UCSD News

Researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UC SD) in La Jolla have found evidence explaining why a common chemotherapy drug, cisplatin, may not always work for every cancer patient. They have shown that when a variant version of a key protein that normally causes cell death is active, patients may be resistant to the cancer-killing drug. More

In a study that underscores the important role that individual genetic profiles will play in the development of new therapies for disease, a multi-institutional research team—led by Kang Zhang, MD, PhD professor of ophthalmology and human genetics at Shiley Eye Center at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine—has made two important discoveries related to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 60. More

The University of California, San Diego is listed as first among Division II National Collegiate Athletic Association schools in the 6th annual "Collegiate Power Rankings" announced by the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA). More

Influential and iconoclastic film critic, abstract painter and UC San Diego Professor Emeritus of Visual Arts Emanuel "Manny" Farber died Aug. 17 at his home in San Diego's North County. He was 91. Called the "Mount Rushmore of Film Criticism" by filmmaker Paul Schrader and once described by art critic Peter Plagens as "the last honorable man," Farber was a major force in American culture for more than 50 years. More

Influential and iconoclastic film critic, abstract painter and UC San Diego Professor Emeritus of Visual Arts Emanuel "Manny" Farber died Aug. 17 at his home in San Diego's North County. He was 91. Called the "Mount Rushmore of Film Criticism" by filmmaker Paul Schrader and once described by art critic Peter Plagens as "the last honorable man," Farber was a major force in American culture for more than 50 years. More

Former UC San Diego Men's Volleyball Coach Ron Larsen knows all about overcoming obstacles and dealing with tough situations. At UCSD from 2000-05, Larsen had what is generally considered the program's most difficult coaching job, annually sending a non-scholarship NCAA Division II (initially III) squad up against the premier Division I teams in the country as a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). That meant regular match-ups with the likes of UCLA, USC, Stanford, Pepperdine, Brigham Young, Hawaii and a host of other national powers. More

Ah, nothing like breathing clean coastal air, right? Think again. Chemists at UC San Diego have measured for the first time the impact that dirty smoke from ships cruising at sea and generating electricity in port can have on the air quality of coastal cities. More

University of California, San Diego graduates rank third nationally in their salary earnings among U.S. public universities, according to Forbes.com. More

Adding $11.5 million to the more than $20 million in funding that researchers at the University of California, San Diego have received to date from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), five UC San Diego researchers and physicians have been awarded New Faculty grants. More

"Flesh-eating" or "Strep" bacteria are able to survive and spread in the body by degrading a key immune defense molecule, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The finding, which could aid in development of new treatments for serious infections in human patients, will be reported in the August 14 issue of the journal Cell Host & Microbe. More

Human activities are cumulatively driving the health of the world's oceans down a rapid spiral, and only prompt and wholesale changes will slow or perhaps ultimately reverse the catastrophic problems they are facing. Such is the prognosis of Jeremy Jackson, a professor of oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, in a bold new assessment of the oceans and their ecological health. Publishing his study in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Jackson believes that human impacts are laying the groundwork for mass extinctions in the oceans on par with vast ecological upheavals of the past. More

They've coped with leaks, navigation problems and a few minor explosions, but the San Diego iBotics team - based at UC San Diego and funded by the Jacobs School of Engineering - had the most beautiful underwater craft in this year's competition of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). Their sleek, carbon-fiber entry, dubbed the "Stingray," features a lightweight shell that resembles a small stingray and provides very little drag. More

Candace Tarry has been singing since grade school, but didn't join a band until six years ago, when her children were all grown. Friday, the mother of three-and lead singer in two bands-saw her talent recognized when she became the UC San Diego Staff Idol during the campus' annual All-Staff Picnic. More

When Chinese government officials decided to cut back on pollution and clean up the air in Beijing, they were concerned about athletes' health during the Olympic Games. But they also inadvertently gave scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to find out the real impact of pollution on climate change. More

Former UC San Diego Men's Volleyball Coach Ron Larsen knows all about overcoming obstacles and dealing with tough situations. At UCSD from 2000-05, Larsen had what is generally considered the program's most difficult coaching job, annually sending a non-scholarship NCAA Division II (initially III) squad up against the premier Division I teams in the country as a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. More

One taught English to 120 sixth-graders in Thailand. Another visited a rural school in Malaysia and encouraged students to pursue higher education. Yet another is working for an international corporation in India. UCSD students are studying, conducting research and working all around the globe this summer. Their latest Dispatches from the Field chronicle their adventures abroad. Here are their stories. More

Adding $11.5 million to the more than $20 million in funding that researchers at UC San Diego have received to date from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, five UCSD researchers and physicians have been awarded New Faculty grants. More

UC San Diego graduates rank third nationally in their salary earnings among U.S. public universities, according to Forbes.com. The rank was based on a new study by PayScale.com that looked at earnings of alumni at colleges around the country. The survey covered graduates with 10-20 years experience in the workplace. More

UCSD alumna Julie Swail Ertel finished in the 19th spot in the Olympic triathlon competition Aug. 17 in Beijing. This week, UCSD senior Carrie Johnson will get her shot at a medal in the flat-water kayak competition. Read more about Johnson's experiences at the Olympics in her blog. More

Aaron Schroeder has always had a knack for remembering facts. So, the UC San Diego graduate student in economics didn't cram before heading out to Los Angeles to become a contestant on Jeopardy! In the end, Schroeder's memory delivered, making him a five-time champion on the game show and allowing him to win close to $130,000 in prize money. More