Berkeley Scientific Journal

Includes letter from the editor-in-chief and staff list.

Michel Maharbiz, an associate professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) at UC Berkeley, haspushed his lab to the frontier of biological interface technologies and is increasingly interested in applications insynthetic biology. He received his B.S. in EECS from Cornell University in 1997 and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in 2003under Dr. Jay Keasling for his work on microbioreactor systems. Maharbiz’s lab has gained public recognition for theirwork on controlling the flight of insects by building so-called “cyborg beetles.” Though it is only one of many projectspursued by him and his co-investigators, it speaks clearly to his vision of a new era of technology: one that uses biointerfaceswith technology to harness nature’s complexity. MIT’s Technology Review named the cyborg beetle one ofthe top ten emerging technologies of 2009 and TIME magazine similarly hailed it as among the top fifty inventions thatsame year. Berkeley Scientific Journal met with Professor Maharbiz in 2011 to learn about his research and to explorehis ideas for the future of science.

Dr. Joel Fajans’ research has recently captured headlinesas a part of the ALPHA collaboration at the CERN,Swizerland that created and captured antihydrogenparticles in November 2010. That event was namedthe #1 Physics Breakthrough of the Year by PhysicsWorld magazine and since then, the team has workedto store these anti-atoms for longer periods of time,clocking 1,000 seconds in April 2011. After getting hisPh.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in1985, Professor Fajans joined the physics departmentas a faculty member in 1988. His lab has since workedon charged plasmas and the occasional paper ongyroscopic motion that speaks to his love of biking.While in Switzerland, Professor Fajans shared histhoughts on the uses of antihydrogen and the future ofantimatter research when Berkeley Scientific Journalspoke with him over Skype in the summer of 2011.

Michel Maharbiz, an associate professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) at UC Berkeley, has pushed his lab to the frontier of biological interface technologies and is increasingly interested in applications in synthetic biology. He received his B.S. in EECS from Cornell University in 1997 and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in 2003 under Dr. Jay Keasling for his work on microbioreactor systems. Maharbiz’s lab has gained public recognition for their work on controlling the flight of insects by building so-called “cyborg beetles.” Though it is only one of many projects pursued by him and his co-investigators, it speaks clearly to his vision of a new era of technology: one that uses biointerfaces with technology to harness nature’s complexity. MIT’s Technology Review named the cyborg beetle one of the top ten emerging technologies of 2009 and TIME magazine similarly hailed it as among the top fifty inventions that same year. Berkeley Scientific Journal met with Professor Maharbiz in 2011 to learn about his research and to explore his ideas for the future of science.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta isthe main water resource for California’s urbanand agricultural development. Sherman Islandsits on the western edge of Delta system and isone of the key geographic features in balancingthe flux of saltwater into the Delta. Flooding,saltwater intrusion, and ongoing subsidence arecurrent threats to Sherman Island. The integrationof components of aquaculture, hydroponics, anda levee enclosed flood storage area create a system that can actively protect against flooding disastersby reversing subsidence and stabilizing levees, hasthe ability to sequester carbon and restore habits,and the capacity to produce economic yields. Theenvironmental, technical, and economic attributesof the system are examined through failuresimulations, economic analysis, and environmentdiscussion to determine if the proposed system isa feasible, sustainable and profitable solution forSherman Island and the Delta.Sustaining Sherman Island: A Water Management andAgricultural Diversification System

The effects of consuming a diet high in fructose,compared to a diet high in glucose, on the rate ofhepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) in overweightand obese individuals were studied. Thesesubjects were given a diet in which either glucoseor fructose was substituted for 25% of their energyrequirements for 10 weeks. During the fasted state,subjects’ DNL for those on a glucose and fructosediet were similar. However, in the fed state, DNLwas increased significantly in subjects given afructose diet. This suggests that consuming adiet from fructose-sweetened beverages increases DNL.