UC Davis 'Devastated' Over Researcher's Death in Ethiopia
Sharon Gray was killed by protesters in African nation
6:50 PM PDT Oct 06, 2016
DAVIS, Calif. (KCRA) —On the UC Davis campus Thursday, there was a profound sense of loss about Sharon Gray, the vibrant 31-year-old researcher who was killed in Ethiopia on Tuesday.
Gray was on her way to a meeting with a Dutch non-profit group to discuss her plant biology project on the impact of climate change when she was attacked.
"The department was devastated," UC Davis Plant Biology Department chairman Dinesh Kumar said. "We couldn't believe this has happened.”
What exactly happened is still unclear - but news reports indicate that angry crowds attacked vehicles outside the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, following an earlier protest in which 55 people were killed. It's possible that Gray was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"She was hit by a rock apparently thrown by a protester and it hit the car," UC Davis spokesperson Andy Fell said.
Gray died in the attack. A traveling companion from UC Davis was not injured physically but was traumatized by the incident, which has shaken faculty, staff and students on campus.
"I think that's very upsetting," UC Davis senior Sabrina Merchant said. "She was doing such great work and just the fact that she was giving back to the community and that's how the death happened -- that's really upsetting."
For some, like graduate student Nicole Kingsley who is studying genetics, the incident has made them think twice about doing research overseas.
"It would definitely make me hesitate," she said. "I think my mom would definitely use it as a reason for me not to go abroad, and it would make my friends and family pretty uncomfortable."
Gray is remembered as a joyful person -- always smiling -- with a passion for learning.
"It's very hard for me to know that somebody who is part of UC Davis just lost their life like that," Merchant said.
“Sharon's dream was to solve real world problems," Kumar said. "So if you want to solve real world problems, you have to go out and look at the problems and find what the solutions are."
Gray is survived by her husband, who also works at UC Davis. He is believed to be in the Chicago area, where he is grieving with family.
6:50 PM PDT Oct 06, 2016
DAVIS, Calif. (KCRA) —On the UC Davis campus Thursday, there was a profound sense of loss about Sharon Gray, the vibrant 31-year-old researcher who was killed in Ethiopia on Tuesday.
Gray was on her way to a meeting with a Dutch non-profit group to discuss her plant biology project on the impact of climate change when she was attacked.
"The department was devastated," UC Davis Plant Biology Department chairman Dinesh Kumar said. "We couldn't believe this has happened.”
What exactly happened is still unclear - but news reports indicate that angry crowds attacked vehicles outside the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, following an earlier protest in which 55 people were killed. It's possible that Gray was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"She was hit by a rock apparently thrown by a protester and it hit the car," UC Davis spokesperson Andy Fell said.
Gray died in the attack. A traveling companion from UC Davis was not injured physically but was traumatized by the incident, which has shaken faculty, staff and students on campus.
"I think that's very upsetting," UC Davis senior Sabrina Merchant said. "She was doing such great work and just the fact that she was giving back to the community and that's how the death happened -- that's really upsetting."
For some, like graduate student Nicole Kingsley who is studying genetics, the incident has made them think twice about doing research overseas.
"It would definitely make me hesitate," she said. "I think my mom would definitely use it as a reason for me not to go abroad, and it would make my friends and family pretty uncomfortable."
Gray is remembered as a joyful person -- always smiling -- with a passion for learning.
"It's very hard for me to know that somebody who is part of UC Davis just lost their life like that," Merchant said.
“Sharon's dream was to solve real world problems," Kumar said. "So if you want to solve real world problems, you have to go out and look at the problems and find what the solutions are."
Gray is survived by her husband, who also works at UC Davis. He is believed to be in the Chicago area, where he is grieving with family.
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