UCLA Announces Remote Instruction through Jan. 28 Due to
the rapid transmission of the omicron variant, UCLA has extended the
winter quarter’s remote instruction through Jan. 28. Please visit UCLA Samueli’s COVID-19 info page
for the latest update concerning testing, masking, isolation and
quarantine requirements for students, staff, faculty and visitors.
UCLA Team Harnesses Machine Learning Imaging Technology for Materials Design Materials scientists
led by assistant professor Aaswath Raman have developed a new way to
optimize the design of complex optical materials by using the same
machine-learning technique that creates deceptive imagery known as
“deepfakes.” Instead, the advance can be leveraged for positive
scientific breakthroughs.
Computer Scientist Explains One Concept in 5 Levels of Difficulty Computer science
professor Amit Sahai is asked by WIRED to explain the concept of
zero-knowledge proofs to five different people — a 10-year-old, a teen, a
college student, a grad student and an expert. Using a variety of
techniques, Sahai breaks down the highly intriguing concept of proving
to someone that you know the answer to a problem without disclosing the
source.
How Three Technologies Will Shape COVID-19 in 2022 Eleazar Eskin,
professor and chair of UCLA’s Computational Medicine Department, which
is affiliated with both UCLA Samueli and the David Geffen School of
Medicine, is featured in the story about SwabSeq — a genome-based PCR
COVID test his lab developed.
‘Smart Face Masks’— Researchers Have Created a Way to Digitize Masks The article focuses on
the collaboration among engineers and academics in UCLA (including
assistant professor Yang Zhang of electrical and computer engineering),
Northwestern University, Georgia Institute of Technology and other
participating labs in the creation of “FaceBit”— a ground-breaking
platform to transform traditional face masks into “smart masks.”
Virtual Histology May Reduce the Need for Skin Biopsies The article highlights
research led by UCLA Samueli’s electrical and computer engineering
professor Aydogan Ozcan on a deep-learning framework that performs in-
vivo virtual histology of intact skin in lieu of traditional biopsies.
Scientists are Making CAR-T Cells More Clever The piece introduces
researchers like UCLA’s Yvonne Chen, an associate professor of
microbiology, immunology & molecular genetics with a joint
appointment in chemical and biomolecular engineering, who are working on
“armoring” the CAR T-cell against the hostile signals in the
microenvironment around a solid tumor.
Power/Performance Bits UCLA bioengineers led
by assistant professor Jun Chen are highlighted in the story for
designing a wearable, energy-harvesting device to power wearable and
implantable diagnostic sensors.
Computer Science Alumnus Leads STEM Career from Hackathons to Meta Alexander Ramirez ’14
knew from a young age that he was born to work in STEM. He is the
manager of Meta’s Critical Authoritative Resources team, which works to
provide Facebook users with reliable information on topics such as the
pandemic, climate change and voting resources.
IN MEMORIAM
In Memoriam: Professor Emeritus John Dracup Civil and
environmental engineering professor emeritus John Dracup, who
specialized in hydrology and water resource engineering and taught at
both UCLA and UC Berkeley for more than half a century, died Dec. 20.