News Archive

December 3, 2017 — Two full-time University of California San Diego faculty members — Don Cleveland, who studies fundamental cellular mechanisms in the search for new treatments for diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and James McKernan, a mathematician who investigates algebraic geometry and multivariate polynomials — are recipients of the 2018 Breakthrough Prize, along with Joanne Chory, a plant biologist at Salk Institute for Biological Studies and adjunct professor in the Division of Biological Sciences at UC San Diego.

November 21, 2017 — University of California San Diego researchers in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and in the Section of Cell and Developmental Biology have “got mail”—of the cellular sort. They know that cells have elaborate “addressing” functions that “send” proteins to the correct compartment, but they are now learning how cells “’write” the addresses and then “read” them. This is important because cellular function depends on each molecule in the cell being where it is supposed to be. But, often, protein molecules are not made in the compartment where they eventually need to function. In a paper recently published in Nature Communications, Professor Elizabeth Komives, chemistry and biochemisty, and Associate Professor Eric Bennett, cell and developmental biology, outline their research.

November 21, 2017 — University of California San Diego researchers in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and in the Section of Cell and Developmental Biology have “got mail”—of the cellular sort. They know that cells have elaborate “addressing” functions that “send” proteins to the correct compartment, but they are now learning how cells “’write” the addresses and then “read” them. This is important because cellular function depends on each molecule in the cell being where it is supposed to be. But, often, protein molecules are not made in the compartment where they eventually need to function. In a paper recently published in Nature Communications, Professor Elizabeth Komives, chemistry and biochemisty, and Associate Professor Eric Bennett, cell and developmental biology, outline their research.

November 17, 2017 — In the Department of Mathematics at the University of California San Diego, the “rule of three” applies in more ways than one. Just factor-in faculty members Peter Ebenfelt, Lei Ni and Ruth Williams, who all recently received national and international honors. Ebenfelt, associate dean of the Division of Physical Sciences, and Lei Ni, chair of the Department of Mathematics, were selected as members of the 2018 Class of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society (AMS). They share this honor with their colleague Ruth Williams, whose many titles also include holder of the Charles Lee Powell Endowed Chair in Mathematics and member of the National Academy of Sciences. Now Williams adds winner of the 2017 Advancement of Women in Operations Research and the Management Sciences (WORMS) Award to her long list of distinctions.

November 16, 2017 — As a research institution working for the common good, the University of California San Diego is known for its bold approach. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s Kim Prather exemplifies this reputation as one of the world’s 10 top “Public Defenders” by the Analytical Scientist, a print and digital magazine featuring professionals in the fields of analytical science.

November 6, 2017 — The Division of Physical Sciences at the University of California San Diego is known for its excellence in research and teaching. Associate Dean Vicki Grassian, a distinguished professor and distinguished chair of physical chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has added to that reputation as a new recipient of the 2018 Award for Incorporation of Sustainability into Chemistry Education. Sponsored by the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Environmental Improvement, the award recognizes Grassian’s leadership in articulating the roles of both chemistry research and chemical education in sustainability. As a recipient, Grassian will present a talk entitled “Awareness and Promotion of the Roles of Chemistry and Chemical Education in Sustainability” at the 255th American Chemical Society National Spring Meeting in New Orleans in March 2018. Her presentation will focus on the importance of chemistry in sustainability, the myriad ways in which chemists can play a role in sustainability and public awareness of the role of chemistry in sustainability.

October 26, 2017 — Scientists have known that areas of the brain with similar functions—even those in different brain hemispheres—connect to share signals when the body rests, but they haven’t known how this “resting-state connectivity” occurs. Now, scientists in the Neurophysics Laboratory at the University of California San Diego may have the answer.

October 26, 2017 — Scientists have known that areas of the brain with similar functions—even those in different brain hemispheres—connect to share signals when the body rests, but they haven’t known how this “resting-state connectivity” occurs. Now, scientists in the Neurophysics Laboratory at the University of California San Diego may have the answer.

October 25, 2017 — Understanding the control of cell growth has challenged biomedical researchers for decades. Efforts to meet this challenge may have received an encouraging boost, however, from University of California San Diego physics professor Terence Hwa and colleagues. Their research, published in the Oct. 25 issue of Nature, led to the surprising discovery of a mathematical equation governing the control of cell growth.

October 17, 2017 — The University of California San Diego’s history of outstanding chemists dates back to Nobel Prize winner Harold Urey, who joined the university in 1958. That tradition of excellence continues today, as exemplified by The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s J. Andrew McCammon. The distinguished professor, who also holds the Joseph E. Mayer Chair of Theoretical Chemistry, will deliver the Russ Pitzer Lecture Nov. 13 at Ohio State University, which named McCammon the winner of the 2017 Russell M. Pitzer Award. McCammon’s talk will address “Thermodynamics of Molecular Recognition.”