A Report on Discoveries and Achievements at the University of California
Volume 5, Number 2, September 1996
The following is a glimpse of some recent achievements by the faculty, students and staff of the University of California
Heart of the Olympics . . . UC Berkeley epidemiologist Ralph S. Paffenbarger Jr. was awarded one of the first two Olympic medals in sport science by the International Olympic Committee. Paffenbarger shared a $250,000 award with British physician Jeremy N. Morris for demonstrating the link between vigorous physical activity and lowered risk of coronary heart disease.
Best Hospitals . . . UCLA ranked No. 1 in geriatric medicine and San Francisco General Hospital, an affiliate of UC San Francisco, ranked No. 1 in AIDS care in this year's annual survey of the country's best hospitals conducted by U.S. News & World Report. UCLA placed third and UCSF placed seventh in the overall "best in the nation" list; both institutions ranked in the top 10 in a number of other medical specialities.
White House Fellow . . . Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist Peter Fiske was selected to serve as a White House Fellow for one year. Fiske will work as an assistant to senior White House staff, the vice president, Cabinet officers and other top-ranking government officials.
Board of Science . . . President Clinton nominated UC Santa Cruz
chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood to a six-year term on the National Science
Board. The 24-member board recommends overall national policies for promoting
basic research and education in the sciences. Greenwood previously served
as associate director for science in the White House Office of Science
and
Technology Policy.
Fewer Biomedical Bucks . . . Scientists face a reduction in federal
funding for biomedical research, according to a new report from UC San
Francisco. Although the National Institutes of Health budget continues
to grow, it hasn't kept up with inflation at the same rate it did in earlier
years. At the same time, more applicants are seeking research funds, while
the available number of grants is shrinking. The report says the trend
could have a big impact on cutting-edge biomedical research.
Cancer Virus . . . Kaposi's sarcoma, the most common cancer of
AIDS patients, is probably
caused by a sexually transmitted virus, according to a new test developed
by a team of UC San Francisco researchers. Professor of medicine Don Ganem,
the leader of the team, identified the virus as human herpes virus 8. The
results raise hopes that Kaposi's sarcoma might be prevented if drugs or
vaccines can be developed to counter the virus.
Amino Seizures . . . Diets deficient in amino acids — chemicals that make up proteins — can increase susceptibility to epileptic seizures in rats, according to UC Davis researchers lead by neurophysiologist Dorothy Gietzen. The findings may lead to a better understanding of some causes of epilepsy in humans. Gietzen says her discovery is especially important in countries where severe malnutrition is common; almost everyone in developed countries eats sufficient protein.
Not How, but How Fast . . . The speed with which you remove a bee's stinger is more important than the way you remove it, according to entomologist Kirk Vischer of UC Riverside. Research by Vischer challenges the conventional wisdom that a stinger should be scraped off the skin rather than pinched out. Instead, be speedy no matter what the method — the faster the stinger is removed, the less venom remains.
Scratching Cats . . . Cat scratch disease, caused by a scratch from an infected cat, is transmitted between cats by the common flea, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Davis. The finding is important because it explains why the disease is so common among cats, and alerts cat owners to the possibility that their animals might be infected. Cat scratch disease can become life-threatening to people with weakened immune systems.
Worse Than Nothing . . . UC San Francisco epidemiologist Sally Blower led a study showing that a poorly-managed tuberculosis control program may be worse than no program at all. By administering drugs that only kill weak TB strains, some TB control programs may actually contribute to the evolution of drug-resistant strains of the disease. Tuberculosis causes more adult deaths worldwide than any other disease.
Inheriting MS? . . . An elevated risk for multiple sclerosis can be inherited, according to research by UC San Francisco neurologist Stephen L. Hauser and an international team. The researchers found genes that can cause people to become susceptible to MS, a neurologic disorder that affects more than a million people worldwide.
Losing Medicaid . . . Up to 800,000 non-citizen legal residents
of California will lose their government-funded health insurance under
new legislation restricting Medicaid eligibility recently signed by President
Clinton, according to E. Richard Brown, director of the UCLA Center for
Health Policy Research. The loss of health insurance will cut access to
prenatal care, increase financial pressures on private hospital emergency
rooms and result in higher medical costs as people delay seeking medical
attention, especially women and children.
Quite A Backpack . . . Researchers David Cremers and Monty Ferris of Los Alamos National Laboratory developed a laser-based backpack system for locating soils contaminated with toxic substances. The device is about the size of a cosmetic case and can be worn on a person's back. The new device should help speed decontamination of toxic sites by quickly identifying the most contaminated areas.
Toothy Discovery . . . Biology graduate student Gregory M. Erickson of UC Berkeley led a team that discovered the ancient dinosaur Tyrannosaurus Rex had a very powerful bite — a force equivalent to a pickup truck pushing each tooth. The discovery shows that T. Rex had a strong enough bite to kill prey, refuting the argument made by some scientists that the dinosaur was a scavenger because its bite was too weak to attack live animals.
Nuclear Test Tester . . . A possible new tool for use in monitoring nuclear test ban treaties was developed by scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The new tool allows scientists to tell whether an underground nuclear test has taken place by looking at the gases seeping from the surface of a suspected test site. Future nuclear test ban treaties may hinge upon treaty signers being able to discover treaty violators.
What's Your Dose? . . . Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory joined a team of other researchers to develop a new device that monitors a nuclear worker's "dose" of radiation with unequaled accuracy and sensitivity. The Wide-Energy Neutron Detection Instrument can be used wherever workers are monitored for radiation exposure: nuclear power plants, nuclear laboratories and industrial sites where radiation is employed.
No-Grow Methanol . . . Vegetable specialist Milt McGiffen of UC Riverside found that contrary to recent news reports, methanol sprayed on crops did not increase growth or yield in a dozen different plants tested. But McGiffen says methanol might have merit if applied by another method, and thinks further study of how it's metabolized by plants would be a good idea.
Gophers, Grafts and Cheetahs . . . Endangered animals with small
populations, such as California sea otters, elephant seals and African
cheetahs, might be at risk of one disease wiping out the entire species,
according to UC Santa Cruz graduate biology students M.A. Sanjayan and
Kevin Crooks. The reason: every animal is so genetically similar that their
immune systems are similar too, so a disease that kills one animal stands
a greater chance of killing them all. The researchers found that unrelated
but genetically similar gophers accepted skin grafts from one another,
confirming a similar but disputed experiment on cheetahs in 1985. Normally,
the immune systems of unrelated animals would reject skin grafts.
A Use for Buckyballs . . . "Buckyballs" — the geodesic-dome shaped carbon molecules named for Buckminster Fuller that were discovered about 10 years ago — haven't lived up to initial expectations as ideal lubricants for machinery. But UC Santa Barbara chemist Jacob N. Israelachvili and his research team found that they do seem to enhance the performance of existing lubricants such as oil, and therefore would make good commercial oil additives.
Let There Be Light . . . Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory discovered a new form of laser light that focuses itself without the aid of lenses or mirrors and shines for very long distances without spreading out — something ordinary light cannot do. The new light has potential to be used in industry, as a lightning generator in laboratory experiments and for other research.
Extremely Successful . . . Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory successfully tested an improved way to make computer chips with
extreme ultraviolet light. The new method reduced by 300,000-fold the number
of defects in UV lithography, the process of transferring circuit patterns
onto silicon wafers. The scientists also achieved a 20- to 50-fold improvement
in accuracy for measuring optical components used in the lithography process.
By using extreme UV light, manufacturers can produce chips 10 times faster
and with a thousand times more memory than today's chips.
Planet and Environment
Global Warming Butterfly . . . The Edith's checkerspot butterfly, found from Mexico to Canada, is dying off in the southern part of its range and spreading north, probably in response to global warming, according to ecology researcher Camille Parmesan of UC Santa Barbara. As global climate warms, the butterfly's range is expanding north into areas that were once too cool to support it. Experts call it the first observed direct biological consequence of global warming.
Sierra Threat . . . Most of the Sierra Nevada mountain range is in good ecological health now — but it's in danger, says biologist Don Erman of UC Davis. Erman did a landmark study showing that forests, air, water and species diversity in the 400 mile-long range are threatened by rapid population growth, ongoing neglect and pollution from California's Central Valley. The good news: Erman says there's still time to make policy changes that will preserve the mountains for future generations.
Let Wetlands Do It . . . Ecologist Alex Horne of UC Berkeley and colleagues from Northwestern University found that artificial wetlands can reduce agricultural pollutants such as nitrates and chlorinated organic compounds. Their results are so encouraging that the researchers believe they can design wetlands that will purify water through natural means. In many areas, wetlands are already used to break down sewage into harmless mud through natural bacterial action.
Storm Warning . . . UC San Diego scientists joined with an international team of researchers to design a new satellite that will predict the arrival on earth of geomagnetic storms — huge clouds of radioactive particles and magnetism from the sun — as early as three days in advance. Geomagnetic storms disrupt radio transmissions, cause power blackouts and cause other damage. So far, there's been no reliable way to predict when they'll hit. The instrument will be ready for launch by early 1999.
Clean-up Bugs . . . Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was asked by the U.S. Department of Energy to lead a nationwide effort, called the Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research program, to develop a biological method for cleaning up toxic waste sites. The program is based on the idea that microorganisms can help reduce toxic chemicals at hazardous waste sites if scientists can accelerate their natural action.
Predicting El Niño . . . UCLA engineer John Dracup developed a way to predict El Niño events — fluctuations in climate over the Pacific that affect weather, and therefore crop harvests, in the United States. Dracup found that the flow of water in streams in the U.S. can predict El Niño events one to two years in advance. The reason: atmospheric conditions that will lead to El Niño events affect U.S. rainfall patterns up to two years earlier.
The Hazy Smokies . . . The Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah national parks may be getting less hazy, according to UC Davis physicist Thomas Cahill. During the 1980s, the air around the Appalachian Mountain parks became more hazy than smoky because of increased sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants in the region, but the haze has shown signs of abating over the last three years thanks to newly installed scrubbers at the plants. Cahill thinks the increased haze in the 1980s was caused by more people in the region air conditioning their homes, which in turn increased electrical demand, burning more coal.
Longer Spring . . . Spring has arrived progressively earlier
in parts of the Northern Hemisphere since the mid-1970s, causing the growing
season to be lengthened by about seven days, according to geoscientist
Charles Keeling and his associates at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution
of Oceanography. The finding may indicate that the effects of global warming
are already upon us, according to Keeling, who was the first scientist
to report planet-wide elevated levels of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
Insights on Society
Routine Emergency . . . About 2 million American children rely on costly hospital emergency rooms for routine medical care when they're sick, according to a national study led by UCLA pediatrician Neal Halfron. Whether or not a child has health insurance isn't a factor; instead, being poor and living in a neighborhood with few primary care physicians are the main reasons for relying on the ER.
Tradition and Protection . . . Traditional gender role beliefs
among Latino men and women lead to less use of condoms among Latinos, according
to a study led by AIDS prevention researcher Barbara V. Marin of UC San
Francisco. Marin found that the more traditional the beliefs among sexual
partners, the more likely that the man would coerce the woman into sex
without protection. Marin recommends that social and cultural influences
be taken into account when designing AIDS prevention programs for Latinos.
The Color of Water . . . UC Santa Barbara oceanographer David A. Siegel received a three-year, $548,000 grant from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to monitor and analyze seasonal color changes in the Santa Barbara Channel, a major California fishery. Siegel will use the color of the water to measure the ecological health of the area. The research will be used to help make policy about California coastal resources.
Vector Center . . . A new research center devoted to the study of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, biting midges, fleas, lice and ticks was established at UC Davis. The Center for Vector-Borne Diseases will focus on the causes and prevention of diseases such as viral encephalitis, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, plague, malaria and dengue fever, which kill and debilitate millions of people a year around the world, particularly in developing countries. Vectors are agents, such as insects, that carry disease from one host to another.
Think Tank Leader . . . Internationally-known ecologist James
Reichman was named director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis
and Synthesis, a new scientific think tank based at UC Santa Barbara that
studies how global warming and other environmental changes affect plants
and animals. The center brings together leading ecologists from the United
States and abroad to pursue collaborative studies of ecological systems.
Roosevelts and Laurels . . . Siegfried Hecker, director of Los Alamos National Laboratory, won the 1996 Roosevelts Award from the New York Council of the Navy League. Hecker was cited for his contributions to the laboratory. Hecker also won a Laurels Award from Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine for "crafting a science-based nuclear stockpile stewardship program."
R&D 100 . . . Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers won six "R&D 100" awards from R&D Magazine. Each year, the magazine awards its "Oscars of invention" for what it considers the top 100 industrial inventions. The laboratory received awards for advances in sensors, fluid measurement, medical lasers, optics and technology for flat panel video displays.
Humboldt Award . . . Engineer Arthur C. Gossard of UC Santa Barbara won a Humboldt Research Award — a major German scientific prize — to pursue research at a German university. Gossard will spend three months in Germany studying quantum structures — tiny arrays of electrons essential to the working of high-speed electronic and optical switching devices.
Circle of Excellence . . . UCLA and UC San Francisco won 1996
Circle of Excellence in Educational Fund-raising Awards from the Council
for Advancement and Support of Education. The institutions were selected
for exemplary performance in overall fundraising.
Investing in Education
Private Gifts . . . Santa Barbara community leader Charles A.
Storke II gave $3 million to create an endowment in support of the biological
sciences at UC Santa Barbara. The first Storke fellowship will be awarded
this fall . . . Richard A. Auhll, president and chairman of Circon Corporation,
created a $500,000 endowment to support an endowed chair at Santa Barbara's
College of Engineering. The chair will be titled the Richard A. Auhll Professor
and Dean of Engineering . . . Ryoji Yokoyama, consultant to the board of
directors of Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan, granted a $100,000
endowed perpetual scholarship to UC Irvine in honor of his appointment
as a Regents Lecturer. The scholarship will help UCI students whose goals
and aspirations will benefit and advance international relations . . .
In June, UC San Francisco's six-year fundraising effort concluded successfully
after raising gifts and pledges worth $542 million, $12 million more than
the goal. The effort was led by former Bank of America chairman A.W. Clausen.
Compiled by Communications Services, Office of the President, Steve.Tokar@ucop.edu