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Chemistry and Biochemistry

A rainbow of prescriptions drugs with white bottles on a black countertop.
Photo Credit
Debreny via iStock
Peptides have found use in over 80 drugs worldwide since insulin was first synthesized in the 1920s.

Scientists unlock a massive new ‘color palette’ for biomedical research by synthesizing non-natural amino acids

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One person ascending outdoor stairs of a modern building with a sunburst overhead
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Matt Perko
The Interactive Learning Pavilion, opened in 2023, is UCSB’s first all electric facility.

Reaching net zero for emissions will bring major cost savings to campus
A man with glasses sits on a train, gazing out the window with a contemplative expression. A woman leans her head on his shoulder, partially obscured, wearing glasses and a blue sweater. The train interior is softly lit, and other passengers can be seen in the blurred background.
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Courtesy
Film still from the documentary “Walk With Me” about Los Angeles designer Charlie Hess and his journey into early-onset Alzheimer’s.

UCSB research featured in Alzheimer’s documentary at SBIFF
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Yang Yang’s wizardry with enzymes earns him early career recognition
A group of undergraduate volunteers pose in front of the chemistry building at UC Santa Barbara.
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Courtesy Image
SciTrek founder Norbert Reich (center back) poses with some of the over 280 undergraduate volunteers who make the program possible.

SciTrek, UCSB’s largest education outreach program, garners new funding to expand
A stack of blocks with the rare earth element symbols on them.
Photo Credit
Thibault Renard via iStock
Scientists and engineers would love if separating rare earth elements were as easy as picking one out of a stack of blocks.

A cleaner, more efficient way to process and recycle rare earth elements
concept illustration of water and other molecules

‘Going green always wins’: Bruce Lipshutz makes the case for green chemistry in drug manufacturing for low-income countries
a hand holding a lightbulb with a glowing outline of a brain

Four junior faculty members win Sloan Research Fellowships
concept illustration of chemical reactions using light
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Courtesy Image

Shining a light on new chemical reactions
Two workers in white coveralls and masks examine solar cells in a cleanroom.
Photo Credit
Gorodenkoff via iStock
Alternatives to silicon-based solar cells could allow solar panel production to move out of cleanrooms like this.

UCSB pioneers a low-energy process for high-performance solar cells
abstract image of the brain disintegrating

Researchers uncover a potential method for interrupting the misfolding of tau protein that underlies neurodegenerative disease
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UC Santa Barbara selects inaugural Public Voices Fellows
three blue-gray petri dishes against a black background testing the resistance of bacteria to antimicrobials

Researchers develop molecules for a new class of antibiotics that can overcome drug resistant bacteria
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