Sharing a Passion for Science
Mentoring by maverick UCSD chemist helps high school student snag top win at state science fair
The first time Anna Kornfeld Simpson visited Michael Sailor’s lab at UC San Diego, she was just one of a group of high school freshmen who had come to learn more about the researcher’s work. But while her classmates asked Sailor about rainbows, Anna asked whether he used a specific kind of crystal and how it worked. Anna’s first visit led to a long-term stint in Sailor’s lab starting the following summer. There, she developed a robot that won the Project of the Year award last month at the California State Science Fair. More

New Program Turns Kids into
Budding Cancer Researchers
Ten seniors at The Preuss School will get a chance to conduct hands-on cancer research this summer on the UC San Diego campus. It’s all part of a new grant from the National Cancer Institute. The new program is a partnership between UCSD, Preuss and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research. More

UC San Diego Commuters Set New
Records in Alternative Transportation
More than half of commuters to UC San Diego’s La Jolla campus and Hillcrest Medical Center are using alternatives to single-occupant vehicles, according to a new study by UCSD’s Transportation Services. The annual survey showed that 54 percent of commuters entering the La Jolla campus and 52 percent entering the Hillcrest Medical Center used alternative transportation, including campus shuttles, public transit, carpooling, vanpooling, walking and bicycling. More

Two Students to be Recognized for
Outstanding Contributions to Campus
Senior Shae Lynn Zastrow has been an advocate for Native American issues and a dedicated mentor to middle and high school students. Preston Sharp, a graduate student at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, volunteered in the Peace Corps, where he found his passion: international development. This Friday, Zastrow and Sharp will be rewarded for their efforts with the Outstanding Senior and Outstanding Graduate Student awards during UC San Diego's All Campus Graduation Celebration. More

Former Scripps Director on Panel to
Assess Future of Human Space Flight Program
Charles Kennel, former director of UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has been named a member of NASA’s Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee. During the course of the review, the panel will examine ongoing and planned NASA development activities and potential alternatives in order to present options for advancing a safe, innovative, affordable and sustainable human space flight program following the space shuttle's retirement next year. More

NBA All Star Lebron James to
Bring Summer Camp to Campus
Lebron James, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2008-09 season, will bring his summer basketball camp for boys and girls to the UC San Diego campus July 24 to 28. More

Engineering Students Sweep
Business Plan Competition
The core technologies behind the top three finishers in a UC San Diego student-run business plan competition were developed by graduate students at the Jacobs School of Engineering. A team founded by bioengineering graduate students finished first in the UC San Diego Entrepreneur Challenge. The winning business plan focused on their new early cancer diagnostic technology. More