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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA MARCH 2011 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

FROM THE DESK OF MARK G. YUDOF

We speak often about preserving UC’s excellence. That’s • A UC San Diego team performed a rare “piggyback” not just an abstract idea. The concrete examples of UC cardiac surgery where they transplanted a donor heart excellence are, indeed, plentiful on every campus. Here are alongside the patient’s own failing organ. The man now just a few of the recent accomplishments especially worth has two beating hearts and a chance at life that his health our attention: condition would have prevented him having with a standard organ transplant. • Berkeley Lab’s was awarded the Einstein Medal, presented annually by the Society of • President Obama has nominated UC Berkeley’s Carl Bern, Switzerland. This prestigious honor was first given in Shapiro as a member of the Council of Economic Advi- 1979 to Stephen Hawking and is bestowed on scientists sors. The council is charged with advising the president on whose work is related to Einstein’s theories. Perlmutter, domestic and international economic policy. who also is a UC Berkeley professor, is sharing • The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation awarded research fellow- the award with of Johns Hopkins University. ships to 19 early-career UC faculty from seven campuses: Both are being recognized for their 1998 discovery that Berkeley, Davis, UCLA, , San Diego, Santa the expansion of the is not slowing down, as most Barbara and Santa Cruz. The president of the foundation scientists thought, but is accelerating. The mysterious said this year’s fellows represent the “very brightest stars something causing that acceleration is what we now call of this generation of scholars.” . Perlmutter is the leader and co-founder of the lab’s Supernova Project, which continues to What is particularly noteworthy about these accomplish- broaden human understanding of our universe. Perlmutter ments is the public benefit that arises from them. That is and Riess will receive the Einstein Medal in Bern on May what a great public university is about and what we all must 27. Both will give public talks on dark energy. fight to preserve.

CELEBRATING THE PEACE CORPS MED SCHOOL DIVERSITY INCREASES Americans and other underrepresented minorities. Since the Peace Corps was founded in Underrepresented minorities comprised 23 Since 2000, UC has expanded its postbac- 1961, UC has produced 10,375 alumni percent of UC’s first-year medical school calaureate and undergraduate science volunteers. UC Berkeley remains the top enrollment in 2010, up from 14 percent in scholars programs. In 2004, UC launched producer of Peace Corps volunteers in the 2001. the systemwide Programs in Medical Edu- nation with 3,400 alumni serving overseas Minority enrollment at California’s private cation (PRIME), training physicians to work during the last 50 years. There currently are medical schools is about 16 percent and in California’s underserved rural and urban 459 undergraduate UC alumni serving, not the national average is 16.8 percent. Both communities. PRIME enrollment has grown to mention the hundreds of UC staff, faculty have remained relatively flat during the last to about 250 students, a majority of whom and graduate students who have served. four years while UC’s diversity increased. are underrepresented minorities. Several campuses have sponsored events UC can’t consider race or gender in admis- There also are outreach programs to to commemorate the Peace Corps’ 50th sions because of Proposition 209, which encourage middle and high school students anniversary. Those include a symposium California voters passed in 1996, but UC to pursue medical careers. at UC Berkeley on Feb. 26 and March 2-5 does have programs aimed at students events at UCLA, which trained volunteers For more UC health news visit: from disadvantaged backgrounds, and from 1961 to 1969. universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/uchealth those tend to include Latinos, African

The President’s Report is produced 6 per year by the Integrated Communications department of the University of California Office of the President. For suggestions or comments about this report, contact: Donna Hemmila, editor, 1111 Franklin St. 7th Floor, Oakland, Calif. 94607, 510.987.0793, [email protected] UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESIDENT’S REPORT

NEW UC RESEARCH CENTER TACKLES CALIFORNIA CRISES NEWS FROM THE CAMPUSES AND LABS The Center for Collaborative Research for an Equitable California, UC Berkeley School of Public Health is teaming up headquartered at UC Santa Cruz, will explore the state’s intercon- with Kaiser Permanente to offer cancer screenings and education in Alameda County’s African-American nected problems related to the economy, unemployment, housing, churches and Afghan immigrant communities. health, nutrition and the environment. UC Davis is helping the U.S. Navy find ways to use The center is a multi-campus research program with a $1.53 million less energy and is testing lighting systems at three grant from the UC Office of the President. The center will award California military installations. seed and planning grants to collaborative projects that promote a UC Irvine research found lifestyle changes such as sustainable future for California. Projects are encouraged to involve exercise and good nutrition can be as effective as more than one campus and have a regional focus. drugs or counseling in treating mental illness.

UCLA and Veterans Administration researchers found QB3 CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF INNOVATION a chemical compound that grows hair by blocking The California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences commemo- stress-related hormones associated with hair loss. rated its 10th anniversary with a Feb. 23 San Francisco symposium UC Merced opened the Instrumentation exploring how bioscience can drive California’s economic develop- Foundry, which will advance regenerative medicine ment and jobs creation. research on campus and help establish a biotech industry in the San Joaquin Valley. Former Gov. Gray Davis participated in the symposium along with Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, QB3 director Regis Kelly and Deloitte UC Riverside engineering undergrads won national honors in a U.S. Department of Energy contest for Consulting principal Christie Smith. their design of a hydrogen vehicle fueling station. QB3 is a biotech consortium including more than 200 labs from UC San Diego School of Medicine scientist Jonathan the San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Berkeley campuses. To further Sebat led a team of international researchers who its mission to promote research partnerships with private industry, identified a gene mutation strongly linked to schizo- QB3 provides proof-of-concept funding, startup incubator space phrenia, opening new possibilities for treatment. and educational programs. The Mission Bay Incubator Network UC San Francisco dedicated the Ray and Dagmar houses 37 startups. Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building to advance the QB3 is one of four research institutes then-Gov. Davis founded in campus’ stem cell research program, one of the U.S.’s largest, most comprehensive. 2000. The others are the Center for Technology Research in the Interest of Society at UC Berkeley, the California NanoSystems UC Santa Barbara scientists have made a discovery Institute at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara and the California Institute with the potential to diagnose and treat plaque-relat- ed diseases such as Alzheimer’s and type 2 diabetes. for Telecommunications and Information Technology at UC Irvine and UC San Diego. UC Santa Cruz students have set aside $100,000 in the Carbon Fund to support eco-friendly campus projects with a student-approved $3-a-quarter fee. UC REPLACING AGING HR, PAYROLL SYSTEMS Berkeley Lab scientists developed a probe for The university is moving forward with a plan to pay all employees monitoring hydrogen peroxide levels in mice to track from one single system within four years. The Payroll Personnel diseases without harming the animals. System is one of the highest priorities in the Working Smarter Livermore Lab researchers have discovered a new Initiative, which aims to achieve $500 million in cost efficiencies way to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria by using over the next five years. In addition, there will be a centralized the bacteria’s own genes. human resources system. Los Alamos Lab, in collaboration with UCLA and Not only will the new systems save UC money — $30 million or Agilent Technologies, developed a rapid pandemic more annually according to initial projections — but they also will detection tool. improve the way payroll and human resource services are delivered. For more campus and lab news, visit www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news