From Labs to Lives

Extracting Rare Earth Elements from U.S. Wastewaters

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E) awarded UC Davis researchers a $3 million grant to develop a bio‑based process that selectively captures rare earth elements from acidic mine‑influenced and industrial wastewater streams. The project is led by Yi Wang, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.

Federal Contract for up to $40 Million Fuels Research to Revolutionize Clean Indoor Air and Defend Against Next Pandemic

With a contract for up to $40 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an ambitious multi-institutional research team led by Virginia Tech and including researchers at the University of California, Davis, aims to create a smart-building system monitor and improve the quality of the air indoors.

Total-Body PET Imaging Takes a Look at Long COVID

Using total-body PET imaging to get a better understanding of long COVID disease is the goal of a new project at the University of California, Davis, in collaboration with UC San Francisco. The project is funded by a grant of $3.2 million over four years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Controlling the (Casimir) Force

As researchers continue to shrink the size of mechanical devices, controlling the Casimir force has become the first priority. At UC Davis, Calum Shelden, a Ph.D. candidate in electrical and computer engineering, is beginning groundbreaking experimentation to test the theories.

New Research Points to Improved Nitrogen Management in Almond Production

Researchers at UC Davis are using drone imagery and advanced modeling to track nitrogen levels in almond orchards — a step toward more efficient farming. This approach could help growers optimize fertilizer use, protect water quality and improve sustainability in California agriculture