UCLA:  Home Directory Map Calendar Google  Search:  UCLA Web

		College Home

View by View by View by

All News

December 10, 2005

Demystifying and Humanizing an American Experience   Chicano studies scholar Abel Valenzuela turned an interest in immigration issues into nationally-renowned explorations of day labor in America—scholarship that is paving the way for increasing public awareness of the issue and expanding research in the field.

December 7, 2005

Molecular Plumbing   The first valve at the nano scale that can trap and release molecules can be controlled, say the researchers, "like a water faucet."

December 5, 2005

Jupiter's Massive Winds Likely Generated Deep in Planet   A new computer model indicates Jupiter's massive winds are generated from deep within the giant planet's interior, a UCLA scientist and international colleagues report today in the journal Nature.

December 3, 2005

The Complex Nature of Teenage Depression   Psychological depression during teen years is usually short-lived, but can be an enduring problem.

December 2, 2005

The Disappearing Lakes of the Arctic   A team led by UCLA geographers has found that lakes in the wilderness of Siberia are shrinking or vanishing—findings that contradict past research on climate change.

December 1, 2005

'Obesity Epidemic' Overblown, Conclude UCLA Sociologists   While the proportion of Americans who can be classified as obese may have risen 20 percent since 1980, the so-called obesity epidemic is at best a metaphor and not a very effective one at that, suggests a UCLA study in the current issue of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.

December 1, 2005

A Quest for Knowledge and Self-Discovery   Graduate student Awet Weldemichael survived war, famine and political upheaval in his adopted homelands. Now his Ph.D. studies are building new understanding of the turmoil that has shaped his world.

November 30, 2005

A Growing Opportunity for Undergraduate Achievement   Each year, thousands of undergraduates in the UCLA College of Letters and Science participate in important, publishable research in close collaboration with faculty.

November 16, 2005

Psychologists Fight Schizophrenia at the Cellular Level   In new research that helps reveal the nature of schizophrenia at the cellular level, UCLA scientists report the discovery of unique DNA sequence variations associated with increased risk for schizophrenia, impairments in short- and long-term memory, and other cognitive deficits.

November 10, 2005

Stem Cells: First Steps in a Bold Scientific Adventure   They are the source of all we become -- the unspecialized cells that give rise to the human body's tissues: lungs, liver, brain, hair, heart – and the source of great excitement among scientists.

November 9, 2005

Discovering a New Piece in the Cancer Puzzle   A team of UCLA biochemists have determined the three-dimensional structure of a major domain of telomerase, the enzyme that helps maintain telomeres – small pieces of DNA on the ends of chromosomes that act as protective caps — allowing DNA ends to be copied completely when cells are replicated.

November 9, 2005

Terence Tao: The "Mozart of Math"   Terence Tao has been years ahead of everyone else his entire life. Tao started taking high school classes at age eight; by 11, he was learning calculus and thriving in international mathematics competitions. He was only 21 when he earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University, and joined UCLA's faculty that year. The UCLA College promoted Tao to full professor of mathematics at 24.

November 8, 2005

The Modern American Family: Always in Motion, Child-Dominated, Strained -- and Losing Intimacy?   Jake Zeiss bolts from his west LA bungalow before 8 a.m., red hair damp and shirttail flapping.

November 7, 2005

Astronomers Find Neutron Star Where a Black Hole Was Expected   A very massive star collapsed to form a neutron star and not a black hole as expected, according to UCLA research from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This discovery indicates that nature has a harder time making black holes than previously thought.

November 8, 2005

Reflecting on Personal Values Protects From Effects of Stress   Reflecting on meaningful values provides biological and psychological protection from the adverse effects of stress, UCLA psychologists report in the November issue of the journal Psychological Science.

October 31, 2005

Geographer Jared Diamond Named to Institute of Medicine   Jared Diamond, an acclaimed professor of geography in the UCLA College of Letters and Science, was named a new member of the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

October 26, 2005

Chimps Don't Shed Insight On Human Generosity   Given the opportunity to spread random acts of kindness, chimps would just as soon pass, finds a new UCLA-led study.

September 9, 2005

UCLA Leads U.S. in Scientists Elected to American Academy of Microbiology   UCLA led the nation in the number of scientists elected to the American Academy of Microbiology, with five of the 51 newly elected fellows.

August 29, 2005

Severely Reducing Calories Won't Dramatically Help People   Severely restricting calories over decades may add a few years to a human life span, but will not enable humans to live to 125 and beyond, as many have speculated, evolutionary biologists at UCLA have reported.

August 8, 2005

UCLA Biochemists Discover Details of Mysterious Bacterial Microcompartments   UCLA biochemists have revealed the first structural details of a family of mysterious objects called microcompartments that seem to be present in a variety of bacteria -- a discovery that blurs the distinction between human cells and those of bacteria.

July 20, 2005

Dust-Enshrouded Star Looks Similar to our Sun, May Have Witnessed "Cosmic Catastrophe"   Astronomers at UCLA have found tremendous quantities of warm dusty debris surrounding a star with luminosity and mass similar to the sun's, but located 300 light-years from Earth -- an extraordinary phenomenon that indicates a violent history of cosmic collisions between asteroids and comets, or perhaps even between planets.

July 15, 2005

UCLA Chemists Create Nano Valve to Trap and Release Molecules   UCLA chemists have created the first valve that can be opened and closed at will to trap and release molecules -- a finding that shows that molecules can be controlled at the nano scale.

2005

UCLA Faculty-Poet Harryette Mullen Receives 2005 Guggenheim Fellowship   Harryette Mullen, a scholar of English and African American Literature from the UCLA College of Letters and Science, has received a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation -- an award that is among the most prestigious honors presented to scholars, artists and writers.

June 15, 2005

UCLA Dedicates La Kretz Hall, the First Campus Building to Qualify for 'Green' Certification   UCLA has opened La Kretz Hall, the campus' newest structure and the university's first building to be certified "green" - a structure that meets stringent environmental guidelines.

June 8, 2005

'Molecular Zipper' May Hold Important Clues to Many Diseases, International Team Reports   An international team of chemists and molecular biologists has discovered a fundamental molecular mechanism that seems to play an important role in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, mad cow disease and two-dozen other degenerative and fatal diseases.

June 6, 2005

UCLA Awarded $6 Million for Research on Biodefense and Infectious Diseases   UCLA has received four years of funding by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to support research for countering threats from bioterrorism agents and infectious diseases.

June 2, 2005

Arctic Lakes Are Disappearing, Says UCLA Geographer   Global warming appears to be causing lakes to drain and disappear in Arctic regions, a UCLA-headed team of researchers report.

May 3, 2005

Four College Faculty Elected Members of the National Academy of Sciences   Four UCLA faculty -- all holding appointments in the UCLA College -- received one of the highest honors that can be awarded to a scientist or engineer, when they were elected to the National Academy of Sciences on May 3.

April 29, 2005

Astronomers Confirm the First Image of a Planet Outside of Our Solar System   An international team of astronomers from UCLA and France has confirmed the discovery of a giant planet, approximately five times the mass of Jupiter, outside of our solar system.

April 28, 2005

UCLA Team Observes Nuclear Fusion Driven by a Crystal   In the April 28 edition of the journal Nature, UCLA graduate student Brian Naranjo and colleagues report a new kind of 'bench-top' nuclear fusion, based on measurements that seem considerably more convincing than these previous claims.

March 29, 2005

Plant Biologist Steven E. Jacobsen Named Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute   Steven E. Jacobsen, a plant biologist at UCLA whose research on a weed has led to new understanding of an important mechanism for regulating gene expression in developing organisms, has been named an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute - one of 43 of the nation's most promising young scientists.

March 22, 2005

UCLA Center Develops Landmark Video Study of American Middle-Class Families and Home Life   Armed with a $3.6 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and a wide range of anthropological, linguistic and psychological research methods, a team of UCLA faculty is producing a landmark study of a species under considerable stress: the middle-class, dual-income family.

March 15, 2005

UCLA Launches Stem Cell Institute to Investigate New Approaches to HIV, Cancer and Neurological Disorders   Drawing together experts from fields as diverse as engineering to molecular biology, UCLA will form the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine to conduct embryonic and adult stem cell research that may lead to better treatments for HIV, cancer and neurological disorders.

March 9, 2005

UCLA Biochemists Discover Structure of Enzyme That Plays a Key Role in Cancer   UCLA biochemists have determined the three-dimensional structure of a major domain of telomerase, an enzyme that plays a key role in most cancers.

February 16, 2005

Nano Mechanism May Lead to New Protein Engineering   UCLA scientists have created a mechanism at the nanoscale to externally control the function and action of a protein.

February 1, 2005

UCLA Biologists Leads Research on Yellowstone Wolves; Results to Aid Endangered Species Recovery   Ten years after the federal government reintroduced gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park, UCLA biologists are conducting research that will aid in understanding the dynamics that underlie successful reintroduction of endangered species.

January 31, 2005

Teens Find Sex Info. Online When They Look For It -- And Also When They Don't, Finds Children's Digital Media Ctr.   A special issue of the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology devoted to research on children and the electronic media, conducted at the National Science Foundation-funded UCLA Children's Digital Media Center produces some startling findings about "the all-pervasive sexualized media environment" and "tremendous amount of inadvertent exposure to pornography and other adult sexual media" that children can find online.

January 28, 2005

Quantum Dot Imaging: New Broad Potential for Science and Medical Applications   The evolution the crystals known as quantum dots has seen the growth of this revolutionary new tool from electronic materials science to far-reaching biological applications that will allow researchers to study cell processes at the level of a single molecule and may result in new and better ways to diagnose and treat cancers.

January 16, 2005

A Fatal Medieval Triangle   Research on 14th-century France produces the dramatic, violent story of "the duel to end all duels."

January 12, 2005

Succeeding with a Single Spin   Creating control of a single electron puts nanotechnology a step closer to breakthroughs in a broad range of applications.

January 10, 2005

UCLA Astronomers Find Evidence for Tens of Thousands of Black Holes Near the Center of the Milky Way   UCLA astronomers present the first evidence that tens of thousands of black holes are orbiting the monstrous black hole at the center of the Milky Way, 26,000 light years away.

2005

Asia Specialists and Relief Professionals Gather at UCLA January 13 in Public Program about Tsunami's Impact   Experts on South and Southeast Asia and public health professionals will explore the impact of the Dec. 26 tsunami, and the upcoming challenges for relief and relocation efforts, in a free public program on January 13 at UCLA, "The Tsunami and Its Aftermath: Aid, Economics, Politics and Culture."

2004

December 20, 2004

Molecular Electronics: A Field in its Infancy with a Bright Future, Reports UCLA chemists   The emerging field of molecular electronics - using nanoscale molecules as key components in computers and other electronic devices - is in excellent health and has a bright future, conclude UCLA, Caltech and University of California, Santa Barbara, chemists who assess the field.

December 6, 2004

UCLA Neuroscientist Gains Insights Into Human Brain From Study of Marine Snails   What can cellular neuroscientists learn about the human brain from studying a marine snail? Much more than one might suspect.

October 28, 2004

UCLA Chemists Report New Nano Phenomenon: Welding in Response to an Ordinary Camera Flash   UCLA chemists report the discovery of a remarkable new nanoscale phenomenon: An ordinary camera flash causes the instantaneous welding together of nanofibers.

October 21, 2004

Strong Earth Tides Can Trigger Earthquakes, UCLA Scientists Report   Confirming a question that has puzzled earth scientists for more than a century, UCLA researchers have confirmed that earthquakes can be triggered by the Earth's tides.

October 12, 2004

Massive UCLA Project Recounts the Life and Times of Christopher Columbus   The 13th and final volume of the exhaustive compendium of Columbus-era documents has rolled off the presses.

September 24, 2004

UCLA Study of Maya Women of Chiapas, Mexico, Offers Insights Into Globalization's Impact and the Socialization of Children   For centuries, the Zinacantec Maya women of Chiapas, Mexico, have woven and embroidered clothing that expresses their values and embodies their role as mothers and daughters. Over 35 years, UCLA psychology professor Patricia Marks Greenfield has participated in this community, studying two generations of women and their daughters, often accompanied by her own daughter, Lauren.

September 8, 2004

UCLA Molecular Biologists Uproot the "Tree of Life"   One of science's most popular metaphors -- the "tree of life," with its evolutionary branches and roots, showing groups of bacteria on the bottom and multicellular animals on the higher branches -- turns out to be a misnomer.

August 15, 2004

Claude Hulet: Plotting the Course of The Great Worlds Explorers   Since retiring from UCLA's College in 1991, Claude Hulet has been trying to get his bearings. But the experienced sailor who fell in love with Portuguese culture as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan in the 1930s wouldn't have it any other way.

August 19, 2004

It's a Small, Small World   The Physical Sciences in the College are taking a leading role in the revolution at the nanoscale.

2004	Learning Transformed   A new award named for the College's former provost celebrates faculty who are transforming the way students learn with new technology.

July 22, 2004

UCLA Scientists Control a Single Electron's Spin   Quantum computing, which holds the promise of nearly unlimited processing power, secure communications and the ability to decode encrypted conversations by terrorists and others, is a significant step closer to becoming a reality today with new research published by a team of UCLA scientists.

July 14, 2004

UCLA Biologist Elma Gonzalez Helps Minority Students Succeed in Science   Elma Gonzalez, a cell biologist at UCLA, has been involved for more than 25 years in programs that help minority students succeed in scientific research careers.

June 22, 2004

Undergraduate Kenta Nakamura Honored for Research Achievements Studying Key Protein in Heart Disease   Kenta Nakamura, the first member of his family to go to college, has been honored nationally for his research on a protein that plays an important role in heart disease.

June 23, 2004

Biochemist Emil Reisler Named Dean of Life Sciences at UCLA   Emil Reisler, a long-time academic leader at UCLA and a renowned biochemist whose work explores the functioning of proteins at the molecular level, has been named dean of life sciences in UCLA's College of Letters and Science.

June 17, 2004

Student Speaker at the 2004 Commencement has a "Passion for UCLA"   When Donald M. Knips enrolled at UCLA as an undergraduate in 1999, he wasn't sure what he would study, but the Ventura County native knew precisely how he wanted to spend his next four years.

2004

Civic Leaders Jerry and Joy Monkarsh Named Honorary Fellows of the College   Jerry and Joy Monkarsh, two long-time UCLA supporters whose volunteer work has involved them in leadership of programs and projects across the university, were presented with the Honorary Fellow Awards of the UCLA College -- the largest academic unit in the University of California system.

2004	College Award Winners: Destined for Success   Three undergraduates and three graduate students have received College Awards for their superb scholarly achievements and commitment to the UCLA community.

June 1, 2004

UCLA Co-Awarded $6.4 Million by U.S. Department of Energy to Host Fusion Science Center   UCLA and the University of Maryland have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to host a new $6.4 million Fusion Science Center that will bring together scientists with expertise in applied mathematics, theoretical and computational plasma physics, and sophisticated plasma experiments.

June 1, 2004

UCLA Chemists Create An Elegant Solution To A Centuries-Old Problem   UCLA chemists have devised an elegant solution to an intricate problem at the nanoscale that stumped scientists for many years.

May 28, 2004

Patricia O'Brien: Assuming Leadership Of The College Is "A Thrilling Opportunity"   A longtime UC scholar and leader described as "a respected scholar, dedicated teacher and skilled administrator" will become head of the UCLA College, the largest academic organization in the University of California System.

May 7, 2004

Three College Faculty Receive Prestigious Guggenheim Fellowships for 2004   Three faculty in the College have received fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, among the most prestigious honors presented to scholars, artists and writers.

April 30, 2004

UCLA Chemists Develop New Coating for Nanoscale Probe   A new process developed by chemists in the College allows the observation of the "molecular dance of life," and opens the door to potential nanotechnology applications for biology and medicine.

April 21, 2004

Historian Gabrielle Spiegel Named Dean of Humanities   An renowned scholar who has served in national leadership roles in historical studies has been named dean of humanities in the College.

April 16, 2004

Bird's Song May Be Key to Understanding Human Speech Disorders   UCLA scientists have found parallels between human speech and the song of a bird -- findings that may contain clues to human speech disorders.

March 22, 2004

UCLA Chemists Report the Most Sophisticated Artificial Nanomachine Yet   UCLA supramolecular chemists have created an artificial molecular machine that functions like a nanoscale elevator, a device that could find use in such processes as slow-release drug delivery systems, or control of chemical reactions conducted in 'laboratories on a chip.'

March 22, 2004

Center that Studies Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Illnesses Receives $5 million gift from Staglin Family   A UCLA center that focuses on the early detection of and preventive intervention in schizophrenia and other psychotic illnesses has received a gift of $5 million from the family of Garen K. and Sharalyn King Staglin.

March 17, 2004

UCLA's William Andrews Clark Library Purchases Key Manuscripts For Oscar Wilde Collection   UCLA's William Andrews Clark Memorial Library has acquired a college notebook kept by the 19th-century wit, playwright and cult figure Oscar Wilde, as well as the original manuscript of his homosexual lover's autobiography.

March 16, 2004

Conference on April 16 Brings Together World-Renowned Scientists to Address Origin of Animals   An all-day symposium on April 16 hosted by the UCLA Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life will explore the geologically "sudden" appearance of animals in the fossil record -- a period known as the Cambrian explosion.

Feburary 17, 2004

Belief in Placebo Produces Physical Changes in the Brain, UCLA Psychologists Find   A new UCLA study reveals that patients with chronic abdominal pain who received daily placebo pills for three weeks experienced not only improvement in their symptoms, but also showed physiological changes in their brain structures as well.

January 22, 2004

Award-winning historian and UC administrator Patricia O'Brien Named Executive Dean of the UCLA College   Patricia O'Brien, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, has been named executive dean of the UCLA College -- the largest academic unit in the University of California (UC) system.

January 6, 2004

Earthquakes Can Be Predicted Months in Advance, Report UCLA Scientists Who Predicted San Simeon Earthquake   Major earthquakes can be predicted months in advance, argues UCLA seismologist and mathematical geophysicist Vladimir Keilis-Borok.

2003

December 8, 2003

Bullying in Schools: Pervasive, Disruptive and Serious, UCLA Study Finds   More than one in five 12-year-olds are repeatedly either bullies, victims or both, and bullies are often popular and viewed by classmates as the "coolest" in their classes, according to new UCLA research from the most comprehensive study on young adolescent bullying in an ethnically diverse, large urban setting.

November 14, 2003

UCLA-led Primate Researchers Find That Social Mothers Are Better Mothers   Primping and passing time with peers may serve a serious purpose, suggests a new study by a UCLA-led team of researchers studyin the behavior of baboons.

October 23, 2003

Large Asteroid, Lost for 66 Years, Is Found to Be Two Objects Orbiting Each Other   A UCLA planetary scientist and colleagues have found that an asteroid that has eluded astronomers for decades turns out to be an unusual pair of objects traveling together in space.

October 3, 2003

UCLA Researcher Owen Witte Wins De Villiers International Achievement Award from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society   College Researcher Owen Witte has been honored for "extraordinary contributions that led to breakthrough leukemia treatments."

October 3, 2003

Outstanding Student Profile: Research on the Spinal Cord by UCLA Undergraduate Wins Acclaim   UCLA senior Saul Villeda has won a national award for his research on the spinal cord, and is publishing his work in major scientific journals. His professors praise his work, and expect him to thrive in a career in research. Why has research become his passion?

July 28, 2003

School Teachers Come to UCLA to Learn to Teach Nanoscience   Two dozen school teachers from low-income schools in Los Angeles have come to UCLA to learn how to invigorate their classes by teaching the new field of nanoscience -- the science of the tiniest particles that will lead to extraordinary advances in medicine and many other fields and will improve profoundly the quality of our lives.

June 19, 2003

UCLA Physicists Create A New Sensor Using A Single Molecule   UCLA physicists have created a first-of-its-kind sensor using a single molecule less than 20 nanometers long -- one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair.

2003

Erika Bustamante Graduates With Honors From UCLA Six Years After Coming to U.S. From Colombia; Honored for Her Scientific Research   When Erika Bustamante came to the United States from Colombia in 1997, she could not speak English. On June 13, Bustamante graduated with honors from UCLA, including awards for her research in molecular biology.

June 5, 2003

Million-star Cluster in Nearby Galaxy, Thousands of Violent "O" Stars, and Gravity-Bound Gas Reported by UCLA Astronomers   A small, bizarre cluster of a million young stars, enshrouded in thick gas and dust in a nearby dwarf galaxy, has been confirmed by Jean Turner, UCLA professor of physics and astronomy, and her colleagues.

June 3, 2003

Cesar E. Chavez Center for Interdisciplinary Instruction in Chicana and Chicano Studies Reports Progress on Its 10-Year Anniversary   In the 10 years since UCLA converted its undergraduate program in Chicano Studies into the Cesar E. Chavez Center for Interdisciplinary Instruction, this field of study has flourished at UCLA.

June 4, 2003

Centuries-Old Epidemic Holds Clues to Today's Diabetes Puzzle, Says UCLA Study   A diabetes epidemic that appears to have claimed the life of composer Johann Sebastian Bach may explain baffling disparities in the disease's rates among 21st-century ethnic groups, a UCLA geographer and evolutionary biologist reports.

May 22, 2003

UCLA Undergraduates Honored on Capitol Hill for Their Research   Three undergraduates in UCLA's College of Letters and Science are among 72 outstanding college students selected nationally by the Council on Undergraduate Research to present their original research on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

April 24, 2003

World's First Farmers - not Hunter-Gatherers - Sowed Seeds for Most Modern Languages, Say UCLA, Australian Researchers   As the first farmers spread agriculture across the globe, they also sowed seeds for most of today's languages, researchers from UCLA and the Australian National University conclude in the most up-to-date survey of research in the field.

April 2, 2003

UCLA International Institute Creates New Course on "The World Since Sept. 11," Open to Everyone   Because of the extraordinary events now evolving on the world scene, the UCLA International Institute has organized a unique free course for the Spring Quarter that is open to students, faculty, staff, and friends of the campus.

March 28, 2003

UCLA and German Biologists Identify a Molecule that May Play Critical Role in Fertilization   In research with potential implications for both increasing fertilization and preventing pregnancies, UCLA biologists and German cell physiologists report that they have isolated and identified a molecule that attracts sperm.

2003	Fiat Lux Program: UCLA Offers 125 New Small Courses for Undergraduates   UCLA has created a new program primarily for freshmen that is offering 125 small seminars across a broad range of subjects.

2003

UCLA Chemists Report New Method for Producing Carbon Nanoscrolls, an Alternative to Nanotubes   UCLA chemists have found a room-temperature chemical method for producing a new form of carbon called carbon nanoscrolls. Nanoscrolls are closely related to the much touted carbon nanotubes - which may have numerous industrial applications - but have significant advantages over them.

January 14, 2003

UCLA Scientists Report That Changes in Exercise and Diet Can Kill Prostate Cancer Cells   A UCLA study finds that that 11 days of daily exercise and the Pritikin low-fat, high-fiber diet induce prostate cancer cells to die.

2002 and Earlier

Available upon request.

	College of Letters and Science:	College Home		Divisions News College Report Feedback

	UCLA Home Copyright © 2005 UC Regents. All rights reserved. Disability Resources Emergency Campus Contacts