William T. Frankenberger, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry, passed away suddenly on August 14, 2021 at the age of 69. He retired from UC Riverside in April 2011 after 30 years of distinguished service in the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences. After graduating high school in Kansas, he received a track...
Fourteen UC Riverside faculty members have received highly coveted National Science Foundation CAREER Awards. The number shatters UCR’s record for CAREER Awards set only last year. CAREER Awards are given to faculty members to fund research that is expected to form a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. They...
LOS ANGELES TIMES - “Neonics” is shorthand for neonicotinoids, said Jake Cecala, whose doctoral research at UC Riverside led to the new findings. Neonicotinoids are insecticides designed to kill a broad spectrum of chewing and sucking insects, from sap suckers like aphids to leaf-chomping beetles. Problem is, neonics are so good at their job they...
J onathan Richardson, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy, has received a grant of $480,000 from the National Science Foundation to develop advanced instrumentation for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, or LIGO, based at sites in Louisiana and Washington. Completed in 2002, LIGO detects gravitational waves — ripples in space that travel at the...
KVCR - The United Nations released its much anticipated report on climate change on August 9, and the consensus is that our planet is on a course to experience some irreversible changes like sea level rise and more frequent extreme weather events. There is however still time to limit some of the devastation. KVCR's Megan...
Name: Mark Hanin Major: Biology Graduation Year: 2021 Describe the research you participated in as an undergraduate. I conducted a comparative research project on how the living standards in both South Africa and Nigeria can help explain the differences in their public health policies, where I looked at and compared both nations’ infant mortality rates...
THE ATLANTIC - In the race to build the world’s first round of coronavirus vaccines, the spike protein—the thorny knobs that adorn each of the pathogen’s particles—was our MVP. Spike is a key ingredient in virtually every one of our current pandemic-fighting shots; it has been repeatedly billed as essential for tickling out any immune...
BAKERSFIELD.COM - Researchers in Riverside and Maryland may have come up with a breakthrough in the fight against a pest-borne bacterial disease threatening to wipe out California's citrus industry. Work done by two researchers at the University of California, Riverside — citrus pathology specialist Georgios Vidalakis and UCR plant virologist Kiran Gadhave — as well...
Katherine A. Borkovich, Professor of Microbiology and Plant Pathology at UC Riverside, has been named Divisional Dean of Life Sciences for the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of California, Riverside, effective July 1, 2021. Dr. Borkovich succeeds Frances Sladek, Professor of Cell Biology and Toxicologist. During Dr. Borkovich’s three-year appointment as...
University of California, Riverside Professor of Nematology, Isgouhi Kaloshian, has been named Divisional Dean of Agricultural and Natural Resources for the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, effective July 1, 2021. She succeeds Timothy Paine, Distinguished Professor of Entomology. During Dr. Kaloshian’s three-year appointment as Agricultural and Natural Resources Divisional Dean, she will oversee four...
LOS ANGELES TIMES - “Viruses mutate easily, so they are usually very quick to escape any therapeutic intervention,” said Juliet Morrison, a microbiologist at UC Riverside. “Any antiviral should target multiple aspects of the viral life cycle so you don’t select for resistance.” That means finding a single pill that can disrupt not just how...
SCIENCE NEWS - Fingers crossed for finding nothing: July marks the main trapping season to check for Asian giant hornets still infesting Washington state. When news of the Asian giant hornets’ arrival first broke in 2019, one of the people who was not at all surprised at a foreign species was entomologist Doug Yanega of...
The field of statistics has lost one of its greats in the area of Bayesian multivariate analysis and a cofounder of the section on Bayesian Statistical Science, S. James (Jim) Press. Jim’s fundamental research contributions were in the areas of multivariate analysis, Bayesian analysis, cognitive aspects of survey methodology, and their applications across a range...
WAMU - As demand for electric vehicles heats up, there’s concern about a shortage of the key minerals needed to make them. The Biden administration has called for boosting domestic production of such minerals, including lithium for the lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. And that has many hoping for big business in a desolate...
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER - Eagle eyes were not required to see a giant cockroach crawling across the wall in full view on the brightly lit set. The roach’s debut on The Talkmanaged to pass with no media attention and only a few screen grabs of the moment posted on YouTube and Twitter. Doug Yanega, senior...
Through the California Ecology and Conservation class with the UC Natural Reserve System (NRS), UC students spend seven weeks living and studying at different NRS reserves. While conducting firsthand study of California ecosystems, students gain skills in field research methods, experimental design, data analysis, scientific writing, and public speaking. California Ecology and Conservation emphasizes the...
Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center is a premier site for studying the Sonoran Desert. It sprawls across two major drainages and the crest of a mountain range, enabling the study of species ranging from bighorn sheep to barrel cactus. The reserve began hosting field scientists even before it joined the nascent UC Natural Reserve...
WESTERN FARMPRESS - University of California scientists have discovered genetic data that will help food crops like tomatoes and rice survive longer, more intense periods of drought on our warming planet. Over the course of the last decade, the research team sought to create a molecular atlas of crop roots, where plants first detect the...
Since mid-April, UC Riverside has had only a handful of positive COVID-19 cases, continuing a rapid decline that began in January. Campus leaders involved in COVID-19 prevention efforts credit the low positivity rate to proactive efforts including the creation of a homegrown diagnostic lab, regular testing of students, and continuous messaging about the importance of...
SCIENCE NEWS - Scientists have identified several new genes responsible for root growth in tomato and rice plants. The discovery, described Tuesday in the journal Cell, could help scientists develop more drought-resistant crop varieties. "Xylem are very important to shore up plants against drought as well as salt and other stresses," lead study author Siobhan...
