Seven UC faculty to join Institute of Medicin
Scholars from UCLA, UC San Diego and UC San Francisco have been elected to join the prestigious National Academies’ Institute of Medicine. The organization recently added 65 new members, bringing the total number up 1,576 scholars and doctors – over 150 of them affiliated with the University of California.
Candidates for membership in the highly selective organization must be nominated by their peers and go through a rigorous interview process.Current members of the institute then vote in new members based on their professional achievements and commitment to service.
The organization’s charter requires that at least one quarter of its members come from outside the health profession to ensure a diversity of talent. It currently includes members from disciplines such as social science, law, engineering and the humanities. (source: UC press release)
Global warming sends Yosemite’s smaller residents to higher elevations
Shrews, mice, ground squirrels and other small mammals in Yosemite National Park are moving to higher elevations or reducing their range in response to warmer temperatures, according to a UC Berkeley study.
The study compared small mammal populations present in the park today with data from 90 years ago. Researchers found that of the 28 populations observed, half had extended their range 1,600 feet upward. This change results in new species interactions and could change the ecology of impacted areas.
While population movements are not abnormal, researchers say this change occurred too rapidly to be a natural ecological trend. They concluded the only difference in conditions that could have caused this in the last 90 years must be related to climate change. The nighttime low in the central Sierra Nevada region has increased by 3 degrees Celsius and the park’s Lyell Glacier is half the size it was 100 years ago. (source: UC Berkeley press release)
Berkeley goes for fundraising record
The University of California Board of Regents gave UC Berkeley the green light to move on to the next step of its unprecedented $3 billion fundraising campaign at the regents’ meeting in September. The efforts continue a trend of increased private fundraising efforts by public universities in response to uncertain state budgets.
The “quiet phase” of the process began in 2005 and has already raised $1.24 billion. With the regents’ approval, the university kicked off the public phase with campus events and a “Thanks to Berkeley” theme. The campaign aims to raise $640 million for endowed scholarships and $390 million for faculty research.
The campaign is one of the largest collegiate fundraising efforts in the United States. (Source: San Francisco Chronicle)
