UC Advocacy Network

08/21/2026

Worried about lettuce during the Cyclospora outbreak? A UC Davis food safety expert is still eating salad. The reason large outbreaks stay rare is decades of food safety research and scientists working with California growers to catch risks before food reaches your plate.

A Cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce has many Americans wondering whether it's still safe to eat leafy greens. We asked UC Davis food safety expert Erin DiCaprio what consumers should actually know.

08/20/2026

Why is federally funded scientific research so important? If you answer that question in a 60- to 90-second video, you could win up to $2,500 from The Science Coalition. From now until October 30, you can submit a short video and enter to win. https://www.sciencecoalition.org/SVC

08/19/2026

Federal funding powers the lifesaving research across University of California campuses. At a roundtable with Senator Alex Padilla, UC Davis Chancellor Gary May warned that the federal government's proposed changes are putting that progress at risk, from Alzheimer's studies to the discoveries that drive our economy. https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article316924545.html

08/18/2026

Thank you Senator Alex Padilla for convening California leaders in Sacramento today to discuss how Congress can protect federal investments in research and the merit-based research process that has allowed UC and the nation to lead the world in innovation.

08/18/2026

At an event with Senator Alex Padilla at the UC Student and Policy Center, UC Davis Chancellor Gary S.May urged Congress to provide a legislative fix that would prevent the federal government's proposed changes to how federal grants are awarded and managed from going into effect.

“This fix would protect the merit-based research process that has allowed UC and the nation to lead the world in innovation,” said Chancellor May.

08/14/2026

University of California research drives innovation and life-saving discoveries that benefit communities across the state.

Thousands of Californians have already spoken up for research - sending nearly 14,000 emails to lawmakers, rallying at the State Capitol, and making the case why research matters to California.

Now, we need your voice again.

📣 Thank lawmakers for keeping SB 895 moving and urge them to pass the strongest possible research bond.

Take action today: https://bit.ly/4zgX5Yu

08/12/2026

Building a better avocado, faster. UC Riverside and UC Davis scientists found the gene that sets an avocado tree's flowering type, letting breeders read a seedling's DNA instead of waiting five to 10 years for it to bloom. This is what university research makes possible.

UCR scientists helped find a genetic switch that could shave years off avocado breeding by allowing researchers to identify one of a young tree’s most important traits long before it flowers.

08/07/2026

Need a reason to speak up for science? So much of the technology our world runs on today was made possible by federal investments in research. UC Santa Barbara’s Vice Chancellor for Research Rachel Segalman explains. https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/advocate/speak-up-for-science

08/07/2026

National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding laid the groundwork. A UCSF scientist made the breakthrough. Now there's new hope for people facing one of cancer's most dire diagnoses. The first drug shown to substantially extend survival for pancreatic cancer patients is being fast-tracked for FDA approval. When we invest in science, we save lives.

A new era in the treatment of deadly pancreatic cancer was heralded by scientists this week, thanks to research by the University of California.

08/05/2026

This year, the University of California admitted a record number of California first-year and transfer students. UC is committed to expanding access to a world-class public education and creating more opportunities for students across the state.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4yOAv9v

The University of California announced today (July 29) a record year for California admissions.