Science
-
Iron stimulates blooms of toxin-producing algae in open ocean, study finds
The new findings, reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, add to concerns about proposals to use iron fertilization of the oceans as a way to combat global warming.
-

UCSC leads work on first major upgrade for LHC
U.S. physicists have begun work on a new particle detector that will be the first major upgrade for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator.
-

Research on thin-film solar cells heats up at UCSC
Sue Carter, a professor of physics at UCSC, is pursuing a variety of strategies to develop cheaper and more efficient solar cells.
-

Microbiologist to discuss bacteria for bioenergy on Tuesday, November 9
Caroline Harwood, a distinguished microbiologist from the University of Wisconsin, will discuss microbial production of hydrogen gas as a biofuel in a lecture at UCSC on Tuesday, November 9.
-

UCSC students earn awards at SACNAS national conference
Four UCSC students received awards for their research presentations at the 2010 SACNAS National Conference held in Anaheim in October.
-

Four faculty members inducted into American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Four UCSC faculty members were inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences at a ceremony on October 9.
-

Jean-Michel Cousteau: ‘I am convinced we can change’
Ocean environmentalist Cousteau expresses both concern and hope for the future of the world’s oceans in a discussion of the BP oil spill with alum and NPR science correspondent Richard Harris
-

Engineering dean Art Ramirez awarded APS McGroddy Prize
The American Physical Society has awarded the 2011 James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials to Art Ramirez, dean of the Baskin School of Engineering.
-

Physicist Joel Primack featured in National Geographic documentary
A new National Geographic television documentary, “Inside the Milky Way,” includes an interview with UCSC physicist Joel Primack.
-

Elephant seals improve maps of Antarctic seafloor
Oceanographers are using data collected by elephant seals to improve their map of the seafloor on Antarctica’s continental shelf.
-

Seymour Center presents lecture on Gulf oil spill on Sunday, October 17
Mike Beck, lead marine scientist for the Nature Conservancy and a research associate at UCSC, will discuss the Gulf oil spill in a public lecture at the Seymour Center on October 17.
-

Researchers use hi-res detector to map neural circuits of the retina
Using a sophisticated neural recording system developed at UCSC, researchers were able to trace for the first time the neural circuitry in the retina.