Volume 27 · Number 3 · Spring 2010
Giving: Discovering Pieces of the Puzzle
Discovering pieces of the puzzle
Nicole Baumgarth (Photo: Karin Higgins/UC Davis)
Nicole Baumgarth, professor in the Center for Comparative Medicine, says one of the biggest impacts in receiving a Chancellor’s Fellow Award in 2007 was the joy of being recognized—not only for her basic research in antiviral immunity, but for her dedication to improving graduate education.
“We’re training our next generation of faculty and researchers,” she said. “It’s essential to provide them the best opportunities we can.”
A veterinarian by training, Baumgarth has always been interested in infectious diseases. “It’s like a big puzzle. We have a few of the pieces in place, but others haven’t even been turned over yet.”
In particular, she studies B lymphocytes, antibody producing cells, and the role they play in protecting people from disease. Her goal is that this research will one day lead to better vaccines.
Baumgarth used the award money to purchase equipment that saves time for the undergraduate and graduate researchers in her lab, and for development of a new model to better analyze B lymphoctye responses to influenza. “This award is very important because it recognizes faculty in the ‘teenage years’ of an academic career and creates a stronger bond between young faculty and the campus.”