Author: Tim Stephens
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UCSC to lead ambitious multidisciplinary research project on wireless communication networks
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are leading a major collaborative effort to develop the technology for complex wireless communication networks that can be set up in rapidly changing environments such as battlefields and emergency situations. Faculty in UCSC’s Baskin School of Engineering will head a multidisciplinary team of scientists at seven major…
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Study shows introduced foxes transformed vegetation on Aleutian Islands from lush grassland to tundra
Huge colonies of seabirds accustomed to nesting on islands free of predators began disappearing when fur traders started introducing foxes onto islands in the Aleutian archipelago in the 18th century. The ground-nesting birds made easy meals for the foxes. A study published this week in the journal Science now shows that the effects of the…
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UC Santa Cruz to offer computer game design as a new track for computer science students
The development of interactive computer video games has become a multi-billion-dollar industry that caters to the legions of gaming enthusiasts with a steady output of new games featuring ever greater levels of technical sophistication. For students whose interest in games goes beyond merely playing them, the University of California, Santa Cruz, now offers the opportunity…
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National Public Radio science correspondent Richard Harris to speak at UCSC on Wednesday, April 6
Award-winning journalist Richard Harris, science correspondent for National Public Radio, will speak at UC Santa Cruz on Wednesday, April 6, as part of a distinguished lecturer series. Harris, a UCSC alumnus, will give a talk entitled “Telling Tales Out of School: How One Reporter Cracks the World of Science.” The event, which is free and…
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UCSC engineering dean Steve Kang appointed to blue ribbon panel on nanotechnology
Steve Kang, dean of the Jack Baskin School of Engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has been appointed to the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nanotechnology (BRTFN), a joint federal-state venture to benefit Silicon Valley and promote California as the premier center for nanotechnology research, development, and commercialization. The BRTFN is cochaired by…
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Survey finds silver contamination in North Pacific waters, probably from industrial emissions in Asia
The highest levels of silver contamination ever observed in the open ocean turned up in samples collected during a survey of the North Pacific in 2002. Researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz, measured silver concentrations 50 times greater than the natural background level. Though still well below levels that would be toxic to…
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Friends of Long Marine Lab will honor photographer Frans Lanting with Global Oceans Award
The Friends of Long Marine Lab will present a Global Oceans Award to renowned nature photographer and conservationist Frans Lanting at the group’s annual Gourmet Dinner benefit event on Sunday, March 20. The award recognizes Lanting for his outstanding contributions to public awareness of the natural environment. Awards will also be presented to two promising…
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Scientists concerned about potentially harmful algae persisting in Monterey Bay
A species of microscopic algae that caused “red tides” in Monterey Bay last summer, discoloring the water and killing mussels, is still present in water samples from the bay and has the potential to cause more serious problems, according to scientists involved in a Central Coast ocean monitoring program. “This species has been seen before…
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Genome centers combine forces to validate a gene set for biomedical research
The advent of online databases to access the human genome has been a boon to biomedical research, and the usefulness of this information has just moved to a new level. Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), and the Wellcome Trust…
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Ocean scientist Mary Silver to give annual Faculty Research Lecture at UCSC on Thursday, March 10
Professor of ocean sciences Mary Silver will give the annual Faculty Research Lecture at the University of California, Santa Cruz, on Thursday, March 10. Her lecture, titled “A Naturalist’s View: Toxic Algae in the Coastal Ocean,” will begin at 8 p.m. in the Colleges Nine and Ten Multipurpose Room on the UCSC campus. The event…
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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…