Among the Academies Content

Among the Academies: An Unseen Battle

Cody Kitaura — December 17, 2024 - 10:00am

A battle around the world is raging between plants and the changing environment, and �ٺ��Ƶ researchers are on the front lines.

For example, the microbes are constantly creating new types of illnesses, while the plants — sometimes with the help of breeders — are developing new immunities.

It’s something plant geneticist Luca Comai, Ph.D. ’80, a distinguished professor of plant biology, has seen firsthand through his decades of research into plant chromosomes.

Among the Academies: When Plants Step Out of the Shadows

Cody Kitaura — November 05, 2024 - 10:15am

A flowering plant might not be able to tell how many fingers you’re holding up, but it can tell whether it’s light or dark outside and might grow differently if it suddenly finds itself in the shade of another plant.

Plants do that through photoreceptors, which are a major focus of research for John Clark Lagarias, a distinguished professor emeritus of molecular and cellular biology.

Among the Academies: Defining Biology’s Systems

Jose Antonio Vadi — September 24, 2024 - 12:57pm

Our daily life consists of a science invisible to the naked eye. Think of how molecules come together to form tiny machines within different parts of our bodies, like how the neural networks of our brains are a product of neurons coming together and sending digital signals with other bodily functions.

How do we model the forces of nature that we cannot see but that are indispensable to our everyday life?

Among the Academies: Always Building

Cody Kitaura — August 27, 2024 - 2:00pm

From the earliest moments of his childhood, Gary May was building. He recalls spending countless hours assembling structures with Lego bricks and Erector sets and creating imaginary worlds and characters inspired by the comic books he loved reading and collecting.

Among the Academies: Formulas for the Environment

Cody Kitaura — July 30, 2024 - 9:00am

To understand Alan Hastings’ theoretical ecology research at �ٺ��Ƶ, sometimes it can be helpful to start by thinking about counting fish.

That’s how the distinguished professor emeritus of environmental science and policy recalled once describing his work to an immigration official in Canada while on his way to a conference.

Among the Academies: Fully Charged Trips Ahead

Jose Antonio Vadi — May 28, 2024 - 1:00pm

Some envision flying cars, but for Dan Sperling, the future is electric.

“I think there's a global acceptance that electric vehicles are the future,” Sperling said. “It's really just a question of exactly how and how fast.”

For the United States, the conversion is growing, but mainly in California, where the state is an outlier.

“In China now, over a third of new car sales are electric vehicles. In Europe, it's about a quarter,” Sperling said. “In the United States, it's less than 10%.”

Among the Academies: Catalyzing Possibilities

Jose Antonio Vadi — April 16, 2024 - 8:00am

After more than 60 years studying chemical reactions and catalysts, Bruce Gates says �ٺ��Ƶ is a lot like a reaction that keeps itself going.

“People who see the benefit of an institution where people really are committed to each other — they work to keep it that way,” he said.

Among the Academies: Modeling Better Futures

Jose Antonio Vadi — March 18, 2024 - 1:47pm

Jennifer Sinclair Curtis was already well-established in her career in engineering when she arrived at �ٺ��Ƶ in 2015, yet she was able to take her work to even greater heights as the new dean of the College of Engineering.

“After the interview I knew I wanted this job,” Curtis said. “The spirit of the campus and faculty both shared “a very creative kind of can-do spirit, very no-nonsense. That's the vibe I got.”

Among the Academies: Saving Space for Research

Jose Antonio Vadi — February 13, 2024 - 8:00am

By definition, the middle of nowhere is hard to find, but Susan P. Harrison defines it as the “triple junction of Napa, Lake and Yolo counties” and the center of a wealth of research possibilities.

“If you drew a line from the northern tip of Lake Berryessa to the southern tip of Clear Lake, it’d be right in the center of that line,” Harrison said, describing �ٺ��Ƶ’ McLaughlin Natural Reserve, a research site “very rich in natural diversity.”

Among the Academies: Creating His Own Path

Cody Kitaura — January 30, 2024 - 12:22pm

John Morrison was such an early expert in the field of neurobiology that the major didn’t even exist at his university when he was an undergraduate. Now at �ٺ��Ƶ, he’s a leader in the field and continues to play a central role in the research community.