News

UC San Diego’s Rommie Amaro Wins Support for COVID-19 Research
The Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) awarded seven teams of scientists $700,000 for cutting-edge research through its COVID-19 Initiative: Detecting and Mitigating Epidemics. Among the scientists selected is UC San Diego’s Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Rommie Amaro.

UC San Diego Chemistry Student Stands Out to U.S. Dept. of Energy
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry PhD student Alejandra Arroyave is one of 62 students nationwide selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research program. She will conduct part of her thesis research at a national lab in collaboration with a DOE scientist.

The Psychedelic Science of Pain
The Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at UC San Diego organized the collaborative Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative, which explores the potential for psychedelics to address chronic pain conditions.

Onsite or Online, Good Teaching is Good Teaching
With a deep knowledge of curriculum and instruction, Thomas Bussey, an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, offers useful guidelines to educators as they navigate the online teaching and learning landscape during the pandemic.

UC San Diego’s Mark Herzik Named 2020 Searle Scholar
Assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry is one of 15 scientists to receive $300,000 for high-risk, high-reward research.

Researchers Turn Algae Leftovers into Renewable Products with Flare
Researchers take waste products from algae-based omega-3 oil production and convert them into valuable and renewable polyurethane foams with all kinds of commercial applications—from flip-flops and running shoe soles, to mattresses and yoga mats.

‘Molecular Distancing’ Presents Pathway to Remote Chemical Reactions
In a study led by UC San Diego Chemist Wei Xiong, he and colleague Joel Yuen-Zhou found a way to artificially make molecules in solution exchange vibrational energy at room temperature, challenging the current paradigm in chemistry.

Physicists Go Out on a Limb to Advance AI Computing
Department of Physics’ Alex Frano, Oleg Shpyrko and Ivan Zaluzhnyy, along with their collaborators, used quantum materials to create “neural trees” that mimic brain synapses.

From Physics Undergrad to Rocket Parts Pro—in Reverse
A typical trajectory for an undergraduate student is to get educated, get an internship and get a job. The career of Kyle Adriany (BS, physics; ’16) followed a different ARC.

Perspectives on Remote Learning and Teaching
With spring quarter classes and labs underway virtually as part of the collective effort to keep people safe, to stop the spread and to flatten the curve, Division of Physical Sciences science writing intern and chemistry undergraduate Z.Y. Zhuoying checked in with some students and faculty to see how they’re faring online.

Five UC San Diego Professors Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Physical Sciences professors Dmitri Basov, Terence Hwa, Clifford Kubiak and Kimberly Prather are among the Academy’s new members, recognized for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Four from UC San Diego Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Three faculty members and one vice chancellor are among the Academy’s 2020 class of 276 members, recognized for their outstanding accomplishments, expertise and insights toward the common good.

Researchers Make Gemstones with Salty, Soapy Water for the First Time
Collaborators from the University of California San Diego and New York University used water and salt to make “bling” with a proposed novel experiment by UC San Diego’s Jérémie Palacci to form ionic colloidal crystals from common colloids. Their research findings are published in Nature.

Industry Leader’s Passion for Chemistry Ferments Career
Home brewing and fermentation industry leader, UC San Diego alumnus Chris White, studied protein structure and function as a doctoral student. He used his experiences as an industry intern to eventually establish White Labs, Inc.

Math Scientist Powers Up to Solve Energy Grid Problem
Elizabeth Wong, assistant project scientist in the Department of Mathematics, was a member of an interdisciplinary and multi-institutional team that competed recently in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Optimization (GO) competition. The team placed second out of 27 participating teams, winning $400,000 for continued research.

To Beat Covid-19, Scientists Try to 'See' the Invisible Enemy
Using beams of X-rays and electrons, Rommie Amaro is leading a team of researchers in creating a moving model of the coronavirus in order to discover its weaknesses.

Margaret Burbidge, who explored the universe’s distant reaches, dies at 100
A self-described “watcher of the skies,” her research shed light on distant galaxies, mysterious quasars and the origins of chemical elements, helping to explain how humans and most everything else are made of stardust. Burbidge died April 5 at her home in San Francisco. She was 100.

E. Margaret Burbidge, Astronomer Who Blazed Trails on Earth, Dies at 100
Denied access to a telescope because she was a woman, Dr. Burbidge forged ahead anyway, going on to make pathbreaking discoveries about the cosmos.

UC San Diego Distinguished Math Professor Named 2020 SIAM Fellow
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) recently announced its 2020 Class of SIAM Fellows. Among the 28 new fellows is UC San Diego’s Distinguished Professor of Mathematics Ruth Williams, recognized for her contributions to the study of stochastic processes and their applications.

Chemistry Professor Honored with 2020 Ernest Guenther Award
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Tadeusz “Ted” Molinski has been selected by the American Chemical Society (ACS) to receive the 2020 Ernest Guenther Award in the Chemistry of Natural Products.

UC San Diego Students Share Knowledge that Leads to 11th Grader’s Science Fair Win
PhD student and undergrad leverage experience from their ongoing work to assist local high-school junior with her research project.

Coronavirus Massive Simulations Completed on Frontera Supercomputer
Rommie Amaro, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is leading efforts to build the first complete all-atom model of the external component of the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus envelope.

Scientists Observe Superconductivity in Meteorites
Mark Thiemens, Ivan Schuller and James Wampler investigated a diverse population of meteorites. Among the 15 pieces of comets and asteroids studied, they found two with superconductive grains.