Bessy Varela joined the Biological Sciences School 12 years ago. In her role as Department Administrator for Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, she manages the administrative and financial functions that support the research and teaching activities in the department....

On February 2nd, Dean Frank M. LaFerla held a breakfast for the student athletes of the Biological Sciences School in the dean’s conference room of Natural Sciences II. Treated to a filling breakfast loaded with plenty of protein, the students were congratulated by...

Professor Kim Green, Neurobiology and Behavior, has discovered a new use for the anti-cancer compound, pexidartinib.  Professor Green and his colleagues found that treatment with pexidartinib results in the elimination of the brain’s resident immune cells, which leads...

Kathleen K. Treseder, Ph.D., professor and vice chair in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, was selected as the U.S. scientist for the Inter-American Network of Academies of Sciences (IANAS) as part of the Women for Science Program. The IANAS was...

At the 2016 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington D.C., four UCI undergraduates participating in the School of Biological Sciences Minority Science Programs (MSP) received awards for their research at the poster...

On February 25th, ReMIND (Research and Education of Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders) hosted their annual Emerging Scientists Symposium on the 4th floor of Gross Hall. The symposium showcased some of the exceptional research occurring at the School of...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of age-related dementia and is thought to be driven by the accumulation of a protein called beta-amyloid that aggregates to form amyloid plaques in the brain. Microglia, immune cells that reside in the brain, attempt to...

Anthony A. James, Ph.D., distinguished professor in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, has been awarded The Founders’ Memorial Award by the Entomological Society of America (ESA).  The award was established in 1958 to honor scientists who have made outstanding...

Tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) are characterized by persistent cloud cover. Unfortunately, the cloud layer is rising due to global warming, leading to drier and warmer conditions.  Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Ph.D. candidates, Caitlin Looby and Mia Maltz,...

The herbicide “Roundup” was first sold in 1974 and is now the most widely used weed-killer in the world. The active ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate, which was originally reported to pose a relatively low toxicity risk. The initial designation of glyphosate led...