Davis is a vibrant college town founded over 100 years ago based on rich soil and ideal climate for many crops and livestock. A successful bid in 1908 to become host to the University Farm School launched the trajectory of the city and the university.

Stewardship and Sustainability

Davis has a long-standing history of commitment to policies designed to protect the environment while creating intentional growth. Specific planning decisions made over the years have led to creation of over 100 miles of bike paths and lanes and our standing as one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country. The Davis Farmers Market, one of the first in the state, came together more than 40 years ago through work by a group of farmers and college students and has grown in to a beloved institution and an award-winning destination for visitors.

In turn, UC Davis has taken its charter as a land-grant university and grown in to one of the world’s lending institutions for research, innovation and entrepreneurship with a reputation for solving problems related to food, health, the environment and society.

Home Town for Innovators

Davis has a high quality of life and many affiliates of UC Davis have made this community the place they have chosen to raise their families as well as launch their innovations and inventions. We have a thriving ecosystem for start-ups and are home to over 90 technology companies including global leaders such as Marrone Bio Innovations. Founded by Pam Marrone, the mission is to provide environmentally-responsible, biologically-based products for pest management and plant health. Companies choose to locate here to be a part of this rich environment. Danish-based Novozymes has been in Davis over 25 years, produces industrial enzymes and microorganisms, and was chosen by Fortune Magazine as one of the top 10 companies changing the world.

UC Davis has maintained a parallel path and is a leader in sustainability. 29% of food bought for the dining commons is sustainably grown; the biodigester, invented at UC Davis, has a daily capacity to turn 50 tons of waste into energy; and the university is ranked first in the world for campus sustainability practices by the 2017 UI GreenMetric World University Rankings.

Women in Science

The University of California, Davis boasts rankings as the number one university in the world for veterinary science (QS World Rankings, 2017), the number one university globally for plant sciences, and the number one university in the U.S. for agriculture, (U.S. News & World Report’s “2018 Best Global Universities”). UC Davis is also the top ranking university in the nation for launching women into professions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM professions.

Wine and Dine

ACE 10 participants will have the opportunity to visit the Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Science and tour the Jess S. Jackson Sustainable Winery Building. The building is designed to consume zero-net energy and incorporates climate-responsive passive design strategies and renewable energy to achieve the zero-net energy objective, technology applicable to other types of structures. The visit to UC Davis will feature an interactive discussion with ACE participants highlighting UC innovations, partnerships and opportunities for collaboration, and the nexus between agriculture, food, health and life sciences, environmental sciences and technology.