May is a busy time of year here at UC Davis. Commencement is just around the corner, so our students are hard at work getting through midterms and preparing for finals and life after school. Many will go on to graduate programs, others will enter industry positions. All of them will have accomplished a great deal by the time they cross the commencement stage. You will be able to celebrate them with us next month when we share the names of our award recipients, many of whom are in the graduating class of 2024, on the college website.

In the meantime, I am pleased to share the news that the National Academy of Sciences has inducted not one but three CBS-affiliated researchers into its highly prestigious ranks this year. My congratulations to Savithramma Dinesh-Kumar (Plant Biology), Walter Leal (Molecular and Cellular Biology) and Richard Michelmore (founding director, Genome Center) for their remarkable and well-deserved achievements. Truly, it is an honor to count them as colleagues.

Finally, with all that is happening across the country at universities, I think it is appropriate to remember that our students are here to learn and explore. In CBS, we are committed to ensuring that they are safe, respected, and enjoy the freedom to express themselves. Though events beyond our campus and indeed even our country shape many parts of campus life, they do not diminish our shared commitment to the wellbeing and success of our students.

When we focus on our differences, we are weakest. So, I invite you to join me in focusing on all that unites us, including being Aggies.

Go Ags!