UCLA in the News lists selected mentions of UCLA in the world’s news media. Some articles may require registration or a subscription. See more UCLA in the News.
Barbra Streisand partners with UCLA on new institute | Hollywood Reporter
The Barbra Streisand Institute is officially a go at UCLA as the showbiz icon has committed an undisclosed sum to fund research dedicated to four “societal challenges” … The four research centers of the Barbra Streisand Institute include the Center for Truth in the Public Sphere, the Center for the Impact of Climate Change, the Center for the Dynamics of Intimacy and Power Between Women and Men, and the Center for the Impact of Art on the Culture. These centers will be housed in UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences until the formal establishment of the institute, which is expected when the full gift amount is received. (UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and UCLA’s Dr. Eric Esrailian are quoted. Also: KCBS-TV, KABC-TV, KCAL-TV, KPCC-FM and Headline News.)
UCLA center Myles Johnson encourages Black students in STEM | Los Angeles Times
Johnson announced in April that he would complete his college career at UCLA, enticed by a top graduate program in electrical and computer engineering, a basketball team coming off an unexpected Final Four run and a 30-minute commute home without traffic … “I would tell children who are on the fence about pursuing STEM that there is such a wide range of possible professions, not just coding, or machinery, which comes to mind when hearing ‘engineering.’ The world of opportunities is never-ending.” (UCLA’s Scott Brandenberg is quoted.)
LAUSD: 99% of teachers meet COVID vaccine requirements | Los Angeles Times
“LAUSD is an outstanding example to other school districts in California, and throughout the nation, of how rigorous and properly applied public health measures can be implemented in the school setting,” said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, a professor of epidemiology and community health sciences at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
Rain storms could dampen fire risk in California | Los Angeles Times
For much of the state, though, the forecast for late October precipitation “is actually still relatively good news compared to recent years when the fire season statewide lasted well past October, November, December and even the middle of winter last year,” said UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain.
Supreme Court upholds contentious ‘qualified immunity’ for police | Washington Post
Joanna Schwartz, a qualified-immunity expert and researcher at the University of California at Los Angeles, said the “two decisions taken together send a message that the Supreme Court is not interested in participating in the regulation of police.”
Colin Powell’s cancer and the COVID vaccine | CNN
Studies have shown that patients with blood cancers, including multiple myeloma, had a higher risk of severe COVID-19, said Dr. Anthoni Ribas, director of the Tumor Immunology Program at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and president of the American Association for Cancer Research, who has been working on this research.
Buying holiday gifts? Don’t wait too long | New York Times
In the meantime, consumers have a role to play by shopping early but not panicking and buying unneeded items, said Christopher Tang, a professor at U.C.L.A.’s Anderson School of Management. “If it’s sold out, you can wait until January and put an I.O.U. under the tree,” he said. “Or, you can find something just as good, but not as well known.”
How cholesterol levels can harm or help your heart | New York Times
Dr. Tamara Horwich, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved in the study, noted that medical guidelines on choosing who needs statin therapy are heavily weighted toward older people, since advancing age is a major risk factor for complications from heart disease.
Holding tech firms responsible for biased algorithms | Marketplace Tech
We talk a lot on this show about the unintended consequences of using technology, and who is harmed by that technology. Another person who thinks about this a lot is Safiya Noble. She’s an associate professor of gender studies and African American studies at UCLA. She’s also the author of the book “Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism” and a 2021 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellow. (Noble is interviewed.)
Coming La Niña and the dry Southwest | Guardian
Park Williams, a climate scientist and professor at University of California, Los Angeles, said although La Niña could mean a higher likelihood the south-west will stay dry, it may not have as much of an impact on other areas. “The relationship between La Niña and drought across the Sierra Nevada and the upper Colorado River Basin has been extremely weak historically,” he said.
Children with disabilities face back-to-school challenges | California Healthline
Students with disabilities had “sort of this double hit where it was very hard to access school services and very challenging to continue to work on developing new skills,” said Dr. Irene Koolwijk, a specialist in developmental-behavioral pediatrics at UCLA Health.
3D imaging reveals atomic structure in amorphous materials | Scienmag
A UCLA-led research team is changing that. Using a method they developed to map atomic structure in three dimensions, the scientists have directly observed how atoms are packed in samples of amorphous materials. The findings, published today in Nature Materials, may force a rewrite of the conventional model and inform the design of future materials and devices using these substances. (UCLA’s Jianwei “John” Miao is quoted.)