological Sciences, held at the Recreation Hall on June 14well over 100 students more than the previous year. Julita Fong, associate clinical professor of pathology at the UC Davis Medical Center and chair of the UC Davis Foundation Board, was the commencement speaker.

Student Outreach--By Students

Twenty-seven UC Davis students, 20 of whom were from the division, prepared and staffed exhibits on topics in biology at the third annual Adventures in Science program held May 16-17 at Davis' Holmes Junior High School. The two-day event was designed to strengthen young teens' interest in biology. Other members of the community were invited to attend as well.

New On The Web

Students may now search for prospective faculty mentors using the World Wide Web version of the division's "A Guide to Undergraduate Research Opportunities in the Biological Sciences." The online version of this popular guide includes information about some 300 faculty members at UC Davis who welcome undergraduates into their laboratories to gain research experience. Visit the guide at http://biosci.ucdavis.edu/undergrad/uro/ on the web.

Also Online

UC Davis Magazine, published quarterly by the campus, is now available on the Web at http://wwwucdmag.ucdavis.edu/PubComm/UCDavis_Mag. The site includes current and back issues to Winter 1994. In addition to viewing the magazine online, readers can submit information electronically for class notes, letters to the editor, and address changes.

Plant Talk

UC Davis hosted an internationally attended spring symposium titled "Information Processing Systems in Plants: Their Evolution and Function." Approximately 350 scientists from around the world gathered on the campus March 21-15 to learn of recent research findings on the ways in which plants process information to allow them to control developmental and physiological processes that optimize their interaction with the environment.

Student Research Conference

The campus's Eighth Annual Undergraduate Research Conference, held on April 5, provided a forum for 160 students63 from the divisionto present the findings of their own research projects in a manner similar to that used at professional meetings. The students presented their work through oral presentations and poster displays. Nineteen faculty members from the division served as sponsors of student research projects featured at the conference.