Molecular biology labs rarely attract crowds, but white-coated students in UC Davis’s Esau Hall recently welcomed an unusual audience. The occasion? A celebration of the BIO123 series, the new introductory biology curriculum developed and run by the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) that serves students across UC Davis. To support the new courses, several lab spaces in Esau Hall were renovated — improvements enabled by donor funds. 

Fortunately, the students didn’t let the presence of faculty, alumni donors, and administrators distract them. “You could see the students were very engaged. It was so impressive to see them doing real science,” said Kamaljeet “Kamal” Khaira (’93, ’12), who, with her husband Dr. Ravinder “Ravi” Khaira ’90, made a $1 million gift to CBS that helped fund the new series.  

Years in the making, the new series kicked off this fall, and, with the spring-quarter debut of BIO3, is now fully launched. The new sequence trains students in modern biology, with BIO1 and its lab, BIO1L, covering evolution and ecology; BIO2 and BIO2L moving from molecules to cells; and BIO3 going from cells through organisms. 

“Thousands of students will be in these courses every year, engaging in hands-on, discovery-based labs,” said Provost Mary Croughan. “It instills in them the same collaborative spirit and interdisciplinary approach that we are known for here at UC Davis. Taking these introductory life science courses can really shape the future path of a student. I am extremely proud of the BIO123 Series.” 

A Transformational, Campuswide Impact 

Developing a new introductory biology series was “a herculean effort,” said Mark Winey, dean of CBS. It required not only a fresh pedagogical approach and a restructured curriculum addressing advances in the life sciences, but also significant funding, much of which came from the Khairas’ $1 million gift to CBS in 2023. 

The Khairas chose to make those funds unrestricted, meaning that Winey could apply them in whatever way he felt would most benefit the college. “The BIO123 Series has an immediate, broad educational impact across campus,” said Winey. “This gift supported all kinds of pilot costs, including new lab equipment. The Khairas’ gift was transformational.”

Crucially, funding enabled faculty members planning new course and lab content to think big. “Dean Winey told us initially to come up with the lab that we wanted to do, and then we’d worry about figuring out how to get the equipment,” said Marc Facciotti, a professor of biomedical engineering and in the Genome Center, and director of the BioInnovation Lab, who contributed heavily to the development of the BIO2 lab. “That flexibility to dream about what the ideal lab looks like was made possible because of donor funds.”

Jay Stachowicz, the BIO123 faculty director and a distinguished professor in the Department of Evolution and Ecology, agreed. “It's really expensive to outfit an introductory lab for this many students to do molecular biology, and donor funds purchased a lot of the equipment,” he said. “The payoff is going to be almost 3000 students a year learning molecular biology skills and being ready to jump into their upper division classes.”

A Gift of Trust 

The Khairas know the value of a UC Davis education firsthand. “Most of my fondest memories are from Davis,” said Ravi, a pediatrician and the founding director of statewide medical group Capital Pediatrics, who majored in biological sciences. “Formatively, UC Davis gave me the ability to do what I do right now, giving me a fundamental breadth of knowledge and capability. So education has been very important to my wife and me.”

The couple have deep UC Davis roots. Two-time alumna Kamal is currently director of UC CalFresh, daughter Meera (’22) majored in human biology, and many other family members are current or former Aggies, including current students Joaquin Tarango (nephew) and Jasminder Mann (niece). 

A longstanding relationship with CBS and Winey inspired the Khairas’ philanthropy. “Kamal and I wanted to keep the funds that we donated unrestricted, and what better person to steward it than Dean Winey, whom we trust implicitly,” said Ravi, speaking at the launch celebration. “From that sprang the BIO123 Series. The lasting effect it will have on students is going to be life changing.”

Kamal agreed. “I’ve been in the fundraising and the mission-driven nonprofit world my entire career , and we believe in philanthropy and unrestricted monies. We wanted Dean Winey to decide what he needed to see happen,” she said. 

At the celebration, she smiled, recalling the dedication of the students she observed in their brand-new molecular biology lab: “I’m thrilled that this is how our gift was spent.”