UCLA In the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription to view. See more UCLA In the News.
UCLA to name Drake Stadium track for Rafer Johnson and wife | Associated Press
UCLA will honor Olympic decathlon champion Rafer Johnson and his wife Betsy by naming the track at Drake Stadium for the couple. The dedication ceremony is Oct. 25. Johnson won gold in the decathlon at the 1960 Rome Games after earning silver four years earlier in Melbourne. He began his UCLA career in 1955 as captain of the freshman team. He ran on the varsity from 1956 to 1958 and led the Bruins to their first NCAA track and field championship in 1956.
Hubble telescope zooms in on interstellar visitor | Phys.org
“Whereas ’Oumuamua appeared to be a rock, Borisov is really active, more like a normal comet. It’s a puzzle why these two are so different,” said David Jewitt of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), leader of the Hubble team who observed the comet. (Also: Space.com, SpaceDaily)
Study: Racism shortens lives and hurts health of blacks | The Conversation Opinion
Until recently, we scientists did not know the mechanism linking racism to health. The new study from my lab here at USC and colleagues at UCLA shows that the function of genes may explain this relationship. As it turns out, our study showed that genes that promote inflammation are expressed more often in blacks than in whites. We believe that exposure to racism is why…. This work has been expanded through the field of social genomics, largely pioneered by my colleague Steve Cole at UCLA. A relatively new field called social genomics demonstrates how the function of genes – termed gene expression – is influenced by social conditions.
Why do some people need less sleep? It’s in their DNA | Scientific American
Jerome Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Sleep Research, says he is comfortable with Fu’s group’s main finding: that the neuropeptide S receptor 1 (NPSR1) gene is important in regulating sleep. But it is likely only one small piece in a very complex process, he adds. And he is not convinced by the connection between sleep and memory the group claims. Sleep may have many functions, but there is no indication, he says, that needing less of it somehow boosts memory or cognition. “We consolidate memory while we sleep and while we’re awake, even when we’re anesthetized,” he says. “It’s not something that just occurs during sleep.”
UCLA research identifies potential strategy that may halt Huntington’s disease | News-Medical
The study, led by UCLA researchers and published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, found that Huntington's disease damages astrocytes at the early stages of the disease, which contributes to the neuropsychiatric symptoms that develop as the disease progresses.
How does homelessness in California compare with other states? | New York Times
So what is one thing these regions have in common? Sky high housing costs. William Yu, an economist at U.C.L.A., underscored that connection. In a 2018 study, he examined median home values and rents in each state and found a direct correlation between the cost of housing and homelessness.
No, elderberry syrup will not prevent the flu | Los Angeles Times
Dr. Malcolm Taw, a professor and director of the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine in Westlake Village, says there’s a reason elderberry concoctions have been cited as cold and flu fighters in medical history. “This will not replace the flu vaccine,” he said. But elderberry products “have, I’d say a complementary or adjunctive role.”
L.A. mayor calls L.A. a ‘manufacturing capital,’ launches plan to make that reality for more people | Los Angeles Daily News
He said he has launched a plan to re-train 3,000 workers and create 500 apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship openings with the help of Goodwill of Southern California, UCLA’s Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering to carry out the plan…. John Dyck, the CEO of the UCLA institute, described “smart manufacturing” as a field that looks into ways to “drive energy productivity and boost performance and precision.”
The world’s first 360-degree video call device, Rimo, is launching on Indiegogo | Digital Trends
The face-tracking feature keeps you in the frame as you move around, almost like having your own cameraman. When you’re doing live videos, watchers can rotate the camera to get a better look at the room you’re in or the items you’re using in a demonstration. “There are many potential applications for Rimo. It depends only on the limits of your imagination,” said team leader Danny Lin, a Ph.D. candidate from the University of California, Los Angeles and Intel employee.
‘Forever chemicals’ discovered in California’s water supply | KCRW-FM’s “Greater LA”
“This is a large class of chemical compounds that have been used very extensively in many household and industrial products, anything from cookware, our shoes and clothing, all the way to Jiffy Pop popcorn and packaging for food, and also for firefighting uniforms that people use to put out fuel flames,” said UCLA’s David Jassby.
How one corporation exploited the amendment that was meant to protect former slaves | PBS “NewsHour”
One early and particularly surprising case was the Southern Pacific Railroad’s successful move to win equal protection and due process rights under the 14th Amendment — an amendment that was aimed at protecting former slaves…. In “We the Corporations,” this month’s book club pick, UCLA law professor Adam Winkler explores the long fight for corporate rights. Winkler annotates a page of the book that details just how the Southern Pacific Railroad leveraged a progressive reform to meet their own ends.
Angel player Tyler Skaggs allegedly used drugs for some time. So how could he function as a starting pitcher? | KPCC-FM’s “AirTalk”
“It’s actually a very complex question. Because what we see that’s happening on the outside of a person is not at all what’s happening inside their brain or their mind,” said UCLA’s Timothy Fong.
Book review: Making Black Scientists: A Call to Action | Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Dr. Walter R. Allen, distinguished professor of education, sociology and African American studies at UCLA, hails the text as a “stellar contribution and a must-read for those determined to increase Black access and success in STEM.” This book — which trains a spotlight on 10 HBCUs — serves as a practical guide for college faculty and administrators who are looking to improve their numbers.
Parents in medical research labs missing out on government help with conference travel | Reuters
Few medical schools allow doctor-scientists with children to take advantage of a government program to help with childcare expenses related to travel to professional meetings, a new study suggests…. As it turns out, five University of California medical schools (UCLA, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and UCSF) had policies that explicitly provide for reimbursement of the full range of dependent care permitted by the US Department of Health and Human Services Regulation (45 CFR 75.474), which states: “Temporary dependent care costs above and beyond regular dependent care that results from travel to conferences is allowable.”
Everything you need to know about UCLA in 2019/2020 | Broadway World
With college theatre program auditions just around the corner, we’re highlighting some of the country’s most prestigious theatre programs and chatting with the schools’ faculty to give you insight into what to expect from their programs, from audition advice to real world experience and more…. UCLA’s undergraduate program offers the critical study of theater as a global phenomenon along with practice in acting, writing, directing, design and outreach education in the context of a professional school. The program is designed to insure that students graduate with a sound humanistic and experiential base for further pursuits in education and in life beyond the university.
New DNA ‘clock’ could help measure development in young children | Scienmag
The research, published this week in PNAS, describes how the addition of chemical tags to DNA over time can potentially be used to screen for developmental differences and health problems in children. The study was led by researchers at BC Children’s Hospital, the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of California, Los Angeles. It is the first study to describe a method specifically designed for children, called the Pediatric-Buccal-Epigenetic (PedBE) clock, which measures chemical changes to determine the biological age of a child’s DNA.
Using AI to screen for diabetic eye disease feasible in the real world | Medical Xpress
A system called EyeArt has shown promise in earlier studies. But ophthalmologists want to be sure they can rely on it. To learn more, Srinivas Sadda, MD of the Doheny Eye Institute/UCLA and his colleagues across the United States compared EyeArt against experts using the gold-standard grading system (ETDRS) as part of a pivotal trial.
Music group ‘Adaawe’ committed to multicultural collaboration | Spectrum News 1
Soulful harmonies paired with eclectic percussions: this is the sound of Adaawe, a musical group formed by University of California Los Angeles alum Joselyn Wilkinson. The all-female band has ancient African roots, thanks to the passion of its founder. “In Ghana, West Africa, I was inspired to form a group based on the idea of women coming together, making music that was both traditional music, and also, original,” Wilkinson said. Working against the trend of division, Wilkinson was intent on creating a group that represent different cultural communities in Los Angeles.
Gov. Newsom vetoes bill prohibiting fines defendants couldn’t afford | San Francisco Chronicle
The issue is apparently tied to the uncertainties of funding California’s courts, which rely on fines and fees as an important revenue source, said Beth Colgan, a UCLA law professor specializing in criminal law and juvenile justice.
