Ayala Graduate Student Speaks at Commencement with President Obama

Ayala School doctoral student Jessica Pratt presented the graduate student address at the campus-wide ceremony attended by President Obama at Angels Stadium. Dr. Pratt, who defended her thesis in fall 2013, had no idea that she would ultimately be selected as the graduate student speaker for this prestigious event. More.

First Commencement since School Renaming Celebrates Ayala School Graduates

On Monday, June 16, 2014, the commencement ceremony was held for graduating students of the recently renamed Francisco J. Ayala School of Biological Sciences.  The ceremony marked the first time that an Ayala School Commencement was celebrated under that name, and it was presided over by the Hana and Francisco J. Ayala Dean, Frank LaFerla, who assumed the deanship on January 1 of this year. More.  

Thomson Reuters lists Highly Cited Researchers in the Ayala School

Thomson Reuters has issued a 2014 update of its Highly Cited Researchers listing of the top 1 percent of scientific researchers. Ayala School professors Charles Glabe, Bradford Hawkins and Frank LaFerla were named among three thousand scientists worldwide as writing the most reports as designated by Essential Science Indicators. Citations from 2002 to 2012 were evaluated for this new system of ranking based on subject field and the year of publication, recognizing not only the frequency of overall citations but also the number of different publications cited. Researchers included are among what Thomson Reuters calls some of the “world’s leading scientific minds”. More.

First Annual Ayala School Picnic Celebrates Faculty, Staff and Students

On June 27, 2014, the First Annual Ayala School Picnic was hosted by Dean Frank LaFerla for the school’s faculty, staff and graduate students.  The occasion celebrated the people of the Ayala School and kicked off the 50^th anniversary celebration of UCI.  The picnic was held in the plaza behind Natural Sciences II and the event featured lunch provided by the In-N-Out Truck. Over 300 people attended the picnic, with all four departments, the Office of the Dean, and many centers and laboratories represented. Click here for event photos.

UCI the Nation’s No. 1 “Coolest School” 

UC Irvine has placed first in Sierra magazine’s eighth annual ranking of the country’s “Coolest Schools,” marking the fifth consecutive year the university has been included among the top 10 “greenest” campuses nationwide. The campus’s new Sustainability Initiative – supported by Interim Chancellor Howard Gillman and directed by Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Travis Huxman and Director of Academic Sustainability Initiatives Abby Reyes – brings together UCI’s talents in research, education, engagement and philanthropy. More.  

Caterpillar Diet and Susceptibility

UC Irvine and Wesleyan University biologists have learned that caterpillars that feed on one or two plant species are better able to hide from predatory birds than caterpillars that consume a wide variety of plants. This is probably because the color patterns and hiding behaviors of the caterpillar “specialists” have evolved to allow them to blend into the background flora more effectively than caterpillars that eat many different plant species. Moving among these diverse plant types, the nonspecialists are not as camouflaged, making them easier for hungry birds to spot. More.

Learning by Repetition Impairs Recall

UC Irvine neurobiologists Zachariah Reagh and Michael Yassa have found that while repetition enhances the factual content of memories, it can reduce the amount of detail stored with those memories. This means that with repeated recall, nuanced aspects may fade away.     This discovery supports Reagh’s and Yassa’s Competitive Trace Theory – and asserts that when learning, practice doesn’t always make perfect. More.

Unique Protein Scaffold aids in Tendon Attachment

Post-doctoral fellow Arul Subramanian and Thomas Schilling, professor of developmental & cell biology, have recently published a study in the open-access journal eLIFE detailing their discovery of a special scaffolding protein that maintains configuration of attachments between tendons and muscles in animals. More.

Welcome New Members of the Dean’s Leadership Council

Jacqueline Dupont, Ph.D.

Dr. Dupont has over 25 years of experience in the health care service industry.  She is the CEO and gerontologist of Irvine Cottages, a provider of dementia care and assisted living at 14 locations in Orange County, and is CEO and gerontologist of Assured In-Home Care, which services Los Angeles County, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.   In addition, she is the Managing Partner for Vista Gardens, LLC., a 100-bed managed care facility in Vista, CA. Dr. Dupont has a long history of philanthropy and volunteerism in education and disease-related organizations, and became associated with the Ayala School through her leadership role at UCI MIND. 

William Loudon, MD, Ph.D. 

Dr. Loudon is the Section Chief for Pediatric Neurosurgery and the Director of Neuro-oncology and Stem Cell Research at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC Children’s).  Dr. Loudon is a licensed physician in the states of California, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and sits on several national boards, including the American Board of Neurological Surgery.   
 
 

Ayala Graduate Student Speaks at Commencement with President Obama

Ayala School doctoral student Jessica Pratt presented the graduate student address at the campus-wide ceremony attended by President Obama at Angels Stadium. Dr. Pratt, who defended her thesis in fall 2013, had no idea that she would ultimately be selected as the graduate student speaker for this prestigious event. More.

First Commencement since School Renaming Celebrates Ayala School Graduates

On Monday, June 16, 2014, the commencement ceremony was held for graduating students of the recently renamed Francisco J. Ayala School of Biological Sciences.  The ceremony marked the first time that an Ayala School Commencement was celebrated under that name, and it was presided over by the Hana and Francisco J. Ayala Dean, Frank LaFerla, who assumed the deanship on January 1 of this year. More.  

Thomson Reuters lists Highly Cited Researchers in the Ayala School

Thomson Reuters has issued a 2014 update of its Highly Cited Researchers listing of the top 1 percent of scientific researchers. Ayala School professors Charles Glabe, Bradford Hawkins and Frank LaFerla were named among three thousand scientists worldwide as writing the most reports as designated by Essential Science Indicators. Citations from 2002 to 2012 were evaluated for this new system of ranking based on subject field and the year of publication, recognizing not only the frequency of overall citations but also the number of different publications cited. Researchers included are among what Thomson Reuters calls some of the “world’s leading scientific minds”. More.

First Annual Ayala School Picnic Celebrates Faculty, Staff and Students

On June 27, 2014, the First Annual Ayala School Picnic was hosted by Dean Frank LaFerla for the school’s faculty, staff and graduate students.  The occasion celebrated the people of the Ayala School and kicked off the 50^th anniversary celebration of UCI.  The picnic was held in the plaza behind Natural Sciences II and the event featured lunch provided by the In-N-Out Truck. Over 300 people attended the picnic, with all four departments, the Office of the Dean, and many centers and laboratories represented. Click here for event photos.

UCI the Nation’s No. 1 “Coolest School” 

UC Irvine has placed first in Sierra magazine’s eighth annual ranking of the country’s “Coolest Schools,” marking the fifth consecutive year the university has been included among the top 10 “greenest” campuses nationwide. The campus’s new Sustainability Initiative – supported by Interim Chancellor Howard Gillman and directed by Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Travis Huxman and Director of Academic Sustainability Initiatives Abby Reyes – brings together UCI’s talents in research, education, engagement and philanthropy. More.  

Caterpillar Diet and Susceptibility

UC Irvine and Wesleyan University biologists have learned that caterpillars that feed on one or two plant species are better able to hide from predatory birds than caterpillars that consume a wide variety of plants. This is probably because the color patterns and hiding behaviors of the caterpillar “specialists” have evolved to allow them to blend into the background flora more effectively than caterpillars that eat many different plant species. Moving among these diverse plant types, the nonspecialists are not as camouflaged, making them easier for hungry birds to spot. More.

Learning by Repetition Impairs Recall

UC Irvine neurobiologists Zachariah Reagh and Michael Yassa have found that while repetition enhances the factual content of memories, it can reduce the amount of detail stored with those memories. This means that with repeated recall, nuanced aspects may fade away.     This discovery supports Reagh’s and Yassa’s Competitive Trace Theory – and asserts that when learning, practice doesn’t always make perfect. More.

Unique Protein Scaffold aids in Tendon Attachment

Post-doctoral fellow Arul Subramanian and Thomas Schilling, professor of developmental & cell biology, have recently published a study in the open-access journal eLIFE detailing their discovery of a special scaffolding protein that maintains configuration of attachments between tendons and muscles in animals. More.

Welcome New Members of the Dean’s Leadership Council

Jacqueline Dupont, Ph.D.

Dr. Dupont has over 25 years of experience in the health care service industry.  She is the CEO and gerontologist of Irvine Cottages, a provider of dementia care and assisted living at 14 locations in Orange County, and is CEO and gerontologist of Assured In-Home Care, which services Los Angeles County, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.   In addition, she is the Managing Partner for Vista Gardens, LLC., a 100-bed managed care facility in Vista, CA. Dr. Dupont has a long history of philanthropy and volunteerism in education and disease-related organizations, and became associated with the Ayala School through her leadership role at UCI MIND. 

William Loudon, MD, Ph.D. 

Dr. Loudon is the Section Chief for Pediatric Neurosurgery and the Director of Neuro-oncology and Stem Cell Research at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC Children’s).  Dr. Loudon is a licensed physician in the states of California, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and sits on several national boards, including the American Board of Neurological Surgery.