Service, Outreach Efforts Recognized at Diversity Awards
The first time Eduardo Fricovsky came in contact with UC San Diego, he was a ninth-grader coming from a neighborhood where violence and drug use were common occurrences. Fast forward a few decades and Fricovsky is now a faculty member at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, mentoring a diverse student population. He also volunteers at UCSD’s Student-Run Free Clinic Project, which serves a diverse population. More

Campus Celebrates Anniversary
With Free Lunchtime Series Feb. 22-24
Join in the celebration of UC San Diego's 50th Anniversary—and enjoy complimentary lunch—as part of the Innovation Day Expo and Symposia (IDEaS) series of lunchtime programs Tuesday, Feb. 22 through Thursday, Feb. 24. The provocative talks will focus on social justice and the cultural innovation emerging from UC San Diego and its staff, faculty and alumni. More

Fluorescent Peptides Help Nerves Glow in Surgery
Accidental damage to thin or buried nerves during surgery can have severe consequences, from chronic pain to permanent paralysis. Scientists at the School of Medicine may have found a remedy: injectable fluorescent peptides that cause hard-to-see peripheral nerves to glow, alerting surgeons to their location even before the nerves are encountered. More

Learning Causes Structural Changes in Affected Neurons
When a laboratory rat learns how to reach for and grab a food pellet—a pretty complex and unnatural act for a rodent—the acquired knowledge significantly alters the structure of the specific brain cells involved, which sprout a whopping 22 percent more dendritic spines connecting them to other motor neurons. More

NSF Awards Grants to Scripps Scientists
to Study Effects of Ocean Acidification
With increasing levels of carbon dioxide accumulating in the atmosphere and moving into marine systems, the world's oceans are becoming more acidic.
To address the growing concern of acidifying marine ecosystems, the National Science Foundation has awarded 21 grants, including awards to scientists at UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. More

Searching for the Soul of the Genome
The discovery that a "gene desert" on chromosome 9 was a hotspot for coronary artery disease risk was among the highlights of findings produced recently by genome-wide association studies, which compare the genomes of many people for genetic variations and have been broadly used in the past few years to study hundreds of diseases and complex traits. Gene deserts are large genomic segments devoid of genes. More

Computer Simulations Reveal
the Structure, Dynamics of Chemical
Signal That Triggers Metastatic Cancer
In cancer and other pathological diseases, researchers are discovering that packaging is important: specifically, how DNA—about two meters long when unwound and stretched—coils up and compacts neatly inside the nucleus of a cell. More

The Hitch in the Drug? The Itch in the Drug
Scratching deep beneath the surface, a team of researchers from the School of Medicine and three South Korean institutions have identified two distinct neuronal signaling pathways activated by a topical cream used to treat a variety of skin diseases. One pathway produces the therapeutic benefit; the other induces severe itching as a side effect.
More

SDSC Announces New Round of
Triton Research Opportunity Grants
The San Diego Supercomputer Center has announced the latest round of computer allocations under the Triton Research Opportunities program associated with the center’s Triton Resource, a data-intensive computing system primarily designed to support UC San Diego and UC researchers.
More

Event Reaches Out to Low-Income,
Underrepresented Students
Interested in Graduate School
UC San Diego's Office of Graduate Studies partnered with 31 other universities for UC Edge: University of California Recruitment Day Friday. The all-day event is designed to inform low-income, first-generation, underrepresented and untraditional students about graduate education opportunities, including those at University of California campuses. This was the first time UC San Diego hosted the annual event, traditionally held at UCLA. Also a first, the event was free of charge to participants as a result of UC San Diego's fund-raising efforts to make the event as affordable and accessible as possible.

Students Say Thank You at Annual
Hearts and Scholars Dinner Feb. 17
When Diamant Shaw began her senior year at UC San Diego, she made it a personal goal to find a niche on campus where she could make an impact. She found it in a unique research project that combines environmental studies and neighborhood after-school programs. The research allows her to work one-on-one with UC San Diego faculty members and teach K-12 students—enhancing her own education and positively impacting the local community. Thanks to generous scholarship support, Shaw has been able to continue this research for almost a year now. More