Our Seven Faculty Retirees: 247 Years of Service
The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology will honor seven faculty retirees-- whose service to the department totals 247 years--at a celebration set from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 11 on the Moss Patio, UC Davis Alumni Center, 530 Alumni Lane.
They are, in length of service:
- UC Davis distinguished professor James Carey, 44 years, faculty member since 1980
- UC Davis distinguished professor Richard Karban, 42 years, faculty member since 1982
- UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Lynn Kimsey (retired Feb. 1, 2024), 35 years, faculty member since 1989
- Robert Kimsey, adjunct professor, 35 years, faculty member since 1989
- UC Davis distinguished professor Jay Rosenheim, 34 years, faculty member since 1990
- UC Davis distinguished professor Diane Ullman, 29 years, faculty member since 1995
- Sharon Lawler, professor emerita (retired in January 2023), 28 years, faculty member since 1995
“Our retiring faculty will leave behind some very big shoes to fill,” said molecular geneticist and physiologist Joanna Chiu, professor and chair of the department. “They have set the bar very high for all of us with their passion to lifelong scientific exploration, perseverance to achieve intellectual and mentoring excellence, and dedication to the department, UC Davis, and external stakeholders. We are so proud to call them colleagues and mentors and they will no doubt continue to inspire us to carry on their legacy. It is with our most sincere appreciation that we wish all of them the best in their new endeavors and adventures in this next chapter of their lives."
Professor Chiu will deliver the welcoming remarks at noon.
The agenda includes a PowerPoint of images of the retirees and a five-minute tribute to each:
- Professor emeritus Hugh Dingle will deliver remarks for Lawler
- UC Davis distinguished professor emerita Frank Zalom for Carey
- Professor Neal Williams for Karban
- Professor Fran Keller, professor at Folsom Lake (and a UC Davis doctoral alumna) for Lynn Kimsey
- Elvira Galvan Hack, academic student advisor for Entomology and Animal Biology, for Robert Kimsey
- Emily Meineke, assistant professor, for Ullman
- Professor Louie Yang for Rosenheim
The event concludes with closing repmarks by Professor Chiu.
Five of the seven are June, 2024 retirees. Lawler retired in January, 2023, and Lynn Kimsey retired as director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology on Feb. 1, 2024.
Attendance is by reservation only. For more information, contact Chelsea at cdhogan@ucdavis.edu
The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology is ranked third among “The Best Entomology Colleges in the United States for 2024" by universities.com. The department includes 24 active and 19 retired faculty; 28 graduate students (five in the master's degree program and 23 in the doctoral degree program); 47 undergraduate entomology majors (based on the Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS) Student Reports); and a staff comprised of 27 academics (non-faculty), 24 career, and 56 student assistants. Professor and chair of the department is molecular geneticist and physiologist Joanna Chiu. Community ecologist Rachel Vannette, associate professor, serves as the vice chair. Nora Orozco serves as the chief administrative officer.