Rausser College News

Our Fall issue of Breakthroughs highlights the Rausser College researchers working to benefit the people, landscapes, and ecosystems of rural and agricultural California.Read more about Breakthroughs magazine: Inside California

New research from ESPM postdocs, DSE scientists, and the Karuk Wildlife Team validates the importance of implementing local Indigenous knowledge in studies on biodiversity and population changes over time.Read more about How citizen science and Indigenous knowledge can enhance biodiversity monitoring

A decades-long experiment in the Sierra Nevada found that regular prescribed burns promote carbon sequestration in live trees and plants, maintaining forests’ long-term ability to store carbon while also reducing wildfire hazard.Read more about Prescribed burning helps store forest carbon in big, fire-resistant trees

A recently published study led by ESPM alum Jessie Moravek quantifies how beavers can create fire refuge and improve water storage in 31 Sierra Nevada watersheds.Read more about Beavers, an ecosystem engineer, can benefit California’s Sierra Nevada

A comprehensive new report co-authored by ESPM researchers reveals that cannabis cultivation in California threatens Tribal cultural resources.Read more about New Research Reveals California Cannabis Cultivation and Regulatory Process puts Tribal Cultural Resources at Risk

Watch Patrick Shih, a professor of Plant and Microbial Biology, describe how synthetic plant biology can transform plants into platforms for producing valuable compounds such as therapeutics, nutrients, and renewable fuels.Read more about Explaining the power of synthetic plant biology in 101 seconds

Jones, who helped reshape scientific understanding of hormonal and cellular signaling in plants, passed away on July 1. He was 84.Read more about In Memoriam: Russell Jones

A recent study led by ESPM researchers reveals the complex and context-dependent impacts of drought on California’s Sierra Nevada stream ecosystems.Read more about How drought may remake Sierra Nevada aquatic ecosystems

Professor Britt Glaunsinger explains how gaining a better scientific understanding of viruses and how they work could result in better health outcomes for patients.Read more about Breaking down the wonder of viruses in 101 seconds

Marine ecologist Jane Lubchenco explains how the story of the ocean as endlessly bountiful and resilient has led to its degradation, and why we need to embrace a new narrative: that it's too big to ignore.Read more about Why the ocean needs a new narrative

New analysis of satellite data led by Drew Terasaki Hart, PhD '22 ESPM, and researchers in the lab of Associate Professor Ian Wang suggests that seasonal cycles can be out of sync even in nearby locations.Read more about Revealing the hidden complexities of the seasons

In a recent Nature Perspective article, ESPM professor Jonas Meckling breaks down how geoeconomic competition could impact decarbonization policy.Read more about What the geoeconomic turn in decarbonization means for policymakers

New research from ESPM Cooperative Extension professor Matteo Garbelotto and UCANR scientists shows that plant pathogens and pests, and urbanization and climate change, are shifting the natural range of California trees.Read more about Climate, diseases driving death of several tree species in multiple California regions