More News about The College

Discover magazine names two UCLA faculty among "brightest people alive"

Mathematics professor Terence Tao and assistant professor of mathematics Joseph Teran have been named two of the 50 "Best Brains in Science" by Discover magazine, which lauds the UCLA faculty members as "young visionaries who are transforming the way we understand the world."

Plate tectonics started over 4 billion years ago, geochemists report

A new picture of the early Earth is emerging, including the surprising finding that plate tectonics may have started more than 4 billion years ago — much earlier than scientists had believed, according to new research by UCLA geochemists.

Two UCLA students named Rhodes Scholars for 2009

A UCLA senior and a recent graduate have been chosen as winners of prestigious Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest and best known award for international study.

Extinct sabertooth cats were social, found strength in numbers

The sabertooth cat, one of the most iconic extinct mammals, was likely to be a social animal, living and hunting like lions today, according to new UCLA research.

Exploring the American Political Mind

UCLA political scientist Lynn Vavreck is one of the founders of the only nationwide presidential poll conducted exclusively on the Internet—a project that reaches one of the largest groups of U.S. voters ever fielded in a study of a U.S. presidential race.

UCLA faculty inducted into American Academy of Arts and Sciences October 11

Five scholars from the UCLA College of Letters and Science were inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.

Online bullying: A Common Problem

Nearly three in four teenagers say they were bullied online at least once during a recent 12-month period, according to a new study by UCLA researchers.

UCLA mathematicians
discover 13-million digit
prime number

The team identified the first Mersenne prime number with more than 10 million digits.

UCLA astronomer Andrea Ghez named MacArthur Fellow

Professor of physics and astronomy Andrea Ghez on Tuesday was named a MacArthur Fellow for 2008 by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. She is among 25 new MacArthur Fellows, who will each receive $500,000 in unrestricted support over the next five years to use as they see fit.

Study offers new insights into teenagers, anxiety disorders

Can scientists predict who will develop anxiety disorders years in advance? UCLA psychology professor Michelle Craske thinks so. Craske is evaluating 650 students to identify risk factors for the development of anxiety and depression — the most comprehensive study of its kind.

Unique nanoscale droplets have cancer-fighting potential

The droplets produced by UCLA scientists are much smaller than a human cell and have implications for the targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs.

Alain Mabanckou: novelist, biographer, UCLA scholar

A former lawyer becomes an acclaimed writer and professor of French and Francophone Studies.

Scientists learn how what you eat affects your brain

In addition to helping protect us from heart disease and cancer, a balanced diet and regular exercise can also protect the brain and ward off mental disorders, according to a UCLA study.

Scientists solve 30-year-old aurora borealis mystery

UCLA space scientists and colleagues have identified the mechanism that triggers substorms in space; wreaks havoc on satellites, power grids and communications systems; and leads to the explosive release of energy that causes the spectacular brightening of the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights.

New U.S. Poet Laureate is two-time UCLA Graduate

Kay Ryan, who July 17 was named the poet laureate of the United States, graduated with degrees in English from UCLA in the 1960s. In Ryan’s new honorary position, which is chosen by the Library of Congress, she will be the nation's leading poetry champion.

Student blogs offer inside view of archaeology digs

From late June through July, undergraduates on UCLA archaeological digs around the world will post blogs that provide ample chance for armchair Indiana Joneses to dig in.

Serotonin: Does it affect our sense of fairness?

The neurotransmitter serotonin, which acts as a chemical messenger between nerve cells, plays a critical role in regulating emotions such as aggression during social decision-making, new research by scientists at England's University of Cambridge and UCLA suggests.

Global warming will negatively impact tropical species, study shows

Global warming may affect the health of species living in tropical climates, according to a study by scientists from UCLA and the University of Washington.

College faculty elected to National Academy of Sciences

Two mathematicians were among three UCLA faculty who were elected to the NAS for excellence in original scientific research.

UCLA faculty elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Seven UCLA scholars, including five from the College of Letters and Science, were elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.

UCLA researchers design nanomachine that kills cancer cells

Researchers from the Nano Machine Center at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA have developed a novel type of nanomachine that can capture and store anticancer drugs inside tiny pores and release them into cancer cells in response to light.

Two UCLA historians win 2008 Pulitzer Prizes

Scholars Saul Friedlander and Daniel Howe from the College have won Pulitzer Prizes for their books on the Holocaust and on U.S. History.

UCLA professor unearths, resurrects long-lost novel

A UCLA English professor has rescued from obscurity a 19-century American book that is being republished to rave reviews.

Former President Bill Clinton to speak at College Commencement

President Clinton will deliver the keynote address to the main commencement ceremony for the College of Letters and Science on June 13 in Pauley Pavilion.

Study shows blood stem cells originate are nurtured in the placenta

Solving a longstanding biological mystery, UCLA stem cell researchers have discovered that blood stem cells — the cells that later differentiate into all the cells in the blood supply — originate and are nurtured in the placenta.

Biochemists reveal details of mysterious bacterial microcompartments

UCLA biochemists and colleagues have answered an important question about the structure of microcompartments - the puzzling molecular machines that seem to be present in a wide variety of pathogens and other bacteria.

Archaeology Team Discovers 7,000-Year-Old Settlement

Researchers from UCLA and the University of Groningen have found the earliest evidence ever discovered of an ancient Egyptian agricultural settlement, including farmed grains, remains of domesticated animals, pits for cooking and even floors for what appear to be dwellings.

Exploring the Struggle for Social Justice

Ruth Milkman explores the evolving trends that make Los Angeles a catalyst for change in the American labor movement.

An Academic Gem Returns

After two years under wraps, the renowned collections of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library are once again open to the public and to the scholars of the world.

A Master of Narrating the Incomprehensible

With an award-winning volume, historian Saul Friedlander brings to a close his work on Nazi Germany and the genocide of the Jews.

The book that brought tolerance to the Enlightenment

A digital project launched by UCLA and the Getty Research Institute revives Europe's first taste of religious tolerance.

High-energy particles from violent black holes travel to Earth

An international team of physicists and astronomers, including a UCLA research group, has discovered the source of the rarest, highest energy particles in the universe.

Study with more than 100 scientists provides new genetics insights

An international resarch project led by UCLA biochemistry professor Sabeeha Merchant has created a trove of information about a tiny green alga -- work that has implications for human disease.

Dawn spacecraft, with UCLA-led science mission, launched September 27

Professor Christopher T. Russell has spent 15 years working on NASA's Dawn mission to send a spacecraft to the asteroid belt. Russell, the principal investigator on the mission, was jubilant when the Dawn spacecraft launched successfully on September 27

Broad Foundation donates $20 million to UCLA Stem Cell Institute

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation is donating $20 million to fund adult and embryonic stem cell research at UCLA.

Biologist Thomas Smith named acting director of UCLA Institute of the Environment

Thomas Smith, a conservation biologist and ecologist who has developed new theories on how species of birds and other animals evolve in rainforests, has been named acting director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment.

UCLA celebrates undergraduate education with week of events October 8-12

UCLA hosts an inaugural annual event to highlight innovations in undergraduate education.

Ancient wolves of Alaska became extinct 12,000 years ago

The ancient gray wolves of Alaska became extinct some 12,000 years ago, and the wolves in Alaska today are not their descendents but a different subspecies, an international team of scientists reports in the July 3 print edition of the journal Current Biology.

California NanoSystems Institute Partners With Abraxis BioScience to Develop New Nanobiotechnologies

The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA announced a partnership with the integrated global biopharmaceutical company Abraxis BioScience Inc. to collaborate on nanobiotechnology research for the advancement of new technologies in medicine.

New Fellowships for Doctoral Students in Humanities and Social Sciences to honor Emeritus Chancellor Norman Abrams

Emeritus Chancellor Norman Abrams is being honored with a fellowship in his name funded under the auspices of David A. Leveton in his capacity as director of the Ann C. Rosenfield Fund at the UCLA Foundation.

Monkeys Learn in the Same Way as Humans, Psychologists Report

Monkeys seem to learn the same way humans do, a new research study indicates.

Plants That Produce More Vitamin C May Result From UCLA-Dartmouth Advance in Molecular Biology

Steven Clarke and Carole Linster of UCLA have identified a crucial enzyme in the synthesis of plant vitamin C, which could lead to enhanced crops.

Putting Feelings Into Words Produces Therapeutic Effects in the Brain

Why does putting our feelings into words — talking with a therapist or friend, writing in a journal — help us to feel better? A new brain imaging study by UCLA psychologists reveals why verbalizing our feelings makes our sadness, anger and pain less intense.

“Virtual Qumran” Sheds New Light on Dead Sea Scrolls Discovery Site

The mysterious archaeological ruins located paces from where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered 60 years ago served first as a fortress before being adopted by Jewish religious sect, two UCLA researchers report.

Chemists From UCLA, Italy Produce Advance That May Solve Mystery of Lou Gehrig’s Disease

Chemists from UCLA and the University of Florence in Italy may have solved an important mystery about a protein that plays a key role in a particular form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disorder.

Undergraduate Student Profile: Tom Clarke

While many undergraduates dream of one day becoming medical researchers who can cure or tame disease. A Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Scholar, Tom Clarke is already well on his way toward realizing that ambition.

UCLA Scientists Create Microscale Alphabet

UCLA scientists, including co-author Thomas Mason, have designed and mass-produced billions of fluorescent microscale particles in the shapes of all 26 letters of the alphabet.

Student is Oxford-bound, thanks to mentor

UCLA senior William Thomas Clarke has received a Marshall Scholarship, one of the most prestigious awards an undergraduate can receive. The Marshall Scholarship will fund two years of graduate studies at the University of Oxford. Clarke, also a winner of the 2007 College Undergraduate Award, has been working in the lab of Rachelle Crosbie, assistant professor of physiological science, studying proteins that may play a key role in muscular dystrophy.

Fraser Stoddart to be Knighted by Queen Elizabeth

UCLA professor J. Fraser Stoddart, director of the California NanoSystems Institute, will be knighted by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II for services to chemistry and molecular nanotechnology.

Kal Raustiala to Direct Burkle Ctr. for International Relations

Kal Raustiala, an expert in international law who studies and teaches about international cooperation and global governance, has been named director of the UCLA Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations.

Exposing a National Disgrace

When nine undergraduates in the College began to understand the plight of sweatshop workers in Southern California, they collaborated to write a book to illuminate the subject.

Let There be Light

Professor Jack Judy teaches the Fiat Lux seminar on “Neuroengineering — the Technology That Could Enable ‘The Matrix’” — one of 200 seminars taught by faculty from across the university that are offered by the Fiat Lux seminar program.