Students

Large group of young adults in formal attire with gold stoles posing outdoors under trees

Congratulations to the 2026 Graduating Students

Viticulture and Enology

The Department of Viticulture and Enology (V&E) hosted an outdoor graduation celebration for our students receiving their B.S. or M.S. in Viticulture and Enology on Friday, June 12, 2026. Distinguished Professor Emeritus Hildegarde Heymann, who retired this year, delivered a graduation speech, and Department Chair Dr. Ben Montpetit, and graduate and undergraduate advisor, Liz Price, presented the 2026 graduates and citation recipients. Last year’s DEVO president, Dan Kline, announced the 2026 Departmental Teaching Award, which was given to Dr.

Worker in safety glasses lifts curved metal piece over industrial machinery

Student Profile: Kaylianne Jordan

Viticulture and Enology

Student standing: 
I just graduated with my B.S. in Viticulture and Enology, and I am now starting my first year of the master's program.

Degree/Focus/interest areas: 
Viticulture and Enology, with a growing interest in how the industry adapts to climate change.

Where are you from originally? 
I was born in Vallejo, went to high school in Grass Valley, and then lived in Oakland for six years before moving to Davis.

Students in lecture hall sampling wine, glasses and bottles on desks, presenter at front.

Course Profile: VEN 103 – Commercial Winemaking

Viticulture and Enology

Course Profile: VEN 103 – Commercial Winemaking

Wine production is often described in terms of grapes, fermentation, and aging, but producing wine on a commercial scale involves much more than just making a good wine. Winemakers and winery business leaders must make decisions about equipment, production volumes, costs, timing, quality, risk, regulatory requirements, packaging, suppliers, and how a wine will ultimately reach the consumer. Understanding how all of these pieces fit together is essential to managing a successful commercial winery.

2025-26 UC Davis Food Science College Bowl team: Crystal Mai, Karina Miao, Elen Huang, Jesselyn Zhang, Angela Weber

UC Davis takes second place at 41st Annual IFT College Bowl

Food Science and Technology
What do cereal mascots and atomic absorption spectroscopy have in common? Both are fair game in the annual College Bowl Competition hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association, or IFTSA. Started in 1985, College Bowl is a team-based quiz competition about food science spanning universities throughout the United States and Canada.
Graphic banner: Regenerative Agriculture Research Symposium — June 16–17, Nashville

Zhuo Chen selected for CPS Professional Development Program 2026

Food Science and Technology

Congratulations to Zhuo Chen, Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Luxin Wang's lab, who has been selected along with six others to be in the Center for Produce Safety's Professional Development Program for 2026.  

The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) congratulates the recipients selected for the 2026 Professional Development Program Awards. On behalf of the CPS Board of Directors, Vice Chair Charles Leftwich (Sysco Corporation) recognizes these emerging professionals for their commitment to produce safety, scientific excellence, and future industry leadership.

People talking by trellised vines in a sunny farm field under blue sky

Spring 2026 Student Outreach

Viticulture and Enology

Our on-campus student outreach efforts maintained strong momentum throughout the spring, as we welcomed a diverse range of visitors and collaborators. This quarter, we hosted community college counselors and administrators and middle and high school students from the Lodi and Napa Valley regions. In addition, our undergraduate advisor, Liz, and the broader team demonstrated exceptional leadership in engaging admitted students during Aggie Day and Picnic Day, encouraging prospective Aggies to enroll at UC Davis.

A person wearing safety glasses, a light gray hoodie, and jeans smiles while standing beside a wine barrel in a winery or fermentation lab. They hold a wine thief in one hand, sampling liquid from the barrel, and two test tubes filled with dark red liquid in the other. Multiple barrels are visible in the background behind glass.

Student Profile: Andrea Villaseñor

Viticulture and Enology

Andrea Villaseñor is a 4th-year Viticulture & Enology undergraduate student. Find out more about Andrea and her experience studying in the program. 

Degree / focus / interest areas:
B.S. in Viticulture & Enology. I am focused on the winemaking industry and interested in gaining more experience in both cellar and lab work to better understand the full winemaking process.

Where are you from originally?
I am originally from Calistoga, California, in the Napa Valley.

Smiling woman pointing at a large academic poster on a hallway wall

Sheryl Long wins NCIFT grad student poster competition

Food Science and Technology

Sheryl Long, a Ph.D. student co-advised by Drs. Luxin Wang and Erin DiCaprio, won the graduate student poster competition organized by the Northern California Section of the Institute of Food Technologists. Her research, titled “Survival of Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli in Hydroponic Nutrient Solution,” assessed the behavior of common foodborne pathogens in fresh and recirculating nutrient solutions and provided scientific data for the risk assessment of fresh produce cultivated in controlled environment agriculture. 

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