Nobel Laureate, 'Father of Modern
Cell Biology' George Palade Dies at Age 95
Nobel Laureate George Palade (pronounced "pa-LAH-dee"), M.D., considered the father of modern cell biology, died at home on Tuesday, October 7 at age 95 after a long illness.  Palade, Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and founding Dean for Scientific Affairs at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, was a resident of Del Mar, California, with his wife Marilyn Farquhar, Ph.D., Chair of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at UC San Diego.  More

2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Shared
by UC San Diego Researcher Roger Tsien
University of California, San Diego Professor Roger Tsien, Ph.D., will share the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Osamu Shimomura of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole and Boston University School of Medicine, and Martin Chalfie of Columbia University in New York. The scientists are being honored for the discovery of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and seminal work to design and create fluorescent molecules that enter cells and light up their inner workings.  More

Novel Lung Cancer Vaccine Trial Launched at Moores UCSD Cancer Center
Oncologists at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in La Jolla are hoping to stave off the relentless march of advanced lung cancer by treating patients with a novel kind of cancer vaccine. While many vaccines attempt to pump up the immune system to fight off a cancer, the new vaccine, Lucanix, is genetically engineered to also trick the cancer into turning off its immune system-suppressing activities.  More

Solar Pioneer Joins UC San Diego
UC San Diego’s reputation as one of the “greenest universities” took a giant leap forward with the appointment of solar pioneer Byron Washom as director of strategic energy initiatives. Washom led an entrepreneurial firm he founded to set a world record in 1984 for efficiency of 29.4% conversion of solar energy delivered to the grid, and it remained unbroken for 24 years until it was eclipsed by Sandia National Laboratories earlier this year.  More

Oral Vitamin D May Help Prevent Some Skin Infections
A study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests that use of oral Vitamin D supplements bolsters production of a protective chemical normally found in the skin, and may help prevent skin infections that are a common result of atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema. More

Andrew Viterbi, Wireless Pioneer
and UC San Diego Professor Emeritus, Wins National Medal of Science
This week, wireless pioneer and UC San Diego professor emeritus Andrew Viterbi received a National Medal of Science, in part for work that would become known as the Viterbi algorithm. This algorithm is used in virtually every cell phone today where it performs interference suppression and efficient decoding of digital transmission sequences. Viterbi also made important contributions to the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) wireless technology that transformed the theory and practice of digital communications. More

First Detection of Magnetic Field in Distant Galaxy Produces a Surprise
Using a powerful radio telescope to peer into the early universe, a team of California astronomers has obtained the first direct measurement of a nascent galaxy’s magnetic field as it appeared 6.5 billion years ago. Astronomers believe the magnetic fields within our own Milky Way and other nearby galaxies—which control the rate of star formation and the dynamics of interstellar gas--arose from a slow “dynamo effect.” In this process, slowly rotating galaxies are thought to have generated magnetic fields that grew very gradually as they evolved over 5 billion to 10 billion years to their current levels. More View the slideshow

Free Software Helps You Track Your Laptop If Stolen or Lost
Researchers at the University of Washington and the University of California, San Diego have created a laptop theft-protection tool that will help you locate your lost or stolen laptop while at the same time ensuring that no third party can use the system to monitor your whereabouts. More

Bringing Out the Scientist in Students
New program aims to bring excitement of university-
level research to high schools across San Diego County
This summer, graduate students and high school teachers spent hours in the lab to create original experiments that would get students excited about science. Their efforts were part of the Socrates Fellows Program, funded by a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation. More View the video

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