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Science and Engineering Fans Take Over PETCO Park

“You never know what is going to inspire a kid or what the one thing is that they will remember and lead them to their passion,” said Nate Delson, director of UC San Diego’s Mechanical Engineering Design Center in the Jacobs School of Engineering. From petting a bearded dragon and peering into a telescope at the sun to seeing a robotic skateboard on a half pipe, kids had the opportunity to encounter such inspiring moments at the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering, which wrapped up its weeklong celebration Saturday at PETCO Park. Organized by UC San Diego, the festival is the largest celebration of innovation in Southern California.

Regular Chocolate Eaters are Thinner

Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues present new findings that may overturn the major objection to regular chocolate consumption: that it makes people fat. The study, showing that adults who eat chocolate on a regular basis are actually thinner that those who don’t, will be published online in the Archives of Internal Medicine on March 26.

Chronic Stress Spawns Protein Aggregates Linked to Alzheimer’s

Repeated stress triggers the production and accumulation of insoluble tau protein aggregates inside the brain cells of mice, say researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in a new study published in the March 26 Online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Gene Expression Abnormalities in Autism Identified

A study led by Eric Courchesne, PhD, director of the Autism Center of Excellence at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has, for the first time, identified in young autism patients genetic mechanisms involved in abnormal early brain development and overgrowth that occurs in the disorder. The findings suggest novel genetic and molecular targets that could lead to discoveries of new prevention strategies and treatment for the disorder.

President Obama Visits Solar Power Plant Using Technology Developed by UC San Diego Engineers

When President Obama visited the Copper Mountain Solar 1 Facility in Nevada Wednesday, he got a first-hand look at the first large-scale solar facility equipped with solar forecasting devices called sky imagers. The devices are powered by sophisticated algorithms, which were developed by researchers at the University of California San Diego. The technology was funded by Sanyo Electric Corp., now Panasonic, the Department of Energy, California Energy Commission and California Public Utilities Commission.

President Obama speaking at the Copper Mountain Solar 1 Facility.

Venice Hasn’t Stopped Sinking After All

The water flowing through Venice’s famous canals laps at buildings a little higher every year – and not only because of a rising sea level. Although previous studies had found that Venice has stabilized, new measurements indicate that the historic city continues to slowly sink, and even to tilt slightly to the east.