News

Study by UCLA EPSS researcher illuminates behavior of chorus waves

Million-fold increase in the power of waves near Jupiter’s moon Ganymede The planet Jupiter has a very strong magnetic field which forms the largest object in the solar physics. Observations of Jupiter’s magnetosphere in the 1990s provided a unique opportunity to understand how magnetic fields interact with particles and how moons of Jupiter can change the...

Ocean at sunset

The Real Debates of Climate Science: Does the Ocean Matter for Climate?

5th Annual Yanai Distinguished Lecture 2018 Presented by UCLA Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences The speaker Amy Clement is the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and a Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. She is an expert in climate modeling. In her...

Spotlight: Students translating research into public policy

Student Spotlight: Translating Research Into Public Policy David Gonzalez Graduate student Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. and Sacramento to discuss my research with policy makers. The trip to Washington, D.C. was training for the Switzer Foundation Fellowship. In Sacramento, I was to represent UCLA...

Campus photo of UCLA Royce Hall

Faculty Awards

Professors distinguished by the UCLA Academic Senate The UCLA Academic Senate has awarded two professors from the Physical Sciences Division for their incredible performance. Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Alexander Spokoyny was honored with the 2020-21 Distinguished Teaching Award, specifically for his undergraduate research mentorship. Additionally, Professor and Vice Chair for Astronomy and Astrophysics Alice...

Spin lab

Spotlight on the UCLA SPINLab

Jon Aurnou’s Simulated Planetary Interiors Laboratory —SPINLab—studies how the rotation of planets shapes the flow of fluids in their atmospheres and cores. By investigating fluid dynamics with state-of-the-art devices and numerical simulations, the SPINLab team interpret magnetic fields and jet systems on gas planets. Most recently, they used of an enormous spinning garbage can to...

Four students in Nelson Lab group photo

The Making of a Scientist: The Nelson Group

Under the guidance of a dynamic new faculty member, three Chemistry & Biochemistry graduate students have been published in Science. Alex Bagdasarian, Stasik Popov, and Brian Shao got to know each other very well after hour upon hour of experimentation in their lab, arms encased in thick rubber as they worked on highly volatile chemicals within...

Faculty emeriti and spouses at the 2018 brunch honoring their work

Physical Sciences celebrates its emeriti

Celebrating the contributions of our faculty emeriti Our departments could not be among the best in the world without the dedicated faculty who lead the research and student experiences within those departments. We benefit most from the experience that is shared by our emeriti faculty, and celebrate their continued presence within the division at an...

Heather Maynard, Dr. Myung Ki Hong Endowed Chair in Polymer Science

The Maynard Group creates new polymeric materials to address unmet needs in medicine, while simultaneously educating the next generation of scientists. UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry Professor Heather Maynard is a professor of organic chemistry at UCLA, Director of the Chemistry Biology Interface Training Program, and Associate Director of Technology and Development for the California NanoSystems...

Myung Ki Hong

Dr. Myung Ki Hong Endowed Chair in Polymer Science

Myung Ki “Mike” Hong donated $2 million toward the establishment of two endowed chairs in UCLA’s department of chemistry and biochemistry. The gift created the Dr. Myung Ki Hong Endowed Chair in Polymer Science and the Dr. Myung Ki Hong Endowed Chair in Materials Innovation. Both chairs support scientific research with applications ranging from regenerative...

Jasper Kok

The problem with dust

The Problem with Dust: An Atmospheric & Oceanic Studies professor tackles big questions with tiny particles It’s in the air, it’s on your car, it gets up your nose. It’s been with us for eons, and it’s not going away anytime soon. It’s dust, and we need to understand it better to battle climate change....