The ADVANCE Scholar Award and lecture series highlights and celebrates the contributions women STEM faculty at UC Davis have made to their fields through outstanding scholarship and mentorship. The three ADVANCE Scholars have been be selected for 2016-17: 

1. JoAnne Engebrecht, Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology
2. Annaliese Franz, Associate Professor, Chemistry
3. Sharon Strauss, Professor, Evolution and Ecology

The ADVANCE Scholars are presenting their research on November 9, 2016 and May 4, 2017 in the Student Community Center-Multi Purpose Room.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016 from 2:30pm-5:00pm

“Designing New Catalysts and Methods on the Path to Discovery for Medicines and Biofuels,” Annaliese Franz, Associate Professor, Chemistry

“Combining Historical and Contemporary Approaches to Learn about Natural Communities and Biodiversity,” Sharon Strauss, Professor, Evolution and Ecology

• Registration closed

Thursday, May 4, 2017 from 12:30pm-1:30pm

“Sex, Sex Chromosomes and Checkpoints,” JoAnne Engebrecht, Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology

• Register by April 28, 2017 HERE

Biographies

 JoAnne Engebrecht received her Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of
Oceanography where she analyzed genes required for bacterial
bioluminescence. As a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University she studied
meiosis in yeast. Dr. Engebrecht has continued to study various aspects of
meiosis in yeast and worms in her faculty positions at Stony Brook
University and since 2003 at the University of California, Davis.

 Annaliese Franz is an Associate Professor in the Chemistry Department. Her research program is focused on synthesis of bioactive molecules, catalysis, and sustainable biofuels from microalgae coupled with wastewater remediation. She has received several awards, including a prestigious NSF CAREER award, the American Chemical Society WCC Rising Star Award, and the Outstanding Mentor Award from the Consortium for Women & Research at UC Davis. She is an author of 42 papers and one book chapter.  She has served as a research adviser/mentor for a total of 21 PhD students, 38 undergraduate student researchers, and 6 high school scholars. Dr. Franz is passionate about education and mentoring students in many programs on campus. 

Sharon Strauss is an evolutionary ecologist who has been on the faculty at UC Davis for over 20 years. She studies how evolutionary history shapes the traits and ecology of species. Her goals are to use ecological and evolutionary processes to understand mechanisms that allow species to coexist in complex and diverse assemblages in nature, and to also understand how evolutionary processes of adaptation and speciation influence species’ niches. 

For additional information, please visit the ADVANCE Mentorship and Networking Initiative webpage.