The UCLA Alumni Association board of directors has elected eight members and four officers whose terms began on July 1. The volunteer-led board comprises 12 alumni who collaborate with alumni affairs staff to further the association’s mission of enriching the lives of alumni globally and involving them in UCLA’s future.
Physicists have long sought to unlock the secrets of raising the energy state of an atom’s nucleus using a laser. This breakthrough could enable the development of nuclear clocks, which would be more accurate than current atomic clocks and facilitate advances in deep space navigation and communication. It would also allow scientists to measure whether fundamental constants of nature are indeed constant or simply appear so due to imprecise measurements.
A UCLA-led project aimed at fostering connections among cultural, creative, and technology sectors will facilitate a nationwide workshop series to gather ideas that link research and innovation in these fields. Supported by an award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the workshops will guide planning for a national conference in December, hosted by UCLA.
Selecting specific cells for investigational therapy led to improved heart function recovery in a new study using a lab model for myocardial infarction, the medical term for heart attacks. Researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and Columbia University developed a sorting method grouping stem cells based on their vesicle release involved in cellular communication. Treatment with high-secreting cells restored heart function to a state similar to pre-myocardial infarction damage.
Two new members have been elected to The UCLA Foundation board of directors this year, along with a new board chair. UCLA alumni Edward Barnett and Matt Kaczmarek, who began their terms on March 7, join Cheryl Lott, a current board member whose election as chair was announced in January and who will begin her two-year tenure on July 1.
The UCLA Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) has announced its 2024–25 season, set to begin on September 21. The season will feature over 30 projects from artists worldwide, held at various venues throughout Westwood and Los Angeles.
From record-breaking heat to extreme rain and flooding, this summer is witnessing significant weather events. UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain will address these phenomena in a live YouTube briefing on Monday, June 24, at 1 p.m. PT. Swain will discuss the scientific context and connections to climate change affecting the Northern Hemisphere.
The UCLA Faculty Club, now in its 65th year of operation, has been honored with a 2024 Preservation Award from the Los Angeles Conservancy. Originally known as the Faculty Center, the building and project team were recognized during a ceremony on May 16 for a major renovation project that has revitalized its role as a space for community on campus.
Researchers from UCLA and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have achieved a scientific first by observing a chemical catalyst during an electrically charged reaction at the atomic level. This breakthrough was made possible through a newly developed technology that allows for real-time imaging of electrochemical reactions.
Iron meteorites are remnants of the metallic cores of the earliest asteroids in our solar system. These meteorites contain refractory metals, such as iridium and platinum, which formed near the sun but were transported to the outer solar system. New research indicates that for this transportation to have occurred, the protoplanetary disk of our solar system had to have been doughnut-shaped because refractory metals could not have crossed large gaps in a target-shaped disk of concentric rings.
UCLA’s class of 2024 has faced numerous challenges, starting with a pandemic that disrupted their high school graduation ceremonies. On Friday, these resilient students celebrated their achievements at the first of three UCLA College commencement ceremonies held at Pauley Pavilion. The events hosted approximately 6,700 graduating seniors and over 26,000 guests.
More than 2,900 minors have received juvenile life-without-parole sentences since the late 1940s. A new study published in the Journal of Criminal Justice now provides the most comprehensive picture to date of this unique subset of incarcerated individuals across the United States.