New Books Published by French and Italian Scholars  Three faculty members in the Department of French and Italian at UC Santa Barbara have published new books ranging in subject from deadly medieval theater to Scheherazade’s Lovers to the culture of secrecy in early modern Europe. They include "Murder By Accident: Theater, Medievalism, and Critical Intentions" by Jody Enders, professor of French and Theater; "Les Amoureuz de Schéhérazade: Variations Modernes Sur les Mille et Une Nuits," which translates to "Scheherazade’s Lovers: Modern Variations on the Thousand and One Nights," by Dominique Jullien, professor of French and comparative literature; and "Dissimulation and the Culture of Secrecy in Early Modern Europe" by Jon R. Snyder, professor of Italian Studies and comparative literature, chair of the Department of French and Italian, and chair of UCSB’s Consortium on Literature, Theory, and Culture. 11/12/09 PRESS RELEASE

Fulbright Scholars From Canada, Europe, and the Middle East to Study at UCSB  The Fulbright Scholar Program has awarded grants to seven researchers from Korea, Spain, Canada, and the Middle East to study at UC Santa Barbara during the 2009-10 academic year. They include Monica-Gabriela Cojocaru of Canada; Guillermo Rico Camps, Carlos Miguel Tamarit Degenhardt, and Javier Vidal Hurtado of Spain; Kyu Hyun Kim of Korea, Ruben Mirakyan of Armenia; and Kyung Hee Suh, also of Korea. While at UCSB, the scholars will be affiliated with the Departments of Statistics and Applied Probability; Political Science; the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics; Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology; Religious Studies; and Linguistics. 11/10/09 PRESS RELEASE

New UC Santa Barbara Police Chief Takes Up Duties  Dustin Olson has taken up his duties as the new Chief of Police at UC Santa Barbara. Olson, formerly the Assistant Chief of Police at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was appointed to his UCSB post after a nationwide search. His appointment took effect Monday, November 4. He succeeds former Chief Bill Bean, who retired in June after 34 years of service to the UCSB Police Department, the last four years as chief 11/3/09 PRESS RELEASE

UCSB Scientists Say Size of Area Lagoons Can Be Predicted  The size of Santa Barbara area lagoons can be predicted, according to a new study by UC Santa Barbara scientists, who say that their research could help protect the endangered steelhead trout. Concern for the survival of the steelhead prompted Andrew Rich, a doctoral student in earth science at UCSB, to study lagoons in the Santa Barbara area with his advisor, Edward Keller, professor of Earth Science. Their analysis of 23 small coastal lagoons near Santa Barbara indicates that the variability of lagoon area, length, volume, and average width can be explained by the variability of the slope of streams above the lagoon, and total annual rainfall. 11/2/09 PRESS RELEASE

UCSB Joins in $20 Million Grant for Vision Research Using Stem Cells
UCSB will receive $2.5 million of a $20 million, multi-institution grant for vision research. The research will focus on macular degeneration, the major cause of visual impairment in the elderly. The grant, from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and the UK Medical Research Council (MRC), will cover preclinical tests utilizing human embryonic stem cells, as part of an effort to get federal approval for clinical trials. CIRM will provide $15.9 million for work in California, and the MRC will add $4.1 million to fund collaborative work in London. 10/28/09 PRESS RELEASE

UCSB Announces First-Ever Sustainability Champions  Food and energy — two of the world’s most important resources — are what fuel the research and fervor of UC Santa Barbara’s first-ever Sustainability Champions. For David Cleveland, a professor of environmental studies, and Eric Matthys, a professor of environmental studies and mechanical engineering, the chance to be UCSB faculty leaders on campus sustainability issues is exciting and brimming with opportunity. Cleveland has been named the champion for 2009-10, while Matthys will assume the role for 2010-11. 10/22/09 PRESS RELEASE

Geologist Analyzes Earliest Shell-Covered Fossil Animals  The fossil remains of some of the first animals with shells, ocean-dwelling creatures that measure a few centimeters in length and date to about 520 million years ago, provide a window on evolution at this time, according to scientists. The research, led by John Moore, a graduate student in the Department of Earth Science at UCSB, indicates that these animals were larger than previously thought. 10/21/09 PRESS RELEASE

UCSB Anthropologist Studies Human Life Span, Evolution of Physiology  A remote Amazonian tribe in central Bolivia may offer proof that heart attack and stroke — the leading causes of death in the United States and other developed countries — were rare occurrences throughout most of human history. According to Michael Gurven, professor of anthropology at UCSB, the tribe, known as the Tsimane, may also prove that chronic inflammation, a condition currently associated with cardiovascular disease, may not play as great a role as medical research has suggested. 10/19/09 PRESS RELEASE

UCSB Joins with Leading Asian Institute to Develop Green Electronics  UC Santa Barbara and the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) of Singapore have entered into a "green electronics" research collaboration agreement focused on developing ultra-efficient nanoscale transistors and exploring their circuit-level functionality. The collaboration will be led by Kaustav Banerjee, professor of electrical and computer engineering and an affiliated faculty member of the Institute for Energy Efficiency (IEE) at UCSB, and by Navab Singh at IME. 10/14/09 PRESS RELEASE

UCSB Alumna Carol Greider Awarded 2009 Nobel in Physiology or Medicine  Carol W. Greider, a 1983 graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Greider shares the Nobel with Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Jack W. Szostak. The three were honored for the discovery of "how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase." 10/5/09 PRESS RELEASE

Federal Stimulus Grants Support Diverse Research at UCSB  With funds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), more than 40 grants already have been awarded to research projects at UC Santa Barbara. In addition, 79 proposals are currently under review by their respective federal granting agencies. Also known as the economic stimulus package, the ARRA was passed by Congress in February. The grants, many of which come from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy, support a broad range of research at UCSB. 9/28/09 PRESS RELEASE

UCSB Unveils New Education, Social Sciences, Media Studies Complex
The newest addition to UC Santa Barbara is an impressive three-building complex that adds 209,750 square feet of high-tech classrooms, offices, meeting rooms, and much more to the west side of the campus. The long-planned complex includes the Social Sciences & Media Studies building, which houses various departments of the College of Letters & Science. Next door is the Education Building, home of the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, the Koegel Autism Center, and the Hosford Counseling Clinic. The third structure is the Pollock Theater, part of the Carsey-Wolf Center for Film, Television and New Media. 9/22/09 PRESS RELEASE

UCSB Physicists Move One Step Closer to Quantum Computing
Physicists at UCSB have made an important advance in electrically controlling quantum states of electrons, a step that could help in the development of quantum computing. The work is published online on the Science Express Web site. The researchers, including Greg Fuchs (right), have demonstrated the ability to electrically manipulate, at gigahertz rates, the quantum states of electrons trapped on individual defects in diamond crystals. This could aid the development of quantum computers that could use electron spins to perform computations at unprecedented speed. 11/19/09  PRESS RELEASE

Literary Scholar to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award  Shirley Geok-Lin Lim, a professor of English at UCSB, is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS). An internationally recognized scholar, Lim has published widely in the areas of literary criticism, Asian American studies, poetry, fiction, and memoir. Her most recent publications include "Princess Shawl"; "Listening to the Singer: New and Selected Malaysian Poems"; and "Sister Swing, A Novel"; and the co-edited volume "Transnational American Literature." 11/10/09  PRESS RELEASE

UCSB Astrophysicists Predicted New Type of Supernova Explosion  A new class of supernova was discovered by scientists at Berkeley and may be the first example of a new type of exploding star. A team of astrophysicists at UC Santa Barbara had predicted this kind of explosion in their theoretical work. Lars Bildsten, professor at UCSB's Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP), and colleagues had predicted a new type of supernova in distant galaxies that would be fainter than most and would rise and fall in brightness in only a few weeks. 11/5/09  PRESS RELEASE

Trayless Dining, Composting Projects Are Sustainability Successes at UCSB  Two of UC Santa Barbara's latest sustainability projects –– trayless dining and composting –– are proving to be very successful, enhancing UCSB's reputation as one of the greenest campuses in the country. Thanks to trayless dining, the amount of food waste from the university’s dining commons is down dramatically and the campus is now saving energy and water. The campus’s pilot composting project is also being hailed as a big success. 11/4/09  PRESS RELEASE

Chancellor Yang Elected Chair of Association of American Universities
UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang has been elected chair of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a nonprofit organization representing 60 leading public and private research universities in the United States and two major Canadian institutions. Yang, who has served on the prestigious association¹s executive committee since 2005, succeeds Princeton University President Shirley M. Tilghman in the one-year post. UC Santa Barbara has been a member of the AAU since 1995. 10/20/09
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Author Graciela Limón to Receive UCSB’s Luis Leal Literature Award
Writer and educator Graciela Limón is the recipient of UC Santa Barbara’s 2009 Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature. The award, co-sponsored by the Santa Barbara Book Council, is named in honor of Luis Leal, a professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at UCSB. He is internationally recognized as a leading scholar of Chicano and Latino literature. Previous recipients of the award include Pat Mora, Alejandro Morales, Helena Maria Viramontes, Oscar Hijuelos, Rudolfo Anaya, and Denise Chávez. 10/20/09
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UCSB Scientists Make Major Advance in Organic Polymer Production for Solar Cells  Guillermo Bazan, a professor of materials, and of chemistry and biochemistry at UC Santa Barbara, and a team of postgraduate researchers at UCSB’s Center for Polymers and Organic Solids have announced a major advance in the synthesis of organic polymers for plastic solar cells. 10/19/09  PRESS RELEASE

Large-Scale Camera Network Part of New Study at UCSB  A team of researchers led by B. S. Manjunath and three of his graduate students are coordinating installation of a comprehensive camera network at various locations around the UCSB campus. The array of cameras will be used to document patterns of human movement, both inside buildings and on bicycle paths, as well as monitoring the nesting areas of snowy plovers on the beaches near campus. 10/19/09  PRESS RELEASE

Bren School’s Jeff Dozier Wins Microsoft Research’s Gray Award   Jeff Dozier, a professor and founding dean of UCSB’s Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, has been awarded Microsoft Research’s 2nd Annual Jim Gray eScience Award. The award, which includes a $20,000 cash component, recognizes innovators who have made significant contributions to the field of data-intensive computing. Dozier was specifically cited for his pioneering research on remote sensing, water resources, and climate change, and his contributions to the integration of environmental science and computer science. 10/16/09  PRESS RELEASE

UCSB Nanotechnology Breast Cancer Study Receives $2.8 Million Grant  Errki Ruoslahti, professor at UCSB's Burnham Institute for Medical Research, is the recipient of a $2.8 million award from the Department of Defense for research into detection and therapies for breast cancer using nanotechnology. "The prevalence of breast cancer and the large number of deaths from this disease underscore the need for a paradigm shift in the strategies toward developing a cure for breast cancer," said Ruoslahti. "We believe that nanotechnology-based engineering solutions can provide the needed changes to drastically improve the cure rates." 10/7/09  PRESS RELEASE

Private Giving for UC Santa Barbara Reached $40.6 Million in 2008-09   The Campaign for UC Santa Barbara continues to attract strong philanthropic support for the campus, thus far generating a total of $544 million for priority projects and initiatives to ensure UCSB’s excellence for future generations. Of that total, UCSB received $40.6 million in gifts and pledges from alumni, parents, and friends in 2008-09 for teaching, research, and innovative academic programs. Due to the global economic downturn, contributions to the campus were down sharply from the record $81.4 million of the previous year. However, the funds raised exceeded earlier projections and were considered a great achievement. 10/6/09 PRESS RELEASE

UCSB to Close Ventura Off-Campus Center in Cost-Cutting Move  UC Santa Barbara has announced plans to close its Ventura Center for Off-Campus Studies. The decision was made for financial reasons, as UCSB is faced with cutting $45 million from its budget this year as a result of reductions in state support for the UC system. 10/1/09  PRESS RELEASE

Materials Pioneer Anthony Evans Dies  Anthony Evans, 66, the founding chair of UC Santa Barbara’s top-ranked Materials Department, died Sept. 9 following a year-long battle with cancer, according to an announcement from the Materials Department. Evans was an expert on the properties and behavior of advanced structural materials, and one of the most cited authors in his field, with more than 540 papers to his name. 9/23/09 PRESS RELEASE

Scientists Outline Planetary Boundaries: A Safe Operating Space for Humanity  New approaches are needed to help humanity deal with climate change and the other global environmental threats that lie ahead in the 21st century, according to a group of 28 scientists. The research was performed by a working group at UCSB's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), in cooperation with the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University, and published in Nature. The scientists propose that global biophysical boundaries can define a "safe planetary operating space" that will allow humanity to continue to develop and thrive for generations to come. 9/23/09  PRESS RELEASE