Nobel Laureates Inspire UC Davis Biochemistry Students

 

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.”

Todd Holmes' Seminar on Light-Based Strategies for Species-Specific Control of Insect Behaviors

 

Todd Holmes, professor of physiology and biophysics at the UC Irvine School of Medicine, will discuss how "Non-Image Forming Visual Mechanisms Drive Animal Behaviors" at a seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology on Wednesday, March 4 in 122 Briggs Hall.

He will present his seminar at 12:10 p.m. It also will be on Zoom: https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672.

A Quantum Leap at a Time: In Memory of Bruce D. Hammock

 

The legendary UC Davis Distinguished Professor Bruce Dupree Hammock (1947-2026), internationally recognized for his scientific research in chemistry, toxicology, biochemistry, entomology and human health, died Jan. 5, 2026 at age 78. A 45-year member of the UC Davis faculty, he was an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors, among other honors.