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August 7, 2026
Corn Stalks. It’s What’s for Dinner … If You’re a Microbe.
Engineers have developed a strain of a common bacterial species that can feed exclusively on the three major sugars present in corn stalks. While the new multiple-sugar-consuming strain of the bacteria Pseudomonas putida is interesting in its own right, a new paper published in Nature Communications on July 29, 2026 outlines the broader implications of this project for the future of biomanufacturing. Full Story
July 30, 2026
Colleagues, Family and Friends Celebrate 95th Birthdays of Professor Shu Chien and Dr. K.C. Chien
Approximately 130 guests gathered in San Diego to honor the pioneering bioengineer Shu Chien and pediatrician Dr. K.C. Chien, who have been married for nearly seven decades. Full Story
July 30, 2026
Flipping the Switch: Triton Racing Goes Electric
After nearly 30 years of designing and building a formula race car powered by an internal combustion engine for the annual Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) collegiate competition, the Triton Racing student team at UC San Diego flipped a switch in 2023 and went electric. For the first time, the team was able to bring a functioning formula race car running on its own battery power that they designed and built, to the Formula SAE Electric competition this June, representing three years of intense learning and work. Full Story
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