Science
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Teaching undergraduates to think like researchers-new approaches emerge from experimental teaching lab at UCSC
Scientific experiments commonly yield confusing or conflicting results, and part of a researcher’s job is to incorporate such findings into a coherent framework that sheds some light on the subject under investigation. But this aspect of science rarely makes it into the classroom, where students spend a lot more time on established facts and concepts…
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New findings lead researchers to question basic assumptions of fisheries management
Biologists speaking at a symposium in Washington, D.C., last week warned that fundamental assumptions underlying current fisheries management practices may be wrong, resulting in management decisions that threaten the future supply of fish and the long-term survival of some fish populations. The symposium, organized by Steven Berkeley of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and…
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New satellite observations of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes reveal surprising features of mysterious blasts from Earth
A particle accelerator operates in Earth’s upper atmosphere above major thunderstorms at energies comparable to some of the most exotic environments in the universe, according to new satellite observations of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes. Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are very short blasts of gamma rays, lasting about one millisecond, that are emitted into space from Earth’s…
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UCSC oceanographer Kenneth Bruland honored by two major scientific organizations
Kenneth Bruland, professor and chair of ocean sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has received two major honors this year: He was elected as a 2005 fellow of the American Geophysical Union and was chosen to receive the 2005 Clair C. Patterson Medal for Environmental Chemistry from the Geochemical Society. Bruland currently holds…
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Researchers hope to break new ground in high-energy astrophysics with hard x-ray telescope, now up for final NASA review
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and their collaborators at other institutions anticipate new insights into the mysteries of high-energy astrophysics as plans for an innovative x-ray telescope progress toward final approval by NASA. If all goes well with a technical study approved by NASA for this year, the telescope should be orbiting…
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UCSC astronomer awarded top high-energy astronomy prize for work on supernovae and gamma-ray bursts
Stan Woosley, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has won this year’s Bruno Rossi Prize for his pioneering work on supernovae and gamma-ray bursts, the most violent explosions in the universe. The prize is awarded each year by the High Energy Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society. Woosley,…
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Oracle grant funds UCSC bird group’s education program
The Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has received a $50,000 grant from Oracle Corporation to support the group’s education program. The grant provides funding to maintain and enhance the Oracle Peregrines Outreach Program, which includes presentations to school and community groups on birds of prey and conservation…
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UCSC to host public lecture on earthquakes, including discussion of the recent earthquake and tsunami in South Asia
A public lecture on large earthquakes this month in Santa Cruz will provide a scientific perspective on the recent earthquake and tsunami in South Asia. Susan Hough, a U.S. Geological Survey seismologist, will speak on “The Very Long Reach of Very Large Earthquakes” on Wednesday, January 26, at 7 p.m. at the University Inn and…
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New view of distant colliding galaxies captured by Keck laser system
For the first time, astronomers have been able to combine the deepest optical images of the universe, obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope, with equally sharp images in the near-infrared part of the spectrum using a sophisticated new laser guide star system for adaptive optics at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. The new…
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An unusual RNA structure in the SARS virus offers a promising target for antiviral drugs
Research on the genome of the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has revealed an unusual molecular structure that looks like a promising target for antiviral drugs. A team of scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has determined the three-dimensional shape of this structure, an intricately twisted and folded segment of…
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$200,000 gift to UCSC establishes graduate fellowship in marine mammals
A gift of $200,000 from Rebecca and Steve Sooy of Foster City has established an endowed fellowship fund to support graduate students studying marine mammals at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The Sooys have been volunteer docents at Año Nuevo State Reserve for many years, where they became fascinated by the northern elephant seals…
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Femtosecond laser technique opens new opportunities for research on nerve regeneration
In a breakthrough for research on nerve regeneration, a team of scientists has reported using femtosecond laser pulses to precisely cut individual axons of nerves in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, one of the most versatile and widely used experimental organisms for genetic and biomedical research. The nerves severed by this precision technique regrew within 24…