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College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences

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Dynamic Genome Project students conducting research

The Dynamic Genome Project at UC Riverside

The DGP is a primer for new students getting their feet wet in science for the first time
Oranges at UC Riverside Agricultural Operations

UC Riverside agricultural research showcased at World Ag Expo

Nine speakers from the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) gave talks highlighting their diverse research programs at the World Ag Expo held February 11-13 in Tulare, CA. In 25-minute sessions, five of which focused on the citrus industry alone, UC Riverside professors educated audiences on such varied topics as improving food...
UC Riverside CE Specialists, Advisors, and Faculty Showcase

UC Riverside CE Specialists, Advisors, and Faculty Showcase Agriculture Research Taking Place at UCR

UC Riverside’s College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) convened a meeting of UC Cooperative Extension (CE) Specialists, Advisors, and Faculty to foster collaborations and showcase agricultural research at UC Riverside. The meeting, held Feb. 18, featured researchers and professors from CNAS and BCOE who addressed topics effecting agriculture and natural resources (ANR) that are...

CNAS Science Ambassadors with Norm the Orange

CNAS to welcome first-year admitted students and their families at Highlander Day

On April 12, admitted first-year students and their families will converge onto the University of California, Riverside campus for Highlander Day – an all-day open house held annually to showcase the richly diverse and inclusive array of opportunities available at UCR. Highlander Day also gives students admitted to the UC Riverside College of Natural &...
CNAS Visits Washington DC on a Call to Action

CNAS visits Washington on a “Call to Action!”

Stephanie Dingwall, Divisional Dean of Student Academic Affairs for the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) and two CNAS students recently visited the Washington, D.C. offices of California Senate and Congressional Representatives on a two-day trip to advocate for more funding and recognition of undergraduate research. The trip, which took place from...
VIRTUE Diagram

When particles collide: Professor Miguel Arratia talks physics and the Electron Ion Collider

Miguel Arratia, Assistant Professor of Physics at the UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS), conceives and designs detectors for experiments for the Electron Ion Collider (EIC) in Upton, NY, which was developed to uncover the mysteries that bind the atomic nucleus together. The U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Science Advisory Committee has...

CNAS Welcome Interim Dean, Peter Atkinson

Meet the new dean of CNAS

Many may be familiar with the new dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, or CNAS. Peter Atkinson, a professor of genetics in the Department of Entomology, has been with UC Riverside for 28 years. Less familiar may be his vision, which emphasizes social mobility, collaboration with other colleges, and CNAS as the...
Science Lecture Series 2024 Faculty Presentation

CNAS unveils Science Lecture Series 2025 dates

The UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) is pleased to announce the dates of the 2025 Science Lecture Series, with faculty presentations taking place on February 5, March 4, April 12 and May 3. Since its inception, CNAS scientists have shared their knowledge and research with students, alumni, faculty, staff and community...

UCR Bell Tower and Rivera Library

Susan Wessler Elected VP of the National Academy of Sciences

Susan Wessler, Distinguished Professor and Geneticist in the UC Riverside Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, has been elected to a four-year term as Vice President at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Professor Wessler assumed her duties as Vice President last month. The position, which also chairs the NAS Council Committee on Scientific Programs...

Fossil Bed

With a Little Bit of Luck: What Mary Droser has Uncovered after a Few Million Years

Mary Droser, Distinguished Professor of Geology in the UC Riverside Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, likes to say that she is the luckiest and most privileged person she knows. To anyone considering her prodigious list of professional accomplishments, the eponymous head of the Droser Paleoecology Lab on campus certainly seems to have had a...

Welcome from CNAS Interim Dean Peter Atkinson 2023-2024

CNAS Dean Announcement

Dear Colleagues, I am excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Peter Atkinson, Interim Dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS), as the permanent CNAS Dean, effective January 6, 2025. A UCR faculty member since 1997, Peter is a professor in the Department of Entomology whose research focuses on developing novel, molecular...
By Elizabeth Watkins | Inside UCR |
Taking a Bite Out of Wildlife Crime on UCR News

Taking A Bite Out Of Wildlife Crime

While his profession turned out to be more dangerous than he anticipated when he enrolled at UCR as a biochemistry student in 1965, Goddard hasn’t looked back. His prolific career in law enforcement includes 12 years as a police criminalist and crime scene investigator working on gruesome homicides, drug raids, and robberies, and over four...
By Sarah Nightingale | UCR Magazine |
New CNAS Faculty Reception 2024

CNAS Celebrates New Faculty Members for the 2024 Academic Year

The UC Riverside College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) welcomed and celebrated 33 new faculty members for the 2024 academic year at the annual New Faculty Reception on October 29. Peter Atkinson, CNAS Interim Dean, welcomed the new faculty members and their families at the Alumni & Visitors Center for a special dinner, where...

CNAS Interim Dean Peter Atkinson

Fall 2024 Welcome from CNAS Interim Dean Peter Atkinson

Dear CNAS Students, Today marks the beginning of the 2024 academic year for the UC Riverside community, and I have been looking forward to the energy and enthusiasm that our students bring to campus! For the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) alone, we welcome 7,325 CNAS students, of which 1,780 are new first-year...
NRS Internship Header

UCR Natural Reserves Celebrates Conclusion of the 2024 Summer Inclusivity Internship Program

As part of the UC Riverside Natural Reserves Inclusivity Internship program, undergraduate students from campuses across Southern California celebrated the conclusion of their summer internship experience with the UCR Natural Reserves on August 16. The 10-week summer internship program paired undergraduate students from UC Riverside, Cal Poly Pomona, Citrus College, Cal State Fullerton and Mt...
Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting Stage 2024

CNAS Graduate Student, Ria Ghosh, Presents Research at Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting 2024

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) — the nation’s largest organization of professional ecologists— held their annual meeting on August 4-9, 2024 where thousands of ecological scientists, educators, students, and practitioners gathered from around the world to share new research findings and discuss solutions to today’s ecological and environmental challenges. Dedicated to advancing the science...
CE Advisors & CE Faculty Collaboration Meeting May 23, 2024

CE Advisors & CE Faculty Collaboration Meeting: Exploring Ongoing Agricultural Research at UC Riverside

The University of California, Riverside (UCR) College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) hosted the Cooperative Extension (CE) Advisors and UCR CE Faculty Collaboration Meeting on May 23. CE advisors located in (or serving) over 14 counties across California were invited to learn about the ongoing research by UCR CE faculty to enhance collaboration between...
STEM Summer Camp Inspires Future Innovators

UCR STEM Summer Camp inspires future innovators to explore STEM careers

UC Riverside faculty and staff hosted the second annual STEM Summer Camp in late June 2024, bringing dozens of high school students to campus for an immersive, hands-on STEM experience and a taste of college life. "We wanted to make a connection between UC Riverside and high schools, as well as providing a pipeline from...
UCR sign and bell tower

CNAS Welcomes New Divisional Deans

Effective July 1, 2024, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) welcomed three new divisional deans, who will lead CNAS student academic affairs and the College’s life and agricultural sciences core areas: CNAS Divisional Dean of Student Academic Affairs: Stephanie Dingwall, Associate Professor of Teaching in the Biochemistry Department...
CNAS 2024 Commencement Toyota Arena

CNAS Class of ’24 Comes Together and Stands Apart at Commencement

Every graduating class from UC Riverside is special, but many of the students comprising the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences’ 70th Commencement ceremony hold a select status that they share with few others. Academically, they came of age during a worldwide pandemic and all the challenges that stemmed from it. The Class of 2024...
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