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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.

	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.
	UC San Diego Researchers Show Molecules Change Their Behaviors Under a Polariton Leader Professors of Chemistry Wei Xiong and Joel Yuen Zhou answer the question of whether polariton modes and dark modes both modify chemical reactions. Their research shows unambiguously that chemical reactions only occur with polaritons.
	Q-MEEN-C Celebrates the Next Four Years Q-MEEN-C, led by UC San Diego, celebrated $12.6M in renewed funding from the Department of Energy with a morning reception event attended by campus leadership, elected officials, scientists and students.
	The Science of…Cool Stars and Super Earths UC San Diego Physics professor Adam Burgasser and graduate student Christian Aganze were part of a research team that recently announced the discovery of two 'super-Earth' type planets. In this edition of “The Science of…” Adam and Christian explain cool stars, super Earths and why age matters.
	Theoretical Physicist Olga Dudko Named American Physical Society Fellow Phyiscs professor Olga Dudko has been named an APS Fellow. She was recognized for developing a non-equilibrium statistical mechanics theory that provides a framework to identify and characterize biological processes from kinetics experiments.
	UC San Diego Researchers Named Recipients of NIH New Innovator Awards Chemistry professors Fleur Ferguson and Johannes Schöneberg are recipients of 2022 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award from the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program.
	The Science of…Polariton Chemistry Chemistry professors Wei Xiong and Joel Yuen Zhou explain what polariton chemistry is, what they hope to learn from their investigations and why chemistry is like magic.
	Professor of Mathematics Amir Mohammadi is 2022 ICM Lecturer Mohammadi’s research interests include Lie groups and Ergodic theory, particularly the interplay between dynamical systems and other areas of mathematics, such as number theory and geometry.
	Physicists Receive $12.6M From Department of Energy to Continue Exploring Next-Generation Computing Through a highly competitive process, the Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $12.6 million in renewed funding for Quantum Materials for Energy Efficient Neuromorphic Computing (Q-MEEN-C), led by UC San Diego.
	Researchers Discover How Strep A Bacteria Evade Our Natural Defenses The labs of Chemistry Professor Partho Ghosh and Pediatric's Victor Nizet used x-ray crystallography to discover how certain strep A bacteria evade the body's natural defenses.
	Appointment of Oleg Shpyrko as New Department of Physics Chair Professor of Physics Oleg Shpyrko is the new chair of the department, after having previously served as vice-chair. And thank you to outgoing chair and Distinguished Professor Brian Maple for his years of service.
	UC San Diego Receives $1.3M from W. M. Keck Foundation to Study Origins of Dementia Researchers Fleur Ferguson, Johannes Shöneberg and Gal Mishne have received $1.3M from the Keck Foundation to better understand the role misfolded tau proteins play in causing neurodegenerative diseases.
	Associate Professor of Mathematics Zhouli Xu is 2022 ICM Lecturer Xu's work focuses on topology. In his ICM lecture, he introduced a new methodology via motivic homotopy theory—a theory designed to study problems in algebraic geometry, but Xu has shown it can be also used to study problems in classical topology.
	Honoring a UC San Diego Landmark and Its Lasting Impact on Physics The Kohn-Sham equation was pivotal to the formation of density functional theory. Its subsequent impact on everything from new materials design to drug discovery led APS to designate Mayer Hall a historical site.
	Researchers Take First-Ever Cryo-EM Images of Nitrogenase in Action Akif Tezcan and Mark Herzik, both in the Department of Chemistry, report near-atomic-resolution snapshots of nitrogenase during catalysis using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM). The results were published in the journal Science.
	Neal Devaraj Named Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellow Professor of Chemistry Neal K. Devaraj has been named a Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellow by the Department of Defense (DOD). Devaraj was one of only nine selected fellows, and the first from UC San Diego since 2015.
	The Outer Limits: Future Economic Growth in the Face of Diminishing Resources Professor of Physics Thomas Murphy believes humankind's current trajectory unbridled economic growth is unable to continue much longer. His assessment appears in a comment paper recently published by Nature Physics.
	Olga Dudko Receives Prestigious Simons Investigator Award Professor of Physics Olga Dudko has been named a 2022 Simons Investigator, one of the most prestigious awards for a theoretical research scientist. Dudko is a theoretical physicist whose work seeks to establish unifying physical principles in biology.
	Taking Care of Business: Female Alumni Chart Their Own Paths to Success At the intersection of the physical sciences and business are three female alumni who used their time on campus to further their academic studies and learn the kinds of skills—tenacity, patience, collaboration—that helped make their companies a success.
	Physical Sciences Researchers Earn Prestigious Early Career Awards Four researchers from the School of Physical Sciences have received important early career awards from the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.
	School of Physical Sciences Class of '22 Share Their Stories The School of Physical Sciences congratulates everyone who graduated this spring. Here we share a few stories from the graduating class of 2022—favorite memories, challenges overcome, and friends made along the way.
	UC San Diego Atmospheric Chemist Kim Prather Elected to American Philosophical Society Kim Prather has been inducted into the American Philosophical Society, whose members have included George Washington, Thomas Paine, Charles Darwin and Robert Frost. Prather is the first person from UC San Diego to be inducted since 2010.
	Student Spotlight: Josh Gillis Student athlete Josh Gillis will graduate this spring with a B.S. in chemistry and a minor in business. He is a member of the UC San Diego Track & Field team, where he is in the top ten for javelin throws in the Big West Conference. Read more about his accomplishments in our Student Spotlight Q&A.
	UC San Diego Service Award Honoree Shares Highlights from 36-Year Career During Diana Platero-Lopez's 36 years with UC San Diego, she has played various roles in many departments including pharmacology, music, economics and mathematics, where she is currently the manager of Student Affairs.
	UC San Diego Researchers Win Big in 2022 DOD Research Funding Awards Chemistry Professor Wei Xiong and Physics Professor Monica Allen were both part of research teams that received interdisciplinary research awards from the Department of Defense.
	The Physics “Class of 1966” Finds Cohesion in Diaspora After they graduated, they dispersed across the globe. Yet over the past five decades, they have remained in touch, even during the pandemic. An update on the Physics Class of ’66…

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