CNAS News Archives 2019 and beyond
Please note that we started using the UCR News RSS feed and CNAS tagged content on news.ucr.edu and Inside UCR as our CNAS news article archives. Please refer to these resources when searching for recent articles.
CNAS News Archives 2010 - 2018
Please note that at the time these items were posted here, they linked to electronic versions of stories that over time may be removed or changed and some links may have expired.
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CNAS News Archive 2018
December 14, 2018
New property revealed in graphene could lead to better performing solar panels
An international research team, co-led by associate professor of physics and astronomy Nathaniel Gabor at UCR, has discovered a new mechanism for ultra-efficient charge and energy flow in graphene, opening up opportunities for developing new types of light-harvesting devices.
December 12, 2018
UCR physics undergraduate student headed to CERN
Sergio Garcia has an extraordinary opportunity to do hands-on work in one of the most famous centers for scientific research in the world. He will do research during the winter quarter on a particle detector at the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator.
December 12, 2018
Natural mosquito repellent startup wins seed funding
A startup founded by UC Riverside molecular, cell and systems biology professor Anandasankar Ray based on his discovery of natural mosquito repellent compounds, won $50,000 in seed funding in a competition between entrepreneurs from the University of California system.
December 10, 2018
UCR graduate students win grants to do research in the natural reserves
Four graduate students at UCR are among 20 University of California graduate students who will be supported by funding from the UC Natural Reserve System’s 2018-19 Mildred E. Mathias Graduate Student Research Grant Program.
November 27, 2018
Nine CNAS researchers named to 2018 "Highly Cited Researchers List"
Julia Bailey-Serres, Sean Cutler, Pingyun Feng, Chun Ning Lau, Timothy Lyons, Bahram Mobasher, Sang-Youl Park, Naveen Reddy, and Yadong Yin make the 2018 list of the most cited researchers worldwide, compiled by Clarivate Analytics. The list includes 4,058 individuals: the most frequently cited researchers in 21 fields of the sciences and social sciences. The list recognizes “researchers whose citation records position them in the highest ranks of influence and impact.
November 19, 2018
Study deepens understanding of how advanced life may have emerged billions of years ago
Thomas Kuhlman, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy who came to UC Riverside from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in July 2018, is the lead author on a study that attempts to explain how advanced life may have emerged billions of years ago.
November 18, 2018
Announcing our CNAS Student Science Slam Winners:
Congratulations to the winners of this year's CNAS Student Science Slam during UCR's Homecoming 2018: Jessica Tingle (1), Alexandria Costatino (2), and Madison Hernandez (3). Please read more on our Alumni and Friends page:
November 17, 2018
UCR homecoming showcases old traditions, cutting-edge science labs:
UC Riverside alumni returned Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16 and 17, to see a campus that’s changed in many ways since they graduated. “Science Ambassadors” led tours of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences’ teaching and research labs Saturday.
November 11, 2018
HIV study explains how latent and rebound viruses are related
John Barton, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and an expert in statistical physics and evolutionary dynamics, is a coauthor on a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that examines how latent HIV viruses – viruses that are inactive and “hiding” within cells – relate to the viruses that restart active infection when patients cease drug treatment.
November 5, 2018
Sydney Glassman studies the effects of changing climates on nutrient-recycling microbes
Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology at the University of California, Riverside, Sydney Glassman and her team experimented on the different reactions that microbes show under various temperatures.
November 5, 2018
Physicists name and codify new field in nanotechnology: ‘electron quantum metamaterials’
Nathaniel Gabor, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Riverside and colleague at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, formulate a vision for the field in a perspective article.
November 2, 2018
Physicists explain how large spherical viruses form
A team of physicists and a virologist, led by Roya Zandi, professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at UCR, has published a research paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences explaining how large virus shells are formed. Their work can also be used to explain how large spherical crystals form in nature.
October 31, 2018
Generous funding to malaria-parasite researcher promises new therapeutic strategies
Karine Le Roch, a professor in the UCR Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, researches the malaria-causing parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. She is the PI on two grants from the National Institutes of Health, totaling nearly $6.6 million.
October 26, 2018
Study explains why tall individuals are more prone to cancer
For most cancers, risk increases dramatically with age. But what about the effect of having more cells in the body? Might taller people be more prone to cancer because they have more cells? Leonard Nunney, an evolutionary biologist at UCR, examined data from four large-scale surveillance projects on 23 cancer categories. Study results appear in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: "Size matters: height, cell number, and a person's risk of cancer".
October 23, 2018
Study provides new insight into why galaxies stop forming stars
A team of UC Riverside-led scientists get best measure yet of why star formation stopped in galaxy clusters in the early universe. A new international study led by astronomer Ryan Foltz, a former graduate student at the University of California, Riverside, has made the best measurement yet of the quenching timescale, measuring how it varies across 70 percent of the history of the universe.
October 23, 2018
Graduate students of the PLPA Outreach Committee hosted first ever Plant Pathology Day on the UCR campus
Students from John W. North High School learn more about careers and opportunities in the plant pathology and STEM field in an event organized by PLPA Outreach Committee graduate students.
October 22, 2018
A warm welcome to new CNAS faculty
Meet the newest faculty members in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences for 2018. We have assembled short biographies and portraits of new CNAS faculty members on our website.
October 22, 2018
Special journal issue looks for new clues about old life
The issue “Early Earth and the Rise of Complex Life" in 'Emerging Topics in Life Sciences' was edited by UCR professors Timothy Lyons and Mary Droser and postdoctoral researcher Kimberly Lau. What came first -- animals or oxygen?
October 19, 2018
The complex societies of bees and beyond
Hollis Woodland, assistant professor in the Department of Entomology at UC Riverside, talks about the complex societies of bees in a series looking at research on honeybees on NPR's Science Friday.
October 17, 2018
UCR recognizes longtime generosity of Campbell family with building renaming
The University of California, Riverside’s University Laboratory Building is being renamed the “Rochelle and Allison Campbell Hall” in recognition of longtime support from the Campbell family. A ceremony and dedication will be held on October 19, 2018. Rochelle Campbell is the widow of the late Neil Campbell, a well-known biologist and UCR alumnus. Allison Campbell is the couple’s daughter.
October 17, 2018
Researchers identify new approach for controlling dengue fever and Zika virus
A pair of researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have succeeded in using CRISPR-Cas9, a powerful tool for altering DNA sequences and modifying gene function, to decrease mosquito body size, moving the research one step closer to eliminating mosquitoes that carry dengue fever and Zika virus.
October 15, 2018
Oldest evidence for animals found by UCR researchers
Scientists have found the oldest clue yet of animal life, dating back at least 100 million years before the famous Cambrian explosion of animal fossils. The study, led by Gordon Love, a professor in UCR’s Department of Earth Sciences, was published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution. The first author is Alex Zumberge, a doctoral student working in Love’s research group.
October 12, 2018
Nobel laureate Richard Schrock shares the story that changed organic chemistry
UCR professor Richard R. Schrock will give the NSF Distinguished Lecture in Mathematical & Physical Sciences and discuss the work that led to the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Watch the NSF YouTube Live Stream on Monday, Oct. 15, 11 am -12 pm PST.
October 9, 2018
Hook injury caused by catch-and-release hampers feeding performance in fish
In a study published today in The Journal of Experimental Biology, a UC Riverside-led research team shows that mouth injuries caused by hook removal after catch-and-release fishing hamper the ability of fish to capture prey.
October 4, 2018
Rewriting the textbook on how steroid hormones enter cells
A discovery by scientists at UC Riverside may open up new ways to control steroid hormone-mediated processes, including growth and development in insects, and sexual maturation, immunity, and cancer progression in humans.
October 3, 2018
New UCR / Carnegie Science collaboration in Astronomy
The University of California, Riverside, and the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena have established a UCR-Carnegie Graduate Student Fellowship program that will greatly benefit students in the university’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.
October 2, 2018
$2.3 million NIH grant will support efforts to stop mosquito-borne diseases
UCR scientist Naoki Yamanaka, an asst. professor of entomology, has been awarded $2.3 million from the National Institutes of Health’s ‘High-Risk, High-Reward’ program to study the role of steroid hormone transporters in insect development and reproduction.
September 28, 2018
Physicist to use optical trapping methods to study basic properties of solid-state materials
Boerge Hemmerling, an asst. professor of physics and astronomy at UCR, has received a five-year NSF grant of nearly $1 million to study “Nonlinear Optical Properties and Novel Quantum Phases of Polar Molecules in Optical Lattices.”
September 27, 2018
“Sex on the Kitchen Table: The Romance of Plants and Your Food”
The author of the new book, Norman C. Ellstrand, a distinguished professor of genetics and the Jane S. Johnson Endowed Chair in Food and Agriculture at UCR, has been studying plant mating his whole professional career. Book launch party on October 7th, 2018.
September 25, 2018
UC Riverside researchers find potent chemical agents that can thwart cancer metastasis
A UCR research team led by Maurizio Pellecchia (SOM) discovered a way for chemotherapy drug paclitaxel to target migrating, or circulating, cancer cells. Jikui Song, UCR associate professor of biochemistry, collaborated on the research.
September 17, 2018
Golf celebrates the fruits of research at UC Riverside Turfgrass Field Day
Golf industry professionals from various quarters gathered at UCR's annual Turfgrass and Landscape Research Field Day on September 13th at UC Riverside.
September 13, 2018
Picking the perfect pomegranate
In research published earlier this year in the Journal of Food Science, UCR Botany and Plant Sciences postdoctoral scholar John Chater and his colleagues used a consumer sensory panel to find out what traits people liked and disliked about the industry-standard "Wonderful" and six other varieties.
September 12, 2018
UCR news moved to a new website: news.ucr.edu
"UCR Today" has become "UCR News": Beginning Sept. 12, 2018, news of UC Riverside, its students, and its research, can be found on the new news site, news.ucr.edu. All 2018 stories can be found on the new site, stories prior to Sept. 12 will continue to be archived on the UCR Today site.
September 12, 2018
Climate-induced soil changes may cause more erosion and flash flooding
UCR Environmental Sciences Professor Daniel Hirmas and colleagues published a paper in Nature that provides evidence for the rapid evolution of soil macroporosity in response to climate and discusses the implications of these changes in terms of the continental-scale water cycle.
September 11, 2018
New grant from Schmidt Futures will support science teachers and maker-centered learning in underserved California schools
The California Science Project (CSP), supported by CNAS at UCR, has received a $300,000 grant from Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, that will allow CSP to bolster K-12 science education and maker-centered learning in California.
September 4, 2018
Measuring greenhouse gases on the go
A new mobile emissions van allows UCR researchers to track atmospheric emissions anytime, anywhere. Two UC Riverside professors are taking to the road to pinpoint sources of air pollution across California.
September 4, 2018
Global Warming, El Niño could cause wetter winters, drier conditions in other months
UC Riverside Earth Sciences Professor Robert Allen’s research indicates that what precipitation the state does get will be pretty much limited to the winter months, and non-winter months will be even dryer than usual, with little or no rain at all.
August 29, 2018
NASA recognizes Professor's study at the top of Telescope's "Greatest Discoveries" list
Bahram Mobasher, a professor of physics and astronomy, led a research team that used NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope to make the “Big Baby” galaxies discovery, which has just been ranked as Spitzer’s second most important discovery by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
August 27, 2018
Nobel laureate Barry Barish joins UC Riverside Faculty
Physicist Barry C. Barish, who won the 2017 Nobel Prize in physics for the discovery of gravitational waves, will join the UCR faculty on September 1. The physicist, whose contributions enabled the first observation of gravitational waves, is the university’s second Nobel Prize winner.
August 27, 2018
Climate Change predicted to bring more extremes to Inland Southern California
Hot, dry weather in Southern California’s inland desert region is projected to become more extreme over the 21st century, according to a report written by researchers at UC Riverside and the U.S. Department of Agriculture that was released today as part of California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment.
August 24, 2018
Biology Professor receives grant to study how fish hunt
Timothy Higham, an associate professor of biology, has been awarded a $294,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Division of Integrative and Organismal Systems (IOS) to study how fish coordinate different body parts to capture prey in water.
August 22, 2018
Getting high on worms
Like mammals, parasitic worms have an endocannabinoid system that may help the worm and the hosts it infects survive by reducing pain and inflammation in the host, according to a “wild” new discovery by an interdisciplinary research team at the University of California, Riverside.
August 14, 2018
Early opaque universe linked to galaxy scarcity
A team of astronomers led by George Becker at the University of California, Riverside, has made a surprising discovery: 12.5 billion years ago, the most opaque place in the universe contained relatively little matter.
August 9, 2018
UCR CNAS Scientists honored by American Geophysical Union
Marilyn Fogel and Timothy Lyons, two scientists at the University of California, Riverside, have been elected fellows of the American Geophysical Union, or AGU, a recognition that honors “scientific eminence in the earth and space sciences.” They will be honored as new fellows at AGU's December meeting.
August 9, 2018
Omega Centauri unlikely to harbor life
Omega Centauri — a densely packed cluster of stars in our galactic backyard — is unlikely to be home to habitable planets, according to a study by scientists at the University of California, Riverside, and San Francisco State University. Forthcoming in The Astrophysical Journal, the study was led by Stephen Kane, an associate professor of planetary astrophysics in UCR’s Department of Earth Sciences and a pioneer in the search for habitable planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets.
August 7, 2018
Top-performing soil microbes could be key to Sustainable Agriculture
UCR research will help agronomists breed plants that attract their own growth-promoting microbes -- A study on Acmispon strigosus, a plant in the pea family, showed a 13-fold growth increase in plants that partnered with a highly effective strain of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria Bradyrhizobium.
July 22, 2018
Sue Wessler Co-chairs Major Report On Advancing Science in Food, Agriculture
Professor Wessler, who is the Neil and Rochelle Campbell Presidential Chair for Innovation in Science Education at UC Riverside, and Home Secretary, US National Academy of Sciences, co-chaired the report recently released by the National Academies Press: Science Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030.
July 2, 2018
Nobel Laureate Richard Schrock Joins Chemistry Faculty
Schrock, who received his BS in Chemistry from UCR, will return to his alma mater to share his groundbreaking work and mentor students and faculty.
June 18, 2018
Two New Creatures Discovered from Dawn of Animal Life
Professor of Paleontology Mary Droser led the research to find the fossils, which have been named after President Barack Obama and Sir David Attenborough.
June 6, 2018
Neuroscientist Receives Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Award in Neuroscience
Hongdian Yang is UC Riverside’s first recipient of the prestigious fellowship.
June 1, 2018
Ten UC Riverside Professors Receive NSF CAREER Awards
The awards support early career leaders in research and education.
May 30, 2018
Distant Moons May Harbor Life
UCR researchers have identified 121 giant planets that may have habitable moons.
May 29, 2018
See Videos from the 2018 Science Lecture Series
Videos from the 2018 Science Lecture Series: "Are We Playing God?" are all up for view.
May 25, 2018
Physicist to Discuss Dark Matter on Facebook Live
Space.com will interview UC Riverside's Flip Tanedo on May 30 to discuss NOVA Wonders episode “What’s the Universe Made of?”
May 24, 2018
How Do Insects Survive on a Sugary Diet?
Study offers clues to how aphids capitalize on relationship with beneficial bacteria through changes in gene expression linked to DNA methylation
May 18, 2018
Research Offers New Insights Into Malaria Parasite
CNAS Professor Karine Le Roch has received a new NIH grant of $3.2 million to continue work on Plasmodium falciparum.
May 17, 2018
UCR Plant Cell Biologist Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Sean Cutler becomes ninth CNAS faculty member elected to the prestigious academy.
May 17, 2018
Battling Bubbles: How Plants Protect Themselves from Killer Fungus
UCR research led by Hailing Jin, professor of microbiology and plant pathology, show how plants fight against infections by delivering protective molecules into fungi using bubble-like exosomes.
May 16, 2018
11 UCR Students Awarded National Science Foundation Fellowship
UCR students awarded fellowships for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students pursuing research-based graduate and doctoral degrees.
May 16, 2018
Remembering Professor James Sims
Professor James J. (Jim) Sims, Emeritus, Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology died peacefully at home on March 11, 2018 after a four-year battle with metastatic prostate cancer.
May 16, 2018
Two CNAS faculty awarded by the Pacific Branch of Entomological Society of America (PBESA)
William Walton and Alec Gerry from the CNAS Entomology Department were recently announced as winners of the PBESA 2018 awards.
May 17, 2018
In Memory of Robert Stephen White
R. Stephen (Steve) White, a Distinguished Professor of Physics (now Physics and Astronomy) at UC Riverside until he retired in 1990, passed away peacefully on April 8, 2018 in Santa Barbara after a series of illnesses.
May 16, 2018
Search for Life Beyond the Solar System Topic of Faculty Research Lecture
Timothy Lyons, Distinguished Professor of Biogeochemistry, will deliver the 66th annual lecture at UC Riverside.
May 10, 2018
Science Fair Aimed at Spanish-Speaking Families Set for May 19
“Fiesta Familiar: Explorando La Ciencia Juntos” at UC Riverside will include activities such as smelling the universe, touching meteorites, and getting a close look at the DNA molecule.
May 3, 2018
Atmospheric Seasons Could Signal Alien Life
CNAS researchers are using seasonal changes in the Earth’s atmosphere to guide their search for life outside the solar system.
May 3, 2018
CNAS Student Receives Prestigious Fulbright Award
Phong Au-Hong, a senior in entomology, has received a Fulbright Award to help support English language development in immigrant and refugee students living in Germany.
May 3, 2018
UCR Graduate Student Headed to Oak Ridge National Lab
Victor Fung, a graduate student in chemistry, is one of 60 students from across the country selected for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program.
May 2, 2018
CNAS Professor Rediscovers Insect Lost For 105 Years
Little is known about elusive beetle species, despite role in wildflower pollination.
May 2, 2018
Food and Wine Tasting Fundraiser to be Held May 20th
Primavera in the Gardens is the annual fundraiser for the UC Riverside Botanic Gardens, benefiting new garden installations, opportunities for student workers, community enrichment activities, and educational programs each year.
April 30, 2018
NOVA Wonders Episode to Feature UCR Expert on Dark Matter
UC Riverside’s Flip Tanedo is featured in the NOVA Wonders episode “What’s the Universe Made of?” airing May 30 on PBS; will participate in Harvey Mudd College panel to discuss the episode on May 2.
April 30, 2018
Researchers Move Toward Understanding Deadly Citrus Disease
In a paper published Monday in Nature Communications, a team led by Professor Wenbo Ma reported a significant breakthrough in understanding the disease mechanism of HLB. Also covered by Press Enterprise.
April 26, 2018
Office of Naval Research Grant Funds Research on Photomechanical Materials
A team of researchers, including CNAS Prof. Christopher Bardeen, have been awarded a $7.5 million, 5-year grant from the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Naval Research to study the properties and applications of light-powered materials.
April 19, 2018
UC Riverside Astrophysicist Part of TESS Planet Finder Team
Stephen Kane, an associate professor of planetary astrophysics at UC Riverside and a Guest Investigator on the TESS Mission, witnessed the takeoff from the launch viewing site in Cape Canaveral.
April 16, 2018
Professor Zhiwei Zhang Selected as Fellow of Major Statistical Organization
Professor Zhiwei Zhang has been selected as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA) for his outstanding contributions to statistical methodology.
April 16, 2018
CNAS Students Win Goldwater Scholarship Award
CNAS students Renata Kootz and Nicholas Pham named Goldwater Scholars.
April 16, 2018
UCR Recipients for the 2018 NSH GRFP
11 CNAS Students Receive Prestigious NSF Grants.
April 13, 2018
Newly Identified Bacteria May Help Bees Nourish Their Young
UCR Researchers have identified three bacteria that may help prevent spoilage of the pollen that wild bees provide for their offspring.
April 12, 2018
To Impress Females, Costa's Hummingbirds "Sing" With Their Tail Feathers
Research led by Assistant Biology Professor, Christopher Clark, shows how male Costa's control the acoustics of a tail song producted during high speed dives.
April 12, 2018
Faster, Cheaper Wastewater Treatment Through Improved Oxidation Reactions
CNAS Chemistry Professor Yadong Yin and fellow researchers have developed a simple way to improve Advanced Oxidation Processes.
April 5, 2018
Public Symposium to Showcase How UCR’s Stem Cell Therapies Help Patients
This event aims to give the public an opportunity to learn about the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the world’s largest institution dedicated to bringing the future of cellular medicine closer to reality.
April 5, 2018
Dean Uhrich Helps Promote California Science in Nation's Capital
CNAS Dean Kathryn Uhrich joined a delegation to Washington D.C. visiting more than 30 congressional offices to brief lawmakers and staff on Agriculture and Natural Resource research in California.
April 2, 2018
Microbiome Study Suggests Marine Nematodes Are Not Picky Eaters
UCR research finding no relationship between nematodes species and microbial profile suggests marine worms don't have a restrictive diet.
March 15, 2018
UC Riverside Launches Air Quality and Climate Change Training Program
ACT program will train students and professionals to measure air quality and climate change and meet growing workforce needs.
March 14, 2018
UCR Researchers Receive Grant to Improve Pollinator Health
Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research award will identify best management practices to protect bees.
March 14, 2018
Spring Garden Market and Plant Sale Set for April 7
UCR Botanic Gardens sale will include thousands of plants, including rare and unusual varieties.
March 14, 2018
Physics Student Awarded Outstanding Paper Award
Physics grad student Fatemeh Barati won the Ken Hass Outstanding Student Paper Award at a recent national conference.
March 7, 2018
$1 Million Gift Empowers Next Generation of Scientists
Undergraduate research is benefactor of gift from Rochelle Campbell and Professor Sue Wessler.
February 26, 2018
UCR Magazine Covers the Inspiring Story of CNAS Alum/Researcher
Biochemistry alumnus and CNAS researcher Bassam Theodory ’17 and his family dropped everything to escape Syria. Now the former transfer student wants to become a doctor like his dad, who is back treating patients in Aleppo.
February 22, 2018
A Citrus Love Affair
As the curator of UC Riverside’s Citrus Variety Collection, Tracy Kahn has handled fruits as big as a person’s head, and as small as a pea.
February 21, 2018
Tropical Trees use Unique Method to Resist Drought
UCR research may alleviate concerns about impact of drought on Amazonian trees, which play a critical role in regulating the global climate.
February 16, 2018
UCR Professor Selected as Sloan Research Fellow
CNAS faculty Sandra Kirtland Turner is among 126 outstanding early-career researchers honored across eight fields.
February 14, 2018
Molecular Biochemist Katayoon Dehesh Profiled in The Scientist
The director of the Institute for Integrative Genome Biology talks about her escape from Iran during the height of the Iran-Iraq War, her path to UC Riverside, and her goal to help women and girls around the world through education initiatives.
February 12, 2018
UCR Plant Pathology Graduate Students Receive Mathre Education Endowment Fund
Plant Pathology graduate students Gabriel Ortiz, Claudia Castro, Derreck Carter-House, Antara Chakravarty and Nichole Ginnan have been awarded a grant from the American Phytopathological Society Foundation through the Mathre Education Endowment.
February 9, 2018
Feast on Facts during Food Evolution Screening on March 16th
There will be a a free public screening of Food Evolution, a science-based investigation into the controversy of GMOs. Followed by a panel discussion which includes the film's producer and director, Academy Award Nominee Scott Hamilton Kennedy.
February 8, 2018
Biologists Decipher a Key Piece of the Odor Detection Puzzle in Flies, Mosquitoes
UC Riverside study led by Associate Professor Anandasankar Ray, offers a path to safer products to protect against disease-carrying mosquitoes, and chemicals to control crop-damaging pests.
February 7, 2018
Scientists Crack Structure of Enzyme Complex Linked to Cancer
UC Riverside study led by Associate Professor Jikui Song offers important information for understanding "de novo DNA methylation"
February 6, 2018
Four UCR Undergraduates Awarded Prestigious Research Fellowships
CNAS Biology undergraduate students Benjamin Meza, Diana Medina-Yerena, Alejandro Quinones, and Sabrina Stulting have won fellowships from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)'s Exceptional Research Opportunities Program (EXROP).
February 5, 2018
Mapping the First Family Tree for Tropical Forests
Janet Franklin, Distinguished Professor of Biogeography, worked among an international team of researchers that unraveled the evolutionary history of the world's tropical forests.
February 5, 2018
Researchers Receive $1M for Project Challenging Long-Standing Paradigm in Endocrinology
CNAS faculty Sachiko Haga-Yamanaka, Naoki Yamanaka, and Frances Sladek receive W.M. Keck Foundation's award which will support research focused on steroid hormone transport in cells.
February 2, 2018
The Science Behind the Scenes of 'Basmati Blues'
UCR geneticist Norman Ellstrand lent his scientific expertise to a musical romantic comedy centered around genetically modified rice.
February 2, 2018
Gillian Wilson to Serve as Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development
Gillian Wilson, a professor of physics and astronomy, has been named senior associate vice chancellor for research and economic development at UC Riverside, in the Office of Research and Economic Development (RED).
January 24, 2018
For Global Invasion, Argentine Ants Use Chemical Weapons
Assistant Professor Dong-Hwan Choe leads research on how compounds produced by Argentine ants are used to recruit nestmates and incapacitate opponents.
January 19, 2018
Distinguished Professor Named Interim Editor-in-Chief of PNAS
Natasha V. Raikhel, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Plant Cell Biology and former director of the Institute for Integrative Genome Biology (IIGB), has been named interim editor-in-chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
January 12, 2018
UCR Professor Develops the Newest Weapon for the Citrus Industry
Mikael Roose, professor of genetics in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, shares an insect trap being developed to catch Asian citrus psyllids, which can spread the huanglongbing [HLB] bacteria among citrus trees.
January 10, 2018
Department of Earth Sciences to Host "Are We Alone?" Lecture Series
The search for alien life defines a new era of space exploration. Learn how scientists hope to find life beyond Earth, and explore what that means for humanity.
January 2, 2018
Genetic Changes Help Mosquitoes Survive Pesticide Attacks
UCR study shows how intensive pesticide use is driving mosquito evolution at the genetic level.
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CNAS News Archive 2017
December 19, 2017
UCR Researchers Identify Nontraditional Sites for Future Solar Farms
Equivalent of 183,000 football fields of nonagricultural land identified in study aiming to ease competition between farmers, conservationists, and energy companies.
Read more
December 8, 2017
Four CNAS Faculty Named to Most Highly Cited List
Julia Bailey-Serres, Sean Cutler, Timothy Lyons and Yadong Yin make the 2017 list of the most cited researchers worldwide compiled by Clarivate Analytics
December 5, 2017
Marilyn Fogel Appointed Inaugural Wilber W. Mayhew Endowed Chair in Geo-Ecology
Marilyn Fogel, a professor of Earth Sciences, was appointed the inaugural holder of the Wilbur W. Mayhew Endowed Chair in Geo-Ecology at a Nov. 30 symposium and naming ceremony. See photos from the event here.
December 5, 2017
Researchers Show How Insect Food Choice can be Manipulated
Applications of UC Riverside study could include controlling spread of mosquito-borne diseases and damage to agricultural crops.
December 4, 2017
CNAS Shines a Light on Plant Growth and Development
UCR CNAS researchers have discovered how plants respond to changes in light at the molecular level.
November 20, 2017
CNAS Professor Sean Cutler Named AAAS Fellow
Sean Cutler, a professor of plant cell biology at the University of California, Riverside, has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
November 17, 2017
Wired Magazine Covers Gene-Editing on Mosquitoes at UCR
Wired magazine and others highlight a study led by Omar Akbari, assistant professor of entomology, and his team's successful development of transgenic mosquitoes through the use of gene-editing technologies.
November 16, 2017
NASA is Studying Earth to Find Signs of Life on Distant Planets
Newsweek highlights research by Stephen Kane, associate professor of Earth sciences, and his participation in a Reddit AMA on the search for life on other planets by NASA Earth scientists.
November 15, 2017
How and Why Blood Clots Shrink
UCR CNAS research elucidating how blood clots contract could help in the development of new treatments for heart attack and stroke.
October 9, 2017
Revolutionizing the Way Solar Energy is Collected
A research team led by Assistant Professor of Physics Nathaniel M. Gabor has developed a photodetector- a device that senses light- which could have broad impact on the efficiency of solar energy collection. The study appears in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
October 6, 2017
Symposium Launches New Microbiome Initiative for UCR
The UCR Microbiome “Initiative,” a new program meant to bring researchers together who focus on the microbiome from around the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS), the Bourns College of Engineering (BCOE) and the School of Medicine (SOM), held its Inaugural Symposium and Datablitz on Sept. 27.
October 2, 2017
CNAS Study Shows the Upside and Downside of Genetically Modified Soybean Oil
Research led by Professor of Cell Biology and Divisional Dean for Life Sciences Francene Sladek has tested a genetically-modified soybean oil used in restaurants and found that while it induces less obesity and insulin resistance than conventional soybean oil, its effects on diabetes and fatty liver are similar to those of conventional soybean oil. The findings were published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. Read moreSeptember 14, 2017
New Findings on the Effects of Third-hand Smoke Exposure
The research, lead by Manuela Martins-Green, Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, found that exposure effects health as early as one month after initiation, and worsens overtime.
September 8, 2017
CNAS Researchers Are on the Forefront in the Fight Against a Deadly Citrus Disease
With the recent discovery of Huanglongbing (HLB) in Riverside, a disease that has decimated citrus trees in Florida, CNAS faculty have been working with government and industry officials to detect and fight the disease while pioneering new ways to treat infected trees and prevent HLB's spread.
August 28, 2017
New Article by Professor Janet Franklin Highlights Impact of Global Warming on Ecosystems
The article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looks at the disappearance of certain bird species in the Bahamas during a warming event 12,000 years ago.
August 15, 2017
New Center to Fight Vector-Borne Diseases
An $8 Million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a new joint research center with UC Davis, the Pacific Southwest Regional Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases.
August 8, 2017
Entomologist Hollis Woodard in New York Times ScienceTake Video
The CNAS assistant professor of entomology discusses "Why do bees buzz?"
July 20, 2017
Three CNAS Faculty Among Those Chosen for NSF Early Career Awards
Asst. Prof. of Chemistry Boniface Fokwa, Asst. Prof. of Physics and Astronomy Nathaniel Gabor and Asst. Prof. of Mathematics Yulong Xing are awarded grants in recognition of their promising research and education excellence.
July 19, 2017
Team Led by CNAS Entomologist Wins $14.9 Million Grant to Combat Disease-Spreading Mosquitoes
Funded by a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Assistant Professor of Entomology Omar Akbari will lead research efforts on how advanced gene editing technologies can control mosquitos.
July 14, 2017
Dean Kathryn Uhrich Elected To College of Fellows for Controlled Release Society
The honor from the country's leading professional organization for delivery science and technology, was given to Uhrich, a chemist, for her "innovative research on polymers for controlled release applications [which] has advanced the field."
July 6, 2017
CNAS Climatologist Predicts More Rain for California in the Coming Years
Robert Allen, associate professor in the Earth Sciences department, with graduate student Rainer Luptowitz, published an article in the journal Nature Communications, showing that despite predictions of a drier climate due to global warming, California will actually get wetter in the years ahead.
June 26, 2017
Molecular Biochemist Named to German National Academy of Sciences
Katayoon Dehesh, known for her work on how stress signals are sensed in plants, joins an academy whose past members include Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein.
May 5, 2017
UC Riverside Geneticist Named Royal Society Foreign Member
Susan Wessler, a distinguished professor of genetics at the University of California, Riverside, has been named a foreign member of the Royal Society, the leading science academy of the United Kingdom, whose past membership includes Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein.
May 4, 2017
CNAS Names New Divisional Dean of Life Sciences
Frances Sladek, professor of cell biology and toxicologist, has been named the Divisional Dean for Life Sciences in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS). Her three-year appointment begins July 1, 2017.
April 25, 2017
CNAS Scholarship Recipients Announced
The College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Executive Committee announced the recipients of the 2016 – 2017 CNAS scholarships. Among the recipients were two CNAS Science Ambassadors, Amanda Tedesco and Abigail Burr and UCR's recent Goldwater Scholar, Shannon Sweitzer.
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CNAS News Archive 2016
December 14, 2016
Pirrung Elected to National Academy of Inventors
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Michael C. Pirrung is among 11 University of California innovators who were recently elected to the National Academy of Inventors for “. . . creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.”
Read moreDecember 8, 2016
SHINES to Host Workshop on Spintronics and Thermal Transport
With support from the Vice Chancellor for Research, UCR's Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) on Spins and Heat in Nanoscale Electronic Systems (SHINES) will hold a workshop at UCR’s Palm Desert Center on January 12-13, 2017. The workshop will focus on the most recent development at the frontiers of spintronics and thermal transport in nano-materials and nano-devices.
Read moreNovember 10, 2016
Wilson Named Interim Deputy Director of UC Observatories
Professor of Physics and Astronomy Gillian Wilson has been named interim deputy director of UC Observatories, a multi-campus astronomical research unit with headquarters on the UC Santa Cruz campus. The unit operates the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton near San Jose, technical labs at UC Santa Cruz and UCLA, and is also a managing partner of the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. The appointment comes just months after Wilson was named chair of the University of California Observatories Advisory Committee.
Read moreJuly 11, 2016
Study Shows Lingering Toxic Effects of Oil Pollution on Development of Fish Embryos and Larvae
In the first experiment evaluating the effects of oil from the three-million-barrel leak from the Deep Water Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, Professor of Aquatic Ecotoxicology Daniel Schlenk found that the weathering of the oil produced significant changes in gene expression related to critical functions in Mahi embryos and larvae.
Read moreJuly 11, 2016
Study of Cloud Records Demonstrates Effects of Climate Change
A research team that includes Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences Robert Allen analyzed satellite cloud records and discovered that cloud storm tracks are moving toward the Earth’s poles, subtropical zones are expanding and cloud tops are moving higher in the atmosphere. The study, “Evidence for Climate Change in the Satellite Cloud Record,” appears in the July 11 edition of the journal Nature.
Read moreJuly 8, 2016
Why Do Galaxies Stop Creating Stars?
Using a large sample of around 70,000 galaxies, a team of researchers led by astronomers Behnam Darvish and Bahram Mobasher focused on the effects of external and internal processes that influence star formation activity and may have found an explanation for why galaxies stop creating stars.
Read moreJune 30, 2016
Mohideen Named Divisional Dean of Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy Umar Mohideen has agreed to serve as Divisional Dean of Physical Sciences and Mathematics for the college, effective July 1, 2016. He will replace Professor of Chemistry Cindy Larive, who has been chosen to serve the university as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.
Read moreJune 14, 2016
Morales '11 Recognized with UC Global Food Initiative 30 Under 30 Award
Fortino Morales III (B.S., environmental science, 2011), manager of UCR's R’Garden, has been recognized by the UC Global Food Initiative for his work at the 3-acre community garden on campus, which serves as a source of food, food education and community engagement.
Read moreJune 6, 2016
Citrus Research Foundation and UCR Team Up to Fight Citrus Killer
California Citrus Research Foundation and UCR launched an effort Monday, June 6 that will result in construction of a new facility to be used by researchers to fight a disease devastating the citrus industry. The research partnership aims to protect California’s $3.3 billion citrus industry from Huanglongbing, the citrus disease.
Read moreMay 19, 2016
Larive Named Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Paul D’Anieri has announced that Cindy Larive, Professor of Chemistry and Divisional Dean for Physical Sciences and Mathematics in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, has agreed to serve as UCR's next Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education effective July 1, 2016.
Read moreMay 17, 2016
Study Advances Understanding of Colon Cancer and Colitis
A new study led by Professor of Cell Biology and Toxicologist Frances M. Sladek explains how the distribution of two forms of a transcription factor in the colon influence the risk of disease. Both forms are important and require an appropriate balance between them in the gut. The next step in the research is to identify foods that disrupt this balance and those that help preserve it.
Read moreMay 5, 2016
Exploiting Male-Killing Bacteria to Control Insects
A team of scientists including Assistant Professor of Entomology Omar Akbari have discovered a key mechanism that drives a bacteria that kills male insects, a development that could potentially be exploited to control insect pest species in the future. In a paper published in Current Biology, they describe how the bacterium Spiroplasma initiates male killing by directly targeting the dosage compensation complex of an organism, which equalizes gene expression between the males and females.
Read moreMay 4, 2016
Renowned Biologists to Give Free Public Talk on Earth’s Tipping Point
Biologists Anthony D. Barnosky and Elizabeth A. Hadly will deliver the John A. and Betty C. Moore Science as a Way of Knowing lecture on Thursday, May 12, 2016. Free and open to the public, their hour-long talk is titled “Tipping Point for Planet Earth – How Close Are We to the Edge?” and will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the UCR Extension Center.
Read moreMay 3, 2016
Chen to Deliver Faculty Research Lecture on Small RNAs
Distinguished Professor of Botany and Plant Sciences Xuemei Chen will deliver the 64th annual Faculty Research Lecture titled, “Small RNAs – Small but Powerful” from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on June 6 in the Genomics Auditorium. Small RNAs were the “dark matter” in biology until the early 2000s, when they were found to be universally present in animals and plants. In the past 15 years, efforts in the research community have unveiled many secrets of these enigmatic molecules and have begun to harness their power.
Read moreMay 3, 2016
Bailey-Serres Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Professor of Genetics Julia Bailey-Serres has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for her excellence in original scientific research. Membership in the NAS is one of the highest honors given to a scientist or engineer in the United States. Bailey-Serres learned of her election May 3, 2016, during the academy’s 153rd annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Read moreApril 27, 2016
Bacteria Beneficial to Plants Have Spread Across California
A recent study led by Associate Professor of Biology Joel Sachs and published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that a strain of beneficial nitrogen-fixing bacteria has spread across California, demonstrating that beneficial bacteria can share some of the same features that are characteristic of pathogens. The bacteria, called Bradyrhizobium, form tumor-like nodules on the roots of plants and are able to “fix” nitrogen by breaking it down and rendering it into forms that plants can easily metabolize.
Read moreApril 25, 2016
College Saddened by Loss of Robert Haddon
Robert Cort Haddon, UCR distinguished professor of Chemistry and of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, and Director of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering, passed away April 21, 2016. He was awarded the American Physical Society’s James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials in 2008 and named by Thomson Reuters as one of the “best and brightest minds of our times” in 2014.
Read moreApril 19, 2016
More Natural History Training Needed, Survey Shows
A survey by scientists from three UC campuses and led by Cameron Barrows, associate researcher at the Center for Conservation Biology, shows that only 11 percent of early career scientists felt their academic training alone provided the needed exposure to natural history, which can be defined as the observation of organisms in their natural environment.
Read moreApril 19, 2016
Physics and Astronomy Hosts Public Events About Dark Matter, Mercury Transit
The Department of Physics and Astronomy is holding a Cosmic Wednesday discussion on April 27 about dark matter, along with a viewing of the rarely-seen Mercury transit. Designed to educate the community about science in an accessible way, the Cosmic Wednesday lecture will feature Professor George Becker, who will discuss computer-generated simulations of dark matter--a special kind of matter that doesn’t emit light or magnetic or electric fields.
Read moreApril 18, 2016
Self-healing Polymer Could Lead to Artificial Muscle
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Chao Wang is co-author of a study published in Nature Chemistry that describes a new polymer that can stretch to 100 times its original length, and even repair itself if punctured. It can also twitch by exposing it to an electric field, causing it to expand and contract, making it potentially useful as an artificial muscle.
Read moreApril 18, 2016
All Ants on Deck
Like humans, ants work together to enhance their response to emergency situations with different members of the group carrying out different tasks. A team of scientists that includes Assistant Professor of Entomology Jessica Purcell has found that a species of ant that clusters together to form rafts to survive floods exhibits memory and repeatedly occupies the same position during raft formation.
Read moreApril 12, 2016
$1M NSF Grant Will Help Sophomores Persist in Science
UCR has received a five-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to provide scholarships, academic support, research experience and internships for a group of sophomores majoring in science. The program builds on the highly successful Freshman Scholars Learning Communities program developed at CNAS.
Read moreApril 6, 2016
Reznick Among Three UCR Scholars Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship
Distinguished Professor of Biology David Reznick is among 175 persons in the U.S. awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for 2016. Also honored from UCR are Laila Lalami, professor of creative writing, Fred Moten, professor of English and poetry. Reznick is an evolutionary biologist whose groundbreaking research found that an individual’s response to environmental conditions may predict evolutionary changes in future generations.
Read moreApril 4, 2016
Study Shows How Broadbills Use Their Wings to Create Sounds to Mark Territory
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology by Assistant Professor of Biology Christopher J. Clark demonstrates that Broadbills, birds found in some parts of Africa, produce a startlingly loud sound that they make with their wings to mark off territory. Clark was able to demonstrate that that it is not the outermost wing feathers but the ones just inside of these feathers that make their klaxon-like sound.
Read moreMarch 30, 2016
Study Finds Wide-Reaching Impact of Nitrogen Deposition on Loss of Plant Diversity
Professor of Plant Ecology Edith B. Allen is among a group scientists who studied more than 15,000 sites across the U.S. and discovered that human activity is leading to nitrogen deposition in levels the decrease soil health and diversity of plant species in 24 percent of the sites they examined. Among the causes of this diminishing plant diversity are fossil fuel combustion, agricultural fertilizer application and livestock waste.
Read moreMarch 30, 2016
Researchers to Study Contaminants from Treated Wastewater on Food Produce
Jay Gan, a professor of environmental chemistry, and John Trumble, a distinguished professor of entomology, have been awarded a $749,631 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study the human and ecological health impacts of water reuse and conservation practices. University researchers will use the funds to measure levels of contaminants in vegetables irrigated with treated wastewater.
Read moreMarch 30, 2016
New Tumbleweed Species Rapidly Expanding Range
Two invasive species of tumbleweed have hybridized to create a new species that Professor of Genetics Norman C. Ellstrand and his former graduate student Shana R. Welles found has dramatically expanded its geographic range in California in just a decade. They believe the invasive species Salsola ryanii could spread beyond California to other states.
Read moreMarch 29, 2016
Scientists Unlock Genetic Secret that Could Help Fight Malaria
Omar Akbari, an assistant professor of entomology, is among group of scientists who have discovered a long-hypothesized male determining gene in the mosquito species that carries malaria, laying the groundwork for the development of strategies that could help control the disease. This is significant because male mosquitoes offer the potential to develop novel vector control strategies to combat diseases, such as malaria and the zika and dengue viruses, because males do not feed on blood or transmit diseases.
Read moreMarch 21, 2016
Humans Releasing Carbon 10 times Faster Than Any Time in Past 66 million Years
New research published in Nature Geoscience by Professor of Earth Sciences Andy Ridgwell and two co-authors looks at changes of Earth’s temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) since the end of the age of the dinosaurs. Their findings suggest humans are releasing carbon about 10 times faster than during any event in the past 66 million years.
Read moreMarch 17, 2016
Close Leads Team on $1.6M Grant to Sequence Cowpea Genome
Professor of Genetics Timothy Close is leading a team of UCR scientists on a nearly $1.6-million grant from the National Science Foundation to sequence the genome of the cowpea and further research developing superior cowpea breeding lines. The cowpea, which also includes black-eyed peas, is one of the most widely grown legume crops in the world and number one source of protein in the human diet in sub-Saharan Africa.
Read moreMarch 2, 2016
Spinning Better Electronic Devices
A team of researchers led by Professor of Physics Jing Shi have demonstrated for the first time the transmission of electrical signals through insulators in a sandwich-like structure, a development that could help create more energy efficient electronic devices. The research results, published in Nature Communications, are the first first major collaborative result from the SHINES (Spins and Heat In Nanoscale Electronic Systems) center, which is funded with a $12-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Read moreMarch 1, 2016
New Method Developed to Stop Argentine Ants
Graduate student Kevin Welzel and Dong-Hwan Choe, assistant professor of entomology and assistant cooperative extension specialist, are co-authors of a new paper describing research results showing bait that includes ant pheromones can be nearly twice as effective as bait without them in controlling Argentine ant populations.
Read moreFebruary 18, 2016
Akbari Co-Authors Paper on State of Engineered Gene Drives
In a highly innovative and technical review, Assistant Professor of Entomology Omar Akbari and his graduate students have published a paper in the journal Nature Reviews Genetics that examines the different gene drives systems, analyzes the pros and cons of each and applications associated with them, and also surveys the safety and regulatory issues associated with them. Engineered gene drives have the potential to spread desirable genes throughout wild populations or to suppress harmful species.
Read moreFebruary 8, 2016
Funning Co-Authors Paper on Potential for Double Earthquakes
A team of researchers including Associate Professor of Earth Sciences Gareth Funning has published a paper in journal Nature Geoscience that describes how an earthquake rupture on one thrust fault can trigger a second earthquake on another thrust fault much further away than previously thought. The finding could have severe implications for the Los Angeles area and other regions in the world.
Read moreJanuary 29, 2016
Bailey-Serres and Yin Named Among World's Most Influential Scientists
CNAS scientists Juilia Bailey-Serres (botany and plant sciences) and Yadong Yin (chemistry) have been named to the Thomson Reuters 2015 list of “some of the best and brightest minds of our times.” The 2015 list focuses on contemporary research achievement using highly cited papers in journals indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection during the 11-year period 2003-2013 and defined as those that rank in the top 1 percent by citations for field and publication year..
Read moreJanuary 19, 2016
Watching Electrons Cool in 30 Quadrillionths of a Second
Nathan Gabor and Joshua C. H. Lui, assistant professors in the Department of Physics, are among the co-authors of a paper published recently in Nature Physics titled, “Tuning ultrafast electron thermalization pathways in a van der Waals heterostructure.” It describes a new process the research team developed that could have applications in visual displays, solar cells and photodetectors.
Read moreJanuary 13, 2016
Tracy Kahn Appointed Givaudan Endowed Chair
Tracy Kahn, curator of UCR’s Citrus Variety Collection, has been appointed the Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection Endowed Chair. The appointment, which went into effect July 1, 2015 and runs through June 30, 2020, allows the collection to be supported and maintained in perpetuity.
Read moreJanuary 12, 2016
Distinguished Professor Mark S. Alber to Join UCR’s Department of Mathematics
Distinguished Professor Mark S. Alber will join the faculty in the CNAS Department of Mathematics effective June 30, 2016. Professor Alber is currently the Vincent J. Duncan Family Professor of Applied Mathematics in the Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Notre Dame.
Read moreJanuary 11, 2016
Backyard Chickens Harbor Many Parasites
A study in the Journal of Medical Entomology by graduate student Amy Murillo and Professor of Entomology Bradley Mullens demonstrates that backyard chickens are infested by a greater diversity of mites and lice than cage-raised chickens.
Read moreJanuary 5, 2016
Emeritus Faculty Members Chalmers and Oatman Pass Away
The CNAS community was saddened to learn of the loss of two emeritus colleagues: Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Bruce Chalmers, who passed away December 11; and Professor Emeritus of Entomology Earl Oatman, who passed away December 13. Professor Chalmers joined the Department of Mathematics in 1976 and retired in 2008. Professor Oatman was hired at UCR in 1962 to work in Biological Control, served for a time as chair of the Division of Biological Control, and retired in 1988.
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CNAS News Archive 2015
December 11, 2015
Physicist Uses 3D-printing Technology to Better Understand the Universe
Miguel Aragón-Calvo, a visiting assistant researcher in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is using 3D-printing technology to create models of structures in the universe in order to better understand how the universe has evolved.
Read moreDecember 8, 2015
Ying Named to Lead $1.69-million President’s Research Catalyst Award
Assistant Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry Samantha Ying will serve as principal investigator on a $1.69-million President’s Research Catalyst Award for cutting-edge research in the soil microbiome. Ying’s award, announced Dec. 7 by University of California President Janet Napolitano, is one of four totaling more than $4.8 million selected from more than 180 proposals.
Read moreDecember 3, 2015
Candlelight Vigil to Honor Graduates Killed or Injured in San Bernardino Shooting
Three graduates from the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences are among those who will be honored during a candlelight vigil for victims of the tragic shooting in San Bernardino earlier this week. The vigil will begin Friday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m. near the center of campus.
Read moreDecember 3, 2015
Baez to Discuss “The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything” at CMS Meeting
Professor of Mathematics John Baez will deliver a public lecture titled, “The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything,” at the 2015 winter meeting of the Canadian Mathematical Society, in Montreal, Canada, on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015. The CMS winter meeting is the primary annual mathematics meeting in Canada and is expected to draw 500 participants.
Read moreNovember 16, 2015
Entomology Professor Receives National Teaching Award
Professor of Entomology Timothy Paine has received an award for innovative teaching methods and service to students from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Paine received the Excellence in College and University Teaching Awards for Food and Agricultural Sciences award at the 128th APLU Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Ind., on Sunday, Nov. 15.
Read moreNovember 9, 2015
A Warmer World Will Be a Hazier One
Using a suite of computer models, a new study led by Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences Robert Allen finds that most aerosol species (tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere) will increase under climate change associated with greenhouse-gas-induced warming. This will affect air quality and alter the Earth’s radiative balance by either scattering or absorbing sunlight.
Read moreNovember 5, 2015
Managed Bees Spread and Intensify Diseases in Wild Bees
A new study by postdoctoral researcher Peter Graystock (lead author), Assistant Professor of Entomology Quinn McFrederick and others shows that the introduction of large populations of managed bees to an area can have a deleterious effect the health of the wild bees living there.
Read moreNovember 3, 2015
Researchers Identify New Route for Release of Steroid Hormones
A new paper published by the journal Cell by Assistant Professor of Entomology Naoki Yamanaka and others concludes that the conventional “free diffusion” model of steroid hormone release should be revisited based on their study of how fruit fly endocrine organs use tightly regulated signaling pathways to manage the process.
Read moreNovember 2, 2015
Oil-Based Pesticides Most Effective at Killing Contents of Brown Widow Spider Egg Sacs
Pesticides in oil-based formulations are better than water-based formulations at penetrating the silk fibers of brown widow spider egg sacs, according to a new study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology by CNAS entomologists Dong-Hwan Choe and Rick Vetter.
Read moreOctober 30, 2015
Chari Named Fellow of American Mathematical Society
Professor of Mathematics Vyjayanthi Chari is one of only 50 mathematical scientists from around the world who have been named fellows of the American Mathematical Society for 2016. Chari is honored for her contributions to the theory of quantum groups and affine Lie algebras and for service to the mathematical community.
Read moreOctober 29, 2015
Study Spells Out Why Some Insects Kill Their Mothers
A new study published in New Biology by entomologist Kevin J. Loope, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Assistant Professor Erin Wilson Rankin, describes Loope’s observations of female worker wasps who kill their colony’s queen when the genetic makeup of the colony makes it favorable to do so.
Read moreOctober 19, 2015
New Study Describes Environmental Impact of Utility-Scale Solar Energy Projects
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that utility-scale solar power installations in California are having direct and indirect effects on ecosystems and recommends prudent decision-making in the siting of installations. Authors of the paper include Rebecca Hernandez, former junior specialist in the Center for Conservation Biology at UCR, and Michael Allen, director of the center and professor and chair of plant pathology and microbiology.
Read moreOctober 7, 2015
"Alternative Earths" Is Topic of Free Public Lecture
Distinguished Professor of Biogeochemistry Timothy Lyons will give a free lecture titled, “Alternative Earths? What Our Planet’s History May Tell Us About Life in the Universe,” on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. in Bourns Hall Room A265.
Read moreOctober 6, 2015
Kathryn Uhrich Named Dean of the College
Kathryn Uhrich, professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, has been named dean of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences it was announced today. She will start January 1, 2016.
Read moreOctober 6, 2015
CNAS Welcomes 30 New Faculty to its Ranks
The College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences welcomes 30 new faculty to its ranks this year, bringing the total number to more than 300 across 13 departments in 3 divisions.
Read moreOctober 1, 2015
CNAS Expertise to be Showcased at Long Night of Arts & Innovation
Faculty and students from CNAS will part of a series presentations and demonstrations at the City of Riverside’s Long Night of Arts & Innovation from 5 p.m. to midnight on Thursday, Oct. 8, in downtown Riverside.
Read moreSeptember 30, 2015
Traps Created with 3-D Printing Aid in Studies of Avocado Pest
A team of CNAS scientists are using 3-D printing to rapidly and cost-effectively produce specially designed traps to help capture and study the polyphagous shot hole borer, an insect that is damaging avocado and other species of trees in Southern California.
Read moreSeptember 29, 2015
Scientists Sequence Genomes of Microscopic Worms Beneficial to Agriculture
A team led by Assistant Professor of Parasitology Adler Dillman has sequenced the genomes of a group of nematodes (microscopic round worms), providing information that can assist in developing them into more effective parasitic biological control agents in the fight against agricultural insect pests.
Read moreSeptember 23, 2015
Santiago Receives NSF Grant to Study Plant Survival and Mortality Mechanisms During Extreme Drought
Associate Professor of Botany and Plant Sciences Louis Santiago has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study how trees and shrubs respond to extreme drought. Now in the fourth year of drought, California’s trees and shrubs are experiencing mass mortality quickly and rapid changes in vegetation cover are leading to loss of biodiversity, opportunities for invasive species, and novel ecosystems with entirely new plant communities.
Read moreSeptember 23, 2015
Emma Aronson Receives Two Grants from NSF
Emma Aronson, an assistant professor of plant pathology and microbiology, has received two grants from the National Science Foundation for conducting research on projects aimed at generating a greater understanding of the microbial role in biogeochemical cycling.
Read moreSeptember 23, 2015
Alec Gerry Receives Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension from the Entomological Society of America
Alec C. Gerry, a professor of veterinary entomology and extension specialist has been selected to receive the Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension from the Entomological Society of America (ESA). He will be presented with the award at the ESA’s annual meeting in November 2015.
Read moreSeptember 21, 2015
Bailey-Serres Co-Authors Study on Growing Rice Under Water
A team of scientists including Julia Bailey-Serres, professor of genetics and director of the Center for Plant Cell Biology, recently published a study unlocking the secret to just how rice seeds might be able to survive when grown under water. The study, published in the leading scientific journal Nature Plants, identified a gene that controls the availability of sugar to a growing seed shoot—especially when under flooded conditions.
Read moreSeptember 16, 2015
Plant Species’ Responses to Climate Change Altered by Novel Competitors
A new study by Assistant Professor of Plant Ecology Jeffrey M. Diez and others provides the first empirical evidence that competition among alpine plant species in response to changing temperatures is more important to their survival than the direct effects of temperature. The study was published online by the journal Nature.
Read moreSeptember 16, 2015
Physics and Astronomy to Host Events Surrounding Lunar Eclipse
Members of the Department of Physics and Astronomy will host a series of events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 25-27, to educate the community about using telescopes and to view the lunar eclipse on Sunday evening. It will be the last total lunar eclipse in California until 2018.
September 15, 2015
CNAS Learning Communities Recognized by Department of Education and White House
The U.S. Department of Education and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics has recognized the success of the CNAS Freshman Scholars Learning Communities by naming the program one of 232 Bright Spots in Hispanic Education for its ongoing efforts to close the achievement gap for students and ensure their success in STEM fields.
Read moreSeptember 14, 2015
Reznick and Team of Researchers Illustrate Real-Time Evolution in Study of Guppies in Trinidad
Distinguished Professor of Biology David Reznick and an international team of researchers have published a paper detailing their work in identifying how populations of guppies in Trinidad rapidly evolve in response to changes in their environment. Their findings appeared Aug. 19 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Read moreSeptember 10, 2015
Wilson and Team of Astronomers Discover Prolific Star-Generating Cluster of Galaxies
Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Interim Divisional Dean Gillian Wilson is part of a team that has discovered a distant cluster of galaxies in the universe that are forming stars at a rate 800 times that of our own Milky Way. The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal.
Read moreAugust 28, 2015
From Icy Tomb to Global Warming: Public Lecture Will Discuss Earth’s Climate History
Harvard University Professor Emeritus of Geology Paul Hoffman will deliver a free public lecture titled, "Earth’s Astonishing Climate History," on Thursday, September 24, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the UCR Extension Center. Co-sponsored by the Department of Earth Sciences and the NASA Astrobiology Institute, the lecture is free and open to the public (no charge for parking).
August 28, 2015
Gill Elected Fellow of Entomological Society of America
Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience and entomologist Sarjeet Gill has been elected a fellow of the Entomological Society of America, the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Gill is one of only 10 persons elected to this honor this year.
Read moreAugust 25, 2015
Sequencing of Barley Genome Achieves New Milestone
Professors Tim Close (Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, CNAS) and Stefano Lonardi (Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering) have sequenced large portions of the barley genome that together contain nearly two-thirds of all its genes. This new information will not only expand geneticists’ knowledge of barley’s DNA but will also help in the understanding, at the genetic level, of wheat and other sources of food.
Read moreAugust 24, 2015
Department of Chemistry Ranked 41st in the World
The Department of Chemistry at CNAS jumped from being ranked 47th in the world in 2014 to 41st in 2015, according to the recently released Academic Ranking of World Universities. The rankings are based on prestigious awards won by alumni or faculty and three separate indices of the number of researchers cited, the number of citations and the impact factors of the journals where their work is cited.
Read moreAugust 19, 2015
Computer Models Show Significant Tsunami Strength for Ventura and Oxnard
A new study published in Geophysical Research Letters demonstrates that a tsunami caused by an earthquake along two Southern California faults near Ventura has the potential to refract, rotate and inundate the Ventura/Oxnard area. The first author of the study is Kenny J. Ryan, a graduate student working with the co-author, Professor David D. Oglesby in the Department of Earth Sciences.
Read moreAugust 4, 2015
Flowers Can Be Dangerous to Bees?
In addition to serving as a source for pollen and nectar for bees, flowers can also pose a grave danger by providing a platform for parasites, according to a study in the online journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B co-authored by Peter Graystock, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Entomology.
Read moreJuly 31, 2015
Jenerette to Participate in New Urban Water Innovation Network
Darrel Jenerette, an associate professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, will participate in the newly established Urban Water Innovation Network, a partnership of 14 academic institutions funded by a $12-million NSF grant to address the challenges threatening urban water systems in the United States and around the world. Jenerette’s expertise is in the area of urban biodiversity, vegetation-based regional cooling and water requirements for urban vegetation..
Read moreJuly 27, 2015
CNAS Researchers Discover Way to Boost Solar Power by Using Infrared Spectrum
Department of Chemistry professors Christopher Bardeen and Ming Lee Tang have discovered a way to upconvert infrared photons from the sun, enabling them to be utilized by photovoltaic solar panels in a process that can boost efficiency by up to 30 percent.
Read moreJuly 22, 2015
Study Shows Soybean Oil Is Greater Factor in Obesity and Diabetes Than Fructose
A study by Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience Frances M. Sladek and Assistant Project Scientist Poonamjot Deol shows that soybean oil, which has grown to account for 60 percent of the edible oil consumed in the United States, has a stronger impact on the development of obesity and diabetes than fructose, a sugar commonly found in soda. The increase in soybean oil consumption jn recent decades mirrors the rise in obesity rates in the United States.
Read moreJuly 22, 2015
GMOs: All Facts, No Fiction
Faculty from CNAS and UC Davis will be part of a discussion, “GMOs: All Facts, No Fiction,” on Wednesday, November 4, 2015, from 6–7:30 p.m. at the UCR Extension Center. Moderating the discussion will be Greg Jaffe, Director of Biotechnology at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C. The event is free, open the the public and hosted by the Global Food Initiative at UCR.
Read moreJune 26, 2015
Why Are Seabirds Abandoning Their Ancestral Nesting Grounds in Gulf of California?
Professor of Botany and Plant Sciences and Director of the UC MEXUS program Exequiel Ezcurra is co-author of a new study describing why seabirds are abandoning their ancestral nesting grounds on Isla Rasa in the Gulf of California without nesting. Warming oceanographic conditions and fishing pressure are driving them away.
Read moreJune 26, 2015
Physics and Astronomy Hosts Eighth Annual Summer Physics Academy
The Department of Physics and Astronomy hosted its eighth annual Summer Physics Academy last week, providing a weeklong workshop that trains and equips local high school physics teachers with practical and conceptual physics lessons, hands-on activities, curriculum and technology to use in their own classrooms. The academy’s goal is to reach out to local high school students through their teachers so that the students are encouraged to learn physics and be prepared for physics courses at the college level.
Read moreJune 25, 2015
Study by Garland Points to Benefits of Exercise During Childhood
A study published in Physiology & Behavior by Professor of Biology Theodore Garland demonstrates the positive impact that exercise done early in life can have on the health of adults, including a tendency to continue to exercise voluntarily and achieve a reduction in body mass.
Read moreJune 22, 2015
Safe Repellents That Protect Fruit From Spotted Wing Drosophila Found
Associate Professor of Entomology Anandasankar Ray and graduate student Christine Krause Pham have identified a safe repellent that protects fruit from insects like the spotted wing Drosophila, which it lays its eggs inside ripe berries, and, when its larvae emerge there, the fruit is destroyed. The repellant uses Butyl anthranilate, a pleasant-smelling chemical compound produced naturally in fruits in small amounts.
Read moreJune 18, 2015
Wessler Named Campbell Presidential Chair for Innovation in Science Education
Distinguished Professor of Genetics Susan R. Wessler, a passionate advocate for spreading the excitement of doing genomics research to undergraduate students, has been named the Neil A. and Rochelle A. Campbell Presidential Chair for Innovation in Science Education. The endowed chair was established through a generous gift from Rochelle A. Campbell, a longtime supporter of science education at UCR.
Read moreJune 17, 2015
Mobasher, Grad Students Part of International Team That Discovers Universe’s Brightest Galaxy
Professor of Physics and Astronomy Bahram Mobasher and his graduate students Behnam Darvish and Shoubaneh Hemmati are part of a team that has discovered by far the brightest galaxy yet found in the early universe and found strong evidence that examples of the first generation of stars lurk within it. Along with astronomer David Sobral of the University of Lisbon, Portugal, they peered back into the ancient universe to a period known as reionization that is approximately 800 million years after the Big Bang.
Read moreJune 12, 2015
CNAS Faculty Recognized at Chancellor’s Awards Reception
Several members of the CNAS faculty were recognized at the 2014-2015 Faculty Awards Reception held on May 26 at Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox’s residence. The celebration also recognized faculty members who received significant national and Senate awards in the past academic school year.
Read moreMay 27, 2015
Public Talk to Discuss Sugar Aversion in Cockroaches
Coby Schal, an international expert in urban entomology from North Carolina State University, will give the 2015 Alfred M. Boyce Lecture at UCR on Monday, June 1, on the topic of cockroaches, specifically their aversion to sugar. The lecture is presented by the CNAS Department of Entomology and will take place in the Genomics Building Auditorium beginning at 4:10 p.m.
Read moreMay 18, 2015
Study Proposes Common Mechanism for Shallow and Deep Earthquakes
Harry W. Green II, distinguished professor of the Graduate Division in UC Riverside’s Department of Earth Sciences, led a team that published a new study in Nature Geoscience that demonstrates how a universal sliding mechanism operates for earthquakes of all depths – from the deep ones all the way up to the crustal ones. The study has the potential to help develop improved computer models for earthquake shaking danger.
Read moreMay 13, 2015
Science of Food and Health Series Concludes with Lecture on Nutrition and Immunity
Ilhem Messaoudi, an associate professor in the Division of Biomedical Sciences at the UC Riverside School of Medicine, will deliver a free public lecture titled, “What You Eat is How You Feel: Nutrition and its Impact on Immunity and Health” on Thursday, May 21 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the UCR Extension Center.
Read moreMay 7, 2015
College Saddened by Passing of George K. Helmkamp
George K. Helmkamp, who was the second person hired in chemistry in 1953, died March 28, 2015, at the age of 94. Described as a “Renaissance man” for his many talents, he was an accomplished wood worker who designed and built UC Riverside’s mace, which is carried at the head of the procession during the university’s academic ceremonies.
Read moreMay 1, 2015
Mobasher is Lead Investigator on $4.5-Million "Big Data" Grant from NASA
Professor of Physics and Astronomy Bahram Mobasher is the principal investigator on a nearly $4.5 million grant from NASA to develop research, education, training and collaborative opportunities in big data and visualization. The five-year research project, called “Fellowships and Internships in Extremely Large Data Sets” (FIELDS), will train underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields to address a critical shortfall in the workforce essential for future NASA missions.
Read moreApril 30, 2015
Seeds of Change: UCR’s Healthy and Sustainable Food Initiative Will be Subject of Lecture May 7
The next lecture in the The Science of Food and Health series will feature Cheryl Garner, executive director of UCR Dining, Conference and Catering Services, and Neal Malik, registered dietician, UCR Dining Services, as they discuses “Seeds of Change: UCR’s Healthy and Sustainable Food Initiative,” on Thursday, May 7, at the UC Riverside Extension Center, 1200 University Ave.
Read moreApril 20, 2015
Science of Food and Health Lecture Series Resumes April 23
“Food Security for Africa: The Cowpea Story From Lab to Plate” is the topic of the next free public lecture in the CNAS series titled The Science of Food and Health. The lecture will be given by Professor of Nematology Philip Roberts, Professor of Genetics Timothy Close, and Jeff Ehlers, a program officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It will take place Thursday, April 23, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the UC Riverside Extension Center, 1200 University Avenue.
Read moreApril 15, 2015
Calling All Citizen Scientists!
Researchers in the Center for Conservation Biology are seeking volunteers for a project that aims to study the impact of climate change on plants and animal life in Joshua Tree National Park. The volunteers would help in conducting surveys of plants, birds and reptiles in the park and are being sought most immediately for Friday, April 17, and Friday, April 24.
Read moreApril 8, 2015
Inaugural Annual Insect Fair to be Held April 18
A diverse collection of insects will be on display at the inaugural Annual Riverside Insect Fair in downtown Riverside on Saturday, April 18. Organized mainly by the University of California, Riverside Entomology Graduate Student Association and the Riverside Metropolitan Museum, the fair will take place on Mission Inn Avenue between Orange Street and Lemon Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
Read moreApril 6, 2015
CNAS Physicists Celebrate Restart of Large Hadron Collider at CERN
Faculty, researchers and students from the CNAS Department of Physics and Astronomy are participating in the restart of the Large Hadron Collider at the CERN Laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, as it begins a new generation of high-energy experiments following two years of upgrades and repairs. UCR is a founding member of CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid), a large particle-capturing detector that was instrumental in the discovery of the Higgs boson.
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