Timeline

  • 2020 - Present

    2021

    • Construction of the new 30,000-square-foot concrete, steel, and glass Plant Research 1 is completed.  The building is the first new plant research facility built on campus in close to 40 years.
    Lab at sunset

     

    2020

    UCR Campus Covid Testing Facility
    • Led by UCR scientists from the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Katherine Borkovich and Isgouhi Kaloshian, the campus Coronavirus Testing Lab opened in August 2020 and began providing UCR with on-site testing and rapid turnaround of results.

       
  • 2000 - 2019

    2019

    Multidisciplinary Research Building on campus (c) UCR / Stan Lim 2019
    • UC Riverside opens largest research facility on campus with MRB, the Multidisciplinary Research Building

       

    2014

    • Breakthrough in Drought Tolerant Crop Research

     

    2013

    • Center for Integrative Biological Collections established

     

    2011

    • Physics PhD Program 50th Anniversary
    • New Materials Science & Engineering Building opens to instruction. First major building devoted to Nanotechnology
    • Tango Mandarins appear in produce aisles

     

    2010

     

    Chemistry 50th Anniversary
    • Chemistry PhD Program 50th Anniversary - read more about it
    • Major remodeling of Geology Building completed
    • Western Water Research Archives moves to UCR and Cal State

     

    2009

    architectural rendition of genomics building

     

    • Construction completed on the Genomics Building

     

    2008

    • Water Science & Policy Center created

     

    2007

    Centennial celebration 1907-2007 poster

     

    • 100th Anniversary Celebrated

     

    2006

    • Biological Sciences Building opened
    • Ground broken for Genomics Building
    • Tango seedless mandarin developed

     

    2005

    chemical sciences building
    • Grand Opening of the Chemical Sciences Building
    • Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Alumnus Richard R. Schrock
    • DePaoli asparagus developed

     

    2003

    • Science Laboratories I building dedicated

     

    2002

    Insectary
    • New Entomology Building completed
    • New Insectary and Quarantine Facility opened
    • Bioinformatics Research Group formed

     

    2001

    • Institute for Integrative Genome Biology: Center for Plant Cell Biology, Biotechnology Impacts Center, Center for Disease-Vector Research established
    • Center for Exotic Pest Research created, now Center for Invasive Species Research
    • New Science Library (now Orbach Science Library) opened

     

    2000

    • US-China Agricultural Conference, establishes formal relationship between UCR and PRC Ministry of Agriculture
    • Gold Nugget mandarin released

     

  • 1980-1999

    1998

    • Center for Conservation Biology established

     

    1994

    • Entomology Research Museum completed

     

    1993

    • Position of "Cooperative Extension Specialist in Plant Conservation–Natural Resources" established, first in nation

     

    1991

    • Release of stingless wasp to control ash whitefly pest causing $2 billion in crop damage; release reduced fly population 103, one of the most successful biological control programs ever

     

    1990

    • Earliest known DNA recovered from 20-million-year-old leaf, with first-ever polymerase chain reaction
    • Statistical Consulting Center formed; renamed Statistical Consulting Collaboratory in 2003

     

    1989

    • New protein structure, parallel beta-helix, discovered

     

    1988

    • Graduate program in toxicology established

     

    1987

    • USDA George Brown Salinity Lab established

     

    1985

    • Nematode Quarantine Facility established

     

    1982

    • A model for predicting movement of compounds through soils — the Jury Transfer function— becomes standard
    • USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository for citrus and dates established

     

    1981

    • Discovery that the pathogen Phytophthora is an elicitor of plant defenses leads to biotechnology-based research in agriculture

     

    1980

    grapefruit tree and grapefruits closeup
    • Oroblanco and Melogold grapefruits patented

     

     

  • 1960-1979

    1977

    • Citrus Clonal Protection Program established, based on the 1957 Citrus Variety Improvement Program

     

    1975

    • Tissue Culture Laboratory established
    • Shoot-tip micrografting, the most efficient and currently used worldwide citrus therapeutic technique, is developed

     

    1974

    • College renamed Natural and Agricultural Sciences
    • Statistics Building opened

     

    1973

    • Biochemistry Department moves into newly opened Boyce Hall
    • Role of mycorrhizal fungi in citrus root health identified

     

    1972

    • Exocortis, the first citrus viroid—one of smallest known plant pathogens—is discovered

     

    1970

    • National Society of Nematology meeting held at UCR

     

    1968

    • College enlarged to form College of Biological and Agricultural Sciences
    • Department of Biostatistics created; renamed Statistics in 1970

     

    1967

    • Second edition of The Citrus Industry published
    • First International Citrus Congress held on campus
    • Vitamin D isolated and described
    • Batchelor Hall completed, home to Botany and Plant Sciences

     

    1965

    nematodes

     

    • Department of Nematology created

     

    1963

    • Gibberellic acid, which slows aging of citrus, is used with 2,4-D, which slows abscission, savings California orange industry millions of dollars annually
    • Botanic Gardens established

     

    1962

    • Department of Biochemistry created

     

    1961

    • Citrus Experiment Station changed to Citrus Research Center and Agricultural Experiment Station
    • Undergraduate and graduate programs in entomology established

     

    1960

    • Graduate programs in agriculture begin
    • UCLA agriculture college closes; many staff and research programs move to UCR

     

  • 1940-1959

    1959

    • Economic threshold and economic injury level concepts of integrated pest management developed
    • College of Agriculture created

     

    1957

    • International Society of Citrus Virologists holds inaugural meeting on campus
    • Herbarium established
    • Air Pollution Research Center established

     

    1956

    • Biometrical Laboratory created

     

    1955

    • Nematode taxonomic collection, with UC Davis, established, largest in world
    • Graduate instruction in Plant Biochemistry begins; becomes Department of Biochemistry in 1962

     

    1954

    UCR logo

     

    • University of California, Riverside established by the Board of Trustees
    • Statewide Department of Plant Nematology established at UCR and UC Davis
    • Webber Hall built

     

    1951

    • The Lemon, first of landmark biochemistry books, published; series includes The Orange (1961) and The Grapefruit (1972)

     

    1950

    • Study of citrus replant problem begins; soil fumigation is developed
    • First use of hydroponics to diagnose mineral deficiencies in citrus and avocado

     

    1949

    • Entomology Annex constructed

     

    1947

    • Division of Biological Control established

     

    1946

    • Disease-resistant Troyer citrange rootstock identified as solution to citrus tristeza virus, saving California citrus industry
    • First edition of landmark work The Citrus Industry published

     

    1945

    • The first efficient indexing/diagnostic technique for citrus viral diseases is developed

     

    1944

    • How smog damages plants discovered

     

  • 1920-1939

    1939

    • Graduate School of Tropical Agriculture discontinued

     

    1937

    • Psorosis Freedom Program, the first citrus nursery program, is established

     

    1934

    • Nucellar embryony, the first means of freeing citrus from viruses, is discovered. Specific viruses do not pass from infected parent trees into their progeny via seed.

     

    1933

    • First biochemist hired
    • Psorosis, the first viral disease of citrus, is identified

     

    1932

    • Division of Irrigation Investigations and Practices established
    • Entomology Building constructed

     

    1931

    • First Insectary Building constructed

     

    1924

    • Summer undergraduate instruction in subtropical horticulture instituted

     

    1923

    • State biological control research facility transferred to Experiment Station
    • Beginnings of what will become the Entomology Museum established

     

     

  • 1907-1919

    1918

    Citrus Experiment Station Box Springs site dedicated, March 27

     

    • Citrus Experiment Station Box Springs site dedicated, March 27

     

    1917

    • Citrus Variety Collection replanted on 5 acres at current site with 500 types

     

    1916

    • By now, CES research program has six divisions:
      • agricultural chemistry
      • plant physiology
      • plant pathology
      • entomology
      • plant breeding
      • orchard management

     

    1915

    • Dept. of Entomology founded

     

    1914

    • Cooperative Extension Service founded following passage of the Smith-Lever Act by Congress Cultivations Unit established, later named Agricultural Operations

     

    1913

    • Graduate School of Tropical Agriculture organized

     

    1912

    • Nematology Lab set up after discovery of citrus nematode in Southern California

     

    1910

    • Citrus Variety Collection established

     

    1907

    Citrus Experiment Station founded in Riverside at the foot of Mount Rubidoux

     

    • Citrus Experiment Station founded in Riverside at the foot of Mount Rubidoux

     

     

  Please send additions and/or corrections to cnascommunications@ucr.edu.

 

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