Proposed bill threatens funding for scientific research

The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation Feb. 10 that would restrict the National Science Foundation to award grants only to research projects that aim to improve the American economy, strengthen national defense or otherwise further national interest. Rep. Lamar Smith proposed the Scientific Research in the National Interest Act, or HR 3293, seven months […]

UC Assembly of the Academic Senate condemns retirement proposal

The University of California Assembly of the Academic Senate unanimously passed a resolution during Wednesday’s meeting condemning a proposal that would reduce retirement benefits. If enacted, the proposal will allow UC employees hired after after July 1, 2016 to choose between a hybrid defined benefit plan and a defined contribution plan. The new hybrid defined […]

SWC reFRESH campaign aims to revitalize students’ health

An undergraduate student government office will allow students to discuss a variety of hygiene-related issues, including the cultural norms of shaving and the importance of dental care, during a month-long campaign beginning this week. The Undergraduate Students Association Council Student Wellness Commission organized reFRESH 2016 to help students improve their hygiene and health, according to […]

UCLA welcomes new course on the search for extraterrestrial life

Students will be able to search for intelligent extraterrestrial lifeforms with space signals, telescopes and radio waves in a new class this spring. Jean-Luc Margot, a space physics professor, will teach Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences C179: “Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Theory and Applications,” a course open to undergraduate and graduate students who have taken […]

UC cybersecurity issue met with mixed responses from faculty

Several University of California professors expressed varied viewpoints about the lack of transparency surrounding the data monitoring hardware the UC Office of the President installed across UC campuses last summer. Some professors protested the installation of the hardware, which UCOP implemented without the knowledge of most University professors. According to Ethan Ligon, an associate professor […]

Computer hardware installed by UCOP found to monitor UC campus networks

The University of California Office of the President has installed computer hardware capable of monitoring email transactions among computers across the University of California system. According to a letter by Ethan Ligon, an associate professor of agricultural and resource economics at UC Berkeley, the hardware is designed to monitor and possibly record all network traffic, […]