Novel device to detect signs of cancer

A microscopic diving board the size of a human hair may prove to be an ideal detector of proteins or DNA, with potential application in disease diagnosis or drug discovery. The MEMS device, a microcantilever, bends when molecules bind to the surface. A team from UC Berkeley, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and USC report in Nature Biotechnology its successful use in detecting the blood markers doctors look for in prostate cancer. An array of cantilevers could be used to create a “cancer chip” for diagnosing or following the course of many cancers simultaneously. “The technique is sensitive enough to detect levels 20 times lower than the clinically relevant threshold,” said lead author Arun Majumdar, professor of mechanical engineering at Berkeley. The technique has broader applications also, such as detecting point mutations in single-stranded DNA.
by Robert Sanders

College News

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CITRIS receives state funding
A ground-breaking initiative to steer information technology to the service of society survived the 2001-2002 state budget process this past summer. The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), led by Berkeley, was proposed last year as one of three California Institutes for Science and Innovation to conduct research in cutting-edge scientific fields critical to the state’s economic future. [Governor] Davis had promised to fund these centers for four years at $100 million each, but CITRIS was not among the three chosen last December. Still, Davis was so impressed with CITRIS’s promise—to use information technology to tackle major problems in society, including energy use—that he agreed to fund it as a fourth institute beginning in fiscal year 2002. Additionally, the National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced a five-year, $7.5 million grant to CITRIS.
by Sarah Yang

Students arrive on Berkeley campus
The fall semester began Monday, August 27, for most UC Berkeley students. Among the some 31,500 students that enrolled are 3,955 freshmen, 1,728 transfer students, and 2,590 new graduate students. One of the most important goals of the coming semester, according to Chancellor Berdahl, is fire safety for students, both on and off campus. The Student Safe Housing Task Force he assembled is providing every student with a detailed guide to fire safety and information on ways to secure safe living quarters. Among the interesting characteristics of this year’s freshmen and new transfer students is that, for the second year in a row, the proportion of women is record-setting. This fall, 55 percent of freshmen and 55.1 percent of new transfer students are women.
from Campus Public Affairs

New athletic director for Cal
Chancellor Berdahl named Cal crew coach Stephen Gladstone as Berkeley’s new athletic director in May, saying he has the leadership capacity, proven championship spirit and commitment to excellence needed for the job. Gladstone, 59, assumed the position June 1. He replaces John Kasser, who left in December 2000 after seven years to work for Fox Sports Network. “Steve will create an environment that allows our athletes to perform at the highest level, both academically and in sports,” Berdahl said at a press conference. “He is, at his core, an educator.” Gladstone’s philosophy is for athletes to give their all consistently to excel as students and athletes. Over time this approach will result in victories, he said. ‘Winning is very satisfying,” said Gladstone. “That being said, if winning is the only thing we laud, then we really end up losers.” While serving as athletic director, Gladstone will continue to coach the men’s varsity rowing team, which won the national intercollegiate championship for the last two years.
by D. Lyn Hunter

Gov. Davis was so impressed with CITRIS’s promise that he agreed to fund it as a fourth institute beginning in fiscal year 2002

55 percent of freshmen and 55.1 percent of new transfer students are women.

Gladstone’s philosophy is for athletes to give their all consistently to excel as students and athletes