UCLA professor Amy Rowat's Science and Food series is returning this spring with two events on March 8 and May 11 -- and a third one still in the works; Rowat is an active participant in the UC Global Food Initiative.

Saru Jayaraman, director of the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley and author of the new book "Forked: A New Standard for American Dining," is profiled.

Scientific literacy is a focus of new UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Vice President Glenda Humiston, who is working to build public knowledge of and support for ANR through a multipronged approach.

Researchers at UC Santa Cruz are pioneering new methods to grow strawberries without pesticides.

KVCR's Matt Guilhem recently went to a UC Riverside laboratory trying to breed a better avocado. An interview with lead researcher Eric Focht.

Andy Walker, a grape geneticist at UC Davis, has devoted his career to studying Pierce’s disease and believes he can now offer a solution.

Laura Schmidt, a UCSF health policy professor who has done extensive research on sugar’s health effects, discusses the impact of added sugar.

UCSF researcher Cristin Kearns dropped a promising career at Kaiser to dig through sugar industry archives for a smoking gun.

"We're looking at genes that make the plants tolerant of flooding," said Dr. Pam Ronald, a plant geneticist at UC Davis, whose husband is a certified organic farmer.

Sally Geislar, a UC Irvine doctoral student, created and ran a study of the first municipal organics recycling program in Southern California; study results are being used to help promote food recycling.

UC Berkeley's Saru Jayaraman wants to eliminate the gap between the standard and lower minimum wage by giving all workers, including restaurant workers, one fair wage.