If you are involved in the sciences, then you already know about
the excitement of research and learning in the many scientific
fields that UCLA has to offer. However, if you haven’t yet
ventured into that region known as the “south campus,”
it may interest you to learn more about the wealth of opportunities
that are available to you there ““ even if a journey into the
scientific arena might seem like a daunting experience at
first.
Why should non-scientists be interested in the sciences? The
major issues of our time are dominated by scientific questions.
Look at the front page of any newspaper: global warming, computing,
wireless communication, environmental protection, space missions
and many more ““ from earthquakes to the technology of music
downloads, the sciences play a role in everyone’s life.
At UCLA, students explore all of the key scientific fields, from
study of the smallest elements of life on earth to the broadest
questions about the creation of the universe.
The life sciences bring together an extraordinary range of
interests, from molecule-size structures to the most complex
ecologies on Earth. Students in the life sciences explore such
issues as: How are genes regulated so that an egg develops into an
adult? How does the Los Angeles urban population affect our coastal
marine ecology? How do people learn, remember, associate and think?
How do computers relate to those processes? Our student-scientists
explore three-dimensional molecular structures; the delicate
environmental interplay between the land and the ocean; and perhaps
the most remarkable development of nature: The workings of the
human mind.
And, in many fields in the life sciences, creating breakthroughs
requires collaboration among life scientists and medical
researchers ““ work that is enhanced by new linkages and
partnerships with faculty, students and programs in the UCLA School
of Medicine.
In the physical sciences, students explore the key processes
that affect our universe, the characteristics of matter and energy,
the science of numbers and order, and the origin and structure of
the galaxies, our solar system and Earth.
Physical scientists pursue what is new and interesting: The
delicate interplay of heat and moisture that create the atmosphere
of our globe; the complex interactions of chemical functions; the
exploration of the solar system and our Milky Way galaxy; the
subtle numerical relationships of mathematics; and the workings of
technology one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair.
From the study of new exotic materials to creating new
understanding of the origins of life, from mathematical models of
the global climate to creating new forms of carbon, from creating
new understanding of earthquakes to unlocking the secrets of black
holes and newly born galaxies at the edge of the cosmos, the
faculty and students in the physical sciences are laying the
groundwork for building a better world.
We believe science is fun ““ for majors and non-majors
alike. There is a beauty and an absoluteness to the sciences and
the excitement of discovery that is unique in the human
experience.
For that very reason, many people who had no experience in the
basic sciences before they came to UCLA wind up working in a
scientific field. And, the sciences can be a great way to work
toward graduate school or a professional degree.
So, as the new academic year begins, we invite you to explore
the sciences at UCLA. You can take a course beyond the basic
requirements, or you can get involved in one-on-one research with
faculty through individual research projects ““ an important
benefit of attending a research university. Or, you can take one of
the many new Fiat Lux seminars in the sciences that will be
available this year.
Regardless of what you do, we hope you will recognize that the
sciences at UCLA can be an adventure.
Chan is the dean of physical sciences. Eiserling is the dean
of life sciences. For more information on conducting research, see
www.college.ucla.edu/ugresearch/index.html.
Details about Fiat Lux seminars can be found at www.college.ucla.edu/fiatlux.