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Chancellor Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang
Meet the Chancellor

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Recent News from UC Merced
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UC MERCED
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May 8, 2008
UC MERCED WINS $4.36
MILLION IN CIRM FUNDING FOR STEM CELL INSTRUMENTATION FOUNDRY
Major Facilities Grant supports lab complex to create custom
devices for stem cell research
MERCED - The University of California, Merced,
has been chosen as the location for a Stem Cell Instrumentation
Foundry funded by the California Institute for Regenerative
Medicine (CIRM). The facility, anticipated to cost about $7.5
million total, will be supported with $4.36 million from CIRM
through its Major Facilities Grant program. UC Merced officials
anticipate the foundry will be housed at the university's
facility on the former Castle Air Force Base.
"CIRM recognized a unique opportunity
in funding the Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry at UC Merced,"
said UC Merced Chancellor Steve Kang. "Creating this
facility here boosts UC Merced's long-term goal to transform
the San Joaquin Valley's economy, health care access and education
as we offer more students a UC education and plan a medical
school to serve the region."
CIRM announced award recipients in the Major
Facilities Grant program today in San Francisco. UC Merced's
proposal was approved as one of the "Special Programs"
grants - the category for projects costing $5 million to $10
million.
CIRM announced award recipients in the Major
Facilities Grant program at a press conference today in Los
Angeles. UC Merced's proposal was approved as one of the "Special
Programs" grants - the category for projects costing
$5 million to $10 million.
UC Merced will build a unique facility that
will enable investigators at UC Merced and elsewhere in California
to apply sophisticated technologies to understand how stem
cells make decisions.
"This is a critical step in developing
strategies to guide stem cell decisions for regenerative medicine
" said Dean Maria Pallavicini of the UC Merced School
of Natural Sciences. "The Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry
will offer scientists on campus and throughout California
access to advanced instruments, techniques and collaborations
for single-cell analysis - including opportunities to co-develop
customized instruments, such as lab-on-a-chip, using online
tools so that they can rapidly adopt cutting-edge research
technologies.
"The facility exemplifies the close
interactions and synergies between scientists and engineers
in UC Merced's interdisciplinary environment. Concepts for
the facility proposal were developed jointly by stem cell
faculty the Schools of Natural Science and Engineering, the
Stem Cell Consortium."
Pallavicini is an internationally recognized
stem cell researcher specializing in studies related to breast
cancer and leukemia. She and Michelle Khine, an assistant
professor in the School of Engineering who specializes in
the design and building of devices, are the primary architects
of the UC Merced's Major Facilities Grant application to CIRM.
Pallavicini also leads planning for UC Merced's medical school.
"UC Merced is particularly well suited
for a collaborative effort like the Stem Cell Instrumentation
Foundry that we proposed," said Khine. "Because
we are such young institution, it's up to us to shape the
culture of this place. By creating such a facility, we can
catalyze a paradigm shift in the way science is done. By marrying
cutting edge technology development with one of the most important
fields of biomedical research, we can forge a new, more efficient
path to discovery."
The Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry
at UC Merced
Pallavicini said the foundry will build on
UC Merced's strengths in stem cell biology, innovative instrumentation
design and interdisciplinary research. The facility will also
offer service and training to participating scientists statewide.
UC Merced faculty members who plan to participate
in the Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry along with Pallavicini
include the following:
* Professor Michelle Khine (School of Engineering),
who specializes in designing and developing advanced microsystems
for stem cell differentiation using "lab-on-a-chip"
techniques.
* Professor Kara McCloskey (School of Engineering), who investigates
mechanically induced stem cell differentiation toward endothelial
cells (the cells that line blood vessels).
* Professor Wei-Chun Chin (School of Engineering), who researches
Ca2+ signals that influence the development of cardiac cells,
with potential applications for repairing cardiac tissue.
* Professor Marcos García-Ojeda (School of Natural
Sciences), who studies how changes in the microenvironment
induce bone marrow stem cells to become lymphocytes.
* Professor Jennifer O. Manilay (School of Natural Sciences),
who examines interactions between developing stem cells and
their environments in the thymus and bone marrow.
* Professor Michael Cleary (School of Natural Sciences), who
studies how stem cells commit to become brain cells in a Drosophila
(fruit fly) model.
* Professor Michael Colvin (School of Natural Sciences), who
uses mathematical and computational modeling to address questions
in biology, such as stem cell fate decisions.
UC Merced already uses an innovative, shared-space
approach with many of its important laboratories, including
a genomics facility, the Atul Roy Family Genome Center of
Excellence, and an imaging and microscopy facility, both of
which support stem cell research. This "Core Lab"
model maximizes efficiency and encourages collaboration among
faculty members. The Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry is
expected to proceed using a similar model.
The proposed facility would include two clean
rooms, specialized spaces for cell imaging and culture work,
and support and office space.
About CIRM and the Major Facilities Grant
Program
CIRM's Major Facilities Grant program was
launched in August 2007 as a two-part application process.
In fall 2007, CIRM's Scientific and Medical Research Grants
Working Group evaluated the scientific merit of 17 proposals
submitted in response to the request for application. On Jan.
16, the Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee (ICOC) approved
Part 1 of the applications, inviting 12 institutions to advance
to the second and final part of the application process. Part
2 of the application focuses on the technical aspects of an
applicant's building program, how the scientific program aligns
with the CIRM's objectives, and why the program represents
a good value for California taxpayers' investment. The review
was conducted by the 10-member Scientific and Medical Research
Facilities Working Group made up of real estate experts, patient
advocates and the chairman of the ICOC. This meeting was open
to the public.
Since April 2006, when CIRM awarded its first
scientific grants under the California Stem Cell Research
and Cures Initiative, the Institute has funded 156 grants
totaling nearly $260 million for investigator-initiated research
and training to 22 California nonprofit and academic institutions.
The first grants directed $37.5 million for training 169 pre-doctoral,
post-doctoral and clinical fellows at 16 nonprofit and academic
research institutions. In 2007, the ICOC approved 73 Leon
J. Thal SEED Grants totaling more than $46 million to bring
new ideas and new investigators into the field of human embryonic
stem cell (hESC) research; 28 Comprehensive Research Grants
totaling nearly $72 million to support mature, ongoing studies
on hESCs by scientists with a record of accomplishment in
the field; 17 Shared Research Laboratory Grants totaling more
than $50 million; and 22 New Faculty Awards of more than $54
million to encourage the next generation of clinical and scientific
leaders in stem cell research. |
May 5, 2008
Chancellor
Steve Kang hosts annual Chancellor's Associates Spring
Reception
On Thursday, May 1, Chancellor Steve Kang hosted
the annual Chancellor's Associates Spring Reception
at his home. Two receptions are held per year for
the Chancellor' premier support group to keep them
up-to-date on the campus' progress and give them the
opportunity for supporters to network with other Chancellor's
Associates supporters, students, faculty and staff.
The Chancellor's Associates fundraising
group currently numbers more than 120 members, made
up of individuals, and civic and business leaders, each
commit to a $1,000-per-year, tax-deductible contribution.
With the guidance of several UC Merced Foundation Trustees,
this group of volunteers is dedicated to raising discretionary
funds for the Chancellor to apply toward critical projects
not eligible for state funding. The funds raised through
this donor organization are designed to enhance the
student experience while attending UC Merced.
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I invite you to become a member of
the Chancellor's Associates program, the university's
premier group of annual donors.
Through exemplary research, teaching and community
involvement, UC Merced is transforming lives every
day. Our distinguished faculty members and promising
students are studying everything from groundwater
in the Sierra Nevada to human thought and behavior
to nanotechnology. Together we can make a greater
impact on our community and our state.
The Chancellor's Associates is the premier group of
donors recognized for their leadership and and loyal
support that strengthens the university's mission
in education, research and public service. To achieve
success in this mission, our campus depends on the
support of the Chancellor's Associates - an inner
circle of dedicated friends who believe a dynamic
university is critical to the future vitality of the
San Joaquin Valley and the state.
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Steve Kang, UC Merced Chancellor,
speaks to group
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Chancellor Kang, with wife Mia, welcomes
Eve Delfin, 2006 graduate of UC Merced
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Your participation as a Chancellor's
Associate will help to provide much-needed resources
for student scholarships, fellowships, research, capital
projects and other areas of critical need.
Now, more than ever, UC Merced depends upon donors,
like you, who understand the need to ensure teaching
and research excellence for current and future students.
Please join me in ensuring the continued growth and
success of UC Merced.
Steve Kang - UC Merced Chancellor
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Changing
Lives
TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE LIVES
UC Merced has made significant progress
in a short period of time thanks in large part to the
support of our donors. The campus is growing through
new constuction and enrollment, and we are continually
attracting and hiring stellar faculty who will teach
our next generation of leaders. Their research has the
ability to improve our daily lives and lead to breakthrough
discoveries in a wide range of fields.
The University of California, Merced
is committed to serving the people of the San Joaquin
Valley, California, the nation and the world through
excellence in education, research and public service. |

Josh Bolin, 2007 graduate of UC Merced,
speaks on Chancellor's Pioneers Progam, who's members
are past graduates of UC Merced
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Chancellor's
Associates
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For more information
on becoming a Chancellor's Associate, please contact:
Victor Mitre, Director of Annual Giving
Chancellor's Associates
University of California, Merced
PO Box 2039
Merced, CA 95344
Telephone: (209) 228-4297
Fax: (209) 228-4498
E-Mail: chancellorsassociates@ucmerced.edu
www.ucmerced.edu |
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NorCal Science
Olympiad at UC Merced on Saturday, April 26
More than 700 middle and high school students will participate
in regional competition
WHO: More than 700 middle and high school
students Advisers and families
UC Merced School of Natural Sciences faculty, staff and students
serving as volunteers
WHAT: Northern California Regional Science
Olympiad Competition
WHEN: Saturday, April 26, 2008
8:45 a.m. - about 4 p.m.
WHERE: UC Merced campus
5200 N. Lake Rd., Merced
WHY: Competing in science events for the
chance to attend the national finals
Students from all over Northern California will converge
on UC Merced for intense competitions in science events. Spectators
are welcome at the following competitions (all others are
closed):
Tower Building, Room 105 Classroom Building, 10 a.m. - 1:30
p.m. Boomilever, Room 110 Classroom Building, 8:45 a.m. -
12:15 p.m. Robot Ramble, Room 113 Classroom Building, 8:45
a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Balloon Glider, Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium,
8:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Wright Stuff, Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium,
10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Scrambler, Dr. Lakireddy Auditorium, 8:45
a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Trajectory, Quad, 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Electric
Vehicle, 2nd-floor Science and Engineering Building atrium,
10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Robo Cross, Room 377 Science and Engineering
Building, 8:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Closing Ceremonies, Joseph
Edward Gallo Gymnasium, 2:30 p.m.
Journalists who wish to interview participants are encouraged
to do so in the gym between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.
Parking will be available in the Lake Lot near campus entrance.
Displaying a valid press credential in the windshield of your
vehicle will excuse you from paying parking fees.
For more information:
http://www.norcalscienceolympiad.com/
http://naturalsciences.ucmerced.edu/ (Click " School
Events" on the left menu) |
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April 11, 2008
Talk With Your Hands:
UC Merced Will Host Gesture Symposium
Sigma Xi, the scientific research society, sponsoring
invited speakers April 24; event is free and open to the public
MERCED - How do we gesture, and why? What
is the role of gesture in everyday communication? How did
gestures evolve in human language - before speech, or after?
What areas of the brain are activated with gesture?
Internationally renowned experts will discuss
these and related questions at the first-ever University of
California, Merced, Sigma Xi Spring Symposium on April 24
from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. The event will take place in the California
Room in the Valley Terraces housing complex on campus.
Professor Teenie Matlock, Vice President
of UC Merced Sigma Xi and Cognitive Science faculty, organized
the event and will kick off the lectures with an overview
on gesture research. Three invited gesture experts will also
present their research at the symposium:
Professor Sherman Wilcox, a linguist from
University of New Mexico will speak about from the evolution
of gesture in human communication. Professor David Corina,
a neuroscientist from UC Davis, will talk about the areas
of the brain that are engaged in gesture and sign language.
Dr. Daniel Casasanto, a psycholinguist from Stanford, will
address how we gesture for ourselves and others in everyday
conversation.
" We plan to make this symposium an
annual event, with different scientific research topics every
year," Matlock said.
The event is free and open to the general
public, and refreshments, including chocolates, will be served.
Sherman Wilcox is Professor of Linguistics
and the Chair of the Linguistics Department at University
of New Mexico. He is one of the world's leading experts on
sign languages and gesture. He is the author of several books
on the primacy of gesture in human communication, including
" Gesture and the Nature of Language" and "
The Gestural Origin of Language" , as well as numerous
articles on cognitive linguistics, evolution of language,
gesture, sign language interpretation, deaf culture, and sign
languages. His sign language research has examined several
languages, including American Sign Language, Italian Sign
Language, and Catalan Sign Language.
David Corina' s work concerns the neural
processing of language. He draws on comparisons from signed
and spoken language processing as a means to elucidate core
neural systems involved in human linguistic communication.
Corina uses many techniques in his studies, including, behavioral,
neuropsychological, functional imaging, cortical stimulation
mapping and electrophysiology. He is a leading authority on
sign language and neurolinguistics, and had published numerous
pioneering articles. He is currently a professor in the departments
of Linguistics and Psychology at UC Davis, and a member of
the Center for Mind and Brain.
Daniel Casasanto integrates methods from
cognitive and developmental psychology, linguistics, and cognitive
neuroscience to explore connections among talking, thinking,
perceiving and acting. He obtained his PhD in the Brain and
Cognitive Science department at MIT. He is a currently a postdoctoral
fellow at Stanford on a National Research Service Award and
will begin a position as a senior investigator at the Max
Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics this fall. He is the
founding editor of Language and Cognition, and has published
extensively on gesture and the spatial underpinnings of language.
Teenie Matlock, the organizer of the Sigma
Xi symposium, is a founding faculty member in the School of
Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts at UC Merced. She is
co-chair of the campus' Cognitive Science Program and an affiliate
faculty member in the Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences
at UC Berkeley. Her research investigates how language influences
everyday thought, including recent work on how the wording
of campaign ads influences attitudes about politicians and
elections. Her publications appear in journals and books in
cognitive science, linguistics, psychology, and computer science.
Founded in 1886, Sigma Xi is the international
honor society of research scientists and engineers, with more
than 500 chapters in North America and overseas. The society
publishes " American Scientist" magazine and sponsors
a variety of programs that support science and engineering.
The UC Merced chapter of Sigma Xi is in its first year of
operation. Sam Traina is the President this year.
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| April 11, 2008
UC Merced, Gallo Arts
Center Partnership Allows Public
to Support Students While Also Taking in a Show
Deal subsidizes ticket, transportation
costs for students
MERCED - A partnership between the University
of California, Merced, and the Gallo Center for the Arts allows
members of the community to support cultural and artistic
experiences for students.
The university will take a chartered bus
of students and community members to see performances at the
new arts center in Modesto. "Break! The Urban Funk Spectacular,"
a show highlighting the history of hip-hop dance, will take
the stage later this month, and the national Broadway tour
of "CATS" will make its stop in May.
Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Mason,
Robbins, Gnass & Browning, UC Merced students will be
able to see shows on April 26 and May 3 for $10 apiece, which
includes transportation via chartered bus. Tickets will be
available to the public at $60 apiece for "Break!"
and $65 for "CATS."
"A portion of the public's ticket price
will go toward subsidizing students' transportation costs,"
said Charles Nies, associate vice chancellor of Student Affairs
at UC Merced. "This allows members of the community to
enjoy a great night of entertainment while also supporting
our student body."
Though purchasing tickets to the show through
the university entitles community members to ride along with
students to Modesto, they are not obligated to do so.
Dave Pier, executive director of the Gallo
Center for the Arts, commented, "this is the beginning
of a terrific partnership, which we expect to grow and blossom
in the future.
"One of the primary thrusts of the center's
mission is arts education, so it makes perfect sense to be
working together to create opportunities for UC Merced students
to participate in events taking place at the center and to
connect with the world-class artists now visiting the region."
As part of the partnership, "Break!"
cast members will be on campus at noon April 23 to present
a street-dancing demonstration, which should further inspire
students to attend the April 26 show in Modesto.
"It's an opportunity to expose students
to the arts in a way that's both fun and convenient,"
Nies said.
Tickets may be purchased through the UC Merced
Cashier's Office on the first floor of the Kolligian Library,
and paid for with cash or personal check. Contact the Cashier's
Office at cashiers@ucmerced.edu. Buses will leave the UC Merced
Lake Lot (near the campus entrance at 5200 N. Lake Road, in
Merced) at 6 p.m. April 26 and May 3. For information, contact
the Office of Student Life, (209) 228-5433.
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April 11, 2008
UC Merced Home to a
Flurry of Activity on April 19
Bobcat Day, Fairy Shrimp Festival,
Family Art Show events provide campus information and family-friendly
activities for all
MERCED - On Saturday, April 19, the University
of California, Merced, will host Bobcat Day, an annual campus
open house, in conjunction with the third annual Fairy Shrimp
Festival and the "Third Ever UC Merced Family Art Show."
Students, prospective students and the general public are
invited to join in the day's activities beginning at 10 a.m.
Bobcat Day provides an opportunity for newly
admitted students, prospective students and their families
to visit the campus, listen to separate panel discussions
for parents and students, interact with faculty, students
and staff, and to learn about UC Merced's various student
organizations and activities. Students will have access to
representatives from Academic Advising, Financial Aid, Housing,
Health Services, Student Life and Recreation. This year's
open house will feature general campus tours and in-depth
tours of the following areas: campus housing, Leo and Dottie
Kolligian Library and the Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation and
Wellness Center.
For more information about Bobcat Day, visit
the Admissions Web site at admissions.ucmerced.edu <http://admissions.ucmerced.edu>
, or contact Alex Delgadillo at (209) 228-4625 or (866) 270-7301
(toll-free in California).
The third annual Fairy Shrimp Festival is
a family-friendly event hosted by the Office of Student Life.
This year's program theme, "Change Your Habits, Change
Your Future" will showcase how small changes can make
a big difference. A variety of artists and environmental and
informational booths will be featured from noon to 5 p.m.
The festival is free and open to everyone. A live band, the
Super Lucky Catz, will entertain attendees from 4:30 to 6:30
p.m. outside of the Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center on Scholars
Lane.
For more information about the Fairy Shrimp
Festival, contact Jim Greenwood at (209) 228-2582 or jgreenwood@ucmerced.edu.
You can also learn more by visiting the Office of Student
Life site at studentlife.ucmerced.edu.
In addition, the "Third Ever UC Merced
Family Art Show" opens April 15 and runs through May
9. UC Merced students, staff, faculty and relatives of campus
employees have submitted a variety of painting, drawing, sculpture,
other visual arts and everyone's favorite - children's art!
The exhibition will be shown in the east wing of the Kolligian
Library. Everyone is welcome to view the art during the open
house events on April 19 or anytime the Kolligian Library
is open. For more information, contact libraryexhibits@ucmerced.edu. |
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April 4, 2008
Professor Publishes
Study on Polymers Moving Into a Crowded Cell
Finding holds potential significance for stem cell
research; represents part of developing biomedical research
program at UC Merced
MERCED - When material needs to cross the
membrane into a living cell, speed is critical. Fuel, chemical
signals and genetic information must be delivered at the
right time so that cells can perform essential functions
like fighting off disease or producing new cells.
The polymers, or long chains of proteins,
that provide those intracellular signals aren' t crossing
into open space. The inside of a cell is crowded with organelles,
free-floating proteins and the jungle-gym-like structure
of the cell skeleton.
In a surprising finding published in the
journal Physical Review Letters, Professor Ajay Gopinathan
of the School of Natural Sciences at the University of California,
Merced, and his colleague Young Woon Kim at the Korea Institute
for Advanced Study have concluded that over an extremely
large range of lengths, the time it takes for a polymer
to cross the cell membrane into the crowded interior remains
essentially constant.
" Understanding how cells communicate
with each other and with their microenvironment and how
they respond to changes in their environment is fundamental
to understanding cell function in normal development and
in health and disease. Ajay' s innovative work on polymers
lends insight into how signals from the environment can
be delivered into cells and how polymers traverse the dense
packing inside the cell," said Dean Maria Pallavicini
of the School of Natural Sciences. " His work is an
important, interdisciplinary piece of the big picture of
biomedical research at UC Merced."
" It' s as if you had a length of
chain sitting on a table, and you wanted to feed the chain
over a large bump and through a hole in the table to the
floor," Gopinathan explained. " For the first
little while you would have to feed it through the hole
link by link, but after a certain point there would be enough
force from the other side to pull the entire chain through
very quickly."
In that illustration, the force is gravity,
but for polymers crossing membranes, the force comes from
structures within the cell binding to the polymer. Once
a sufficient number of them can grasp the end of the chain,
the entire structure can traverse a pore in the cell membrane
very quickly. That means the time it takes for a polymer
to cross is determined by how fast the initial part of the
chain pushes through the pore.
Gopinathan said this mechanism may facilitate
the delivery of multiple polymers of different lengths across
pores at the same time - but as with all scientific questions,
more work remains to be done. The researchers hope next
to investigate how charges and polymer networks may affect
how materials cross cell membranes.
The study was funded by the National Science
Foundation and by Gopinathan' s start-up funding at UC Merced.
Gopinathan joined the faculty of UC Merced
in 2006 following a postdoctoral research appointment at
UCSB. He is involved with undergraduate programs in physics
and applied mathematics along with his research. He earned
in Ph.D. in 2003 at the University of Chicago
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April 4, 2008
Young Faculty Award
for UC Merced Physics Professor May Help Close Quantum Computing
Gaps
Potential security applications attracted Department
of Defense funding for research
MERCED - In the last several years, scientists
and engineers in different institutions have made progress
on diverse pieces of research intended to advance the technology
of quantum computing - providing approaches to solving certain
complex problems more efficiently than possible using present
computing architectures. Now, according to Professor Jay
Sharping of the School of Natural Sciences at the University
of California, Merced, it' s time to start putting those
pieces together.
Sharping has received a Young Faculty Award
from the Department of Defense' s Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA) - the agency that originated the
technology that evolved into the Internet. The $150,000
grant will fund his work bringing together different pieces
of existing research into usable technology for quantum
computing.
Specifically, Sharping will be developing
strategies for translating quantum information encoded in
infrared light, where communication is most efficient, into
visible light where storage and processing are most efficient.
" We' re so pleased that Jay' s ideas
and accomplishments are being recognized at the national
level," said Dean Maria Pallavicini of the School of
Natural Sciences. " DARPA' s choice indicates that
this research has the potential to help maintain the United
States' technological leadership in computing and information
security in future years. It' s a great example of how university-level
physics research can make a real difference on a large scale."
Sharping explained that one of the nearest-term
applications for quantum communications is for secure communications
of encrypted messages. Most secure messages are now encrypted
using factoring of large numbers. Quantum computing could
speed up the solution of those factoring problems.
" It' s still a hard problem, but
it would be solvable in a more reasonable time," Sharping
said. " It' s important to make sure that the government
or financial institutions would not be surprised by someone
else gaining the ability to solve it."
Sharping' s project will last 18 months.
He plans to enlist a postdoctoral researcher and involve
a graduate student in the research. The research line may
continue; DARPA encourages further growth following successful
investigations.
Sharping joined the faculty at UC Merced
in the summer of 2005 as a founding faculty member. He completed
his doctorate at Northwestern University in 2003.
DARPA' s Young Faculty Award program, now
in its second year, is designed to seek out ideas from non-tenured
faculty in order to identify the next generation of researchers
working in microsystems technology. The funded researchers
will focus on concepts that are innovative, speculative,
and high-risk. DARPA expects that the innovations researched
under the Young Faculty Award program will assist in identifying
new areas of research that are sufficiently important and
challenging to warrant additional DARPA programs. DARPA'
s Microsystems Technology Office sponsors the Young Faculty
Award program.
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March 26
Third
Major Building at UC Merced Campus Awarded LEED "Gold"
Certification for Environmental Excellence
University remains on track to become first campus
in nation to attain LEED "Silver" certification
or better for all structures
MERCED, CA - The U.S. Green Building Council
has awarded LEED "Gold" certification, signifying
excellence in environmentally responsible design, construction
and operation, to the Classroom and Office Building at the
University of California, Merced, the university said today
(March 26).
The building is the third at the newest
UC campus to earn USGBC's LEED "Gold" certification.
The Central Plant complex and the Leo & Dottie Kolligian
Library earned the same distinction within the last year.
The USGBC is an independent, nonprofit
organization that promotes sustainable building practices
under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEEDT) program. It rates buildings for environmental performance
on a five-tier scale, awarding points for meeting or exceeding
standards on 69 different measures. "Gold" is
the second-highest level of achievement.
UC Merced is the only university in the
country to establish LEED "Silver" (one level
lower than "Gold") as its baseline for all buildings
on campus. Of the four buildings USGBC has rated to date,
three have exceeded this goal and the fourth, the Valley
Terraces and Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Commons, has met it.
"Sustainable building practices are
rapidly gaining favor around the world for many important
reasons," said Thomas Lollini, UC Merced associate
vice chancellor for physical planning, design and construction.
"They're good for the environment, good for the people
who use the buildings, and good for future generations,
who will appreciate our wise use of natural resources and
energy. They're also cost-effective, contrary to popular
perception.
"We are thrilled to be recognized
as an international leader in making sustainability the
new standard for development," Lollini said. "Our
campus is becoming a living laboratory of innovative and
responsible practices, which can be replicated by others.
We hope others in the region, the state and the world will
benefit from what we are learning here."
The Classroom and Office Building is one
of the primary buildings on campus, heavily used by students,
faculty and administrators for a wide range of daily activities.
It was awarded credits by the USGBC in all six of its measured
performance categories, including sustainable site development,
water and energy efficiency, use of local and recycled materials,
indoor environmental quality and innovation in the design
process.
"Meeting USGBC's demanding standards
requires a full and deliberate commitment in all phases
of development," said Mark Maxwell, LEED coordinator
for the campus. "The LEED ratings system assigns points
for meeting or exceeding performance standards on a wide
range of sustainability measures. Designers, suppliers,
contractors and others in the process deserve a lot of credit
for their efforts to innovate and work with us on better
ways to make our buildings functional, attractive and environmentally
friendly. We are learning how to do this more efficiently
and cost-effectively with each new building."
The LEED ratings system assigns points
for meeting or exceeding performance standards on a wide
range of sustainability measures. Ratings are based on the
total number of points awarded, as follows: 0-25 points,
not rated; 26-32 points, base certified; 33-38 points, Silver
certified; 39-51 points, Gold certified; 52 or more points,
Platinum certified.
To learn more about UC Merced's Environmental
Stewardship Program, visit http://www.ucmerced.edu/about_ucmerced/environmentalstewardship.asp.
For more information about previous LEED
awards for UC Merced buildings:
Library Complex Awarded "Gold"
LEED Certification (Jan. 18, 2008) <http://www.ucmerced.edu/news_articles/01142008_library_complex_awarded_leed.asp>
Central Plant Earns "Gold" LEED
Award (March 13, 2007) <http://www.ucmerced.edu/news_articles/03132007_uc_merced_s_first.asp>
|
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March 26
UC
Merced's Nonimaging Optics Lab Receives $2 Million Gift
Donation will expand the university's
work in non-polluting, renewable energy
MERCED - The University of California,
Merced, has received a $2 million gift from the California
Community Foundation (CCF) to support the university's Nonimaging
Optics (NIO) Lab, a facility developing new technologies
that are improving the potential for solar resources to
supply a substantial fraction of the world's energy needs.
"UC Merced is proud to be a leader
in solar concentration research, and this magnificent gift
will solidify that position," said Dean Jeff Wright
of the School of Engineering. "Our Nonimaging Optics
Lab has already gained worldwide recognition as a leader
in this field, and this funding will enable even more rapid
innovation."
Nonimaging optics is concerned with collecting,
concentrating, transporting and distributing light energy
in applications such as solar energy, signal detection,
illumination optics, and measurement and testing. Nonimaging
optics can concentrate sunlight to extremely high levels
with greatly improved operational efficiencies over traditional
designs. This research will enable more effective solar
energy generation technologies in the future.
UC Merced's NIO Lab - a cornerstone of
the planned Merced Energy Research Institute - is the brainchild
of Professor Roland Winston, a world-renowned physicist
and the founder of the field of nonimaging optics. Winston
and his team of researchers are engineering new concentrator
designs that will make solar energy more efficient and more
affordable to implement, which may benefit the solar-resource-rich
Central Valley of California and ultimately serve the entire
world in search of non-polluting, renewable energy.
The gift from CCF, a Los Angeles-based
philanthropic organization, recognizes the contributions
that Winston and UC Merced's NIO Lab have made and continue
to make to the solar energy industry. It will serve as a
catalyst for numerous NIO Lab research projects by providing
research infrastructure, student support and international
linkages with the top energy engineers and scientists around
the world.
"Our lab is very grateful that CCF
has recognized the potential of nonimaging optics to help
alleviate global energy woes," Winston said. "The
support provided by such a large gift will enable us to
move forward rapidly with new energy innovation in the coming
years and will empower us to train the next generation of
students in nonimaging optics."
Winston, working with students and colleagues,
has applied the field of nonimaging optics to a variety
of problems in radiation detection, illumination and solar
energy concentration.
"Professor Roland Winston was recruited
to UC Merced to create a world class program in solar energy,"
said Maria Pallavicini, dean of the School of Natural Sciences.
"Not only is he developing innovative approaches for
solar concentration, but he is training the next generation
of researchers in nonimaging optics. This generous gift
from the CCF will ensure that the legacy Professor Winston
has begun will continue."
"Dr. Winston is absolutely committed
to energy innovation and educating technical leaders to
shape our energy future," Wright said. "We are
so fortunate to have such visionary scholars and educators
at this exciting new university."
Winston is jointly appointed in the schools
of Natural Science and Engineering at UC Merced. He joined
UC Merced as a founding faculty member in 2003 and holds
the UC Presidential Endowed Chair.
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March 20
California
Climate Action Registry Declares UC Merced a Climate Action
Leader
UC Merced' s first emissions report accepted by
voluntary reporting organization
MERCED - The California Climate Action
Registry (CCAR) has pronounced the University of California,
Merced, a Climate Action Leader. The newest campus in the
UC system completed the voluntary reporting and verification
process for 2006 and recently received notice of its acceptance.
" The acceptance of our first emissions
report is an important component of our ongoing commitment
to sustainability," said campus energy manager John
Elliott. " Anyone can log onto the CCAR site and see
what we' re doing, so it creates public accountability as
well as a record of our efforts for our own use and benefit."
The first emissions report from UC Merced
can be found online at http://www.climateregistry.org/CARROT/public/Reports.aspx.
Users should select "University of California,
Merced" in the Entity Name drop-down menu
and then click the blue "View Report"
button on the right.
UC Merced is able to report unusually low
emissions because of a campuswide commitment to green building
and operations. Campus buildings must be certified LEED
Silver through the green building certification program
sponsored the U.S. Green Building Council. Going beyond
the LEED requirements, UC Merced is shooting for its buildings
to use only half the energy of comparable buildings in California.
CCAR has also accepted 2006 reports from
five other UC campuses - Berkeley, Los Angeles, Riverside,
Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz.
The California Climate Action Registry
was established by California statue as a non-profit voluntary
registry for greenhouse gas emissions. A first report such
as the one UC Merced has completed can be used as a baseline
against which future emission-reduction requirements or
goals may be applied.
" As we add more buildings, we plan
to continue pushing commitment to sustainable practices,
looking toward a long-term goal of climate neutrality,"
Elliott said.
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|
March 11, 2008
Gallos Donate Gift
of Music to UC Merced
$50,000 gift allows purchase of university's first
Steinway piano
MERCED - A $50,000 donation from Bob and Marie Gallo has
enabled the University of California, Merced, to purchase
its first Steinway concert grand piano to help support music
performances, visiting scholar and artist programs, and launch
UC Merced's nascent music program.
"Bob and Marie Gallo's dedication to education and their
patronage of the arts are reflected throughout the San Joaquin
Valley and beyond," said Hans Björnsson, interim
dean of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts
and acting vice provost for Academic Planning. "This
extraordinary concert piano will not only provide a critical
foundation for the implementation of the music program, but
will expand UC Merced's ability to provide performance opportunities
to faculty, staff, students and the community."
Within days of the Gallos' offer to donate the funds needed
to purchase a concert grand, Björnsson traveled to Dale
Erwin Piano Restorers in Modesto with music professor Kevin
Fellezs. It took the duo a full day of testing concert pianos
to find the one that met the university's unique needs, including
range and quality of sound.
The rare vintage Steinway 'B' Grand Piano was unveiled in
front of a small group with a performance of "Song for
Merced," a piece composed by Professor Fellezs and dedicated
to Marie Gallo. The seven-foot concert piano, made in 1952,
will be housed in the Dr. Lakireddy Auditorium.
The piano will help launch the first of the campus' planned
music program, beginning with a Jazz Center and respective
research programs. It will open the door to student and faculty
recitals, visiting artist/scholar performances and lectures,
along with a full repertoire of concerts.
The Gallos have been advocates of the newest UC campus since
its inception. Bob Gallo has served on the UC Merced Foundation
Board of Trustees since September 2003, and the couple supports
the Chancellor's Associates program. |
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| March 7, 2008
UC
Merced Offers On-Campus Housing for Summer Session
8-week contract and meal plan make staying here convenient
for students
MERCED - Cities with major universities can become almost
ghostly when classes aren't in session, but UC Merced is hoping
to change things this summer with the introduction of on-campus
housing contracts for summer school <http://summersession.ucmerced.edu/>
students.
This is the first year the campus has offered to open its
residence halls to students in the summer time, said Leslie
Santos, director of housing and residence life. Officials
hope that by giving students a place to hang their hat over
the summer, the university will be able to improve upon last
year's enrollment of 300. In 2006, 97 students enrolled in
summer session courses.
Summer school students will live in the Valley Terraces <http://housing.ucmerced.edu/2.asp?uc=1&lvl2=6&lvl3=6&lvl4=7&contentid=5>
. Valley Terraces are the two- and three-bedroom apartment-like
suites with a common living room and spacious bathroom. As
an incentive to sign up sooner, rather than later, the university
is offering a deal to early birds.
"The first 50 students who apply and pay their $150
reservation fee will get a double-occupancy room all to themselves,"
Santos said. "That means more space and more privacy
in a shared suite."
Applications for summer housing will be available online
<http://housing.ucmerced.edu/> , beginning March 10.
Students opting to live on campus will get an eight-week contract
for $2,525, which includes the price of the room, meals at
the Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center <http://dining.ucmerced.edu/2.asp?uc=1&lvl2=55&contentid=33>
, utilities (except telephone service), cable television,
high-speed Internet, activities and 24-hour access to staff
in case of emergencies. The housing contract begins June 15
and ends Aug. 8.
Summer session is an exciting time for students and the community.
It's the one time when UC Merced classes are open to almost
anyone, regardless of academic experience, said Assistant
Registrar Erin Webb.
"It's a great time for anyone to take a UC class,"
she said. "It's an intense session, but it's great for
those interested in what our campus has to offer."
Students south of Merced have the option to take classes
without setting foot on the main campus. A variety of courses
will be broadcast via two-way, live videoconferencing to UC
Merced's educational centers in Bakersfield and Fresno to
make learning more convenient for residents in those areas.
Students enrolled in summer session through the educational
centers will see and participate in the on-campus courses
as they are happening.
Registration is open and will continue until classes start
June 16. Students are encouraged to register early, because
classes fill up.
There are two regular sessions that are six and eight weeks
long, and a "special summer session," featuring
two courses designed for high school students.
Courses will be offered on a variety of topics, such as genetics,
advanced math, the Vietnam War, and more. Additional options
will be announced shortly.
Webb said the variety of courses makes UC Merced the ideal
summer education choice for high school and college students,
in addition to the general public.
"We really do offer something for everyone," she
said.
Summer session classes are open to anyone, but high school
students need a letter of recommendation from their principal
or counselor.
For more information on summer session -- including a course
schedule --
visit http://summersession.ucmerced.edu
,
e-mail summersession@ucmerced.edu
or call (209) 228-7734.
|
March 3, 2008
Glushko-Samuelson Foundation
Gift Supports UC Merced Cognitive Science Program
$50,000 donation will boost visibility
and benefit students
MERCED - The University of California, Merced, is quickly
gaining international recognition in the cognitive science
community because of its interdisciplinary approach to the
study of thought and behavior. The Glushko-Samuelson Foundation
has donated $50,000 to the UC Merced Cognitive Science Program
to fund educational events and increase visibility on campus.
Last fall, Robert J. Glushko, president of the foundation
and adjunct professor in the UC Berkeley School of Information,
visited UC Merced as a guest speaker. Glushko met with cognitive
science faculty members Teenie Matlock and Paul Maglio of
the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts and praised
the university for its dedication to preparing young cognitive
scientists for high-tech jobs and competitive graduate programs.
"I am very impressed with UC Merced's vision for its
cognitive science program and commitment to interdisciplinary
training," Glushko said. "It is training students
to land real-world jobs, for instance, in high-tech companies,
or to do state-of-the-art research in academia."
The Glushko-Samuelson Foundation donation will fund student
travel to the annual Cognitive Science Society meeting and
award prizes for outstanding cognitive science student research.
It will also support the Mind, Technology and Society talk
series and establish the UC Merced Cognitive Science Visitor
Program, which are intended to bring world-renowned cognitive
scientists to the university each semester.
"This is the beginning of many wonderful opportunities
for our students, and we are very grateful," said Matlock,
founding faculty member and co-chairwoman of the cognitive
science group.
"The donation means a lot coming from Bob," Maglio
said. "He's a pioneer in cognitive science and in document
engineering, which applies cognitive science to business settings."
UC Merced's cognitive science program combines methods and
approaches from philosophy, computer science, linguistics,
neuroscience and psychology. Students can pursue a B.A., a
B.S. or a minor in cognitive science. A Ph.D. program is in
the planning process. |
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March 3, 2008
Donor Gives Radio Station
a Boost
$6,000 gift helps UC Merced's pursuit of FCC
license
MERCED - The University of California, Merced, may be one
step closer to having a student-run radio station on campus,
thanks to a donation from the Jane and Marc Nathanson Family
Foundation.
The $6,000 gift gave UC Merced the seed funding needed to
submit a non-commercial FM station license application with
the Federal Communications Commission in October. The Nathanson
Family Foundation's contribution helped cover the professional
fees associated with preparing the FCC application.
"The FCC will only award one license in the Merced region,
so the selection process will be highly competitive,"
said Christian Ayeni, vice president and co-founder of the
campus Radio Club and junior at UC Merced. "To have the
chance of being awarded the sole license, we needed professional
assistance in preparing the application. We are thankful for
this generous gift."
The Nathanson family has a deep history in broadcasting.
Don Paul Nathanson first published Radio Showmanship Magazine
in 1940 and bought his first radio station in Wyoming in 1952.
His son, Marc Nathanson, founded Falcon Communications, the
nation's 10th largest cable television operator, at the age
of 28. In 1999, he sold the company to Charter Communications
and remains vice chairman of the company's board. He is also
chairman of Mapleton Investments, LLC, Mapleton Capital Management
and Mapleton Communications.
Marc's son, Adam, is the founder and president of Mapleton
Communications. That company operates 40 radio stations in
small and midsized markets across the Western United States,
including Radio Merced's five stations.
Ayeni said the Nathanson family and Radio Merced have been
very supportive of UC Merced and its goal to start a radio
station.
"We believe in radio and training young men and women
in this field. An FM station at UC Merced is a great way to
accomplish this goal," stated Adam Nathanson.
Ayeni anticipates receiving a decision about the campus radio
station's licensing later this year. In the meantime, the
Radio Club and service learning class continue to concentrate
on designing the physical and operational architectures needed
to get the station up and running. |
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| Feb. 26, 2008
UC Merced to Join UC Day Advocates
in Highlighting Green Practices
Newest campus' place in the " green tent"
will feature natural-gas-powered car, solar energy research
MERCED - The newest campus in the University of California
system will take its place among its older " sisters"
on Tuesday, March 4, under a big, green tent by the state
capitol in Sacramento.
The University of California, Merced, will feature a natural-gas-powered
car donated by Pacific Gas & Electric and a working solar
concentrator developed by Professor Roland Winston of the
UC Merced schools of Engineering and Natural Sciences.
All ten UC campuses, along with the national laboratories
from Berkeley and Livermore and UC' s Agriculture and Natural
Resources division and some multi-campus research centers,
will be advocating for the UC system March 4. That day will
be the annual Alumni Association of the University of California
(AAUC) Day in Sacramento, commonly known as UC Day. The event
brings together UC alumni, stakeholders and friends to emphasize
UC' s role in providing, high-quality, affordable education;
improving California' s quality of life; and creating solutions
for the state' s challenges.
This year, UC was recognized by the Sierra Club as one of
the top 10 " green" universities in the United States,
and therefore the system chose " UC Goes Green"
as the theme for UC Day. UC plays a crucial part in protecting
the environment and pioneering sustainable practices through
its three missions of education, research and public services,
as well as leading the way in responsible buildings and operations.
UC Merced, as the newest campus in the system, has the opportunity
to break new ground in each of these areas. Three of UC Merced'
s building complexes are already certified Gold or Silver
by the US Green Building Commissions LEED program.
Alumni, stakeholders and friends can still get involved in
UC Day through the Web site
www.ucday.org.
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| Feb. 22, 2008
Research Week: A
Growing Tradition of Discovery March 4 through 6
Student research poster competition, faculty symposium and
distinguished speaker mark second annual research celebration
MERCED - To help the community
understand and engage in the research mission of the University
of California, UC Merced will host its annual celebration
of discovery and knowledge, Research Week, from March 4 through
6.
Research Week, expanded from last year' s
Research Day celebration, has been designated by the campus
administration as a time when students and the general public
can explore what researchers on campus are studying and begin
to imagine the effects their discoveries might have.
" We host an annual research celebration
to share the work of our outstanding professors, students
and other researchers with the community," said Vice
Chancellor for Research Samuel J. Traina. " This research
fuels classroom teaching, provides hands-on experiences for
students, and contributes to society through advances in fields
like biomedical research, political science and environmental
engineering."
The week kicks off Tuesday, March 4, with the annual student
poster competition, encouraging students from freshmen to
Ph.D. candidates to share their work with peers, professors
and the community. Two first-place prizes will be awarded
- one for an undergraduate and one for a graduate student.
The poster forum begins at 10 a.m. in the Joseph Edward Gallo
Recreation and Wellness Center gymnasium. The public is welcome
to attend free of charge.
The same day, the Graduate Student Association presents a
UC Merced Faculty Research Symposium from noon to 4:30 p.m.
in the Bobcat Lair, Room 169 of the Kolligian Library. Members
of the faculty will use this time to share their research
interests and accomplishments with their faculty peers, students
and the community. This event is also free and open to the
public.
The Vital and Alice Pellissier Family Distinguished Speaker
Series will bring its second guest to campus - Stanford University
immunologist and geneticist Leonard A. Herzenberg, who invented
the fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) that revolutionized
the study of cancer cells and is the basis for purification
of adult stem cells. His lecture is titled, " FACS and
Flow Cytometry from 1960 to the Kyoto Prize 2006."
Leonore A. Herzenberg, also a professor at
Stanford, will present with her husband in the public lecture.
Her topic will be " Making Computers Serve Biology: An
Immunology Perspective."
The joint lecture begins at 7 p.m., after
a 6 p.m. reception, and will be free and open to the public
in the Dr. Lakireddy Auditorium on the UC Merced campus.
The distinguished speaker series is another
important tradition associated with Research Day. The Pellissier
family, longtime residents of Merced County, has funded the
series with a donation to UC Merced. When the family sold
its ranch on the west side of Merced, where grandparents Vital
and Alice established themselves, they decided to use part
of the proceeds to create a legacy at UC Merced.
UC Merced plans for the Pellissier speaker
series to continue annually, in association with Research
Week.
Visitors to UC Merced for Research Week events
should park in the Lake Lot near the campus entrance. A parking
permit is required from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Permits cost $1 for two hours with a maximum of $4 per day.
For more information, visit http://taps.ucmerced.edu.
For more information about Research Week,
call the Office of Research at (209) 228-4429 or visit the
Research Week Web site at http://www.ucmerced.edu/research/researchweek. |
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|
Fairy
Shrimp Festival
2008 Earth Day Celebration
The 2008 Fairy Shrimp Festival / Earth Day
Event will be held April 19, 2008 (12 Noon
– 5 pm) on the UC Merced Campus (5200 N. Lake Rd). April
19, 2008 is also the UC Merced Bobcat Day.
The Office of Student Life would like to
invite you to join us for our third Fairy Shrimp Festival
/ Earth Day Celebration.
We are inviting artists, environmentalists, educators, cultural
groups and the community to participate in our Fairy Shrimp
Festival. The Festival is open to all people looking for an
opportunity to display and sell handmade and original pieces
of art and celebrate Earth Day while enjoying music, crafts
and activities. This year we will be holding the event on
the same day as Bob Cat Day.
We will be hosting this event one weekend prior to Earth
Day and celebrating the 38th annual Earth Day celebration
on April 19, 2008 (Earth Day is really the 22nd). Our host
clubs are the Green Club who will be working with our educational
and environmental groups, The ARTS Triad club who will be
hosting our arts and craft booths and the Radio club who will
be hosting our information and activities stage. The event
will be held on Campus and is open to the public. Please see
the attached application and contact us if you have any further
questions or would like an application for the event. We are
currently accepting applications from artist, environmental
and educational programs as well as food venders.
Arts / Crafts
and Vendor Application |
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|
February 18
UC Alumna Creates Endowment
To Benefit UC Merced Students
$100,000 gift will expand student
scholarships
MERCED - As a UC alumna and former Los Banos
High School teacher, Beverlee Sieghold Antoine knows the importance
of a quality education first-hand. Antoine has chosen to leave
a legacy at the University of California, Merced with a donation
of $100,000 to establish the Beverlee Sieghold Antoine Scholarship
Endowment Fund.
"I chose to establish a scholarship
at UC Merced that will benefit the young men and women of
the San Joaquin Valley," Antoine said. "It is an
honor for me to be a part of this exciting new campus."
Antoine, who was born and raised in Berkeley,
graduated from high school at the age of 15 and attended college
with a $1,000 gift from her father supplemented by a part-time
job at the campus book store. Antoine graduated from UC Berkeley
with a teaching credential in 1935 and began her career teaching
underprivileged adults how to read and write.
She later moved to Los Banos and taught high
school English and drama for several years.
After living in the San Joaquin Valley for
more than 70 years, Antoine felt inspired to demonstrate her
fondness for the area and her strong belief in education with
a gift to support UC Merced students.
"As a graduate of Cal and a former Los
Banos teacher, I have had a lifelong passion for education,"
Antoine said.
The fund will provide low-income students
with the opportunity to achieve their education goals through
scholarships awarded annually to two undergraduate students
in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts.
"Need-based scholarships are vitally
important to continue to attract high-achieving students who
might not otherwise be able to afford to attend UC Merced,"
said John Garamendi Jr., vice chancellor for university relations.
"Beverlee's extremely generous gift will empower the
university to further support our students." |
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February 12
UC Merced Physicist
Garners Prestigious NSF CAREER Award for Theoretical Work
on Chaos and Fractals
MERCED - Mention chaos and fractals, and most people think
of colorful fractal art calendars or James Gleick' s 1988
bestselling book, " Chaos."
The scientific questions touched on by these
cultural phenomena are far from exhausted, and one professor
at the University of California, Merced, has new funding from
the National Science Foundation to help deepen our understanding
of the complicated patterns of nature. Professor Kevin Mitchell'
s CAREER Award - a prestigious grant for young researchers
- will support his work on chaos with a total of $400,000
over the next five years.
Mitchell' s CAREER Award is groundbreaking
as only the second for the fledgling UC Merced campus. (The
first was awarded to Professor Mónica Medina last year.)
Mitchell has been on board as a faculty member in the School
of Natural Sciences since the campus' grand opening.
" Kevin' s talent and hard work in mathematical
physics certainly merit the recognition he has received from
NSF," said Dean Maria Pallavicini of the School of Natural
Sciences. " We' re very pleased for his success and excited
to see one of our own so recognized for pushing forward the
boundaries of knowledge."
Mitchell' s project, " Chaotic Transport:
From Fundamental Theory to Applications in Atomic Physics,"
proposes using mathematical, theoretical and computer tools
to examine how those extremely complex patterns might manifest
in diverse systems.
" Chaos is actually sort of a misleading
term for what we study, because it makes people think it'
s impossible to understand," Mitchell said. " Actually
there' s lots of structure in chaotic systems, beautiful structure.
We just need to use the right tools to understand it."
He and his colleagues have studied the behavior
of a hydrogen atom - the simplest of atoms - when it is placed
in magnetic and electric fields. The magnetic field alters
the otherwise-simple orbit of the atom' s single electron,
introducing chaos into the system. The trajectories of the
electrons in this system can be predicted using complicated
fractal patterns, which Mitchell seeks to understand more
deeply.
He will also work with a graduate student
studying the chaotic behavior of a hydrogen atom when it is
subjected to a regular sequence of kicks - such as can be
applied by a pulsed electric field.
A third application varies from the hydrogen-atom
model in that it involves study of the motion of entire atoms
(not just their electrons) in extremely cold environments.
The 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to the researchers
who achieved this super-cold state of matter, called a Bose-Einstein
condensate, in the laboratory. Mitchell and his colleagues
theorize that small packets of ultra-cold atoms inside an
atomic trap should exhibit chaotic motion analogous to that
displayed by the electrons of the hydrogen atoms he is studying
in his other two systems.
" This project really spans the range
of my interests," Mitchell said. " It makes the
links between mathematical physics and fundamental mathematical
theory to applications in experimental systems."
He said it' s gratifying for a theoretical
physicist like himself to see those connections.
His proposal to NSF also included an educational
component - a requirement from the CAREER program that encourages
scientists to ensure that their work serves the public as
well as the academic community. Mitchell plans an outreach
program leveraging UC Merced' s K-12 education contacts through
California Teach and the Science and Math Initiative as well
as his relationship with the Higher Education Consortium of
Central California.
" We' ll coordinate visits by grad students,
professional physicists and faculty like me to high school
classrooms, sharing with students in the Central Valley that
physics is not just something you have to get through in high
school - it' s a field with career potential, something that
real people do," he said.
He also hopes to draw groups of students
to visit UC Merced for events like Research Week, coming up
in early March this year.
" My goal is to widen the pipeline for
Valley students coming to UC Merced," he said. "
I hope that personal contact makes the difference to encourage
them to pursue a career in science."
Mitchell noted that the process he underwent
to receive this award was extremely competitive.
" Like a lot of junior faculty members,
I' ve been working hard to bring in funding," he said.
" I feel fortunate to have been successful this time.
There are a lot of very talented researchers at UC Merced,
and as a group we are becoming increasingly successful at
bringing in major grants of this nature."
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February 5
Darwin Day Lecture
at UC Merced by Antonio Lazcano
MERCED - The Office of Research,
the Division of Graduate Studies and the Core One course at
the University of California, Merced, will sponsor a Feb.
15 lecture about the origins of life in celebration of the
199th birthday of Charles Darwin.
Antonio Lazcano of the Universidad Nacional
Autónoma de México will visit the campus to
deliver the lecture, " The Origins of Life on Earth:
An Evolutionary Perspective," that day at 3 p.m. Audience
members may be seated in either room 102 or room 105 of the
Classroom Building at UC Merced.
Lazcano' s lecture will hark to the earliest days of life
- when atmospheric, oceanic and astronomically-based factors
may have come together to create what is commonly called the
" primordial soup" or " prebiotic broth."
Lazcano' s talk will explain how this may have created an
" RNA world" that contained the seeds of life -
or maybe not. He will suggest that RNA may not have been a
direct outcome of prebiotic evolution, but rather the evolutionary
outcome of even older, more primitive living systems.
The public is welcome, and there is no cost to attend the
lecture. UC Merced is located at 5200 N. Lake Road in Merced.
Guests should park in the Lake Lot near the campus entrance.
Parking is $1/hour (visit http://taps.ucmerced.edu/
for more information about parking and transportation on campus).
Antonio Lazcano is head of the Microbiology Laboratory at
the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
He has received several major awards for his contributions
to science, scientific journalism, and teaching. He is the
author of several books in Spanish, including " The Miraculous
Bacteria," a collection of scientific essays, "
The Spark of Life," a layperson-level exploration of
the heterotrophic theory of the emergence of life, and "
The Origin of Life," which has become a best-seller with
more than 600,000 copies sold.
Darwin Day is an international celebration of science and
humanity held on or around February 12, the day that Charles
Darwin was born on in 1809. For more information, see www.darwinday.org.
For more information about the Feb. 15 Darwin Day lecture,
please contact Professor Monica Medina at (209) 228-7863 or
mmedina@ucmerced.edu, or Professor Wil van Breugel at (209)
658-6392 or wvanbreugel@ucmerced.edu.
WHO: Professor Antonio Lazcano, Universidad
Nacional Autónomo de México
WHAT: Darwin Day lecture, " The Origin
of Life on Earth: An Evolutionary Perspective"
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 15, 2008, 3 p.m.
WHERE: Classroom Building, Rooms 102 and
105
The University of California, Merced
5200 N. Lake Rd., Merced, CA
For more information about UC Merced, please see www.ucmerced.edu. |
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January 29
UC Merced Receives
Record Number of Applicants for Fall 2008 Semester
Applications increase by 15.4 percent
over previous year
MERCED - Interest in the University of California,
Merced, continues to grow, according to application statistics
released today by the UC Office of the President (www.ucop.edu/news/studstaff.html).
More than 10,000 students have applied to the UC' s newest
campus, which is 15.4 percent higher than last year. This
gives UC Merced the sharpest gain in the UC system of applications
received by the Nov. 30, 2007, undergraduate deadline, nudging
slightly ahead of the Davis and Santa Barbara campuses. In
fact, the number of freshman who applied to UC Merced this
year - 9,084 - exceeds the total number of applicants received
last year - 8,818. Over the last two years, applications to
the university have increased 16.1 percent.
" It is tremendously gratifying to hear that more and
more students are interested in our campus and the outstanding
educational experience it provides," UC Merced Chancellor
Steve Kang said. " I am confident that we will see healthy
and diverse growth in our student population once again this
coming year."
As of fall 2007, UC Merced had a total student population
of 1,871 students. Campus officials expect to have 2,500 students
enrolled in fall 2008.
SYSTEMWIDE COMPARISON
Compared to the UC system' s gain of 9 percent and 8.5 percent,
respectively, UC Merced has seen growth in the number of freshmen
and transfer applicants. With a 13.2 percent increase over
last year, the campus has the fourth-largest gain in freshmen
applicants. Transfer applications increased by almost 37.7
percent
" The increase in transfer applications is a direct
result of our admissions staff working hard to develop relationships
with students interested in transferring and community college
staff," said Kevin Browne, assistant vice chancellor
of enrollment management. " We consider this a huge vote
of confidence from transfer students and our colleagues in
the community college system."
The news of the rise in applications comes at a time when
some UC campuses might decide to hold down their enrollments
because of budget cuts. However, since UC Merced has the green
light for growth, qualified applicants won' t have to be turned
away.
" Every single student space in the UC system is precious,"
Browne said. " UC Merced is doing its part to make sure
every qualified student who wants a UC education gets the
opportunity to have one."
REGIONAL DATA
Combining all in-state undergraduate applications received
by Nov. 30, 2007, UC Merced saw the most significant growth
in those from Los Angeles (29 percent), the San Francisco
Bay Area (28 percent) and San Joaquin Valley (19.2 percent).
The number of freshmen applicants rose since last year by:
23.7 percent from the Southern Central Valley (Fresno, Inyo,
Kings, Kern and Tulare counties); 19 percent from the Riverside/San
Bernardino area; 15.5 percent from Sacramento; and 14.8 percent
from Northern Central Valley (Madera, Merced, Stanislaus and
San Joaquin counties.
The number of transfer applicants rose since last year by:
70.6 percent from Orange County; 62.5 percent from the Southern
Central Valley (Fresno, Inyo, Kings, Kern and Tulare counties);
44.5 percent from Los Angeles; and 42.9 percent from Sacramento.
GRADUATE DATA
As of Jan. 28, UC Merced had received double the number of
applications from prospective graduate students compared to
last year. More than 290 students applied for graduate programs,
162 of whom were international applicants. As of this time
last year, the campus had received 120 graduate applications.
There is space to grant admission to 40 graduate students
for fall 2008.
" We attribute this increase, particularly in the rise
of international applicants, to the increase in faculty, the
growing breadth of our programs and our faculty' s heightened
Web presence," said Samuel Traina, acting vice chancellor
for research and dean of graduate studies.
According to fall 2007 enrollment data, there are 120 students
currently seeking graduate degrees at UC Merced.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR FALL 2008 APPLICANTS
Through March 2 -- Financial aid priority application
filing period for students to submit Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and a GPA Verification Form for
Cal Grants. UC Merced' s FAFSA School Code is 041271
• Feb. 15 -- Application deadline for
graduate student admission
• March 1-31 -- On-time freshman applicants
notified of admission decision
• March 1-May 1 --On-time transfer
applicants notified of admission decision
• April 19 - Bobcat Day; campus open
house for prospective students and their families
• May 1 --Deadline for freshman applicants
to submit Statement of Intent to Register
• June 1 --Deadline for transfer applicants
to submit Statement of Intent to Register
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