Science & Technology

by Noah Pflueger-Peters

The flow of blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is critical to the brain. The brain has a limited energy reserve, so blood needs to bring oxygen and nutrients to neurons immediately upon activation, a phenomenon known as neurovascular coupling or functional hyperemia. CSF washes out metabolic waste generated by neurons while cushioning the brain and spinal cord from injury.

Assistant professor Weijian Yang’s scientific journey is illustrative for the field of neuroengineering: it started with undergraduate and graduate degrees in electrical engineering, followed by postdoctoral fellowships in biology with a focus on neuroscience research, and continuing with interdisciplinary research where he combines optics, electronics, and nanotechnology to address challenges in brain research, biomedicine, and neuroscience.

After 8 years of sustained effort advocating for increased neuroengineering research at UC Davis and building collaborations that the interdisciplinary field depends on, professor Sanjay Joshi has stepped down from his leadership role as Co-Director of the Center for Neuroengineering & Medicine.

by Clémentine Sicard

For the first time in university history, the W.M. Keck Foundation has awarded two research teams at the University of California, Davis, with $1 million each in the same award cycle.

Professor Mitchell Sutter has wanted to be a bioengineer ever since he watched the American science fiction and action television series “The Six Million Dollar Man” as a teenager. After a NASA test flight accident, the series’ main character and former astronaut USAF Colonel Steve Austin is rebuilt with superhuman strength, speed, and vision due to bionic implants. He uses his enhanced abilities to work for the Office of Scientific Intelligence as a secret agent. Understandably, the show must have caught the imagination of many.

By Megha Krishnan

by Greg Watry

For the 2021-2022 academic year, the College of Biological Sciences is proud to welcome three new members to its faculty. Below you’ll learn more about the research interest of each faculty member, and what brought them to UC Davis.

Xiaomo Chen joined the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior as an assistant professor in September 2021. Before joining the UC Davis faculty, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University.

By Noah A Pflueger-Peters

Mechanical and aerospace engineering (MAE) assistant professor Jonathon Schofield, neurobiology, physiology and behavior (NPB) associate professor Wilsaan Joiner and their team are working to develop better and more functional prosthetic devices for children.

By Neelanjana Gautam

Today the University of California, Davis, officially launched a consortium called the UC Davis Neuroscience Consortium (UCDNC) to leverage the strength, breadth and depth of one of the largest neuroscience communities in the world. The consortium brings together nearly 300 researchers from eleven centers and 41 departments — integrating biologists, chemists, social scientists, engineers, computer scientists and clinicians.

By Gabriela Lee and Noah A Pflueger-Peters