As a public university, the University of California’s fundamental missions are teaching, research and “to serve society as a center of higher learning.” None of these endeavors are possible without public service. And yet, the importance of the public to the university is not always obvious to the public that we engage with the most frequently on campus — our students.
UC Davis researchers found that implementing a basic income program for impoverished mothers in Yolo County resulted in reduced depression and increased quality time with their children. This suggests that basic income could be a transformative solution to combat child poverty in California.
When COVID-19 isolated incarcerated people, Assistant Professor Ben Weber and the California Coalition for Women Prisoners launched a writing group to facilitate communication among individuals both on inside and outside of prison walls.
Liza Grandia, associate professor in the Department of Native American Studies and internationally acclaimed public scholar, was barely drinking age when she stopped the World Bank and an international oil company from building a pipeline through the rural regions of Guatemala.
A new community-engaged learning course is teaching UC Davis students about intergenerational learning and communication and helping combat age segregation and digital exclusion among older adults.
Professor Gabriel "Jack" Chin works with law students on cases that involve reducing sentences which were too long, setting aside convictions where there is doubt about guilt or an unfair trial and expunging criminal records.
Collaborative research with the California Department of Public Health WIC Division helped UC Davis economists Charlotte Ambrozek and Timothy Beatty better understand not only the economic factors at work, but also the experiences of participants and vendors in the program.
Natalia Deeb-Sossa, associate professor in the Department of Chicana/o Studies, has a passion for advocating for marginalized communities and addressing inequities. She documented the pandemic’s impact on children of farm workers with support from a Public Impact Research Initiative grant.
Criminal procedure scholar and Professor Irene Oritseweyinmi Joe hopes her public scholarship will help give defendants a place in the narratives of their own case decisions.
Lee Martin '01, Ph.D. and associate professor in the UC Davis School of Education, is working with community partners, national agencies, and area high schools to inspire youth to build, engineer, tinker and adapt so they can learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
In the eyes of Jennifer Phipps and her research team, the pandemic has reaffirmed the importance of engaging community members in their public scholarship work that is focused on promoting health equity.
Professor and Founding Director of Human Rights Studies at UC Davis Keith David Watenpaugh’s work in public scholarship has not only earned him national recognition, but also helped hundreds of displaced refugees throughout the world.
