Undergraduate Stories

Each spring, the College of Biological Sciences celebrates graduating students whose achievements exemplify the spirit of discovery, leadership, and service that define UC Davis. At the college’s annual undergraduate awards ceremony, students are recognized for exceptional accomplishments in research, academics, mentorship, and community engagement.

The Phi Sigma Honor Society’s Gamma Delta chapter at UC Davis celebrates academic excellence and leadership among students in the College of Biological Sciences. Throughout the 2025-26 academic year, the chapter brought together students who are not only strong scholars, but also emerging leaders committed to advancing research, healthcare, innovation, and community engagement.

UC Davis fourth-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major Rogelio Castillo did not expect undergraduate research to open a path for him to create change in his community.  His family’s past experiences with rushed and impersonal medical care led him to turn to science to ask the questions that improve both health outcomes and quality of patient-provider relationships. 

It’s not often that a Nobel laureate visits a UC Davis undergraduate classroom, but this year, a biochemistry class in Kleiber Hall struck “gold”—twice.

Not one, but two Nobel laureates chronicled their scientific careers and answered questions during their virtual visits to UC Davis Distinguished Professor Walter Leal’s winter quarter class, “Structure and Function of Biomolecules.”

Fourth-year biological sciences major and Barry Goldwater Scholar recipient Azucena Virgen studies the regenerative biology of Hydra — a freshwater organism known for its ability to regrow entire body parts — at the UC Davis Juliano Lab. What began as a fascination in a high school biology class in her hometown of Woodland, California, grew into a long-term goal to lead a research lab

Iliya Voytsyshyn, a fourth-year systems and synthetic biology major from Ukraine, entered UC Davis with plans to study cancer. That initial goal grew into a fascination with tools that fuse biology, systems design and gene editing to re-engineer cells.

Sebastian Smith is making less of a career pivot than a total revamp. At age 48, he is getting his B.S., with the goal of earning  a doctorate and becoming a scientific researcher. Just three years ago, he was retiring after a 20-year career in the Air Force. 

Weeks-long lab experiments on color-changing soil microbes and live mosquitoes, small-group discussions, and conceptual course design: these might sound like the hallmarks of upper-division science courses, but they’re all part of the BIO123 Series, the innovative new UC Davis introductory biology curriculum.

Plants produce thousands of chemical compounds that help them attract friends and deter foes. Many of these compounds, or “metabolites,” have been harnessed by humans in fragrances, medicines, and biofuels. 

Each year, the CBS Dean’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) supports students who wish to stay on campus—and in the lab—over the summer term.

Normally, undergraduates leave campus for the summer if they are not enrolled in classes. They often do this to work and save funds for the start of the next academic year. SURP consists of several different donor-funded undergraduate research awards and allows students to continue their research projects over the summer.