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The eleven members of Marco lab posing together outdoors.

Marco Lab - Grand Prize Winner, Lab Safety Awards 2024!

Food Science and Technology

A big congratulations to Dr. Maria Marco's lab for their Grand Prize win in the UC Safety Services 2024 Laboratory Safety Awards Program!  The Marco lab was the semi-finalist for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and won the grand prize against five other semi-finalists; one each from the College of Letters & Science, the College of Biological Sciences, the College of Engineering, the School of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Medicine.

2024 Graduating V&E Students

Congratulations to the 2024 Viticulture & Enology Graduates!

Viticulture and Enology
 

The Department of Viticulture and Enology had an outdoor in-person graduation celebration for our students receiving their B.S. or M.S. in Viticulture and Enology on Friday, June 14, 2024. V & E Chair and Associate Professor, Ben Montpetit kicked off the event and Merry Edwards V & E alumnus (M.S, '73) was the graduation speaker. Merry did not have the chance to walk at her undergraduate graduation ceremony at UC Berkeley, or her graduate ceremony at UC Davis, so she was presented with an honorary diploma. Dr. Montpetit, Dr.

Vincent Powell

Student Profile: Vincent Powell

Viticulture and Enology

Student standing: Freshman/Sophomore/Junior/Senior/Graduate etc. 
2nd-year graduate student

Degree/Focus/interest areas: 
Viticulture and Enology

Where are you from originally? 
I was born and raised in Sacramento.

What brought you to UC Davis? 
I came to UC Davis for my VEN degree after working as a wine lab technician for two years. I wanted to go deeper down the rabbit hole.

People taking green grapes out of a tub.

Summer Recap: Outreach Events

Viticulture and Enology

This Summer, the Department of Viticulture & Enology attended and held several outreach events.

We attended two events hosted by the Napa Farmworker Foundation. 

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    On July 21st, members of the Department tabled at the Dia De La Familia Celebration. We met families and high school students, answered questions about our programs, enjoyed the music and traditional dances, and tried to inspire the next generation of vineyard managers and winemakers! 

Student removing grapes from a tank

The VEN 124L Experience: A Dive into Wine Production

Viticulture and Enology
 

At UC Davis, the VEN 124L Wine Production laboratory course offers students a hands-on immersion into the world of winemaking, combining the science of fermentation with the common sense and dynamic process of wine production. This course, currently taught by Dr. Ben Montpetit, goes beyond the typical lab setting by providing students the opportunity to make red and white wines at the 500-gallon scale in the UC Davis Teaching and Research Winery.

Alison Crowe

Alumni Profile: Alison Crowe

Viticulture and Enology

Year and degree of graduation:

  • 1998, B.S. Fermentation Science, UC Davis Department of Viticulture & Enology 

  • 1998, B.A. Spanish, UC Davis College of Letters and Sciences 

  • 2010, M.B.A., UC Davis Graduate School of Management

People listening to a lecture.

Viticulture & Enology Extension Update

Viticulture and Enology

The extension team has spent the last couple of months organizing our Department of Viticulture and Enology educational extension programs and other departmental programs for the upcoming year. We are planning both on campus and On the Road programs. On November 20, 2024, we will be in Temecula! Registration will be opening soon, so check our department webpage for the latest information.

Alejandra Hernandez

Introducing Alejandra Hernandez

Viticulture and Enology

The UC Davis Viticulture and Enology (V & E) Department is pleased to welcome Alejandra Hernandez (Corby) as its new Student Recruitment and Communications Coordinator. Alejandra is a UC Davis alumna with a B.A. in International Relations and a M.Ed. in Student Affairs from UCLA. Alejandra is passionate about empowering and equipping students with the necessary tools and networks to uncover and pursue their dreams. Before joining V & E, Alejandra worked in academic advising, career advising, and undergraduate admissions.

Poll Zhang is presented with an award plaque.

Poll Zhang wins IIFH Undergrad Fellowship; presents at Summer Conference

Food Science and Technology

Poll Zhang, an undergraduate in Dr. Alyson Mitchell's lab, presented in the 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Center Symposium. Poll received an undergraduate fellowship from the Innovation Institute for Food and Health.  This was a six-week fellowship that resulted in her talk, titled “Almond Shells: An Innovative Solution for Winery Wastewater and Their Potential as a Health-Enhancing Food Supplement”, which you can see her presenting in the pictures below.  

Unit 18 Lecturer for FST131 - Fall 2024

Food Science and Technology
This comprehensive food packaging course covers essential topics such as the fundamental functions and definitions of packaging; the interactions between food, packaging, and the environment; and the properties of various packaging materials. Students explore current packaging trends, techniques for determining food shelf-life, and specialized packaging methods for dry, moisture-sensitive, heat-processed, and frozen foods, as well as beverages. The course also delves into advanced concepts like Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP), sustainable packaging practices including material reduction and recycling, and an overview of food packaging laws and regulations.
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