Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

With nanotubes, genetic engineering in plants is easy-peasy

February 25, 2019

genetic engineering in plants just got easier and safer New research reported from the lab of Markita Landry announces scientists could make genetically engineering any type of plant—in particular, gene editing with CRISPR-Cas9—simple and quick. To deliver a gene, the researchers grafted it onto a carbon nanotube, which is tiny enough to slip easily through a plant’s tough cell wall. To date, most genetic engineering of plants is done by firing genes into the tissue—a process known as biolistics—or delivering genes via bacteria. Both are successful only a small percentage of the time, which is a major limitation for scientists seeking to create disease - or drought-resistant crops or to engineer plants so they’re more easily converted to biofuels.

Alumni innovation in the news

March 13, 2019

Ripple MilkGraduates of the College’s Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering departments are making news as they become market innovators with their recent startups and products. News stories about Lygos, Chemistry and Ripple look at the latest chemistry innovations and funding for these companies.

Researchers team up to create a drug sponge to absorb excess chemotherapy medication

March 15, 2019

Steven Hetts, MD, UCSFA research team from UCSF, UC Berkeley and 3D Printer Carbon, Inc. have created a drug sponge to absorb excess chemotherapy medication. The sponge is being designed so that after the chemotherapy has gone through the tumor, the part that hasn't treated the tumor could bind to the device, absorbing the excess dose like a "drug sponge." At the end of the procedure, the device is removed from the body, preventing the spread of toxicity throughout the body. "

Emeritus professor Jean Fréchet awarded King Faisal Prize in Science

February 27, 2019

Jean Fréchet named 2019 King Faisal Prize in Science winnerProfessor Jean M. J. Fréchet, UC Berkeley professor emeritus and Allen Bard, Professor of Chemistry at UT Austin have been named co-Laureates of the 2019 King Faisal Prize in Science. The award, announced on January 13, cites Fréchet's pioneering work and seminal contributions in the areas of convergent synthesis of dendrimers and their applications, chemically amplified photoresists and organic photovoltaics. A ceremony honoring the Laureates will be held in March.

Congratulations to Jeffrey Long and Daniel Neumark on receiving 2019 ACS awards

January 25, 2019

Jeffrey Long and Daniel NeumarkUC Berkeley College of Chemistry professors Jeffrey Long and Daniel Neumark have been announced as 2019 American Chemical Society (ACS) awardees for their pioneering chemical research. They will be honored at a ceremony at the spring ACS national meeting in Orlando, Florida, March 31–April 4, 2019.

"Chemical Engineering Design and Analysis" available in second edition

January 24, 2019

Chemical Engineering Design and AnalysisThe new edition of "Chemical Engineering Design and Analysis" written by T. Michael Duncan, Cornell University, New York and Jeffrey A. Reimer, University of California, Berkeley will be available in February from Cambridge University Press. "Chemical Engineering Design and Analysis" puts design at the center of introducing students to the course in mass and energy balances in chemical engineering. Employers and accreditations increasingly stress the importance of design in the engineering curriculum, and design-driven analysis will motivate students to dig deeply into the key concepts of the field.

Professor Nitash Balsara discusses ways to help the earth

January 18, 2019

Nitash Balsar wants to help the earthProfessor Balsara discusses ways to make better batteries through development, education and listening to students in this portrait for the Clean Energy Project produced by renowned photographer Rick Chapman whose work has been seen at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.

Enrique Iglesia is the recipient of the 2019 Michel Boudart Award for the Advancement of Catalysis

January 15, 2019

Enrique IglesiaProfessor Enrique Iglesia of the University of California at Berkeley is the recipient of the 2019 Michel Boudart Award for the Advancement of Catalysis. The award is presented jointly by the North American Catalysis Society and the European Federation of Catalysis Societies.

CBE Professor Clayton Radke receives 2018 Faculty Outstanding Mentorship of GSIs award

October 22, 2018

Clayton Radke wins Faculty GSI Mentorship award

Each spring graduate students are invited to nominate faculty members for the Faculty Award for Outstanding Mentorship of Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs.) Typically each nomination is supported by several GSIs who have worked with the honoree. The award, sponsored by the Graduate Council’s Advisory Committee for GSI Affairs and the GSI Teaching & Resource Center, is presented as a surprise in the faculty member’s classroom, with the GSIs and other departmental faculty and staff present in the fall.

Potential new way to boost biofuels and bioproducts production

November 27, 2018

Itay Budin and Jay KeaslingJBEI researchers gain understanding of central metabolism of bacteria and yeast species commonly used in biotechnology.