Nanodevices That Assemble Themselves

Imagine unrolling an electronic newspaper that's automatically updated via the Internet. Or cheap roof shingles that double as solar panels. These are just two technologies that could become possible with the advent of plastic electronics made from tiny components that assemble themselves. UC Berkeley chemical engineer Rachel Segalman is conducting the fundamental research that could help make this nanoscale dream a reality. In December, Segalman's efforts earned her a National Science Foundation CAREER Award.

Affecting Evolution and Extinction

Every so often, a huge number of species on Earth are wiped out relatively quickly. The last time a large extinction event occurred, between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago, two-thirds of large mammals were swept into the dustbin of history. Why? UC Berkeley paleontologist Anthony Barnosky sifts through the fossil record to understand how environmental changes can cause mammals to move, evolve, and sometimes die off. His research could even help reveal whether we're headed for another mass extinction.

From Carbon Cycles to Climate Models

While we go about our daily lives, our planet's atmosphere—land, oceans, and ice—are interacting in an incredibly complex dance. The Earth is a closed system, where these subtle interactions have a global impact on the climate. UC Berkeley professor Inez Fung constructs incredibly complex computer simulations of the climate. By uncovering the myriad forces behind climate change, Fung's research is revealing how our actions today may have dire consequences for the world of tomorrow.

Rachel Segalman joined the UC Berkeley faculty in Spring 2004 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Université Louis Pasteur in France.