A Report on Discoveries and Achievements at the University of California
Volume 4, Number 1, July 1995
The following is a glimpse of some recent achievements by the faculty, students and staff of the University of California.
Arts and Sciences . . . Twenty of the newly elected members of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences are UC faculty members. There were eight from UC Berkeley, seven from UC San Diego, two each from UC San Francisco and UCLA, and one from UC Irvine. Election to the academy is one of the nation's highest academic distinctions.
Discovered . . . Psychologists Dominic Massaro and Michael Cohen of UC Santa Cruz were among 35 finalists for the 1995 Discover Awards for Technological Innovation, sponsored by Discover magazine. The duo was honored for research on "visible speech," which they explore via a computer program that reproduces the facial expressions people make when they talk.
Poet Laureate. . . UC Berkeley English professor Robert Hass was appointed the nation's next poet laureate by the U.S. Library of Congress. Hass is the first poet laureate from the western United States since the office was created in 1936. As poet laureate, Hass will spend much of the coming year at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., striving to bring attention to the many great works of American poets.
Blowing Smoke. . . The tobacco industry spent almost $25 million on California state political activity in the 1994 election, an increase of nearly $8 million over the 1992 campaign, according to a UC San Francisco analysis by medical professor Stanton A. Glantz. Most of the increase was spent on the unsuccessful attempt to enact Proposition 188, which would have overturned local tobacco control laws in California.
Waterman Award. . . Physicist Matthew P.A. Fisher of UC Santa Barbara won the 1995 Alan T. Waterman Award from the National Science Foundation. The prize, presented annually to a scientist or engineer age 35 or younger, includes a $500,000 research grant.
Holocaust Chair. . . One of the country's few endowed chairs
in Holocaust studies was established at UC Santa Cruz. Anne Levin,
a trustee and former president of the UCSC Foundation, funded the Neufeld-Levin
Holocaust Chair with a gift of $250,000. She also donated her family's
extensive archive of Holocaust-related materials to the UCSC library. Levin's
family narrowly escaped from Austria during World War II, and many of her
relatives died in the Holocaust.
Builds Strong Bodies. . . Fortifying the U.S. grain supply with the B vitamin folic acid would substantially reduce spinal cord birth defects such as spina bifida and save millions of dollars each year in associated health-care costs, according to research led by pediatrician Patrick S. Romano of UC Davis. Assessing two different levels of fortification, the researchers projected health care savings of $94 million and $252 million a year. The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that all women of childbearing age consume more folic acid.
Delayed Reaction. . . Biologist John Gofman of UC Berkeley says at least two-thirds of the 182,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed each year are due to the long-term effects of X-rays received up to 60 years ago for a variety of medical conditions. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women.
Doctor, Doctor. . . Women physicians provide more preventive care and communicate differently with their patients than their male counterparts, according to a study by UC Davis family physician Klea Bertakis. Male and female physicians spent the same amount of time with patients, but women physicians spent more time learning their patients' medical histories and current family status.
Radiation Side Effect. . . Biologist Mary Helen Barcellos-Hoff of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory demonstrated the cause of tissue hardening that occurs after cancer radiation therapy. Her study showed that radiation activates a molecule known for its role in creating scar tissue. The work may lead to techniques that prevent tissue hardening.
Vulnerable Genes. . . Older people have more genetic damage than do younger individuals, according to a three-year study by researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The team identified breaks and rearrangements in the chromosomes of elderly people and concluded they might be more susceptible to agents that produce genetic damage, such as chemicals and radiation. The research may give scientists a better understanding of why cancers are more common in older people.
Jaundiced Results. . . Jaundice - excess bile from the liver - is common in newborn babies and, if treated properly, is not harmful. But neonatal specialist Augusto Sola of UC San Francisco found that because of the overall national trend toward shorter hospital stays, newborns are being discharged before jaundice becomes apparent and can be treated, leading to serious consequences such as brain damage in an alarming number of babies. Sola says follow-up care is essential for the first few days of a baby's life.
Arthritis Trigger . . . In a UC San Diego laboratory study,
immune system cells from rheumatoid arthritis patients mounted an unusually
strong attack against common intestinal bacteria. Principal investigator
Dennis Carson says the research supports the theory that abnormal
immune reactions to bacteria may be the final trigger in a process leading
to rheumatoid arthritis.
Monkey Vision . . . When it comes to vision, human brains are organized very much like those of monkeys, according to researchers at UC San Diego. At the same time, the team found significant differences that may provide clues to understanding higher level functions in humans, such as how language is processed in the brain.
Snap Together . . . Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists and Composite Optics Inc. of San Diego designed and developed a new process for making strong, lightweight composite structures such as satellites that can be snapped together like a child's model aircraft. The new method is twothirds faster and 60 percent less expensive than other fabrication design methods. Unlike aluminum, composite does not shrink or expand as temperatures fluctuate, making it ideal for use in outer space, where temperatures can go from extremely hot to extremely cold almost instantly.
Comet Watch . . . Astronomers from UC Santa Cruz took part in an international effort to study Chiron, a large comet beyond the orbit of Saturn. Using infrared cameras, the scientists observed geyser-like streams of dust in the coma, the halo around the comet's solid core. Because heat drives such streams of dust, scientists had thought they were limited to objects closer to the sun.
Suit of Armor . . . Maria Feng, assistant professor of
civil and environmental engineering at UC Irvine, was part of a
team that developed a suit of armor that will enable rescuers to free people
trapped under debris after disasters. The suit is made of titanium with
battery powered motors at the joints.
Missing Genetic Link . . . An ancient chemical now found only in a few viruses and single-celled organisms may represent a missing link between two genetic worlds that could help explain the origin of life on earth, according to UC San Diego chemists. The researchers believe the chemical relic could have been a transitional form of genetic code linking the world of life based on the genetic molecule RNA, a relative of DNA, to the world as we know it today, which is based on DNA and proteins . . . Biologist Charles Wilson of UC Santa Cruz showed that RNA can execute a type of chemical reaction that is basic to all living cells. The work boosts the hypothesis that the first life on earth used RNA.
Fast Gas . . . Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers created a device that allows scientists to study the ultra-fast reactions of highly concentrated gases in a fraction of a second. Very fast gas reactions are important in the manufacture of products ranging from gasoline to aspirin. Until now, they were impossible to study. The new device has a variety of other potential uses, including medicine and atmospheric research.
Blowing in the Wind . . . Astrochemists at UC San Diego
discovered that the composition of the solar wind - a stream of electrically
charged particles emitted by the sun - has apparently fluctuated over long
periods of time. The findings suggest that the sun's composition itself
may have been altered, something that most solar physicists would say is
impossible. If proven true, the finding will alter astronomers' view of
how stars change over time.
Bug Biofilter . . . Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory environmental scientists demonstrated an underground "biofilter" that uses living microorganisms to clean up contaminated groundwater. In a test of the filter at a contaminated site in Chico, scientists dramatically reduced levels of the common solvent trichloroethene in polluted groundwater.
Neutralizing PCB's . . . Ordinary plant materials like orange peels, pine needles, ivy leaves and eucalyptus leaves can help degrade cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil, according to a study by a team of UC Riverside soil microbiologists. The findings could provide an inexpensive, natural cleanup for one of the most widespread environmental problems in the nation.
Sniffing out Radiation . . . Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory developed a new line of monitors for detecting radiation in soil and structures. The monitors give results within a day instead of the months required by older methods. The devices will be especially useful for detecting residual radiation at federal government sites where nuclear weapons were manufactured.
Eco-Think . . . The first national ecological think tank, the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, will open this summer at UC Santa Barbara. The National Science Foundation gave a five-year, $10 million grant to establish and operate the facility. The state of California contributed an additional $2.5 million.
Magnetic Flip-Flop . . . Earth scientist Robert Coe of UC Santa Cruz joined with two French researchers to show that the earth's magnetic field may have flip-flopped extremely rapidly about 16 million years ago. An analysis of magnetic grains frozen in place within ancient lava showed that the field can swing at the rate of six degrees per day - almost fast enough, if it happened today, to make a compass needle move visibly, and much faster than scientists previously suspected.
What a Gas . . . Chemists Donald Blake and F. Sherwood Rowland of UC Irvine identified a major component of the smog affecting Mexico City: non-methane hydrocarbons from liquified petroleum gas. Earlier research by Rowland showed that leaky gas pipes are the most common source of liquified gas pollution in cities.
Endangered Act? . . . A National Academy of Sciences panel chaired
by UC Riverside geneticist Michael T. Clegg found the Endangered
Species Act to be scientifically sound and crucial to habitat protection.
The panel report, released in May, comes as lawmakers are considering reauthorization
of the 1973 law.
Ganging Up on Gangs . . . UC Riverside received a three-year grant, with first-year funding of $200,000, from the U.S. Department of Justice to test a comprehensive youth gang prevention program. Riverside is one of five cities in the nation chosen by the department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to bring together community and law-enforcement groups in a program called the Comprehensive Community-Wide Approach to Gang Prevention, Intervention and Suppression.
Do Try This at Home . . . A significant number of people say
they would use a home test to determine if they are infected with HIV,
according UC San Francisco researcher Kathryn A. Phillips.
Twenty-nine percent of 20,000 people surveyed say they would use the test;
of those with HIV risk factors, 42 percent would use it. Phillips says
home tests may free up resources at public clinics where tests are currently
administered. The FDA is currently considering approving home HIV tests.
Food Stamp Self-Reliance . . . UC Davis nutrition specialists Amy Block Joy and Marilyn Townsend were awarded a $1.1 million contract from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Social Services to establish a statewide educational program to help food stamp recipients move toward self-sufficiency. The program, which will be offered in 26 counties, teaches money management, wise food buying and how a healthful diet can cut the risks of heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and other illness.
Monterey Center . . . UC received $1.2 million from the Department of Commerce to continue planning and developing the Monterey Bay Science and Technology Center at the former Fort Ord military base near Monterey, which will be coordinated by UC Santa Cruz. The center joins a new California State University campus as a cornerstone of the conversion of Fort Ord from military to civilian uses.
Shipping News . . . A research and industrial consortium led
by structural engineers at UC San Diego was awarded a two-year,
$3 million grant from the federal Advanced Research Projects Agency to
design and construct a new generation of ships and ship components based
on light-weight composite materials. By the end of the grant, the consortium
is expected to design, build and test critical hull components for two
high-performance passenger ships and several large cargo ships as well.
Oxford Honor . . . Oxford University named a building in honor of Harry Beevers, a retired biologist at UC Santa Cruz. The Harry Beevers Laboratory in the Plant Sciences Department honors Beevers' distinguished career in botany. Beevers was a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford from 1946 through 1950.
Cardiovascular Award . . . UC San Diego heart researcher Daniel Steinberg won the prestigious international Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Cardiovascular Research. He was chosen for his pioneering research on atherosclerosis, which has led to new approaches in preventing coronary artery disease.
Arms Advisor . . . Ron Lehman, assistant to the director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was appointed to the Advisory Board on Arms Proliferation Policy by President Clinton. Lehman was director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency under President Bush.
Aeronautic Fellow . . . Mohamed Hafez, UC Davis professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering, was selected a 1995 fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the highest honor bestowed by the institute. Fellows are chosen on the basis of their publications, activities and contributions to the profession. Only seven other UC faculty members, including the chancellors of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara, are fellows.
Master Physician . . . The American College of Physicians conferred the title of Master - the highest level of ACP membership - on UC San Diego physician Elizabeth Ziegler, who joins a select group of 251 Masters out of 83,000 ACP members. She was chosen for her contributions to the understanding of infectious diseases and her excellence in teaching.
Muhlmann Award . . . Astronomer Steven Vogt of UC Santa Cruz won the 1995 Maria and Eric Muhlmann Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for his work on the high-resolution spectrograph at the W. M. Keck Telescope in Hawaii, which is jointly operated by UC and the California Institute of Technology. The award committee called the instrument a "truly a magnificent advance in astronomical instrumentation."
Climate Medal . . . Climate expert Veerabhadran Ramanathan
of UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography received the
Buys Ballot Medal from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. Awarded
only once every 10 years, the prestigious medal recognizes pioneering scientific
research that has enhanced the understanding of a climate or meteorological
process.
Compiled by Communications Services, a unit of University Relations in the UC Office of the President (510) 987-9203.