Science & Technology

Two UC Davis School of Medicine researchers received funding for stem cell research from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) earlier last month. Kit Lam, professor of medicine and chief of the division of oncology and hematology, and Alice Tarantal, professor of pediatrics and director of the Center of Excellence in Translational Human Stem Cell Research, were among two dozen scientists to receive research funding under the new CIRM Tools and Technologies Awards. Both were awarded $835,540 and $842,149 respectively to fund investigation for the next two years looking into new techniques and capabilities for stem cells or improve already existing techniques.

“Third-hand smoke” is also a threa Experts have identified a new health threat from cigarettes: an invisible and toxic combination of gasses and particles labeled as “third-hand smoke” that persist long after second-hand smoke has cleared. The toxins cling on smokers’ hair and clothes, as well as in carpeting and furniture.

Leading UC Davis to ninth place out of29teams in a chemical car competition,Tonya Kuhl knows her Ligand-Receptor Interactions from her Polymer Thin-Films.The UC Davis professor,researcher and student adviser has been recognized for her accomplishments in research and teaching so early in her career,and she has the awards to prove it.

In an effort to develop new cancer treatments,UC Davis Cancer Center researchers might have struck gold. Researchers have discovered a metabolic deficiency in pancreatic cancer cells that could potentially be used as a treatment for pancreatic cancer.

The final stage in testing new varieties of rice that can withstand harsh flooding conditions has been successfully completed in India and Bangladesh. Researchers at UC Davis,UC Riverside and the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines proved that flood tolerance can be bred into any rice plant by introducing a single gene.The breeding strategy has broad implications for health and livelihood in flood prone regions of the world where rice is a dietary staple.

Today Exploring the Microbial World of Frankliniella Occidentalis,the Western Flower Thrips Lisa Chanbusarakum,Doctoral student– UC Davis 12:10to1p.m.,122Briggs Sponsored by entomology

Have you ever looked up into the sky and wondered to yourself,“What’s out there?” The mysteries of space can be the most puzzling,yet exciting phenomena of science today.To Andreas Albrecht,this phenomena is simply enthralling.Albrecht is a professor of physics at UC Davis and studies dark matter,dark energy,cosmic inflationand– when he’s not wrapping his mind around the universe– the delicate art of Pretty Pretty Princess.

A new studyby UCD researcherssuggests that some epilepsy related deaths result from patients‘ brains not telling their bodies to breathe during seizures. Thefinding could help identify a risk factor forSudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy SUDEP,a condition in which the reason for death is unknown andisnot due toprolongedconvulsive seizures orseizure-relatedaccidents.

Today Environmental Drivers of Large-Scale Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Mosquito Abundance and Virus Transmission in California Chris Barker,UC Davis 12:10to1p.m.,122Briggs Sponsored by entomology

Western pine forests succumb to North America’slargest known insect invasion Western pine forests are experiencing an infestation of bark beetles that is destroying millions of acres of trees in the area. Experts say it is the largest known species infestation that hasever occurred in North America.

Marion Wittmann knows Lake Tahoe.From the invasive species that live in the basin of Lake Tahoe to the effects of the boats on the surface,this ecologist takes to the lake like a boat to water.Wittmann is known at UC Davis for her research and presentations on the Asian Clam Invasion,a particularly damaging species to environments like Lake Tahoe.

UC Davis and Aldagen,a North Carolina biotechnology company specializing in regenerative medicine,will investigate the potential of Aldagen’s stem cell technology for the treatment of stroke. The collaboration was formalized in a memorandum of understanding earlier this month and represents the first time that researchers in the stem cell program at UC Davis will work with Aldagen.