Congratulations to UC Davis Viticulture and Enology Professor of Cooperative Extension in Enology, Anita Oberholster. On Wednesday, August 30, 2023, Representative Mike Thompson presented a $1.2 Million check to Anita to help fund her Smoke Exposure Research!
 
The funding is specifically for the purchase of two pieces of equipment: a Gas Chromatography Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS/MS) and an Ultra High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (UPLC-QTOF-MS) which are essential analytical instruments for grape smoke exposure research. The new research equipment will also support undergraduate and graduate training and curriculum development, and research outcomes will be extended to stakeholders and the wider community to increase understanding of wildfire smoke impact and best management practices.

“Smoke from wildfires is a consistent threat to our communities, and we are just beginning to understand how it is impacting agricultural products,” said Thompson. “I worked to secure this funding for researchers at UC Davis to investigate how smoke exposure changes the composition of winegrapes and other products. UC Davis is a world-class research institution, and this funding will help them further advance their research and help our agriculture community better respond to natural disasters like wildfires.”

“We really appreciate receiving the funding for this equipment,” said Dr. Oberholster. “Thank you, Representative Thompson, for your work to make this funding available. Once these new analytical instruments are in place, they will allow us to more rapidly obtain new research results which we can then share with our stakeholders.”

To read the Official Press Release on Representative Mike Thompson’s webpage, visit: 
https://lnkd.in/gyAHqByj