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Through War and Peace, These Doves Rock
By Daniel Erenstein, Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior ‘21
“The diversity of the breeds is something astonishing,” Charles Darwin wrote in “On the Origin of Species.” He was not referring to his famous Galápagos finches. Instead, Darwin opened his foundational work by commenting on various breeds of the domestic pigeon, all descended from a common ancestor: Columba livia. Widely known as the rock dove, this species has adapted to urban environments throughout human history. Over time, we have kept pigeons for fairs, racing, message carrying in wartime, and even scientific research.
Since joining the B3 Lab at UC Davis in 2020, I have contributed to research on this model organism. The B3 name, short for Birds, Brains, and Banter, represents the lab’s main goals: to study rock doves and how stress affects their reproductive behaviors, and to advance culturally relevant science communication research and training. In April, I presented a project on how single parenting affects the amygdala, often considered the brain’s “emotional center,” at the UC Davis Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Conference. This research helps us to understand the impacts of single parenting in humans, and it could lead to insights that mitigate stresses felt by single parents and their children.
These photographs were captured in the B3 aviary via iPhone 7 camera during 2020 and 2021.
Lazarus Dies, Lazarus Lives Again
By Jesse Kireyev, History ‘21
Each of these photos captures a landscape in slow degradation. Berryessa, for all the wintergreen beauty that it holds, has experienced horrifying fires numerous times over the past few years. The natural bridge that dominates the landscape of its namesake park in Santa Cruz now remains alone, at risk of collapsing like its sibling did, forever leaving the shoreline empty of its beauty. This risk only grows as sea levels rise and as human interaction puts it at greater risk. The salt flats of the Dead Sea used to be covered in water — now nature struggles to fill the few remaining pools as the sea rapidly shrinks. Captured in these three horizons are the struggles of nature to sustain itself despite the present beauty. For all the tranquility of the Ansel Adams-esque lines jutting forth from the foreground, a great and slow war is playing itself out in the back, often hidden to the gazing eye of the unaware viewer. The horizons both serve as a reminder of the danger that lurks in our future, as well as the distant (and perhaps unreachable) hope of resurrection in the face of annihilation.
1. Berryessa Foothills, Solano, California.
Storm clouds move over the fields and lush wetlands, both morphing into the mountains hugging Lake Berryessa. Just a few months prior, the mountains had been scorched by the dizzying flames of the LNU Lightning Complex Fire, a fire whose smoke blotted out the sun for weeks in two of the largest metropolitan areas in America. The ebb-and-flow of the surroundings give us a stark reminder of just how fast a place can be destroyed and can flourish once again from the ashes. Canon EOS 5D Mark III. April, 2021.
2. West Cliff, Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, California.
Pelicans and seagulls huddle together as they hunt for fish and fight the buffeting winds. The remainders of the natural bridges, which once dominated the state beach, still serve as a helpful vantage point for the seabirds. Locals hope that this vantage point can survive, even as climate change puts the bridge at greater risk every year. Canon EOS 630, Kodak Tri-X 400TX 35mm film. June, 2017.
3. Dead Sea Salt Flats, Masada, Israel.
The salt flats are all that is left of the once sea-filled expanse below Masada. A combination of climate change and human changes to the environment are driving the evaporation of the Dead Sea, which at current rates is expected to be gone in the next three decades. Sony a700. December, 2018.
COVID-19 Cover Art Gallery
This year, for the first time, The Aggie Transcript accepted submissions for our journal’s cover from the wider undergraduate community at UC Davis. To celebrate the release of our fifth annual print edition, we present three of the submissions that we received in this art gallery. The winning submission appears first, followed by our honorable mentions. We sincerely thank the authors and artists who submitted to our journal this year for sharing their work with us.
Unprecedented: The Science of COVID-19
By Mario Rodriguez, Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology, Design ‘22
This work was created with the intention of highlighting those in the medical profession and the timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic, from bottom to top: the death of loved ones, the medication and hospitalization of patients, and then the development of vaccines to combat the virus. The digital artwork was created on an iPad in the digital painting app Procreate.
Working Together to Catch Covid
By Daria Beniakoff, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology ‘21
Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic affected everyone. The hands of so many people from every direction were put to work figuring out what the virus was and how to mitigate and fight its effects, from the doctors treating patients to the scientists trying to develop treatments and vaccines to the everyday people who had to work around the circumstances. I wanted this digital medium piece to reflect the collaborative effort to contain and stop the pandemic.
Light of Hope
By Bianca Law, Design ‘23
Among Virions
By Jordan Chen, Biochemical Engineering ‘24
What are viruses? Miniscule packages of protein and genetic material, smaller than all but the smallest cells, relatively simple structures on the boundaries of what we consider living. Undetectable to the human eye, these invisible contagions are rarely on the minds of the average person, occupying a semantic space in public consciousness more often than they are understood for their material reality. Stories are more likely to be described as “viral” than an actual virus, yet when the COVID-19 pandemic washed over the world at the end of 2019, the public suddenly had to confront that which was seemingly abiotic, simple, and small. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic exceeded that unassuming material reality. With the shuttering of the global economy, mass death, political crisis, confusion, hysteria, and science without immediate answers, it’s become clear that the sum of COVID-19’s viral components is much more than the whole.
To emphasize this idea in the piece, coronavirus virions are depicted as massive and detailed larger than earth bodies, in a vital bloody red, surrounding and overwhelming the relatively simply shaded globe. What was formerly small, simple, and nonliving, can now be dramatically understood as larger than life, having created complex predicaments, and having taken on a life of its own in its assault against the world. This digital artwork was created in Blender.
The Universal Solvent
By Elaina Covey, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology ‘22
This is a digital painting I drew that was inspired by the importance of clean water on our planet. I painted this with my iPad Pro using the latest version of Procreate. The girl, who is the subject of this drawing, is meant to represent life on Earth. I stuck to a color palette consisting primarily of greens and blues to reflect nature and the planet. I was also inspired by a quote from American educator, Loren Eisely, who wrote in an essay titled “The Flow of the River” that “if there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” For this reason, I wanted to make a piece that evokes a feeling of magic and wonder. However, there is also a sense of danger. The girl, who is nearly drowning, serves to remind us that pollution in the form of oil runoffs, plastics, agricultural waste, and acidification threatens our oceans daily. Additionally, as carbon pollution increases and annual temperatures rise, sea levels are rising as well. The girl’s drowning may also serve to remind the viewer of the danger faced by many species who rely on our planet’s ice caps for survival. I hope this piece can inspire others to recognize the importance of protecting Earth’s amazing biodiversity.
Watercolor Bird Series
By Daphne Crum, Genetics & Genomics ’23
In this bird series I have painted a Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), and a Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus). These three birds were painted as gifts for members of my family, each one personalized to match the region of the U.S. where they live. While I have yet to narrow down my all-time favorite species, all birds collectively make the top of my favorite-animals list. I have been keeping a life list for bird-watching since I was in 8th grade, with 80 species and counting! There is something so unexplainably whimsical about birds that has captivated me for as long as I can remember. Birds have stolen our hearts for hundreds of years, inspiring artists and scientists alike with their power of flight, their feather variety, their intricate language of chirps and song, and their differing social dynamics. Capturing the vivacity that birds emanate is a huge challenge for me when it comes to finding the perfect medium to paint or draw in, the angles at which to position the birds in my art, and the body language that should be portrayed. I am inspired by artists who can successfully capture a bird’s personality through their work, and I strive to do the same.
Yosemite Valley
By Ryan Lazzareschi, Computer Science ’21
At the end of the tunnel, I saw an opportunity I couldn’t miss. As the sun rose in the distance, the perfect composition of Yosemite Valley presented itself. The granite cliffs of El Capitan stretch thousands of feet down on the left with Bridalveil Falls set against the Cathedral Rocks on the right, and Half Dome barely peeking through off in the distance covered with a layer of snow.
Lower Yosemite Falls
By Ryan Lazzareschi, Computer Science ’21
Taking inspiration from the timeless black and white style of Ansel Adams, Yosemite Falls exemplifies the true beauty of Mother Nature. Lower Yosemite Falls as pictured (above, below, etc), comes crashing down 320 feet, making up only a fraction of the 2400 foot Yosemite Falls.
Yosemite Toad Painting
By Daphne Crum, Genetics & Genomics ’23
This piece is a watercolor painting depicting a Yosemite Toad. When I first arrived in Davis I knew I wanted to find clubs and organizations that would provide opportunities for me to do a bit of scientific illustration. When I became a member of the Society for Conservation Biology Chapter at UC Davis, I was ecstatic to learn that their Education and Outreach Committee was already looking for artists in the community to provide visuals for their video about Dr. Leslie Roche and her research on the Yosemite Toad (Anaxyrus canorus). I was more than happy to spend a weekend during the 2019 Fall Quarter to paint and submit a piece for their project! Watercolors are a great medium to use for painting animals because you can layer with varying color intensities to illustrate different textures in their skin. Being able to artistically interpret the significance of scientific research is something I have always wanted to dive into, and it would be such an honor to continue working with other lab groups and researchers on campus who are in need of hand-drawn or hand-painted visuals to pair with their publications.
Parity
By Emily Donnelly, Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, ’21
Macro image of a brightly colored flower in the Arboretum of UC Davis main campus
This photograph is unique for many reasons including the fact that it was taken here on the UC Davis campus in a flower garden by the Environmental Horticulture buildings. This was originally taken for a photography class here at Davis: SAS 40, which focuses on bridging science and art and emphasizes the balance of chaos and order seen in nature. This particular flower captured my attention because even though it is asymmetric, to the human eye it looks perfect. The intense reds and full body of the flower reflect the natural beauty that often goes unappreciated in nature. While photographing, I framed the image in such a way that the center position of the flower draws you into it. A full blossoming flower such as this often symbolizes growth and prosperity which is something that so many students and people alike strive for. So although this is just an image of a flower, it has deeper symbolic meanings depending on the viewer.
This image was taken April 12, 2018 here at UC Davis.
The camera used is a Canon 60D with an 18-200mm lens.