UC Davis Grand Challenges

Addressing our planet’s most complex issues requires new perspectives and visionary action. UC Davis Grand Challenges is catalyzing our campus community to go beyond team science to holistically tackle wicked problems. We draw upon UC Davis’ enduring strengths, capacity for innovation, and culture of collaboration — bringing together world-class researchers from all areas of study to address the Earth’s most daunting challenges.

Learn more about Grand Challenges

Storage

Charging Ahead

  • by Jessica Heath
Renewable energy sources like wind and solar need a storage system capable of charging and discharging to relieve the power grid. Instead of building new infrastructure, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering imagines a system built from half-used EV batteries.
Burger on cutting board in ESDC

Setting the Table

  • by Jessica Heath
UC Davis engineers are investigating new ways to feed a growing population, from fungus-grown jerky to cultivated beef and sustainable systems for wine and coffee.
a large group of indoor air quality experts from uc davis college of engineering and the california department of public health holding up a flag for the state of california

Video Series Aims at Improving Indoor Air Quality

  • by Andy Fell, UC Davis News and Media Relations
A new video series developed by experts at the UC Davis College of Engineering and California Department of Public Health aims to help building and facility managers better understand how to manage indoor air quality. Better indoor air quality can reduce the spread of airborne diseases such as COVID-19 and improve productivity in schools and workplaces.
Sabbie Miller outdoors

Pathways to Decarbonize Society's Most Popular Material

  • by Sabbie A. Miller
Since the largest contributor to emissions is use of fossil fuels, the clearest path to lowering emissions is reducing use of coal, oil, and gas. However, one ubiquitous material, concrete, produces over 7% of anthropogenic CO2, with less than half of these emissions attributable to fuel and, as such, requires other decarbonization strategies.
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