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July/August 2016 |
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Message from the Dean I am pleased to announce that construction has commenced for a new Starbucks café to be located between Natural Sciences I and Biological Sciences 3. It’s anticipated that the first phase of construction will be completed in September. Starbucks will then handle the next phase of the construction, interior work and equipment setup, to be completed before the end of the Fall quarter. This new facility will serve as a great point to help foster interaction and collaboration among Ayala faculty, students and staff.
 Rendering of the new Starbucks café.
Biology for a Better TomorrowA New Approach For Treating Skin Cancer
 Melanoma is a type of skin cancer with high metastatic potential. Using new and innovative immune-therapeutic approaches, Professor Alexander D. Boiko, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, discovered that blocking the cell surface protein, CD47 (known as a “don’t eat me” signal), on melanoma cells, increased the degree by which these cells were phagocytosed, or “eaten,” by macrophages. Read more.New Insights into Water Polo Head Injuries and Concussions  Director of the Exercise Medicine and Sport Sciences Initiative, Professor James W. Hicks, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, along with Steven L. Small, Chair of Neurology and Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior, worked with their colleagues to survey over 44,000 water polo players to systematically characterize the risk of head injury and concussion within the sport. Read more.Uncovering the Genetic Code of a Carnivorous Plant  Professor Rachel W. Martin, Chemistry and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and her collaborator Professor Carter T. Butts, Sociology and Statistics, have sequenced the genome of the carnivorous plant, Drosera capensis, which is related to the Venus flytrap, and is the first plant to be sequenced from the order Caryophyllales. Read more.Can We Predict Death?  The groundbreaking work of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Professors Laurence D. Mueller and Michael R. Rose was recently featured in an online BBC article. Professors Mueller and Rose have spent over two decades studying the biology of aging to shed light on the slowing of mortality rates at older ages, a phenomena known as the “third phase of life." Read more.New Test May Help Identify Susceptibility to Alzheimer's Disease  Professor Michael A. Yassa, Neurobiology and Behavior, is uncovering the brain mechanisms that control learning and memory storage and how memories are altered during aging and disease. Recent work from his lab has led to the development of a new memory test that allows researchers to determine the impact of emotion on memory processing. Read more.Shedding Light on the Structure of Alzheimer's Toxic Protein  Professor Charles G. Glabe, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, conducts research on the structure and aggregation of amyloids in degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. In a recent study, Professor Glabe assisted in discovering the three dimensional structure of the protein fragment amyloid-ß, believed to play a central role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Read more. Climate Change's Effect on Plant is Driven by Sex
 Recent work from the laboratory of Professor Kailen A. Mooney, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, led by William K. Petry, Ph.D., has identified that climate change over the past four decades has significantly altered the sex ratios of the plant Valeriana edulis. This first-of-its-kind study highlights the ecological effects of climate change on the sex of certain species. Read more.Commentary: A New Discovery in Lichen Biology  Professor Kathleen K. Treseder, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is an expert in the biology of fungi and studies how the species affects the broader ecosystem. Professor Treseder has recently commented on a new study published in the journal “Science” that sheds light on an old organism, the lichen. Lichen have long been thought to consist of two organisms living in symbiosis, a fungus and algae. Read more.News and HighlightsAmbry Genetics Founder Joins the Dean's Leadership Council
 The president and founder of Ambry Genetics, Charles “Charlie” L. Dunlop, joined the DLC to help build new opportunities for Ayala students and faculty. “We are proud to have Charlie join the DLC,” says Dean LaFerla, “He will bring a level of energy and experience to the DLC that will complement our already impressive group and further strengthens our ties to industry.” Read more.International Collaboration to Foster Innovation in Alzheimer's Research  Several Ayala School faculty members joined Dean Frank M. LaFerla and their distinguished colleagues at Tel-Aviv University for the 24th Tel-Aviv University Alzheimer’s Disease Conference in Israel. The conference represents a growing partnership between the two universities, as both seek to increase the success of their faculty by providing new opportunities to collaborate with researchers across the globe. Read more.Faculty Spotlight
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UCI Ayala School of Biological Sciences 5120 Natural Sciences II Irvine, CA 92697-1450 |
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Justin F. Schaffer
Timothy Bredy, Neurobiology and Behavior
Kim Green, Neurobiology and Behavior
Michael Yassa, Neurobiology and Behavior
