News Archive - Daniel Kane

Diatom Surprise Could Rewrite the Global Carbon Cycle

When it comes to diatoms that live in the ocean, new research suggests that photosynthesis is not the only strategy for accumulating carbon. Instead, these single-celled plankton are also building biomass by feeding directly on organic carbon in wide swaths of the ocean. These new findings from a team led by UC San Diego researchers could lead to reduced estimates regarding how much carbon dioxide diatoms pull out of the air via photosynthesis, which in turn, could alter our understanding of the global carbon cycle, which is especially relevant given the changing climate.

New $42M Grid-Tech Sandbox Will Help Get More Renewables on Electric Grids

A dozen buildings on the University of California San Diego campus. All of the campus’ solar panels. All the chargers for electric vehicles. More than 2,400 light fixtures. More than 800 smart plugs. These are some of the assets that DERConnect, a NSF-funded testbed for the powergrid, will be able to control on the UC San Diego campus.

How Your Sleep Patterns Change Can Tell You About Your Health

Your sleep tracker might give you information about more than just your sleep–specifically, it might give you information about chronic conditions such as diabetes and sleep apnea, and illnesses such as COVID-19.

$21 Million Gift to UC San Diego Honors Unique Efforts to Link Chemical and Nano Engineering More Strongly

A $21M gift from Aiiso Yufeng Li (Jeff) and his wife, DongDong Li (Doreen), honors unique efforts at UC San Diego to link chemical and nano engineering more strongly. In recognition of this gift, the department will be named the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering.

New Imaging Tool Advances Study of Lipid Biology

From flies to humans, there are many types lipids operating at once. Now, a team led by UC San Diego bioengineers presents what they believe is the first method for distinguishing multiple lipid subtypes in cells and tissue samples by using nondestructive label-free optical imaging methods.

How Do Neural Networks Learn? A Mathematical Formula Explains How They Detect Relevant Patterns

Neural networks remain a black box whose inner workings engineers and scientists struggle to understand. Now, a team led by data and computer scientists at the University of California San Diego has given neural networks the equivalent of an X-ray to uncover how they actually learn.

NanoEngineering Department at UC San Diego Receives $2.1M Gift from the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family

Nanoengineer, entrepreneur and philanthropist Aiiso Yufeng Li (Jeff), and his family have pledged a $2.1M gift to the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. The gift will support research, education and student activities in the Department of NanoEngineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering.

UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering Doubles Size of Early-Career Faculty Acceleration Program

The UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering has doubled the size of its Accelerating Interdisciplinary Research Collaborations for Early-Career Faculty program. The program helps faculty build interdisciplinary research to the point that it is competitive for multi-year research funding.