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The School of Physical Sciences is committed to sharing information about its administration, academics, outreach and research—from people to their changemaking activities—with a full-service news and multimedia team. From writing stories and media training, to coordinating press interviews and posting social media news, we cover the physical sciences around the clock, year-round.

	A Mathematical Model Connects the Evolution of Chickens, Fish and Frogs New research from Mattia Serra's group suggests that the same physical principles behind multicellular self-organization may have evolved across vertebrate species.
	Can Signs of Life be Detected from Saturn’s Frigid Moon? Robert Continetti's team has shown unambiguous laboratory evidence that amino acids transported in the ice plumes of Saturn's moon, Eceladus, can survive impact speeds of up to 4.2 km/s, supporting their detection during sampling by spacecraft.
	On the Atomic Highway, Researchers Help Atoms Stay in Their Lane As technology rapidly evolves, the need for faster, more precise sensors is critical. One possibility lies with quantum science and technology. New research from Julio Barreiro's lab lays the groundwork by successfully trapping strontium atoms around a tapered optical fiber.
	New Faculty Reshape the Meaning of Inclusive Research, Teaching and Service Assistant Professor of Chemistry John Sous is a part of the university's "Bridging Black Studies and STEM" and plans to develop a course on effective science communication.
	UC San Diego Welcomes Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland Nobel laureate Donna Strickland visited UC San Diego to discuss her career in optical physics and her work creating chirped pulse amplification, for which she received the prize in 2018.
	Beyond UFOs: the Future of Unexplained Anomalous Phenomena Astrophysicist Shelley Wright recently served on NASA's panel on unexplained anomalous phenomena (UAPs) and takes a moment to reflect on her career, the panel and the ongoing search for extraterrestrial life.
	The Math Problem That Took Nearly a Century to Solve Little progress had been made in solving Ramsey problems since the 1930s. Now, UC San Diego researchers Jacques Verstraete and Sam Mattheus have found the answer to r(4,t), a longstanding Ramsey problem that has perplexed the math world for decades.
	Javier Duarte Receives 2024 Henry Primakoff Award Assistant Professor of Physics Javier Duarte has received the 2024 Henry Primakoff Award for Early-Career Particle Physics for his work involving AI and machine learning, as well as his contributions to advances in Higgs physics studies at CERN.
	$30 Million in Funding Helps Scientists Study Universe’s Oldest Light The Simons Foundation has provided $28.8 million and the Heising-Simons Foundation has provided $1.5 million to the UC San Diego to complete the last phase of construction on the Simons Observatory in Chile.
	2023 Revelle Medal Recipients Announced Professor Emeritus of Physics Lu Sham received the 2023 Revelle Medal, recognized for his distinguished and extraordinary service to UC San Diego. Sham is a world-renowned theoretical physicist whose Kohn-Sham equation laid the foundation for density functional theory.
	UC San Diego Launches STEM Education Research Program VERSA is a new, NSF-funded program that gives undergraduates access to research experience while also asking them to think critically about how science is taught and to whom.
	Student Spotlight: Deena Pederson Senior Deena Pederson likes a challenge. As a member of the women’s softball team and a math-computer science major, she is always looking for new ways to push herself.
	Alison Coil Appointed Chair of the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics The School of Physical Sciences is pleased to announce the appointment of observational astrophysicist Alison Coil as the inaugual chair of UC San Diego’s new Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
	Biochemistry Student Matthew Uzelac Awarded Goldwater Scholarship The Barry Goldwater Scholarship provides one year of funding for students in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics.
	Quantum Material Exhibits “Non-Local” Behavior That Mimics Brain Function New research from Q-MEEN-C shows that electrical stimuli passed between neighboring electrodes can also affect non-neighboring electrodes. Known as non-locality, this discovery is a crucial milestone toward creating brain-like computers with minimal energy requirements.
	Across the Universe: UC San Diego Announces New Astronomy and Astrophysics Department The School of Physical Sciences is expanding! Welcome to the new Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, ushering in a new era of groundbreaking discovery and teaching excellence.
	DeCLASSified: Organic Chemistry for Life Sciences (40AB) Organic chemistry has traditionally been offered as a course series meant to prepare chemistry and biological sciences majors for their upper-division chemistry and biochemistry courses. In this inaugural edition of deCLASSified, we take a look inside a new course geared toward life sciences majors.
	Dean's Undergraduate Excellence Awards Congratulations to the recipients of the Dean's Undergraduate Excellence Awards! These students have demonstrated academic excellence and promise as researchers.
	Ming Xiao Receives Distinguished Teaching Award Congratulations to Math Professor Ming Xiao who received the 2023 Distinguished Teaching Award for his teaching excellence and contributions to pedagogy and mentorship at UC San Diego.
	School of Physical Sciences Class of ’23 Share Their Stories Congratulations to all of our graduates. Read some of their stories here.
	Rethink, Rewrite, Redefine—How Biodegradable Plastics Are Reshaping Sustainability A new book authored by UC San Diego researchers explores algae-based biodegradable plastics and the potential it has to change consumerism on a global scale.
	Rhythm and Proofs: Finding Music in the Math Professors from UC San Diego's Department of Mathematics discuss their personal connections between math and music, highlighting the mathematical constructs found in music.
	The School of Physical Sciences Announces 2023 EDI Excellence Awardees Congrats to the recipients of the 2023 EDI Excellence Awardees. They have done outstanding work to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion within their fields and the School of Physical Sciences.
	High School Students Learn the Basics of Base Editing to Cure “GFP-itis” UC San Diego researchers implemented an outreach program introducing local high school students to genome engineering technologies and encouraging them to learn about a career in science.
	New Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics in the School of Physical Sciences A new Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics is set to be established within the School of Physical Sciences at UC San Diego.
	Student Spotlight: Payton Evans Master's student Payton Evans talks about her work in in Robert “Skip” Pomeroy’s lab and her interest in analytical chemistry.
	Praise for Postdocs, Our Research Pros and Meaningful Mentors UC San Diego celebrated National Postdoc Appreciation Week by recognizing the achievements and contributions of its postdoctoral scholars as mentors and research professionals.
	Schmidt Futures Fellows Seek to Expand Promise of AI in STEM Fields Ten UC San Diego postdoctoral scholars have been named as Schmidt Futures Fellows to explore AI in STEM fields. Their projects include developing AI tools for medical research, improving climate change models, and increasing accessibility to STEM education.
	Celebrating Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week UC San Diego is celebrating Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week to honor the hard work and dedication of its graduate and professional students. Join us for a week of virtual activities, workshops, and events!
	UC San Diego Launches a Stellar Ph.D. Program in Astronomy UC San Diego has announced a new graduate program in astronomy, which provides students the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge astronomical and astrophysical research.
	Appointment of Michael D. Burkart as New Department of Chemistry Chair UC San Diego has appointed Michael D. Burkart as the new chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, in recognition of his contributions to organic synthesis and chemical biology.
	UC San Diego Receives $15M Cryptocurrency Donation, Largest for Research on Airborne Pathogens UC San Diego has received a $1.5 million donation in cryptocurrency to fund research into the transmission of airborne diseases, such as COVID-19, and the development of technologies to mitigate their spread.
	Coastal Water Pollution Transfers to the Air in Sea Spray Aerosol and Reaches People on Land Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have found that coastal water pollution transfers to the air in sea spray aerosol. This can potentially reach people on land, posing a risk to their health.
	Four Early Career Professors at UC San Diego Awarded Sloan Research Fellowships Four professors at UC San Diego were awarded the Sloan Research Fellowship, a prestigious award for early-career scientists. The fellowship is one of the most distinguished awards available to young researchers.
	A Star is Born: Images of Nearby Galaxies Provide Clues About Star Formation Researchers from UC San Diego used an advanced telecope to study the smallest dust particles of the interstellar medium, which provides clues on how new stars are formed.
	Two UC San Diego Faculty Named 2023 Cottrell Scholars UC San Diego faculty researchers Javier Duarte and Mark Herzik have been named 2023 Cottrell Scholars. This prestigious early career award honors early career teacher-scholars for outstanding research and academic leadership.
	Honoring the Historic Contributions of Mayer Hall to the Field of Physics Historic Mayer Hall has been home to the world's most famous physicists and is the birthplace of density functional theory, used today in new materials design and drug discovery. UCTV shares a brief history.
	Computer Model of Influenza Virus Shows Universal Vaccine Promise Researchers at UC San Diego have created an atomic-level computer model of the H1N1 virus, potentially leading to designs of future vaccines and antivirals against influenza.
	UC San Diego Cosmologists Are Working on a Radio Telescope Bound for the Simons Observatory in Chile A radio telescope bound for the Simons Observatory is nearing completion. The Simons Observatory is one of UC San Diego’s largest research projects to study the origin and evolution of the universe.
	Roger Tsien Inducted Into National Inventors Hall of Fame Late Chemistry Professor Roger Tsien, who won a Nobel Prize for his work on green fluorescent proteins, was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
	Alumni Spotlight: Mikaela Larkin Physics alumna Mikaela Larkin shares her experiences at UC San Diego and discusses her recently published paper on Population III stars.
	Rewriting the Textbook on Gene Regulation: It’s the Big Picture That Counts For the first time, researchers at UC San Diego have shown that changes in gene expression happen almost entirely during the transcription stage while the cells are growing. The researchers have provided a simple quantitative formula linking regulatory control to mRNA and protein levels.
	Physics Professor Brian Keating Named 2022 Legend of Flight Honoree Physics Professor Brian Keating was honored by the International Air & Space Hall of Fame as a 2022 Legend of Flight honoree, recognized for his work in studying the cosmic microwave background, and using it to learn about the origin and evolution of the universe.
	The Science of…Linear Algebra and the Design Matrix Johannes Brust is a visiting scholar with the Department of Mathematics. Earlier this year he published an article that discusses matrix designs for COVID-19 group testing. In this edition of “The Science of…” he talks about his paper and his work in linear algebra.

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