We’ve known all along that our support of graduate education reaches far beyond our own UC Davis campus, and Robert (Bob) Gilbertson’s recent trip to Mali, West Africa is one example of our global collaboration and impact.
 
Bob (Professor, Plant Pathology) was in Mali participating in the Ph.D. dissertation defense exam of student Moussa Noussourou. Bob was a co-adviser of Moussa, along with Dr. Rick Foster of Purdue University and Professor Hamidou Maiga of the University of Bamako.
 
When Moussa passed his examination on March 13, he not only received his well-earned doctoral degree, he also made history – his Ph.D. degree is the first one granted by the Department of Biology at the University of Bamako. “We are all so very proud of Dr. Noussourou and what he has accomplished,” says Bob.  
 
The title of Moussa’s thesis: The complex of viruses infecting tomatoes in Mali: Characterization of the virus species involved, identification of tolerant and resistant tomato varieties and the effect of a host-free period on disease development in the irrigated perimeter of Baguineda, Mali.
 
The support Moussa received from Bob and his colleagues is an example of the collaborative research partnership between UC Davis and Mali – addressing a critical agricultural issue impacting the Malian people. This research also benefits the people in California and throughout the U.S., as these same viruses impact crops grown in our country and the results from this important research in Mali can be applied to these viruses.
 
This research was supported by a grant from the USAID as part of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP).

Top picture from left to right: Bob Gilbertson, Dr. Hamidou Maiga (Moussa's adviser at the University of Bamako), and graduate Dr. Noussourou.
Bottom picture shows Dr. Noussourou along with his University of Bamako advisors, family, Bob Gilbertson, and Rick Foster of Purdue University.

Congratulations to UC Davis postdoc Dr. Moran Wang, who has been awarded the prestigious J. Robert Oppenheimer (JRO) Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

The JRO fellowship is awarded to individuals who display extraordinary ability in scientific research and show clear and definite promise of becoming outstanding leaders in the research they pursue.

After receiving his Ph.D. degree in Engineering Thermophysics from Tsinghua University in China, Moran spent one and a half years working as a postdoc in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Johns Hopkins University. He then came to UCD and joined the research group of Professor Ning Pan, a faculty member in Textile & Clothing, Biological & Agricultural Engineering, NEAT and Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, to continue his work on computational modeling of multi-physical behaviors of complex materials systems. In less than two years, Moran has published more than 10 scientific research papers focusing on transports and properties of various porous media, composites, functional gradient materials, and multiphase material systems.

UC Davis Graduate Student, Cristobal Uauy, was awarded the national “Distinguished Dissertation Award” by the Council of Graduate Schools and University Microfilms International. Cristobal’s dissertation, “Positional Cloning of Gpc-B1, a Wheat Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting Senescence and with Pleiotropic Effects on Grain Protein, Zinc, and Iron Concentration,” was the sole winner under the Biological and Life Sciences field category.

The distinguished award was presented to Cristobal at the Council of Graduate Schools’ annual meeting, held on December 6 in Seattle, Washington.

Cristobal was also the 2007 Allen G. Marr Prize winner— awarded through the Office of Graduate Studies for dissertation excellence and presented to Cristobal at the June 13, 2007 Graduate Studies commencement ceremony.