College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley
Contact Us | Site Map
Make Text Smaller Make Text Larger Accessible View Printer-Friendly View Restore Default Accessibility and Text Tools Accessible Style Sheet Printer-Friendly Style Sheet Make Text Smaller Make Text Larger
Home > News & Events >

News & Events

January 15, 2008

The Power of Green Algae

Professor Tasios Melis is unlocking the chemical power of green algae to create clean hydrogen fuel that eliminates air-polluting fossil fuels in its production. Check out "Power of Green," a segment from Fueling America, the latest episode of USDA CSREES video magazine.

December 21, 2007

Donald Kaplan, expert on plant shapes and forms, dies at 69

Donald Robert Kaplan, professor emeritus of plant biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and an influential expert on the development of the diverse forms and shapes of plants, has died at the age of 69.

Continue reading "Donald Kaplan, expert on plant shapes and forms, dies at 69" »

November 26, 2007

Professor Lemaux Awarded Crop Science Fellowship

Peggy Lemaux, professor of Plant and Microbial Biology and cooperative extension specialist, has been selected to be a 2007 Crop Science Society of America fellow.

Continue reading "Professor Lemaux Awarded Crop Science Fellowship" »

November 13, 2007

The Secrets in Your Genome

A personal DNA sequence
is not yet practically useful.

But it could be, argues Prof. Steven Brenner, if we had the right resources.

Brenner calls for the establishment of "a public knowledgebase of human genetic variation and its effect, culled from databases, diagnostic laboratories, and the scientific literature."

Continue reading "The Secrets in Your Genome" »

October 27, 2007

Two CNR Scientists named fellows of AAAS

Two CNR faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Robert L. Fischer, professor of plant and microbial biology, was recognized "for distinguished contributions to the study of epigenetic processes through pioneering work on plant gene imprinting, DNA demethylation and Polycomb group proteins."

Richard B. Norgaard, professor of agricultural and resource economics and of energy and resources, was recognized "for path-breaking contributions to environmental and ecological economics and for improving the scientific content of public and policy discourse on sustainability and the future."

In all, there were 10 fellows from UC Berkeley among the 471 academics honored in 2007 "for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications."

Continue reading "Two CNR Scientists named fellows of AAAS" »

October 22, 2007

PMB Assistant Professor Awarded Packard Fellowship

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has named CNR’s Arash Komeili one of 20 new promising scientific researchers as a 2007 recipient of Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering. He will receive an unrestricted research grant of $625,000 over five years.

Komeili, an assistant professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, is being honored for his work in elucidating the molecular mechanisms behind the formation of nanometer-sized magnetite crystals within the magnetosome organelles of magnetotactic bacteria.

Continue reading "PMB Assistant Professor Awarded Packard Fellowship" »

June 28, 2007

PMB and ESPM Postdocs Named Miller Fellows

Two CNR postdoctoral students have been named Miller Research Fellows for 2007. Tessa Burch-Smith from the department of Plant and Microbial Biology and Corrie Saux Moreau from the department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management were nominated on the basis of their academic achievement and the potential of their scientific research. Burch-Smith, who will be working with faculty sponsor Professor Patricia Zambryski, is studying plasmodesmata aperture regulation in plant cells. Saux Moreau, sponsored by Professors Craig Moritz (Integrative Biology) and George Roderick (ESPM), is studying the population structure and ecology of ants in the Australian wet tropics.

May 20, 2007

Commencement address by Dr. Florence Wambugu, CEO, Africa Harvest

Graduation day is a significant and memorable event in one's life time. It marks a transition from one phase of life to another. It is, therefore, an immense privilege for me to be here today, to celebrate with you this significant day for the graduands, faculty, administration and parents.

Congratulations to all of you!

Continue reading "Commencement address by Dr. Florence Wambugu, CEO, Africa Harvest" »

May 17, 2007

Nancy Amy, Kathleen Ryan honored with College Distinguished Teaching Award

Two of CNR's finest teachers -- one known for teaching the largest lecture on campus, the other for recently creating one of Berkeley's most intimate courses -- have been named the recipients of the College of Natural Resources 2007 Distinguished Teaching Award.

Nancy Amy, associate professor of nutrition, and Kathleen Ryan, assistant professor of microbial biology, share the honor. The awards were presented May 20 at commencement.

Continue reading "Nancy Amy, Kathleen Ryan honored with College Distinguished Teaching Award" »

J. Keith Gilless named Interim Dean

Interim Dean J. Keith GillessProfessor J. Keith Gilless has been appointed interim dean of the College of Natural Resources effective July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. Gilless joined the faculty in1983 and is professor of Forest Economics and Management jointly in the departments of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and of Agricultural and Resource Economics. He is currently serving as the executive associate dean of the College and will succeed Dean Paul Ludden, who has accepted the position of provost and vice president for academic affairs at Southern Methodist University.

Continue reading "J. Keith Gilless named Interim Dean" »

January 17, 2007

Across the board, CNR doctoral programs ranked among the top

The faculty of each of CNR's departments have been ranked among the top 5 in their fields, according to a new "Scholarly Productivity Index," with the Plant Biology program ranked #1 in the nation.

The rankings, assessed by the private company Academic Analytics, are based on measurements of faculty productivity in terms of publications, federal-grant dollars awarded, and honors and awards.

Data from the 2005 rankings -- which are not without their share of controversy -- were published and explained in depth in The Chronicle of Higher Education (available by subscription here).

UC Berkeley doctoral programs from within CNR received impressive rankings:

Agricultural economics - 3
Botany and plant biology - 1
Microbiology - 3
Nutrition - 3
Toxicology - 2
Environmental Science - 4

A full list of UC Berkeley rankings is here.

January 16, 2007

Is peaceful coexistence with biotechnology possible?

Growing genetically engineered (GE) crops in the United States continues to stir debate, but some University of California scientists believe attention should now be focused on how farmers opposed to the technology and those in favor of it can step back from the controversy and successfully produce and market their crops in the way they personally see fit.

Continue reading "Is peaceful coexistence with biotechnology possible?" »

January 2, 2007

Undergrad Subhajit Poddar researches genetics of green algae

Subhajit PoddarUntil he met the slimy green algae called Chlamydomonas, undergraduate Subhajit Poddar didn’t know he was interested in plant biology. “Once I began working with mutant strains of algae, I was totally hooked,” he says.

Poddar, fourth year in Plant and Microbial Biology, studies the green algae Chlamydomonas under the mentorship of Professor Krishna Niyogi. His research has focused on identifying and cloning genes responsible for two compounds involved in photosynthesis.

Using genetics as a novel tool to understand physiology, Niyogi and his team are isolating genes that are important in determining plant responses to stress and high light conditions. SPUR funds have helped Poddar purchase essential lab equipment necessary to maintain laboratory populations of Chlamydomonas.

Undergraduate research through SPUR is funded entirely by donations to the Berkeley Fund for Natural Resources -- and gifts are accepted online here.

December 6, 2006

Interspecies love

What if genes could jump from organism to organism in passing, like a contagious disease? Microbiologist Damon Lisch of the Freeling Lab has shown that totally different species of plants have exchanged DNA...

November 18, 2006

Undergrad Laura Lagomarsino maps ancestral relationships using genetics

Laura LagomarsinoLagomarsino, third year in Plant Biology, is using nuclear and chloroplast genes to develop a phylogeny, or map of ancestral relationships between species of the genus Heliconia, a tropical plant. Her mentor, Assistant Professor Chelsea Specht in the department of Plant and Microbial Biology, uses molecular and evolutionary biology to understand lineages of related plants.

SPUR funding has allowed Specht to provide Lagomarsino with necessary laboratory materials to expand her research.

The SPUR program offers students a unique opportunity to develop as scientists with a level of independence that has often been reserved for graduate students. Not only does this help make Berkeley students more competitive, it develops of the kind of creative thinking skills so essential to the success of any scientist. “You learn all the techniques” says Lagomarsino, “But then you are also given a certain amount of freedom, and your thoughts are valued.”

For Lagomarsino, research in plant and molecular biology has also given her academic career a clear direction. “Now, I know exactly what I want to do and what I want to study.”

To support SPUR, click here.

May 2, 2006

Aurora BioFuels Takes Top Prize in the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition

Aurora BioFuels, an alternative energy company based on technology developed by microbial biology professor and hydrogen fuel pioneer Tasios Melis, won both first prize and the People's Choice Award in the eighth annual UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition, held on April 27 at the Haas School of Business.

Continue reading "Aurora BioFuels Takes Top Prize in the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition" »

November 25, 2005

Salt of the Earth