DEAN’S REPORT 2020
06
LIFE
COMMENCEMENT
10
STUDENTS
14
RESEARCH
32
FACULTY
36
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
46
GET INVOLVED
50
GIVING
Disclaimer: This report contains photographs of people in groups that were taken prior to California’s stay-at-home order.
MIND Our brains are wired to thrive on human connection and stimulation. Keeping our minds sound during times of social distancing and anxiety has become an important consideration for us all.
INTERCONNECTED BODY
WORLD
The mind thrives in tandem with the body. Better physical health makes better brain health more likely and helps us fight off all manner of infections.
The health of our minds and bodies depends on the planet’s air, water, soil, flora and fauna. If the well-being of the world around us declines, so will our individual health, making the emergence and spread of disease more likely.
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MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN CONFRONTING RACISM. COMBATING THE PANDEMIC. BIOSCI TAKES ACTION. Dear Colleagues and Friends, As we were completing this special Dean’s Report on the COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd by police officers happened in Minneapolis.
LIFE INTERCONNECTED MIND | BODY | WORLD
This horrific event, along with the recent killings of innocent African Americans Ahmaud Arbery, 25, in February, Breonna Taylor, 27, in March and Tony McDade, 38, in May, have launched a new civil rights movement unlike any other over the past four or five decades.
Ending Institutional Racism Brutality directed toward the Black community is a terrible manifestation of systemic racism that permeates society. The school condemns anti-Black racism, and our community of UCI BioSci faculty, staff and students is working on a Plan of Action to end institutional racism. This plan is a top priority, not only for me, but for campus leadership as well. We will remain transparent and accountable during this process and will soon share details regarding the formation of an Inclusive Excellence Task Force and Dean’s Advisory Council. Our upcoming implicit bias training and future programs on diversity and inclusion will also be uploaded to our school website as they become available. Black lives matter.
COVID-19 Proves Life’s Links The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed additional injustices and inequities. At the same time we are mobilizing to combat
While we may have altered the mode by which we research, teach and learn, our dedication to world-class excellence remains steadfast.
racism and bias, biologists are also fervently studying this new
While we must continue to work through the societal
attacking coronavirus disease. As you will see in this report,
impact of systemic racism and COVID-19, support for
the UC Irvine School of Biological Sciences organizing theme,
basic biological science will help to reveal the solutions
MIND | BODY | WORLD, leaves us well positioned to make
needed to restore the health of our minds, our bodies and
progress against COVID-19 and future pandemics. As life scientists,
our world equitably across all communities. As you read
we have long feared that a diminishing societal commitment to
the following pages, you will learn about our research into
basic research would leave us ill-prepared to overcome many of
this coronavirus, BioSci’s investigations into other vital
the great biological challenges imperiling our future. The importance
areas, recent honors and achievements and the amazing
of supporting life science research and education has never been
people who bring our mission alive every day.
more compelling than in the era of COVID-19.
As events of 2020 have made clear, facing difficult
We are proud that UCI has been able to rapidly respond to the
truths, demonstrating mutual respect and cultivating our
crisis. Everyone at BioSci mobilized to transform our school to
collaborative spirit are values that improve our science,
provide a remote learning experience that works for students
our world and our lives. By bringing together our unique
under stress and in different time zones. We have continued critical
skills and perspectives, we can produce transformative
research despite constraints on lab access and the need to stay
change in our scientific and social communities –
apart to stay safe. Coordinating this transformation wasn’t an easy
we aspire to be life interconnected.
feat for a school with 133 faculty, approximately 5,000 students
Stay Healthy,
and 127 staff. We could not have done it without the support and understanding of our entire community. I can’t thank everyone enough for their cooperation and continued commitment to inclusive excellence, life science investigation
Frank M. LaFerla, Ph.D.
and to providing an outstanding educational experience for
Dean, UCI School of Biological Sciences
our students.
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C OM ME N C E M E N T
A SPECIAL SURPRISE FOR THE UCI BIOSCI 2020 CLASS… DR. ANTHONY FAUCI We are pleased to share the transcript of the NIAID Director as he inspires the class of 2020.
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Warm greetings to you all from Bethesda, Maryland. My name is Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. I am delighted to address the University of California, Irvine School of Biological Sciences Class of 2020. We are currently confronting an unprecedented global pandemic. I am profoundly aware that celebrating your graduation virtually, without the in-person support of your professors, fellow students and friends, is extremely disappointing at best. However, we must adapt to this extraordinary situation, as you have done so well, and unite in overcoming this COVID-19 challenge. Please hang in there. We need your talent, your energy, your resolve and your character to get through this difficult time. In the next phase of your lives, whether you help patients, conduct research on medical solutions, or more likely contribute simply as caring and connected members of society, all of you will be doing your part, together with the rest of us, to come out from under the shadow of this pandemic. Your school’s mission of transforming human health through life sciences has imbued you with valuable training to become leaders in the biomedical response to this and the many other public health and medical challenges to come. Congratulations on your graduation and the incredibly hard work that brought you here! Stay safe and I wish you all the best. – Dr. Anthony Fauci
C OM ME N C E M E N T
UCI BIOSCI 2020 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER... CHALLENGING TIMES CREATE SURPRISING OPPORTUNITIES While BioSci’s class of 2020 is graduating during an unconventional time, challenging moments create unexpected opportunities. Commencement speaker Wajdie Ahmad illustrated this point by telling the inspiring story of his own career journey. Ahmad graduated with a biology degree during an economic slump, overcame setbacks and launched a biotech startup that he sold two years ago for hundreds of millions of dollars. The achievement has enabled Ahmad to embark on his current path of encouraging biotech entrepreneurism in Orange County.
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When Ahmad enrolled as a UC Riverside freshman, he intended to become a physician. He majored in micro and molecular biology, but as he neared graduation, “I realized I was sick of school,” he said. Bachelor degree in hand, he set out to find a job, but the dot-com recession meant openings were rare. He finally landed a position at a pharmaceutical firm, but was laid off two months later when the 9/11 tragedy sent the economy further downward. While deeply discouraged, he continued pushing forward and his resolve paid off. Pharmaceutical giant Allergan offered him a job after he applied for it eight times. “They said they had to hire me because of my persistence.” Working within Allergan’s Research and Development group on products
like Botox, he saw how his contributions in the lab could improve lives. During his 13 years at the company, he held lab engineering and management roles and earned an MBA from UCI. In 2015, he decided to risk leaving Allergan to form a startup with several friends. Called Bonti, it focused on developing a faster-acting, shorterduration complementary pharmaceutical product to Botox. “Three long and very challenging years later,” his former employer purchased Bonti for $195 million. Now he is helping launch three startups as part of his passion for building companies in Orange County. This includes a biotechnology firm with technology developed and licensed from UCI.
“As I reflect back on my career,” Ahmad told the graduating students, “I have learned that setbacks and obstacles are life’s way of preparing us for something greater. All of us tend to only focus on what’s in front of us,” he said. “We forget that unexpected surprises, unique opportunities and great joy are right around the corner.”
Ahmad pointed out that “the entire world has a renewed interest in science and data, and the demand for researchers has never been greater.” As BioSci’s graduates move on to what’s next, he urged them to “find your own path in life, believe in yourself and surround yourself with others who believe in you.”
STUDE N T S
BIOSCI COMMUNITY ACES REMOTE LEARNING’S CHALLENGE Even under normal circumstances, moving from in-person classroom teaching to remote learning would hardly be easy. As the COVID-19 pandemic forced UCI to make this shift, the fact that it took place a week before final exams added to the challenge. However, everyone at the School of Biological Sciences stepped up – students, staff and faculty – and made it possible for our students to continue their educational experience with as little disruption as possible. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a California State of Emergency on March 4. On March 10, UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman announced the campus would transition to remote learning for finals (less than a week away) and continue through the spring quarter. In an astonishing display of inventiveness and sheer grit, BioSci faculty and staff completed the transition to distance learning in a matter of days, just ahead of the governor’s stay-at-home order. The changes remained in place through the spring. Our faculty members have chosen a wide range of digital tools from Zoom meetings to podcasting to YouTube videos to conduct their courses. Not surprisingly, there were a few hiccups in making such a rapid change in teaching and learning styles. On the whole, the mammoth undertaking was accomplished soundly and serves as preparation for expanded digital education in the future. We are justifiably proud of how BioSci’s students have responded to the challenge. A remote learning environment can be a difficult adjustment in the best of times. Its success depends on an individual’s selfmotivation and ability to adapt to a new set of distractions. Many students and their families dealt with losing jobs, struggling to pay rent and unexpectedly sharing space and resources 24/7. Internet access continues to be an issue regardless of socioeconomic resources. As a vice provost remarked in a recent Zoom meeting, “My internet goes down all the time and I pay a lot of money for it!” Nevertheless, our remarkable students have risen to the challenge and for the most part, their education has continued uninterrupted. We are proud of their resilience and perseverance and commend their continued high performance during this time. Although the transition to remote learning came rapidly and with little advanced warning, our faculty, staff and students worked as a team to make it successful. – Raju Metherate, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education
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A remote learning environment can be a difficult adjustment in the best of times. Its success depends on an individual’s self-motivation and ability to adapt to a new set of distractions.
STUDE N T S
GRADUATING STUDENT WILL “ALWAYS REMEMBER THE GREAT MOMENTS” In my experience, the coronavirus pandemic seems somehow to have affected time. The days and weeks blurred together. As is often the case in trying times, I find myself revisiting the past, especially when it comes to my life as a student at the UCI School of Biological Sciences. As I approach the end of my collegiate career, one thing is apparent: these past four years have been some of the best years of my life. They have given me memories to cherish forever. Four years ago, I walked onto an unfamiliar campus filled with unfamiliar faces. Today, the campus has become my home, filled with friends and fond memories. In early March of 2020, UCI officially announced that all classes would be moved to remote learning for the rest of the school year. Classes were hastily reorganized online and Zoom conferences replaced lecture halls. Students and faculty alike were forced to quickly transition to learning and teaching via online platforms. During those initial days, the transition was tedious for me, and I sensed the same for everyone involved. We were stumbling through a process of trial and error, learning how to use online programs, taking exams online and attending virtual office hours. As difficult as this transition was, it was apparent that our BioSci faculty and staff were making every possible effort to ensure that classes were taught in an efficient and supportive manner. I’m confident they will continue those efforts for as long as necessary. During quarantine, it has been difficult for me to establish a completely new routine and stay motivated. Being on campus provided structure and the ability to schedule my days without distraction. I could quickly congregate with classmates when I needed assistance or a break from schoolwork.
In quarantine, learning came with a host of difficulties, but it has forced me to shed a few bad habits and form healthier ones. It has also led me to take conscious action to be a better student, a better employee and a better friend. Zoom meetings and happy hours, which were unfamiliar only a few weeks ago, now give me a sense of familiarity and a semblance of normalcy. Many aspects of my final year at BioSci have been out of my control, but I learned that I could control my responses to all the changes. Although “Zoom University” could not compare to the beautiful environment of our school and campus, the faculty
worked hard to ensure their high educational standards were not compromised. As college students graduating during a pandemic, circumstances have forced us to say goodbye to our college days in an abnormal and unsettling fashion. However, I for one, will always remember the great moments of my life at UCI BioSci and appreciate the many small things I admit I took for granted before COVID-19. – Philip Farahat, UCI BioSci Class of 2020
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RE S E ARCH
THE MICROBE STUNNING THE WORLD: CORONAVIRUS I think it was Frank Sinatra who said, “You only go around once in life, but once is enough if you make the best of it.” Until recently, I felt that way about the SARS coronavirus, which first struck in 2002-2003. My group of researchers made remarkable progress with the virus, called SARS-CoV, but when the epidemic faded in 2004 and didn’t return, the National Institutes of Health began to lose interest in the disease. All that changed in ways no one could have imagined late in December 2019 when rumors began to suggest that a repeat of SARS-CoV was stirring in and around Wuhan, Hubei Province in China. The spread of this virus was so explosive that students in my Viral Immunology and Pathogenesis course began coming to class with up-to-date figures detailing the increasingly dire mortality as the epidemic spread explosively through China, Korea, Italy, Japan, Spain and into the United States. Now, months later, the epidemic is still out of control with few signs of a way out. This pandemic is being compared to the 1918 influenza that killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide.
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What is this virus that has wreaked havoc on our global economy and seeded discontent and uncertainty among people all over the world? ABOUT THIS DANGEROUS VIRUS SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease COVID-19 (coronavirus 2019), is a first cousin of that initial SARS virus, which flared brightly out of Southern China in 2002-2003. It then disappeared quickly in the summer of 2003 after infecting some 8,000 people and causing 774 deaths in 30 countries. SARS one, as we now call it, was only a hint of what these coronaviruses are capable of. In a world population that had no prior experience with the SARS infection, it spread rapidly, and expressed its worst, often fatal potential on the elderly and infirm. Disease control in the early 2000s, before the advent of social media, was accomplished by traditional public health measures of isolation and contact tracing. The Microbe Stunning the World, continued on next page
The Microbe Stunning the World, continued
Coronaviruses don’t just infect humans; they can infect many other animals, such as cats, bats and pigs. There are four major groups of coronaviruses and SARS and SARS-CoV-2 both belong to the beta-group of coronaviruses. Other members of this group include the human coronavirus OC43, which is one of several viruses responsible for the common cold. WHAT SETS CORONAVIRUSES APART Coronaviruses are different from other viruses in both their structure and genome, and their name is derived from the Latin word corona, meaning ‘crown’ or ‘halo.’ Under electron microscopic examination, the virus can be seen covered in crown-like spikes on its surface that look similar to the solar corona. Their genome is composed of positive-sense single-stranded RNA ((+)ssRNA), which means that it is easily processed by the protein-making machinery in host cells, allowing the virus to establish a quick foot-hold within the host. The beta-coronaviruses are the largest RNA viruses known. HOW SARS-COV-2 JUMPED TO HUMANS Coronaviruses are abundant in some animals; bats alone have over 100 different coronavirus strains. However, they rarely lead to zoonotic infections, which are those that jump from non-humans to humans. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, the natural reservoir for the virus is likely the Chinese horseshoe bat. The best data-driven hypothesis on the origin of COVID-19 suggests that SARS-CoV-2 jumped from bats to an intermediate host in a wildlife wet market, and subsequently from the intermediate host to humans sometime in late 2019. While it is not common for viruses to jump species, RNA
viruses like SARS-CoV-2 have a high mutation rate that does allow for the possibility of zoonotic transmission under the right circumstances. THE WAY THE INFECTION SPREADS Now that the virus has adapted to human hosts, the primary mode of infection is from person to person via respiratory droplets produced when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. The droplets can infect a nearby bystander who inhales them. The current recommendation to reduce your exposure to respiratory droplets is to stay 6 feet away from people and wear a mask for protection when leaving your residence. In addition to respiratory droplets in the air, an infected individual may also have the virus on their hands, so there is potential for the virus to be present on commonly touched surfaces. Outside of the body, the virus can live for hours to days depending on the type of surface it inhabits. Therefore, it is highly recommended that people wash their hands after returning from areas of dense human traffic and disinfect and clean surfaces that come in contact with human hands. WHAT TRIGGERS COVID-19’S SYMPTOMS Like the previous SARS outbreak, COVID-19 is a respiratory disease with the best characterized symptoms being the presence of fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Once a patient inhales the virus, its primary target is the alveoli – the tiny air sacs of the lungs. SARSCoV-2 enters the lungs by binding with a protein known as the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. The ACE2 receptor is ubiquitously expressed throughout the body, which may account for patients having additional symptoms affecting the brain and gut.
R E S E A R CH
show whether they developed any immunity to SARS-CoV-2. A positive result using these tests indicates that a person was previously infected with the virus. Unfortunately, these tests have a high false positive rate at this time, and therefore anyone who has taken an immunity test should still practice social distancing when in community spaces. COMMITTED TO SOLVING THE CRUCIAL ISSUES
First electron microscopic examination of the SARS virus. Photo Courtesy of Ben Neuman, Ph.D., and Professor Buchmeier.
In severe cases of COVID-19, the disease triggers a cytokine storm, which is a severe immune reaction that causes the body to release too many proteins called cytokines into the blood too quickly. Cytokines are important in directing the immune response, but their production must be tightly controlled. ABOUT TESTING FOR INFECTION AND ANTIBODIES In order to identify individuals who may have been infected with the virus, a nasal or nasopharyngeal swab must be collected to test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. These tests can be conducted at a clinical site or a person can collect their own nasal sample and send it to a laboratory for analysis. Once an individual has recovered from COVID-19, antibody tests can check their blood for the presence of antibodies against the virus, which would
Scientists and clinicians at UCI BioSci and around the world are working intensively to answer many ongoing questions concerning COVID-19, including those surrounding immunity, surveillance and vaccination. We do not yet know if the antibodies generated in response to SARS-CoV-2 can protect an individual from reinfection, or if the antibodies will persist in the blood for a long period of time. We will also need to develop better and more consistent testing methods for those suspected of having the infection. Once a positive result has been confirmed, we must use contact tracing methods to determine other at-risk individuals. We do not yet have a lead vaccine candidate, although a few began entering clinical trials as of May, 2020. Until those vaccines are available, we must rely on symptomatic treatment and antiviral drugs to gain an edge in the fight against this pathogen. Finding answers to these questions and more will be important steps in transitioning back to a fully functional society. – Michael Buchmeier, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine.
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RE S E ARCH – M I N D
CAN COVID-19 GO TO YOUR HEAD? Fever, cough and respiratory distress are COVID-19’s best-known symptoms. However, some physicians have reported patients also showing signs of stroke, seizures and inflammation of the brain. Neurobiology and Behavior Chancellor’s Professor Thomas Lane is probing this issue, researching whether SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, can infect the central nervous system. The pandemic is the third documented spread of an animal coronavirus to humans in less than 20 years. Professor Lane, an expert in coronavirus infections of the central nervous system, works with a close relative of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in his research. Using mouse hepatitis virus, which is capable of infecting nerve cells, his laboratory has investigated how viral infection of the brain can be a model for various human neurologic diseases including multiple sclerosis.
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He is now collaborating with other virus experts in BioSci on an intensive inquiry into SARS-CoV-2’s central nervous system impact. The project includes: • Identifying which cell types the virus can infect. • D etermining how the immune system controls SARS-CoV-2 replication or ability to reproduce. • R esearching the mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 may cause neurologic disease. • T esting new anti-viral compounds that can penetrate the central nervous system to reduce SARS-CoV-2’s ability to replicate itself. If SARS-CoV-2 does affect the brain, how does it get there? One possibility is the virus enters through an area called the olfactory bulb. It contains neurons contributing to a variety of functions including smell. Indeed, some patients have reported losing their sense of smell and taste as well as experiencing significant headaches and altered mental state. Professor Lane’s new research seeks to explain these and other pressing issues in the fight against COVID-19.
RE S E ARCH – M I N D
HOW THOSE WITH ALZHEIMER’S CAN HELP THE FIGHT While no cure or preventive therapy for Alzheimer’s currently exists, people living with the disease can serve an invaluable role in research to discover such treatments by volunteering for clinical trials. Neurobiology & Behavior and Psychiatry & Human Behavior Associate Professor Joshua Grill, a clinical trials expert, says this participation is crucial to the process of turning laboratory discoveries into new medicines that could one day vanquish Alzheimer’s. Professor Grill is the director of the UCI Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders.
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A crucial part of drug discovery, clinical trials are performed to determine if new treatments are effective and safe enough for use and if new diagnostic techniques are accurate and reliable. Since the only path to new approved drugs is through clinical trials, these studies have helped millions of people worldwide. Professor Grill says they help those enrolling both directly and indirectly. Beyond gaining access to new medicines, participants have routine checks on their health and interact with experts who are conducting trials.
Conducting these studies for Alzheimer’s disease can be challenging. Hundreds of participants and years of participation may be required. Perhaps the most consistent hurdle has been recruiting patients to participate. The time it takes to enroll a full trial is always longer than the time a single person participates. So, a two-year clinical trial can take six years to complete. Professor Grill has been researching this issue and ways to recruit the participants more rapidly. He has used the knowledge gained to help create the UCI Consent-to-Contact registry, or C2C. It seeks to speed recruitment by establishing a pool of people ready to take part in clinical trials. The registry seeks to make enrolling easy and accessible; those interested are simply asked to provide their contact information, complete a short health information survey and indicate their specific research interests. The C2C has already aided recruitment to one Alzheimer’s prevention trial. Professor Grill and his team have also made the registry available to researchers across campus. More than 4,000 people have been referred to a variety of studies being performed by investigators in the Schools of Biological Sciences, Medicine and Education, to name a few.
“Clinical trials are the gold-standard way of testing whether a drug is safe and effective enough for use in clinical care,” said Professor Grill. “Whether Alzheimer’s disease or COVID-19, the best thing you can do for yourself, your loved ones and mankind as a whole is to try to become involved in a clinical trial.” The COVID-19 pandemic has produced challenging decisions and situations for clinical trial investigators, especially those studying older people with or at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, who are at greatest risk if they acquire COVID-19. Alzheimer’s trials at UCI have closed to enrollment, to minimize risk to older potential participants and ensure they can practice “safer at home” restrictions. Once a person is enrolled in a trial, however, there are other considerations, such as monitoring their safety and considering any risks of stopping treatment with the drug. While participant safety is the top priority, investigators are also trying to ensure that the scientific integrity of trials remains intact. Many studies involving interventions remain on-going, with investigators taking additional precautions to minimize exposure and practice adjusted social distancing to complete trial protocols. Even in a pandemic, the research mission continues.
“ Clinical trials are the gold-standard way of testing whether a drug is safe and effective enough for use in clinical care. Whether Alzheimer’s disease or COVID-19, the best thing you can do for yourself, your loved ones and mankind as a whole is to try to become involved in a clinical trial.”
RE S E ARCH – B O D Y
The higher the percent of those with immunity, the slower the virus moves through the population.
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HEROES AND HERD IMMUNITY Doctors and nurses on the hospital front lines have been heroes by providing care during the COVID-19 outbreak. A group of healthcare professionals in Orange County is helping in another way, too. In a collaborative effort led by Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Professor Ilhem Messaoudi and colleagues from the School of Public Health and the School of Nursing, researchers are examining blood samples for the presence of antibodies against the illness as well as tracking the virus using nasal swabs. This process, known as a surveillance study, is one of four major research areas many scientists and clinicians say must be pursued to overcome the pandemic. Professor Messaoudi and her colleagues are analyzing blood samples and nasal swabs from front-line health care providers in the emergency department, hospital wards and the intensive care unit at the UCI Medical Center. They, like their counterparts at hospitals around the globe, are considered at high risk of infection because of their close contact with COVID-19 patients. The researchers are also examining samples of other population groups throughout Orange County. Through this work, she and her team are investigating herd immunity, which occurs when a population has enough resistant individuals to slow the spread of infection. “Knowing this denominator, or the percentage of people who have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is crucial for making decisions about social distancing and other policies,” Professor Messaoudi said. “The higher the percent of those with immunity, the slower the virus can move through the population.”
The team is also investigating the way COVID-19 develops, a process called pathogenesis, which is another of the four research areas. “We want to find out how the human immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus evolves over time and the association with patient outcomes,” Professor Messaoudi said. “Very little research has been conducted on this topic and large systematic studies are needed.” Part of this work includes developing animal models to examine the role of advanced age and the presence of other health conditions on the ability to withstand COVID-19. “Surveillance and pathogenesis research have made a major difference in fighting other infectious diseases such as Ebola and yellow fever,” Professor Messaoudi said. “The work done here, combined with findings by scientists around the world, can help shape COVID-19 health response at the local, national and global levels.”
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RE S E ARCH – B O D Y
MOBILIZING THE BODY’S FIRST RESPONDERS FOR COVID-19 COMBAT A global effort is underway to determine whether convalescent plasma could help people with severe COVID-19. It comes from recovered patients who have developed what are called high-affinity antibodies that target SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the disease. Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Distinguished Professor Charles Glabe is investigating whether another type of antibody could be harnessed to help those suffering. He is also working to potentially make convalescent plasma more effective. Besides developing high-affinity antibodies in response to disease, our systems contain naturaloccurring antibodies (NAs) as part of our front-line immune defense. Known as NAs, they can react rapidly to an infectious agent. However, there have been obstacles in using NAs to treat patients. Like high-affinity antibodies, NAs deactivate the threat of intruding disease agents by preventing them from infecting cells, but their bond isn’t as strong, which means they are less effective. And unlike highaffinity antibodies, NAs can attack a person’s own cells. In addition, it has been difficult to determine precisely which infectious agents they are most capable of combating.
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Professor Glabe and his team have developed a groundbreaking technique to characterize NAs and high-affinity antibodies that may also make convalescent plasma a more effective treatment. Their technique allows the team to identify which disease agents an individual’s NAs can fight. They can also determine the proportion of antibodies in a person’s blood and other biological fluids. Using these methods, the researchers are now examining whether some people are more resistant to COVID-19 because of the composition and abundance of their NAs. If so, they want to find out if the plasma of these individuals could treat COVID-19 patients. The findings might be particularly important for older people, because aging diminishes the ability to produce NAs and could be a reason the pandemic’s toll on this demographic has been so high. Ultimately the diversity of a person’s antibodies could be routinely determined as part of a yearly blood test so that in future viral epidemics, people who are at risk for disease can be identified and vaccinated or protected from viral exposure.
Professor Glabe and his colleagues will also determine the characteristics and abundance of the high-affinity antibodies produced by people who have recuperated from COVID-19. The researchers hope to identify which individuals’ convalescent blood plasma will be better at helping patients battling severe symptoms.
Eighty percent of those who pass away due to COVID-19 are over 65, according to the CDC. It also says as much as seventy percent of those in that age group need to be hospitalized if they are infected. The presence of other health conditions likely accounts for most of their greater risk. However, the work of Professor Glabe and his team could help more people win the fight against this disease.
RE S E ARCH – B O D Y
AMERICAN YOUTH COULD BE INHALING COVID-19 RISK America has the world’s highest percentage of confirmed COVID-19 cases among young people, and a group of BioSci researchers think vaping could be the reason. Scientists know e-cigarettes, which generally contain nicotine, can cause lung inflammation, injury and respiratory problems. With about 40% of U.S. high school seniors currently using the devices, Neurobiology and Behavior Associate Professor Christie Fowler is investigating their possible role in the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers have determined SARS-Cov-2, the virus causing COVID-19, enters human cells through its interaction with a protein called ACE2. Short for Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, it is involved in regulating blood pressure and many other physiological processes. Fowler and her team first examined whether inhaling nicotine vapor increases ACE2 levels in lung tissue, potentially making it more prone to infection by the virus. Working with rodent models, the researchers found the amounts did rise after chronic exposure. Moving forward, the group plans to replicate their studies using more complex animal models and investigate whether vaping’s effect on ACE2 could also contribute to the difference in COVID-19 susceptibility between males and females. The studies are designed to determine whether there could be a biological basis for the sex differences, as both males and females will receive the same amount of vape exposure in the experiments.
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BUILDING A ROADBLOCK TO HALT THE CORONAVIRUS Just as a motorist arrives in a city via a network of streets, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus travels cellular highways to enter the cells it infects to cause COVID-19. Developmental and Cell Biology Professor Aimee Edinger and graduate student researcher Brendan Finicle are investigating whether blocking these roadways could slow or stop the spread of the disease. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, and SARS-CoV-2 infiltrates the body through the lungs. One of its proteins, called Spike, binds the virus to a cell surface protein named ACE2, or the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor. Once inside, SARS-CoV-2 turns the cell into a virus factory, pumping out new viral particles that speed along the cellular highways to attack other cells. Professor Edinger and her colleagues have developed a new molecule that places a roadblock on crucial cellular highways. After initial success against a mouse coronavirus, they are now testing to see if their molecule can keep SARS-CoV-2 from spreading among human cells. The team has already found that their compound stops the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein on infected cells from destroying their uninfected neighbors. Their work reflects growing interest in this approach to fighting not just SARS-CoV-2, but coronaviruses in general. The research community has been evaluating whether existing FDA-approved drugs with mechanisms similar to the team’s molecule can be repurposed to combat this coronavirus. If successful, Professor Edinger’s work could provide a safe and effective new treatment for COVID-19 patients, and possible future deadly outbreaks of this coronavirus group.
RE S E ARCH – W O R L D
FLUSHING OUT COVID-19 CLUES FROM AN UNEXPECTED SOURCE Clues to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic are flowing from a surprising place. UCI BioSci scientists led by Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Associate Professor Katrine Whiteson are working to identify the virus, formally known as SARS-CoV-2, through wastewater. The team embarked on the initiative after research revealed parts of the virus could be shed through stool. Monitoring sewage provides a glimpse of SARS-CoV-2’s diversity and extent without relying on clinical detection methods or further burdening hospitals or clinics.
Detecting viral diseases this way has precedent. In 2013, a poliovirus outbreak in Israel was first found by examining sewage. More recently, a Dutch team published research in March 2020 showing SARS-CoV-2 could be detected in wastewater before infected patients were diagnosed. The Whiteson lab has been working with local sewage samples for several years. The initial goal was to identify possible alternatives to antibiotics by isolating viruses that are active against disease-causing bacteria. When the COVID-19 outbreak began in the winter of 2019, Professor Whiteson, Dr. Jason Rothman, and Dr. Theresa Loveless realized they could analyze sewage to see if the virus was present locally and if so, to what extent. The approach would uncover this crucial information before clinical testing was conducted. Taking the process a step further, by working with highly-localized wastewater samples, the team could discover how virus levels vary between neighborhoods or even sub-sections of hospitals. As labs at UCI shut down, Whiteson and her team shifted to working remotely and began ordering reagents for SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater. They brainstormed with others at UCI and nationwide on how to concentrate the virus, which despite its often devastating impact is quite delicate outside the body. The biggest blockage to the project was obtaining sewage samples during a time sanitation districts along with other municipal facilities were concentrating on essential public safety obligations. However, a collaborator with the City of Escondido offered samples, giving the team an opportunity to try their methods. Professor Whiteson believes successful detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater could serve as an early warning system for future outbreaks. COVID-19 will be a challenge until a vaccine is developed, a process that could take 12 to 18 months or longer. In the meantime, if researchers find a high concentration of SARS-CoV-2 particles in a southern California sewage treatment facility, it would help alert public health officials that the virus is again circulating in the community, and they could take appropriate protective measures.
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RE S E ARCH – W O R L D
GLOBAL WARMING COULD FUEL FEVER’S MOVE As the planet heats up, so does the possibility that diseases could spread beyond their current confines. Such is the case with Valley fever, according to research by Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Professor Kathleen Treseder. Last year was among the two warmest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Professor Treseder’s findings come from her work with fungi. Most of the tiny organisms are harmless, but a few can cause disease in humans and in food crops. One such fungus is Coccidioides, whose spores when inhaled can trigger the Valley fever, a respiratory condition whose formal name is Coccidioidomycosis. Valley fever currently is most commonly seen in the America’s Southwest. Professor Treseder worked with UCI researchers Morgan Gorris and Linh Anh Cat, and Professors Charles Zender and James Randerson to determine if climate change would extend its reach. The team performed fieldwork and combed through multistate medical records to create a contemporary climate and disease incidence model. It confirms that Coccidioides spores thrive in hot and dry climates and predicts they may spread faster and farther as more of the country heats up. The model shows Valley fever’s geographic reach will double by this century’s end, moving into such states as Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Nebraska. As a result, the number of Valley fever infections will increase by 50%. Professor Treseder and her colleagues hope the model will help those northern states better prepare for the disease’s future impact on their residents and health care providers. Professor Treseder’s work during the COVID-19 outbreak is ongoing. She and her colleagues are determined to continue to monitor the spread of Valley fever. “We are complying with all social distancing rules regarding COVID-19, so our research has unavoidably slowed. We no longer use our lab nor are we able to work in the field. Instead, we’re focusing on data analysis and communicating our findings to those who need them.”
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FAC ULTY
PROFESSOR’S PATH PROVES MENTORING’S POWER When Roberto Tinoco graduated from high school, going to college was on his mind, yet he lacked the role models to help him get there. However, through the power of mentorship and personal resolve, he has achieved a career he could never have envisioned as a youth. Now an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, he is researching the disease processes that claimed his own dad’s life and guiding other young people in making their dreams come true. Professor Tinoco grew up in the Los Angeles County city of La Puente, where he earned top grades. However, as a first-generation college student, “I didn’t have a role model for higher education. No one talked to me about how to get to college, so it was something I had no knowledge about,” he said. After high school, he took a position with a check-cashing business so he and his wife Erika could provide for their young daughter. It was here that the check-cashing company’s owner who had been a teacher and university minority mentoring coordinator saw his potential. “She saw I had all A’s on my transcript and asked ‘What is your goal?’” Professor Tinoco continued. “She found it in her heart to mentor me.” With her encouragement, he embarked on his college career and a scholarship via the California Alliance for Minority Participation, funded by the National Science Foundation in partnership with UCI. That scholarship enabled him to enroll as a UCI BioSci undergraduate. “Once here, I was very fortunate to be mentored through BioSci’s Minority Sciences Program (MSP),” he said. The program provides guidance, research training and many other services to encourage minorities to become biomedical scientists. Through the program, he received funding to perform undergraduate research. While he initially had planned to go to medical school, working in a lab changed his mind.
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“I was working on projects leading to new knowledge,” he exclaimed. “I realized being a scientific researcher would allow me to have a broader impact.” After graduating from UCI BioSci, he enrolled in graduate school at the University of California, San Diego. “When I finished my Ph.D., my dream was to obtain a faculty position at UCI BioSci because of the world-renowned research and the amazing experience I had as an undergraduate.”
“In January 2019, Dr. Tinoco was awarded an NIH R01 grant and is the first former MSP undergraduate to receive such major extramural funding for research,” said Dr. Luis Mota-Bravo, MSP Director. “We are delighted and proud that he came back to UCI because he is an outstanding role model for our undergraduate and graduate students.” Professor Tinoco joined BioSci’s faculty in 2018. In 2019, he secured funding to investigate the mechanisms that cause immune cells to stop fighting chronic viral infections and cancers, a phenomenom known as T cell exhaustion. His father passed away from cancer when Professor Tinoco was 17; his loss motivated his research efforts to find cures. The research laboratory is supported by the Melanoma Research Alliance, the U.S. Department of Defense and an NIH Research Project Grant (R01). He plans to use his expertise in T cell biology and the immune response to investigate SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Professor Tinoco’s lab has launched preliminary work and will soon seek funding. Having gained so much from his own mentors, he relishes working with doctoral students in his laboratory. He also seeks to develop tomorrow’s scientists by volunteering with programs supporting these efforts. “My journey shows that when people believe in you, amazing things can happen. It’s exciting to see BioSci’s commitment to mentoring, which is sure to encourage more aspiring life scientists to dream and achieve.”
His father passed away from cancer when Professor Tinoco was 17; his loss motivated his research efforts to find cures.
FAC ULTY
NEW FACULTY
Rachael Barry, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Chrastil, Ph.D.
Monica Daley, Ph.D.
Grace Lee, Ph.D.
Reginald McNulty, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Teaching, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Assistant Professor, Neurobiology and Behavior
Associate Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Assistant Professor, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Suzanne Bohlson, Ph.D.
Kwasi Connor, Ph.D.
Shane Gonen, Ph.D.
Deborah Lutterschmidt, Ph.D.
Alejandra Rodriguez-Verdugo, Ph.D.
Professor of Teaching, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Assistant Professor, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Associate Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
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2019 FACULTY ACCOLADES ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY 2019 Highly Cited Researcher ISI Web of Science Steven Allison, Ph.D. and Kathleen Treseder, Ph.D. 2019 Scientific Advisory Board Electee Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Adriana Briscoe, Ph.D.
Xiaoyu Shi, Ph.D.
Katherine Thompson-Peer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Developmental and Cell Biology
Assistant Professor, Developmental and Cell Biology
Celia Symons, Ph.D.
Adrienne Williams, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Assistant Professor of Teaching, Developmental and Cell Biology
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2019 Innovator of the Year UCI Beall Applied Innovation Christopher Hughes, Ph.D. 2019 Distinguished Lecture American Association of Immunologists Andrea Tenner, Ph.D.
2019 Elected Fellow California Academy of Sciences James Hicks, Ph.D.
NEUROBIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR
2019 HEAL Initiative Team Building Research Award University of California, Irvine Jennifer Martiny, Ph.D.
2019 Golden Apple Award UCI School of Biological Sciences Michael Leon, Ph.D.
2019 UCI Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award Dean’s Honoree Jessica Pratt, Ph.D.
2019 Dr. De Gallow Professor of the Year University of California, Irvine Andrea Nicholas, Ph.D.
2019 UCI Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award Excellence in Digital Learning Nancy Aguilar-Roca, Ph.D.
2019 Hot Topics in Neuroscience Selectee Society for Neuroscience Vivek Swarup, Ph.D.
2019 Distinguished Fellow Botanical Society of America Ann Sakai, Ph.D. and Stephen Weller, Ph.D.
2019 Rising Star in Neuroscience The Scientist Magazine Katherine Thompson-Peer, Ph.D.
2019 Elected Fellow American Academy of Microbiology Kathleen Treseder, Ph.D.
2019 Elected Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science Marcelo Wood, Ph.D.
DEVELOPMENTAL AND CELL BIOLOGY 2019 Hellman Fellowship Hellman Fellows Fund Scott Atwood, Ph.D. 2019 Breakthrough Science Initiative Award Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Aimee Edinger, Ph.D.
SC H OO L L E A D E R S H I P
DEAN’S LEADERSHIP COUNCIL The school’s Dean’s Leadership Council (DLC) is composed of successful alumni, business executives and community leaders who provide counsel to the dean and help ensure that our strategic mission is properly aligned with the needs of society and business. They provide valuable financial support
Michael Aguiar ’88
Wajdie Ahmad, M.B.A., ’12
Zachary Antovich, ’92
Brian Atwood, M.B.A., ’74
to advance the mission of the school’s
Former President and CEO Innoviva, Inc.
Biopharma Executive/ Entrepreneur
General Manager Thermo Fisher Scientific
Former CEO, Co-Founder Cell Design Labs
Aaron Elliott, Ph.D.
John Gerace, M.B.A., ’87
Diana Hendel, Pharm.D., ’85
CEO Ambry Genetics
President DiaSorin Molecular LLC
Senior Partner Partnership Advantage
priorities of teaching, research and public service. Council members embody the spirit of philanthropy and function as our “eyes and ears” outside the university walls. They offer significant insights to the dean, including industry trends that impact our graduates and our faculty’s research. Our DLC members function as ambassadors and advocates, introducing us to key decision makers and industry leaders who support our strategic goals and special initiatives.
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Nikki Iravani, O.D., ’86 Founder & CEO EyeXam
Paul Balalis, M.B.A.
Mitchell Brin, M.D., FAAN
Jay Calvert, M.D., F.A.C.S
Ed Chang ’01
Charles Dunlop
Jacqueline Dupont, Ph.D.
Professional Investor
Sr. Vice President, Global Development Chief Scientific Officer, BOTOX and Neurotoxins Allergan, Inc.
Plastic Surgeon
Co-Founder Avenu Medical
Founder Ambry Genetics
CEO Dupont Residential Care, Inc.
James McGaugh, Ph.D. Tamra Kaplan, Pharm.D., ‘86
Nikan Khatibi, D.O., ’04
Senior Vice President/Operations Phoenix Children’s Hospital
CEO and Medical Director Ahura Healthcare Corporation
William Loudon, M.D., Ph.D. Section Chief for Pediatric Neurosurgery CHOC
Mohannad Malas CEO IRA Capital, LLC
Distinguished Professor Emeritus Dept. of Neurobiology and Behavior Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory University of California, Irvine
Maria Minon, M.D., ’72,’76 Retired, VP of Medical Affairs and CMO CHOC
SC H OO L L E A D E R S H I P
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
Michael O’Connell Executive Director Irvine Ranch Conservancy
Nita Tewari, Ph.D., ’92 Consultant Nita Tewari, Ph.D. Consulting Services
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CONTINUED
M. Jay Porcelli, D.O., F.A.C.O.F.P., ’72
Devansu Tewari, M.D., ’93, ’97, ’14
Osteopathic Physician
Director, Gynecologic Oncology Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Kaiser Permanente Orange County
Jeff Volpe President/General Manager ViewSonic Corporation
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
Karina Cramer, Ph.D.
Brandon Gaut, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (Incoming)
Associate Dean of Research and Innovation
Benedicte Shipley
Andrew DiNuzzo
Assistant Dean
Senior Director of Development
AND STAFF
Raju Metherate, Ph.D.
R. Michael Mulligan, Ph.D.
Aimee Edinger, Ph.D.
Hung Fan, Ph.D.
David Gardiner, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education
Associate Dean of Graduate Education
Equity Advisor
Awards and Honors Advisor
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs (Outgoing)
Robyn Martinelli
Shannon Ingram
Randy Bautista, Ph.D.
Rahasson Ager, Ph.D.
Regina Castleman
Senior Director of Development
Director of Marketing and Communications
Institutional Research Analyst
Principal Communications Officer
Marketing and Communications Manager
SC H OO L L E A D E R S H I P
BIOSCI’S FOUR ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS
NEUROBIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR (NBB)
Marcelo Wood, Ph.D., Chair Kim Green, Ph.D., Vice-Chair Sally Dabiri, Department Administrator UCI BioSci was the first institution worldwide to establish a department dedicated to the study of the brain and the nervous system. The Department of Neurobiology and Behavior was launched in 1964, five years before the Society for Neuroscience’s formation. Our researchers lead the way in probing health and diseases of the brain and the mind’s extraordinary capacities. As happened with the school’s structure, this model was adopted and is now in place at every university.
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DEVELOPMENTAL AND CELL BIOLOGY (DCB)
Kavita Arora, Ph.D., Chair Lee Bardwell, Ph.D., Vice-Chair Andrea Wiley, Department Administrator Our research programs seek a better understanding of cell differentiation and morphogenesis, as well as the origins of developmental disorders and cancer. Faculty in the Department of Developmental and Cell Biology have expertise in diverse disciplines such as genetics and stem cell biology. As they advance our understanding of the body, they are making discoveries to transform human health.
Addressing the grand challenges facing the MIND-BODY-WORLD, pushing the boundaries of exploration through their research and preparing students to become passionate biologists who will help provide a healthier and more prosperous future
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY (MBB)
Celia Goulding, Ph.D., Chair Michael Green, Ph.D., Vice-Chair Melissa Lodoen, Ph.D., Vice-Chair Bessy Varela, Department Administrator Faculty in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry work on questions that concern life at the molecular level. Their members consist of immunologists and structural biologists interested in uncovering a deeper understanding of the inanimate molecules that govern life. Research in MBB has uncovered vital knowledge on vector control methods, vascular biology, biofuels, autoimmune disease and drug design, just to name a few.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY (EEB)
James Hicks, Ph.D., Chair Catherine Loudon, Ph.D., Vice-Chair Marissa Reyes, Department Administrator This department investigates biological processes crucial for sustaining the planet amid the threat of climate change. Research in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology utilizes a range of methods that span field studies, experimental approaches, and theoretical and computer modelling. From the molecular level to the spectrum of ecosystems, our scientists are uncovering the secrets to protecting our world.
SC H OO L L E A D E R S H I P
YEAR IN REVIEW
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SC H OO L L E A D E R S H I P
SCHOOL FACTS AND STATS UCI BioSci offers 10 undergraduate degrees and 5 graduate degrees (1 doctoral and 4 masters).
Money magazine ranked UCI the BEST college in the nation on its 2019-2020 list. Fall 2019 Enrollment Snapshot
4,077 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
29%
come from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds
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With UCI as a minority serving institute, the university and school are in a unique position with strong potential to take a leadership role in shaping the next generation of scientists that accurately reflect our nation’s diversity. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
65% FEMALE
47% are firstgeneration college students
362 GRADUATE STUDENTS
58% FEMALE
Undergraduate Research APPROXIMATELY
1,000 undergraduate students conduct laboratory, clinical or field research as apprentice scientists.
Undergraduate Outcomes
846 UNDERGRAD DEGREES AWARDED (2018-19)
APPROXIMATELY
20%
come from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds
Forbes ranked UCI among public universities in 2019 for best value.
40% of BioSci undergraduate alumni go on to get a doctoral (PhD) or professional degree (MD, DDS, etc.).
GE T I N VO LV E D
Discover the Living World with BioSci You’re invited to learn about discoveries shaping the future of mind, body and world health by coming to educational events held throught the year, including via Zoom while social distancing is in effect. BioSci faculty and special guests offer insights in a manner that’s enjoyable and thought-provoking for nonscientists and scientists alike.
THE DEAN’S DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES The Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series was created in 2014 by Dean LaFerla with the goal of sharing with the public the important research being conducted at UCI BioSci. Held quarterly, these events have become one of the best examples of UCI’s public outreach. Last year’s lectures included: Christopher Hughes, Ph.D.
Thomas Schilling, Ph.D.
Body-on-a-Chip: The New Frontier in Drug Discovery. February, 2019
Discovering Genes that Control Development And Cause Disease: A Fish Tale. October, 2019
Kathleen Treseder, Ph.D.
How Climate Change can Alter the Microbiome You Inhale. May, 2019
For more information on upcoming topics, dates, times and locations, please visit bio.uci.edu/events
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CONNECT WITH BIOSCI!
UCI School of Biological Sciences
@UCIBioSci
@UCIBioSci
Share your story with #UCIBioSci
Search: UCI School of Biological Sciences
GE T I N VO LV E D
BECOME A BIOSCI AMBASSADOR FOR THE BRIGHTEST FUTURE Building a brilliant future for the interconnected health of our minds, bodies and world is a collective effort. You can help by joining the BioSci Ambassadors network. This dynamic group brings together people who sustain and improve the school’s elite standing through their dedication and generosity. They set a new standard of philanthropy through significant gifts to the Dean’s Excellence Fund while providing insights for school leadership and enjoying unique access to important activities. As advocates for BioSci, the Ambassadors are invited to participate in exclusive programming, lectures and networking events. They speak one-on-one with school leadership, faculty and outside experts about the most vital issues facing the future. BioSci Ambassadors may also come into our classrooms to share their expertise with our students. What’s more, members get to know each other through these opportunities, making connections that build knowledge and contacts. The BioSci Ambassadors are a mix of people. Some work in or teach the life sciences, including alumni, faculty and staff. Others, such as parents, friends and members of the general public, may not be trained in this field but are passionate about our mission. Everyone in this convivial group shares the commitment to advancing audacious discovery, world-changing research and the highest quality of education for the next generation of biologists. We invite you to learn more about becoming a BioSci Ambassador by visiting https://bsa.bio.uci.edu/.
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GI VI N G
A MENTOR GRIEVES WHEN COVID-19 CLAIMS A “REMARKABLE HUMAN BEING” After COVID-19 claimed the life of pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. James Goodrich in March, tributes poured in from around the globe. Most famous for separating twins conjoined by brain tissue, the UC Irvine School of Biological Sciences alumnus also helped countless children with other complex neurological challenges during his decades of practice. His loss was especially personal for BioSci Neurobiology and Behavior Distinguished Professor Emeritus James McGaugh, a founding faculty member and previous dean of the school. He was the longtime mentor of a man he describes as “a remarkable human being.” At the time of his passing, Dr. Goodrich was 73 and chief of the division of pediatric neurosurgery at New York’s Albert Einstein School of Medicine. He was renowned for devising a multi-stage process for separating twins connected at the brain and skull. In 2016, CNN followed Dr. Goodrich as he led a 40-member medical team that spent 27 hours performing the procedure on a pair of 13-month old boys. But Professor McGaugh’s memories of Dr. Goodrich reach back much farther, to when the physician was a young man who went by Jim and had just entered BioSci. “When he came into my classroom, the first thing that stood out was that he was more mature than the other students,” said Professor McGaugh, recalling his mentee’s arrival at the school in the 1970s. “He was in his twenties and while he was an undergraduate, he fit right in with my graduate students.”
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Indeed, Jim Goodrich had taken a nontraditional path to BioSci. After floundering in high school, he went into the military, serving in the Marines during Vietnam. Then he enrolled in community college, where one day he attended a guest lecture on learning and memory given by Professor McGaugh. The session so inspired Goodrich that upon earning his two-year degree, he enrolled at UCI BioSci. “I didn’t learn the reason he came to our school until later, and I was very moved to find out my lecture had such an impact on him,” said Professor McGaugh.
The young man whom he described as “engaging, bright and constantly exploring new interests” also made an impact on Professor McGaugh. Goodrich was a self-taught wine expert. When he began teaching a wine tasting course in addition to his BioSci studies, Professor McGaugh enrolled. “I was naïve about wines and I learned from him,” Professor McGaugh said. “I began to stock my cellar with his recommendations. Looking back, it was a rather unusual situation, where we were both student and teacher to each other. I knew he was a unique individual.” After graduating from UCI, Goodrich went to Columbia University, where he earned a master’s, Ph.D. and medical degree, and remained in New York as he built his career. Now Dr. Goodrich, and with a demanding professional life, he still pursued a variety of avocations, continuing as a wine connoisseur and also collecting antique medical and science books. His busy schedule never diminished his relationship with his BioSci mentor. Dr. Goodrich dedicated a book on surgery techniques to Professor McGaugh, attended his lab reunions and stayed in frequent touch over the decades.
In 2018, Dr. Goodrich and his wife Judy established the James Tait Goodrich Award for Excellence in Neurobiology in Honor of James McGaugh. “When he told me he wanted to name the award after me, I was deeply touched,” Professor McGaugh said. During an interview at the time, Dr. Goodrich said, “We wanted to do something for the UCI community and do it in a way that would recognize this great gentleman and scholar. Because of (Professor McGaugh), I have concentrated on providing mentorships my whole career.” Dr. Goodrich’s passing from COVID-19 “was a total shock,” said Professor McGaugh. “I couldn’t believe it and still can’t. He was such a vibrant man.” He paused and added: “I miss him and the world misses him.”
GI VI N G
LOVE AMONG THE PETRI DISHES When UCI cheerleader Tamera Hatfield cartwheeled and backflipped her way down the court at a basketball game in the late 1980s, she captivated spectator and biology student Greg Heintz. A few days later, he ran into Hatfield at BioSci. Introducing himself, he discovered that Hatfield shared his major. That moment launched a now three-decade romance that has come full circle back to the school.
By the time Hatfield finished graduate school, the couple was married and had a son. Heintz had made a career shift, becoming a C.P.A. Hatfield accepted a post-doctoral position with her mentor Professor McGaugh, an offer that brought them back to Orange County. Heintz joined Southern California Gas Energy as an accountant, working in the company’s Los Angeles office. But life changes were far from over. One day, Hatfield’s young son said he wanted to be a baseball player when he grew up. “I used to want to be a doctor,” she told him. “Then why aren’t you?” he asked. With that simple question, Hatfield realized that while she loved her post-doctoral work, she still nurtured the dream of becoming a physician. With Professor McGaugh’s encouragement, she applied to the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and was accepted. A few months before beginning her medical studies at the age of 35, she discovered she was pregnant with her second son. Heintz, who supported Hatfield’s goals “100% and beyond,” transferred to his company’s Orange County office so he could manage the family’s domestic life while his wife completed her physician training. Dr. Hatfield now specializes in Maternal Fetal Medicine, a sub-division of obstetrics and gynecology at UCI Health. Heintz is a Southern California Gas Company account executive in the hospital and pharmaceutical sector.
Hatfield, a year ahead of Heintz, majored in psychology as well as biology. Neurobiology and Behavior Professor James McGaugh became a mentor, fanning her interest in behavioral neuroscience rather than going to medical school, her original goal. Heintz was particularly drawn to molecular biology. Hatfield and Heintz dated through their undergraduate years, even living near each other off-campus. After graduation, Hatfield moved east to join a doctorate program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Upon receiving his diploma, Heintz joined her. He began working as a lab researcher at Duke University, ultimately serving under Nobel Prize winner Robert Lefkowitz.
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Two years ago, the couple became empty-nesters, giving them time to begin participating in programs at their shared alma mater. Now members of BioSci Ambassadors, they applaud the variety of student resources that have been developed since their undergraduate days. “I like this focus,” Heintz said, noting that the student and faculty turnout at a recent ‘Donuts with the Dean’ event was impressive. “There were so many professors there, which shows the students the faculty do want to get to know them.” Dr. Hatfield said: “We are really excited about getting reengaged with BioSci. We represent the many career paths one can take after graduating, and we hope that is helpful to today’s students.”
THE BIOSCI CYCLE OF LIFE: GIVING AND RECEIVING When graduate student James McGaugh tore open an envelope in 1955 and learned he had been chosen for a fellowship, it was welcome news for a young man with little money. The moment also set the stage for his commitment to supporting UCI BioSci decades later. Now Neurobiology and Behavior Distinguished Professor Emeritus, he is among a group of current and retired faculty, families and alumni dedicated to sustaining the school. They hope others will follow suit by making a financial commitment to BioSci.
CREATING A PROFESSIONAL “LEG UP” “Receiving that fellowship amplified my career,” said Professor McGaugh, a founding faculty member of the school and BioSci Dean from 1967 to 1970. “When I started to apply for jobs, it showed I had already been singled out for an honor. In creating and funding these programs for students, we give them a leg up professionally.”
HELPING CHANGE LIVES For Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Distinguished Professor and BioSci alumnus Anthony James, contributing to BioSci helps ensure undergraduates have the opportunity to conduct research through Bio 199, the program designed for that purpose. “When I had the chance to work in a lab, I thought it was fantastic,” said Professor James, who obtained his bachelor’s and Ph.D. here. “UCI BioSci made it possible for me to find myself. I like the idea of making these opportunities available to undergraduates.”
APPRECIATING THE PAST, POWERING THE FUTURE Developmental and Cell Biology Emeritus Professor Susan Bryant, who was BioSci Dean from 2000 to 2006, said, “It’s important to support the school. Many faculty have built their careers here and should consider contributing as a way to say thank you.” Professor David Gardiner, also with Developmental and Cell Biology and Professor Bryant’s husband, said, “We must constantly aspire to be the best and to recruit new faculty at the highest level. Supporting the school is essential for making it possible.”
HONORING A LOVED ONE While UCI American Studies major Ann Stephens says “the natural sciences were my worst subjects,” contributing time and funds to BioSci is a priority. Her support honors her late husband Emeritus Professor Grover Stephens, a founding faculty member and BioSci Dean from 1982 to 1986. “Out of all of his achievements, my husband was most proud of the graduate students he mentored,” Stephens said. “All but two went on to do research.”
EXCITED ABOUT GROWTH AND DIVERSITY Dr. Devansu Tewari, a BioSci alumnus who obtained his M.D. from UCI School of Medicine, says the school’s growth inspires his contributions. “The departments and majors added and the global recognition the school has gained since I was an undergraduate in the early 1980s and early 1990s are exciting,” said Dr. Tewari, a gynecologic oncologist. BioSci’s focus on diversity is equally important. “I love the commitment to first-generation Americans and the diverse areas of interest, subjects and people.” He and his brother Dr. Krishnansu Tewari and their spouses, Drs. Nita Tewari and Meagan Tewari, established the Krishna and Sujata Tewari Scholar Award. It honors the brothers’ late parents, who were both Emeritus Professors.
YOU CAN HELP, TOO Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Emeritus Professor Barbara Hamkalo became the school’s third female faculty member when she joined BioSci in 1973. She summed up the feelings of the donors when she said, “BioSci made my career, and I feel supporting it is the least I can do. If we really want young folks to follow in our career footsteps, we all need to contribute.” For more information on how you can support BioSci, please contact Robyn Martinelli or Andrew DiNuzzo, Senior Directors of Development.
GI VI N G
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS TO COMBAT COVID-19 The need for innovation and discovery through biological research is at an unprecedented level in our modern history. By contributing to the Dean’s Excellence Fund, you allow us to take immediate action in support of biological research to stop the continued spread and devastation of Covid-19.
With your generous support, the school will have the resources to act quickly, continuing to fund BioSci’s COVID-19 research as we contribute to the global effort to end this pandemic and better prepare ourselves for another. Please consider giving today to the Dean’s Excellence Fund to continue our efforts to push research boundaries and ensure that our world will always have a better tomorrow. For more information, please contact: Robyn Martinelli Andrew DiNuzzo Senior Director of Development Senior Director of Development robyn.martinelli@uci.edu adinuzzo@uci.edu 949.824.2734 949.824.8387
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“Treatments and cures to combat diseases like COVID-19 will only come through evidence-based research. Please consider helping us in this global fight.�
COVID-19 MUST BE THE CLARION CALL If you had told people this past February that you wanted to study a bat virus, they would have been puzzled, to say the least. But now that a disease-causing virus leaped from animals to humans and is ravaging the globe, the reaction would be much different. That COVID-19 could so quickly claim countless lives and change our daily experience is no surprise to biologists. Here at UCI BioSci, we have worked hard to demonstrate that mind, body and world health are interconnected. Anything affecting one of the trio will ultimately have an impact on the other two. Climate change, population growth and additional factors are putting humans and animals into unprecedented close contact and onto an apocalyptic pathway, at least biologically speaking. More emerging diseases like COVID-19 will likely afflict us, unless we take action. What we must do as a nation, and do immediately, is recommit to and invest in basic biological research. Life’s scientific processes are so complex and nature is so varied that we only know about a small fraction of the vast microbial world. But the lack of progress doesn’t reflect a lack of curiosity on the part of biologists. It is the result of our general national disinterest and even disdain for investing in understanding life’s underpinnings, even though it’s impossible to develop groundbreaking vaccines, pharmaceuticals and medical treatments without such knowledge. This practice is known as basic biological research, a phrase both accurate and misleading. It is accurate in that this inquiry centers on the fundamental building blocks and processes constituting the living world. It misleads because “basic” is easily considered as of lesser value and even boring in today’s society.
And that is exactly how funding for it has been perceived. For decades, basic research has been dismissed as unworthy of investment. Instead, funding has been largely diverted to applied science, which builds on existing biological knowledge in order to produce possible answers to pressing issues of the moment. This means less effort goes into uncovering new information that could help overcome threats we can’t even imagine now but that will emerge, perhaps very soon.
COVID-19 must be the clarion call to reestablish American preeminence in basic scientific research. Let us also reaffirm the commitment to educating the newest generation of biologists who will lead us to a better future. The COVID-19 disaster stems from this short-sightedness. Coronaviruses exist widely throughout the natural world in many types of vertebrate animals. Virologists have long feared that a new strain would likely emerge to cause a deadly pandemic in humans. The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in the early 2000s should have been a wake-up call for more basic research into these viruses, but interest waned after the headlines subsided. However, a possible pandemic harbinger occurred between 2016 and 2017, when a coronavirus killed 25,000 pigs in China, which again received scant attention.
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Now, rightly so, a great amount of investment is being made into COVID-19 research. But it comes too late to save the hundreds of thousands around the globe who have lost their lives and the many more who will die or become severely impaired before the disease is vanquished. And what will happen to coronavirus research funding when the pandemic is over and the world’s attention moves on? What about the myriad of other life science areas considered obscure right now, but that biologists know have the capacity to devastate, or save, our future? COVID-19 must be the clarion call to reestablish American preeminence in basic scientific research. Let us also reaffirm the commitment to educating the newest generation of biologists who will lead us to a better future. You can be part of this movement by joining our BioSci community. This Dean’s Report provides a snapshot of what we do and who we are. Please consider it an invitation to become more involved. Visit our school’s website or consider making a financial contribution: your energy and support will make all the difference. You will be among those working to ensure what our nation and the world is suffering this year never happens again.
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2019 DONOR HONOR ROLL UCI School of Biological Sciences is grateful to all our donors. Your gifts truly make a difference in the pursuit of our mission. The honor roll below is reflective of gifts and pledges made between January 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019. Thank you! We make every effort to list all donors accurately. If, however, you find an error, please contact us at bio-development@uci.edu. To view our longtime donor alumni and friends list, please visit bio.uci.edu/giving
$1,000,000 +
$25,000 – $99,999
$1,000 – $4,999
Brian Atwood ‘74 and Lynne Edminster Ono Pharma Foundation Audrey M. Schneiderman*
Italian Federation of Sports Medicine NARSAD Diane and Igal Silber Zymo Research Corporation
$100,000 – $999,999
$5,000 – $24,999
American Cancer Society Inc. American Society of Hematology Gary C. Gallup Howard Hughes Medical Institute Kairos Venture Partners II, LP LEO Foundation Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Orange County Community Foundation Howard A. Schneiderman* Carma J. and Frank N. Tomlinson Victor and Virginia Voth Foundation
Anonymous (1) Zachary ‘92 and Kit Antovich Susan V. Bryant and David M. Gardiner Alex Cable Hung Y. Fan and Michael Feldman Elizabeth Gallegos ‘84 Anthony James ‘73, ‘79 and Cynthia French ‘79, ‘93 Lisbon McCarty ‘89 John O’Toole, Jr. ‘94 and Kristin Walter James Pick ‘74 and Rosalyn M. Laudati Rose Science and Health LLC Charles and Suzanne C. Turner Judith Y. Wagner Jane H. Woods Kosuke Yamaga
Michael Aguiar ‘88 and Lisa M. Avallone ‘88, ‘88 Anonymous (2) Archarios Foundation Linh ‘93 and Beth Austin ‘93 Sameer Awsare ‘85, ‘89 Dennis J. ‘79 and Diane Baker James Bergman ‘95, ‘04 and Anna Schlotzhauer ‘93 D’Arcy Bolton Valerie Cantwell Carl Zeiss Microscopy, LLC Lori-Ann Christie and Nicolas Burtnyk Laura Colgin ‘03 Fine Science Tools (USA), Inc. Tamara Fogarty ‘84, ‘84 and Daniel La Mont Danielle ‘93 and John Fox ‘93 Joanna Gerry-Paul ‘95 and David A. Paul Barbara Hamkalo James ‘74 and Kristine D. Hardeman ‘74 Kenneth ‘79 and Judy Ishizue Patricia Jackson-Colando and W. Larry Colando Sinan Kanatsiz/KCOMM Tamra L. ‘86 and Scott Kaplan ‘86 Nikan Khatibi ‘04 Denis A. ‘76 and Barbara J. Kitayama
$25,000 – $99,999 Wajdie M. Ahmad ‘12 The Allergan Foundation American Heart Association Anonymous (5) Mitchell and Deborah Brin Fondation Leducq Susan and Stephen Z. Gervin Joshua Gervin ‘17 James ‘74 and Judy L. Goodrich
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$1,000 – $4,999 Christopher Kitting ‘74 Christopher Lay ‘11 Yvonne C. and William Liu Teresa and Javier Longoria Keith ‘02 and Lauren Luhrs ‘03 Dewey E., III ‘99, ‘01 and Jessica McLin Maria E. Minon ‘72, ‘72, ‘76 Kenneth ‘74 and Cheryl J. Nadeau Mai-Phuong Nguyen ‘91 Ronald E. and Irene D. Perez Martin Jay ‘72 and Maria Porcelli Brian M. ‘76 and Jeri L. Roberts Rojon Sangani Roderick ‘82 and Pamela C. Seamster Bert Semler ‘74 and Ronnie Hanecak Robert Stone and Charlotte Bischel Thomas C. and Marilyn Sutton Marsha Swartz John Tierney ‘01, ‘06 and Mona Hanouni ‘03 Greg ‘71 and Sheryl J. Vacca Donna J. Wanless ‘73 Craig Young ‘84 and Sharon Busey
$100 – $999 Mark ‘86 and Sindy J. Alson Rajeev ‘88 and Anupama Ambe Lars W. J. Anderson ‘67 Anonymous (2) Gail A. Baker ‘74 and Clayton R. Gautier Sudeshna Baksi-Lahiri Barry Barnhill ‘89 Erik Berg ‘94 Michael ‘95 and Arunya Bernardo ‘95
$100 – $999
$100 – $999
$100 – $999
$100 – $999
Mark ‘77 and Mary Blake Michael J. and Nancy A. Buchmeier Amelia and Jim A. Calderon David Campion Jessica Canon ‘97 Virginia G. Carson Sam Chia ‘90 and Marian Chen ‘93 Evelyn Choo ‘88 Patricia A. and Frank A. Conner Jan L. Cooper-Hagman ‘82 and Thomas C. Hagman Sharon Dana ‘84 Graham Danyleyko ‘96 Kevin and Olga M. Davy Karen ‘76 and Kurt W. Dodge Mark Drapeau ‘03 Susan ‘83 and Michael Eckhardt Steven ‘83, ‘83 and Deborah M. Epstein Miriam Feuerman ‘86 William J. Fogarty Philip R. and Kathryn Friedel Evan Gallienne ‘05 John C. and Carolyn C. Garrett Patricia R. ‘76, ‘76 and James Gatacre ‘76 Todd ‘79 and Carol R. Gleeson Bertha ‘79 and Michael Gomez ‘78 Randal and Ana Gorshe Thomas Gough ‘80, ‘80 and Mary Chiakulas Catou Greenberg ‘84, ‘84, ‘88 Betina Greenberg ‘74 Rodolfo Gutierrez ‘06 Andrew Haig ‘97 Janet ‘74 and Ric Harnsberger Gary N. Holland ‘75 Michelle Huynh ‘01
James R and Gwendolyn D. Johnson Melissa A. Johnson Murali Kamath ‘94 Lin Kim ‘17 Diane Kui ‘01 Ann ‘81 and Reid Kunitake Scott R. and Maryann Lacy David A. Lake ‘72 David Lanar ‘71, ‘83 and Susan Tripp ‘84 Jeri Lane ‘76 and Gary N. Rogers John C. and Fritzia LaRue Diep Le and Andrew Tran Alice Lee Andrew M. Lee Iris Lee ‘09 and Justin Hsieh Marr N. and Anne P. Leisure Ruth E. Leonard Jimmy Li ‘88, ‘88 and Wendy Lu ‘90 Raymond Liu Salvatore A. and Eileen C. Lombardi Fabian Lopez ‘90 Grant MacGregor Michael ‘72 and Millie A. Maloney Robyn S. Martinelli Anne Matich ‘92, ‘92 James ‘78 and Debbie Matthews Baiju Mehta ‘97 Christine D. and Frederick L. Meister Merck Foundation Lori L. and Raju S. Metherate David G. ‘81 and Theresa Milder James Mitchell ‘78 Herbert M. and Loretta E. Modelevsky
Levy G. Mones Loren ‘76 and Myrna F. Nakamura Michael M. and Naomi Nakata ‘74, ‘81 Anita ‘77 and Leroy E. Nelson Blake ‘75 and Carolyn Neubauer ‘76 Khoa Nguyen and Quynh Le Lana ‘95 and Tom Vu ‘96 Yen Nguyen, Jr. ‘16 Nghia Nguyen ‘90 Nghia Nguyen Edward Novotny ‘75 ‘75 and Fuki Hisama Terryn L. O’Brien Diane K. O’Dowd and Martin A. Smith Kathie Olsen ‘79 Olympus America Inc. Sunil Pamidi Rajesh ‘89 and Anjana Patel Sanjiv Patel ‘96 Daniel ‘85 and Maria D. Paveloff Joel ‘88 and Carleen M. Pedersen Wilfredo Portillo ‘08 Quinton Crisp Valerie B. Randolph ‘74 and Donald W. Fenbert Brenda Rankin Carol A. and Clifford A. Ranney, Jr. Raytheon Co. Charitable Gift Fund Foundation Michael Rios ‘77 Vincent L. Robles Susanne Roessler ‘81 John ‘84 and O.H. Cathy Roohan Nick and Peggy Rose David L. and Rebecca Ruhm
Patricia and Juan Ruiz Paul Runge ‘72, ‘73 Ann ‘70 and Michael Shaw ‘73, ‘78 Dennis Shozi ‘79 William H. ‘85 and Kathleen Shreve ‘87 Betty R. Solloway Susan J. Staub Ralph ‘73 and Cheryl C. Steiger Carolyn and Jeff Strandberg Joan A. Stratton Robert L. and Karen Sutton ‘86 Glen ‘73 and Ellen Takahashi Shirley A. Talamas Andrea Tenner and Thomas L. Poulos Richard and Lore Thompson Rachna Tiwari ‘03 Hao A. Tran ‘00, ‘00 Nancy L. Truglio ‘74 Julie and Stephen Viss James H. and Natalie Vogt Kevin ‘72, ‘75 and Linda J. Wardell ‘75 Tamara Weinberger ‘84 Michael ‘71 and Signe A. Whittaker Jay C. and Sandra S. Wilbur Patricia Wride Ernest Wright, III ‘06, ‘06 Lawrence J. Wysocki ‘75 and Judith E. Spiegel Theodore Yanagihara ‘04 Steven Yap ‘08 Calvin ‘79 and Christine Yee ‘81 Rosalind ‘81 and Gary J. Ziccardi *Deceased
UCI BioSci 2020 Dean’s Report Dean Frank M. LaFerla, Ph.D. Assistant Dean Benedicte Shipley Editor Shannon Ingram Features Editor Rahasson Ager, Ph.D. Design and Production Lance Morcos LM Design Ink Copy Editor Audrey Knoth Goldman & Associates Contributing Writers Randy Bautista, Ph.D. Regina Castleman Elizabeth Meredith Victoria Stephens Photography Shannon Cottrell Donato Di Natale Wesley Koseki
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