Cristobal Heitmann Scholarship Fund

Cristobal Andres Heitmann, who was just finishing his master’s degree in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, was killed in a bicycle accident on the evening of Tuesday, April 17, 2018. Earlier that day, Allen Van Deynze, Cris Heitmann’s major professor, signed off (approved) Cris’s master’s degree thesis. Cris had just begun a high-level position as a production nursery manager for Driscoll’s, in Redding, California.

Heitmann, 32, originally from Chile, came to UC Davis in 2014, working with Allen Van Deynze and Alan Bennett in Plant Sciences on an international maize project. Van Deynze said, “Cris had excellent skills as an agronomist with exceptional attention to detail and understanding of plant sciences.” While at UC Davis, Cris was on the board of directors of the Chilean Students’ Association. He was also passionate about triathlons. He qualified for the top IronMan competition in Kona, Hawaii, 2019, and was listed as one of the top three athletes to watch.

Your gift to this fund will honor Cris’ memory and support entering Masters students in plant sciences.