CRISPR-Cas9 inventor Jennifer Doudna, a UC Berkeley professor of chemistry and of molecular and cell biology, was awarded the 2018 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience today in Norway during a gala ceremony hosted by King Harald V. She shared the prestigious honor with her colleague Emmanuelle Charpentier, now at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, Germany, and another early CRISPR researcher, Virginijus Šikšnys of Vilnius University in Lithuania.
September 4, 2018
Lisa Johnsen Littlejohn was a lifelong resident of the Bay Area and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1977. She worked for the University of California system, first at the U.C. Office of the President in Oakland, and then in the Chemistry Department at U.C. Berkeley, where she worked as an administrative specialist for Professor Phill Geissler. She will be honored during the annual memorial service at UC Berkeley Sepetember 10th.
Dr. Yuan-Tsan Chia (M.A. Chem ’55, Ph.D. Chem ’58) has left a bequest of $1.1 million to the College of Chemistry in honor of Professor Robert Connick who she studied with for her Ph.D. Chia was the first woman to join the Central Research Department at DuPont working there for more than thirty years. She obtained a number of patents, collaborated on noteworthy projects including improvements to the manufacturing processes for synthetic fibers, plus development of various Teflon and Kevlar applications.
August 30, 2018
Today DayGlo pigments color everything from traffic cones to tennis shoes, but back in the 1930s it was barely used at all. Though Joe and Bob Switzer can lay claim to commercializing fluorescent pigments, they were far from the first people to discover the phenomenon. By the time Joe and Bob created their homemade paint, scientists had already spent years in the laboratory exploring the chemical makeup of glowing substances.
August 29, 2018
BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, underwrites research at various campuses in California through the California Research Alliance (CARA). The four-year-old effort, centered at UC Berkeley and including nine other California schools, supports research at the intersection of cutting-edge science and commercial opportunity.
August 28, 2018
Advanced Light Source
Scientists formulated and characterized a graphene-based electrocatalyst that potentially makes the production of hydrogen peroxide more selective, efficient, and cost effective.
August 27, 2018
Last spring anytime you walked into the Undergraduate Advising Center at the College of Chemistry there was a lot of activity going on. The new Undergraduate Peer Tutoring program was in action with students dropping by throughout the day to get help with concepts and problem solving for their classes.
August 24, 2018
Biochemist Jennifer Doudna, a pioneer of the Crispr gene-editing technology that’s taken Wall Street by storm says the field is probably five to 10 years away from having an approved therapy for patients.
Students organize new club to address issues around underrepresentation at the college. Club activities planned include creating study groups, bringing in corporate speakers and helping club members consider application for, and navigate the pipeline to, graduate school.
UC Berkeley researchers have developed a modular metal-organic framework with the highest electron charge mobilities ever observed. A research team led by Jeffrey Long has developed a technique for making an electrically conductive MOF that could also be used to improve the conductivity of other MOFs.
August 23, 2018
UC Berkeley remains the nation’s top public university, according to this year’s Academic Ranking of World Universities, or ARWU. The UC Berkeley Department of Chemistry was also named the best in the world in the rankings.
August 21, 2018
Berkeley News
For three weeks in July and August, 30 undergraduates took a summer course to learn how to use the revolutionary gene-editing technology in preparation for jumping into the research lab while still students.
Vicky Benzing (Ph.D. Chem ’86) always wanted to fly. While pursuing her first passion for Math and Chemistry, she earned her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at UC Berkeley. At the same time she also earned her private pilot certificate. Benzing went on to fly as a hobby while she built her successful career in the tech industry working for Tektronix, Sharp and Novellus Systems (which was bought by Lam in 2012.). Her passion for flying took over as a second career when she retired from Novellus Systems in 2012.
August 16, 2018
(image: Huimin Zhao and John Hartwig) Researchers have developed a new method that aids in the process of making valuable compounds by using a unique combination of catalysts.
August 13, 2018
The discovery of buckyballs surprised and delighted chemists in the 1980s, nanotubes jazzed physicists in the 1990s, and graphene charged up materials scientists in the 2000s, but one nanoscale carbon structure – a negatively curved surface called a schwarzite – has eluded everyone. Until now.
Over the past 150 years, UC Berkeley has been at the forefront of scientific discovery, achieving milestones that have impacted both the research industry and the surrounding community.
August 8, 2018
Scientists are experimenting with narrow strips of graphene, called nanoribbons, in hopes of making cool new electronic devices, but University of California, Berkeley scientists have discovered another possible role for them: as nanoscale electron traps with potential applications in quantum computers.
Alumna Annelise Barron (Ph.D. ChemE '95) thinks so. Alzheimer’s is the root cause of 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, and the complexity of the disease has troubled neurology researchers for decades.
August 7, 2018
Class of 1932 Endowed Professor of Chemistry, Richard Saykally, has been awarded a 2018 Helmholtz International Fellow Award for his research using X-ray spectroscopy to study the detailed chemistry of the global carbon cycle, characterizing the hydration structure and intermolecular interactions in aqueous CO2, carbonic acid, carbonate, bicarbonate, and the calcium and magnesium salts that ultimately form limestone.
August 6, 2018
The Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3) and InnoCentive have announced the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry as one of seven winners in the global GC3 Challenge: Developing New Preservatives for Personal Care & Household Products.