Atomic motion is captured in 4D for the first time
A UCLA-led team, with physics professor, Jianwei Miao, as the senior author, gained a never-before-seen view of nucleation. As they saw the atoms rearrange at 4D atomic resolution, they discovered something that proved the classical theory of nucleation wrong. The researchers observed that the nuclei formed irregular shapes, unlike stated in the classical theory. They also found that there was no sharp boundary, as explained by the classical theory, and more!
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UCLA licenses technology to combat hair loss to company founded by faculty
Three UCLA professors, Heather Christofk, William Lowry, and Michael Jung discovered a compound that, while testing in research mice, enabled hair follicle stem cells to promote lactate production, and thus, hair growth.With this discovery, the technology and compounds have been licensed by UCLA to Pelage Pharmaceuticals, a startup company, founded by the three professors. Here they plan to improve and develop new drugs for people with baldness or alopecia.
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UCLA students touch space with a microgravity experiment
The Bruin Spacecraft undergraduate student group designed a fluid pump without any moving parts to work in zero-gravity, ideal for moving various liquids on the International Space Station. Their pump was aboard Blue Origin’s reusable rocket when it launched on May 9, making it the first space payload developed and built entirely by a UCLA student group.
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Events
July 19, 2019: UCLA Screening of Apollo 11
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and the 100th anniversary of UCLA! Join us for a screening of the 2019 documentary film Apollo 11 followed by a Q&A with planetary science and space exploration experts. The reception will being at 6 p.m. and the screening will follow at 7 in the UCLA Auditorium: Young CS50. This event is free and open to the public.
UCLA ranked #1 public university
UCLA was named #1 among U.S. public universities in two significant lists: the 2019 U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” rankings, and the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education survey.
Qualities highlighted by the publications include UCLA’s commitment to top-quality education, fostering a sense of community, and prioritizing inclusion. Click here to read the news announcements.
Student Spotlight: Research on seafloor has great implications for sea levels
Ken Zhao, a PhD candidate in the department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences published phenomenal research in the Journal of Physical Oceanography. This research focuses on the effects of seafloor sills on melting glaciers.
Ultimately, the research may help scientists create a better approach to mitigate rising sea levels.
Click here to read Zhao’s account of this research and its implications.
The DIYnamics school outreach program
Organization for Diverse Leadership in Science pioneering outreach and inclusivity
In the efforts to diversify the STEM fields of universities all across the nation, OCDS was created almost ten years ago in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department, but has since become a wide-spread STEM organization to promote multiculturalism and inclusion in the field, especially at the graduate level.
OCDS is led by graduate students who are in turn advised by a long-time faculty mentor, professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Miguel García-Garibay, who is also dean of the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences.
Click here to read more about OCDS.
Alumni Spotlight: Christopher Snead, EPSS
Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences alumnus Christopher Snead (Ph.D. 2016) is continuing his passion for research with the Astromaterials Curation Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
“The research I conducted [at UCLA] on cosmic dust particles prepared me to participate in high-level decisions about how future samples will be collected, curated, and analyzed in a way that maximizes scientific yield,” he says.
Click here to read more about how his time at UCLA and why he encourages students to consider a major within EPSS.
Physical Sciences faculty named fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Four Physical Sciences faculty were named AAAS 2018 Fellows for their scientifically or socially distinguished work to advance science.
We asked Heather Maynard, Neil Garg, Xiangfeng Duan, and Carla Koehler – all professors of Chemistry & Biochemistry – how they got to where they are and what this fellowship means to them for their future endeavors. Click here to read more about what this recognition means for their career, their students, and their research.
Giving
Our world-changing research is helped by your gifts. Read about the ways your donation to the Division of Physical Sciences will further discoveries and student opportunities by clicking here.
Latest giving news:
Professor emeritus gives $1 million to bring visiting mathematics faculty to UCLA
Physical sciences receives gifts to support climate change research and education
