The seventh annual International Connections Reception, hosted by Global Affairs on March 3, brought together the UC Davis community to celebrate several award and grant programs, including the 2022 recipients of Global Affairs Seed Grants for International Activities. These grants are offered in partnership with the colleges and schools as well as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Office of Research to faculty taking on innovative research and engagement projects around the world. 

Seed Grant projects foster long-term international research collaborations, create innovations in internationalizing the curriculum in support of the Global Education for All initiative and grow or build global partnerships. Since 2001, the program has supported 261 diverse projects, generating significant international partnerships, research outcomes and external funding.  

This year’s 8 projects bring together more than 25 researchers across UC Davis and collaborating institutions worldwide, fostering collaborations to advance groundbreaking discovery. Projects include modeling, managing and preventing a number of different diseases and illnesses, supporting training for expressive language sampling for neurodevelopmental conditions, examining the interplay of democracy and populism and more. 

2022 Global Affairs Seed Grants for International Activities Projects

Training Spanish-Speaking Professionals on Expressive Language Sampling: Partnerships for International Treatment Studies for People with Neurodevelopmental Conditions (Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Spain) 

Leonard J. Abbeduto (Director, Mind Institute Tsakopoulos-Vismara Endowed Chair Professor, School of Medicine) with Laura del Hoyo Soriano  

Supported by the Richard F. Walters Seed Grant 

Developing Novel Suppressive Soils to Manage Soilborne Pathogens in Mediterranean Climates (Spain) 

Jesús Fernández Bayo (Assistant Professorial Researcher, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) with Celia Borrero (University of Seville)  

Supported by the Gurdev S. and Harwant K. Khush Seed Grant 

Growing Biodesign Collaborations for Increased Circularity (Chile) 

Christina Cogdell, (Professor, College of Letters and Science) with UC Davis Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center and Collaborative partners at Universidad de Desarrollo (Nataly Silva, Chemist, and Material Science Researcher, School of Design; Paulina Contreras, Director of Research, School of Design; Nicolas Golobuff, Executive Director of Exploratec (Design and Engineering); Ricardo Vidal, Design Coordinator at Exploratec (Design and Engineering) 

Enhancing the Validity of Epidemiological Variables in a Tuberculosis Cohort from South Africa (South Africa) 

Brenna Henn (Associate Professor, College of Letters and Science) with Marlo Moller (Stellenbosch University) 

Looking into the Past: Fish Eye Lenses Describe Lifetime Habitat Use for an Economically Important Fish in Southern Brazil (Brazil) 

Carson Jeffres (Field and Lab Director and Senior Researcher, Center for Watershed Sciences, Office of Research) with Dislene Torrente-Vilara (University of São Paulo)  

Is Taiwan's Democracy in Crisis? Civil Contestations amidst Populism and Uncertain Globalization (Taiwan) 

Ming-Cheng M. Lo (Professor, College of Letters and Science)  

Supported by the UC Davis-Taiwan Collaborative Research Fund in Memory of Larry Vanderhoef 

Mathematical Models for Dengue Surveillance: Challenges and Opportunities (Costa Rica) 

Miriam Nuño (Assistant Professor, School of Medicine and CAMPOS fellow), Fabio Sánchez (University of Costa Rica), Luis Barboza (University of Costa Rica), Juan Calvo (University of Costa Rica), Paola Andrea Vásquez Brenes  (University of Costa Rica),  Sandra Delgado (University of Costa Rica), Beatriz Martínez-López (UC Davis), Yury García (UC Davis), María Daza-Torres (UC Davis), J. Cricelio Montesinos Lόpez (UC Davis) 

Matched by UC Davis Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

Establishing a Community-based Integrated One Health Research, Education, and Outreach Program in Rwanda (Rwanda) 

Wilson K. Rumbeiha (Professor and Agronomist, School of Veterinary Medicine) with Kizito Nishimwe (University of Rwanda), University of Global Health Equity, and the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture

Made Possible by Donor Support 

2022 International Connections Reception Award Announcements

Faculty and staff recipients of other awards and grants were also recognized at the March 3 event:

• 2022 UC Davis Grants for Advancing Sustainable Development Goals
• 2022 Chancellor's Awards for Interntional Engagement

Faculty and Staff Ambassadors were recognized for increasing the visibility of UC Davis' international presence and creating meaningful connections worldwide. The Global Education for All Steering Committee and Global Education for All Fellows were recognized for their efforts in advancing the campus goal to provide 100% of students—undergraduate, graduate, and professional—with global learning experiences that change their lives and our world. The Global Affairs Advisory Council was acknowledged for their  support of Global Affairs and their philanthropic leadership. The Global Strategy Advisory Committee was recognized for their engagement in strategic conversations to coordinate, elevate, and shape global engagement at UC Davis.

About Global Affairs at UC Davis

Global Affairs brings the world to UC Davis, welcoming more than 10,000 international students, scholars and leaders, and hosting programs that inspire global curiosity, understanding and engagement. Compelled by the valuable outcomes of thinking globally, we make transformative opportunities a reality by supporting the thousands of students and faculty learning and researching globally—and by facilitating collaborations that tackle the world’s most pressing challenges through more than 150 global partnerships.

Putting our vision of a UC Davis community that engages, thrives, and leads in this interconnected world into action, Global Affairs is in pursuit of an ambitious goal: Global Education for All. 

About Global Affairs at UC Davis

Global Affairs brings the world to UC Davis, welcoming more than 10,000 international students, scholars and leaders, and hosting programs that inspire global curiosity, understanding and engagement. Compelled by the valuable outcomes of thinking globally, we make transformative opportunities a reality by supporting the thousands of students and faculty learning and researching globally—and by facilitating collaborations that tackle the world’s most pressing challenges through more than 150 global partnerships.

Putting our vision of a UC Davis community that engages, thrives, and leads in this interconnected world into action, Global Affairs is in pursuit of an ambitious goal: Global Education for All.