History of the UC Davis College of Biological Science
In July 2005, the UC Regents voted unanimously to create the College of Biological Sciences at UC Davis. Prior to that vote, the biological sciences majors were housed in a Division of Biological Sciences, shared between two other colleges on campus.
Although its founding departments were created as early as 1922, the Division of Biological Sciences was officially established in 1970. Designed to provide an organizational framework for undergraduate biology programs, the division linked the College of Letters and Science departments of bacteriology, botany, and zoology with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences departments of animal physiology, biochemistry and biophysics, and genetics with approximately 1,000-1,200 undergraduate students.
The original six departments were reorganized in the 1980s into the following five sections: (1) evolution and ecology, (2) microbiology, (3) molecular and cellular biology, (4) neurobiology, physiology, and behavior, (5) plant biology. These sections were established in 1990 and remain today. In 1999 the program in Exercise Biology was transferred to DBS from the College of L&S.
| July 2006 | Ken Burtis becomes dean, after serving as interim dean since 2005. |
| July 2005 | College of Biological Sciences forms. |
| January 2005 | Sciences Laboratory Building opens.
This $58 million project created the only building in UC dedicated exclusively to laboratory teaching in biology and introductory chemistry. The planning and construction of this unique facility was accomplished in collaboration with the Department of Chemistry in the College of Letters and Science, and includes 34 modern teaching laboratories and support spaces such as study lounges, discussion rooms, two computer laboratories, and a running sea water system. |
| January 2002- July 2005 | Phyllis Wise, dean. |
| Jul 2001-Jan 2002 | Leo Chalupa, acting dean. |
| 1995-2001 | Mark McNamee, dean. |
| 1997 | Life Sciences Addition opens.
63,000 sq. ft. Life Sciences Addition finished and faculty move in. The building brought together more than 30 faculty research laboratories. The Life Sciences Addition is architecturally designed to foster research collaborations, featuring interconnected laboratories and common-area spaces that house essential research equipment and facilities. |
| 1993 | Section of Molecular & Cellular Biology forms by combining the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and the Department of Genetics. |
| 1993 | Section of Neurobiology, Physiology and behavior (NPB) forms. |
| 1993-1995 | Mark McNamee, interim dean. |
| 1988 | Department of Bacteriology becomes the Section of Microbiology. |
| 1985-1993 | Robert Grey, dean. |
| 1979-1985 | Donald McClean, dean. |
| 1976-1979 | James De Vay, associate dean. |
| 1975-1976 | Eric Conn, associate dean for one month. |
| 1971-1975 | S.R. Snow, associate dean. |
| 1970 | Division of Biological Sciences formed. |
| 1969-1971 | Biological Sciences Committee, Everett W. Jameson Jr., Chair. |
| 1924 | Department of Botany forms (now Plant Biology). |
| 1922 | Department of Zoology forms (now Evolution & Ecology). Tracy Storer offered first course in general zoology. |
| 1922 | First course in Bacteriology taught (now Microbiology). |